Team Awards Banquet & Pot Luck

Appleton West-Kimberly 

Girls Swimming Awards Banquet

Who:  All 2015 AW-K Swimmers & their Parents
When:  Sunday, November 15th, 5:30 pm
Where:  Appleton West Cafeteria 

Please bring a main dish to share that serves 6 as well as the following according to your grade:

Freshmen:  Chips or snacks
Sophomores:  Drinks (water, juice, etc)
Juniors: Veggies, Salad, or Fruit
Seniors:  Desserts

Looking forward to celebrating our amazing season!

Top Ten Awesome Moments from Saturday

 Hi Team!

Holy cow!  Saturday's Conference meet was completely amazing, wasn't it?!?!  I'm still smiling, two days later!  There were so many fantastic moments that made Saturday great!  I thought it would be fun to share a few of them here.  So, without further ado:

Top Ten Awesome Moments from Saturday:

10.  Our school bus arrived early, and our bus driver was super nice!

9.  This photo:

 I love that when I ask for an in-the-water photo, they all hug up and squish in.

8. AW-K lead the way with team spirit and included every single team in their cheers:

7.  Seeing everyone representing AW-K in their new parkas.  The new parkas looked awesome up on the podiums!

6.  Marching out with the captains and seniors and seeing our entire fan base wearing Star Wars masks!  So fun!!!

5. The fact that almost every girl swam a best time (or was right on top of a best time) even though we were untappered, unshaved, and wore our Tuesday suits.

4.  Watching our girls overcome some unexpected obstacles like completely stuffed noses and ripped swimsuits.

3.  The big smiles I saw when the girls discovered they swam a best time.

2.  This final result:

1.  Working together as a team to finish in 4th place in the FVA.  Every single swim mattered.  Every single swim made a difference.  You did it!  TOGETHER.  I'm so proud!

Way to go, ladies!  Saturday's meet was one I will never forget!

On to Sectionals!!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

A Few More Thank Yous

Hi Team,

I've got a few last thank yous to say before we wrap up the season.

Our last team meal was a HUGE success.  The Bevers, Sunke, DeBroux, and Schueppert families served a Mexican feast, and the girls went crazy!  They ate every single bit of the taco meat and pretty much everything else, too.  :)  Way to go, dinner team!  The girls loved your meal!  Thank you so much!

Thursday night Hannah's family hosted the Conference dinner in their home.  It was amazing!  They invited the whole team, and pretty much everyone was able to come.  It was so great to have everybody together to share a meal away from the pool.  Thank you, Wellhouse/Beckwith family! We all love, love, loved the fabulous Victoria's meal!  Thank you for opening up your home to the team. It was a special night for everyone!

I'm so thankful for all the amazing families who support our team!

Coach Vicki

Congratulations, JV Swimmers!

 Hi Team!

Wow!  How fun was last night's JV Conference meet?!?!  There were SO MANY best times last night--I love when the last one is the best one!  It was great to see so many of our girls up on the podium wearing their new parkas and getting their ducks.

Regardless of whether or not they took home a duck, AW-K swimmers were truly the big winners last night.  No other team has as much fun as ours.  I have never seen a group of girls quite like this one--girls who genuinely love and support each other unconditionally.  I can't tell you how many times I watched our girls run up to each other and congratulate them on a best time or a great swim.  It has been a joy to watch this group work together this year.  From start to finish, this season was magical.

Congratulations, JV ladies!  You make me so, so proud to be your coach.

Succeed On Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week!

Hi Team,

I'd like to say a big congratulations to this week's Athletes of the week, Keti and AnnaMarie!  Both girls have made a big bunch of progress this season, and it's been great to have them on the team! Last week, Keti swam in her very first swim meet!  She did a 50 free, and she ended up going faster on her 50 meter swim than she did in yards in practice!  Way to go, Keti!  AnnaMarie had a big meet on Tuesday, as well.  She dropped 6 seconds in her 100 back!  Six seconds is a huge drop!  Amazing job, AnnaMarie! Way to go, ladies!  I am proud of both of you!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Spirit Invite Wrap-Up & This Week's Practice Schedule

Hi Team!

Oh my gosh!  Yesterday was so fun (and SO LOUD!!).  The girls all did a great job with their Mardi Gras theme--the masks and boas and posters were all fantastic!  We ended up taking 4th behind Neenah, North, and Oshkosh West.  The girls did a wonderful job representing themselves, Appleton West, and Kimberly.  I am so proud to coach this team!  Thank you to all the parents and JV ladies who came down to cheer us on.  There is nothing like seeing a whole bunch of fans in the stands!

