Good evening, Torpedo! It's Coach Andersen!
Welcome to our Kick Off Edition Blog post of 2023! There are a lot of things to cover with you all, and I'm excited to share them with you! There will be more posts with more information to come in the not so distant future. I wanted to get as much of this out to you all now, particularly dates
First, SIGN UPS:
Sign ups will begin online at valdese.recdesk.com on Monday, April 17.
Registration officially closes on June 28, but please sign up as early
as possible to maximize time with the team in the water and building a team family! Please make sure you have access to your existing account if you've signed up for any other Valdese sports in the last year, have a membership, or have rented from the department in the last year. If this is your first time and you haven't been a member or done any kind of facility rental with the Parks and Rec department, you'll need to create a new profile for head of household and and household members who are being registered.
Swimmers will swim and practice as a part of their age groups (8 and Under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-18) based on their age on June 1. Anyone wishing to join needs to be able to swim a single, 25 yard length without stopping. Specific practice times will be forthcoming, but practices for 9-18 year olds will be weekday mornings unless following a weeknight meet, and 8 and Unders will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights.
Swimmer eligibility is not tied to school attendance as it is for several other sports offered through the Valdese Parks and Recreation Department. Swimmers can even be from out of county. We welcome anyone who wants to swim as a part of our family!
So, tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your church congregation, even tell your barber, that they or their kids should come and be a part of the fun and exciting Torpedo family!
Second, IMPORTANT PRACTICE AND MEET DATES:
PRACTICES START: Tuesday, May 30 AFTERNOON TIMES TBD
SPLIT PRACTICES START: Monday, June 12 TIMES TBD
Saturday, June 17, 8:00am Warmup: VTST vs. Shelby/McDowell
Tuesday, June 20, 5:30pm Warmup: VTST at Forest City
Saturday, June 24, 8:00am Warmup: VTST vs. Lenoir/Granite Falls
INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAK: No Practice 6/30-7/5, practice resumes Thursday morning, 7/6
Saturday, July 8, 8:00am Warmup: VTST vs. Forest City
Thursday, July 13, 5:30pm Warmup: VTST at Black Mountain
Saturday, July 15, Warmup TBD (Morning): Tarheel Swim League Sprint/Distance Meet (Ages 11& Up)
Thursday, July 20, 5:30pm Warmup : VTST at Granite Falls
Saturday, July 22, 8:00am Warmup: VTST vs. Black Mountain
Saturday, July 29, 7:00am Warmup: Tarheel Swim League Championship Meet (Valdese)
FINALLY, CHAMPIONSHIPS:
This year is supposed to be McDowell's turn to host, but they are in the process of constructing a new pool. So we are switching years, and they will host on our next turn.
This means we will need TO REPRESENT! As a home meet, there is no reason why we shouldn't have a strong contingent of swimmers and volunteers available for this meet. We truly hope that you all will block this date off and be available so we can make a run at the title again, in addition to hosting an amazing event. The Torpedo has always done well, and there reason to think we can't challenge again.
But, per league bylaws, you need to swim in AT LEAST TWO MEETS to be eligible for the Champs Meet. So please make sure you can make more than two meets in case something causes us to miss one (weather, perhaps).
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more great Torpedo information in coming weeks!
