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    Week of July 15-21

    July 14th

    Hi Blue Crabs! 

    We had another great meet this past week, this time hosted by the Dearbought Devil Rays. The Blue Crabs came away with another win with a final score of 352 to 251. You can check out the full results here and, once available, photos will be posted here.

    For everyone but those who qualified for all-stars, this is the final week of the season, and it’s going to be a fun week! In addition to our regularly scheduled practices, we are hosting the Division 4 Championship Meet on Saturday and then we will have our End of Season Party on Sunday evening.

    This email contains shout-outs, information about the Division Championship Meet, information about the end of season party, your last chance to enter the raffle, and our schedule for the week.

    SHOUT-OUTS

    Once again, our swimmers put together some outstanding accomplishments with 93 swimmers combining for 168 personal bests (full list here). Our PR Pot was getting plenty of use on Saturday! This week we had four Blue Crabs finish in 1st place in all four of their individual events (Matix Garmon, Zach Missigman, Alberto Nevares, and Carmen Nevares), and we also set 9 new team records! A special shout-out goes to Miles Thomas who set team records in two events for 6 & unders: 25 Free and 25 Back! Autumn Knight, Madison Koehn, and Conner Stanley also set team records for the first time (view all our team records here).

    We continue to have swimmers add their name to the list of all-star qualifiers. This week’s first time all-star qualifiers are William Bulanda (25 back), Gabriel Jimenez (25 free), Hayley Kendall (25 back), Madison Koehn (25 back), and Jack Wright (qualifying in two events(!): 25 free and 25 back). This brings our total number of all-star qualifiers to 30 swimmers (full list here). Kudos to all of these swimmers and to our fantastic coaches who have helped these swimmers get there!

    VOLUNTEERING

    Summer swim team is unique among youth sports in that it really does take a village. The Blue Crabs swim team is a community endeavor, and more specifically, it takes the time and energy of so many parents. Everyone has a part to play. So many of you have gone above and beyond in volunteering, in solving problems, in stepping-up, in anticipating needs and meeting them. These events don’t happen, this fun isn’t had, these memories aren’t made, and the Blue Crabs don’t exist without you. So, thank you!

    While most of our families give of their time and energy to make the Blue Crabs happen, we still have several families who have not yet done anything to play their part in contributing to the team. When registering for the Blue Crabs we all agreed to the following statement: “This team cannot exist without my help. I acknowledge that the expectation is for us (as parents/guardians) to volunteer to help at meets and other events in order to ensure that this program is fun and successful for all involved. Our service will be both formal by signing up to fulfill a specific job/role and informal by taking initiative to help where needs arise.”

    While we each can relate to full lives, various responsibilities, unexpected circumstances, and the joy and work that come with kids and jobs, we also each agreed to be here for our kids, for one another, and for our community, and an important aspect of this is through volunteering. If you have yet to volunteer this season, please take advantage of the last few opportunities available for this season by signing up here or here. Thank you!

    THE DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

    The Division 4 Championship Meet will take place on Saturday, July 20. Our meet theme will be Christmas in July! We will be hosting the Dearbought Devil Rays, Landsdale Lightning, and Whittier Riptides. This is our largest meet of the season and the largest meet we have ever hosted. While the meet will begin at 8 AM, our swimmers should arrive by 6:15 AM and be ready for our warm-up session from 6:30-7:00 AM.

    You can view all of the meet information that we distributed to the other teams, but we would like you to make particular note of a few things.

    • Parking: Parking is going to be a challenge. If you are able to walk, carpool, or drop off your stuff and then go park, that would be very helpful. We want to do all we can to minimize the impact that this event has on our neighbors and do what we can to be welcoming hosts to the other teams. There may be inconvenience associated with this for you, but don’t think of it so much as inconvenience; think of it as service.
    • Team Area: Our team area will be along the side of the leisure pool. It will be tight. We recommend that if you bring a tent you plan to share it with another family or families. There are only so many tents that we will be able to fit on the deck. There will be no tents or chairs allowed to be set-up around the competition pool.
    • Swimmer Eligibility: To be eligible to compete at this meet a swimmer must have competed in two or more meets during the regular season. If you only swam in one meet, we are sorry, but you are not eligible to compete.
    • Swimmer Entry: Whether you plan to attend the meet or not, please take a moment to declare your swimmer, indicating whether your swimmer will be “attending” or “not attending” the meet. Please note that in a division championship meet, swimmers are permitted to participate in up to 3 individual events and only 1 relay. To participate, you must submit your swimmer declaration by Tuesday at 10:00 PM. There are no exceptions to this deadline.
    • Volunteer Opportunities: Since this week involves four teams, there are fewer volunteers we need to provide, but we still have need for just a few more. You can sign-up here.

