Good morning Piranhas families!

Thanks to everyone for sticking through the heat and wrapping up a great meet yesterday against the Lovettsville Dolphins. Piranhas won the meet 695.5-266.5, and we had a new team record set:

• Michael Amstutz in the Boys 6 and under 25M Butterfly

Congratulations to Michael and to all of our swimmers on some great swim performances. You can find the full meet results under the Meets & Events tab.

All Star Cut Times

ODSL has released the time standards for the All Star meet this year. They have been posted under the Meet Sheets & Results page on the website.

Congratulations to many of our swimmers who have already qualified for the All Star meet. We have many who are close, so continue to swim fast! We have two more meets until the end of the season to qualify.

Meet versus Kincaid Forest Stingrays on July 10

For all swim team members, our next meet will be at Kincaid Forest HOA Pool this Wednesday, July 10.

• You must declare your swimmer's events by tonight, Sunday, July 7. Minis swimmers should not declare for the meet.
• The theme for the meet will be Tie Dye Shirts
• Each swimmer may declare for up to 3 individual events for the meet. Please reach out to Coach Sabine if you have questions about what events to sign up for.
• Swimmers must be legal in the events they sign up for. Coaches may remove swimmers from events like breaststroke, butterfly or individual medley if the swimmer has not demonstrated that he or she can swim the event legally. If you have questions about whether or not your swimmer is legal to swim in an event, please reach out to Coach Sabine.
• Relays are group races that occur at the end of meets if time allows. They are a lot of fun both for the participants and the spectators. A couple of important reminders around relay races.
  • Relay teams are selected by the coaches.
  • There is no sign up to swim in a relay team. If you know that your swimmer cannot participate in a relay at the end of the meet, please select Not available for any relays when declaring for the meet. This will let the coaching staff know to not include your swimmer on any relay teams for that meet.
  • If your swimmer is selected for a relay, please make sure he/she stays to participate in the race. It is very difficult to adjust relay rosters at the last minute, and one swimmer dropping often results in the entire relay team having to scratch from the event.
  • If unexpected circumstances arise and he/she cannot swim in the relay, please let Coach Sabine or a board member know as soon as possible so that we can try to make adjustments.

Please note: Swimmers selected for a relay team who fail to appear for the race without notice twice in a row will be excluded from future relay options.

Questions on how to sign up your swimmer or volunteer for a meet? Check out this help article for detailed instructions or reach out to a board member with any additional questions.

Other notes on meets

A few other reminders to families for meets:

• Please have your swimmers check in as soon as they arrive to the meet. This helps our clerks of course know who is present when lining up the swimmers for events.
• It is critical the swimmers check in on time. There is a lot of work involved to set lanes assignments and finalize heats between the time swimmer's check in and the time the meet starts. If swimmers check in late they will not be able to swim in the meet. If you have issues getting to check-in on time, please call or text Tracie Buckley at (703) 665-9901.
• Volunteers should also check in as soon as they arrive to the meet. You need to check in to ensure you get credit for your volunteer hours.
• Please make sure you honor your volunteer commitments. If unexpected circumstances arise, let a board member know as soon as possible so that we can find a substitute.
• If your swimmer cannot swim in one or more events that he/she initially signed up for, please let a board member or coach know as soon as possible. We understand that unexpected changes in plans can happen, but it's imperative that our clerks know when swimmers are absent so that we can adjust our event lineups.
• If your swimmer is not swimming they are not allowed in the pool. No exceptions.
• DO NOT photograph or record your swimmer from behind the blocks. This is a safety rule for our swimmers. You are welcome to take pictures from the spectator areas on the sides of the pool but not from the pool ends where swimmers enter and exit the pool.
• Finally, a word about courtesy when it comes to our pool and our neighbors' pools. There is a principle in Boy Scouts called Leave No Trace that states that you should leave an environment exactly as you found it. It is imperative that our swimmers follow this same principle at swim meets. Please ensure that you clean up any food wrappers or other trash off the pool deck before you leave. It is important that we treat our pool facilities and other communities' facilities with respect as it reflects on our team, our parents and our community. Parents, please make sure your swimmers are cleaning up after themselves and are respectful of the pools we compete in.

Meet versus Potomac Station Sailfish on Saturday, July 13

Next Saturday's meet will be at home against Potomac Station. It is our last regular season meet before Divisionals and All Stars. You must declare for your swimmer's events by Wednesday, July 10. This is our meet night, so don't forget! Late entries can't be accepted.

13+ Movie Social on Monday, July 8

Join your swimmers and coaches for a showing of Despicable Me 4, at the Brambleton Regal Fox theater tomorrow, Monday July 8 for the 6:30 pm showing. Plan to meet in the theater lobby by 6:15 pm to purchase your tickets and select seats that are near your friends and others on the team.