This week is full of "lasts" for AW-K.  Monday night is our last team dinner.  Tuesday night is our last dual meet vs Fond du Lac.  Friday will be our last full-team practice.  On Friday we will elect captains for the 2016 season and have some fun wrapping up the season together.

The JV ladies will taper this week after Tuesday night's meet.  The JV ladies will still have some practice in the water, but they will have no dryland, and their practices will be shorter.  The science behind tapering involves giving the muscles that have been overused through the season a bit of a rest so that they will be fresh for the championship meet.  To that end, please encourage your daughter to take it easy while she is on taper.  The girls should feel like they have energy to burn.  Please don't let them head out and run that energy off. During taper, swimmers shouldn't do anything more physical than going to class and doing their homework.

Kimberly students have Thursday and Friday off from school this week, so I have once again tried to be flexible with the practice schedule while still staying true to our #SucceedOnPurpose mission.  The Kimberly JV swimmers can attend the Thursday morning varsity practice and skip the Thursday afternoon practice if they want.  I would like all swimmers to attend Friday afternoon's practice, as it is our last combined practice of the season.  Varsity swimmers are expected to attend all regular practices unless they have been cleared through me.

Here is this week's schedule:

Monday, October 19th:
5:45-6:45 am Varsity
JV: 3:45-5:15 (no dryland)
Varsity: 3:45-5:45 (with dryland)
Team dinner at 5:45

Tuesday, October 20th:
Dual meet vs. Fond du Lac
West out at 3:10
Load bus: 3:20
Bus leaves: 3:30

Wednesday, October 21st:
JV: 3:45-5:00
Varsity: 3:45-5:30

Thursday, October 22nd:
5:45-6:45 am Varsity (JV Optional)
JV: 3:45-5:15--if you didn't go to morning practice (no dryland)
Varsity: 3:45-6:00 (with dryland)

Friday, October 23rd:
2016 Captain Elections
Whole team: 3:45-5:30

Monday night, October 26th, is JV Conference.  The meet will take place at Appleton North, and it starts at 5 pm, not 5:30 like dual meets. The girls will need to get to Appleton North on their own, since we don't get bus service within the district.  All swimmers must be on deck, ready for shoulders, at 3:45.   Some of the girls will be done for the season on Monday night.  A handful of swimmers are swimming at both JV and Varsity Conference.  If your daughter is swimming at Varsity Conference, she will not taper until next week, after JV Conference. All team members have already been notified about what and when they are swimming at the Conference meet.  If your daughter is done on Monday night, she will just need to stop by on Tuesday for a quick goodbye/wrap-up meeting on Tuesday at 3:45.  All parkas will need to be turned in on Tuesday.

Here is next week's schedule:

Monday, October 26th:
5:45-6:45 am Varsity--last morning practice!
3:45-5:00 Varsity
JV CONFERENCE at 5:00--arrive at Appleton North by 3:45

Tuesday, October 27th:
JV 3:45-4  wrap-up meeting and parka turn-in
Varsity: 3:45-5:30

Wednesday, October 28th:
Varsity 3:45-5:30

Thursday, October 29th:
No morning Varsity practice
Varsity: 3:45-5:30 (No dryland)

Friday, October 30th:
Varsity: 3:45-5:30

Saturday, October 31st:
VARSITY CONFERENCE at Neenah, 10:30 am

After the Varsity Conference meet, final decisions about relays and individual events for the Sectional meet will be made.  Sectional swimmers will taper the week between Varsity Conference and the Sectional meet.

Here is the schedule for that week:

Monday, November 2nd:
Sectional Team: 3:45-5:30

Tuesday, November 3rd:
Sectional Team: 3:45-5:30

Wednesday, November 4th:
Sectional Team: 3:45-5:30

Thursday, November 5th:
Sectional Team: 3:45-5:30

Friday, November 6th:
3:45-5:00

Saturday, November 7th:
SECTIONAL MEET at Neenah, Noon

That takes us through Sectionals.  I am really looking forward to writing the State week schedule next!

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

A Big Bunch of Thank Yous!

Hi Team!

How fun was last night?!? Between all the Senior Night festivities, the successful food drive, and our big win against Oshkosh North-Lourdes, it was pretty much the best night,ever!

