Today was an amazing swim by our Poplar Run Penguins! Congratulations to all our Penguins & their amazing families! We made it to Divisionals Week as an Undefeated 5-0 Swim Team! This week is very important as we prepare for our Little Blues Lollipop Meet, the Divisional Championship Meet and End of Season Banquet!

Please read this email in its entirety as we have SO MUCH important information and details regarding the End of the Season shared below:

PENGUIN PRACTICES THIS FINAL WEEK OF THE SWIM TEAM SEASON:

This will be the last week of Morning & Afternoon Practices!

• Morning Practices ~ Monday through Thursday = 7-8am for all Emperor, Macaroni, and Rockhopper Penguins
• Afternoon Practices ~ Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday = As scheduled
• Wednesday afternoon ~ Little Blues Lollipop Meet (See details below)
• Little Blues ~ Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday = As scheduled
• FRIDAY is the LAST FUN PRACTICE & PEP RALLY OF THE SEASON!

Please keep an eye on emails & Swimtopia Alerts as we are anticipating that afternoon practice may be canceled due to afternoon storms. We are encouraging all our Penguins to attend morning practice Monday through Thursday if they are able to attend in the anticipation that afternoon practice may be canceled.

Next week - Monday July 20th through Thursday, July 23rd, we will have AFTERNOON PRACTICE ONLY from 5:30-6:30pm for our All Star Swimmers. Please check your emails if you have one of our All Star Penguins - Email will be sent later today.

Here are the details for our Divisional Championship Meet, SATURDAY JULY 18th:

• Divisionals will be held at home, at our Poplar Run Lap Pool!!!
• The theme for Divisionals is Penguins! Come showing off your team pride with your Penguins!
• Parents and swimmers should arrive no later than 6:30am.

• Make sure you bring canopies for shade and chairs! Lots of bug spray and sunscreen are also encouraged. Don’t forget WATER!!!
• Please sign up to fill key volunteer positions as soon as possible via our Swimtopia Jobs Link. WE NEED PARENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:
  • Meet Clerk of Course (Need 1) - Help Tobii and Lori wrangle our swimmers so that they don’t miss their events.
  • Deck Marshal (Need 1) - Help us keep everyone clear of the timing & clerk of course areas.
  • Parking Attendants (Need 2) - Starts at 6:30am until start of meet at 8am, make sure that only the people with parking passes park in the front section of the clubhouse parking lot.
  • Concessions (Need 4 or more) - Help with the running of the concessions at the meet. Can break up the shifts.
  • Meet Set-Up & Clean-Up (As many as we can get) - We will get there at 6am to start set-up of the pool deck. The more people that can come and help the better.
  • Timer (Need 2 MORE) - We need to provide 3x timers for the meet and only have 1x currently signed up.

Some FAQ about Divisionals:

• What is the Divisional Championship Meet?
  • The Divisional Championship Meet is the culminating swim meet of our swim season. Each team in the division swims together for this meet.
  • The top two swimmers per team per event will compete during this meet. This means that we get two entries per event - so we are swimming our fastest swimmers per event to give us the best chance of winning the races and overall meet.
• Who can swim Divisionals?
  • Any penguin who has swam in a Dual A Meet (Saturday Meets). Coaches are reviewing penguin swim times to strategically select the fastest swimmers per event.
  • Penguins can swim up to 5 events during Divisionals. This can be a combination of relays and individual strokes.
• Can we still attend if not swimming?
  • OF COURSE! We hope to see all our penguins and families at Divisionals to show Division N what the Penguins are all about - TEAM SPIRIT!!!

Details regarding our End of Season Awards Ceremony & Team Banquet - NEXT SATURDAY, JULY 18th:

• The Awards Ceremony will begin promptly at 5pm so please plan to arrive NO LATER THAN 4:45pm at the Clubhouse Upstairs Room.

• Dinner will be served following the Awards Ceremony for those of you who have purchased tickets. Families will get their dinner tickets at check-in for the Awards Ceremony. Tickets sales will continue until WEDNESDAY 7/15 - SO GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
• Families and penguins can come dressed as comfortable as they wish - you can dress up or just dress in everyday attire - it is completely up to you!
• Make sure to bring your swimsuits and swimming gear as you are able to have fun in the pool following the Awards Ceremony & dinner.

This coming Wednesday is our fun 8 & under Penguin Lollipop Meet. Warm-Ups are at 5:30pm with the Meet starting at 6pm.

For our 2nd Annual Penguin Lollipop Meet, all our 8 & under Penguins will have a chance to swim. Our Little Blues will have a chance to swim a 25 Meter Freestyle, 25 Meter Kickboard Race as well as participate in a 2x25M Kickboard Relay. All our 8&U Rockhopper Penguins will get a chance to swim 25 Meters of freestyle and backstroke, as long as they are willing. Our 9 and older Penguins will be assisting with the Lollipop Meet as timers, runners, and assist Little Blues during their races.

• PARENTS - Please confirm your Penguins attendance for the Lollipop Meet via Swimtopia AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BEFORE MONDAY EVENING!
• ALL Penguins are to be at the Poplar Run Lap Pool, ready to swim no later than 5pm on Wednesday.
• Don’t forget to bring sunscreen, water, swim cap, goggles, and a towel.

Dates to Remember:

• Wednesday, July 15th = Lollipop Little Blues Meet
  • This Meet is focused on our Little Blue Penguins to try swimming in the lap pool, have kickboard races, and have fun!
  • Older swimmers will serve as timers and assist with our Little Blues so we hope everyone will plan to attend!
• Thursday, July 16th = Last Morning Practice of the Season!
  • This is the last morning 7-8am & regular afternoon practice of the season!
• Friday, July 17th = Last Fun Practice & Pep Rally
  • This will be our Last Friday Fun Practice 5-6pm & Division Championship Pep Rally
• Saturday, July 18th = Division N Championships @our very own pool & End of Season Banquet
  • Early meet - Swimmers & Parents need to be at pool by 6:30am
  • Make sure to RSVP & Volunteer NOW! We need names of both swimmers available & volunteers ASAP!!!
  • Banquet - Awards start at 5pm followed by dinner - bring your suits to play in the pool after the banquet!

• Monday, July 20th through Thursday, July 23rd = All Star Swimmers Only - Afternoon Practice
  • We will hold AFTERNOON PRACTICE ONLY from 5:30-6:30pm for our All Star Relay Swimmers.
• Saturday, July 25th = All Star Relays
  • If your Penguin swam with one of our winning relays, check your email with additional details regarding ALL STAR RELAYS, held in Rockville Saturday morning.
• Sunday, July 26th = All Star Individuals
  • We will be talking to those parents of our All Star Penguins following Division Championships!

As always, if you have any questions and/or need any additional information, please email your friendly Team Reps - Tobii & Lori at [email protected] or find one of us on the pool deck.

Link to the Penguin Post for Week 7 ~ Penguin Post 2026_Week7

Link to Poplar Run Penguins Swimtopia Site for Calendar, RSVP, and Team Information ~ https://poplar-run-penguins.swimtopia.com/