Thank you to everyone who attended and helped out at our last meet! Another great win for our Marlins!! Great job everyone! I cannot believe the end of the season is here- seems like this summer is flying by!  

Please take the time to read all of the information below- thank you!

This week's update:

• Last 2 practices- Monday evening and Tuesday AM
• Munchin Marlins Monday 7/14
• Meet Tuesday 7/15 away at Oak Park
• Volunteers needed for 7/15 meet
• Parents Night Out 7/25
• Swim Team Registration fees
• Ribbons
• Saving Grace Fundraiser
• End of Season Awards Ceremony
• Lessons
• Meet Recap
• Action items

Our last 2 practices are:

Monday 7/14- normal times

Tuesday 7/15:

• 7 and up 9:30-10:30 AM
• 6 and Unders: 10:30-11 AM

Munchin Marlins Monday 7/14

Munchin Marlins this week is Pasta Night- thank you to Renee Miller, Maggie Lloyd, Bethany White and Connie Garkalns for collaborating on this final Munchin Marlins of the season. Signups are open on our website. Please remember to RSVP for proper planning.

****I wanted to thank Kate and Blair Wilson for making welcome banners for our opposing teams at our home meets. They had as many swimmers as possible sign the banners (usually at Munchin Marlins) and hung them up near our entry gate. It is just one more way in which our Marlins Family demonstrates sportsmanship! Thank you!

Meet Tuesday 7/15 away at Oak Park:

You will need to arrive at their pool so that your swimmers are ready to stretch on the pool deck by 5:15, our pool warmup time is 5:30-5:55. Meet starts at 6 PM. 

Any declaration changes: please notify Coach Sam (919-455-4975) and me (919-345-9359) immediately.

More details specific to their facilities will be sent when I receive them.

Volunteers needed for 7/15 Meet

Open positions are:

• Clerk of Course
• Runner
• 2 Timers- they have a 5 lane pool- only 4 lanes will be main event. They use time drops.

Parent's Night out:

📅 Mark your calendar: Friday, July 25 at 6:00 PM

Need a night out? We’ve got you covered — and your kids will have a blast, too!

Join us for a Parent’s Night Out hosted by Pro3:5 Sports, one of our amazing team sponsors. This 2.5-hour event is packed with supervised fun for the kids — and it supports the Marlins!

Here’s what to expect:

✅ Drop off anytime after 6:00 PM

👟 Kids should wear gym shoes, shorts, and a T-shirt

🍕 Pro3:5 will provide pizza and drinks for dinner

🏀 Fun games, sports, and activities all night long!

💥 Bonus: The Marlins will receive 40% of the profits from this event — so your night out also helps fund our season!

Please spread the word!
This event is open to the Manchester community and our friends — you do not need to be a Marlins swimmer to attend. Friends, neighbors, and classmates are all welcome. The more kids that attend, the more we raise for our team!

It’s a win for parents, a blast for kids, and a boost for the Marlins.

Spots are limited — you’ll need to register using the QR code on the attached flyer.

📎 See the attached flyer for all the details
📨 Questions? Let us know!

Registration Fees:

Thank you to those who have paid. If you have not, please drop off payment at practice or place in my folder in the ribbon box. You can also venmo me @Jackie-Miller-160.

Ribbons from last week:

All ribbons from Meredith Townes and LifeTime meets are in your folders. I sincerely apologize to all of the 10 and unders who did not receive Participant or Heat Winner ribbons at our last meet- I completely forgot to ask someone to hand them out. I tried to make it better- I went through the meet and made ribbons for everyone who should have received them and they are also in your folders. It was actually not that long ago that Coaches Sam and Jessie were receiving those ribbons and I know it meant alot to them at the time!! 

Saving Grace Fundraiser:

Reminder that we will be collecting items to donate to Saving Grace Animals for Adoption. Collection will take place during our Awards Ceremony on July 17th, or another time that you rearrange with me.

Some items that they always need are: Paper towels, 55 and 13 gallon trash bags, fleece or wool blankets, towels, sheets, small comforters, canned dog food, Purina One dry dog food, Pill Pockets, Hand Sanitizer, Disinfecting Wipes, Dog Shampoo, Treats, and Harris Teeter gift cards.

