Gator Gazette

Week of June 16-22

Happy Father's Day, Gator Dads!

We had a great meet at Mohican yesterday! It was so awesome to see our Gators back in the water, cheering on deck, and being silly with each other!

MORNING PRACTICES start this week. We know some students are finishing out the school year, so please make it when you can. Afternoon Clinics will start this week on Monday and Thursday. See below for details.

The fun continues this week with our first home B meet on TUESDAY NIGHT! (this is a date change due to the Juneteenth Federal Holiday). We look forward to hosting Rock Creek on Tuesday evening with the theme GATOR PROM!! We do need a lot of volunteers to help with concessions and timing, so please look for the concessions signup genius or signup for timing HERE.

We will also welcome our Mini Gators this week Monday through Thursday 11-12. Please welcome the little ones, their families, and caregivers!

Our Fun Friday this week is everyone's favorite French Toast Breakfast, WAHOO!! It will also be the Team Photo!! Seniors, please be prepared to take a few extra minutes for some photos together. Fun Friday practices are for all age Gators (not minis) and start at 8:45 with some pool time followed by photo, awards, and breakfast.

Saturday morning, we will host the Week 2-A meet at Franklin Knolls vs. Mill Creek Towne. Theme is Rockstar/Rapper.

Please see below for the following:

• Weekly Calendar
• Mini Gators Info
• Revised Calendar. Tuesday Night B Meets June 18 and July 2
• TUESDAY B meet Info
• Saturday A Meet Info
• Sponsorship Opportunities to help the Gators, Chipotle Dine Out Night 6/26
• Updates on Swim Lessons, Instructors, Masters Swim, Adult Swim League

Go Gators!

Please note the meet themes on the revised Calendar have been changed.

Please note the following Wednesday Night "B" meets will now be on TUESDAY:

Tuesday, June 18 Rock Creek at Franklin Knolls (moved in observance of Juneteenth)

Tuesday, July 2 Adelphi Pool at Franklin Knolls (moved in observance of July 4)

Please note Tuesday afternoon clinics will move on those weeks as follows:

Monday, June 17 Afternoon Clinic

Wednesday, July 3 Afternoon Clinic

We know Team Unify looks different this year. We’ve created tutorialsl (thanks, Allison!) showing the step-by-step process to register for the meet and sign up for jobs. While you’re there, we ask that you look ahead and declare your swimmers’ availability for as many meets as you know of.

1. How to Sign Up for Time Trials OR a B Meet

2. How to Sign Up for a Volunteer Job

3. How to Sign Up for an A Meet

As always, these How-to’s can be found under PARENT INFO on our TeamUnifymainpage

We are so incredibly excited to welcome new and returning faces to the Franklin Knolls Mini-Gators program! We hope this will be a fun summer, filled with learning about swimming and building community.

The coaches look forward to seeing your swimmer at 11 am on Monday morning. Please have them bring a swimsuit, goggles, a cap if they prefer to wear it, and a towel. We will provide kickboards and other tools as needed. Your minis are in great hands with our coaching staff and our amazing Gators that help with this program.

If you haven't registered or paid, it's a two step process. Please REGISTER HERE, and then send payment via Venmo, Zelle or Check. Registration Closes Wednesday June 19.

All swimmers must arrive to Franklin Knolls at 4:45 pm. Please come dressed for warm-ups and bring your costume. Our warm-ups will begin promptly at 5:00 pm. After warmups we will dress up, take photos outside, and parade into the pool from the parking lot.

THEME IS GATOR PROM!!

B-Meet lineups are based on parent signups for various events. You must commit to attend the event AND select events you want your swimmer to compete in. 12&U swimmers must be approved to swim I.M. The Coaches will review meet entries on Monday. They reserve the right to remove your swimmer for an event if they do not feel the swimmer is ready to compete. The coaches will release the final Meet Program on Tuesday morning.

You MUST declare your swimmer as available or unavailable to participate in the meet by TONIGHT (SUNDAY) at MIDNIGHT! CLICK HERE or the button below to declare your swimmer.

