Wells Branch Armada

What an exciting week for the Wells Branch Armada! Our swimmers showed incredible grit, teamwork, and sportsmanship at our first Tri-Meet of the season, and this issue is packed with highlights from an unforgettable weekend in the pool.

🚨 TWO BIG REMINDERS FOR ARMADA FAMILIES 🚨
🇺🇸 There will be NO practices on Monday, May 25 due to Memorial Day.
🌅 Morning practices begin THIS TUESDAY, May 26! Please double-check your swimmer’s updated practice schedule and arrive on time as we transition into our summer morning routine.

Inside this newsletter, you’ll find details for our upcoming HOME meet against the Pflugerville Piranhas, volunteer updates, Swim-a-Thon fundraising news, and a huge celebration of our swimmers’ accomplishments, including relay champions, Fast Fishies, Triple Drop Club members, record breakers, and new NWSC Invitational qualifiers!

This week’s spirit theme is Wild West, so grab your cowboy hats, boots, bandanas, and team spirit as we get ready for another fun Saturday at Willow Bend Pool. Yeehaw, Armada! 🤠⭐🌵

by Patrick Ricci, President

As we transition to morning practices beginning Tuesday, I wanted to share a few quick reminders for our swimmers and parents. This is always an exciting point in the season, and we appreciate everyone’s flexibility, communication, and teamwork as schedules shift. Thank you for all you do to help make our team a positive and supportive place for every swimmer.

• Please communicate with the coaches if your swimmer is temporarily unable to make the three practices per week called for in our team handbook. We understand that some schools will still be in session as morning practices begin, and some families may have other short-term conflicts. If this applies to your swimmer, a quick word with (or note to) the coaching staff is greatly appreciated and helps us support your family as best we can.
• Please continue the excellent behavior and sportsmanship. Our swimmers have conducted themselves very well at practice so far this season. Keep it up! And let's extend that behavior to how we show up at meets. Encourage your swimmers to model good sportsmanship at swim meets by supporting one another, congratulating other swimmers (yes, even our competitors), and representing our team with pride and positivity.
• Please help us take care of the facilities at Willow Bend Pool. Some negative incidents have included a large amount of mud being tracked into a restroom after the recent rains and a restroom stall door being broken off its hinges at this weekend's meet. We're fortunate to enjoy use of the pool—with greater access and flexibility than most of the other teams in the circuit—so let's all pitch in to help keep it clean and in good condition. If you notice a restroom issue, please let a lifeguard or coach know right away.

by Coach Maddie

We did it, we made it through our first Tri-Meet! As coaches, we know it was an early morning and a long day, and we want to thank all the parents who showed up and helped make Saturday such a success.

To our swimmers: we loved seeing all of your excited faces and proud smiles as you stepped up to the blocks. We saw so much resilience, sportsmanship, and team spirit throughout the meet, and we can’t wait to see you keep it up through the rest of the season!

As we switch to morning practices, there are a few skills we will be focusing on:

• Breaststroke and butterfly technique
• Turns
• Distance and endurance
• Freestyle technique

On the note of morning practices, we realize some schools are still in session. Swimmers who miss practice this week due to school obligations are still eligible to compete in this weekend’s meet.

We would also like to remind swimmers to wear their swim caps at both practices and meets, especially those with long hair. If your swimmer struggles with putting on or wearing a cap, the coaches are more than happy to help!

by DJ Loberg, Meet Director

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

📍 Key Info:

• Registration deadline: Monday May 25th at 1:00 PM
• Location: Willow Bend Pool
• Arrival Time: 6:00 AM
  • Please be ON TIME and check in your swimmer as soon as you arrive
• Warm-Ups (WBA): 6:20-6:50 AM
• Warm-Ups (Visitors): 6:50–7:20 AM
• Meet Start: 7:30 AM
• Snack-bar (Fruit) Donations: Requested from swimmers ages 9/10's. See info below.
• Theme:  🐎 ⭐ Wild West 🌵

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 or Text us!

Meet Set-Up

• Friday, May 29 at 6:30 PM
• Saturday, May 30 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 Joe Lee Johnson 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 snack-bar, which is used as a free, healthy option for all swimmers. For this meet, swimmers ages 9/10's 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.

