I want to take some time to write to you as the season is over and J* is heading out to college.  He is going to Mason and we are thrilled that he made it into the Honors college.

Grateful does not begin to represent how my husband and I feel about the great work that you, Christine, along with so many coaches through the years, have done to support J* through these last years.

When we moved from Minnesota in 2017 we looked for a swim team for J* to continue his swimming journey that started in Richfield, MN with Piranhas at a very early age.

As you've probably noticed by now, J* is not neurotypical, he is somewhere in the highly functioning autism spectrum.  He struggles with social interactions and yet he is a kid that always wants to be with peers of his own age.

Being part of Machine has helped J* to transition to Virginia and feel more at home here.  The team has also provided at times the only social interactions he had with kids his own age. 

Keeping the team practices through the pandemic made a HUGE difference for these kids and minimized the terrible consequences of the months they were not able to go to schools or to go anywhere.  I am sure it took a lot of effort to get things rolling while pools were closed but note that your hard work to get practices going was extremely appreciated by all of us parents.

 J* is not a great swimmer but the discipline and skills that you guys taught him will help him through his life.

We often underestimate how important doing a sport and in this case a competitive sport is for adolescents. In J*’s case even more important as he had many challenges in his life.   The patience and the high expectations you always had for him had motivated J* to keep trying and to keep fighting.  He never made the HS swim team but he tried out every single year, without despair and without sadness when he did not make it.  We are so proud of him and his perseverance and we feel most of that perseverance was inspired by you and the team.

Swimming had opened him to other opportunities, from volunteering in Oak Marr with adaptive aquatic programs to help other kids, to becoming a certified lifeguard and getting a job both during the weekends and summer months.  That is also in part thanks to being part of Machine .

Now he says he is going to try to get involved in some swim club or organization at George Mason University and I am sure he will have a great time doing that.

I really hope you  know that you made such a difference in J*'s life. And I hope that if other kids like J* come to machine they would be equally accepted and encouraged as he was, I know they will be, as I know you guys are GREAT!! 

From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU !!!

And if there is anything we can do now moving forward to help the team, let us know.

Sincerely,

M & S

I just wanted to reach out to let you know that Coach Stuart has had such a positive impact on S* this season, and we are really thankful that S* has such a great role model and coach in her life.

I've watched her run up to him after every race this season to get feedback, and he spends time with her, patiently going over every little detail from her swims.  She always comes home from practice with an interesting story or tidbit to share about him or something that happened at practice, almost always making her laugh and smile.

He's a great mix of tough and caring and the kids really do look up to him.  I'm overly cautious of S* burning out, after watching it happen to her older sister.  He's very aware of teaching the kids the important things like stroke mechanics and technique and making sure that they continue to grow and love the sport.

He is such a valuable asset to your team and program, and we really appreciate everything he has done for Scarlett.

Thanks,

GS

I wanted to thank Machine Aquatics for being, in the last three years, pivotal in the physical and mental growth of A*, my son. He and we as a family have been very happy with the program, the coaches, and the peaceful, but hard working atmosphere created.

This year has been very positive with a coach (Dylan) that has gone above and beyond anything A* needed, to technically improve, while making him feel at home at all times. A* has had many coaches, but Dylan has been special, in that he has generosity helped A* grow both technically and mentally. Dylan has a gift to coach, works diligently, and is effective in his methods.

A* wants this year (for the first time) to train with Machines in summer, and we’ll see how A* will further grow.

Regards,

LS