Riverwood Rays Assemble!

Dear Parents,

I hope the offseason has gone well for everyone.

It is that time of year again where the days can not decide whether it is winter or summer, the winds have a tinge of yellow, and swim schedules begin to take shape. We have a very exciting summer unfolding before us and it is time for the Ray's to enter the pool once again!

For those of you who do not know me my name is Coach Andrew, well Andrew Johnson. I am writing to you all, to share our summer schedule and allow your summer plans to take shape. The upcoming season will look very different and we hope this is the first of many emails to get you as excited as we are for the changes ahead!

A few important dates for your calendar!
Parents meeting will be May 15th 6pm at the outdoor pool. All of the information will be provided in emails leading up to the start of the season although I highly recommend attending, especially for new families. It is a great time to meet the coaches and ask questions face to face!
The End of year Banquet will take place on July 25th between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. A rain date has been added to the calendar for July 27th at the same time.

Practice and Meet Schedules:
Pre-season will take place between May 22nd and June 8th. Yes you read that correctly, June 8th! School, at least the schedule that we are bound to, will let out June 8th. Our regular season will begin Friday June 9th and end July 21st.

Practice Schedule:
May 22nd - June 8th:
7:30-9pm with 5 lanes available. We will be splitting up the swimmers by age group and ability. Depending on the number of registered swimmers in each age group, we will split practices into 2x45 minute sessions and have a few days dedicated to specific age groups. More information to follow as we receive registration forms over the next few months.

June 9th - July 21st:
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays will be 6:30-8:30pm
Fridays will remain in the mornings 8am-10am. These practices will probably change week to week to include different activities and fun team building exercises. Also, the pool is available to us for 8-10am, that does not mean the practices will be 2 hrs. More info on that soon.

Swim Meet Schedule:
Meets take place on Tuesdays and begin at 6pm. However, warmups for the home teams start at 5pm and away teams 5:30pm. More information on meets to follow including what to expect, how to prepare, and tips and tricks for meet day.

TSA championships are voluntary but a great meet that all swimmers should try to attend. This meet is TBD but will most likely be the weekend of July 22nd. Again, more information to follow.

Meet Schedule:

June 13th AWAY @ Northbrook

June 20th HOME vs Harrington Grove

June 27th AWAY @ North Raleigh (Divisional meet)

July 5th HOME vs Meredith Townes (WED meet due to July 4th being on Tues)

July 11th HOME vs Springdale (Divisional meet)

July 18th AWAY @ Black Horse Run (Divisional Meet)

Registration Fees:
1st Swimmer - $118
2nd Swimmer - $113
3rd Swimmer - $108
4th+ Swimmer - $103
The registration fees have been increased for a few reasons. These include mandatory Swimtopia fees and an annual timing system that we will be implementing due to the change TSA has made to switch to timed placements rather than the original place judges.

Upcoming Emails will include more information on the following:
⦁ We will be using All American again for our swimsuits and we are currently discussing new cap options as well!
⦁ We will have a brand new SPIRIT WEAR STORE through Image Builders! You will be able to order all sorts of merchandise from shirts to towels.
⦁ There will be an inters quad meet for swimmers and volunteers/parents a-like to have a practice run!
⦁ New volunteer committees will be formed to help streamline the season even more.
⦁ We will have a CONCESSION STAND! More info to follow.
⦁ Keep this between us for now, but I will be asking older age groups to volunteer with the younger swimmers to help with their technique and practice "etiquette". I will be happy to sign off on volunteer hours or even create it as a "coaching program" to add to resumes with recommendations as needed. I believe this to be a great learning experience for your older swimmer getting ready for college and beyond.
⦁ Volunteer Sign up, please be thinking about what volunteer jobs you may want to sign up for. Here is a link to the volunteer list. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NotRUqtSKPhuiP5Vj...
At the moment Stroke and Turn Judges and a back up Starter are the only time sensitive positions we need. If you are interested please email me immediately because there is a learning curve and even a class for Stroke and Turn.

For now please only contact me with questions regarding our schedule and registration. All other questions may be answered in the upcoming emails. You can contact me at [email protected]. (I know, super creative!)

REGISTRATION Link and Requirements:
Please go to the link below to register for the Riverwood Rays.
https://riverwood.swimtopia.com/register/74066/mai...
Requirements for swimmers to join the Riverwood Rays are very simple. All skill levels are welcome if they are comfortable swimming alone. There are no distance requirements but we do have an age restriction. We suggest 5 years and older, however if you have a 4 year old that can swim and you think is ready for the swim team do not hesitate to email me. If they have little experience in the pool please sign them up for swim lessons first. The Riverwood Rays will not be able to offer constant 1 on 1 coaching so they will be in a group setting.

We hope this email gets everyone as amped up as we are, and I can not wait to see each and every one of you and your swimmers at the Riverwood Pool in a few months!

Swimmingly,
Coach Andrew