11/2/25: Week 13 Update

This is it! We have finally made it to sections week. All of the kids have put in a tremendous amount of work to get to this point in the season, and we are ready to see what sections brings.

Here is our schedule for the week:

Swimmers: Monday- Thursday practice 3:30-5:30ish. As we're backing off on yards, our practices are getting shorter. We are done with lifting for the season. Friday we will load the bus at 9:45, leave at 10:00.

Divers: Monday-Wednesday practice 3:30-5:00. Thursday divers are excused at 10:00 to leave for Park Rapids at 10:15. No practice Friday.

Sections Meet: Diving will take place on Thursday 11/6 in Park Rapids. Warm ups start at noon, and competition at 1:30. The diving competition will be live streamed at this link. Meagan will communicate dinner plans with the divers.

Swimming prelims on Friday will begin at 4:30 and finals on Saturday at 11:00.  I have made an itinerary for swimmers for Friday and Saturday. You can find it here. Please note that swimmers should bring lunch for the bus ride to Warroad on Friday and food for lunch on Saturday. They will get $10 to purchase snacks/dinner items at a grocery store on the way home on Saturday but may need a little more money in addition. 

If you would like to drop off snacks like cuties, apples, goldfish crackers, granola bars, trail mix, etc. for the kids to share in their hotel rooms, you can bring them to the bus on Friday or send throughout the week, and we will bring them along.

10/26/25: Week 12 Update

Congratulations to our swimmers and divers on a 3rd place finish at conference. This is a huge accomplishment and a testament to all the hard work the kids have put in the pool this season. I'm most proud of our sportsmanship award. This award is voted on by all the teams in the conference, and I couldn't be prouder that our team wins this award year after year. 

No meets this week! Take a look at this week's schedule below:

Swimmers: Practices will run 3:30-6:00 all week, with lifting on M,T,Th,F. We will be pulling back both in the weight room and the pool as we start taper this week. 

Divers: Practice for divers will be 3:30-5:00 all week.

Section Breakfast: This year we've decided to host a section breakfast to send off our section athletes. Breakfast will be on Saturday 11/1 from 9-11ish. I'll send out the location via Remind early this week. If you're able to contribute a dish for this meal, please sign up here. This will also be a farewell for Myles as her family prepares to move to California.

Sections: Our section championship is coming up quickly. Here are a few details about the meet. 

Diving will take place on Thursday 11/6 in Park Rapids. Warm ups start at noon, and competition at 1:30. Divers will be excused at 10:00, leave time 10:15. I will work with Meagan to figure out a meal plan for that evening.

Swimming prelims are on Friday 11/7 in Warroad at 4:30 pm. Finals will be Saturday at 11:00 am. Swimmers will be staying at the AmericInn in Roseau. We are working on a team meal for the swimmers on Friday night. I'll have more details to share next week.

10/19/25: Week 11 Update

After a busy week last week, our meet schedule will slow down as we approach the CLC championship and sections. I spent some time last week updating the calendar on our website with the meet start times and dates for conference and sections after getting the meet info sheets from the hosting teams.

Swimmers will be piling on yards this week in advance of taper next week. Our practices will be tough and may run a little long (maybe 6:10-6:15). Please help your swimmers take care of themselves this week with lots of food and rest to stay healthy as we hit the home stretch of our season.

Here is this week's schedule:

High School Swimmers and Divers

Monday-Wednesday: Swimmers will lift after school and practice until 6. Divers will practice 3:30-5:30.

Thursday: Swimmers will lift after school and practice until 6. Divers will be on the road to Conference. Details below.

Friday: Swimmers practice 3:30-6pm. Divers will practice 3:30-5:30.

Saturday: CLC Championship

CLC Championship:

Thursday Diving Prelims: Divers will travel with Meagan to St Cloud Tech on Thursday 10/23 for diving prelims. Divers are excused at 1:15 to leave by 1:30pm. Diving prelims start at 5pm.

