Gators,

It’s been a week and a few days since the banquet, and you probably thought you were finally done receiving emails from me. I promise this one should be the last until sometime in late February or early March, when we’ll start getting excited for another summer.

Before we close the book on an incredible season, I wanted to say thank you.

On behalf of the entire board, thank you for the incredibly thoughtful gift and recognition at the banquet. Serving this team is something we genuinely enjoy, and your kindness and appreciation means more than you know. We have an amazing group of families, and it’s a privilege to help create the kind of summer our kids will remember for years to come.

I also wanted to recognize Head Coach Evan O’Connell, who was recently named the New Mexico High School Coaches Association 2025-2026 Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year. While this award recognizes his work outside of Canyon Club, anyone who watched him coach our Gators this summer knows exactly why he earned it. Congratulations, Evan, on a well-deserved honor!

Looking back at our championship meet, one statistic continues to stand out: 81% of our individual swims were faster than each swimmer’s seed time, a tremendous improvement over last year’s 67%. That’s a testament to the hard work of our swimmers, the dedication of our coaching staff, and the support of every family that cheered, volunteered, drove to practices, and made this season possible.

Of course, numbers only tell part of the story. What I’ll remember most is the laughter on deck, the friendships that grew throughout the summer, Color Wars, movie night, championship excitement, and seeing our swimmers encourage one another every single day. We had an incredible amount of fun together, and that’s what makes the Gators so special.

Thank you again for making this such a memorable season. Enjoy the rest of your summer, have a fantastic school year, and before you know it, we’ll be talking about registration, practice schedules, and another chance to head back to the Swamp.

Until then…

GO GATORS!

Regards,
Andrew Steele