I wanted to say a few thank yous to the folks who made last night so great:  

Thank you to the Funk, Norum, and Karrmann families who fed the team Monday night. Your meal was a huge success--the girls LOVED it.  I especially loved the totally cute "AW-K" & "We love swim team" cookies (they were so cute)!  Team dinners are definitely a highlight each week. Thank you so much!

I'd like to thank the Nunn family who opened up their home to the girls so they could make the senior gifts.  The kick boards and little jars turned out great!  Thank you, Fe, for doing such an outstanding job organizing everything.  Your hard work really paid off--the seniors loved their gifts!

I'd also like to thank Paul Fritsch, who helped us with the food drive.  We collected over 300 items last night to send to the Salvation Army food pantry during our first "Halee Fritsch Food Drive". Paul collected and delivered the boxes to us and then delivered all of the food to the Salvation Army once it was over.  

Finally, as always, I am thankful to all the parents who served as timers during the meet.  I have not had to worry about timers even once this season. You guys are the best!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Coach Vicki

Awards Night

Hi Team,

Just a quick post to let you know that our team Awards Night will be held on Sunday, November 15th, at 5:30 pm.  Our theme is, "Celebrating Successes Big and Small."  The junior class and I have been busy making plans, and an invite will be sent home soon with all the details.  For now, we'd just like you to put the date on your calendars.

Thanks,

Coach Vicki

Senior Night!

Hi Team!


As hard as this is to believe, tomorrow night is our very last home meet and Senior Night!  Where has the time gone?!?  We will plan on honoring our 7 fantastic seniors during the break after the 50 free. We will also quickly recognize the ONL seniors.  Our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have been busy getting ready for tomorrow night.  Senior night is definitely a special night on the calendar.

To go along with our Senior night festivities, we are also going to hold a food drive competition between our team and ONL.  The food drive was something our very own senior (and captain), Halee, was passionate about doing.  All food will be donated to the Salvation Army food bank.  I love that our two teams are going to give back to the community together.  To up the excitement, I have made a "trophy" which will be awarded to the team who donates the most food items.  Please check your pantry and see if you have anything you'd like to donate.  There will be boxes on deck tomorrow night for the collection.  Halee said the Salvation Army is always in need of non-perishables, cereal boxes, Mac & Cheese, etc.  Let's fill the boxes and win the trophy!

Here are the people who volunteered to time tomorrow night: 

Tuesday, October 13 vs. Oshkosh North/Lourdes

1. Paul Fritsch
2. Susie Fritsch
3. Ursula Nolte
4. Erica Blair
5. Christina King
6. Eric Blair
7. Shelly Welhouse
8. Geri Angiulli
9. Susan Harper
10. Jennifer Nunn
11. Mike Harper
12. Stephen Nunn
Coach Vicki

Finally, I'd like to give a big shout out to last week's meal team of the Dollevoet Family, Armstrong Family, Angiulli Family, and the Johnston Family.  You guys did an excellent job--the girls LOVED the meal (especially all of those little cupcakes!).  Our team is lucky to have such fantastic, supportive families.  Thank you!

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at Senior Night!

Athletes of the Week!

Hi Team,

I'm a little behind posting about last week's Athletes of the Week--sorry about that!  Last week we named Abby and Megan as our Athletes of the Week.  Both girls have had fantastic seasons and have contributed individually and on relays.  For those of you who don't know, Abby has some foot issues which make flip turns and starts difficult.  Some days even just kicking hurts.  Abby has battled through the pain on many occasions and has been an inspiration to the whole team.  Megan's work in the pool and her great sense of humor and positive attitude out of the pool make her an excellent teammate.  Congratulations, ladies!  I am so proud of both of you!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week!

 Hi Team!

It was another great week for Appleton West-Kimberly!  We won every event except for one varsity and one JV at our dual meet against Berlin.  Thank you to all of the parents who traveled to Berlin to cheer us on!  This week's Athletes of the Week all swam fantastically at Berlin.  Nicole came in 2nd place in the Varsity 100 Back, even though she was incredibly sick.  Way to swim tough, Nicole! Beth has done an excellent job all season contributing on the varsity team both in individual events and on relays.  She has become one of our go-to freestyle swimmers.  Emma and Kirsten both did an excellent job swimming their individual events on Tuesday.  Emma placed 1st in the JV 100 breast, and Kirsten took first in the JV 100 fly.  Both girls swam in varsity heats and did an excellent job! Great job, ladies!  I am so proud of each and every one of you!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Team Parkas!