Saturday Swim and Dive Finals

Swimmers and divers will travel separately on 10/25 due to different warm up schedules. Divers will load a van with Meagan at 6:45am to be ready for 9am warm ups.

Swimmers will load their bus at 9:00 am and leave at 9:15. The meet begins at 1pm. Girls should pack their own lunches and snacks. We will have food delivered to the bus for the ride home.

Other Details

2026 Captains:  Any current juniors and sophomores who are interested in applying for 2026 captain can fill out this application. Those interested in applying for captain should complete the application by Wednesday 10/22. We will have captain interviews on Friday. The team will vote for banquet awards and captain over the weekend.

Banquet: Mark your calendar for the end-of-season banquet on Sunday, Nov 16th at 2:00 pm in the KSS cafeteria. Drinks and desserts will be served. All middle school and high school swimmers and divers are invited to celebrate our season.

10/12/25: Week 10 Update

Congratulations to the Otter Girls Swim and Dive team, the Section 8A True Team champs! The team will be traveling on Thursday to the U of M for True Team State. I will be getting the entries together today so that I can send them by the deadline tomorrow. Please see more details about True Team State below.

We have four weeks left of our regular season. Our trip to State this week means we'll need to change up what would normally be the first week of the grind. Because we're missing out on a few days of training leading up to taper, I'm going to hold practice on Sunday, 10/19 for all high school swimmers that can make it. Here is the schedule for week 10:

Middle School Swimmers: Those working with Coach K will practice Monday and participate in the home meet against Willmar on Tuesday. This will mark the end of the middle school season. Congratulations to all the middle schoolers on the skills they've gained this season!

High School Swimmers and Divers

*Swimmers: there will be no lifting this week

Monday: Swimmers practice 3:30-6:00pm, Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Tuesday: Home meet against Willmar.

Wednesday (school early out): Swimmers practice 1:00-3:30, Divers practice1:00-3:00.

Thursday: True Team State bus loads 1:15, leaves 1:30. Meet starts at 6:00 pm

Friday: No practice due to MEA and junior/senior college visits.

Sunday: Swimmers practice 2:00-4:00

Meets this week

Tuesday Home v Willmar: We'll have our final home meet, which is also senior night. We will recognize our seniors right after diving, before our warm up. It looks like we still need 5 timers for this meet. Please sign up here if you can help.

Thursday True Team State: For those competing at this meet, it will be a one day trip to Minneapolis and back. A rough timeline is as follows:

Load the bus at 1:15, leave at 1:30.

Warmups start at 5:00

Meet starts at 6:00

I'm in the process of creating my lineup, which has to be sent tomorrow. With swimming and diving taking place at the same time, coach Meagan and I are working on who will be swimming and who will be diving. I'm also moving some relay positions around to account for those swimmers who cannot attend the meet. I'll have the lineup finalized for the athletes to see tomorrow at practice.

We will do food for this meet like we do for all away meets. If you want to order a Jimmy John's sandwich to eat on the bus ride home, please order here. Otherwise you can pack a dinner to eat on the bus. We're keeping this simple since it will be a late return to KSS (likely between 11-12).

Looking Ahead

Conference Meet: The Conference meet will be on 10/25 at St Cloud Tech this year. The official meet info sheet should be sent tomorrow, and then I will know all specifics. However, it sounds like diving will be split between two days again, like it was last year. I'm not sure if that means Friday and Saturday or Thursday and Saturday, so I will keep diving families in the loop once I have the details.

No School Days: October 24th is a no school day due to PT Conferences. We will keep practice at our 3:30 pm time to accommodate the coaches work schedules. 

10/5/25: Week 9 Update

This week we're away against Apollo on Thursday, and our divers head to Park Rapids on Friday and swimmers to Warroad on Saturday for True Team Sections. The warm up times for swimming changed, so we will need to move up our leave time by 30 minutes. Details are below.

