Shark Attack US!

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Special Edition
You are invited on June 30, 2012 12 noon - 5:00 p.m. to our Annual VJO Alumni Reunion, 2nd Annual

JOIN US!
We are hosting a Swim-A-Thon fundraiser.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The money we raise will support crucial programs for our swim team in the coming season! In addition to raising funds for my team, 5% of the money I raise will go back to the USA Swimming Foundation. The Foundation works to strengthen the sport of swimming by saving lives and building championsin the pool and in life.

Fundraising goal is $25,000

Challenge,

The clock has started. We are excited for this year's BIG team fundraiser and hope toVisit ourawebsite today, or calltotoourusteam. As raise $25,000 for join as we work The build stronger will support crucialkids across the to money we raise teamand give programs for our swim team in the coming season! country the same great experience inwe charge a non-profit organization, the monthly dues that the pool! addition to raising my team, 5% of the our families are only part ofInthe Imoney funds forthe USA to cover all required Swimming money raise will go back to Date: Foundation. The Foundation works to strengthen of the operational costs ourthe sport of has each year.and building team swimming by saving lives
championsin the pool and in life. Time:

We are hosting a Swim-A-Thon fundraiser.

Enter your Barbecue specialty and win a prize and bragging rights for the best in each category: pulled pork, ribs, kebabs & chicken. Sign-up
sheets are located in the Shark tank.

and Potluck

So each year we run Visit ourawebsite today, or calltoto joinkidsapproved a USA Swimming us as we work Details: to build stronger teamand give across the country the same great experience in the all fundraising event called Swim-A-Thon that bringspool! of our kids together for a two hour swimming event where they Date: swim as many laps as possible.
Time:

This family fun event and our athletes fundraising Details: participation will help raise money from friends and family that is it critical to our team. Continue checking your email swimathon.org and folder at the pool for updated information. A VJO potluck will be held after the Swim-a-thon, more details to come.

What needs to be done now:

Continue collecting pledges. Set-up & monitor your individual Swim-a-thon page on our website www.vallejoaquatics.org or send in your pledge sheet. send out letters for donations, example letter on our website. Parents, please donate or solicit prizes for our swimmers, place in the bin labeled Swim-a-thon in the Shark Tank. Thank You for your support!
Thank You again to ALL our volunteers who helped at our last home meet in May, we could not have done it without YOU! Please mark your calendars now for our home meet November 2 - 4, 2012 we will need EVERYONE to come out and help at this meet! We want to announce some parents who have answered our call for volunteering: Dora Tang - will be our Treasurer for the coming season Fundraising - Claudia Quintana and Tina Benberg Events Coordinator - Marylou Miguel Thank You Swim-a-thon Committee!! We are still looking for a Secretary to join the VJO Board this coming season. Also, someone to head Hospitality during our home meets. Please consider joining us.

swimathon.org

Potluck Assignments: Tuffys Group and Seniors - main dish Hillarys Group - dessert Age Group - salad or side dish Alumni - your choice of dish

Volunteers - The Heart of our Organization Volunteers make it possible

Your role as a volunteer is important to our team. You can be actively involved in your child's swim team and can also be instrumental in strengthening swimming in Vallejo. With a positive attitude and a willingness to lend a hand, you will also have a great impact on your child's athletic environment, and love of swimming. There are unlimited opportunities to get involved to help in almost any capacity. The rewards are meeting new people, making new friends and having that great feeling that you have helped one of the organizations in which volunteers are the most important people. Give volunteering a try. Any contribution you can make will be appreciated. Ask the coaches or a board member what you can do. Look in the next newsletter for more information on how you can help.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Graduates

Mary Falcon

My goals for the future include becoming either a physician or working in the health care field to help others. I will be attending UC Berkeley this fall (Go Bears!) and I plan on majoring in Public Health. The accomplishments I have had during high school include being National Honor Society president for my school in my senior year, being a Link Crew Leader and member of Book Club, Interact Club, Key Club, Robotics Club, and Art Club. I was awarded 2nd place for a drawing contest for the 2011 City of Vallejo's Water Conservation Drawing Contest also. Regarding swimming, I was able to take 1st place in the Varsity girls' 50 freestyle in my junior and senior years. I have been fortunate to receive scholarships from the Vallejo Rotary Club, the Col. Nestor and Dr. Rozzana Verder Aliga Scholarship, and the Newcomb-Oneto Scholarship.

