The calendar can be viewed on the main menu of the site under ’2013 Practice and Meet Schedule’ or at this link: http://delawarebluefish.com/calendar/

Sheri

Good Morning Bluefish!                                                                                                                        May 10, 2013

Remember to register your email address and cell numbers on the website so you can get the latest information, promptly.

Suit fittings are right around the corner.  Check out the link to the calendar.  This is a great time to get practice suits, goggle and caps, and help the team as we get a percentage back on these purchases.  If you cannot make either of these 2 dates, you can visit the Swim Shop directly.

Keep an eye out for the spirit wear choices, soon to be posted……………….

Goodwin will be collecting party/coach gift family donations beginning at our first practice.  Place $10 per child or $20 per family in a sealed envelope with your family name on it.  There will be a folder in the family box labeled Treasurer.  Thanks for helping the team out by doing this early, as we plan for the season!!!

Think warm thoughts, as practice is right around the corner.

See you soon,

Sheri

Hi there Bluefish, Happy May!                                                                         May 2, 2013

The beginning practice and season meet schedules have been loaded in the calendar.  You can access this calendar on the right side, under the menu heading.  Also on there, are the dates for pictures, parties, clinics, time trials, and Championships. 

Volunteer spot is also loaded for meets and parties.  Each meet requires about 25 people to run smoothly, and by signing up early, you can really help out!!!

Please take a moment to check out the clinic schedule under the News heading.  Clinics are available for both refereeing, and scoring.  We need at least 4 referees and 3 scorers for each meet, so consider attending one of the clinics to get certified.

Soon the updated handbook and pledge sheets will be loaded under resources.  Each swimmer will need review the handbook, and have a signed pledge turned in before swimming in a meet.  Print one off per family, have all your swimmers sign it, and place it in the family box in the pledge folder.

Remember to update your registration to the site under the menu heading.  You will receive an email to check the site each time an update is posted.

New this year is a text registration option, also under the menu heading.  This will enable you to receive updated cancellations of meets and practice due to inclement weather.  Sign up now, and we will test it soon.  This will only be for emergencies.

Remember to register for both the pool, and for the swim team.  All team members must belong to the University of Delaware Outdoor Pool.

Spirit wear selections are nearly ready to load.  We are trying to access PayPal to ease the ordering process.  Keep an eye on the site for that information.

Leave messages or comments on the website, which will be forwarded to our brand new email, DEbluefishswimteam@gmail.com.

A big thanks to our webmasters Chuck and Stephanie for all their hard work to keep us updated.

Practice is right around the corner…………………..

Sheri

Hi there Bluefish!                                                                    April 23, 2013

Jim Kaden from the pool sent me an update with some really good news.  For our evening home meets, we will have lighting in place to optimize viewing our swimmers!   Additionally, the pool will have a separate area set up for drinks to help with the long lines at the snack shack.  Also, the creamery will get advance notice for our home meets so they can have extra help available.  We are really grateful to Jim for all of his help!!!

Please take a few moments to check the site and update your contact information.  Include the cell number most likely to update you best, in the event of late cancellations; even the kids can enter their cell numbers!  Also please remember to re-subscribe to the site to get notice when the site is updated.

 Volunteer spot is posted so you can ALREADY sign up for parties and to work at the meet.  It will send you reminders as each event gets closer.  The link is on the site.

The meet schedule is posted as well.  We are working on a link for directions to the different venues.  Keep an eye out.

Suit fittings are at the pool on May 23 from 5:30pm-7:30pm and again on May 28 from 5:30pm-7:30pm.  If you cannot make those times, you can go to the Swim Shop in concord Pike, at your convenience.  You can view their page at www.TheSwimShopDE.com.   As we did last year, we will be receiving 10% back on all purchases, not including the team suit, as a fund raiser for the team.  This would be a great time to get goggles and practice suits!!  We still have the yellow DBF caps for this season.  This suit closely resembles the suit from last year, so it will also match the yellow cap!  The suit manufacturers are really not promoting 2 year suits, so we went with a cheaper suit, from a good company.  The Swim Shop strongly encourages you to get your order in early!!!

Is there anyone out there interested in organizing the team breakfast?  There is great info from years past, to help out.  This is an early, easy committee, and a HUGELY fun event to plan.

Goodwin has graciously offered to be our treasurer.  Much thanks to Sherry for leaving such a good system!  To help plan for the parties and coaches’ gifts, we will collect $10 per child, with a $25 max per family, at the beginning of the season.  Please place your cash/check in a sealed envelope with your family name on it, and place it in the folder marked TREASURER.  He will be able to keep track of monies that way.

Practice will begin the Tuesday after Memorial Day.  Stay tuned for the specifics….

Scoring and officials clinics are also posted on the website.  Everyone is invited to attend, and you would be amazed at what you could learn.  Please consider attending as we need a full compliment to run our meets.  Remember, the officials have the best seat in the house!

Remember to get your pool registrations in, as we get ready for another excellent season.

Sheri

Welcome to the 2013 Summer Season.

The pool is getting prepared to send out the renewal information, and the swim team registration information.  There is a small increase in the first child price; otherwise it will be unchanged from years past.

Chuck is tweaking the website, and it will be even more user friendly.  He will be implement a texting system, and also an email notification each time the website is updated.  This will remind everyone to check the site, and eliminate big messages.  It will be necessary to re-subscribe to the site, even if you have in the past.  This is a rule for permission for the site to email you, not our rule.  If you do not re-subscribe, you will not get updates!  You will receive a message when this is up and ready.  Please add the cell number you would like to get last minute cancellations to, so we can update you promptly!

