Willow Creek II Swim Team

Good afternoon Wahoos and happy Friday!

As I mentioned previously, we had a very successful Swim-a-thon on Monday and this Thursday, all high earning swimmers will have the opportunity to attend Toy Story 5 in theaters with the coaches. Before then, we have an exciting day tomorrow with our first away meet hosted by Bow Mar South.

Coaches will again be taking attendance before warm ups so please be sure to reach out if your swimmer is unable to attend. If your swimmer is 6 or above, they are REQUIRED to attend meet warm ups. 6 & unders are not required to participate but are highly encouraged to do so if they would like to.We will begin stretching as a team around 6:50 am before jumping in the pool at 7:15 to warm up. Be sure to come in your very best ROYALTY attire for our team theme tomorrow.

I also wanted to reiterate for our Minnows parents that you and your kids are welcome to any swim team hosted event including meets and social events. Even though your kids don’t compete just yet, the Minnows group is a valuable part of our team’s future. If you would like to stop by a meet to cheer on teammates or simply have questions about what getting more involved on the team could look like, don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally!

After focusing on fast finishes, endurance, and race pacing this past week, our season only gets more exciting from here on out. Our plan is to increase yardage and to solidify technique in the coming weeks to prepare for our last and very busy week of prelims and finals. Here’s to a great meet tomorrow and another successful week of practice!

Thanks,

Kate Rutledge

Good Afternoon Wahoos,

It was another busy and exciting week for our team! On Thursday, the coaches joined the 13 & Ups at WaterWorld before our first-ever sprint meet on Saturday. While the adjusted schedule caused some confusion, I greatly appreciated everyone’s patience as we navigated the new meet set up.

Sunday evening brought our annual Tennis Court Sleepover, which was a huge success. From ukulele sing-alongs with Coach Lily to plenty of greenbelt games, it was a night to be remembered for everyone involved.

This morning, the swimmers arrived to participate in our Swim-a-thon in the place of regular practice. The delicious pancakes prepared by our volunteers made the early start after a late night for many of us well worth it— thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success!

Tonight is our Fun Meet with the theme of Luau. Be sure to arrive early for the 5:30 pm Minnows race to celebrate their hard work and progress this season. Don’t forget to wear your best themed attire and join in on an evening of fun!

Last week, we expanded more on our racing focus by working on concepts such as race pace vs. circle swimming, no goggle practice, and strong finishes. This upcoming week, we’ll continue to prepare for our upcoming meets by focusing on butterfly and breaststroke technique to help reduce disqualifications. We also have two freestyle clinics early this week with spots still available. Now could also be a great time to schedule a private lesson with one of our coaches if you are looking for additional technique work.

As a reminder, that all declarations ---whether attending or not--- must be submitted by Tuesday at midnight!

I hope to see many of you tonight! Go Wahoos!

Sincerely,

Kate Rutledge

Hi Wahoos,

Happy Friday afternoon! We are wrapping up a great week with a focus on some of our meet weaknesses. As a team, we worked on race strategies like breathing less, avoiding false starts, and reviewed DQ parameters. We ended on a great note this morning with picture day and an all age group fun practice with lots of different games.

Tomorrow is our second home meet. You should have received an email from the Parent Reps with more details and the meet program earlier today. Be sure to the look all these details over and reach out with any questions! Also, don’t forget to put on your best Island gear for tomorrow’s theme.

While I understand schedules are very busy, I wanted to address the issue of the recent low relay participation team-wide. Relays are one of the major ways our team gets points to win meets throughout the season but are also a fantastic way to enhance team spirit. In the future, I would highly encourage everyone to sign up for relays and do your best to attend your races with other Wahoos.

Tomorrow night is our family movie night on the pool deck but the fun does not end there! This week will also include more stroke clinic opportunities and a WaterWorld trip for all 13 & Ups. Make sure to sign up to attend all of these exciting events!

Finally, I wanted to talk about our new program in place of Speeding Tickets and candy starting this week. For each event a swimmer makes a personal record in, they will receive a bead in the color of that meet. For example, if a swimmer PRed in 3 races tomorrow, they would receive 3 blue colored beads in their ribbon envelope on Monday because this upcoming meet’s color is blue. Swimmers will also be receiving a small keychain cable this week as they collect beads over the course of the season. While you are welcome to do whatever your child would like with these beaded chains, I would recommend attaching them to your swim bags for some extra bling to bring to practice!

Thanks,

Kate Rutledge

Good afternoon Wahoos!