Please note: we will not allow any last minute entries the night of the meet.

All swimmers must arrive to Franklin Knolls at 7:40 am. Please come dressed for warm-ups and bring your costume. Our warm-ups will begin promptly at 7:50 am. After warmups we will dress up, take photos outside, and parade into the pool from the parking lot.

**Please remember, swimmers may wear a Team suit or their own. No logos or branding of any other clubs/teams on suits or caps.

THEME IS: Rockstar/Rapper

Saturday A-Meet rosters are based on best times. Parents must declare swimmers' availability for the meet. Races will be seeded based on top times, with a max of 3 INDIVIDUAL STROKE events per swimmer, and a max of FIVE events per day. The Coaches will release the meet lineup on Thursdays for the Saturday meet and on Tuesday mornings for Wednesday meets.

You MUST declare your swimmer as available or unavailable to participate in the meet by Tuesday, June 18 at MIDNIGHT! CLICK HERE or the button below to declare your swimmer.

We still need timers, take off judges and runners for Saturday's meet. If you haven't timed before, it's easy and no training is required. To Sign up for a volunteer job, CLICK HERE or the button below. We also need concessions help!

This week is our annual French Toast Fun Friday! Calling all 13-14 families: you are hosting! Please volunteer to make this event a reality - SIGN UP HERE. We have shoppers signed up (Thanks, Julia, Brian and Melanie!) but still need help with prep/cooking/serving! We will start preparing at 8am.

For the rest of the season’s Fun Fridays, we will have the parents of each age group help host a Fun Friday. Parent volunteers will shop for and help on the day of your age group’s Fun Friday. I will be at each Fun Friday to lead but need your help to pull it off. We aim to make this a bonding experience for parents within the age groups! Additional information is in each SignUpGenius, linked below.

6/28 Tie Dye Activity: 8&U parents

7/5 Ice Cream Social: 11-12 parents

7/12 Gator Olympics: 15-18 parents

Happy to answer any questions about Gator Fun Fridays- please email Jennifer at jameyer85@gmail.com

Feel free to head over to Capital Sport and Swim for Team Suits. Their knowledgeable staff will help with sizing, and have all the selections for our Team Suits on file. If you'd prefer, you are welcome to bring a black or green suit to Capital Sport and Swim, and they will put a Gators logo on it for a small fee.

The 2024 Gator Gear online store is closing soon!

Place your orders today Monday June14- June 21 at 11:59 pm.

This is the swim team's biggest fundraiser of the season and the best way to show our Gator team spirit!

https://www.capitalsportandswim.net/franklin-knolls-gators-24

Password: FKGators24

We will also have different gear for sale at the ping pong tables during home A & B meets.

Questions? Text Susanne at 301-404-8973 or Jennifer at 301-793-9692

As you pay for items, concessions, merch, etc. on Venmo or Zelle, please use text (not emojis) as much as possible. It helps to streamline our bookkeeping.

PLEASE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT SENDING SNACK SHACK PAYMENTS TO THE GATORS!!

Any members who make purchases on behalf of the Gators can submit for reimbursement by submitting this FORM. You can also click on the green button above!

Thank you in advance for streamlining our reimbursement requests

Are you (or do you know someone who is) the proud owner of a local business? For the first year ever, we are looking for sponsors to help us make a splash this season!

Why sponsor Gators?

• Reach a dedicated community: Gain exposure to a large network of families through announcements at meets, website promotion, and team gear.

• Give back to your neighborhood: Support local youth and healthy competition!

• Unique marketing opportunities: Choose your level of sponsorship and benefits, including announcements at meets, dine-out nights at your establishment with a portion of proceeds going to the team, or logo placement on team apparel and promotional materials.

By sponsoring our team, you'll help us:

• Keep dues affordable: We want swimming to be accessible to all families, and sponsorships allow us to offer discounted or waived dues for those in need.

• Invest in our future: Funding helps us provide the best equipment and coaching for our swimmers, allowing them to reach their full potential.

