Hello Piranhas!

What a fantastic Time Trials weekend! The cheering was loud, the team spirit was strong, and the glitter was…everywhere 🙂 We saw fast and brave swims. Many swimmers stepped outside of their comfort zones to try new strokes and longer distances. We’re proud of our Piranhas!

Thank you volunteers for running a smooth meet. We’re thrilled to see so many families pitching in. Let’s also give our Piranha Grill Team a big high five for kicking off the season in sizzling style!

And of course, no Piranha season would be complete without a little weather drama. Thanks to everyone for sticking out the pop-up storm during team photos.

We’d love to help more families get involved. If you’ve spotted a volunteer job that looks interesting - timing, clerk of course, ribbons, announcing, or anything else - let us know. We’d be happy to tell you more about it and help you shadow a veteran volunteer.

Now some notes for the week. 

Morning Practice Begins Thursday. Practice will be held Monday through Friday. We will have practice on Juneteenth. The practice schedule is here.

Monday: Home Meet with Broyhill Crest. Our first B Meet is Monday.

• The theme is Mismatched Madness.
• Arrive at 4:50pm (12-unders) and 5:00pm (13-overs)
• See the email Ali Goldwater and Amanda Hungerford sent this evening for more details, including heat sheets.

Also, a few reminders about B Meets in general.

• Help us streamline our meets! If you enter the meet, please show up. Empty lanes make it hard to run an efficient meet.
• If your swimmer competes in the second half, stay to clean up. Teen swimmers - this is a great way to show leadership!
• Event selections and volunteer sign-ups for the next B meet are due Saturday at 3pm.

Wednesday’s Wacky Theme is Sports Shirts. Wear your favorite team jersey, sports shirt, or athletic gear to practice.

Friday: Boat Races and Chick-Fil-A. Our Friday Night Social (5:30 p.m.) will see teams work together to design and build boats before putting them to the test. Teams will be mixed across age groups, giving our older swimmers a chance to help younger teammates.

You can pre-order Chick-Fil-A for dinner. Pre-order details will be sent later this week.

Saturday: Our First A Meet vs. Fairfax Frogs. The theme is Luau! Swimmers selected for the meet will be notified Thursday night. Volunteer positions will open then too.

If selected, swimmers are expected to stay until the meet concludes. Swim meets are team events, and every swimmer contributes to the team's success. Just as players don't leave a baseball, soccer, or basketball games midway through, swimmers are expected to remain for the duration of the meet.

If you have a conflict that requires leaving early, it must be noted in advance and approved by a team representative before lineups are finalized.

Coaches' Notes. Bring water bottles and fins to every practice. We use them in every practice.

Parking Reminder. Help us keep the pool safe and accessible. Emergency vehicles, including large ladder trucks, must be able to access and turn around in our parking lot. For meets and Friday night socials, begin parking in the farthest section of the field and work your way inward. Review the Parking Diagram if you have questions.

IM Carnival Sign-Ups. It’s time to indicate whether your swimmer would like to participate in IM Carnival.

About the meet:

• This is an invitational meet for charity held on Sunday, June 28.
• Swimmers need to have a legal time in Individual Medley (IM), or in all four strokes with coach approval.
• Most years, we're able to accommodate all interested swimmers. If entry limits are imposed, we'll communicate that information as soon as we know it.
• Thanks to the generosity of the Piranha Power Boosters, entry fees are covered for all swimmers.

The Carl Smearman Scholarship. We are pleased that the Piranha Power Boosters will again offer the Carl Smearman Scholarship to graduating seniors in the Class of 2026. See the attached information for eligibility requirements, application details, and deadlines.

Stay Connected. Summer weather conditions can change quickly. Check TeamSnap for weather decisions and other important team updates.

That's all for now. See you on deck!