    END OF SEASON PARTY

    We are looking forward to a fun event next Sunday evening, July 21, as we celebrate this fantastic and fun summer swim season! Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, July 17, so that we can provide enough food for all families attending. The team will be providing dinner, and we are asking families to bring either drinks (water, soda, etc.) or dessert to share.

    We are planning on having exclusive use of the entire pool from 4:30-7:00 PM. During this time, we will be hanging out, having fun, and we will have dinner available from 5:30-6:30 PM. This will be immediately followed by an awards ceremony that will take place in the grassy area outside of the pool. We’re hoping to have everything wrapped up sometime around 8:00 PM.

    Regarding the awards, all swimmers will receive a certificate and a 2024 Blue Crabs pin. Only swimmers who are new to the team will receive a Blue Crabs medal. If you are a returning swimmer, please bring your medal with you to the awards ceremony!

    We understand that you may have misplaced your medal and would like a replacement for your swimmer. Replacement medals are available for purchase for $10. They are available to order here and we should have them for you to pick-up during the awards ceremony.

    THE AMAZING RAFFLE

    You have one more opportunity to get in on the remarkable chance to win a complimentary orthodontic treatment donated by the generous team at Urbana Orthodontics (read more about it in our post here). If you are interested in participating in this raffle, or if you just want to support the Blue Crabs, you can enter to win this orthodontic treatment by purchasing raffle tickets in our merchandise store here. Tickets will be available for purchase for $5/ea until July 18 and there is no limit on the number of tickets you can purchase. We will select the winner at our end of season party on July 21.

    WEEKLY SCHEDULE

    Monday, July 15

    • 9-10 year olds practice from 8:30-9:15 AM
    • 11+ practice from 9:20-10:10 AM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 10:20-10:50 AM
    • 8 and unders practice from 11:00-11:45 AM (bring your pool pass!)

    Tuesday, July 16

    • Don't forget to declare your swimmer!
    • 9-10 year olds practice from 4:00-4:40 PM
    • 11+ practice from 4:45-5:30 PM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 5:40-6:10 PM
    • 8 and under Blue Crabs practice from 6:20-7:00 PM

    Wednesday, July 17

    • Please RSVP for our end of season party

    Morning Practice Session:

    • 9-10 year olds practice from 8:30-9:15 AM
    • 11+ practice from 9:20-10:10 AM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 10:20-10:50 AM
    • 8 and unders practice from 11:00-11:45 AM (bring your pool pass!)

    Afternoon Practice Session (you must bring your pool pass):

    • 9-10 year olds practice from 4:00-4:40 PM
    • 11+ practice from 4:45-5:30 PM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 5:40-6:10 PM
    • 8 and under Blue Crabs practice from 6:20-7:00 PM

    Thursday, July 18

    • Last chance to purchase raffle tickets for Urbana Orthodontics
    • 9-10 year olds practice from 4:00-4:40 PM
    • 11+ practice from 4:45-5:30 PM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 5:40-6:10 PM
    • 8 and under Blue Crabs practice from 6:20-7:00 PM

    Friday, July 19 – Donut Friday!

    • 9-10 year olds practice from 8:30-9:15 AM
    • 11+ practice from 9:20-10:10 AM
    • Mini Crabs practice from 10:20-10:50 AM
    • 8 and unders practice from 11:00-11:45 AM (bring your pool pass!)

    Saturday, July 20

    • Division 4 Championship Meet
    • Swimmers arrive by 6:15 AM for check-in and warm-ups.
    • Meet theme is Christmas in July

    Sunday, July 21

    • End of Season Party
    • 4:30-7:00 PM Pool Party
    • 5:30-6:30 PM Dinner
    • 7:00-8:00 PM Awards Ceremony

    It's going to be another great week!

    Go Blue Crabs!

    Thank you to all of our Gold Sponsors:


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