CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK:

Our swimmers of the week are: Piper Keith and Ella Hoffman. Piper was awesome this week both with helping the coaches with lane lines, as well as working on her breaststroke! Ella is always super excited to be at practice and did a great job listening to her coaches and setting a good example, even when the water was cold!

Swimmers of the week receive a gift card in recognition for their hard work. Congratulations Piper and Ella!

COACH'S CORNER:

• Coach Allie: Hey guys, we had another successful week in the water as we worked on some backstroke and breaststroke. With time trials coming up I hope to work on butterfly, starts, and turns this week so that we cover all the bases! We will continue to work on each stroke a little bit each day but I am happy with the progress we have made so far. If you have any concerns about your swimmers progress please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate, I want to do my best to make sure each swimmer is comfortable and having fun in the water. My email is [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns :)
• Coach Sophia: Hello, parents! I’m glad that we were able to be in the water every day this past week, and we were able to get so much done! We finished up learning the basics of freestyle and learned how to swim backstroke. Most swimmers felt comfortable on their backs, but if your swimmer struggled a little this week, I would recommend practicing floating on their back by themselves in the shallow end whenever they have free time. Next week, I will be focusing on breaststroke, which tends to be a little bit harder for the younger swimmers. I would encourage your swimmer to try to come to as many practices as possible this week so that they don’t miss out on learning important skills as we prepare for time trials. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to [email protected]!

Registration for the swim team closes next week, on May 31st. Please note that families who registered after May 8th will see a late registration fee applied to their account this week. 

Saturday May 30th - OXH Swampfoxx Car Wash Fundraiser and Social- Let’s have some fun in the sun with our teammates and work together to raise money for our team! Please RSVP for all swimmers and parents who plan to participate! There are a few essential roles that can be signed up for available for folks who will not be supporting younger (under 10) swimmers. Additional volunteer points will be assigned after the event for other parent volunteers. First shift volunteers should report by 8:15 for check in and instructions. Second shift volunteers should arrive by 9:50 to check in and shadow their first shift counterparts and take over at 10 am. Children under 10 must be accompanied by a parent. Swimmers should wear old or current team shirts and or suits. Pool restrooms, snacks, juice, canned drinks, and water bottle refills and extra sunscreen will be provided. If you drive, please park as far as possible from the pool/clubhouse entrances on either end of the lot. Email Bethany [email protected] with questions or if you need help RSVPing.

SWAMP PUPS: The first Swamp Pup lesson will be on Monday, 6/1, and we will have lessons that Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. You should have received a notification about what two days per week your swimmer has practice. Reach out to the board if you have not received that information at [email protected]

VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS: Thank you to all our volunteers who donated their time or items for our Memorial Day Party!

Be sure to check the Swampfoxx Calendar for new volunteer opportunities: https://oxxfordhunt.swimtopia.com/swim_meets. New opportunities are being added as they become available.

We are still looking for a lead for Cary City Meet (extra points!!) - please reach out to Katie Richards ([email protected]) if you're interested or have any volunteer related questions.

TIME TRIALS: Time Trials will be held next Tuesday June 2! More details will be available in next week’s news, but there are a few things to prepare now:

• MARK SWIMMER AVAILABILITY: It is important for all swimmers to declare their attendance (select meet entry for each meet online once you sign in) for time trials and meets. This should always be done at least one week prior to a meet so the coaches can properly plan the heat sheets and minimize changes. Time Trials are a week from Tuesday (on Tuesday June 2, so please mark your swimmer for the meet by this Tuesday (May 26). Attendance will close on Saturday 5/30 for the meet Tuesday 6/2.
• Time Trials are run like a real meet. Swimmers should wear their team suit if they have them (or a black or red suit to match the team), swim cap (which will be available at the meet), and goggles.
• Swamp Shack - will be serving food (Dominos pizza, Chick-Fil-A and Smoothie King) and snacks. You can pay with cash, Venmo, or purchase a $10 Swamp Shack Card on our website.
• Parking - Home Meets we ask Swampfoxx families to walk/ride bikes to allow parking for the other team. For time trials, parking might have similar availability to practices. If you drive please obey the No Parking signs that will allow Fallsworth Drive to stay open (only park on one side of the road) and for cars to have proper access to the road.
• Volunteers - Remember, if you have a swimmer participating at Time Trials, we ask that at least one parent fulfill one shift during the event. Although volunteering at a meet might sound intimidating- it's not! Time Trials is a great opportunity to learn role(s) for the season. Reach out to Katie Richards if you have volunteer related questions ([email protected]).

LAST YEAR’S RIBBONS: We have several families who still have ribbons/pins/medals in the Black Communications Box from last season. Please collect these as soon as possible so we can have room for this year’s ribbons.

TEAM SHIRTS & SWIM CAPS: We are currently working to get the official 2026 team tee shirts made and available for our first swim meet! Each swimmer receives a shirt included in their registration, and a Swampfoxx swim cap if needed (either latex or silicone). Please consider having your swimmer continue to use their existing cap if possible, to allow us to manage our stock and costs. Shirts and caps will be distributed at practices just before timed trials. Extra 2026 shirts will also be available for sale in select sizes for only $20! We also have previous season shirts available for sale at a discounted price! See Katie Herndon or Sally Nicol for sizes and styles!

MERCHANDISE: Show your Swampfoxx spirit all around town with our new CAR MAGNETS for only $10 each, as well as COOZIES and HYDROFLASK STICKERS for $2 each. They are available at the swamp shack and in our team store.

TEAM SWIMSUITS: Swim suits are available at Kiefer Aquatics, located in the Harris Teeter plaza at Maynard and High House Rd. Team suits are not required, but we ask swimmers to wear black or red for meets if possible. When you go to Kiefer Aquatics, you just tell them you are on the Oxxford Hunt Swampfoxxes and they will show you the team suits. Children can try it on in the store. There is also an exchange box/tub available at practices for families to donate suits and/or swim team apparel that no longer fits. Families are welcome to take any items that might fit their child.

Please let us know what questions you may have or use other parents as a resource, either in person at the practice or via our FB parents forum!

Your Oxxford Hunt Swim Team Board