BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE AND SUCCESSFUL EVENT... ... to all of athletes taking on the open water or otherwise competing this extended weekend! It doesn't feel like it yet, but summer is here and we have 22 athletes taking on open water swim events in two sponsor races! We also have another weekend to fire up our IRONMAN trackers as an athlete heads across the northern border! And if that isn't enough, we have athletes in a Saturday Jersey Shore triathlon and the 2nd edition of the Ice Cream 5K next Tuesday! We also kick off our summer Saturday morning Spring Valley YMCA OUTDOOR lap pool swims this weekend, so join in for that taking place 7:30am-9:30am! Before we get to our start list, here are a few notes and our weekend workout schedule... • Get your 2023 Member T-shirt! We are now distributing the exclusive 2023 SVY MS Gators 2023 member t-shirts! To get yours, just be somewhere that I am and you can claim one. Here are your next few opportunities... Saturday 6/23 before the outdoor lap pool swim, at the Monday 6/26 and Wednesday 6/28 swim workouts, and at the Thursday 6/29 bike ride or post-ride "IRONMAN Happy Valley Sendoff" club social (location TBD). • Mark your calendars: Sunday, July 16, late afternoon/early evening - Prime Rib Party: The guest list is filling fast, but there are at least 4 open spots (possibly more)! If you are on the invite list, would like to join us, and have NOT yet indicated your intention to do so, please post a comment here... https://www.facebook.com/groups/msgators/posts/2273136662871093 To get an invite to the party, all that you need to do is achieve AND log at least one Surf & Turf club badge. So how do you do that?... • Gators Surf & Turf Club Badge logging: Log your accomplishment any time you earn a new badge (or baked potato topping). To date we have 124 badges and toppings claimed! Here's the post where you can check off your accomplishments... https://www.facebook.com/.../msgators/posts/2243028729215220 Weekend Workouts: We have four workout options (and three opportunities to earn a badge!) over the weekend... • NEW!: Saturday 6/24, 7:30am-9:30am, Spring Valley YMCA OUTDOOR pool: Uncoached group swim with the SVY Masters Swim Team. There will be at least one lane available for the club to use; if there are more than 2 swimmers we will circle swim. • Saturday 6/24, 8:30am, Keystone Running Store, 200 E. High St, Pottstown: Group run (earn the Shrimp Cocktail badge!)... https://www.facebook.com/groups/479291044416772 • SPECIAL! Sunday 6/25, 8:00am, Steel City Coffeehouse & Brewery (203 Bridge St, Phoenixville): Blobfest 5K and 10K Course Preview Run (earn the Shrimp Cocktail badge)! See event for details... https://www.facebook.com/events/220237643702576 • Sunday 6/25, 11:15am-12:15pm, Spring Valley YMCA indoor pool (earn the Filet Mignon badge!): Uncoached group swim Weekend Events: So, who's doing what? As always, if your name is missing from our best wishes list, PLEEEASE post a comment so that we can send Good Gator Vibes your way! Saturday, June 24: • Islandman/IslandKids Triathlon (Avalon, NJ): We have two Gators participating in this sprint distance event including Whitney Chadwick-Lessar and Susan Flavin. Go Whitney and Susan! Sunday, June 25: • SPONSOR EVENT: Steelman Racing's "Nockamixon Swim Challenge" (Quakertown, PA): This will be our largest showing of Gators ever for a Steelman OWS event! We have 15 registered to swim and at least 2 volunteering, which is enough to earn us a private club port-a-potty! The event includes 1mi, 2mi, and 3mi individual events as well as a 3mi relay and we have Gators in all four including... 3mi: Ginny Angus and Hannah Ludescher , 2mi: Dre Barber, Holly Beauchamp, Sara Dansbury, Sean Lodge, and Tim Truckley, 1mi: Teresa Byrne, Whitney Chadwick-Lessar, Gleb Epelbaum, Susan Flavin, Christa Kachline, and Justin Theodore! And THANK YOU to our volunteers Kristie Bruno and Joe DeNicola!! Go Gators! • IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant (Mont-Tremblant, Quebec): Get your IRONMAN trackers fired up as we have our second Canadian participant in consecutive weekends! Shawn O'Malley is back at it with another half IRONMAN distance event. Go Shawn! Tuesday, June 27: • CLUB/SPONSOR EVENT: French Creek Racing's Open Water Swim Race #3 (Norristown, PA): At last count we have 7 Gators om the start list for the 3rd of this 6 event series! Competing at the one mile distance is Hannah Ludescher and at the half mile distance are Chris Acosta, Kristie Bruno, Carla DelFico, Jennifer Gehret, Sheri Kuss, and David Stone! Go Gators! • SPONSOR EVENT: RUNegades' "Tuesdays in the Park Ice Cream 5K and Kids Fun 1mi Run #2" (Pottstown, PA): Sarah Barkley is participating in the full four event series! Go Sarah! Have fun, Gator Done, then drink a beer! 💚BK🍺