MARLINS WEEKLY
 January 10, 2012
  
Dear Marlins Family Member,

This week we have lots of news about the Conference Championships,  the Last Chance Meet , USA Swimming and more.  Please read carefully all the way through!
PRACTICE CHANGES THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY, 1/11:  Silver will practice from 6:30 – 8 at the high school.   This is due to a high school swim meet.  

MONDAY, 1/16:  All practices are cancelled, as the schools are closed.
UPCOMING MEETS: Conference Championships

SWIMMING:  SATURDAY, 1/14

BOYS are AWAY, at CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (CBAC).   Warm up at 1 PM; meet starts at 1:30.  Please be on deck  by 12:45.    Central Bucks East High School is at  2804 Holicong Road, Doylestown, PA 18902.  Please allow an hour to get there from Upper Merion.

GIRLS are HOME, against Pennridge.   Warm up at 1 PM;  meet starts at 1:30.  Please be on deck by 12:45. 

DIVING: FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

GIRLS are diving against Pennridge on FRIDAY NIGHT at Norristown – 6:15 warm up, meet starts at 7 PM.

BOYS are diving at Central Bucks East on SATURDAY MORNING – warm up at 10:30, meet starts at 11 AM.

These should be close meets, and we want all hands on deck!  But if your swimmer cannot come, it is CRITICAL that you let the coaches know as soon as possible;  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.
VOLUNTEERS CORNER

MEET WORKERS NEEDED:

GIRLS are in need of an announcer, a finish judge, and a 50/50 worker;  BOYS need someone for the computer table (not a skilled job).   If you can help, contact Melissa Faw at  fabfaws@verizon.net (girls) or Amy Vallette at avallette@verizon.net (boys).    And remember, nothing brightens a meet director’s day like those of you who check in at the start of a meet to see if any help is required!
COACHES CORNER

FROM THE (DIVING) BOARD: 

Great job to all who participated in the Diving Invitational this past weekend, and congratulations to Bobby Pragada for his 2nd place finish in the 12 – 14 boys!

FROM THE DECK: 

The coaches are looking forward to our next two dual meets, which should be very close as we are matched with teams who have similar records to ours.    Here’s to some great races and lots of dropped times as we come down the stretch to the individual championships at the end of the month!
LAST CHANCE MEET TO DO LIST:
  1. Put it on your calendar:  SATURDAY, JANUARY 28
  2. Sign up your swimmer to swim (see next item)
  3. Sign yourself up for a job here!
The Last Chance Meet will be upon us before you know it!   This is our one-and-only fundraiser, and the best Invitational Meet in the league – but it requires everyone’s efforts to be a success.   All families are required to provide one worker, for either the morning or the afternoon session.   This year, we are using an online sign up system, so you can pick your job (that is, if you’re fast enough!).   Once you are signed up, you’ll receive an email verifying your assignment.    Click here  to check the list and sign up.
INVITATIONALS CORNER:  LAST CHANCE MEET
SIGN UPS DUE BY NEXT TUESDAY (JAN 17)

Here’s your chance to FINALLY try an invitational!  Your swimmer can pick her/his events, and have a great time hanging with the team and dropping time!   To sign up, download the meet information sheet and registration form HERE, fill it out, and return it with payment to the Invitationals Folder in the Marlins Family File Cabinet in the Marlins room at the high school by TUESDAY, JANUARY 17th.  If you have any questions, contact Lida Bonner, our Invitationals coordinator, at lbonner1999@gmail.com .  

AND DON"T FORGET: USA SWIMMING AT UMAC


For those swimmers who would like to extend their competitive season through the end of March, we will be offering an 8 week USA swimming program this spring.  Swimmers who sign up will have the opportunity to participate in two or three USA meets (in February and  March); these are similar to the SAL Invitationals, in that swimmers are matched against others with similar times from other USA teams around the area.   See the website  for more information on these meets.

All Marlins swimmers are eligible for this program.  Coach Sergey is heading the coaching staff of our USA swimming program, and will be joined by other Marlins coaches.  If there is sufficient interest, we will run a summer long course program as well.     

NOTE:  We will accept USA swimming registrations through the start of the program; however, swimmers will need to be registered with USA swimming in order to sign up for meets, and we will need to sign up SOON for the first meet we’d like to attend (the weekend of Feb 17-18).   So if you are interested, please get your registrations in as soon as possible.   Contact Katherine at kemcclell@gmail.com for more information, or check our website for more information.

COSTS: There are two costs involved in the program: a required USA swimming membership and UMAC fees.  All swimmers must join USA swimming; the fee for this is $60 for a one-year membership.   (Thus, swimmers who join now will be able to swim at USA meets through next fall.)      The Marlins fee is $100, which covers practices through the end of March.  

TO SIGN UP:  Download a USA registration form here.   Fill it out and return, with payment (a total of $160, for both fees), EITHER to Katherine McClelland’s folder in the Marlins Family File cabinet, or by mail to the Marlins post office box:  Upper Merion Marlins, PO Box 60280, King of Prussia, PA  19406.
MINNOWS ARE COMING...

Our 2012 Minnows season is right around the corner!  This popular program is for children ages 5 – 8 who LOVE to swim, but who are not yet ready to swim competitively.    (Please note: this is NOT a learn to swim program; swim lessons will be offered at our Spring clinic in April.)   Instruction takes place in small groups and focuses on learning the strokes and building up endurance.  

The program will run on Tuesday and Thursday nights this year, in two sessions: 5:30- 6:15, and 6:15 – 7 PM, both at the Middle School, starting on February 7 and running through April 19.

Sign up for Minnows is in-person only; swimmers should come prepared to get in the water and be evaluated.   Registration will take place on Tuesday, January 31, from 5:30 – 7 PM at the Middle School pool.   

Reminder:  Sign Up To Receive Marlins Texting Alerts

January is EXACTLY the time you want Marlins texting alerts! While we always hope to have a season free from weather complications, Mother Nature rarely obliges. 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.
Lost & Found
 
Items continue to accumulate in our lost and found column; click here  for the most recent list.  If you have lost an item or found an item you can submit it to the website by emailing us at lostandfound@uppermerionmarlins.org.

Lost & Found items are updated weekly on the website.