CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK: Our swimmers of the week are: Johnathan Herndon (7U), Charlotte Bohl (6U) and Yael DeLorenzo (pup). Johnathan was great at trying to improve his strokes this week and did great applying advice from the coaches! Charlotte has been continuously stepping outside her comfort zone and trying new things at practices while improving all her strokes! Yael was at first, a bit hesitant to put her head in the water while swimming, but with a bit of encouragement and lots of bravery, she began doing it with every lap this week!

Swimmers of the week receive a gift card in recognition for their hard work. Congratulations, Johnathan, Charlotte, and Yael.

COACH'S CORNER:

• Coach Allie: Hey parents, we had another great meet and week of practices. I am so happy to see the kids having fun during meets and in the water during practice. I want to take a second to encourage everyone to sign up for the Cary City meet on July 11th. It has been and continues to be one of my favorite days of summer and I want all Swampfoxxes to make the same memories that I did as a kid! Registration for Cary City closes TODAY! I will continue to work with the kids on rotation this week, as well as fine tuning dives and underwater. Please reach out with questions or concerns at [email protected].
• Coach Sophia: Hello parents! We have had a great past week, and I am very happy with how practices and meets have been going! The swimmers worked on improving all three strokes this past week and will continue to do so next week. One upcoming event that I would like to highlight is our annual Cary City meet on July 11th. If your swimmer is comfortable swimming a lap by themselves, I would encourage them to sign up for Cary City. Cary City has been a highlight of summer swim team growing up, and I would love for the swimmers to be able to have the same experiences that I had! Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at [email protected]!
• Coach Lilly: Hi parents, this past week went very well! We continued to work on freestyle during Monday and Wednesday practices, and introduced backstroke for the first time on Thursday. I was really impressed with how willing the Swamp Pups were to try swimming on their backs, as it can take some bravery and practice to build confidence. This upcoming week I will be away on vacation, so other coaches will be leading the Swamp Pup practices. Additionally, practices this week will only be working on freestyle. I look forward to seeing everyone again next week, and as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to [email protected]. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

MEET RESULTS AND RECORDS: Congratulations to our Swampfoxxes for another victory last week. We are now 2-0 after beating Brookstone 334-155. You can find the meet results in the Swimtopia app, and a PDF report is also available on our website, under past events.

CARY CITY MEET: The 43rd annual Cary City Invitational Meet will be on Saturday, July 11 at Scottish Hills Recreational Club. 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. Swim fees for Cary City are due by Monday, June 22 - THAT’S TODAY!!

• If you are interested in being a volunteer lead for this fun team event, or helping with a component of the event, please reach out to Katie Richards ([email protected]).

NEXT HOME MEET! Our third meet is at home this Tuesday June 23! The Meet Theme is: Jerseys 

• 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
• And if you are a timer, clerk of course, stroke and turn judge, order of finish judge, TSA rep, or meet admin (ie meet officials for both shifts), be sure to attend the officials meeting at 5:45p.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 are still in need of a kid pusher (first shift). If you have a swimmer competing, please sign up for a volunteer position. 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 next meet is a week from Tuesday, so please mark your swimmer for the meet by this Tuesday. Attendance will close on Friday 6/26 for the meet Tuesday 6/30

SWIM CLINICS: The coaches are hosting 1 final Saturday morning (9-10a) swim clinic on Saturday June 27 for swimmers interested in improving breaststroke technique. All age groups are welcome! Clinics cost $10/swimmer and are cash only. Exact change is appreciated! Please RSVP on Swimtopia so we know how many coaches are needed.

TSA CHAMPIONSHIP MEET: At the end of the summer swim season, TSA hosts a championship meet at Triangle Aquatic Center for all swimmers to compete against summer swimmers across the region (not just from our division). This year’s TSA Championship Meet is Sunday July 19th. Details about this meet, including estimates on starting and ending times for each age group are available on the TSA website, and you can now register for this meet on our events page. Costs are still TBD, but last year they were $6 per stroke. NEW THIS YEAR: Parents of interested swimmers will be required to be on the pool deck for the entire time of their swimmer's session to serve as coaches for this event. When you sign your swimmer up for this event, please use the jobs sign up section to indicate which parent will be their coach. Signups will run through Monday, July 6. 

SOCIAL EVENTS:

• Save the date for popsicles after both evening practices for pups and team swimmers on Wednesday 6/24! Look for parent volunteers at the pavilion at the end of practice.
• July 4th PARTY: We’ll be having our annual 4th of July party on Friday July 4 from 12-3pm.The Swamp Shack will be open throughout the event. We'll have a DJ from 12-2pm and fun pool games starting at 1pm. Sign ups are available for food donations and volunteer positions on the website https://oxxfordhunt.swimtopia.com/swim_meets.We are still in need of volunteers to work in concessions. We’ll need your help to make it a success! We look forward to seeing you there!

VOLUNTEER POINTS: We are about halfway through our competitive season! As a reminder all families with swimmers age 7 and older are asked to complete 12 volunteer points, and families with only 6 and unders are asked to fulfill 5 points (no points required for pups). You can check on your family's points by logging into Swimtopia, click on My Account, and select each volunteering adult (they total per person so you have to add them together if you have two volunteers in your family). Here is a short video showing how to see your volunteer points: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bhIiS78aWNr6PoAV7GhTR1N18qsKfYss/view?usp=drivesdk

We have several opportunities for getting points coming up, including two more home meets, two more away meets, Cary City Meet (donations and volunteer opportunities), 4th of July Party (donations and volunteer opportunities), and the End of Season Banquet. Be sure to lookout for opportunities as they are posted on the website.

PLEASE CHECK THE TEAM COMMUNICATIONS BOX: Ribbons from swim meets are all in the black Team Communications Box. The Box lives in the Swamp Shack and can sometimes be found on the pool deck during practices. Parents should try to check the box at least once a week during the swim season. Thank you!

TEAM SHIRTS: We are picking up the additional shirt orders today and should have them available this week for pick up. If your swimmer hasn’t picked up their team shirts yet, please see Sally Nicol or Katie Herndon (mostly pups shirts still awaiting pick up.) Swim caps (latex or silicone) are available for anyone who does not have one, or has one that 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 continuing our 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