KING logos since 1996

With the merger of Highline Swim Club and Kent Area Dolphins Swim Team in 1996, the team colors became Royal Blue & Green. In 2000 the colors changed to Navy Blue & White. Beginning in 2002 with a new KING in town, the team colors changed to the current Black, White, & Columbia Blue. With the signing of Arena as sponsor, a new KING logo was launched in 2015. With the change in club ownership, a new clean logo was created in 2018.

Primary logo 2018-Present	Secondary logo 2018-Present

KING website banner photo

The KING website banner photo is an honor for our swimmers. To be considered, a KING swimmer must have earned a spot on the USA Swimming National and/or Junior National Team. Many great KING swimmers have earned this honor since 2007. To view an archive of previous KING website banners click here >>

KING Championship Meet ’Crown’ Hats

Decorate Burger King crowns for swimmers at championship - PNS & Sectional - swim meets. Several weeks before the championship swim meet, Senior & National swimmers go to several local Burger King restaurants and try to get as many of the cardboard Burger King crowns they give to children. On the reverse side, spray paint and decorate the crown with the names of different swimmers young & old. Be creative and do not forget the coaches!

Halloween BOO Bag - "You’ve Been BOOED"

This tradition was started at Kent Meridian Pool by Briane Lindblad & Marley Prothero when they were 8 & Under swimmers. This tradition usually starts a couple of weeks before Halloween and has spread to other pools.

Materials Needed:

• Poem
• Treats
• Boo Tag

Instructions:
This is a fun surprise gift that is placed inside another swimmer’s bag without them knowing who left it!  You will be making one (1) BOO bag. Print out the poem below or make up your own, gather a few treats, and make a little tag that simply says "BOO" on it. Then put them all in a little treat bag or basket and leave them inside someone’s swim bag - don’t let them see you!

Download & print the BOO poem:

• BOO Poem #1
• BOO Poem #2 
• BOO Poem #3 

For more information, Click here for a link to learn how to create a BOO bag.

Birthday Swim

This tradition started at Kent Meridian Pool. During the week of (or on the day of) the birthday of a swimmer, the swimmer will let the coach know he/she would like to attempt the birthday swim. Near the end of practice, the coach will pull the swimmer out of the water while the other swimmers complete their set. During this brief rest, the coach will ask what the swimmer would like to swim. The coach will then establish a goal time for the swimmer to achieve. The other swimmers then get out of the pool and gather around starting block and/or at the turn end to cheer their teammate during the birthday swim. If the swimmer makes the goal time, practice is over for everyone. After the swim, the swimmer then stands on top of the starting block while his/her teammates sing "Happy Birthday". At the end of practice, the birthday swimmer hands out treats (ie: cookies, ice cream, pizza) to the swimmers and coach.

Post Practice Handshake - Why Do We Do It?

One thing KING coaches get asked all the time, "why do you shake hands with the swimmers?"

First and foremost for KING coaches it's a sign of respect to the swimmers and their effort given during a workout. We expect the swimmers to treat the staff with respect and vice versa. The handshakes give the swimmer and coach the chance to connect, look each other in the eye, and have a brief exchange/moment.

No matter how the swimmer performed in practice that day each coach has a chance to give them feedback as they leave, some encouraging words, or a simple nice job today. That brief interaction helps build the coach swimmer relationship in a manner that has proven to be invaluable over the years. That moment can be a time of reflection, gratitude, praise, apology, or just a simple connection.

This simple act of shaking hands with our swimmers is one of the first tenants of our program that connects everyone from the pre-competitive swimmer to the National Qualifier. It is one of our connecting threads that help make every swimmer’s KING experience a great one. It lays the foundation for one of our core fundamentals which is to help our swimmers not just be great athletes, but also great people.