Team Santa Monica Newsletter - November 2020
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT:
As we head into the final weeks of this relentless year, I hope that this message finds you, and those you hold dear, healthy and in good spirits. While there is much uncertainty, I think that if we look for it, we have much for which to be grateful. When it comes to Team Santa Monica, I hope that you can join me in my gratitude for the opportunity our swimmers have for regular access to lessons, practice and safely distanced social interactions, for our exceptional coaching staff, and for the people who support this team in so many ways - you.
I am writing today to ask for your support. In the name of team spirit, it would be great to get 100% participation. While we don’t expect that every family can afford to donate as much as usual, we ask that you consider donating the amount that is comfortable for you. In all sincerity, NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL. Getting our membership to 100% participation - at any level - would be incredibly meaningful for team spirit! Please send an email to our Treasurer, David Newberg (dlnrhino@gmail.com) and indicate the amount you’d like to donate to the Annual Giving Campaign. Thank you!
MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD COACH:
Hold Fast and Stay True...
Every one of us moves through life with a goal, a purpose, a dream in mind. It's what gets us out of bed, and motivates us to keep going through the day. That's what it takes to be successful right? To have a goal! To have a purpose!
It is said that goals need to be BIG and scary to be worth pursuing, but is dreaming really the scary part? or is it the thought of "being capable/able" to reach that goal the scary part? The scary part is the commitment, the sacrifices you have to make, the persistence, the resiliency, the perseverance, the grit, the discipline, and the courage it takes to be successful that is scary.
Anyone can dream! But not everyone can commit to their dream and ACT. Thus, no matter what your goal or dream is in life remember that the formula does not change: Dream --> Commit --> Act --> SUCCEED!
During these uncertain times that our visions are not clear and we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, we need to remind ourselves of our goals and dreams, and we need to trust that we can get through this together... We need to Hold Fast and Stay True!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Fundraising
Take home noodle cooking kits from Tsujita!!! Deadline to order: November 19th. Here’s a link to the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeh-LogjSmZ7VJRnvpgwCrmuNDrsG5Da4mYlQWWkKyXA-DJHA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Looking forward, we will be presenting you with new opportunities to participate in fundraising throughout the 2020-2021 swim season.
If you have any ideas for fun events, please let your liaison know!
We anticipate holding some form of a Swim-a-Thon, for which your swimmers will be encouraged to ask friends, neighbors and/or family to participate.
With a goal of continuing our tradition of excellence in swim lessons and training, it is essential that we get the team back on its feet, financially. As such, the Annual Giving campaign has been an integral part of returning the team to sound financial footing. Donations to the team help us pay for very expensive lane space, coaching staff, insurance, and myriad other lesser expenses. At this point, participation in the Annual Giving Campaign is at 30% of our membership.
Also, please remember that we have a scholarship fund, including that from the Eames Chuchen Foundation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if your circumstances lead you to needing support.
Finally, I hope that you took advantage of the Spam Musubi Madness! It was wildly successful. A $4 snack brought in more than $1100 for the team! Please join me in saying THANK YOU SO MUCH to the Kuwatas for their generous, fun and supportive event!
US Open Highlights
TSM swimmers, competed in this year's Toyota US Open in Irvine CA from Nov 12 through Nov 14th. At their 2nd swim meet in more than 8 months, our young swimmers were able to put up some lifetime best times, and set some new Team Records!
Mattea Sokolow -- 400 Fr, 800 Fr, 1500 Fr, 400 IM
Isabelle Shapiro -- 400 Fr, 100Bk, 200Bk
Kristin Bartlett -- 200 Fr, 100Bk, 200 Bk
Samuel Telanoff -- 200 IM, 400 IM, 200 Br
COVID-19 UPDATE
Swimming is among the safest sports in which to participate. There have been zero reported cases of Covid transmissions from swimming! This important data point gives TSM the opportunity to provide a certain amount of stability and perhaps even some comfort to our swimmers, when it may be difficult to find in other parts of our lives. As we begin running intra-squad meets, our competition swimmers will have even more to look forward to. That’s exciting!
Upcoming Events:
Intra-squad meet – SoCal Swimming Sanctioned (11/21-11/22)!
Age Group swimmers (Seals - AG3) compete Saturday 11/21 @ 5:15pm-8:30pm.
Senior swimmers (Sr Development - National) compete Sunday 11/22 @ 1:30pm-6:00pm.
More information is forthcoming.
Live streaming is in the works!!
Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement about a Thanksgiving Food Drive starting soon.
Saturday, December 5th @ 10am -11am:
Please join us on Zoom for a brief update on team goings on, an opportunity to ask questions and a celebration of all that the team accomplished this year, in and out of the water.
Details forthcoming
PLEASE BE ON NOTICE:
Late pickups are not only difficult on your swimmers and disrespectful to the coaches, but it costs the team to pay coaches for this additional time. At the next BOD meeting, the Board will be considering late fees for compensating coaches for their additional time spent.
The coaches have been given permission to experiment with the number of swimmers per lane. You may see this fluctuate in the coming weeks. The stability of this depends on a number of factors, but swimmer safety and that of your families is our top priority. We appreciate your patience as coaches work to optimize this aspect of practice.
