Dear Swim Team Parents, 

As you know we will be holding our annual Swimathon on Friday morning, June 12th. We are raising money for our team and we traditionally donate half of the money we raise to a charity. Our chosen charity is the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). As you may be aware one of our own past swimmers and coaches has Type 1 Diabetes. Coach Daniel was diagnosed when he was 8 years old, and there are also several other members of our team who have family with Type 1 Diabetes.

Please consider joining in the fun of the Swimathon and helping us to raise money for the JDRF and for our team. Swimmers will join the Swimathon during their regular practice times.  Volunteers from the JDRF will be joining us to cheer you all on and answer any questions you may have. 

What did we buy with the money we raised last year? 

We were able to replace all the old kick boards with new Grand Lakes boards. We also bought all new fins for practice drills as well as the giant pace clocks, rolling carts and white board.

What will we buy with the money we raise this year? 

We hope to be able to replace the foam pool-edge bumpers for the back stroke which had to be thrown away this year as they had been eaten by rats! We would also like to replace the old laptop to help speed up all the printing and data management we have to do at the Meets.

What is Type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes, which was formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is a chronic autoimmune condition that makes the body unable to produce insulin, which is the hormone that regulates blood sugar. Without insulin, our bodies cannot use the sugar in our bloodstream as energy, causing people to experience Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

What causes Type 1 diabetes?

T1D is neither preventable nor curable and while its cause is unknown, studies suggest that T1D results from a genetic predisposition, typically combined with an environmental trigger.

There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an incurable, autoimmune disease, not a lifestyle disease. T1D accounts for roughly 10% of the more than 420 million global cases of diabetes, and people with Type 1 are insulin-dependent for life.
• Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body cannot properly use insulin, also known as “insulin-resistance,” and can often be treated through diet, exercise and medication.

Who is the JDRF?

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF’s goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people’s lives until we achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D.

A BIG THANK YOU to you all for making our Swimathon so much fun!! 

Grand Lakes Swim Team Board and Coaches.