Good afternoon Stingray’s 

Lots of important information below, including a note from our coaches, so please read all the way through. 

Please be sure to clean up after practice time is over. We had a lot of sno cone trash leftover from fun friday. Longwood HOA expects the pool area/playground to be maintained and cleaned each day the pool is in use. 

PRACTICE TIMES & AGE GROUP 

On your way into the pool, be sure to stop by the lifeguard station to sign-in your swimmer before each practice. 

PRACTICE PARKING/DROP OFF 

• When parking on Kavanaugh only park on one side of the street. Last week there was parking on both sides and that is not allowed. 
• Please visit https://scst.swimtopia.com/parking-and-pool-map for parking maps. This is for both Practice and Meets. We want to respect the neighborhood and the neighbors that support our swim team. All street parking is one side only, please do not block driveways, and NO PARKING on Longwood Bend at any time.
• As many of you with slightly older swimmers that will be dropping off your swimmers, notice the entry and exit for the pool area. Please just be respectful and cautious; there are a lot of littles very excited to run to the pool. 

THIS WEEK 

• Monday - Oh Sew Peachy Sip & Shop - DELAYED New date TBD 
• Tuesday - Cookin with Kim freezer meals will be delivered at practices. Please use code Stingrays with a capital S when you visit https://cookinwithkim.com/longwood-swim/ to place your order. DEADLINE IS TODAY! 
• Friday- Sno Cones 

PARKING RAFFLE 

Help us raise money for the 2024 season! There are 4 SPOTS AVAILABLE! 

• Prize: Win 1 of 4 Reserved parking spots at 2024 home meets. 
• Price: $10 per entry or 5 entries for $40 
• How: Send $ to the Stingrays Venmo @scst-stingrays with your name and "RAFFLE" in the notes section. If you are unable to pay via Venmo and would still like to enter the raffle, contact Melissa Jungeblut at [email protected] to pay with cash. 
• When: All raffle entries must be received by Thursday, May 2nd. Winners will be announced Friday, May 3rd and contacted via email or phone. 
• We will be having more raffles throughout the season so be on the lookout for more information! 

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION 

Job Signup will open at 12 PM Sunday 4/28 prior to Time Trials. Here are the links to the video tutorials for how to sign up for Meet Declaration and Volunteer Shifts so you can get yourself familiar with the process. 

• Declaration - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0zVbpCwgHU
• Volunteer Shift - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqVF9fm4STc

6 Volunteer Shifts + 1 divisional shift per family is required 

There is a list of volunteer positions with descriptions on our website - https://www.scstingrays.net/volunteer-information . 

Most jobs do not require any experience. If the job is listed as preassigned, it does require special approval. Please do not sign up for those; unless given pre-approval. 

When the Volunteer Sign Up opens we would ask that each family only sign up for 1 Volunteer shift at Time Trials in order to give everyone a chance to get a shift that wants one. If there are shifts that haven’t been filled on Tuesday 4/30, then feel free to sign up for a second shift. 

A $300 credit card pre-authorization fee was required at sign up to ensure your shifts are filled. This will ONLY be charged to your credit card (credit card that you use at registration time) at the end of the season if your volunteer responsibilities are not fulfilled. 

If there are any issues with completing your shifts or you have any questions regarding shift descriptions please reach out to our volunteer coordinator at [email protected] . 

COACHES CORNER 

Hi Stingrays! 

WOW!! We are blown away with how our first few days of practice went! Coach Elise and I both saw strong swimmers in our newcomer practices, Coaches Rosie, Carson and Hazel all made positive comments about how well their groups were working together, and Coaches Ryan and Cassie are amazed at the excitement and energy their groups showed! Keep up the great work, Stingrays! 

This week our 6 and unders will continue to learn how to be on a swim team, learning things like finding their correct lane, the names of the strokes, and the different positions to put their arms in. We will also keep working on strong kicks; a strong kick is the base for a solid swim! 

Our 8 and ups will begin to learn about Breaststroke and butterfly. These are our 'short axis' strokes meaning the body hinges from the chest and torso, not rotating around the head like freestyle and Backstroke (the 'long axis' strokes). These two strokes are less intuitive, and will require more patience and practice from most swimmers. We will also begin introducing Meet protocols (how to do warm ups, how to get ready for diving, etc). 

Please help us get to know your swimmers name and face quicker by updating their registration picture! Reach out to Bryce Elliott at [email protected] if you need help. 

See you at the pool! 

Coach Emily 

COMMUNICATIONS 

• If you haven’t already, now’s the time to sign up for the STINGRAY Remind. For updates and cancellations - 
  • Parents of 10 and under swimmers text @10underss to 81010 
  • Parents of 11 and ups swimmers text @11upss to 81010 
• This is the preferred communication tool of the coaches, and the best way to get up-to-the minute information about practices and meet cancellations and changes. Please sign up as soon as possible to stay in touch. 
• For ALL swim meet information, download the SWIMTOPIA app and TIME DROPS LIVE! (code for login will be provided on the day of the meet) from Apple Store or Google Play. These apps are how heat sheets are shared and how to stay informed of what event is up next. If you are new, ask an experienced swim team parent or board member to walk you through the apps before Time Trials. 
• Also please make sure to follow us on Facebook. Instead of emailing updates throughout the week we will post updates here - https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=spring%20cy... 
• If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to the board at [email protected] 

Stephanie Mixon 

Secretary