Hi Shark Families,
If you’re anything like me, you read “last week of regular season” and get all the feels. Wow, those eight weeks flew by and wow, I am swim-exhausted. It does feel like a blink of an eye (and many early practices and late meets) and here we are. Thank you to all Shark families for the endless dedication. Our Sharks crushed it on Tuesday against GPYC. Most notable performances were on the dance floor by Coaches and kids. And some went right back at it against Detroit Golf Club on Thursday. Then our mightiest 8 & Unders swam their hearts out at the Annual Orchard Lake Mini Meet on Friday morning. So many swims. So many memories. So much cheering. So much laundry. And SO MUCH FUN.
Keep reading for key dates and events over the next two weeks…
Weeks’ Updates – Things to know & Things to Do
WEEK OF JULY 15
Monday: RISING STARS 9-10 MEET AT BIRMINGHAM COUNTRY CLUB
8:00 a.m. – Arrival. Grounds and Parking Open
8:15 a.m. – Pool Opens for Warm-up
9:00 a.m. – Meet Starts
Friday: 10 & UNDER MINI MEET AT DETROIT YACHT CLUB
7:45 a.m – Arrival
8 a.m – Warm Up
9 a.m – Meet Start
***PLEASE NOTE FRIDAY PRACTICE SCHEDULE DUE TO MINI MEET***
J/HH – 8:00-9:30
TS – 10:30-11:30 – NO PRACTICE
F1 – 10:00-10:30 – NO PRACTICE
F2 – 11:00 – 11:30 – NO PRACTICE
Saturday: LAST DAY OF REGULAR SEASON AND SHARK SPLASH
***PLEASE NOTE SATURDAY PRACTICE SCHEDULE CHANGES***
PAJAMA PRACTICE – wear jammies (that you don’t mind getting wet) over your swim suit. Shark Splash to follow PJ practice for J/HH/TS
J/HH – 8:00-9:30
TS – 9:00-10:00
ALL FINS – PRACTICE IS SHARK SPLASH!!!
SHARK SPLASH
10:00a-11:00a – In the water activities and fun
11a – Brunch at the Shark Tank. Pancakes and bacon will be available to be chitted. We are collecting additional donations for the brunch. Please sign up here.
Parents and swimmers bring your suits and goggles for a JAWSOME time at our 2nd Annual Shark Splash event! Shark Splash is an opportunity for parents and swimmers to celebrate the end of the dual meet season by participating in shark relays, cannonball competitions, bracelet making, and sharks and minnows games to name a few. Regardless of your swimming ability, we encourage all parents to join in on the fun with their kids!
NEW – Parents and kids, come dressed in your favorite Shark Gear. We want to see all the Shark costumes, onesies, slippers, pjs, t-shirts, hats, and anything else you’ve got.
Tuesday, July 23 at 5p – Paper Plate Awards & Pasta Dinner at BAC (All Families Encouraged to Attend)
NEW this year – the club will be providing an Italian dinner spread to eliminate the need for pot luck donations and many last minute scrambles.
PLEASE REGISTER ON THE BAC SITE OR APP
2024 END OF SEASON BANQUET – Sunday, August 11 at 6p
Please join us to celebrate our season on Sunday, August 11 at 6p. PLEASE REGISTER ON THE BAC SITE OR APP
FINALS TEAM
We will be sending out the list as soon as we have it done Saturday night in an email to the entire team. We must know by 10:00 AM on Sunday if your swimmers are unavailable for finals. PLEASE DECLARE YOUR AVAILABILITY IN TEAMUNIFY TODAY so coaches have a roster from which they can select BAC’s 84 entries for Finals
2024 SHARK PHOTOS – WE WANT TO SEE YOUR FAVORITE SHARK PICS
COACHES’ CORNER – Coach Paul
What is a winner? It’s easy to look at the kid who gets their hand on the wall first and say that is the winner, but is that all there is to it? No. We have a wide variety of levels on our team so very few of our Sharks will be ‘winners’ in the traditional sense. What most people don’t see are the things that make our team a group of winners.
First, supportive teammates. We have a phenomenal group of kid who go out of their way to support each other. If you went to the OLCC Mini Meet, we had 11&ups asking their parents to drive them to a meet to support their younger Sharks.
Secondly, our Sharks challenge themselves. As a coaching staff, it’s our responsibility to raise the bar for our team and get the most out of the swimmers. Our Sharks bust their butts to meet the expectations the coaches set for them. Do we always succeed? No. Do we quit? Absolutely not. Our Sharks have done a great job making themselves better day in and day out by pushing out of their comfort zone to be the best version of themselves.
Finally, these Sharks are learning how to be accountable to each other and to themselves. Flags plus 2, outside in finish, single buoy. Things our team hears all the time from each other. We know the unwritten rules of what makes us better in practice and by holding each other accountable, we all raise the bar. Reminding our teammates, supporting our teammates, and encouraging our teammates is how this Shark team will reach the top of the mountain.
Being a winner is much more than just getting your hand on the wall first. Add value to the team around you, and you are a real winner.
-Coach Paul
Lastly, we leave you with this...
YOUR 2024 BAC SHARKS SWIM TEAM
GO SHARKS,
Alyson & Katie
swimteam@bacmi.net