Welcome to this edition of MARLINS Weekly.  Below you will find important news updates and weekly reminders about this weeks meet and other important Marlins news..

No practice changes this week – but we would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Marlin:  Adelaide Rose Huller, born at 6:27 PM on December 10 (a birthday she shares with several other Marlins!).   Mom and baby are doing great; see Coaches Corner for more details.   Congratulations to Coach Tim, Karen, and big sister Daisy! 

DIVING:

is at HOME, on FRIDAY.  Warm up at 6:30 PM; meet starts at 7 PM.  Divers should be at the pool by 6:15.

 

SWIMMING:

GIRLS are HOME (at last!).  Warm up at 1 PM;  meet starts at 1:30 PM.

BOYS are AWAY, at Methacton High School.  Warm up at 1:30;  Meet starts at 2 PM.  Methacton High school is at 1001 Kriebel Mill Road in Norristown

Please be sure to have your child at the pool 15 minutes before warm up is scheduled to start; girls should arrive by 12:45 at the high school, and boys at 1:15 at Methacton.

 

MEET NOTES:

Parents, it is CRITICAL that you let the coaches know if your child will NOT be swimming this week;  parents of boys should email Coach Sergey at umacboyscoach11@gmail.com,   girls should email Coach Tim at umacgirlscoach@gmail.com .  Please do this by WEDNESDAY.   Last minute emergencies or illnesses on the day of the meet – in addition to emailing, please call as well.  Girls  - call Coach Tim at 484-868-4208;  Boys, call Coach Sergey at 248-470-0505.

PLEASE be sure to take care of this as early as possible – missing swimmers disrupt the meet and may result in other swimmers not being able to swim their races.   We assume that all registered swimmers will be at the meet unless we hear otherwise.  Exception: high school swimmers – see below. 

High School swimmers who do not practice with the team – please email Coach Tim or Coach Sergey if you WILL be at the meet.   We won’t put you in the lineup  if you don’t get in touch.  

And don’t forget to pack those extras to KEEP YOUR SWIMMER WARM.  Pack an extra towel and some dry sweats that can be worn between races.   Swimmers need to keep their bodies warm in order to perform well, especially towards the end of a long meet.      It’s also a good idea to pack an extra cap and goggles (as these can get lost or broken) as well as plenty of WATER!

The Girls team would like to send a special congratulations to Coach Tim and Karen on their new addition!   Kudos as well to Coach Hunter and Coach Meredith, who ably stepped in when Coach Tim had to step out to go be a new dad; these first year Marlins coaches did a great job managing all the no shows, change slips, and generally cheerful chaos that is pool deck during a meet. (Coach Tim makes it look so easy!) 

Not to be outdone, the Boys team wants to congratulate Coach Tim as well, and note that even with all the texting by parents of Coach Tim for updates, the deck staff still managed to focus on the meet.

This week, the Girls are in need of a finish judge, and the boys team needs 3 deck parents and a finish judge.  If you can help, contact Melissa Faw at  fabfaws@verizon.net (girls) or Amy Vallette at avallette@verizon.net (boys).    Thanks once again to all the parents who regularly check in wit the meet directors on Saturdays to see if extra help is needed; you know how to keep your meet directors happy!

UPDATE ON OUR NEW RECRUIT FROM COACH TIM

Adelaide Rose Huller

Born 6:27 pm Dec. 10 2011

7 pounds 11 ounces

21 inches

Lots of dark hair.

I would just like to say how happy we are to have our new baby safely in the world.  She came fast and furious and my wife who had a completely natural birth was awesome.  She makes having a baby look easy.  We came home Sunday morning where Daisy had her first chance to meet her little sister.  She was so happy and has been great and loving since they came home.  We look forward to the coming weeks and are psyched that Santa Claus gave us the best Christmas present ever.  She is beautiful and snuggley, we can't wait for everyone to meet her in the coming months, but for know we have the task of keeping her healthy.  Her Doctor met with her yesterday and all is good and progressing well.  She has a great appetite like her daddy and likes to sleep like her mommy.  She has been sleeping well and seems to be happy to be out in the world.

 

FROM THE (DIVING) BOARD:

Great job, UMAC divers!   Both boys and girls brought in another win vs PVAC!  We saw a lot of new dives from our divers, who continue to make huge improvements.   The boys team swept 1^st -3^rd in both the 11 and under and 14 and under categories!

Our meet this week is against MAC; both teams are home, with warm up at 6:30 PM.  Look for a separate email with divers and buddies.   If you are unable to make this or any meet at the last minute, please call Coach Laura at 215-834-5626.

Diver of the week:  GIRLS –Abby Nolan.  She was willing to try the reverse dive, and managed to make a legal attempt to help her team win on Saturday!  BOYS – Bobby Pragada.  He has continued to improve every week, and was willing to learn the reverse dive this week to help bring home the win for the 14 and under boys.  Keep up the good work!

Diving Invitational: Please note that the CB winter diving invitational is Saturday, January 7; Coach Laura needs to know by this FRIDAY if you plan to compete. The cost is $2/diver. 

 

FROM THE POOL DECK:

BOYS:  The BOYS team came close to pulling out a win last week against another strong team, but despite a strong showing it wasn’t to be.  However, we were all impressed by their show of spirit (cheering on teammates) and sportsmanship (handshakes in the water after races and a team handshake at the end of the meet), as well as many exciting races!

GIRLS:  The GIRLS team enjoyed their Make A Wish meet, registering some dramatic time drops and generally keeping spirits high despite the formidable opposition.    Coach Tim is sorry he missed it and sends the following message:  Girls we finally get a home meet this Saturday.  I hope everyone can arrange their schedule so that we have one last competition before the holidays.  I know it has been rough being away for the last few meets so we will come home with some fight and push to get more best times and best swims than ever.  See you at practice this week.  We have a lot to work on and need to keep practicing into the busy holiday season.

 

Swimmers of the Week:  Congratulations to our swimmers of the week from last week: Anna Salamy and Declan Arnott!

Paul Salamy reports that he’s still got some caps and other items; if you haven’t picked up your order yet, please contact him at salamyp@aol.com to arrange pick up.

Swimming is a conditioning sport, and thus it is important for our swimmers to keep practicing over the coming winter break.   So far, we have secured practice time from 11 AM – 1:30 PM at the high school on Wed, 12/28;  Thursday, 12/29; and Saturday, 12/31.  Look for more information in the news next week. 

The Marlins have finally arrived in the 21^st century!   We are now offering a text alert service to keep you abreast of last minute changes.    Please note that these texts will NOT replace the emails; they will be used only for last minute issues and emergencies.   In order to receive texts, you must sign up; instructions are on the website.

Please send in your outstanding Lap-a-thon donations as soon as possible; we are working towards making a wish come true!   Remember, even if you weren’t able to swim at the Lap-a-thon, you can swim at another time (some swimmers count practice laps –that’s more than you might think!) and send in your donation and lap count.

Donations can be sent either by:

1:  Leaving checks  (payable to the Make-A-Wish Foundation – no cash in the folder) in the Lapathon folder in the Marlins family file cabinet, in a sealed envelope with your name and “Lapathon” marked on the outside.

2:  Mailed as soon as possible to Amy Czarkowski at her home:  260 East Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, PA  19406.  

All checks should be made payable to Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Any questions?  Email Amy at czarko1@verizon.net .