CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK: Our swimmers of the week are: Evalyn Pratt (7U), Jude Galloway (6U), and Nora Dosch (pup). Evalyn has been working very hard improving her breast and fly this week, and she is always cheering on her teammates! Jude always shows up to practice ready to swim and pushes himself to improve each of his strokes! Nora is always super friendly to her coaches and fellow Swamp Pups, and she insists on trying to swim without the help of a coach, which is awesome!

Swimmers of the week receive a gift card in recognition for their hard work. Congratulations Evalyn, Jude, and Nora!

COACH'S CORNER:

• Coach Allie: We had another great week in the water, and another awesome win! This week I will have us working on some starts and we will continue to work on underwaters and long strokes. Looks like it will be an extremely hot week so send your kids with water bottles! I will make sure we have water breaks if needed. Please reach out with any questions or concerns at [email protected].
• Coach Sophia: Hello, parents! I am so proud of how much all of the swimmers have been continuing to progress at practices. I would like to continue to encourage all of the swimmers to sign up for our swim meets! It is a great way for your swimmers to make amazing memories and show off everything that they have been learning at practices. We are going to continue to perfect the strokes and get the swimmers more comfortable swimming by themselves in the upcoming weeks. Additionally, if your swimmer is signed up for Cary City, I will begin to work on getting them comfortable with swimming full laps by themselves. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at [email protected]!
• Coach Lilly: Hi Parents, I hope all went well last week while I was away and the Pups continued to work on freestyle with the other coaches! This week we’re going to try backstroke again during one of our practices, so like last time, you do not have to stick to the Swamp Pup schedule if you’d prefer your swimmer to only participate in the freestyle practices. I highly encourage trying to introduce them to being on their backs though! If you have any questions or concerns, I’m happy to help at [email protected]!
  • Monday: Backstroke
  • Wednesday: Freestyle
  • Thursday: Freestyle

NEXT MEET! Our fourth meet is at Weldon Ridge this Tuesday June 30! The Meet Theme is: Red, White, and Blue!

• Arrive by 5:15pm to get settled, swimmers numbered and meet volunteers sign in (even if you are 2nd shift).
• Address: 701 Wellbrook Station Rd, Cary, NC 27519 Weldon Ridge Pool
• Parking: Families are encouraged to carpool to Weldon Ridge. If the lot is full, you can use Wellbrook Station Rd for street parking. Additionally, Ivyshaw Rd and Trentview Rd are available for secondary overflow parking; you can use the Greenway to walk to the pool. Please make sure to park on only one side of the street (opposite the sidewalk) to allow room for emergency vehicle access.
• Facility: Visitors are encouraged to bring folding chairs. We can set up under the large umbrellas nearest the clubhouse. Spectators are also welcome to use the clubhouse deck overlooking the pool, as well as the tables along the rock wall to the left of the shallow end towards the umbrellas. Basically, from the pool entrance, everything on the left side is designated for the visiting team. For safety reasons, parents and swimmers should avoid sitting on any non-seating structures. The water slide will be closed before and during the meet.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Swimmers are not allowed to use sharpies/permanent markers on their bodies, other than swimmer numbers or events on arms, as they can transfer onto the fabric chairs. 
• Parents Plunge: We’ll be offering a “Parent Plunge” during the meet to help parents cool off on a hot day.
• Concessions: Pizza, Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and pre-packaged snacks, popsicles, and drinks. We accept cash, Zelle, and Stripe.
• Heat sheets will be on display on a board at the meet 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. Please communicate with a coach if you need to leave, or your swimmer can no longer participate in event(s) planned.

MEET VOLUNTEERS: Thank you to all our parents who signed up to volunteer this week! We are in need of a first shift timer and kid pusher. Be sure to check in for your job with Katie before the meet begins, even if you are working a 2nd shift job.

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 7/3 for the meet Tuesday 7/7. If your swimmer has a preference for an event (ie - would rather not compete in butterfly, or be in a relay), please communicate these to the coaches via email when signing up for the meet and before registration closes.

SOCIAL EVENTS:

• We’ll be having our annual 4th of July party on Saturday July 4 from 12-3pm.The SwampShack will be open throughout the event. We'll have a DJ from 12-2pm and fun pool games starting at 1pm. We are still in need of a volunteer for concessions, two volunteers for clean up at the end of the party, and a few food items. These are tasks that count toward each family’s volunteer points requirement. Sign up in swimtopia. We’ll need your help to make it a success and look forward to seeing you there!
• Save the date: Friday, July 10th- Cary City Teambuilding and Ice Cream Social

CARY CITY MEET: The annual Cary City Invitational Meet will be on Saturday July 11th at Scottish Hills Rec Club. Participating swimmers should have received an email from Katie Richards this past weekend, be sure to read through that message and complete the needed tasks.

• There are many volunteer point opportunities, even for families with swimmers who are not participating.
  • Friday Night set up volunteers
  • Saturday Morning donations
  • Saturday Afternoon donations & tear down volunteers

END OF SEASON BANQUET: Join us as we celebrate another amazing summer of swimming on Friday, July 17th, from 6:00–8:00 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (211 Union Street, Cary, NC 27511). At this Tuesday’s meet, when swimmers check in, they’ll have the chance to vote for our banquet dinner menu! We’ll have three options to choose from, and the team favorite will be served at the banquet. Be sure your swimmer checks in and casts their vote! Please RSVP for the banquet and purchase your tickets in SwimTopia. You’ll find the banquet event there, and you’ll respond just like you do for meets. After you RSVP, you’ll be prompted to purchase tickets—just follow the instructions on the RSVP page. RSVPs are due by July 7th.

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 $12 per swimmer + $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.

TEAM FUNDRAISING: We are excited to report our first donation received through Benevity (a corporate fundraising service)! Thank you to those who suggested we register with the site, and for families who have set up corporate and employee giving with their employers. Check to see if your employer offers any company matching, and select the Oxxford Hunt Swampfoxxes to receive your employer match (for volunteer hours or a direct donation!).

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: Last call to pick up shirts - please see Sally Nicol or Katie Herndon (just a few 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