Hi Team!

How exciting is this photo?!?  The team looks amazing in their new parkas, don't they?!?  The new logo looks awesome, and the girls couldn't be more proud to wear their parkas on deck and to school. In a million years, I didn't think we'd get this far this fast.  Special thanks to Kathy Chippeaux and her "Can-Do" attitude and to every single one of you who helped raise the funds we needed to purchase new team parkas.  I absolutely love seeing the girls wearing them!


I'd also like to thank the Chippeaux, Welhouse, and Blankenheim families for preparing and serving such an amazing team meal last Monday. The girls loved your dinner!  Suddenly, Monday has become everybody's favorite day of the week.

We are back home on Tuesday night to take on Oshkosh West.  The following people have signed up to help time:

Tuesday, October 6 vs. Oshkosh West

1. Paul Fritsch
2. Susie Fritsch
3. Ursula Nolte
4. Jim Norum
5. Christina King
6. Jennifer Nunn
7. Michelle VandenBosch
8. Stephen Nunn
9. Shelly Welhouse
10. Chad Bevers
11. Geri Angiulli
12. 

It looks like we have an opening for a timer.  If you're interested, please let me know!  

Thanks a bunch,
Coach Vicki

Practice Schedule Changes for this Week

Hi Team,

I've had a couple of questions about the practice schedule this week.  I'm sorry about any confusion--I am trying to be flexible to accommodate two different school's Homecoming week celebrations while still staying true to our mission to practice hard as a team.  Here is the schedule for the remainder of this week:

Wednesday:  5:45-6:45 am for all Kimberly swimmers and any West swimmer who would like to swim in the morning.  3:45-5:00 for West swimmers, or anyone who didn't swim in the morning. The girls only need to attend one practice.  I will coach at the early morning practice, and Coach K will coach in the afternoon.  We will run the same workout at both practices.

Thursday:  No a.m. Varsity practice due to all of the other morning practices this week.  Full team practice from 3:45-6:00 pm.  Weight room from 5:30-6:00 pm.  Please bring workout clothes and gym shoes.

Friday:  5:45-6:45 am for all Kimberly swimmers and any West swimmer who would like to swim in the morning.  3:45-5:00 for West swimmers, or anyone who didn't swim in the morning. The girls only need to attend one practice.  I will coach at the early morning practice, and Coach K will coach in the afternoon.  We will run the same workout at both practices.

Saturday:  6:45 am-8:45 am:  Varsity only practice.

Just a reminder that varsity only 2-a-day practices begin next week:  Mondays and Thursdays from 5:45-6:45 am.  All afternoon practices next week are on the regular schedule.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Neenah Invite Wrap-Up and Directions to Berlin

Hi Team!

Wow!  How fun was Saturday's Neenah Invite?!?  We had all kinds of fast individual and relay swims and finished in 3rd place behind Neenah and North!  I couldn't be more proud of each and every one of our swimmers!  Thank you to all of you who came out to cheer us on!  

Tomorrow's dual meet is vs. Berlin-Green Lake. BGL meets take place at Clay Lamberton Elementary School--259 East Marquette Street, Berlin.  It's about a 45 minute ride to Berlin.  The directions are easy:  41 S to WI-91 W in Oshkosh.  Follow WI-91 to E. Marquette Street in Berlin. We sure would love to see all kinds of family and friends in the stands!  Go, AW-K!!!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week!

  

Hi Team,

It was another great week for our Appleton West-Kimberly swimmers!  We swam tough against Neenah on Tuesday night, and then returned to the pool to get ready for tomorrow's Neenah Invite.  I saw a big bunch of effort this week both in the pool and during dryland.  The four athletes above all had a fantastic week!  Sarah has been working hard swimming all kinds of different events for us this season.  She is more than willing to swim wherever the team needs her. She swam great at Neenah, and has seamlessly moved into new roles on her relay teams.   Meghan had another super week, both in her individual events and in relays.  She finished 2nd in the 50 free on Tuesday night, and helped her relays to take 2nds, as well.  Meghan is also consistently one of the first girls to help set up and take down the pool each day.  Thanks, Meghan!  Jenna has done a fantastic job this season swimming all kinds of different events!  She won the JV 200 Free on Tuesday night and contributed to all of her relays' successes.  She is also the only swimmer I have ever seen who smiles during a 100 IM. Rebecca has had a strong start to this season!  She consistently scores points in all of her individual events, and she took 2nd place in Tuesday night's Varsity 200 free.  Rebecca has also been a valuable member of her relay teams.  Way to go ladies!  I am proud of you!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Tonight's Meet & The Neenah Invite

Hi Team,

Tonight is the first of two meets we have at Neenah this week.  The meet tonight starts at 5:30, but it is Neenah's Parent Night, so they will probably begin with some introductions like we did last week. Neenah also has a couple of divers, so there will be a break after the 50 free for the diving competition to take place.

