Gator Gazette

We are thrilled to be a part of the Arlington Heights 4th of July Parade! See below for more information regarding the event:

Date: Friday, July 4th, 2025

Arrival Time: 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Parade Kickoff: 10:00 AM

Location: The parade assembly area is the 1100 N block of Highland and the parking lot across from St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights. We are group # 73 in the parade line up. We will have a truck with participants walking behind.

The parade route will lead us down Dunton Ave to Recreation Park. Parents are welcome to walk in the parade or drop your swimmer off. If you are dropping off, swimmer pick up will be in front of the grassy area at the Recreation Pool entrance. We expect the parade to end between 10:30 and 10:45. Please have your swimmer check out with Erin Greiss or Molly Geli prior to leaving. Swimmers must stay with the team for the duration of the parade until they are checked out, unless prior arrangements have been approved.

What to Bring:

• Please wear an Alligator Aquatics t-shirt
• Water bottle and hat (optional, but is helpful on a hot day)
• Candy if your swimmer would like to hand it out (optional)

We can’t wait for a fun day at the parade! If you do plan to attend, please let us know the number of swimmers on the Sign-Up Genius link so we can plan ahead and look out for you the morning of the parade.

July 11 - July 13, 2025

Our next meet is just around the corner!

• Check out the Events page on our website for the PPD Meet Packet with all the details.

Championship season is approaching! Check out the links below for Time Standards. Only 1 meet left to make a cut!

• Age Group Regionals Standards
• Senior Regional Standards
• Age Group State Standards
• Senior State Standards

Thank you once again for another amazing meet! This was a long meet, and probably one of the biggest that we've hosted, at least since I've been the meet director. However, we are a small but mighty team and we carried it out like the champs we are! The feedback from coaches and officials as they were leaving was positive, teams were grateful that we made room for them in our meet, and other than some glitches with printers and timing systems, it ran so smoothly.

A special thanks to:

• Our officials, Shannon Veltman and Adam Clementi
• Russell Mathews for all his hard work behind the scenes, especially with all things technology related!
• Our coaches of course! You lay the foundation for our swimmers to achieve the successes that they do.
• Eric Strohmeier for his amazing hospitality. With a meet this big, this was no easy feat. He not only makes sure the coaches and officials are fed, but goes above and beyond with charcuterie boards and his espresso machine!

I know I'm probably forgetting someone, but truly, you all were amazing this weekend and we are truly appreciative. Your hard work to make this meet a success contributes to the success of our team! Have an amazing rest of your summer, our next hosted meet won't be until December, so plenty of time to rest up!

See you on deck!

Stay up to date on your athlete's SWIMS Registration and SafeSport compliance. Visit our SWIMS & SafeSport Information Pages to stay informed. Questions? Contact Russell at rmathews@alligatoraquatics.org

Welcome to our new Treasurer, Marna Cielak! She can be reached at treasurer@alligatoraquatics.org. To view the Club Directory, Click Here.

The Athlete Bonding & Tie-Dye Party was a colorful success this past month at the Greiss Household! Swimmers came together to decorate their team T-shirts in vibrant tie-dye patterns in preparation for the Alligator Aquatics Summer Splash. The afternoon was filled with laughter, creativity, and team spirit! Thanks to everyone who came out—and a big shoutout to those who helped organize!