Pool Maps / Meet Layout / Tips & Tricks

📍 Pool Maps are available under the Resources tab on our website. They show:

• Swimmer drop-off location
• Kids' pit areas by age group
• Volunteer check-in table
• Ready benches and staging areas
• Concessions, Swim Shop, and more

🔗 Click HERE for a quick shortcut to maps and meet resources.

📋 You will also find:

• Tips for a smooth and successful swim meet
• A parent and swimmer checklist of everything to bring on meet day

If this is your first meet, take five minutes to look over the map, it will make Saturday morning much easier!

Saddle up, Armada! Our next meet theme is Wild West! Break out your cowboy hats, boots, bandanas, denim, and western gear as we bring rodeo spirit to the pool deck. Whether you come dressed as a cowboy, cowgirl, sheriff, outlaw, or ranch hand, we want to see your best Wild West style!

Let’s fill the meet with team spirit, big energy, and lots of fun. Yeehaw, Armada! 🌵🐎⭐

Remember that you can take photos and share them with us in our 2026 Armada photo album.

by Juli Thatcher, Volunteer Coordinator

Thank you to everyone who pitched in at our 2nd official meet! Your help made it a success.

We still have open slots for this Saturday’s meet, please sign up ASAP so we can ensure a smooth and timely event.

We need all volunteers to check in early morning even if you are assigned to the second shift, that help us run a smooth transition.

📋 Mark Your Calendars

Volunteer signups for our fourth meet go live on Tuesday at 12:00 PM (Noon). Set a reminder and grab your favorite job early!

If something urgent comes up (illness, emergency), please notify Juli Thatcher immediately so we can adjust accordingly.

by Katie Nafius, Sponsorships

Our Swim-a-Thon fundraising campaign is still running and we're about 20% to our goal! Only 9% of swimmers are registered, so everyone please sign up (it's free) and start sharing your link(s)! 

Shout out to Boys 7/8 and Girls 9/10 for both hitting 32% of their goal! And huge shout out to our top 10 fundraisers:

1. Emily N
2. Johnny N
3. Keller H
4. Avery V
5. Nina R
6. Ira R
7. Vera R
8. Saffire W
9. Amethyst W
10. Evangelos S 

Swim-a-Thon will be held NEXT WEEK June 2 from 6-8pm at the pool. This event will be the culmination of our fundraising efforts, and we'll see how many laps everyone can swim. More prizes, pizza, socializing and more! It's bound to be fun for everyone, so make sure to represent! 

If you're interested in helping to plan the event, please email Katie at [email protected]. 

What an incredible meet for the Wells Branch Armada! A huge shoutout to our swimmers who dominated the pool and brought home event wins this weekend! 🏊

These Wells Branch Armada relay teams absolutely crushed it at the meet with some incredible teamwork, fast swims, and BIG wins across the board!

Each week, we recognize the swimmers who made the biggest splash by improving their times the most in each age group and category. These Fast Fishies worked hard and it showed in the pool, great job!

For more information about these and other awards check Weekly Awards FAQ - Wells Branch Armada

* Previous fast fishi award, the swim cap award rolls down but the repeated award winner will get a special prize.

These swimmers crushed it at our last meet, improving their personal bests in three separate events, an impressive display of hard work, focus, and determination!

🎉 Please join us in congratulating this meet’s Triple Drop Swimmers:

We’re thrilled to celebrate some incredible swims that have etched their way into the Armada record books! Breaking a club record is no small feat, it takes dedication, grit, and serious speed. Please join us in congratulating the following swimmers who broke an Armada Swim Team record at our most recent meet:

🏆 Helgesen, Emilia - Girls 11-12 100yd Freestyle - 1:06.35 Old: 1:07.94

🏆 Booker-Thompson, D'Zion - Boys 11-12 100 Freestyle - 1:07.33 Old: 1:08.08

We are proud to announce the swimmers who have achieved the time standards required to qualify for the 2026 Northwest Swim Circuit (NWSC) Invitational! This prestigious end-of-season meet brings together the fastest swimmers across the league, and qualifying is a huge accomplishment.

These athletes have pushed themselves all season and earned their spot through determination, discipline, and speed. Please join us in congratulating our Armada qualifiers:

* The list includes only first-time event qualifiers. The invitational cap are awarded once per season per swimer.