Middle school swimmers will practice Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Thursday, the middle schoolers will have a fun practice with Coach K and end the practice with pizza and games in his classroom 2907 to celebrate their success this season. You can plan to pick up your swimmer at 5:30 on Thursday.

The middle schoolers' season will wrap up after our last home meet against Willmar on 10/14.

High School

Monday& Tuesday: Swimmers lift after school, in the pool until 6. Divers practice 3:30-5.

Wednesday: Swimmers no lifting, in the pool until 6. Divers practice 3:30-5.

Thursday: Away meet at Apollo

Friday: Swimmers no lifting, in the pool until 6. Divers compete in True Team.

Meets

Thursday 10/9 @ Apollo: Athletes are excused at 2:30, bus leaves at 2:45. Please click here if you would like to order a sandwich for your child to eat on the way home. Sandwich orders are due Wednesday by 7pm. If you're a family that pays via cash or check, I forgot to collect money for sandwiches last Thursday. I told those athletes that I would collect for both orders this Thursday. If you're not sure if you've paid, please let me know.

Friday 10/10 Divers True Team @ Park Rapids: 

Divers divers are excused at 12:30, leave time 12:45

Pool Opens:  2:30 pm
Warm up Starts:  3:00 pm
Boards Close:  4:30 pm
Diving Competition: 4:45 pm

The Boosters will provide dinner for the divers. Coach Meagan and I are working on the best option for this.

Saturday 10/11 Swimmers True Team @ Warroad: 

The warmup schedule for Saturday has changed, so we will now be loading the bus at 6:15am, leave at 6:30. The Boosters are providing breakfast bags for the swimmers so that they don't have to try to eat before we leave so early.

11:00 am: Swimming warmups

1:00pm: Swimming finals begin

Boosters will also provide dinner on the bus ride home for swimmers. We are working on the best available options in Warroad.

This meet marks the beginning of our championship season. We are super excited to have Keira, Marissa K, and Sarah joining us in a couple of relays at this meet.

While it's never a sure thing, there is the possibility of True Team state. If our team places first, we have the opportunity to compete at the True Team state meet at the U of M campus on Saturday, October 18th. I'm aware that this is over MEA weekend and many families have travel plans. If we make it to this meet, do not feel that you need to change your family plans. This is a fun meet with no bearing on our season or record. It is not required. Also, this is all dependent on winning in Warroad, which is never a guarantee with how closely we're ranked with Park Rapids. We do not want our athletes bogged down with pressure to win here; it would just be an added bonus.

Looking Ahead. . .

Senior night: We will host senior night at our final home dual on October 14th against Willmar. Like we did last year, seniors can make a trifold display of pictures to have up in the hallway outside the gallery. I'm going to have a short meeting with seniors after practice on Monday to talk through the details.

9/28/25: Week 8 Update

We have officially crossed over the half-way point of the season. You may have noticed your kids feeling a little more tired or having sore muscles. At this point in the season, these kids are working tired. We are still training hard while maintaining our tough competitive schedule. This week is no exception with two meets on the calendar. Tuesday we'll host Perham/NYM and on Thursday we hit the road and head to St Cloud Tech. Check out our schedule below:

Middle School Swim: This week Coach K's middle schoolers will practice on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. They'll participate in the home meet on Tuesday against Perham/NYM. 

High School Swim and Dive:

Monday: Swimmers head to the weight room after school, swim until 6pm.  Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Tuesday: Home meet against Perham/NYM

Wednesday: Swimmers no lifting, in the pool until 6pm.  Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Thursday: Away meet at St Cloud Tech. Students are excused at 2:30, bus leaves 2:45.

Friday: Swimmers lift after school, in the pool until 6pm. Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

9/30 Home Meet: We are hosting Perham/NYM on Tuesday. I'll need a few athletes to arrive at 4:00pm to help set up the pool. All other athletes can arrive at 4:45 for 5:00 warm ups. We still need 6 timers for Tuesday's meet. Please sign up here.

