Hello Ray-Nation!

From here on out I will be sending a weekly at-a-glance email to keep you up to date on important information for the week ahead.

Week 1

Monday: Practice, parent meeting at 8:00 & 9:30

Tuesday: Practice; Blaze Pizza night 5-9 pm

Wednesday: Practice

Thursday: Practice; Red & Black Meet (timeline below)

Friday: Fun Friday; 10:00 – 11:20: Ages 10 and Under; 11:00 – 11:55: Ages 11 and Up

Plan to attend one of the parent meetings Monday morning in the grass outside the baby pool. I am looking forward to meeting the new families and seeing our returning ones. I won’t keep you long, but it is my intent to get you up to RAY-speed on expectations and answer questions. I will also introduce our meet director and special events coordinator.

RSVP for the Red and Black Meet by NOON tomorrow. To do this: Login to swimtopia, find the event, RSVP by selecting “attending” or “not attending” for each of your children. This is a vital step parents need to do to help coaches prepare for the meet.

This season, please utilize your points of contact:

Michelle Bell: general team related questions; [email protected]

Amy Steger: meet worker positions; [email protected]

Gerand Saffles: Fun Fridays and special events; [email protected]

Emily Long: merchandise; [email protected]

Coach Gabby Hwang and Coach Jodi Vineyard: swimming related questions; [email protected], [email protected]

Red and Black Timeline:

3:30 PM Pool Set-up begins inside the fence once pool closes- Parent Volunteers who signed up to help set-up pool arrive, set up parking cones

4:15 PM Parking attendants in position directing vehicles.

4:30 PM Swimmers and parents arrive and CHECK-IN, get their team shirt

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM Individual pictures (optional)

5:00 PM TEAM PHOTO all swimmers participate

5:15 PM SWSR warm-ups

5:45 PM Swimmers meet with coaches for meet training

5:45 PM Parent Workers meet with referee for meet training

5:55 PM National Anthem and Prayer

6:00 PM Swim Meet STARTS

SWIM MEET REMINDERS

The paved parking is reserved for individuals with disabilities and Senior (65+) visitors.

Everyone is expected to park in the grassy areas around the pool as directed by our Swim Team Parking attendants.

Be on time or be early!

Top Ten Parent Reminders

1. Parents - Be on time, it is vital to the team function.

2. Parking - park in the grass on the east side of the pool and follow the parking attendants directions. DO NOT park on the subdivision streets or the street leading to the pool.

3. Parents - Come to the meet ready to help. If your family has swimmers swimming in the swim meet it is expected that a parent will be working one shift of the swim meet. The stingray nation always participates as a team, if it has been determined that swimmers have been dropped off at a swim meet with no parent participation, the team will have to remove the swimmer from the line-up and the swimmer will not be allowed to participate. Typically, we do not have a problem with this but I do want to make sure the Stingray Nation understands. Those parents willing to work double shifts are very much appreciated and true to the stingray spirit of "stepping up" when needed.

4. Parents - If you are a new family in the Stingray Nation this year, please ASK questions. Things move fast and can be confusing for anyone not familiar with a swim meet event. Every family on the Stingrays at one time was new to the Stingrays.

5. Parents - come ready to place your swimmers in the ready bench area when it is their time to swim. If a swimmer misses an event it is NOT the parent workers fault. The parent workers are there to help facilitate the swim meet, not find your swimmers.

6. Parents - prepare your swimmers to listen to the events being called and teach them about the layout of the pool and where the ready bench is when they hear their event being called to report to the Clerk of Course (Ready Bench).

7. Parents (especially VETERAN families) pick out a new family and mentor them.

8. Parents bring lots of PATIENCE. Everything will not run smoothly. There are always situations that develop that take time to communicate, train, and respond.

9. Parents during the mock meet try worker positions you may have never done before if anything just to try it, this meet is to TEACH you as much as to TEACH the swimmers what occurs during a swim meet.

10. Do what Stingrays do, HAVE FUN AND SWIM FAST!

More great information for parents can be found here: https://swsr.swimtopia.com/parent-need-to-knows

The time has finally come….RAYS IN THE WATER!

Michelle Bell

SWSR President

701-426-9736

Thank you to our sponsors:

Pro Source Home Buyers

Lewis Group Architects

McKinnish Law Group

Bell Family Chiropractic

Amelse & Edmonds CPAs