Penns Valley Penguins Swim Team
SITE UPDATED 03/23/23
So You're New Here...
Welcome! We're so glad you're checking out what our local swim team is all about!
Within walking distance of downtown Millheim is a treasure, a pool at Soliders and Sailors Memorial Park, affectionately known as the Millheim Pool. A place where friends gather, the heat dissipates in the cool water, and memories are made. This pool is the host of the Penns Valley Swim Team. They're a team of kids whose love of water has them spending their days growing stronger, improving themselves, and building friendships. If your child is four years old by June 1, 2024 and can make it down the pool (25 yards) with a kickboard UNASSISTED, they are able to join this waddle of penguins!
The swim team is in the Central Pennsylvania Swim League (CPSL). PV and competes against Science Park Pool, Welch, and Park Forest. Meet locations will be at home or State College. The 2024 season will run June 4 through July 26. There are morning practices throughout the week with two additional evening practices. Meets are once a week (typically) on Thursday evenings. Practices are split between swimmers 10 & under (littles) and 11 & over (bigs) with a special group called Chicks for our youngest swimmers. Check out the calendar page for the 2024 schedule. The meets begin at 6pm but swimmers need to arrive early (approximately 4:45 for home meets and 5:15 for away meets). The season will conclude with a Friday evening party. There is one optional Saturday event held at Park Forest Pool - a "swim meet" but with all kinds of fun races! There are even a couple of events that include family members!
Each meet will begin with an email attaching a google form for you to indicate whether or not your swimmer will be attending as well as what events they’d like to swim. Our hope is as the season advances, your swimmer will gain confidence and want to try different events! Coaches will encourage swimmers and begin to expand their meet event repertoire as the season goes on. Our league includes some intense teams and though our coaches strive to push our swimmers to improve themselves continually, the Penguins pride themselves on being an asset to the community, a place where they're enjoying the competition but having fun together!
Volunteering at Swim Meets
For each meet, there will be an email sent out with both a form to sign up for your swimmer’s races and a volunteer sheet sign up. Please be sure to fill out both! A parent volunteer coordinator will then work to make sure all spots are filled and we are prepared when the meet begins. We understand that families won't attend every meet, but please be diligent about volunteering at the ones you do. There's no need to stress over the jobs. For example, being a timer is one of the simplest jobs you could do. You get a good view of the pool, time alongside another parent that you can chat with, and if you're lucky, get a nice little splash!
Parent Volunteers (or grandparents or older siblings!) are the backbone of our Swim Team. Unique in the world of sport, swim meets require +/- 45 adult volunteers before, during, & after the meet. With your involvement, our swim meets and our concession stand run smoothly and without delays. Many positions are slotted for half of a meet. There is a 5-10 minute break in between each half. To learn about these different jobs, please click the link below.
What Your Swimmer Needs
Your swimmer needs to wear a modest bathing suit for all practices and meets. If your child has hair that gets in his/her eyes when wet, it should be up in a cap. Goggles are also a necessity for your swimmer. Speedo Vanquisher and Vanquisher Jrs are great goggles and run around $15 but any goggles will do. There is a new team suit this year and you will be able to try it on at signups. Not all families buy the team suit and that is not our utmost concern! As long as the suit isn't loose or have anything hanging off of it, it is fine to wear! We will be selling Penguins caps for interested families for $9.
Concessions
For home meets, Penns Valley sports the best concessions in the league! It is a good source of income that helps ensure we have all the staff and equipment we need to run a successful swim team. There will be a sign up for donations of food for those three or four meets. Please donate if you are able :)
Thank you for your help!