10/2 Meet @ St Cloud Tech: We'll hit the road after a long stretch of home meets on Thursday. If you'd like to order your athlete a sandwich to eat on the bus ride home, please fill out this form by Wednesday at 7pm. The meet will be live streamed if you'd like to watch from home: Hudl Fan – St. Cloud Technical High School: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mn/st-cloud/organization/6749/st-cloud-technical-high-school

Looking Ahead

True Team Sections: Diving will take place Friday 10/10 & swimming on Saturday 10/11. If our team wins True Team sections, they will advance to True Team state at the University of Minnesota campus on Saturday 10/18.

Diving: The diving portion of True Team will take place on Friday 10/10 in Park Rapids. I do not have a timeline for diving yet. It will be emailed to coaches on Monday, and I will share it with the diving families as soon as I have it.

Swimming: The swimming competition will take place in Warroad on Saturday 10/11. Please see the swimmers' schedule below:

6:45 am: The bus will load at 6:45 and leave at 7:00 sharp

11:45 am: Fergus Falls warmups begin

1:00pm: Swimming finals begin

Please plan food for your swimmers accordingly. I would suggest packing lunch for the bus. My best guess is that swimming will get done about 4 pm, meaning we will be home about 8:30ish. The boosters will provide dinner for the bus ride home.

9/21/25: Week 7 Update

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped set up and host our annual invite. It is greatly appreciated!

This week we are hosting Sauk Rapids-Rice on Thursday, which will also be parents' night. Josh McGowan will be taking athlete/parent pictures in the hallway outside the pool by the diving board. Middle school and all diving families will be first for pictures starting at 4:30 followed by high school. All pictures need to wrap up around 5 so everyone can get in for warm ups.

We're also having our annual mac n cheese and movie night on Saturday. More details are below:

Middle School Swim: Middle schoolers working with Coach K will practice Monday, Tuesday, and Friday this week. They will also participate in the home meet against SRR on Thursday.

High School:

Monday & Tuesday: Swimmers lifting after school, in the pool until 6pm. Divers practice from 3:30-5:30pm.

Wednesday: Swimmers no lifting, straight to the pool until 6pm. Divers practice from 3:30-5:30pm.

Thursday: Home meet

Friday: Swimmers lifting after school, in the pool until 6pm. Divers practice from 3:30-5:30.

SRR Meet 9/25: Athletes should be on deck, ready for pictures by 4:15 pm. I could use a few upperclassmen volunteers to help set up the timing system at 3:45. It looks like we don't have any parents signed up for timing yet. Please click here to time if you're able.

Team Meal & Movie Night 9/27: All swimmers and divers are welcome to attend the team meal and outdoor movie night at coach Cox's house. Girls can start arriving at 6:30 for dinner followed by a movie once it's dark enough for the projector. Make sure to check the weather and dress in layers. Also, bring a lawn chair, cushions, or a blanket to sit on. If you'd like to contribute something to the mac and cheese or caramel apple bar, you can sign up here. Parents bringing food can drop it off anytime after 5 or when you drop off your girls. The address is 712 Sunset Dr.

9/13/25: Week 6 Update

We are definitely in the busiest part of our season with two meets last week and two meets this week, luckily both are at home! First we'll host a dual against Rocori on Thursday and then the Otter Invite on Saturday. Please read below to find out how you can help. 

Practice

Middle School

Coach K's group will practice Monday and Tuesday. They will not practice Friday. They'll participate in both meets this week. Coach K and I will work with this group to determine events for them.

High School 

Monday & Tuesday: Swimmers will lift after school, then in the pool until 6pm. Divers practice at 3:30-5:30.

Wednesday: No lifting, swimmers will be in the pool 3:30-6:00. Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Thursday: Home meet against Rocori

Friday: Swimmers and divers go straight to the pool after the parade. We will set up the timing equipment and chairs for the invite at the end of practice.

