Division Champs!

What a way to finish the regular season! Congratulations to the Parklawn Piranhas – 2026 Division Champions! After an incredible 4-1 season, we hold the Division 6 title with Rolling Hills. That means we get to add a new banner to our Parklawn fence!

Saturday’s meet had everything you could ask for: exciting races, relay nail-biters, big smiles as we celebrated our seniors, and record-breaking performances in our super fast pool. Some highlights:

• Our 9-10 girls took the first relay win of the meet!
• The 11-12 boys pulled out a thrilling relay victory in a true nail-biter AND set a new team record!
• Our 13-14 boys lowered their own record from earlier in the season, including a spectacular fly split from James “No Breath” Hadley.
• Noah Popp finished his Piranha career in style with two individual team records, and led the boys mixed age relay to a new team record too!
• Some truly epic senior parent dives (you must have been practicing!)

Our teens celebrated the season with a multi-course, multi-stop progressive dinner. Thank you to our family dinner hosts: the Manegold Family, the Lee Family, the Snow Family, the Corbett Family, and the Shea Family. And thanks to our drivers for shuttling the crew from place to place.

Our Viking Dinner was the perfect way to feast and raft our way to celebration. Thank you to Anna Colangelo for her many years organizing the dinner. If you loved the Viking Dinner, consider taking it on next year to keep the tradition going.

And another incredible team record deserves celebration. Our Piranha Grill Team served up more than $3,000 in sales during Monday night’s B Meet - a new record! If you see one of our grill masters on deck this week, be sure to thank them for all they do to keep us fed.

Here’s the week ahead:

Monday: Alumni B Meet (Home). Our last home meet of the season is also our alumni meet where we will welcome former Piranhas back on the pool deck. It’s one of the most fun and relaxed meets of the season, and we’re excited to host our friends from Forest Hollow. See meet details in an email coming from Amanda and Ali.

Wednesday: Kings Dominion (and No Practice)! A huge thank you to Betty Young for organizing this trip each year. Please look out for reminders from her this week.

• There is No Practice on Wednesday due to Kings Dominion

Friday: Last Day of Practice, Fancy Breakfast, and Karaoke Night. We will have practice this week (except Wednesday), and we will end on Friday with a FANCY Breakfast party. Come hungry - we’ll have pancakes and plenty of toppings.

Karaoke has been rescheduled to this Friday. Let’s send off another great summer with one final social event of music and laughs.

Saturday: Divisionals Meet. Divisional entries will be announced on Tuesday. Scratch requests will be sent Wednesday evening. Keep an eye on text messages in case additional spots come available. Even if your swimmer isn’t competing, everyone is invited to come cheer on the Piranhas at Poplar Heights..

Let’s Thank Our Coaches. Our coaching staff has put many hours into making this season special, from practices, to dual meets, to Sunday clinics, and helping swimmers reach new milestones to even donning neon green tutus! Let’s send them off with a heartfelt thank you.

Whether you choose to contribute $50, $100, or $150, or any amount, every gift helps us show our appreciation for everything they’ve done this summer.

• Paypal: [email protected]
• Venmo: @Sarah-Franz-13 (last four: 2216)
• Cash or check: Coordinate with Sarah Franz or Nate Gould (parents of Claire and Paul Gould), or Bobby Crider (Dad of Rory)

Coach thank-you cards will be available at practice through the week.

Sunday: Team Banquet. Join us Sunday 5:30 p.m. at Glasgow Middle School as we celebrate an incredible season, recognize every swimmer, and relive the summer through our fan-favorite slideshow. Our Banquet Planning Committee has asked for help with a few small things. Sign up here.

Looking Ahead: Winter Swim. Keep the momentum going and register for Parklawn Winter Swim, running Sunday afternoons from October 18 - May 23 at Minnie Howard Campus. Whether your swimmer wants to maintain fitness, improve technique, or simply stay in the water, this program is a great option. Note the program will NOT meet on the following days:

• November 29 (Thanksgiving weekend)
• December 20 (winter break)
• December 27 (winter break)
• February 14 (Superbowl Sunday)
• March 28 (Easter)
• May 9 (Mother's Day)

It has reached capacity in recent years, so early registration is encouraged. If the schedule doesn’t work for your family, reach out to Karen and she can recommend some other options.

That’s all for now. See you on deck!