Dear Piranhas Families -

What an exciting way to kick off the season with a super close match up against Camelot. We narrowly missed the win by two points (!!), but it was a spirited and exciting meet all the way to the final relay. It shows just how competitive our season will be. Every race counts and we are proud of our swimmers for bringing their best to every practice and every meet.

We begin our morning practice schedule starting tomorrow morning, June 19. Please review your assigned time slot and plan accordingly (note the length of practice is different). Junior Piranhas should have received a note from Amanda Hungerford regarding practice times.

Finally, we are delighted to welcome a new coach on deck — Coach Marcques! Please give him a warm Piranha welcome if you see him.

Below are important details for the week ahead, followed by a few recaps of exciting Piranha events.

Tomorrow's B Meet at Dowden Terrace

We’re thrilled for our first away meet this Monday night at Dowden Terrace Pool - which is just a short walk from Parklawn!

• The theme is pajamas.

• Arrive at 5pm for warm-ups.

• Parking is limited at Dowden Terrace, so please park in our field and walk across the bridge to Dowden Terrace.

• Help support the Dowden Terrace team by dining at their grill. They take cash or credit cards.

Questions? Contact Amanda Hungerford.

Friday Pep Rally - Laser Tag

It's laser tag time, and we're taking over the Parklawn field! Get ready to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge your way through the laser tag course and have a blast with your fellow Piranhas. Wear comfortable shoes. It's scheduled 4:30-6:30pm. See you all on the battlefield!

Questions? Contact Lara Macdonald.

Upcoming Saturday A Meet vs Villa Aquatic

Our second A meet versus Villa Aquatic is at home this Saturday. Swimmers will be notified Thursday night if they are swimming. The theme for the meet is Western Wear so start gathering up your cowboy hats and boots!

It’s important that families stay after at home meets until the end to return the deck to its original configuration for pool membership. Please do not leave without helping.

Piranha-thon Success!

Our Piranhas have truly outdone themselves! We are proud to announce that our team raised nearly $15,000 in pledges.

We are overwhelmed by the team's spirit, unbelievable stamina, and remarkable sportsmanship.

This achievement will greatly aid in covering our banquet, pep rallies, social events, training equipment, and meet expenses. A big shout out to Coach Carmen, Andrea Cordero, Rebecca Cervoni for organizing it from start to finish, and Caroline Molina and Karen Corbett for designing great swag for lap and pledge winners.

Congratulations to all our winners of most pledges and most laps! Payments for pledges will be sent by Friday, June 16th.

Saturday's meet versus Camelot, recapped!

Check out scenes from our exciting meet versus Camelot this week. These "before and after" videos from our Piranhas were featured by NVSL, and this video shows highlights from the meet.

Congratulations to our 11-12 girls medley relay team (Emerson Mancari, Alina Kinder, CC Corbett, and Amelia Young) for breaking a record that has been on our record board since 1976! The new record time of 1:05.52 was over five seconds faster than the previous record, and it was the sixth fastest time for 11-12 girls medley relays in the NVSL this weekend. Relay team photo to come!

Check out these photos from the meet.

(Photos by Jason Nye)

Team Summer Outings

Each year, we plan a few optional team outings so Piranhas have time together off the pool deck. For these events, families are responsible for ticket cost and transportation and should coordinate plans with other Piranhas. Here are a few opportunities for fun. These are on our team calendar:

Get Air Trampoline Park- June 21

340 S Pickett St, Alexandria, VA 22304

2 pm to 4 pm

Tubing with River Riders - June 25

https://www.riverriders.com/

(We would be grateful for a parent who would like to coordinate this outing)

Kings Dominion - July 12

Meet Photos

We are fortunate to have the talented Jason Nye (dad to 9-10 Piranha Sophia Nye) as our official team photographer this year! You can find Jason behind a lens at meets, team activities, and practices. He’s created a few albums where you can download photos of your swimmer. It’s always kind to credit photographers when you use their photos publicly, and we encourage you to do so when you use these photos!

Parklawn Piranhas - Time Trials (06-10)

Parklawn Piranhas - B-Meet Broyhill Crest @ Parklawn (06-12)

Parklawn Piranhas - A-Meet Camelot @ Parklawn (6-17)

Private Swim Instruction

Some families have inquired about individual swim instruction. A list of instructors for private swim lessons and coaching beyond the team's program is located across from the Parklawn entrance. Please contact the instructors directly for further details and scheduling.

Friday Flow Yoga

Parklawn Piranhas sponsor eat.YOGA.drink invites you to the pool for an all-levels mindful movement class. The cost is $10 per person per session. Half of all proceeds will be donated to the Piranha Power Booster Club. Yoga is taught with love and laughs by Erin Sonn, M.Ed., E-RYT, owner of eat.YOGA.drink. and mom to 11-12 girls Piranha Cami Sonn.

See you all this week!

Swim Team Leadership