Meets

Thursday Home vs Rocori: I'll need a few athletes to help set up the meet at 4pm. Everyone else can arrive at 4:45 in time for 5pm warmups. We still need 5 timers for this event. Please click here to sign up.

Saturday's Otter Invite: This is a big meet that requires a lot of volunteers to help it run smoothly. There are lots of jobs to choose from. Please click here to sign up to help. Here are some details for the day:

Meet Timeline: The meet starts with diving at 11:00 am, followed by swimming at 1:00 pm. Diving warm ups start at 9:30. Divers should be on deck ready to go by 9:15. Swimmers should plan to watch diving from the gallery. Swimming warm ups will start at 12:00 or the conclusion of diving. We don't have anyone signed up to time yet. If you can help time, please sign up here.

Chuck-a-duck: We are going to do a chuck-a-duck fundraiser for mental health awareness at this meet. The proceeds will go to help fund the wellness space at KSS. We will have ducks for sale starting at the end of diving up to the 50 free. We'd like two swim parents to help sell ducks after diving until the start of swimming and two diving parents to help from the start of swimming until the 50 freestyle

Hospitality room: Parents helping with the hospitality room can drop off their items between 8:30-9:00 am to the hallway outside the diving board doors. If you volunteer to set up, please arrive by 8:15 to help get tables where they need to be.

Team Lunch: The team traditionally goes out for lunch after the invite. All middle school and high school athletes are welcome to join. Older athletes are happy to drive younger athletes. Please send money with your child to eat out.

Additional Details and Events

Homecoming Parade: We will have a float in the parade again this year. Some candy will be provided, but girls are welcome to bring some as well. High schoolers are automatically dismissed for the parade. Middle schoolers need to be excused by their parents. Please watch for instructions from Mr. Hirst on how/when they can be excused.

Planning Ahead

Parents' Night 9/25: Josh McGowan will be taking athlete/parent pictures in the hallway outside the pool by the diving board. Middle school and all diving families will be first for pictures starting at 4:30 followed by high school. All pictures need to wrap up around 5 so everyone can get in for warm ups.

Team Meal & Movie Night 9/27: Our annual team meal and outdoor movie night will be on 9/27 at my house. Dinner will be at 6:30 and the movie will start as soon as it's dark enough for the projector. We will have mac and cheese and caramel apples bars once again! If you would like to help supply some of the food and treats for the event, please sign up here. Parents helping with food are welcome to drop it off any time before the meal.

9/7/25: Week 5 Update

We have a busy week ahead of us with a home meet on Tuesday and away on Thursday. I know there is A LOT of information in this email, but please be sure to check out the information about the invite on 9/20 at the bottom. The Otter Invite can only happen if we have parent help. Please let me know if you can help with medals or with the chuck-a-duck fundraiser, and keep your eyes open for a hospitality room volunteer sign up.

Check out our week below:

Practice

Middle Schoolers: Coach K's middle schoolers will practice Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:30-5:00 this week. We have a home meet against Alexandria on Tuesday. Coach K and I will work with the girls on Monday to see who is ready for competition on Tuesday. We want to make sure all swimmers feel prepared and confident with competing before putting them in a meet. All our middle school swimmers should attend the meet. They can arrive on the pool deck at 4:45, and the meet starts at 6:00 pm.

High School Swimmers and Divers:

Monday: Swimmers will lift after school then in the pool until 6:00pm. Divers practice 3:30-5:30. 

Tuesday: Home meet against Alexandria, see details below.

Wednesday: Swimmers in the pool after school until 6pm. Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Thursday: Away meet at Sartell

Friday: Swimmers lift after school then in the pool until 6pm. Divers practice 3:30-5:30.

