Welcome back, Marlins!!!

If this weather doesn’t have you longing for the pool…..

We are ready to start another year of the Bay Ridge Marlins Swim Team! To all of our new families, welcome. To our returning families, welcome back. It is has been a long year, and I am ready for some swimming!  This email contains important information, so please read carefully.

Coaches: We are very excited to welcome back Susie Reiter to our coaching staff this year. We are also very pleased to have a coaching staff full of talent and a wide variety of experiences. Our coaching staff this year: Andrew Campbell, Jessica Cline, Storrie Kulynych-Irvin, Zoe Benitez, Andrew Rich, Connor Cashman, Charlie Burke, and Lily Baxter.

Meets: The Greater Annapolis Swim League has returned to a normal schedule with fully in person meets. Thanks to our fearless leaders last year (Erin Jaeger in particular) we were able to host all in person meets. We were the only team in a league of 20 teams to be able to do so. Please see the Swimtopia site for the schedule. Registration for meets is now OPEN. Go to “Schedules” on the toolbar, select calendar, and you should be able to RSVP for our 5 regular season meets. The expectation is that you RSVP the Monday before a meet. The league is strict about meet entries, and it is up to the opposing team if they will allow a swimmer to be entered after a certain time frame. Thank you for your assistance and timeliness.

Swim test - 6 & unders: All 6 & under swimmers must pass the swim test by June 3rd (however, sooner is always better). The swim test is given by the lifeguards at the pool, not the coaches. No exceptions. All swim team members must be able to pass to be on the swim team, but this is critical for our younger swimmers. Be aware that the pool is ALWAYS cold for the first few weeks, and I know this can impact whether or not some of our youngest swimmers are willing to get in the pool. However, we are a swim team, not swim lessons. It is the expectation that your child can make it across the pool without assistance from an adult. We have this requirement in place to protect your children as well as the coaching staff and the lifeguarding staff. While the swim team is fun and exciting, I don’t want your children to be frightened of the water. I encourage you to positively encourage them. If they need to wait a year, that is ABSOLUTELY OK.

Practices: This schedule is complicated and is subject to change. There are multiple different factors that have played into this schedule. First of all, the number of children in each age group. I must ensure that the children are all adequately supervised. Second of all, I am an Anne Arundel County Public Schools employee. The public school system’s end date is much later than many local private schools. I am attempting to meet many different needs and schedules, and I ask for your patience as I juggle multiple practices as well as my full time job :). Please pay attention to ages (i.e., 7-8 years old are split up to ensure even distribution).

Practice Schedule:

• May 31st through June 9 (practices in afternoon are only Monday through Thursday): 4:15pm-5pm (11&up), 5-5:45 (8-10), 5:45-6:30 (7&under)
• June 13-June 24th: **private school kids** 7-8am (10&up), 8-8:45am (9&under)
• June 13-June 24th: **public school kids** 5:30pm-6:15/6:30pm (all ages)
• June 27th: normal practice schedule for all

To be clear, children who are not in school between June 13th and June 24th may NOT attend the afternoon practice. I am going to be very strict on that. You are either able to make the morning, or you are not able to make it at all.

Please email me with questions or concerns ([email protected]). You can also reach out to Erin Jaeger ([email protected]) or Sally Wilson ([email protected]). I am looking forward to a great year of fun, tacos in a bag, donuts, and a little bit of swimming. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Megan Reiter