It's almost February, OBST families... which means it's about to be short course championship season! We are 18 days away from our regional meet and 32 days away from the Winter Southeastern Championship! These next couple of weeks will be pretty crucial for our close-to and qualifying swimmers. 

I had previously sent February announcements coupled with our January newsletter, but wanted to provide a fresh reminder about all that we have coming up. 

If you have not done so already, please make sure to mark your athlete's attendance in SwimTopia for the Region 4 meet in Pensacola no later than February 2nd at noon! Entries will be submitted on February 6th, so please pay fees in full before that Friday. Your balance will be updated in your SportsmanWeb portal.

If your swimmer does not yet have their required equipment on order or in hand, please make every effort to do so!

Continue reading the below content for this month's happenings, reminders, and general information.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
2/12 Finn Emmons (10)
2/13 Joseph Campbell (15)
2/22 Chandler Emmons (8)
2/25 Kinsley Lee (9)
2/26 Molly Vogel (8)

IMPORTANT DATES

MON 2/2: RSVP FOR REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP
Please mark in SwimTopia your attendance for Reg. 4 Champs in Pensacola by this date no later than noon. The meet invitation with all relevant details is attached as well as listed on the competition calendar under the "Meet & Events" tab in SwimTopia.

FRI 2/6: ENTRY FEES FOR REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP DUE
You may now log onto SportmanWeb to pay your balance online! Once entries are sent out, your account will show a balance listed as "Swim Meet Fees" with the particular meet provided in the notes section. If you prefer to pay over the phone or in-person, either is acceptable. You are able to maintain a payment option on file as well.

FRI 2/13 - SUN 2/15: REGION 4 CHAMPIONSHIP @ GPAC (PENSACOLA)
This is the last chance to qualify for Southeasterns! I will send out the warm-up assignments and heat sheets when available closer to date. The meet invitation is attached as well as posted in the competition calendar. 

MON 2/16 - WED 2/18: MARDI GRAS BREAK - NO PRACTICES! (FACILITY CLOSED ON TUESDAY 2/17 ONLY)
If you are attending Southeasterns, we will have a training plan for that Monday and Wednesday -- stay tuned.

FRI 2/27 - SUN 3/1: 2026 SES WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS
This championship is for Southeastern Swimming time standard qualifiers only. 

LOOKING AHEAD...
4/1 Summer Registration Opens
4/13-4/17 Spring Break
4/25 Ready, Set, Bloom! @ Home

SWIM & TELL

ICYDK: We sell our Classic OBST orange t-shirt and a long sleeve version of our Got Grit? t-shirts onsight. If you would like to purchase any merchandise, including extra caps for athletes, these are available for purchase $12-$18 at the OBAC front desk. We sell both shortsleeve versions of our t-shirts online through Swim & Tri as well.

Be ready for our next meet and show your mako pride! :)

MAKO OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to February's Mako of the Month, Ayla Aultman!

Ayla has been incredible to watch improve over the past six months. During this short period of time, she has advanced from orange to junior group. Ayla continues to drop huge chunks of time as she refines her strokes allowing her to finish amongst competitive rankings in the 13-14 age group. We're so proud of Ayla's winning attitude and hunger for a healthy challenge!

Best,

Coach Dakota