Saturday: Swimmers practice from 9:00-11:00. We are having practice this Saturday because of the two meet week. We don't want to miss out on two days of training. This practice is for all high school swimmers and is not optional.

Meets

Tuesday Home vs Alexandria: I'll need a few athletes to show up at 4:00 to set up the meet. All other athletes competing in the meet should be on deck ready for warmups by 4:45. We need 5 more timers for this meet. Please click here to sign up. Timers should be on deck by 5:45. The meet starts at 6:00pm.

Thursday Away @ Sartell: High school athletes will be excused from class at 2:30, the bus leaves at 2:45. If you want to order a Jimmy John's sandwich for your child to eat on the way home, please fill out this form by 7:00 pm Wednesday, 9/10. After last week's order, I realized that I didn't account for price increases from last year in my order form. Moving forward sandwiches cost $9, and you can pay via cash, check (made out to Otter Girls Swim and Dive Boosters), or Venmo.

Additional Details

Photos: Our team and individual photos are ready. Click here to view the gallery.

Swim Sisters: Our captains are pairing up all the swimmers and divers with swim sisters. For those new to Otter swim and dive, athletes are paired up into swim sisters which is meant to provide an older mentor to a younger swimmer or diver. For each home meet, swim sisters will give each other a small gift or card meant to encourage each other and build relationships. Each girl will fill out a questionnaire letting their swim sister know about their favorite treats, drinks, hobbies, etc. If you're purchasing swim sister gifts, keep them to about $5. 

Homecoming Week: Our team will have a float in the homecoming parade next week. All swimmers and divers are welcome to ride on the float. I will provide more details about excusing your athletes for the parade when it's available to me from KSS.

Otter Invite: The Otter Invite is on September 20th, and we need some parent help to pull off this big (and fun) event. Please watch for a SignUp Genius to see how you can help out with a hospitality room for the coaches, officials, and timers. I also need one or two volunteers to organize and sort the medals awarded for each event.

We are also seeking some parent help with the chuck-a-duck fundraiser at this meet. We'll need parents to sell ducks prior to the meet and through the first half of the meet. It works well if swimming parents sell prior to the meet and if diving parents take over once swimming starts. Please let me know if you can help.

8/30/25: Week 4 Update

We had some great competition last week with a first place finish in the DL Pentathlon and a win against DL in our first dual. This week we have a lot going on, including the start of school. Here's what's in store:

Middle Schoolers: Our middle school swimmers will start this week with practices Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:30-5:00. 

Highschool Swimmers/Divers:

Monday: No practice due to Labor Day holiday

Tuesday: Swimmers will lift after school, then in the pool until 6. Divers will start in the pool right after school and practice until 5:30.

Wednesday: No lifting for swimmers, in the pool after school until 6. Divers 3:30-5:30.

Thursday: Away meet against Brainerd (more details below)

Friday: Swimmers will lift after school, then in the pool until 6. Divers will start in the pool right after school and practice until 5:30

Brainerd 9/4: Athletes are dismissed from class at 2:30, bus leaves at 2:45. Warmups will begin at 5:00pm and the meet at 6:00pm. Like we've done in the past, athletes can order a Jimmy John's sandwich to eat on the bus on the way home. You can use this link to order by 7pm on Wednesday night.

Towels & Booster fees: This will be my last reminder for embroidered towels and booster fees. Towel orders are due by the end of the week. Booster fees can be paid via Venmo or check written out to Otter Girls Swim and Dive.

Otter Invite: The Otter invite is September 20th this year. We are planning to do another chuck-a-duck fundraiser to help support student mental health in Fergus Falls. Please let me know if you're interested in helping with this event.

8/24/25: Week 3 Update

We have a lot of great things happening this week. After two weeks of tough training, we start competing this week with the pentathlon on Monday and a home meet on Thursday. Plus, our new diving coach, Meagan, is officially joining the team this week! 

