Hi OBST families,

After a relatively calm March, things are about to pick up the pace a bit. There is a lot packed in here, so please bear with me.

A friendly reminder to mark your calendars and set your alarms: registration for ALL summer programming at the OBAC opens on April 1st at 8 a.m. sharp! (Pls, scroll down for more details).

We have our first home meet of the year on Saturday, April 25th! ALL ATHLETES ARE WELCOME! I would sincerely appreciate parents volunteering their time to help us make the meet a success. The job sign-up is open under the 2026 OBST Ready, Set, Bloom event in SwimTopia. Visiting teams include the Foley Tideriders and Gulf Shores Dolphins. I have also asked both teams to provide at least 2-4 of their own timers.

Thomas Lee will graciously run our timing system again and Jessica Paul will be one of our Stroke & Turn officials on 11/25. If any additional parents would like to take the opportunity to learn either operation, that would also be immensely appreciated.

As I have mentioned before, we really need parents to participate in meets if we are to eventually host our own USAS-sanctioned meets at our home facility. To put it into perspective, when we visit other teams, nearly everyone working on the deck is a certified parent or grandparent of a current athlete. As their family moves on, so do these officials.

If anyone is interested in becoming an official, please reach out to me. Our goal is to pay our USAS-certified officials for their time once we run sanctioned meets. This is similar to the City of Orange Beach's other youth sports protocols. For additional information on the process of becoming an official, visit HERE.

In the future, I hope to have this spring meet and our OBST Spooktacular in October be annual meets we host.

A few housekeeping requests... please remind your swimmer(s) that OBAC is a public facility and that we need to be aware of our surroundings. This includes cleaning up our belongings and after ourselves, changing appropriately in the designated shower rooms, speaking kindly to one another, etc. I reiterate this often because we want the public to hold our athletes and program in high regard. The facility will only get busier as summer arrives.

As always, thank you for being a warm community and family of athletes. Please continue to read, as our April calendar includes several important dates.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
4/5 Peony Lester (11)
4/20 Adeline Steiner (6)
4/23 Emma-Wyn Hang (14)
4/27 Waylon Armstrong (9)
4/28 Sara Todd (11)

IMPORTANT DATES

4/1 @ 8 AM Summer Registration Opens

As a resident and parent of a returning swimmer (Spring 2026), use your Sportsman Web (Orange Beach Activity Reg) account to register as you've done before. Any non-residential parents of returning swimmers will need to call the OBAC front desk (251-974-7934) or register onsite in order for staff to bypass the system.

4/3 GOOD FRIDAY - FACILITY CLOSED!

4/10 @ NOON Entries Due for Ready, Set, Bloom!
Please mark your athlete's commitment in SwimTopia no later than NOON on Friday, April 10th. The entry fee is $5/swimmer and may be paid online, via phone, or in person. I am asking to have entries completed and paid for ahead of Spring Break so that nothing falls through the cracks.

4/13-4/17 SPRING BREAK - NO PRACTICES HELD!

4/15 @ NOON Entries Due for Flip Flop Invitational
Please mark your athlete's commitment in SwimTopia no later than NOON on Wednesday, April 15th. You will receive a separate e-mail with your swimmer's entries and the amount due once attendance is confirmed. Fees may be paid online, via phone, or in person. If you plan to pay by check, please address it to The City of Orange Beach. All other details relating to the swim meet will be distributed closer to the competition date.

4/20-4/24 American Red Cross Lifguard Training @ OBAC
Just a heads up during this week from 3:30-8:00 p.m., the facility will be in use for a lifeguard certification class. We ask for swimmers and families to have patience during this time as lane shifts might arise and locker room space may be a bit more crowded than normal.

4/25 Ready, Set, Bloom! @ Home
The pool will open for warm-ups beginning at 8 a.m. OBST will most likely have the last warm-up slot from 8:40-9:00 a.m. The meet will begin at 9:10 a.m. Please bring your best team spirit and sportsmanship!

4/26 Coach Dakota attends MCAL Meeting
As you know, we are looking to join the Mobile County Aquatics League since the Gulf Coast Area Aquatics League dismantled after last summer. Whether OBST joins remains to be determined. I recently had a call with the MCAL board and will have more details regarding non-USAS recreational league competition for the summer season after this scheduled meeting. This is a great opportunity for our swimmers to expand their horizons in local competition. If we do not join their league, we will add more USAS meets to our summer calendar.

LOOKING AHEAD...
5/2-5/3 GPAC Flip Flop Invitational
6/5-6/7 GPAC Tom Lalor
7/11-7/12 CMSA Summer Invitational
7/15 Fall Registration Opens
7/31 OBST Awards Banquet

SWIM & TELL

MAKO OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to April's Mako of the Month, Peony Lester!

Having only competed in swimming for about a year, Peony has more than tripled her yardage and training capacity within the past season. She dropped nearly :30 seconds in her 200 FR this winter, clearly showcasing her improvements. She exemplifies the art of balancing commitments as she juggles a busy swim schedule, school choir, and the everyday life of a student-athlete in a family of 11. Keep it up, P!

Best,

Coach Dakota