For other ideas please visit savinggracenc.org - they are a great organization and I know many Manchester dogs are from there! Thank you for any support you can offer.

End of Season Awards Banquet:

Will be held at the pool Thursday 7/17. It will be a Potluck with cake provided. We will have water and Gatorade to drink- if you would like anything else it is BYOB.

We will start at 6 with dinner then awards. Kids are free to use the pool except during the awards portion of the Banquet.

* If you have any pictures from the season please forward to me.

** If weather is an issue- we will delay until any storms pass or if it is a complete wash-out we will reschedule to Monday 7/21. 

*** As we gear up for our final meet on Tuesday, 7/15 and our End-of-Season Banquet on Thursday, 7/17 Connie Garkalns is collecting donations as a thank-you to our coaches for all they’ve done. If you’d like to contribute, you can:

• Send via Venmo (@Connie-Garkalns) - please note for coaches
• Or drop cash/check in my folder (GARKALNS) in the kitchen at the pool

If possible, please have donations in by 5pm on Monday, 7/14. Any amount is appreciated, and every dollar will go directly to our coaches as a heartfelt thank-you.

Lessons:

Coaches Sam, Jessie and Andrew will still be available for swim lessons. If you are interested, or know anyone who is, please contact Coach Sam at 919-455-4975. She will assign a coach to the lesson based on swimmer skill level and scheduling availability. Evenings after practice or weekends are the nest time but we can work around your schedule. Cost for members is $20 for individual 30 minute lesson and $30 for group 30 minute lesson. If you have any questions you can also contact me at 919-345-9359.

Meet Recap from 7/8 against LifeTime:

Congrats on a great win Marlins!! We won 257-223. 

Triple Winners: We had alot! Congrats to them all!

• Andre Cook
• Gavin Ivory
• Abbott Keigan
• Carpenter Keigan
• Camden Sant'Agata
• Addie Ward

1st place: we also had the following swimmers place first- Paul Brin (Breast), Adelie Brodzinski (Fly), Ruby Parrish (Back), Eva Ward (Breast), Blair Wilson (Fly), Dillon Wilson (Breast), Mary Charlotte Wilson (Back)- congrats to all!

Swim Ups- I recognize these swimmers because it is impossible mathematically to win a meet without winning the majority of relay events. These swim ups allow us to have more relay teams swimming and are vital to small teams like ours. Thank you to all of the swimmers each week who are willing to "swim up" and help us out!

The swim ups for this meet were:

• Paul Brin- B 8 and Under Medley and Free Relays
• Rory Convissar- B 11-12 Medley and Free Relays
• Marshall Miller- B 11-12 Medley and Free Relays
• Elliot White- B 13-14 Medley and Free Relays
• Eva Ward- G 15-18 Medley and Free Relays
• Camden Sant'Agata- G 15-18 Medley and Free Relays

Thank you to our entire Marlin Family for once again being great hosts. Each week as I speak to our opponents' officials I am told that it is a joy to swim against our team- we are welcoming, efficient and pleasant. I hear stories about the opposite- may even have some of my own :) Our swimmers treat everyone with respect- we congratulate the other swimmers after heats, we stay in the pool until every swimmer finishes a heat, we do not let a swimmer swim alone, we cheer for each other- the list goes on and on... believe me when I tell you that it is noticed by our opponents and we should be proud of how we handle ourselves- on deck and in the pool! Thank you all for your support and help instilling the value of sportsmanship!

Action Items:

Prior to Sunday 7/13 at 6 PM

• Declare your swimmers for 7/15 meet
• RSVP for Munchin Marlins on 7/14
• Sign up to donate to Munchin Marlins on 7/14 if able
• Volunteer for open meet positions for 7/15 away meet
• Coaches gift to Connie- only if you would like to :)
• Parent Night Out- see attachment for more details- another great way to earn money for our team!

As always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. And again, thank you all for everything you do for our team!

GO MARLINS!
Jackie Miller

Manchester TSA Rep

919-345-9359

[email protected]