Please remember that we have team pictures for all high school and middle school athletes at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, August 27. Please bring your team suit and a pair of black shorts. If your new middle schooler doesn't have a team suit, we have a few extra team suits and some plain black suits on deck for them to use. You can come to the pool deck about 2:30 to find a suit that will work for pictures.

Check out the rest of this week's schedule below:

Practice: Swimmers are done with 2-a-days (Yay!). This week's practices will be as follows:

• Monday: No practice for swimmers due to the pentathlon (more below); Divers practice 4:00-6:00 pm.

• Tuesday: Swimmers lift at 3:30 and swim 4:00-6:00 pm; Divers practice 4:00-6:00 pm.

• Wednesday: Swimmers and divers practice 7:30-9:30 am; Pictures in the afternoon.

• Thursday: No practice due to home meet against Detroit Lakes.

• Friday: Swimmers lift at 3:30 and swim 4:00-6:00 pm; Divers practice 4:00-6:00 pm.
  
  

We will not practice on Monday 9/1 due to Labor Day.

Meets this week:

Pentathlon 8/25: The pentathlon is on Monday at 2pm at the DL Community Center. This meet is for swimmers only. The bus will begin loading at 11:30, leave at 11:45. Swimmers who want to bring a parka can check one out prior to loading the bus. After the meet, we will go to Zorbaz for dinner. Please send money with your swimmer. Parents are welcome to join us!

Detroit Lakes 8/28: This is our first dual of the season. High school swimmers/divers will be competing in the meet, but we welcome our middle school teammates to be on deck, cheering on their team. Athletes should be on the pool deck ready for warm ups at 4:45. Warmups will start at 5 and the meet at 6. We still need four more timers for Thursday. Please sign up here if you can help.

Other Details: 

• Middle school swimmers: Our middle school swimmers will start practicing with Coach Kowalski on the first day of school, 9/2. Their typical practice schedule will be M,T,H,F from 3:30-5:00. They should bring a suit, towel, and goggles; we will provide caps. Middle schoolers will compete in our home meets but will not travel to away meets.

• Towel orders due 9/5: If you would like to order an embroidered Otter towel, please fill out this form and either send your money with your swimmer/diver to practice or pay via Venmo.

• Booster fees: Please submit your booster fees if you haven't already. If you aren't sure if you've submitted them, please feel free to reach out.

8/17: Week 2 Update

We made it through the first week of practice! The swimmers completed some very tough practices, with one day totaling more than 7000 yards. I didn't hear any complaints (just a few groans about the IM day), but I could tell by the end of the week that the swimmers were tired. I hope they've all taken some time for rest this weekend. 

The divers are getting back into the groove as well. Thank you to our former divers Mashayla and Mayah for helping out while we wait for our diving coach to join the team. Our new diving coach is Meagan Schertzing, and we are so excited for her to join us! She is in the process of moving to Fergus Falls with her family. Her first official day will be 8/25, but she'll be dropping by on Friday to meet the team and check out the facility. Just a heads up to divers, once school starts divers will practice right after dismissal. More on that to come as we approach September. 

Here's a look at what's happening this week:

• JV/Varsity Swimmers: Practice times are the same as last week with 2 exceptions. Wednesday will be morning only 7:30-9:30 to accommodate the HS open house. We will also meet on Saturday. Each swimmer signed up for a 20 time slot to be recorded under water. Swimmers should arrive 10 minutes prior to their time slot to warm up.

• Divers: Practice will be 5-6:30 M, T, F. Wednesday will be 8-9:30 am due to the open house, and there will be no practice Thursday.

Here's a look at what's coming up:

• August 25th is the DL Pentathlon. This is a meet for JV/Varsity swimmers only. Divers will hold practice from 4-6.

• August 27th JV/Varsity swimmers and divers will practice in the morning.  ALL athletes should attend pictures in the afternoon at 3pm. Middle schoolers will be done on time for their open house.

• August 28th is our first home meet against Detroit Lakes. Click here to sign up to be a timer.