Kizzie will again handle the spirit wear for the team’s fundraiser.  There will be pictures on the website this year, and hopefully PayPal will be available to ease the ordering process.  Of course, you can also pay with cash or check, in an envelope placed in the treasurer’s folder.

Joanne Lombardi will heading up the ribbons committee. Please find her at the pool if you are interested in helping out.  Our thanks to her for stepping up!  Thanks also to Maureen for her long history of ribbon management.

Is there anyone out there interested in organizing the team breakfast?  There is great info from years past to help out.  This is an early, easy committee, and a HUGELY fun event to plan.

Scorer, coach, and official clinics are soon coming.  As soon as we get the dates we will pass them along.  Please consider helping out.  Remember, officials get the best seat in the house!!

We will be doing coaches’ gift collections a bit differently this season.  We will collect $10 per child, with a $25 family max in the beginning of the season so we will be prepared earlier with the two parties and coaches’ gifts.  Goodwin has graciously offered to be our treasurer, following the amazing efforts of Sherry Ringler.  He will be collecting this once the season begins.  Please place it in a sealed envelope, with your family name, and put it in the treasurer’s folder in the boxes.  This will help him stay organized by not receiving money without a name attached.  Thanks for your help with this new process!

Suit fittings are already posted, please look at that update on the website.

We will continue to use Volunteer spot for meet volunteer sign up, as well as meet sign out for swimmers.  A couple of new positions will be available.  One is the meet organizer.  This is an easy job, and involves only making sure all the volunteers are signed in and watches handed out.  Mostly I do it, but for meets I am working, it would be a great help!!  Please email your interest and questions to the website under “contact us”.

Happy Spring!  Memorial Day is right around the corner……….

Sheri Smith

Delaware Bluefish Team Rep

Click this link to view the suit for this season.

DE Blue Fish Flyer13

A quick recap for the last dual meet against Sherwood Park.  We won, and survived the weather.  Nearly each age group prevailed, and many kids had their best swims of the season.  We had the least DQs, so our kids are legal and fast!!  The results will soon be posted, but I assure you we dominated in the water!

Our double winners were Charlie, Chris, Andrew, Lindsay, Tessa, Bennie, Megan, Ella, Keith, Nick, Patrick, Taylor, Haley, Samantha, Abby, Grace, and Avery.  This week Blair was our lone triple winner.  People wonder why each week I post this.  I have 2 reasons; first to acknowledge the great swims of the meet, and second to show the huge number of swimmers that swim well over the season.  Many kids improve so much, and our coaches use each child to gather points for our team score.  Nice job Bluefish swimmers!!

I really want to thank the many, many people who helped keep us swimming along so smoothly this season; both at meets and also behind the scene.

v Maureen Zappacosta organized our breakfast, and did an outstanding job.

v The Ribbons committee made sure our kids got their ribbons, promptly and correctly.  I do not have the number of ribbons they labeled, but I can only guess there were nearly a thousand!!  Thanks to Derrick, Kendall, Lindsay, Lombardi, Major, Marks, Mears, Olsen, Poletaev, Rose, Strong, & Zappacosta for all their time and attention to detail.

v Kizzie did a fabulous job of making sure we looked good this season.  Everyone had not only one, but two chances for spirit wear, and everyone seemed pleased we had our orders so early.  Next year we will again order early, and hopefully we can even pay through the website.

v That brings me to Chuck Boyce.  A big thanks to him for starting our website, and tweaking it nearly each day.  I know he would love to hear your suggestions for an even better site next season.

v At our meets, our officials and starting team were second to none at keeping our meets moving along.  Jeff Chapman, Kim Witman, and Vince Hughes have all said they ran their last meets, but we will just have to wait and see.  Again, I cannot even begin to guess how many meets they have worked over the years!  Thanks guys.

v Each week we need 12 timers, 2 place judges, 3 scorers, a water distributer, parent coordinators, at least 2 safety monitors, and all our officials to run the meet.  Over the season we needed about 300 volunteers, and often we had too many.  If you are uncertain you can do a job, I can assure you, you can do it, just like the other 300 of your teammates.

v Goodwin had the distinct honor of President of the SSL for this season.  What an organizational superstar he was.    We are good for our rotation, for a couple of years!!

After a week long time trial marathon, here is an overview:

1025 kids swam at time trial this season for SSL.  The bluefish had 80 swimmers.  That means nearly 7.8% of all swimmers were from our team!!!  Additionally, 40 kids advanced to swim at championships.

Our relays got 2 firsts, 1 second, 2 thirds, 3 fourths, 2 fifths, and 2 sixths.  These all earned team

points!

Our 9-10 girls tied for the top team overall in the league.

Clearly, WE ROCK!!

Good luck this Saturday.

See you at the party,

Sheri

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For the 12 year olds that are receiving the plaques for the first time, you will have one spot empty as the year plates are added.  For the 13-18 year olds, the plaques will have 6 spaces for the years.  For the 14 year olds that are receiving the plaques for the first time, you will have one spot empty as the year plates are added.  Following this logic, 15 year olds – two year plates, 16 – 3, 17 – 4, and 18 -5.

IF AT THE PARENTS OWN EXPENSE, a family would like to purchase past year plates to complete their individual plaques, this is your opportunity.

The price for a plate will be $5.00 and a charge of $1.00 for mailing the additional year plates to your home.  We will get the years printed and mailed to you.  We will need to know how many plates and what years you will need.  We will take the bulk order to the company that is doing the plaques and have the additional year plates made.