My most memorable moment with VJO would have to be the breakfasts with the team and also the annual pool parties because I was able to see how much of a family VJO is and has become to me. Some life lessons I have acquired from being with VJO include the ambition of setting goals and practicing and working towards achieving these goals, as well as finding the time to balance different aspects of my life. Swimming and VJO have been a huge part of my life during my high school years. I remember starting out just knowing freestyle when I first joined then learning every stroke and being able to compete in JO's and just having VJO as a big part of my life is something I will definitely miss. Swimming with VJO has transformed me from being a shy person to a more outgoing, confident person and helped me to learn the true meaning of sportsmanship. My advice for the baby sharks are to swim fast, give your best in practice and it will show in your performances at the meets, and also do well in school and NEVER GIVE UP! :)

The moments I remember most about VJO have been the morning practices we had with 80's music as well as all of the swim meets we've been in together. Next year, I will be going to DVC and swimming on the swim team there. As far as my major, I'm still not really sure... This team and swimming in general, have taught me important life lessons such as diligence, hard work, and sacrifice to name a few. Whether it was just telling my friends I had practice and couldn't hang out or giving up a few hours of sleep to get to morning practice, it has been important for me to stay focused on what I want to achieve. Even if I don't attain what I was shooting for, I've learned to continue to strive to get as close as I can to my goal. Swimming has been a great activity for me to get involved in. Originally, I was strongly opposed to swimming and could not imagine getting caught in a speedo. Now, I'm so glad I was able/forced to start swimming competitively, which has introduced me to a lot of great people I would have never met otherwise. My advice for younger swimmers is to just keep at it. It seems hard now but the longer you do it the better you become and this is something which sets you apart from most of the other people out there. One of the accomplishments I had this year was swimming the 1500. Usually for me, the farther the distance, the worse the race. However, I am glad that I at least tried it and have now raced something further than a 200. Another accomplishment I had this year that I feel was significant was just getting to know my teammates better. The friends I've made here at VJO, I learned, are easiest for me to relate to and have made swimming just that much more fun and not just another extracurricular activity or form of exercise.

Likiren Lee Arechy

My goals for the future are to graduate college with honors and to keep swimming throughout my life. The college that I am going to attend this fall is DVC, GO VIKINGS! But then after two year I want to transfer out and go to NYU. My intended major is Psychology with a minor in either Criminal Justice or Criminology. There are too many memories that have been made, but the two that stand out would be my first JO cut in the 200 Breast and the other would be when I was chosen as the 2011/2012 VJO Team Captain. To all the younger swimmers, I say always try your best, stay in school, listen to your coaches and never give up. I mean if you put in the work, one day you could be in the same position I am in. Some of my accomplishments from my senior year were: - VJO Team Captain - Vallejo High School Team Captain - 2012 Sac-Joaquin Section Qualifier (3rd year) - GRADUATING! The Awards I got my Senior Year were - Vallejo High School Swimming MVP - Vallejo High School Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award - Latino/Hispanic Achievement Award for - Perseverance & Determination - Athletic Achievement - Heart &Soul - Principal's Award for Athletic Achievement

Jose Martin

I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known. ~Author Unknown

Graduates

Evan Fluffy Augst

Ive been swimming with VJO for almost 12 years. I cant really imagine life with out this team. Lucky for me Im going to swim one more year with VJO while I attend classes at Diablo Valley Collage. After next year I will be swimming and studying full time at DVC, until I get all my GE requirements done then transfer, hopefully, to NYU to study film. My best advice to anyone who is just starting with the team is just keep swimming. It took me almost eight years to get my first Junior Olympics qualifying time. This year I qualified for Far Westerns, was chosen for the Western Zones team and made a PRT time. It might take a little while but if you come to practice, and think about your coachs advice and critiques all the time (not just when they remind you about them) pretty soon youll be the one every body is trying to keep up with.

