What are Gator Buddies?
The Gators have a tradition of matching up swimmers of all age groups to provide a support network for each other. These Gator Buddies cheer their buddy on at B meets or A meets. They get to know them better. They make spirit signs. And, they foster a network of community Gator spirit and teamwork.
2013 – even though we are 204 Gators/Mini Gators strong – will be no different. In 2013 we will continue with a Gator FAMILY partnership for this summer. We believe this will help blend our new families into the Gator family – as parents and swimmers alike – get to know each other and help foster Gator pride. it also helps us manage this process with the fabulous volume of Gators at the pool. Two of our coaches took on the task of pairing families and have done their best to pair new families with experienced families, swimmers of complimentary ages and so forth… nothing is perfect, so please understand that they did their best. So let’s now do our best to get to know each other and have fun with our assigned swimmers and families.
Download the Gator Buddy List for 2013 (PDF) here.
Here’s how it works:
- All 204 swimmers are listed…. HAVE FUN finding your name!!!!…then it lists all the swimmers in the family. Each family is paired with one or more families depending upon the size of the family.
- These Gator families should reach out to one another; get to know each other; make sure their “buddies” are enjoying Gatorlife.
- Gator swimmers can make spirit signs for A or B meets for their buddies. They can cheer loudly for their Gator buddieswhen they are swimming. They can give a high five to that Gator when they make it to practice, swim a race, or come to Forest Hollow. It’s all about sharing the spirit of the Gators.
- Some Gator buddies have also given small tokens or gifts to their buddies. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED or ENCOURAGED. If tokens are given, please keep the price low and the sentiment high. A bottle of Gatorade (Green forGator Juice, of course) may be an easy thing to help hydrate your buddy at a meet. Or, something small from the Dollar Store; something homemade; something from the Gator Grill; or something from our Merchandise Guru, Cheryl Gregory. Keep it simply – enjoy the spirit of the Gators versus spending money.
- See the attached list – or find it at the pool. Locate your family name; locate your Gator Family Buddy. Be creative and take it from there. (If you don’t know your Gator Buddy/Family, ask a coach. Plus, we’ve added the age group each swimmer is currently in to help guide us to the right practice.)
Reach out – meet your Gator Families now. Show the Spirit…wear your Green…and have FUN!!!!!