First, an update from this past week. As promised, we touched on all the different strokes in practice and did an in-depth review of race skills including starts, turns, and relay basics. All in all, it was a very successful first week of morning practice before our first meet of the season! While I think we have resolved most of the confusion surrounding the change in schedule, I have also included it as a reminder:

• 7:00-8:00am - 9-10 Year Olds
• 8:00-9:00am - 7-8 Year Olds
• 9:00-9:45am - 6 & unders
• 9:15-9:45am - Minnows (no practice on Fridays)
• 9:45-10:45am - 11-12 Year Olds
• 10:45-11:45am - 13 & Older

Tonight, be sure to stop by the Willow Creek 2 Pool for our Bring Your Own Food family picnic and Kona Ice. We will continue handing out minnows pairing cards if you missed practice this morning but this information can also be found in the consolidated list sent out to everyone earlier today. If you are willing and able to stay after the picnic to help set up the pool for tomorrow meet, we would greatly appreciate it!

Warm ups start at 6:30 am tomorrow morning but more detailed information about the schedule was sent out by the parent reps today via email. 6 & unders are the only age group not required to warm up but please still confirm that you are on your way with either me or one of the parent reps. Otherwise, I expect to see all other competing swimmers bright and early on the pool deck tomorrow morning! Please keep in mind the coaches will be taking attendance at stretching…

All relay entires have been completed but do not show up in the Swimtopia App. You can find this information in the finalized meet heat sheets also communicated by the Parent Reps.These relays are by no means solidified for the season but will be considered for our meet lineups going forward.

If you are interested in private lessons, don’t forget to contact the coach you are interested in working with directly and to sign up for stroke clinics! I look forward to seeing you all at the picnic tonight but as always, please reach out with any further questions or concerns!

Thank you,

Kate Rutledge

Dear Wahoos Families,

Due to the inclement weather this past week, I have fewer practice updates than usual. We were still able to complete some IM work yesterday and are looking for a great week ahead.

Please note that there will be no practice today or Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Morning practices will begin on Tuesday, May 26, and we are excited to welcome many of our Minnows swimmers as they begin their Wahoos journey!

Tuesday and Wednesday will also feature our first evening stroke clinics of the season, focused on Butterfly. Please sign up on the website if your swimmer plans to attend. The end-of-week newsletter will include additional details about the start of our upcoming private program with our coaches which will be sent out by the Parent Reps tomorrow.

This upcoming week, practices will focus on preparing for our first home meet. Swimmers will review the meet warm up, continue practicing starts, and complete our first team cheer of the season as we get ready to compete.

Go Wahoos!!!

Thank you,

Kate Rutledge

Hi Wahoos,

Happy Friday and thank you for a great first week!

This season, urgent updates like scheduling changes and important announcements will continue to come through the Parent Reps or the weekly Wahoos newsletter. In addition, I will be sending optional weekly “Coaches Corner” updates with practice highlights and additional reminders.

This past week focused on an introduction and review of the four strokes, with an extra emphasis on freestyle and backstroke for 6 & unders. We spent time getting to know one another, reviewing pool rules and practicing racing skills like starts, turns and underwater work. Many of our newest swimmers learned these skills for the first time and did an amazing job. With a few weeks to go until our first meet, the Wahoos are already looking strong and ready for a fantastic season!

Next week, we will begin incorporating some Individual Medley work before splitting into focus groups for stroke development. Swimmers will have the opportunity to work with more of our coaching staff and continue refining relay starts.

As always, my contact information can be found on the website under the Coaches section. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. I’m always happy to share more about our season goals or ways we can best support your swimmer.

Thank you,

Kate Rutledge

Dear Wahoo Families,

Welcome to the start of the Wahoos swim season! My name is Kate Rutledge and I am excited to serve as Head Coach this season. You can find my contact information, along with details about our coaching staff, under the Coaches tab on the website. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly with any questions or concerns throughout the season!

A special welcome to our new families who I look forward to meeting in the coming weeks. And to our returning families, welcome back! I’m so excited for the season ahead.

Our first practice is today, Monday May 11th. Practice times are listed below but can also be found under the Practices tab on the website:

• Afternoon Begins - Monday, May 11 (after school Monday - Friday)
• 3:45 - 4:30 pm - 9 - 10 year olds
• 4:30 - 5:00 pm - 6 & unders who swam during the 2025 season
• 5:00 - 5:45 pm - 7 - 8 year olds
• 5:45 - 6:30 pm -11 & older

And lastly, don’t forget to wear your favorite Wahoos gear to spirit day to celebrate our first practice! I look forward to kicking off another fun and successful season this afternoon.

Please come ready to swim today!

Go Wahoos!

Sincerely,

Kate Rutledge