Join the Forest Hollow Gators

1. Join the Forest Hollow Gators WHO ARE THE GATORS? The Gators are boys and girls (and their parents) who are members of the Forest Hollow Swim Team. Our team focuses on improving swimming skills, learning good sportsmanship and self-discipline. We have daily practices, compete in swim meets, have family potluck dinners and pep rallies on Friday nights, make new friends and have lots of fun!! WHO CAN JOIN? The swim team is open to swimmers, ages 4 – 18. • Gators must be able to swim at least 50 meters (2 pool lengths) continuously, without assistance. Gators will work on stroke technique, starts, turns and endurance during practice and participate in swim meets. • Mini Gators must be comfortable in the water (can fully submerge head for 5 seconds), propel themselves for a short distance in the pool, be able to follow directions, work well in a group and leave parents willingly. The goal of the Mini Gator program is to provide young swimmers with the basic swimming skills necessary for the continued involvement in competitive swimming. WHEN DO GATORS SWIM? Swim season for Gators begins on Wednesday, May 28 and ends July 26. The season is extended to Aug. 2 for those who make it to individual All Stars. Beginning May 28 through June 17, swim practice is held Monday through Friday in the evening. Beginning June 18 practices are held Monday through Friday in the morning for all swimmers. Practices are also available on Tuesday and Thursday in the evening for swimmers unable to attend morning practice. Mini Gators will practice from June 18 through July 25, Monday through Friday in the morning. Tuesday and Thursday evenings are available for Mini Gators unable to attend the morning practice. Swim meets are held on Saturday mornings (league meets) and Monday evening (developmental meets). All swimmers are encouraged to swim at the developmental meets. Participating in league or Saturday morning meets is limited and selections will be made based on specific criteria. Clinics for specific skill development will be held during the season. Regular attendance at practice and meets is encouraged. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? $80 for 1 swimmer, $150 for 2 swimmers, $65 for each additional swimmer. Registration fees help to pay for the coaching staff, equipment, ribbons, awards and team activities. Each swimmer registered by May 1 will receive a team t-shirt and latex swim cap. Swimmers registered after May 1 are not guaranteed a T-shirt and cap. Team swimsuits (not required) will be available at the Parent Meeting/first practice on May 28 at the Parent Meeting. The cost for suits is approximately $49 for girls and $30 for boys. This is the first year of our new two-year suit. This style of suit will be used by the Gators for two years. In 2009, should your child outgrow or need a new suit, the suit will still be available. WHAT DO GATOR PARENTS DO? Gator parents are an important part of the swim team. It takes approximately 40 adults to run a successful swim meet. Your help is needed to set up the pool, sell concessions, time swimmers, record scores, chaperone the team area and officiate the meet. We also need parents to plan social events – Friday night activities, awards ceremony, and team outings. No experience is necessary! Returning parents - please sign up on the registration form. New families are encouraged to sign up at the New Parent Orientation Meeting. Participating with the Gators is a great way to meet people and make new friends. Forest Hollow is extremely fortunate to have many qualified officials, but we need to train more parents to ensure continuity and backup support. We need parents to be certified as stroke & turn officials, referees and starters. Training clinics are held in May/June. Please contact Tip Holcombe (256-2246) if you are interested in becoming certified in one of these positions. HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? Attend the Kickoff and Parent Meeting. Join us at Forest Hollow on May 28. Sports Fair will be at Forest Hollow from 5:30- 8 pm for new suits. A new parent meeting will be held from 6:30-7:00 pm followed by a general meeting for all parents from 7- 8 pm. Swimmers will meet their coaches and spend some time with them during the parent meeting. We will also do do a Gator first – our fabulous Gator Grill will grill some hamburgers and hotdogs and provide a light meal for all our hungry Mini Gators, Gators, and Parents. This is an opportunity to kick off the season, meet the coaching staff, learn about what’s in store for the year, ask questions and more. Please contact Nancy Jessen (703-624-2956 npjessen@aol.com ) or Mary Johnson (703-216-4580 maryjohnson4580@verizon.net or mjohnson@ofheo.gov ) with any questions prior to the meetings. And, don’t forget to check out the website on an ongoing basis for news and calendar updates: www.foresthollow.com

