Good Morning Stingrays, and CONGRATULATIONS!

What an absolutely amazing performance last night!

We showed up in a big way against a former Division I community with a much larger team and a significantly higher percentage of swimmers participating in competitive club programs. Unfortunately for them, our Stingrays are proving to be even stronger than anticipated this season. The final score was 424 to 407, despite athlete participation numbers of 82 swimmers for Somerset versus 106 swimmers for our opponents.

I want to take a moment to thank all of our parent volunteers. For our first home meet, the operation ran without a hitch! Our competition was extremely impressed with the efficiency and organization of the meet. A special thank you goes to our starter, Joydip, for keeping things moving and helping us stay ahead of schedule. Way to go!

As always, our clerks crushed it, ensuring swimmers were lined up and ready to go. Timers did an outstanding job, and our computer volunteers had very few questions thanks to the accuracy of the recorded times.

I do apologize for the lack of lighting once the sun went down, but rest assured that we are already working on a solution for the remainder of our home meets.

While everyone stepped up as expected, there was one person in particular who seemed to receive the most praise last night. No, it wasn't our fabulous coaching staff this time—it was Ms. Rachel, our resident DJ! I had at least seven people approach me asking for the playlist. Unfortunately, I do not divulge the source of our random Amazon playlists!

While this email is intended to be a feel-good recap of a fantastic evening, there are a few items I'd like to address before closing.

First, thank you to everyone who stayed to help clean up after our first home meet. Please remember that we are the home team and should always lead by example. If we don't take care of our facility, we can't expect our visitors to do so either.

Second, now that we have transitioned to morning practices, please remember that practice is held every Monday through Thursday morning, including meet days.

Third, Stingrays Krispy Kreme Tuesdays live on! We love rewarding our swimmers with a donut or two on Tuesday mornings after a Monday night meet.

Fourth, the volunteer requirement remains in effect. We currently have several parents who have signed up for volunteer positions but have not attended three consecutive meets. Please remember that volunteering is part of the commitment made when registering your swimmers. We simply cannot run a successful six-week season without everyone's participation and support.

Fifth, during all home meets, the baby pool is completely closed and off-limits to everyone. This includes our own swimmers, who have already been instructed to stay out of the pool while using that waiting area.

Finally, it appears we will be participating in the Carnival Relay on the 22nd. South Hampton has stepped up and will be hosting the event. We have already confirmed Maui Acai as the food truck for the meet.

While I cannot yet confirm the exact number of volunteers we will need, I expect it will be no more than six. In the meantime, please feel free to begin declaring your swimmers. This will be the first time Somerset participates in this event, and we're excited to be part of it.

Here's to a wonderful week ahead!

Looking forward to Thursday,

-Oz