Hello swimmers and parents!

Summer is finally here, and we are excited for our season to start! Tuesday, June 8th, is our first practice at the Williamsport YMCA. The practice schedule is as follows

Evening Practices - Tuesdays and Thursdays at Williamsport YMCA:

Ages 10 and under will practice 6:30–7:00 PM

Ages 11 and over will practice 6:30–7:30 PM

Williamsport High School Swimmers (anyone who swam on the team during the 2020-2021 season), Coach Brett will be running practice at the High School Pool on Tuesday and Thursday nights 6:30-7:30.

Morning Practices - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at East Lycoming YMCA

Ages 10 and under will practice 10:30–11:15 AM

Ages 11 and over will practice 10:30–12:00 PM

*Above guidelines are approximate. Practice times are based upon ability and demand. It is at the coaching staff's sole discretion to adjust practice times as needed for each swimmer.

WHAT TO BRING: Please come prepared to get in the water with a suit, towel, goggles, swim cap, and a water bottle.

SWIMTOPIA: Our SwimTopia site is: www.williamsportwaves.swimtopia.com. Again, we will be utilizing this site for team communication, volunteer sign-up, and to declare if swimmers can attend meets. This site will also be where the coaches will ask swimmers to request their possible events for each swim meet.

COMMUNICATIONS: We will be communicating to members through the SwimTopia app and via SwimTopia email. If you already have the app, please delete it and reload the app on your device. After the app loads, answer "YES" to the question "ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS?".

WEATHER CANCELLATIONS: Weather will not be as big a problem this year since we are swimming inside at the Y's; however, we could still have a weather-related practice cancellation if there is thunder and lightning.

TEAM SUITS: For new swimmers and swimmers that need a new team suit, please contact Mary Jones at D&J Sports in Lewisburg to purchase a team suit. Mary already has our team suits in stock and ready to go. It's worth the trip to visit her shop as she is an expert in all things swimming, especially suit fitting. Mary also has a wide selection of swim caps and goggles.

D&J Sports, 234 Market Street, Lewisburg, PA 17837 - 570-523-7946

Team suits are not required; however, red and black suits are preferred for meets. Please note that girls are required to wear a one-piece suit.

Female suits $49 +tax

Male suits $35 +tax

TEAM APPAREL: We will be distributing forms soon for our apparel sale. It is a great way to show team spirit.

COACHES: All of these coaches come with many years of competitive swimming and coaching experience.

Melissa Love-Ritchey: Coach Melissa brings years of swimming experience to the pool deck. At Williamsport High School, Melissa was a team captain and record holder in the 200 Medley and 200 Free relays. Coach Melissa has brought her expertise in stroke mechanics, especially in butterfly and freestyle, to the WAVES over the past few seasons and, as of this year, now has three swimmers on the team. Coach Melissa is an elementary teacher at Stevens Elementary.

Dr. Chad Greevy: Coach Chad was a competitive swimmer from the age of 7 on the Williamsport Summer Swim Team to Williamsport YMCA to WAHS through NCAA swimming at Allegheny College. He used his many years of swimming to transition into coaching. He most recently coached the East Lycoming Eels YMCA winter team over the past four years and returned to coaching the WAVES as a volunteer coach last two seasons. Coach Chad holds his doctorate in education and is the Director of Secondary Curriculum for the Williamsport Area School District. He has one swimmer on the team.

Sue Johnson: Coach Sue returns to the Williamsport Summer Swim Team this year as a coach. Sue, and her siblings, grew up swimming competitively for the Williamsport summer team. During high school, she was a letter winner as captain for the Williamsport Millionaires. This season is her first year coaching with the WAVES, and she is willing to share her talents and years of experience with our swimmers. Coach Sue is an elementary teacher at Jackson Elementary, and she and her husband, Brett, have three swimmers on the team.

Dr. Brett Johnson: Coach Brett was a standout swimmer for both the Williamsport Millionaires in high school and the South Williamsport Summer Swim Team. Brett learned proper stroke technique from long-time coach Betty Balzer (along with Coach Melissa) when he was a young swimmer, and that talent translated into a PIAA State qualifier in high school. Coach Brett is the current head coach of the Williamsport Millionaires Boys and Girls Swim Teams. He looks forward to bring his love for the sport and his experience to all swimmers this summer season. Dr. Johnson is co-owner of Johnson Chiropractic, where he has practiced alongside his father for the past 8 years. Coach Brett practices Advanced Biostructural Correction (ABC Technique) and specializes in Fitness and Sports Training (FAST), helping students prepare for their athletic best.

PARENT HELPERS: We are always looking for additional help from parents. Whether you would like to help as a volunteer lane watcher during practice or can help during meets with set-up, timing, or being an age-group parent, we are always looking for help.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. Welcome aboard new swimmers and welcome back to our returners! Hope to see you all on Tuesday.

Alysha Sides Greevy, President

Niki Hockman, Treasurer

Melissa Love-Ritchey, Secretary