2. The 2008 Gators – We’ll Do Great in Div 8 • A Message from the 2008 Team Reps • – Nancy Jessen and Mary Johnson: • As we begin year two as Swim Team Reps, we are both excited and optimistic about the summer season. We thank all of you for your support, comments, and participation in helping to make the Forest Hollow Swim Team one that will hold lasting memories for our children. The Forest Hollow Gators are all about the swimmers - watching them learn to love the sport of swimming, learning to foster a spirited team environment, and being part of a community. The community is not about each individual, but about how we can all work together to make the world and community a better place. • Last year we introduced Coach Elvin to the Gators. We told you preseason he was fun, approachable, and articulate in his stroke instruction. We quoted people who have worked with him who summed it up to say Coach Elvin has CLASS. And, what truth we found in all these words. Coach Elvin came into our community, challenged our kids, worked with our coaches, provided us strong leadership and sparked a renewed interest in swimming for many. He not only helped our team achieve Division 10 Champions, he helped us to win the Sportsmanship Award. We are happy to say, Coach Elvin is back for another great year at Forest Hollow. • And, as an added bonus this year, we would like to introduce our new Assistant Head Coach – a name that many will find familiar from the Gator archives. April Brassard, a former Gator swimmer and junior coach, has rejoined us. April brings a fabulous knowledge of Gator tradition to us, as well as some excellent coaching skills. April is now coaching with the Potomac Marlins, was an assistant coach at Annandale High School this past year, and has a number of other coaching accomplishments to her resume. April brings a love of the sport and lots of Gator Pride to our summer season. Welcome Back, April! • We are excited about both the balance of swimming experience/technical skills and leadership/coaching skills our coaching staff possesses this year. Our assistant coaches for 2008 are: • Natalie Cocozza • Suzanne Fonzi • Ellie Holcombe • Annika Jessen • Alex Johnson • Martin Miller • We’ll see you on May 28th to kick off our season in true Gator style! Fees..fees...fees: Did you know that, you are spending less than $3 an hour for quality swim time? You can’t find a greater bargain anywhere! While we all love bargains, we also have to deal with our costs. And, as we welcome the new year, we are sure you have noticed that our fees have gone up slightly this year. While the swim team dues have never fully supported our expenses, providing only ½ of that coverage per year, we believe it is important to bring these up slightly to cover more of our costs. Again, we hope you agree that you can’t find a better bargain anywhere! Come join the Gators and support Forest Hollow! Calling all Willing & Able Volunteers: We need a few hours of your time on May 24, 25, & 26! Forest Hollow has taken on the opportunity to do a little outside fundraising to offset costs this year. On May 24, 25 and 26, we will sponsor a concession stand at Oak Marr Rec facility in Oakton for a USA Swimming meet. This opportunity could raise $1,000 (or more) for our team and help keep fees down. We are looking for any willing volunteers – those that need community service and those that can spare an hour or two – for the weekend to assist our tremendous Gator Grill personnel. Let’s help the Wallaces as they help the Gators!! To sign up, call Terry or Brian Wallace at 703-914-0750! They will let you know the hours available. Let’s make this great opportunity a success!! Mini Gator Evaluation Unsure whether your young one is a “Mini” or a full fledged Gator? Placement in the right practice is critical for our developing swimmers. If you are unsure where their skills lie, bring them to the pool for an evaluation by Coach Elvin on Tuesday May 27 between 5:30-6:30 to find out! Note: This is the day before the parent meeting on May 28!! The Gator Grill Needs Your Support! We are asking each family to donate money to offset the cost of the beverages we sell at the Gator Grill. We are asking for a donation from each family of $10 or more to offset these costs. The check should be made out to Brian or Terry Wallace. And the best part…they’ll do all the shopping to make sure we have plenty of variety to fulfill the thirst of our Gators and visiting teams!

3. FOREST HOLLOW SWIM TEAM REGISTRATION 2008 TEAM MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS Swimmers’ family must be a share-holding, bona fide renter, or summer member of the Forest Hollow Swim Club. 2008 pool and swim team dues must be paid in full before swimmer can attend Swim Team practice or activities. Each child must be registered by his correct name, age, birth date, home address and phone number. Registration fee: $80 for 1 swimmer, $150 for 2 swimmers, $65 for each additional swimmer Swimmers registered after May 1 are not guaranteed a T-shirt or latex swim cap. Make checks payable to Forest Hollow Swim Team. Mail form and check to: Mary Johnson, 6419 Sixth Street, Alexandria VA 22312 Swimmer Information: Additional Team T-shirts @ $10 each: YM___ YL___ AS___ AM___ AL___ AXL___ AXXL(add$2)____ Silicone swim cap w/ Gator Logo @ $10 Quantity _____ (all swimmers will receive a latex cap) *Mini Gators Criteria: Mini Gators must be at least four (4) years old as of 6/18/2008 to participate in the program. Mini Gators are just learning to swim and can not yet swim the length of the pool (over and back/50 meters) unassisted. Family Information: First Name Last Name Home Phone Work Phone Cell Phone Mother Father Email Include info in Team Directory: Yes No__ ***************************************************************************************************** Number eating dinner on May 28 Team Info Meeting: ____ Adults _____ Kids (No charge but we need a headcount to plan appropriately.) ***************************************************************************************************** Total enclosed:: Registration fee Additional T-shirts/silicone cap Total Enclosed Check # Please complete emergency information on reverse side

4. Parent Volunteers Emergency Release I give permission for _______________________________________ to participate with the Forest Hollow Swim Team. I understand that swimming may be a potentially dangerous sport, with the possibility of injury to my child, and I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to provide any insurance coverage and to pay for treatment for any injury to my child while participating in this program. I will not hold the swim team board, the coaches, or Forest Hollow Pool liable for any injury that may occur while my child is participating in the program. I certify that my child(ren) has (have) been examined by a physician in the past year and has (have) been found to be physically fit to participate in this program. I hereby give permission for any and all necessary medical treatment to be administered to my child in the event of any accident, injury, illness, etc., until such a time as I can be contacted. I assume all responsibility for payment of any such medical treatment that may be necessary. Signature of Parent/Guardian _________________________________ Date _________ Print Name __________________________________ We need parent participation in the following areas – please circle any positions you would be willing to help with – no experience necessary!! Team Area Chaperone Meet Official Ribbons Timers Clerk of Course Meet Announcer Award Ceremony Organizer Friday Night Potluck Organizer Meet Marshall Awards/Trophies Scorer Concessions Pancake Breakfast (7/4) Organizer B-Meet Shadow/trainee Activities Ass’tant Forest Hollow Swim TeamWebsite Picture Release Form Images of Forest Hollow events and swimmers may be posted on the Forest Hollow Swim Club website at www.foresthollow.com. By completing the “opt out” box and form below you are requesting that your image be kept from appearing on the website. You further understand that anyone listed below MUST exclude themselves from formal group shots in order that pictures of said events may be used on the website. Checking the “permission granted” box allows the team permission to post photos on the web site and permits participation in group photos. I give permission for photos of my family to be used on the web page. I do not give permission for photos to be used on the web page for the following individuals: Parent Signature: