CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK: Our swimmers of the week are: Alex Walsh, Atlas Schlosser, and Lydia Klocke. Alex put lots of work into his turns this week and did a great job stepping up to lead his lane when needed. Atlas worked super hard each practice and made huge improvements in all three strokes. Lydia did an awesome job this week with kicking and worked super hard to hold her breath while swimming, which impressed Coach Lilly!

Swimmers of the week receive a gift card in recognition for their hard work. Congratulations, Alex, Atlas, and Lydia.

COACH'S CORNER:

• Coach Allie: I am so proud of our performance this week both at practice and time trials! Everyone did an amazing job applying what they have learned these last couple weeks into their races. I want to continue working on fine tuning our strokes as we get into meet season, starting with butterfly and breaststroke on Monday! Last week we were introduced to underwaters, relay starts, and pull outs so we will work on putting it all together this week. Please reach out with any questions or concerns at [email protected]!
• Coach Sophia: Hello, parents! We have had a great past week! I am so proud of all of the swimmers that showed up to time trials. It can be scary to swim in front of everyone for the first time. This week, we have been working on getting the kids more comfortable swimming without a coach. Next week, we will be working more on technique and endurance for each stroke in preparation for our swim meets. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at [email protected]!
• Coach Lilly: I was really impressed with how well the Swamp Pups did this past week and I enjoyed seeing everyone again and meeting our new swimmers! We mainly worked on our freestyle kick with the kick boards, as well as putting our face in the water and blowing bubbles. Most of the Swamp Pups are at different levels when it comes to swimming, so this week will be similar to last, but we will start to incorporate arms for those who feel ready to move on from kick. I had a few parents come to me asking about moving their swimmer from Pups to 6 and Unders. There is no formal process for moving the swimmers up, so if it’s something you’re considering, I’m happy to discuss their proficiency level and recommendations either over email or in person after practices to see what we can arrange! If you have any questions or concerns, I am happy to answer at [email protected]!

FIRST MEET! Our first meet is this Tuesday June 9 at home! The Meet Theme is: Hawaiian

• Arrive at 4:45pm to check in your swimmer, get settled, swimmers numbered and meet volunteers sign in (even if you are 2nd shift). Warmups will begin at 5:00pm sharp. Meet will start no later than 6p
• Swim meet volunteer officials meeting is at 5:45pm outside of the pool entrance
• Please walk or carpool to save parking spaces for our guests. Consider parking on Trappers Run to leave Fallsworth and parking lot for the other team
• Please remember that OXH pool rules apply during swim meets. The pool is CLOSED except to swim meet events, which means no one should be in the deep end or the shallow end. We recognize it can be challenging to keep track of your swimmers while working a shift, but please remind your swimmers to follow the rules at the pool.
• Papers called “heat sheets” will be on display on a board at the meet (coaches and several volunteers will also have these to do their jobs, like kid pushers, clerk of course, etc), showing the lane and heat that each swimmer will be in. Please check relays in addition to individual events. Swimmers might swim in a relay of an older age group when there are not enough swimmers in that age group to make a team of 4.
• We run the events in order of:
  • 1. Medley relay (7-8 age group through 15-18),
  • 2. Individual freestyle (6U through 15-18),
  • 3. Individual backstroke (6U through 15-18),
  • 4. Individual breaststroke (6U through 15-18),
  • 5. Individual butterfly (7-8 through 15-18), and
  • 6. Freestyle relay (7-8 through 15-18).
• If your swimmer’s status has changed (especially if they planned to swim and no longer can), please let us know ASAP. Coach Allie ([email protected]) and Coach Sophia ([email protected]) need to adjust the heat sheets and having as much time as possible to do that is very helpful. You can copy the board ([email protected]) so that we can try to get heat sheets updated before they are printed. We understand kids can get sick at any point and sometimes meets can be overwhelming, so please just communicate with a coach if you need to leave, or your swimmer can no longer participate in event(s) planned.
• Food and concessions: On meet day we offer special food items in addition to what is normally sold in concessions

MEET VOLUNTEERS: We ask that if you have a swimmer competing, at least one parent plans to volunteer at each swim meet. We want all families to do their part to help. Contact Katie Richards ([email protected]) if you need to change your volunteer position or have any questions. During meets, please check in for your job with Katie before the meet begins, even if you are working a 2nd shift job. We need to ensure there is coverage for all positions at the start of the meet.

MARK SWIMMER AVAILABILITY: It is important for all swimmers to declare their attendance (select meet entry for each meet online) for 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. The second meet is a week from Tuesday. Attendance will close on Saturday 6/13 for the meet Tuesday 6/16.

SATURDAY CLINICS: Please save the date for 3 Saturday swim clinics, hosted by our coaches. Swim clinics provide extra practice on Saturday mornings, where coaches dedicate an entire hour working on a specific skill. Clinics cost $10/swimmer and are cash only. Exact change is appreciated!

• Saturday June 13: Starts and Turns
• Saturday June 20: Butterfly
• Saturday June 27: Breaststroke

CARY CITY MEET: The 43rd annual Cary City Invitational Meet will be on Saturday, July 11 at Scottish Hills Recreational Club. This major local event brings together multiple swim teams from around our area for a full day of swim fun! This is a great tradition for our Swampfoxxes to participate in. Especially since we have won the coveted Spirit Award Trophy 6 of the last 10 years! The event includes dancing, games, mingling with other teams, and of course, swimming!!

If you are interested in being a volunteer lead for this fun team event, please reach out to Katie Richards ([email protected]). The more volunteer leads we have the better!!

Learn more about the event, sign your swimmers up ($20 per swimmer, or $10 per 6+ under swimmer), and purchase this year's themed shirt ($15 each), on our website: https://oxxfordhunt.swimtopia.com/cary-city-meet or at our Cary City Meet Table during this week's Swim Meet. Swim fees for Cary City are due by Monday, June 15.

MORNING PRACTICES (9-10a daily) begin Monday June 15, marking the beginning of traditional calendar schools summer break!

SOCIAL EVENTS: Save the date for Donuts and Juice following morning practice on 6/15 and popsicles after both practices on 6/15 and 6/24! We are still in need of one volunteer to serve and clean up the donuts and juice after practice and two folks to pass out popsicles- sign up here.

SAFETY REMINDER: Please remind your swimmers to be careful walking and riding to and from the pool on Fallsworth Drive and to ride bikes and scooters on the right side of the road. We have had reports of near accidents, especially near intersections at Chatham and Norham. 

TEAM GEAR: Our 2026 swim team shirts are IN!! Most swimmers have picked up their shirts but if you haven’t, we’ll be set up poolside on Monday and Tuesday at the meet for distribution, see Sally Nicol or Katie Herndon. Swim caps (latex or silicone) will also be available for pick up at the meet. If your swimmer still has a swim cap from last year, please consider having them use it again to help us conserve our stock. We are happy to replace their cap if it breaks.

OTHER TEAM MERCH FOR SALE: 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.

We’re having a BIG SUMMER BLOWOUT SALE on our 2025 light gray soft cotton blend shirts for $10, and our 2024 red lightweight performance tee shirts and dark gray 2023 cotton tee for only $5!! See Katie Herndon or Sally Nicol for size options and payment. Want more customized Swampfoxx swag? Several items including bags, tanks, hats and visors are available for direct order and shipping at SwimOutlet. This link can be found on our website under the Team Store tab. If you don’t see the product you’re looking for, let us know and we can add it!

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