Good Evening Lovers of the Lanes,

We have a very full week ahead of us and that means this email is absolutely chock-full. There are also a few changes to the schedule that you need to be aware of. Please make sure to read through the entire email as there is important information about a myriad of events we have this week for you and your swimmers. I have buried a very special message at the end of the email just to entice you to get through all of it.

Let's get to it:

Sunday

Entry Deadline: The deadline to get entries in for the B meet against Chevy Chase on Tuesday is tonight at 11:30PM. No entry changes may be made after that point.

Monday

Stroke Clinic: The weekly stroke clinic will be held again from 1:00-1:30PM in the lap lanes of the Olympic pool. We will be working on backstroke starts and finishes this week.

Afternoon Practice Change: Afternoon practice will be from 3:30-4:30PM as the dive team has added a synchro meet to their event calendar for tomorrow night. Junior Team will still practice from 4:00-4:45PM as they normally would. Thank you for your flexibility.

Tuesday

Entry Deadline: Entries for the meet at Manor on Thursday evening will close at 9PM on Tuesday night. Please make sure to have your swimmer's availability marked prior to the end of our B meet.

B Meet vs. Chevy Chase:

We are at home again for Tuesday night's B Meet vs. Chevy Chase. We will begin our warm-ups at 5:20PM and the meet will start at 6:30PM. All swimmers should arrive prior to 5:15PM. We will not have a buffet for the meet, but the Dive Inn will be open until 8:00PM that night.

Wednesday

Picture Day: The team picture will be taken at 10AM, please have your child, regardless of their practice time at the pool prior to 10AM so that we can get them set up and on to the ice cream as soon as possible (any swimmers who are at Sports Camp will be pulled out, no need to contact Sheila). All swimmers should be wearing their team suit for the picture. Everyone received an email last Wednesday via Swimtopia with information and links on how to order photos. 

Ice Cream Social: Once the team picture and individual pictures are completed, the clubhouse is providing ice cream and cookies for the swimmers to make their own ice cream sandwiches. Ice Cream: the perfect pre-practice snack!

Afternoon Practice Change: Again we will be having practice from 3:30-4:30PM on Wednesday as the dive team has a home meet and would like to begin their warm ups at 4:30PM. As with Monday, Junior Team's schedule will be unaffected and will still start at 4PM.

Thursday:

Division Meet @ Manor Country Club:

It's time to take this show on the road for the Marauding of Manor. On Thursday we visit the faraway land of Manor Country Club for our first away duel meet of the season. Our warm ups will begin at 5:50PM and the meet will start at 6:30PM. All swimmers should arrive by 5:30PM. Make sure to plan your arrival carefully; travel times to Manor can range from 35 minutes to 7 hours depending on traffic. A buffet will be offered throughout and after the meet for your enjoyment. Entries will be finalized and posted on Thursday morning.

Friday:

Relay Meet Entry Deadline: Please make sure to mark your swimmers' availability for the A Division Relay Championships to be held at Washington Golf on Tuesday, July 16th. I will only enter swimmers who have positively confirmed on Swimtopia that they will be available. These entries will close on Friday, July 12th at 9PM so that we can begin working on lineups for the meet. 

Yellow Ribbon Fund Aqua-thon: Everyone should have received an email earlier this evening with links and information on donations for our annual Yellow Ribbon Fund event. Swimmers may come to swim anytime from 8:30-11:30AM. When swimmers are finished with their swims we will have materials for card-making so that swimmers may show their support by making cards for our wounded warriors. These cards will be presented to soldiers during the YRF Golf Event the following week. Most swimmers come during their regular practice time, however no practices will be run as the entire lap lane area will be used for swimmers to log their laps. Who will swim the farthest this year? This event is a beautiful way for our swimmers to use their talents to help and support a wonderful charity that helps so many. To that end we have a little news to add... **BIG ANNOUNCEMENT COMING** -- Here is the little nugget I teased at the top of the email. A member family who wanted to show their support for a charity that is near and dear to their hearts reached out to the swim team to let us know that they would like to match the first $8,000 raised by swimmers and divers on Friday. That means that every dollar raised on Friday up to $8,000 will count as double. Hopefully this incredibly generous pledge will help us to reach our highest donation yet. So get those forms filled out and get ready to swim on Friday!

I think that's enough stuff for one week. I'll give you all the weekend off.

From the Deck,

Coach Ian