Saturday is the Neenah Invite, and the girls will need to be in the West parking lot by 6:45 am.  We will load the bus at 6:50, and leave for Neenah at 7:00 am.  The Neenah Invite is a long meet--it probably won't end until around 3.  I have told the West athletes that they can leave with their parents after their events are done if they have their paperwork completed ahead of time.  Normally, I'd like everyone to ride the bus home together, but I am the parent of two daughters, and I know what the pre-Homecoming routine is like.  So, for this meet only, West athletes are free to go after they complete their events.

I'd like to say a big thank you to the two parent teams who have already provided team dinners.  The Fritsch's, Nolte's, and Hirst's fed us a fantastic meal last week, and the VandenBosch's, Blair's, and King's followed up with a fabulous meal last night.  Thank you so much for supporting the team!  We all look forward to Monday nights after practice!

Looking forward to seeing a whole big bunch of fast swims this week!

Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week!

Hi Team!

Wow!  AW-K had a fantastic week both in and out of the pool!  So many big things happened: Terror Relays, The Patriot Pentathlon, and our big win Tuesday night against Appleton East!  There were so many moments, both big and small, which could have been celebrated.  The four ladies above all had a terrific week and contributed to the team in all kinds of ways.  Megan swam a whole lot of really fast breaststroke and freestyle this past week.  She was the overall breaststroke champion at the Patriot Pentathlon and won the 100 breast vs East.  She also contributed on a bunch of relays and finished in 4th place for the juniors at the Pentathlon.   Halee swam on a bunch of relays at our Invite and finished in 6th place overall for the seniors at the Pentathlon.  She was instrumental in helping me set up the concessions at the Terror Relays.  She was the first one at the pool to help set up and the last one on deck afterwards picking up trash.  Halee has also been doing an amazing job as captain this year, as well!  Mona has done a great job helping me learn the ropes this season.  She is quick to help out and answer questions.  She took care of recruiting and organizing the lifeguards for the Terror Relays and our first dual meet.  It was great to not have to worry about that! Like Megan and Halee, Mona did a great job at all three meets in the past week!  Finally, Alyssa also had an amazing week. She competed on relays Friday night and then finished in 10th place for the seniors at the Pentathlon. Tuesday night she swam a couple of new events and did an excellent job! She has also been an amazing captain this season!

Way to go, ladies!  I am proud of each of you!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Parent Night!

Hi Team,

Just a reminder that tomorrow night is Parent Night.  Parent Night gives each girl an opportunity to thank her parents for supporting them both in and out of the pool. The girls will introduce themselves and their parents before the meet. Please plan on getting to the pool by 5:15, and if you could sit together, that would be great.  

Here are the parents who signed up to time at the meet (thanks for signing up to work during your big night!)

Tuesday, September 15 vs Appleton East
1. Paul Fritsch
2. Susie Fritsch
3. Ursula Nolte
4. Erica Blair
5. Christina King
6. Dawn Blankenheim
7. Amy Funk
8. Eric Blair
9. Susan Harper
10. Jennifer Nunn
11. Geri Angiulli
12. Stephen Nunn

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night--it should be a great meet!

Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week

Hi Team,

Last week was a HUGE week, so it definitely called for choosing a few extra Athletes of the Week.  It was so fun to FINALLY get watch the team compete in a meet!  Because we give out Athlete of the Week awards on Friday, these five ladies earned the honor based on everything that happened before the Terror Relays. Here's a bit of how each of these ladies won Athletes of the Week:  Hannah won the 100 fly on Tuesday night and came in second in the 200 Breast.  She was also the high point winner of the meet.  Rachel won both of her JV events, and did a super job swimming the fly leg of the 200 MR. Holly started off the meet by singing a gorgeous Star Spangled Banner with Coach K. She then went on to place 2nd in the JV 400 Free.  Anna won the JV 100 fly, and did a great job contributing to her relays.  Jenny swam a great 200 IM and 400 free, and then got a nose bleed.  We didn't have a replacement for her on the Varsity 200 FR, so she had to swim before her nose stopped bleeding. Talk about taking one for the team!  I am so proud of each of this week's Athletes of the Week! Way to go, ladies!

