Weekly Update: Week of November 17th

Jackson Leonard

Week of November 17th

 

Congratulations: CSI & USA Swimming Leadership

You may notice we will be missing a few friendly faces on deck this weekend…

 

Coach Preston Harrison (Assistant Coach- Challenge, Arete, Nova/Fireball) was selected by Colorado Swimming, Inc. to represent FAST at the 2025 CSI Junior National Camp as an Assistant Coach. Congratulations to Coach Preston! He’ll maintain a watchful eye over our seven camp attendees and he’ll learn from some of the top competitors and coaches from across the LSC. 

 

Congratulations to Ella Gaca Thiele, Abby Lehmkuhler, Cody Monajjem, Brennen O’Neil, Josie Stahl, Gracie Thornton, and Noah Wojcik for their inclusion in this year’s camp!

 

Additionally, FAST coaches MacKenzie Novell and Coach Tasha Marchant were selected by USA Swimming, from a nationwide applicant pool, to attend the 2025 USA Swimming Women’s Leadership Summit in Black Forest, CO. Only twenty female coaches from across the nation were selected, and two will be representing FAST! We’re excited to hear what Coach MacK and Coach Tasha learn and share this weekend. Congratulations coaches.

 

Character Value of the Week: 

Inclusivity- Welcoming all members regardless of their background or skill level

 

Being inclusive feels like a buzzword these days. But decades of research point to three simple ingredients for a high-performing, meaningful, and resilient life. Autonomy, mastery, and belonging are all essential components. Belonging and inclusivity is being a part of a community, team, lineage, or tradition that is working toward similar goals. Belonging anchors you to something larger than yourself. You contribute, receive support, and feel connected. Loneliness erodes well-being; inclusivity fortifies it.

 

I listened to six different speakers in different decades of their lives speak at the FAST Masters 10 Year Celebration this past Sunday. All six speakers spoke to the importance of community, the value of shared experiences with welcoming teammates, and the direct impact swimming has had on their lives.

 

What does this look like as a FAST teammate, family member, or coach?

When we sit down to eat a meal on team travel trips, no one sits alone. 

When a teammate joins a new training group, we speak to each other with respect and we incorporate them into friend groups. 

We go out of our way to make room for each other in meet warm up lanes. 

We cheer for all of our teammates on any relay, whether we’re on the “A,” “B,” “C,” or “Q” relay. 

We cheer for all FAST athletes in a heat, not just our own kid. 

When there is a chance to send an assistant coach to a Zone, National, or international level meet- we share the opportunity as a staff to elevate our collective experience. 

 

Practice Adjustments:

Thursday, Nov. 20th: Arete begins at 5:30 p.m. (no dryland), all swimmers will be done with the swimming portion of practice at 6:40 p.m. The entire group will head to Valor Elite for our “Testing Day.” Families are welcome to meet us at Valor to explore the space. 

 

Friday, Nov. 21st: 

  • Normal AM practice 

  • Arete’s ‘Cheetah’ lifting group will not lift and will follow our typical Friday PM schedule.

 

The normal Saturday practice schedule will be in place. Coach Doug and Coach Rylee will be at the CUDA meet on Saturday. Coach Doug and Coach Jackson will be on deck at the CUDA meet on Sunday.

 

Week of Thanksgiving:

Wednesday, November 26th

  • No PM practice for any group. EPIC closes at 2:00 p.m.

  • We will have an update on Wednesday morning practice availability soon!

 

Thursday November 27th

No Practices- Thanksgiving

 

Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28th- 29th: As normally scheduled

 

Thanksgiving Practice Packet:

If you will be out of town for an extended period of time over the Thanksgiving break, but will have access to a pool and want to use FAST practices to stay connected to the water, check the team website under the “TEAM INFO” tab and then the “Documents and Forms” section on Sunday, November 23rd. We will have a Google Drive folder set up with five 10&U practices, five 11-14 year old practices, and five 15+ workouts written and visible for anyone to use. 

 

Upcoming Events:

 

  • FAST Private Lessons: monthly availability

 

  • FAST Age Group & Senior Clinic: Racing Starts

  Partnering with: Gatorade for goodie bag giveaways

  • November 30th, EPIC, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. 

