Dear Piranha Families -

Are you exhausted?? That’s because we’ve had a full, action-packed week!

We hosted our first B Meet on Monday night. We competed at Divisional Relay Carnival and had ice cream at Parklawn to celebrate. We held an epic nerf battle on Friday night. We hosted our first A Meet against the other undefeated team in our division - and we won! We also held our 2024 Olympic themed Mini-Meet on Sunday, ending with the crowd-pleasing, injury-inducing parent relays, where pulled muscles were the real winners.

To top it off, we had an NVSL official visiting our Saturday meet and she had high praise for our team and the way we ran our meet. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who made it happen!

We’re halfway through the season, Piranhas - we've had lots of excitement already and more to come. Read on for details about the week ahead.

On the Schedule This Week

July 3rd - Team Outing at Bowlero

• Time: Approx. 1:30 PM
• Location: Bowlero, 4245 Markham Street, Annandale, VA
• Note: This is a parent-coordinated outing, not team-run or paid event. Parents are responsible for their kids. Sometimes Groupons are offered and they offer a summer pass: Bowlero Summer Pass.

July 4th

• No practice. Enjoy the holiday!
• Parklawn still needs donations for the coin dive competition.

July 5th - Practice Modification

We know we will have people out of town or just tired from a late night. It is okay to sleep in or miss a practice. We will be running a compressed practice schedule.

• 12 & Unders: 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM (younger swimmers may be released earlier)
• 13 & Overs: 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM

July 5th - Friday Night Social: Karaoke Lip Sync

• We need parents to help with 9-10 boys, 11-12 boys, and 11-12 girls. Please step up and help. Email Lara MacDonald.
• All songs must be submitted by July 3rd at noon. No more than two minutes per song.

July 6th - A Meet Against Dominion Hills

• This is our last home A meet and it’s also our Senior Recognition meet where we’ll be honoring all of our graduating Piranhas! Please come out to support our seniors, even if you’re not swimming.
• Meet information and job sign-up will be available on Thursday.

July 6th - 13 & Over Age Group Progressive Dinner

• Our 13 & Over Age Group Progressive Dinner is happening on July 6th! Please RSVP on the calendar and sign up for one or two jobs—we need plenty of help to make this event a success.
• For those new to this event, here's how it works: Kids will start at a designated home for appetizers, then break into groups and move to different homes for the salad/soup course, and switch groups again for dinner. Finally, everyone will gather back at the pool for dessert and some after-hours night swimming. Don't miss out on the fun!

Practice Notes from Our Coaches

The Wacky Wednesday theme this week is long shirts - red, white, and blue style!

Parents, please remember not to approach coaches on deck during practice. If you need to speak to a coach, please message them through Team Snap to set up a time to talk.

A Big Thank You to Our Swim Team Sponsors!

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our amazing business sponsors for their generous support. Your contributions play a vital role in our team's success and help us create unforgettable experiences for our swimmers. Thank you for being an essential part of our community!

• EatYogaDrink
• Koralaide Consulting
• Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant
• Neverland Destinations
• RocketFizz
• The Reef Team
• Wisely Greco & Associates

Relays, Records, and Remarkable Races

Divisional Relay Carnival saw speedy races with great teamwork and we tied for third in our division. Two of our teams earned spots in the NVSL All-Star Relays. Additionally, three of our teams shattered Parklawn team records. It was a day of fast swimming all around, with every relay swimmer contributing. Bravo to all our swimmers for their hard work and dedication!

All-Star Relay Teams

Congratulations to our two teams heading to NVSL All-Star Relays next week!

• Girls 11-12 100 Medley Relay (Charlotte Hill, Alina Kinder, Jessie Snow, Sarah Fabrizio)

• Girls 13-14 200 Freestyle Relay (Emerson Mancari, Lucy Oliphant, CC Corbett, Amelia Young)

Record Breaking Races

Congratulations to swimmers with record breaking swims this week!

• Boys 15-18 200 Freestyle Relay lowered a 2018 record by over a second (Noah Crozier, Evan Chadwell, Noah Popp, Louis Molife)

• Girls 13-14 200 Medley Relay lowered a 2011 record by 11 seconds (Emerson Mancari, Cami Sonn, CC Corbett, Amelia Young)

• Girls 13-14 200 Freestyle Relay smashed a 2011 record by 14 seconds! (Emerson Mancari, Lucy Oliphant, CC Corbett, Amelia Young)

• At our A Meet Emerson Mancari lowered her own records in 50 Fly to 32.13 and the 13-14 Girls 100 Medley team lowered the team record set earlier this year (Emerson Mancari, Cami Sonn, CC Corbett, Amelia Young).

Swimmers of the Week & Lightning Award Winners

Congratulations to our Swimmers of the Week whose dedication and hard work have shone through, and to our Lightning Award winners for their impressive time drops!

Swimmers of the Week

• Jemma Bae (Girls 9-10)
• Max Runyan (Boys 13-14)

Lightning Award Winners

• Emma Hsia (Free) - Improved by 20.87%
• Jaxson Kurz (Free) - Improved by 18.83%

We’re proud of all our swimmers and their achievements. Keep up the great work, everyone!

Relay Carnival Shirts Still Available

If you missed getting a D7 Relay Carnival shirt and still want one, good news! Canterbury Woods is gauging interest for a reorder (we need at least 48 shirts). The quality is outstanding, and we have adult sizes available. Let Karen know if you're interested.

Coming Up: Divisionals

Can you believe it? There are only a few weeks left in the summer season and our divisional meet is just around the corner, happening at SHBR on July 20th. This is not a team-scored meet; swimmers choose their events in order of preference and can swim a total of two events (free, back, breast, fly, and IM). Our team sends the top two swimmers in each event.

The Divisional Store is open for orders until July 15th. Get your gear now!

Photo Links

Finally, here are links to last week’s photo albums from our talented photographers, Jason and Norch.

Have a great holiday week Piranhas! See you on deck.