Milton Lau
This Fall I will be attending The University of Washington in Seattle and will major in Biomedical Engineering or Materials Science Engineering. My future goal is to go to graduate school for either engineering or medicine. My swimming accomplishments I have had during my senior year are: NACC team member and finalist, JO finalist, FW finalist, High School Sections Consolation Finalist, Sectional Qualifier. I have received the National Merit Scholarship Letter of Commendation, AP Scholar and High School Swimming AllLeague award. My most memorable moment with VJO was when I went to my first meet. I told Coach Tuffy and Coach Aaron Jon that I wanted to get an A time in my 100 Breaststroke. They told me to go for a JO time instead, and I laughed, thinking that they were joking. Now Im preparing to go to Sectionals with my friends. Swimming (VJO) is an integral part of my life and a great privilege. Ive made many close friends and it has helped me with goal setting. Being on VJO has made me a more open and sociable person and Im a more healthy person overall. Dedication and persistence are the lessons I have learned from being on the team. My advice for the younger swimmers is: Dont think that a goal is impossible; you may have to work harder than you expect to reach it, but with work, anything can happen.

My goals for the future are to graduate from college with a degree in biology or zoology, and then go to veterinarian school. I will be attending the University of Hawaii at Monoa. I also plan on joining the Peace Corps. The most memorable moments while I was on VJO was definitely all the potlucks we had. Its because everyone brought so much food, when I was little every person could get 3 plates (if they got a little of everything) and there would STILL be leftovers for everyone. The other memorable moment I can think of vividly was when Taylor, Zoe, Danika, Kaitlyn, and I tried to pull a prank on Coach Chris at Far Westerns and failed terribly. The life lessons VJO has taught me is to be dedicated in what I do, practice good time management skills, and respect one another and myself. Swimming has helped me become the person I am today by teaching me the life lessons I listed earlier and many others that I want to continue using throughout my life. Those lessons have helped me express my values and myself. My accomplishments during my senior year are: MVP for water polo, 1st team all league for water polo, and being part of the group that won most athletic in my school yearbook. Awards and Scholarships Ive received are: National Honors Society member and a $1000 scholarship from FAFSA. My advice to the younger swimmers is if you want to play any sport in college start looking early and definitely start emailing coaches when you are a sophomore in high school.

Patricia Welton

Congratulations to all our Graduates on all you have accomplished, we are so proud of you. We wish you the best in the next chapter of your life, you have a bright future ahead of you!

waters of The Raccoon Strait on

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Founded in 1999, by Robert C. Placak, a Marin County native and Tiburon resident, the RCP Tiburon Mile has quickly become known as the most competitive and prestigious open water swim event in the world. Hundreds of swimmers will once again converge upon the Town of Tiburon, California and battle the

This premier international open water swim will include many Olympic and world Champions including the top three finishers from last year in both male and female divisions, as well as swimmers from Russia, Australia, and Germany and Hawaii. For more info.: www.rcptiburonmile.com

Join VJO for the annual...

Please come join us and help celebrate Independence Day and showcase our team spirit at The 159th Vallejo 4th of July Parade. Parents and family members are asked to join us in the walk too. Wear your turquoise shark shirt, if you do not have one or need another one, please see Diane Powell or Pam Henderson on deck to buy your t-shirt(s). Parade Route: The parade starts on Tennessee St. at Broadway at 10:00 a.m. and travels west to Sonoma Blvd., then south along Sonoma Blvd. to Georgia St., then west again to end at Georgia St. and Santa Clara St. Meeting place and time and other details will come as we receive info from the parade committee. Continue to check your le and email.

Vallejo 4th of July Parade

R.E.A.L. Championships (Redwood Empire Aquatic League) Santa Rosa, August 3-5, 2012
Our last team meet for the season. Reserve your room before 7/7/2012 individually guaranteed by credit card. Days Inn
3345 Santa Rosa Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 95407 reservations (707) 568-1011 let them know you are with Vallejo Aquatic Club. 20 two bed non-smoking rooms for the nights of 8/3 and 8/4/12 have been blocked for us. Questions please contact: Tuffy (707) 567-7161 cell or (707) 642-3008 home

is is a trials and nals meet which means we swim the meet in the morning, take a lunch break, come back and re-swim the entire morning events (with relays) & with the top 16 nalist in each event swimming again in Finals. 8 & under will not swim nals, their events are timed nals and will be done by the end of trials.

The Theme this year is the Olympics