Hello swim families,

Our "Long Distance Challenge" fundraiser will be held on January 9, 2022. For those of you new to the team, this is our primary fundraising event we do each season. At the risk of sounding uncouth, the holidays are a great opportunity to ask grandparents, aunts, uncles, and family friends for a swim team gift to help support your swimmer. :) As a team we don't sell candy, flowers, or tickets; we might have a team social at a restaurant, but the focus is not on fundraising. Our philosophy is:

• Fundraising should directly benefit the team, not the businesses “partners” who often take between 50-90% of the money spent/raised.
• No one is obligated to raise funds; if it's an obligation, then it's a team fee, not a fundraiser.
• ALL athletes are required to participate and complete their group's assigned "Challenge" distance even if they raise no funds. If they cannot make the date, they will make it up during another day or during regular practice time.
• The focus should be on athlete production, and not be overly burdensome for parents. After-all, we already require everyone to work 2-4 times each season at swim meets, which is more than many other sports already.

FAQs:

1. "OK, Coach Drake..., I know you said it's not an obligation, but what should we use as a guide?" Most raise between $20 - $40 per family, although we've had some families raise hundreds of dollars in some years; I think $600 is the record for one family :).
2. "What if we raise no money, does my child still have to swim the distance?" Yes, it's part of their required training regimen.
3. "My swimmer is worried, he doesn't think he can swim that long non-stop. Does he really have to?" Yes, no one has ever failed to finish, including 5 year olds who joined the swim team for the first time. It's more a mental challenge than a physical one, and these distances are well within reach of every swimmer in their group. Plus, they can use a kickboard or swim any stroke they want, whenever they want. Additionally, it builds personal confidence and it's a shared rite of passage for each team member each year.

See you on deck,

Coach Drake