A few reminders:

• Families who haven't submitted booster fees can send a check to practice made out to Otter Girls Swim and Dive Boosters or pay via Venmo.

• Towel orders are due Sept 5th. Please fill out this form if you would like to order one.

• If you ordered a team suit, they were sent home last week. I have one suit for a new middle schooler which is waiting in the pool office.

Week 1 Update

The season is already here, and we're buckling up for 13 weeks of good sportsmanship, fierce competition, and of course, fun. It was great seeing many of you at the sports roundup a couple weeks ago. It's like seeing family again. We covered a lot of season info in that meeting, but below are a few reminders and announcements as we kick off our 2025 season:

• Register through KSS: Only athletes who are registered with the activities office will be able to participate in practice on Monday. My last check only shows 10 registered athletes.

• JV/Varsity Swim Practice: JV/Varsity swimmers will start two-a-day practices on Monday morning at 7:30. Our afternoon practice on Monday at 4pm will start with a team meeting. We will cover the rules and expectations, set some goals, and learn about our team culture program this year, which will be Mental Skills for Athletes.

• Diving Practice: Divers will practice with Mashaya for the first few weeks of the season until our new diving coach is ready and able to start the season with us. This week divers will practice Monday-Wednesday from 5-6:30. We will start practice on Monday the same way as swimmers, with a discussion of the rules and expectations and some goal setting. 

• Calendar: JV/Varsity practices, team events, and meets are on our website calendar. On 8/20, JV/V swimmers will only practice in the morning to accommodate for HS open house. I'll add the divers' practice days and times as I finalize them.

• Orders: Last call for BSN attire. You can order here. If you want to order an embroidered towel for your athlete, please fill out this form. If your swimmer/diver is a freshman, please fill out this form for a warm up jacket. 

• Concessions: The fall concessions Remind went out last week. Please sign up for shifts as you're able. Remember, each family is asked to cover two shifts.

• Booster Fees: You can send your booster fees with your athlete to practice or submit them using the team Venmo.

• Middle Schoolers: Our middle school swimmers and divers will start practices the first week of school.

• Pictures: All juniors and seniors are invited to participate in media day photos on 8/13 at 1pm. Senior banners pictures will also happen at this time. Team and individual photos for the whole team will be at 3pm on August 27th.

Fall Sports Roundup and Team Meeting Information

Hello Otter Swim and Dive Families,

The fall sports roundup and parent meeting is this Wednesday, 7/30 at 7pm. Parents are asked to attend the parent/player meeting in the auditorium first, and then we will have a team meeting at 7:30 in the high school band room. 

We'll cover a lot of the season information at that meeting, but here are a few details in the meantime.

• Our season starts on August 11th. JV and Varsity swimmers will start with two-a-days from August 11-22. Morning practice will be 7:30-9:00 am and afternoon practice will be 4:00-6:00 pm. Middle school athletes will start on the first day of school. I don't have a diving practice schedule yet as we are still searching for a new diving coach. We wish Coach Jarvi all the best in her new career in Willmar!

• We will collect booster fees at the team meeting. They are $75 per athlete with a family cap of $150. These can be paid via check or Venmo. Please let me know if this creates a hardship for your family.

• If you cannot make it to the meeting on Wednesday, please check out the Rules and Expectations, Booster Info, and Calendar found on our team website. Your athlete will be expected to return a signed acknowledgement of the rules and expectations.

• Our BSN apparel shop is open now through August 11th to try to get our orders delivered by the time we start competing. We will be ordering suits and warmups from Elsmore again this year. I don't have a link yet but will send it via Remind when it's available. It will be open for the same timeframe as the BSN shop. The boosters are purchasing warm up jackets for all Freshman and new high school athletes. If you have a freshman or new high school athlete, please fill out this form.

Feel free to share this message with any new or potential swim and dive families. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Coach Cox