Wells Branch Armada

🌟 Armada Newsletter – Week 2 is Here! 🌟

Our latest newsletter is out! This issue includes:

• Important info for our first official meet vs. the Pflugerville Piranhas 🐟
• Practice focus updates from Coach Maddie 🏊
• Volunteer reminders and parking details 🚗
• This week’s Superhero spirit theme 🦸
• A recap of the Red, White & Blue Meet 🏅

Check it out and stay in the loop!

💐 Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing Armada moms! Thank you for the love, snacks, sunscreen, pep talks, and early morning swim meet hustle. We appreciate you today and every day!

Go Armada! 💙💛

by Genevieve Bales, President

Thank you to everyone who participated in Saturday’s Red, White, and Blue meet! It was wonderful to see our swimmers dive into their first competition of the season. Most of all, heartfelt thanks to our incredible volunteers—we couldn’t do this without you! A special shoutout goes to those who covered both shifts. Your extra effort is truly appreciated!

🧢 Lost & Found

Please check the Armada lost and found bin for any items left behind at practices or the meet.

🎖️ Check Your Family Boxes for Ribbons

If your swimmer earned any meet ribbons, they’ve been placed in your family file box under your registered last name. Ribbons are typically ready by the Monday following a meet. Please remind swimmers to dry their hands before reaching into the files, and to leave the folders in the boxes.

by Maddie Wright, Head Coach

Congratulations and a big thank you to all the swimmers and parents who made it out to our Red, White, and Blue practice meet. The energy and excitement at the pool was fantastic, and an amazing kick-off to our season. I know several of you were balancing more than one activity that day, and I appreciate everyone waking up early and making time for this meet. I also want to thank our older swimmers, most who are junior coaches, for helping our 6U and 7&8s as they practiced in their first meet. Their presence on deck and in the water provided an extra comfort and confidence boost to the younger swimmers.

As the coaches watched and took notes, we noticed some skills that we’ll need to focus on this week. Here are a few things we will be giving priority to as we prepare for our May 17th meet against Pflugerville:

• Butterfly technique
• Breaststroke technique
• Proper finishes on the wall
• Flip turns and open turns
• Backstroke starts

As you sign up for the next meet, we encourage swimmers to branch out and try new events. By the end of the season, we hope every swimmer has given each stroke a shot. Remember: racing is part of learning, and coaches are here to support every swimmer’s journey.

🏊 Challenge Events!

• 7/8s: Consider trying the long freestyle event.
• 9/10s and up: Try the 100 IM—25 yards of each stroke (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle).
  Don’t be afraid to stretch your limits!

🦸Spirit Theme: Superhero!

Suit up, superheroes! Our second meet theme is Superhero—whether you’re channeling a classic comic book icon or creating your own swim-powered alter ego, we want to see your capes, masks, and super style. Show off your team spirit and unleash your inner hero on deck!

by Juli Thatcher, Volunteer Coordinator

Thank you to everyone who stepped up last weekend! Your commitment and flexibility were crucial to the success of our first meet. We truly appreciate your “all hands on deck” attitude.

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s meet, we still have a few open volunteer spots. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do so soon—we need every role filled to run a smooth event!

🗓️ Heads Up

Volunteer signups for the third meet will go live Tuesday at 12:00 pm (Noon). Be ready to claim your preferred spot early.

We understand that life happens. If you experience an emergency or illness and can’t fulfill your role, please notify me ASAP so we can adjust the heat sheets and cover your spot.

Once again, thank you for your dedication and for making such a positive impact. We couldn’t do this without your strokes of kindness!

Our first official meet of the season is this Saturday against the Pflugerville Piranhas. Swimmers may enter up to three (3) individual events.

📍 Key Info:

• Location: Willow Bend Pool
• Arrival Time: 6:00 AM
  • Please be ON TIME and check in as soon as you arrive
• Warm-Ups (WBA): 6:20–6:40 AM
• Warm-Ups (Piranhas): 6:40–7:00 AM
• Meet Start: 7:30 AM
• Snackbar (Fruit) Donations: Requested from swimmers ages 11/12. See info below. Also, a Snackbar Sign-up form/share doc will be sent out soon.

Late arrivals will be scratched from relays—please be on time.
If you need to scratch your swimmer after the meet has closed, please email us!

🧰 Meet Set-Up

• Friday, May 16 at 7:00 PM
• Saturday, May 17 at 5:30 AM
  More details are available on the team website.

🚗 Parking Reminder

Home meet parking adjacent to the pool is reserved for the visiting team. Armada families should park:

• Along Sauls and Crissom
• Near Wells Branch Elementary
• On Long Vista Dr.

🚫 Do NOT park along Bratton or in nearby business lots—violators risk being towed.

Overflow parking is available at the Rec Center on Shoreline Dr., but be prepared for a longer walk. Drop-offs are encouraged.

🍎 Concessions Donations:

At each home meet, specific age groups are asked to donate (typically fresh fruit) to help stock the snackbar, which is used as a free, healthy option for all swimmers. For this meet, swimmers ages 11/12 are asked to contribute.

The most helpful donation? Individual bags of cut fruit—they’re in high demand and can’t be prepped in advance by our volunteers.

Volunteer at Austin FC Games – Earn Credit Toward Your Family Sponsorship Looking for a fun and flexible way to meet your WBA sponsorship requirement? Volunteer at an Austin FC home game! A great way to raise your family $100 fundraising requirement. Each game adds funds to your families swimmer(s) funds raised for drawing, and $50 credits can be shared to other families. Interested in Austin FC Volunteering? Stop by our table at the Red, White & Blue Meet! We’ll be there to share details, answer questions, and help you get started with this fun and rewarding opportunity.

• $50 minimum credit per shift toward your family’s sponsorship fee
• Credit can be earned by you, a family member, or a friend (age 18+)

Volunteer Perks

• Free WBA volunteer shirt and hat (please reuse them for future shifts)
• Free lunch provided at check-in (typically a sandwich)
• Free parking and shuttle service to and from Q2 Stadium
• Enjoy the electric atmosphere of an Austin FC game while giving back to the team!

This is a fantastic way to fulfill your volunteer requirement while having a great time at one of Austin’s most exciting venues. Spots fill quickly, so don’t wait to sign up!

WBA Volunteers Needed for Following games (Must be 18+ years old).

Please email [email protected] if you can participate or have any questions. Your training certificates must be uploaded 10 days before any game day for Levy to confirm your eligibility.

Austin FC 2025 Home Schedule:

Must sign up and have training completed 10-days before the game. Learn more here: https://wellsbranch.swimtopia.com/Austin-FC-Volunteer

Congratulations to all swimmers who earned top finishes at our RWB meet on May 10, 2025!

Way to go, Armada relay teams! These swimmers helped lead their teams to first-place finishes in the Freestyle Relay: