Good Afternoon Stingray Families!  So great to have so much already underway and still have a little over 3 weeks until we officially begin our season!  Welcome to all of you, we are so glad to have each swimmer, parent, and family member with us this summer.  We are excited to get to know you all better, and have a fun and fast season with your swimmers.

Just putting out a few items as we continue to firm up details and planning, these might be items you're looking to order, so we want to be sure you have this info first...

First of all, Mrs. Stacy Rector, one of our board members and Stingray mom, has done an incredible job of updating and organizing our website, so please always feel free to check that out for lots of info (practice schedule, meet schedule, upcoming dates, team merchandise, committees, and so much more!)  swsr.swimtopia.com

Also, for this week: We have 2 dates to think about-tomorrow (Tues) and this Saturday will be our last team suit fittings, so if your swimmer would like to try on suits that will fit like our team suit, please check back on an email from Stacy for those details, and sign up for a time slot.  This year we are going with a TYR brand suit, and they may fit a little different than suits your swimmer has worn before.

Merchandise Orders (Pre-Orders all due by May 7th): Again, on our website you can place your order for any and all items and just enter your own credit card info.  This gives us a HUGE savings by placing a bulk order.  Swimmers all get one free team t-shirt and a free latex cap, but you can place parent/sibling t-shirt orders, as well as purchase silicone caps, hoodies, and extra fun items online there. Check with Stacy if you have any questions about this.

Swimsuits: Our team suits are not mandatory, but they are a great versatile and inexpensive option for your swimmers that can be worn for meets and practice.  If you choose not to purchase these, please keep in mind, we do have a few specifics required for their suits: Girls must wear a one piece competition style suit, and guys need to wear either a brief or jammer style suit.  We get a few questions each season about this, so I'll go ahead and address it...Any shirts, shorts, board shorts type suits add extra weight and drag, making it impossible to keep up during practice.  All of our swimmers wear the competition style suit, so if they're a little nervous about something that's different to them, please assure them, and know, all of our swimmers will be in these.  They will also be so busy and working so hard that they're not focusing on how they, or others look.  If you have questions about this, please feel let me know and I am happy to make suggestions.

Goggles: I am going to include a few links to styles we have found to be proven winners :) Please believe me here when I say, a "cheap" goggle is very frustrating to swimmers.  They have so much going on, and so much to learn and keep up with, that constantly fixing/adjusting their goggles takes away so much time from the swimmers, as well as the coaches.  One pair is needed for each swimmer, but we recommend a back up to keep in their bag in case they lose, misplace, or break theirs.  We don't have any goggles to share or pass around.

https://www.amazon.com/Speedo-Vanquisher-Swim-Gogg...

(^^ Even I wear these vanquishers.  They have youth and adult sizes that seem to work well for anyone)

I recommend also replacing any straps with these bungee cords.  The kids can loosen and tighten themselves, and they are incredibly comfortable and stay up well during dives, and other swimming activities...

https://www.amazon.com/Goggles-Adjustable-Replacem...

Remember, all brands aren't the same.  Costco, Walmart, Target, etc. all sell some form of speedo goggles at various times.  This is more of a recreation durability than the ones in the link I sent.  With 30-ish kids in the water at one time, the less we have to focus on equipment malfunction, the more they'll enjoy it, and the more progress we'll get out of it.

Caps: In the past, we've been a little loose on cap requirements.  This year we've worked hard to make sure we have great options, both free, and for purchase, so we're setting some requirements.  Practice: All swimmers with hair long enough to touch the goggles on the face, will need to wear a cap.  This will also help minimize distractions and weight and drag for them.  At practice, they can wear any cap they like.  Meets:  All swimmers wearing a cap will need to wear an SWSR cap.  They can wear the latex, any SWSR caps from previous seasons, a silicone, etc. but if a cap is worn, it needs to be a version of one of our team caps.  We will help the swimmers put these on, especially at the beginning, but as we move through the season, especially the older ones, they'll begin to figure it out and become quicker and more independent with them. Please just send the girls in to practice in a ponytail or bun, and we can take it from there.

Water: Please make sure the swimmers all have a water bottle to bring to every practice.  They don't always realize it, but they are sweating and burning a ton of calories every day, dehydration and heat exhaustion can happen very easily. We want to stay ahead of that!  

Health Issues: Here at Sugarwood, we want everyone to feel welcome and included.  I know we are particularly thankful that our team family loves on all kinds of kids, with lots of differences amongst them all.  If your child has any sort of health concerns (physical or mental), allergies, diabetes, delays, challenges, etc, please let me know ASAP.  I want to be sure we are prepared as best possible, and our coaching staff, and even sometimes our meet managers need to be aware of ways we can best serve your child.  We do not want to embarrass anyone, but sometimes us being informed and prepared ahead of time helps address things if needed, more discretely.  We want every swimmer to love it here, find friends, develop relationships, and encourage one another, but sometimes the coaches having a little heads up can allow us to be more aware and attentive if there is a way we can help step in and make things smoother and more enjoyable for everyone.

Certified Workers: We will be dealing with all the meet info later, but for now, one thing we need to address ASAP is our certified positions.  We need about 10 Stroke and Turn workers this year, because we want to partner you up some/shadow some and then we need to move a few into Ref and Starter position.  Our training class will be Thur May 26th from 6-8 pm, here in Sugarwood, and we will get to go through all the info you'll need to get started.  If you've been with our team for more than a few years, remember, we need to save those timers and scribes spots for NEW families, so this is a great way to be sure you see all the action!  Please let me know if you can make it.

Practice times/lanes/groups: Much more will be coming on this, but please be aware that coaches will make all decisions regarding lanes, group placements (particularly referring to the split 11-14 age group practice times-I will be emailing this info out soon as well), evaluations, etc.  We want this to work for schedules, friends, etc. but the most important factor is that we get the kids in the spots that will help them grow and progress the most, as well as what's best for the team and each age group to move efficiently as a whole.  Thank you in advance for understanding!  

Now that we are closed for registration, the coaches are doing a lot of work behind the scenes to best hit the ground running, so we'll be in touch soon with any schedule modifications, details, and lots of fun stuff!

Thank you all, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about any of this!

Coach Jodi, Head Coach, 865.207.8878