CCRA Stingrays: Stingrays News

Welcome to the CCRA Stingrays 2008 swim team season. Children of permanent, full summer, weekday, or combination memberships are invited to join the team. CCRA rules do not allow us to admit swimmers whose families hold a partial summer membership. This is our tenth year in the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL) and we are seeded fourth in Division H.

We are delighted to welcome back Head Coaches Amy Vermillion and Marco Martinez for their fifth season with the Stingrays. Amy and Marco will be joined a number of returning and other junior coaches who will also continue to swim for the team. Please give them all your full support.

Practices begin on Tuesday, May 27. The regular meet season runs June 14 - July 12 with five consecutive A meets on Saturdays beginning on June 14. CCRA will host two A meets on Saturday, June 21 and July 5. Swimmers with the three best times per event generally qualify to swim in weekly A meets. A meets begin at 9 a.m. and usually end around noon. Swimmers must arrive up to an hour early for warm-ups.

There will also be four consecutive B meets on Wednesday, June 18 and 25, and July 2 and 9. B meets run from approximately 6 – 8:30 pm. Swimmers may participate in B meets at our coaches' discretion. However, swimmers who place first, second, or third in an A meet event generally may not swim that event in a B meet.

Important MCSL dates are as follows:

• Our Divisional Relay Carnival will be on a date to be determined between June 22 and July 6.
• The Coaches Invitational Long Course Meet for qualifying swimmers is Tuesday, July 8
• Our Divisional Championship is Saturday, July 19
• The All-Star Relays and the All-Star Individual meets are Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, respectively.

Team members who qualify for Divisionals and the All-Star meets will have special practices on July 14 - 25. Dates are maintained on the CCRA Stingrays calendar. Please keep this schedule in mind as you make your summer plans, since swimmers who qualify are expected to attend these important events.

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Registration must be complete before the first day of practice on Tuesday, May 27 (Monday, June 2 for Pre-Team). Please fill out the registration form and mail it with a check payable to CCRA Swim Team to Colleen Markham (address is on the registration form). Registration forms will also be mailed out in May. No registrations will be accepted if left at the pool.

The CCRA Stingrays' registration fee is $115 for the first swimmer and $90 for each additional swimmer per family. This fee includes a $15 social fee per swimmer. Note: There will be a late fee of $15 per swimmer for registrations received after the first day of practice. No child may swim on the team unless a valid registration form and check are received.

Starting Tuesday, May 27, there will be two, one-hour practice sessions per afternoon from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. The earlier practice is generally for less experienced swimmers and the later one is for the more advanced. For maximum instructional benefit, our coaches reserve the right to place swimmers according to their abilities and swimmers may be moved during the season. Please consult our coaches if you are unsure of what practice your child should attend. Daily morning practices begin Thursday, June 16, from 8 - 9 a.m. Swimmers should attend at least one practice per day.

Time trials will be held on Wednesday, June 4, beginning at 4 p.m. and Saturday, June 7, beginning at 9 a.m. to obtain new official season times for swimmers. Please notify our coaches in advance which date your swimmers will attend. A parent must be present to assist with timing or other duties for their child to participate in time trials.

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Younger children not quite ready to compete are welcome to join the Stingrays developmental Pre-Team. Pre-team instruction begins Monday, June 2. Practices are held daily from 4 - 4:30 p.m., except on the afternoons of Wednesday B meets. Our little Stingrays are usually 5 - 7 years old depending upon ability. Please consult our coaches if you have any questions about Pre-Team.

Swim meets are extremely labor intensive and depend solely on the volunteer efforts of parents. Being a CCRA Stingray is a package deal - it is mandatory that if your child participates, you must work. Families will be assigned to work two B-meets if their child is swimming. It is your responsibility to work your entire assigned meets - no leaving when your child's event is over - or you must find an appropriate substitute. If your child swims in an A meet, you are expected to help with that meet in addition.

This season, we especially need more certified stroke and turn and other officials. Quick and easy MCSL training is available. Please contact our Team Reps to find out how you can get certified.

Join us Monday, June 2, for Back-to-Pool Night from 6:30-8 p.m. (rain date: Wednesday, June 4). Meet our coaching staff, get information, volunteer to help, and enjoy pizza with the team. During the season, we will continue our popular Friday evening pasta dinner/pep-rallies. The Team Family Banquet - for all regular and pre-team swimmers - will be Saturday evening, July 12. Please contact Cindy Hart or Kelly Murray to help with our team social committee.

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Our CCRA Stingrays team suit is the same as last season - the Speedo Whirlwind in blue for girls and the Speedo Quantum jammer in blue for boys. Suits are available locally from:

Capital Sport and Swim
10558 Metropolitan Avenue
Kensington, Maryland
(301) 949-7366

Be sure to ask for our discounted team price of $51 for the Whirlwind and $30 for the Quantum jammer. Suits are also available from various online vendors. A limited number of suits will be available for purchase at Back-to-Pool Night. Team swim caps are strongly encouraged at meets and can be purchased at the pool. Other Stingrays apparel will be available for order.

Stay tuned for more information in team emails from CCRAStingrays@yahoogroups.com. Please contact Diane Mooney to join the Stingrays team email list if you are not already subscribed or to update your information.

Additional swim team information is also available on:

• this CCRA Stingrays website: http://eteamz.active.com/CCRAStingrays/
• the MCSL website: http://www.mcsl.org

During the season, information will also be posted on the Stingrays bulletin board at the pool. Please contact one of the team representatives if you additional have questions. We're looking forward to a great 2008 summer season.

GO STINGRAYS!

Colleen Markham/A Representative
(301) 718-2036

Wendy Holmvik/B Representative
(301) 654-0907

Linda Loranger/B Representative
(301) 652-1604

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