Don’t forget our parents meeting on Thursday, August 21st in room H210 at school.  The meeting is at 6:00pm.

Attendance is not mandatory but strongly suggested for parents of students new to the team.

We’d like to let you know that the Thunderbird High School swim team’s first day of tryouts/practice will be August 11th at our home practice pool, Deer Valley pool, from 3:15pm to 5:15pm. Deer Valley pool is located at 19400 North 19th Avenue, approximately four miles north of the Thunderbird High School campus. Tryouts will continue through August 22nd. After 8/22 students are welcome to continue to try out for swimming, but the chances of securing a spot on the squad will diminish (especially for those new to competitive swimming).

Transportation

We will have school provided transportation to and from the pool. Plan on the vans leaving after school at approximately 2:50 from the back bus bay. The vans will be available to take students back to school at the end of practice.

Athletic Clearance

Please remember that students cannot participate in any way in Thunderbird High School athletics until they have completed the athletic clearance process and are approved by the athletics office. The clearance process includes seeing a film, completing an online concussion awareness course, submitting insurance information and turning a completed physical form signed by a medical professional. All portions of the process must be completed through the athletic department and only the athletic department can clear a student to participate. Please do not bring completed forms to the pool, the coaching staff cannot process these forms or be responsible for turning them in.

If you are new to the clearance process or need help, visit the front office at school or call them at 623-915-8900.

About Thunderbird Swim and Dive

Thunderbird Swimming and Diving is a varsity sport. The nature of the sport allows us to carry a large squad and we do our best to keep any student who can:

meet team commitments regarding attendance
be an enthusiastic and respectful teammate
do their best every day
master basic swimming skills and perform the four competitive strokes
We will give everyone a fair chance who wants to be here, can be here and will work hard every day.

Club Swimmers

Thunderbird welcomes students who pursue their love of the sport year round outside of the high school program. Please see Coach Puma so that we can set up an attendance plan that will work best for your training program.

Practice Times

For the 2014 season we will practice from 3:15 to 5:15, Monday through Friday at Deer Valley pool

All team members are invited to the Thunderbird swimming and diving awards night on November 20th at 6:30 in the school cafeteria.  Appetizers and drinks will be served as we hand out awards to our deserving student athletes.

Joining Nicole Hoffman and Brett Budde, who previously qualified at last week’s dive in meet, are Daniel Strohmeyer (200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke), Jon Erbstoesser (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), Joel Erbstoesser (100 freestyle) , Nathaniel Barrio (500 freestyle), Morgan Barnes (50 freestyle), Jessica Benincasa (100 freestyle), Larissa Hodge (500 freestyle, 100 backstroke), Emily Kruljac (100 breaststroke).

The Chiefs also qualified all three ladies relays as well as the men’s 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.

We had a great day at prelims of the district championships.  Results are behind the link below.  If you are in the top 18, expect to swim again on Saturday.  The bus leaves school at 8:30am for an 11am meet start time.

Prelim results

Thunderbird swimming and diving is looking for parents to volunteer to be timers at the District Championship meet on Friday November 1st and Saturday November 2nd.    If you are available to time, please email, call or text Coach Pedersen early in the week.

As the season draws to an exciting close, our swimmers and divers have a busy schedule.

There is team diner on Wednesday, October 30th at the Ruby house after practice.

The entire team is excused from school Friday to attend the district championships at Sunrise Mountain pool.  The bus leaves school at 7am so that we will have time to warm up for a 9 am start.  Swimmers who make the top sixteen will compete again on Saturday with a current start time of 11am.  The start time for Saturday may change at the coaches meeting on Tuesday.  Athletes need to make sure they eat before the meet and bring snacks and drinks to the meet.  If time permits, we will stop for lunch after the meet on the way back to school.

Swimmers who achieve qualifying times for the state meet will advance to the State Championships on November 8th and 9th.

Nicole Hoffman and Brett Budde both made the top 32 at the state diving qualifier on Saturday.  Both will advance to the State Championships at Skyline Aquatic Center on November 8th and 9th.

Four Chiefs divers have qualified to participate in the State Qualifer meet on Saturday, October 26.  The purpose of meet is to compare all of the divers who have achieved a provisional mark on an equal basis.  Divers who finish in the top 32 will advance to the actual state competition on November 1st and 2nd.

The meet is at Perry High school (1919 E. Queen Creek Rd, Gilbert, Az 85297).  Women begin diving at 8:30 am and men begin at 1:45 pm.

So good luck to Nicole Hoffman, Zach King, Brett Budde, and Wil Sherman as they compete for a slot at state.

The meet is all the way out at Williams Field and starts at 9:30.  If you are going (or considering going) and would like to help the program and the meet, please email the coaching staff that you are willing to volunteer.