07/19/2026
I still can't believe I'm posting this...
🏆 2026 City Meet Champions... WINdermere Wizards! 🧙♂️❤️🖤💛
I am so incredibly proud of every single swimmer on this team.
This year we welcomed several new swimmers, especially in our 8 & Under age group, with new faces sprinkled throughout the older age groups as well. To me, that's one of the biggest victories of all because it shows our team continues to grow. Every single swimmer came to practice, worked hard, encouraged one another, and gave their absolute best.
We were even missing several swimmers this week because of vacations and other sports, but our team never stopped believing.
We started City Meet on Monday with our 8 & Under swimmers putting us in the lead, and we entered our final day trailing first place by 600 points. It was exciting, stressful, and I'm pretty sure Coach Grace didn't sleep much all week!
I said this last year, and I'll say it again: this team is what it is because of every coach who has walked onto that pool deck since Windermere began rebuilding the program. Many people don't realize that the pool was actually closed for a period while it was rebuilt. Things looked very different back then. What we're celebrating today didn't happen overnight. It took years of dedication from coaches, families, swimmers, and so many volunteers who believed in what this team could become.
There's one more thing I'd like to address.
I've heard people say that I'm "too competitive" about summer swim. The truth is, that's probably the biggest misconception about me.
Am I happy that we won? Absolutely.
But winning has never been the reason I do this.
I love these kids. I love this sport. I love watching children discover confidence, overcome fears, cheer for their teammates, and learn what true sportsmanship looks like. Nothing makes me happier than seeing swimmers from every team fall in love with swimming.
If you've ever stood on a pool deck with me, you know I'll cheer for a first-place finish just as loudly as I'll cheer for a swimmer who finally finishes a race they were once afraid to swim.
That's what matters to me.
I will always do everything I can to support our coaches, our swimmers, and our families because this team is about so much more than trophies. It's about building confident kids, lifelong friendships, and a love for a sport that changes lives.
Thank you to every swimmer, coach, parent, volunteer, official, and supporter who helped make this season unforgettable.
Congratulations, Wizards.
Back-to-back City Meet Champions. ❤️🖤💛