The Gator Swim Team season has been a huge success this summer. We are in the last week of the season and we would like to thank all of our Heritage Greens Neighbors for supporting us the past eight weeks. We know we can be loud during our weekday practices, social events and home meets, but please know we are having the time of our lives. The entire swim team family appreciates your support, generosity and enthusiasm. The Heritage Greens Community is a big part of our team and we cannot thank you enough.

We have one more meet at our pool this Thursday July 10 beginning at 8 am. We will be hosting the 11-12 age group prelims for the Rocky Mountain Swim League. The pool will be closed until 3 pm that day. Swimmers will begin arriving at 6 am. There will be many parked cars in the neighborhood that day from all of the other teams, so drive carefully. When hosting the 11-12 prelims we always receive rave reviews from other teams on our beautiful neighborhood, gorgeous pool facility, friendly swimmers and neighbors, and our well run meet, so thank you HG for helping us out. Please feel free to come by that day in your Green Spirit Wear and cheer your Gators on. We will also be serving breakfast and lunch so come hungry. The qualifying swimmers from this week's prelims will go on to Cherry Creek Vista on Saturday July 12 for the RMSL Championship Finals. We will be back at the pool that evening for the Gator Awards Banquet to wrap up the season.

  We place a very high priority on the Mission and Vision of this swim team.

• Mission: To support our Heritage Greens community by promoting a positive, fun, and rewarding experience for all Heritage Greens children, parents and neighbors.
• Vision: All Gator swimmers will be given an opportunity to develop and build swimming skills, confidence, sportsmanship, friendships, goals, discipline and commitment to the team.

We were able to reach the goals of our Mission and Vision this summer through all of the hard work, dedication and commitment from our Committee Heads. We could not run this team without them.

• Announcer - Nick Lepetsos -The voice of our Saturday morning home swim meets.
• National Anthem - Michael Galvin - He sang it loud and proud at our home meets.
• Concessions - Abby Sweeney - She kept our bellies full with yummy food. Every home meet she diligently planned the menu, shopping list, prices and set up.
• Equipment - Kerry Carothers - He provided shelter for our swimmers at every meet and organized the setup of our home meets.
• Family Night - Lisa Morrisroe & Dana McDermott - They provided a night out for the HG Community and entertainment for our kiddos.
• Gator Gallop - Melissa Mooney & Jan McElhiney - They organized our annual Fun Run for the entire neighborhood that benefits the swim team.
• Gator Buddies - Jane Schmeling - She provides every gator swimmer with a buddy to be a friend, fan enthusiast, champion, hero, partner, mentor, supporter, and teammate.
• Gator Gear - Shelley Thompson - She is the reason our swimmers look so darn cute in the summer with their gator green swimsuits, pajama bottoms, sweatshirts, sweatpants, caps, hats, etc.
• Heating - Kristen Dimig - She keeps our swimmers organized and in their chairs before their race at every meet. She claims this is an easy job!
• Luminaries and Butter Braids - Holly Malcolm - She lit up "The Hood" this past holiday season. Thank you neighbors for support. By far, one of my favorite jobs within the swim team.
• Photography - Meredith McKinnon and Rob Attai - They were able to capture the "life of a swimmer" during meets and social activities.
• Record Board - Amy Kurtz - This board is where the Gator swimmers look to set goals for the season. To break a swim record is worth serious bragging rights.
• Swimtopia - Amy Kurtz - She helped us get this new website up and running for our team. This site makes our lives easier. Check it out hggators.swimtopia.com 
• Scoring - Amy Kurtz - She input all of our swimmers' times at our home meets, ran the results and produced the labels for ribbons.
• RMSL Vice President - Amy Kurtz - She will become President of the RMSL for the 2014/2015 season making it a stronger league.
• Ribbons - Erin Applegate - Every Monday morning she brought a smile to our Gator faces by having their many ribbons ready for them. It's all about the ribbon!
• Sleigh Ride - Stafie Parker - She brought the Menchie's Fire Truck to us over the holiday season and provided a fun holiday experience for the entire neighborhood.
• Social - Lisa Hansen and Kimberly Roose - They provided long lasting memories by organizing our age group social parties, pasta pep rally, pancakes and pictures, pirates cove, and the 11-12 sleep over. Party on Gators!
• Starter/ Referee - Ron Mayo and Grant Seavall - Thank you for running our meets smoothly, efficiently, and quickly. I would like to thank Ron Mayo for coming back one more year even though he did not have a swimmer on the team. We can't thank you enough Ron! We appreciate all your years of hard work.
• Stroke Judge Lead - Jan McElhiney - She organized our team of stroke judges for each meet and then organized their classes and certification. The Stroke judges help our gators become better swimmers.
• Treasurer/Parent Rep Consultant - Sue Carothers- She has kept us on budget all year, keeps our coaches paid, reimburses us for our expenses, pays our dues and collects money on registration and so much more. She was our parent rep last year and was a tremendous help this year in answering questions. We can't thank you enough Sue for your dedication, hard work and organization
• Timers/Runners - Shelley & Bob Thompson - They kept our volunteer timers in order for our home and away meets.
• Gator Triathlon - Shelley Reed & Ann Anthes - This provides our swimmers with a triathlon experience through the HG neighborhood that is fun for all. The kids get a little taste of what a triathlon is all about.
• Volunteer Coordinators - Julie Hanna and Stafie Parker - The Gator Swim Team is run by volunteers only. These 2 volunteers helped us coordinate and assign volunteers for every meet and every social activity. They sent reminders every week and found replacements if necessary. Volunteers are why we are a successful swim team and we have Stafie and Julie to thank for taking on this role.

HOA BOARD - Thank you for your support and dedication to this swim team. Your help and enthusiasm for the Gators has been tremendous this season. We look forward to many more years of collaboration to make this a better team.

Junior Coaches - Izzy Benasso, Carlin Deniken, Emily Lepetsos & Nicole Seavall - They provided help to all of our coaches at swim practice, swim meets, and social events. They provided us all with enthusiasm and joy on a daily basis.

We would like to thank all of our Gator Families for swimming this 2014 Season. It is a commitment for both the parents and swimmers. We appreciate all of your volunteer hours, getting your swimmers to practice and your support in all of the Gator events. You are the reason why the Parent Reps love their job.

And Finally, our Dear Gator Coaches - Nick Levine, Rachel Getz, Nate Kizla, Jack Smith, and Bryce Johnson. This is a group of coaches, old and new, that came together and worked as a team throughout the season. They have provided a summer of fun, laughter, enthusiasm, joy, friendship, companionship, counseling and lasting memories for every one of our swimmers. They have demonstrated leadership and professionalism on a daily basis. These coaches have impacted our swimmers that will not be forgotten. As Gator Parents we are proud of you and we thank you.

As the saying goes:

See you later, alligator

After a while, crocodile

See you in the summer of 2015. Don't forget to order your Luminaries and Butter Braids for the holiday season.

Holly Malcolm and Nancy Seavall