Spirit Night at Chipotle, July 9

Take the night off on Tuesday, July 9 and grab some Chipotle at Ryan Park from 5-9 pm. 25 percent of proceeds will be donated to the team. Use code H23JFAT when ordering online for pickup or show the attached flyer if heading into the restaurant.

Stroke Clinics

This week we will offer stroke clinics for swimmers who want to get some extra help with their stroke development and technique. The sessions run from 12:15 - 12:45 am at Southern Walk pool and cost $10 per swimmer, cash only. These clinics are very popular so be sure to sign up fast, and please only sign up if your swimmer is able to attend so that everyone gets an opportunity to participate.

You can sign up for this week's stroke clinics at this Signup Genius page.

Practices

Practices continue in the mornings at Southern Walk pool this week Monday through Friday.

Practice Reminders

• Do not go up to your swimmer or a coach during practice
• Bring all your equipment to practice. This includes goggles, fins and a cap or at least a hair tie for long hair
• Do not record/video practices - you can record/video your swimmer in a meet but not at practice
• During practices and swim meets, swimmers (and their siblings) are NOT allowed in the shallow end of the pool or in the baby pool. This is a safety issue as there are no lifeguards on duty during our practices

Slideshow Photos

It's that time of year again and we need your photos to make this year's slideshow even better than last years! Given our team size, we are asking parents and athletes to follow the instructions below so we can make sure we get as much of the team in the slideshow as possible.

• Each swimmer is allowed 2 photos (we will use at least 1)
• In the subject line, please enter the swimmer’s name: "first name last name"
• Photos should be at least 800x600px and should be a jpg or jpeg format
• Landscape photos are best
• If you have group photos, please send them separately and use “team photo - team event” for the subject line (e.g., team photo - ice cream social, team photo - piranhas pals)
• Thematically, we really want to capture the fun of being a piranha so please try to send photos that capture our summer spirit!
• Please email photos to broadlandspiranhaspics@gmail.com

We want to make sure everyone gets a spot in the slideshow so please send in your photos no later than July 11!

End-of-Season Party - July 20

Let's celebrate our swimmers and a great season! Music, awards, a photo booth, games, pool fun, and food!

We'll have so much fun with the Relay and Race events! Relay and Race Sign-Up

• Parents vs Coaches Freestyle Relay: Join a Parents team and show your kiddos your swimming skills! This year, coaches will swim IM and parents will swim freestyle...so there's a chance!

NEW THIS YEAR:

• T-Shirt Relay: Form your own team of two parents and/or coaches, and two kids! Swimmers will take turns swimming with the same t-shirt (passed to the next racer after each length). Both arms need to be through the arm holes before diving in. A men's XL size t-shirt will be provided for each team.

• Chariot Race: Embrace the glitter, the splendor, and the pageantry of chariot races! Test your strength and endurance by pulling 1-2 kids across the pool in a 25M race! This is a BYOR (bring your own raft) event. Please see attached photo for inspiration!

Join the fun at Relay and Race Sign-Up!

Saturday, July 20th: 5-9pm Southern Walk Pool

Help us with a headcount and RSVP here by July 14th!

**Due to pool capacity, attendance is limited to swimmer(s) and immediate family only.**

Food & Drinks

Chick-Fil-A Nuggets and Rubino's Pizza will be provided! Help us make it an even more delicious team feast and contribute yummy food and drinks: Food & Drinks Sign Up Genius

Volunteer Hours

If you still need volunteer hours (or just want to help because it's fun!), we'd love to have you. Volunteer Hours Sign Up Genius

Fun & Games

We'll have a blast with Parents vs Coaches Freestyle Relay, T-Shirt Relay, and a Chariot Race! Join the fun at Relay and Race Sign-Up!

Tennis Ball Toss Fundraiser: be sure to bring your cash for a chance to play and win some money! $10 for 12 balls or $1 per ball.

See you at the party, Piranhas!

Contact Becca Koontz ([email protected]) and Kristin Burns ([email protected]) with any questions!

HOA Notes

Please note that per HOA safety rules, glass containers, alcohol, and tents/shade structures with sides or walls are not allowed at the party. Pop-up shades without sides or walls are fine. Pool floats are permitted.

Weather alerts

Our new website allows us to send alert notifications directly to team members via the SwimTopia mobile app. In the event of thunderstorms, if we need to cancel practices we will send out mobile alerts as well as emails. Please download the mobile app to ensure you get these notifications. Make sure notifications are enabled for the app!