Become a Team Champion!

Contact Yasmin Mesiya (631.353.1755/yasminmesiya@gmail.com) to learn more about sponsorship opportunities!

Together, we can make a wave!

Place an online order for pickup before next week's B-Meet, or stop on into the 4-Corners Chipotle to support our Gator Swim Team!! 25% of sales go to the Gators. Spread the word!!

Registration for the 2024 Teen Trip is now CLOSED. We have 54 of our 13/14 and 15/18 swimmers joining us this year – an all time record! We have totally filled our Youth Camp dorms!

Confirmed teens' families will receive a confirmation email today with additional details.

Thanks in advance to our chaperones and shoppers!

If you are interested in offering your photography talents to capture Gators in and out of the water this summer, please contact Kim at briroo4@yahoo.com. Please remember, in compliance with MCSL and USA Swimming's Safe Sport policies, only approved photographers may stand behind swimmers to capture images.

If you capture a great photo throughout the season, please share with Kim at briroo4@yahoo.com

A reminder, each family is required to volunteer four shifts or one significant job per season. All volunteer positions are described HERE.

We need CONCESSIONS Volunteers for our home meets! This is a fairly easy job, show up and help sell or grill, we also need folks to pickup online orders. We will have them paid for and ready for curbside pickup. No shopping needed! Sign up HERE

Please signup to volunteer for Meets via Team Unify, or sign up to help for social events through various sign up geniuses throughout the summer.

If you have questions regarding open Volunteer positions or ways you'd like to help out, please contact our 2024 Volunteer Coordinator, Jenny Blasdell at jenblas@gmail.com

Swim lessons start this week! All who registered to take lessons and those who applied to be instructors should have received a copy of the schedule by email on Wednesday. If you registered and didn’t receive the email, please let us know at fkpswimlessons@gmail.com.

The deadline to register for Session 2 of swim lessons is Wednesday, June 26th at noon. All information - including session descriptions, timing, and the registration link can be found here.

Thanks to everyone who applied to be a swim instructor! We have received lots of great interest in the junior instructor positions, but we are still in need of Senior Instructors for PM Swim Lessons. Pay is $15 hour, or SSL hours (your choice!). We've extended the deadline for applying to Wednesday of this week. If you are interested, please read the job description here and apply here.

SCHEDULES | TRAINING

We will be in touch this week with information about which session(s) instructors will be working, and there will be a training for Senior Instructors on Monday, June 10th at 7:00pm at the pool behind the Snack Shack.

Those who expressed interest in helping with mini-gators will receive a communication separately from the Gator coaches.

Practices start on Tuesday, June 18th and there is still time to register here! For more information about the 5-week program, click here.

Workout Wednesdays start on June 19 by the basketball courts from 9-9:30am and will focus on building overall strength and endurance. Please bring a yoga mat or towel and water, and feel free to bring your choice of dumbbells for an extra challenge! When you arrive, scan the venmo QR code or bring cash! This first Wednesday will be $8 per person. Can’t wait to see you all there!

Questions about swim lessons, swim instructor applications, masters, and Workout Wednesdays can be directed to Erin and Kelsey at fkpswimlessons@gmail.com

Questions about swim lessons, swim instructor applications, masters, and Workout Wednesdays can be directed to Erin and Kelsey at fkpswimlessons@gmail.com

There is still time to register to swim meets with our Silver Spring Sailfish Team! There are 3 meets left! The fee is 75.00 to join. There is no commitment other than showing up to swim and have fun when you can make it. We have 25 swimmers registered and almost everyone will be participating in the second meet on June 16th! We had a great time at our first meet last weekend. Come cheer us on and check it out if you are on the fence, it’s a lot of fun. We have an updated team website for your reference to check out the rest of the meet dates and locations. You must pick your events by the Thursday prior to the Sunday meets to be allowed to swim. Relays will be determined once swimmers get all their entries in! If you have any questions please reach out to Kim O'Brien for assistance. Kstepienpt@gmail.com, 315-382-2344.