  • ONE (1) space remaining!

 

  • Swimming in College: Information for High School Aged Families

    • In-Person: Coach Woody, CSU; Coach Rylee O’Neil

    • Virtual Panel: Olivia Asay (Div. I Swimmer at University of Iowa)

                     Katie Rogers (former Sectional level swimmer, UVA grad. & college club swimmer)

 Who should attend: high school aged swimmers and interested family members.

 Submit questions for the panel ahead of our meeting: QUESTION SUBMISSION

 

  • FAST Advanced Stroke Clinic: Breaststroke with Lucy Bell

         Partnering with: Nuun for goodie bag giveaways

  • December 21st, EPIC, 9:00 -11:30 a.m. 

  • THREE (3) registration spaces remaining!

 

If you can attend:

  • RSVP using the link under the event in “Team Events” to ensure a place at the event.

  • ‘Commit’ to the event so we know how many vans to reserve.

5:45 p.m. departure from EPIC

​6:00 - 7:30 p.m. dinner and discussion

Coaches will drive vans for Arete athletes. There will be no Arete practice that evening. 

An opportunity to learn about high achievement, tendencies of those who are excellent in their respective arenas, and feedback from a content expert and best-selling author.

8:45 p.m. return to EPIC 

 

Upcoming Events: Dates & Details TBD

  • Monday, January 26th, 2026: 

    • Family Information Presentation: Nutrition Made Simple

      • Guest Speaker: Valor Elite Nutritionist
      • Location: SCHEELS, 2nd floor meeting room
      • Time: TBD
      • Practice this evening will likely be a unique combined practice day so athletes, family members, and coaches can attend.

  • January 2026

    • 10&Under Popcorn Variety Clinic- NEW TOPICS, DIFFERENT LEARNING PATTERNS

  • February 2026

    • AG&SR Clinic: (open to FAST and all Fort Collins high school swimmers)-

      • Championship Relay Exchanges & Race Quality Finishes

  • Late March 2026

    • Advanced Stroke Clinic: Freestyle with Guest Coach, Jess Thielmann

      • British National Team member, multi-time NCAA All American, and University of Florida former team record holder 

 

Administrative Reminders & News:

Be a Changemaker for FAST! 

Direct your support to one, or any combination, of our funds (Athlete Travel, Scholarships, Facilities&Equipment, Athletic Performance).

 

 

 

Policies and Procedures Update:

Yesterday evening, the Fort Collins Area Swim Team Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting. The meeting included the adoption of several new policies to direct community support, corporate Sponsorships, local business Partnership revenue, and charitable donations into specific and intentional funds. While necessary team expenses are covered by monthly dues and administrative fees, the ability to provide additional benefits to our FAST membership is reliant on our ability to fundraise and gather support from our community.

 

In the interest of living up to one of our core Objectives, “Organizational Success,” FAST leadership have ensured that all community support will now be maximized to the fullest extent. Now, donations and corporate sponsorship packages will be directed in an intentional manner to divert money back to the athletes and the team according to a four-year, structured financial plan.

 

Donors can select between one and four funds to see their gifts directed to areas of the team that are important to them. 

 

Passionate about sharing the sport of swimming with families who require financial assistance?

 We now have a Scholarship fund dedicated to providing additional assistance to cover monthly dues.

 

Passionate about seeing our national level groups achieve unprecedented success? 

The Athletic Performance Fund will ensure we can provide cutting edge tools and exciting experiences to facilitate their development. The road to future success will be paved by those willing to invest in our future now!

 

Do you wish others on the team could attend Team Travel meets, but know they choose to not attend because of the cost? 

We will now have an Athlete Team Travel Fund to reimburse families according to need. Details on the application process and fund availability will be provided in coming weeks. 

 

Passionate about water safety and continuing to provide swimming for the community into the next generation? Does the prospect of a swimming academy owned and operated by FAST ignite a fire in you? Do you have another major Capital Project that will enhance the entire program?

We now have a Facilities & Equipment Fund that can hold those dreams…and charitable donations from those who believe in the vision!