Succeed on Purpose,

Coach Vicki

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

 Hi Team,

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who helped make Friday night's big Terror Relays Invite such a HUGE success!  Hosting an invite is a big deal, and I definitely know I could not have pulled it off without all kinds of help.

I met with Susie Fritsch, Ursula Nolte, and Kathy Chippeaux over a month ago to start planning for Friday night.  All three ladies were instrumental in making sure the concessions table (and the meet) ran smoothly.  Coach B. answered dozens of questions via email.  She also made sure the trophy plaques, ribbons, and coaches meal were all taken care of.  Paul and Susie Fritsch donated all the potatoes and toppings, and Ursula donated the Spaghetti-Os and fruit. Sixteen fabulous moms and dads helped time.  Coach Zepka did an excellent job leading us through the meet as our announcer. Mike Schuelke, Brian Bartel, and Cindy Cole expertly ran the scorers table.  Coach K ran around helping set things up and did a last-minute ice run.  Our JV swimmers set up hundreds of chairs, served as timers, sold concessions, and took pictures. Jenny VandenBosch sang a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Fifteen varsity swimmers did a fantastic job representing Appleton West-Kimberly in the water.  With all of that help, it couldn't help but be a sensational night!

I am so grateful for each and every person who helped make Terror Relays a success.  I am so proud of what we accomplished together!

It takes a village.  Thanks for being my village.

Coach Vicki

Terror Relays!

Hi Team!

It's hard to believe, but tomorrow night is our big Terror Relays Invite!  I just wanted to post a few reminders so that the evening goes smoothly.

Here is the list of parents who signed up to time:

Head Timer:  Paul Fritsch
1. Susie Fritsch
2. Erica Blair
3. Ursula Nolte
4. Eric Blair
5. Todd Funk
6. Michelle VandenBosch
7. Tim Norum
8. Scott Armstrong
9. Shelly Welhouse
10. Carlos del Plaine
11. Jim Karrmann
12. Sheri del Plaine
13. Geri Angiulli
14. Jody Karrmann
15. Susan Harper
16. Mike Harper

I would like all timers to arrive by 4:50.   I know the officials will want to have a timer meeting, but I don't know if it will be before or after diving.  Diving starts at 5, and it doesn't look like there will be many divers competing.  Following the diving, there will be 15 minutes of practice off the blocks before the swimming begins.

I am planning on using JV swimmers to help with concessions. We could use a couple of parents to help out at the concessions table, especially during the early shift.  Here are the parents who signed up to help:

Terror Relays, Friday, September 11th -- Concession Stand

2:30-5:30
1. 
2.

5:30-8:30
1. Kathy Chippeaux
2. Nicole Hull

I appreciate everyone who helped out at Tuesday night's dual meet, and I look forward to seeing everyone again tomorrow night!

Thanks,
Coach Vicki

Athletes of the Week!

Hi Team,

I'd like to extend a big congratulations to last week's Athletes of the Week, Hailey Bevers and Jacquie Chippeaux!  Both girls have been working extra hard in the pool--they've even stayed after to work on starts and turns on more than one occassion.  In addition, Hailey and Jacquie were the top fundraisers for our team parkas. Thanks for being leaders both in the water and out, ladies!  I am proud of you!

Succeed on Purpose!

Coach Vicki

Here We Go!

Hi Team!

Today's the day!  I am so excited to watch our team compete against North tonight!  We had a fantastic turnout at last night's optional practice, which definitely reflects the dedication of this year's team--they are working hard to succeed on purpose!

Just  a few reminders about tonight--there will be a brief timers meeting before the meet at 5:15, so if you signed up to time tonight (the list is under the "Volunteer" tab to the right), please plan on arriving at the pool around 5:10.  

Also--if you're sitting in the stands tonight, please try to sit together.  Cheering for the team is always more fun when done as a group!

See you all tonight at the pool!

Coach Vicki

One More Chance for a Parent Shirt

Hi Team!

