Thank you to everyone who attended the Stingrays Parent meeting. For those who couldn't attend, here's a summary of what we covered.

Swim Meets

The Stingrays are part of two "leagues", YMCA and USA Swimming.

YMCA Meets

• YMCA dual meets are open to all swimmers on the team and Coach Mike assumes that your swimmer will participate unless he hears otherwise.

• To swim in the YMCA State Meet, a swimmer needs to participate in at least three YMCA dual meets.
• Coach Mike will email families when he needs confirmation of participation. Please wait until he asks for this to alert him that your swimmer will not be participating in a meet.

• During our home meets, we will offer VIP Viewers' Passes for a reasonable cost. This will include exclusive reserved seating, refreshments, snacks, and a heat sheet.

USA Meets

• Typically, first-time swimmers do not participate in these meets. There are extra costs to be part of USA Swimming.

• Coach Mike will email families to let him know if they DO want to participate. Again, please wait until he asks for this to alert him that your swimmer will be participating.
• Please reach out to Rebecca Lazure at [email protected] or Jamie Johnson at [email protected] about making sure your swimmer is registered for USA Swimming.

Team Suits and Store

This year, we are excited to introduce team suits. They will be recommended but not required. Check out our team suits and other apparel in our team store on SwimOutlet by searching for “Kennebec Valley YMCA Stingrays” at swimoutlet.com/collections/kvy.

Team Events

Stingray Picture Day – Sunday, November 9^th

For a minimum donation of $10, you can capture cherished moments, selecting your desired photos and products to purchase once you see the stunning results! Professional photographer Jessica Vashon supports this team fundraiser by photographing swimmers on the deck and/or in the pool.

Stingray Aquathon - Saturday, November 15^th

This event is full of team spirit and fun! Stingrays will challenge themselves as they see how many laps they can swim while helping raise funds for new starting blocks! We will provide music, snacks, and lots of prizes for top fundraisers!

Stingray National Team Clinics – December and February Breaks

The Stingray National Qualifiers will offer clinics during school breaks as they fundraise for their trip to the National meet in April.

Winter Champs T-Shirt Contest – January

The Stingrays' USA swimmers will participate in the MESI Winter Champs meet in March. We will host a t-shirt design contest, with the winning design featured on the shirts for attendees.

Stingray Spirit Night – February

During the week before the YMCA State Meet, we will meet in the Y gym for pizza, poster making, and a team photo! We will display the posters at the State Meet.

Stingray Swim Banquet – April

We will come together to celebrate the season and achievement with pizza and awards!

Stingrays and their families are invited to join us in the Y gym as we recognize our swimmers' outstanding achievements.

Stingray Team Ironman Volunteer Event – July

We are excited to share that our team will volunteer at the Ironman event again this coming summer! This past summer, the team was awarded $1,000 for its volunteer work.

This is a fantastic opportunity for swimmers and families to unite and for high school students to earn their community service hours!

Volunteer Needs

Volunteers are essential for the success of our home meets, as each requires at least 30 people to run. The positions and their responsibilities are outlined below.

• Timers – These volunteers record the official time for a swimmer, acting as a crucial backup for the electronic timing system. They do this by starting a stopwatch when the race begins and stopping it the moment the swimmer touches the wall. Every meet requires two timers per name and one head timer.

• Concessions – These volunteers will help run the concession stand. Before each home meet we will ask for donations of snacks, crock pot meals, treats, and drinks.
• On-deck Helpers – These volunteers will help write event, heat, and lane numbers on swimmers' hands/arms.
• 50/50 Ticket and Heat Sheet Sales – These volunteers will walk around the deck before the start of the meet to sell both to spectators.
• Officials – Certified trained volunteers help enforce rules to ensure fair competition, manage the event, and ensure swimmer safety. Official certification is a great way to contribute to the team and learn more about the sport. Please reach out to Marie Weferling at [email protected] if you are interested in upcoming official training on October 18^th, 22^nd and 23^rd.

Fundraising

Last year, the team's fundraising efforts made it possible to replace the lane lines and purchase much-needed swim equipment for the Stingrays. This year, our goal is to raise funds to replace the starting blocks that are over 30 years old.

Now Taking Business Sponsorships! Own a business? Know someone who does? You can help our swimmers through a KVY business sponsorship. Get some positive visibility in our community and help KVY as we work toward our goal of getting new starting blocks for the pool. A business can even sponsor a block and have its logo engraved on it!

Check out the attached flyers for more details on the various sponsorship opportunities

Thank you for your continued support! We will provide additional information regarding the above information throughout the season. Please check out our team page for the meet schedule and more team information at kvystingrays.swimtopia.com.