Swim Team Info

Lincoln High School Swim Team Winter 2025-2026

Welcome to the 2025-26 Cardinal Swim Team!  I am excited to be back this year coaching the team, and this letter is meant to give you a better understanding of what to expect this season from me as a coach. I want everyone to know that I am open to questions, comments, concerns; so feel free to contact me.   

Expectations

The Lincoln Swim Team is a no-cut sport, but Varsity letters will only be awarded to swimmers who meet the following criteria:

Attend 4 practices per week (or 3 during weeks we have a meet)

Must swim in Varsity events when available

May only miss swim meets for excused absences

In addition to these requirements, swimmers will also be assessed on school grades, effort level, sportsmanship, and team spirit. Excused absences must be communicated to the coaches as soon as they arise, especially for swim meets. I require an email (preferably from the swimmer) with any absences so that I have a written record at the end of the season. Any swimmer that does not meet the Varsity requirements will finish the season as a JV swimmer. Because of the size of our swim team, there will be a number of swimmers that earn Varsity letters but still swim JV events or at the JV district meet.

Practice Schedule

Monday through Friday, 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Multnomah Athletic Club, 50 Meter Pool

We will be practicing Monday through Friday except for days that we have swim meets. The MAC has updated their entry policies. I will provide them a list of email addresses for all members of the team, and they will provide a QR code to allow entry into the MAC.  Swimmers must bring a photo ID (school ID is fine), and they allow a photo of a school ID as well. Swimmers cannot practice or compete until they are cleared. This is accomplished by turning in your physical and registering through the Arbiter website. I will email out weekly schedules to the team email list. 

Equipment

Everyone should have a swimsuit and goggles to wear at practice every day. In addition to a practice suit, we will be recommending a team suit that can be purchased and should only be worn at meets. Swimmers are responsible for purchasing their team suit. We will provide swim caps for all swimmers to wear, but it would be a good idea to have your own cap for practices. All swimsuits and caps worn at meets must be FINA approved for use at high school swim meets. If you have a question about a suit or cap, please talk to me about it before the meet. It is also a good idea to have an extra pair of goggles at both practices and meets.

Club Swimmer Policy

I do not expect club swimmers to come to every high school practice. We have a large team and limited lane space. They should plan on coming to one practice a week until we start having meets. This helps me to know the club swimmers, but it also helps with team bonding. Club swimmers must let me know what team they are on, and what days and times they are practicing with their club. I know most of the club coaches in Portland and I will be in contact with them to ensure that swimmers are going to practice. 

Team Communication

I will maintain an email list to share information with the team. The easiest way to get added to the email list is to send an email request to me at mkaiel@pps.net, I provide weekly updates via email. I will also be posting information on the Lincoln athletics website.

Fundraising

I am looking to setup a 501c3 for the swim team. A lot of sports at Lincoln already have these established and I think it will help grow the program. The main goal of this is to host an invitational meet during the 2026-27 season. I will need parent volunteers to help run the 501c3. Please reach out to me if you are interested in helping with this. We will also be doing some team fundraising for this season. I would like to set up a Swim-a-thon in December. This would help to pay for team functions and some training equipment that I am purchasing for the team. Let me know if you have any additional ideas.