Shelly Welhouse contacted me today to let me know that people are still interested in ordering parent shirts, so she's going to place one more order this season.  This time around, the only option will be the embroidered polo.  Please send Shelly your order, along with a check made out directly to Sports Graphics (not Appleton West) or send it with your daughter to give to Hannah by Wednesday, September 9th.  

Thank you, Shelly, for your continued help with outfitting out parents!

Everything You Need to Know About High School Swimming

Hi Team,

I've had a few questions about how meets are scored and how a swimmer qualifies for the State meet.  If you are new to high school swimming, you may find it a bit confusing. It's unlike USA Swimming or Y Swimming club meets. High school swim is a competitive team sport, structured like the collegiate sport. Points from each event are added together for each team to determine the meet scores.  Here's an overview of what to expect:

Dual Meets

The high school season consists of a number of dual meets against teams in our conference. Meet programs that list each swimmer competing by event are not always available. The visiting teams typically do not turn in a lineup until they arrive at the meet and there is not enough time to print spectator copies. More often than not the lineup for both teams must be adjusted after arriving at the pool due to illnesses and other eligibility issues. Technically the lineup can be changed by either team up until the start of the previous event.

For dual meets, each team enters up to three swimmers in each individual event and three relay teams in each relay event. Most events have a JV heat followed by a Varsity heat. In some cases there will be an exhibition heat prior to the JV heat. Most dual meets run two hours or less.

Swimmers may enter a maximum of four events, no more than two of which can be individual events. Swimmers are selected by the coach for each event or relay based on their times and the coach's goals for that meet. Depending on the meet, swimmers may have the opportunity to swim "off events" to mix things up and have some fun. For these more relaxed meets, relay teams may be scrambled as well.

A typical dual meet has three relay swim events and eight individual swim events, and a diving competition. . The order of the events for a dual meet is typically as follows:

• 200 Yard Medley Relay
• 200 Yard Freestyle
• 200 Yard Individual Medley
• 50 Yard Freestyle
• Diving

10 Minute Warm-Up

• 100 Yard Butterfly
• 100 Yard Freestyle
• 500 Yard Freestyle
• 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
• 100 Yard Backstroke
• 100 Yard Breaststroke
• 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

For dual meets (which have a maximum of three entries per team in typical six lane pools):

* Relays are scored: 8-4-2-0 — with only two relay teams being allowed to score for each team.
* Individual events are scored: 6-4-3-2-1-0.

Points from the diving competition are scored as an individual event; the point values are the same as an individual swim event. The exception being that Conference dual meets do not count diving points if one team does not have a dive program.

Unlike club meets, times swam at meets during the team season do not qualify a swimmer for the state meet. State qualifying comes from winning your event at one of the 6 sectional meets, or finishing as one of the next fastest 18 swimmers in the state.

There are no ribbons or other awards at dual meets, just an opportunity for swimmers to better their times, help the team score points, and maybe even set a new record.

Invitational Meets

Invites are a fun way to compete against other teams outside of the FVA dual-meet schedule.  Some Invites include other teams in our conference (FVA), but the scores do not count toward our record in the conference.  This year will will participate in the Terror Relays (our Invite!), the Patriot Pentathlon, the Homestead Invite, the Neenah Invitational, and the Oshkosh Spirit Invite.  Invites usually take place on the weekends.  Invites have limited entries, so not every member of the team will participate in every invite. The roster for the invite will be decided by how many entries we get and who we have to swim those entries. All AW-K swimmers are invited to attend each invite, whether they are swimming or not.  Come and cheer on the team!

Conference, Sectional and State Meets

The Conference Meet is held at the end of the season.  This meet determines the Team Champion of the Conference. Additionally, swimmers earn first, second, and honorable mention All-Conference honors for each event based on their finish and receive medals for these top 3 finishers. The format is the same as a dual meet, but the number of teams participating means more heats and a longer meet. Each team gets a total of 27 entries for all individual events and two entries for each relay event.  In addition, there is a Junior Varsity Conference meet held before the Conference Meet.  We are allowed unlimited entries in the JV Conference meet.  Swimmers are allowed (and often do) compete in both the JV and Varsity Conference meets, but not in the same event.  There is a 4 event maximum (total for both meets).  

WIAA Sectional Meet - Each team gets a total of 18 entries for all individual events and one entry for each relay event. Medals are awarded to the top two swimmers in each event, plus any other state qualifiers.

WIAA State Meet - The state meet is held at the UW Madison aquatic facility; it is a great achievement to qualify for this meet celebrating the state's top swimmers.