Hi,

The season is going by so fast; 2 weeks down and we are already at Time Trials this week and then meets start next week. Starting now is the time that you will need to perform certain tasks each week on our website. Please let me know if you have any questions about completing any of these tasks. At the bottom of this email are instructions about Swimtopia for those who are new to this platform. I will also list all actions needed for the next week going forward on each weekly email. 

• Signups for season
• Time Trials 6/2
• Munchin Marlins 6/8
• 1st Meet 6/9 Home
• Swim Suits and Caps
• T-Shirt order
• Sponsors
• Additional Fundraisers
• Practice Change 6/11

All Signups for the season have been opened: The entire season schedule has been updated and all swimmer declaration, RSVP's, donation and volunteer signups are open. Please begin declaring your swimmer for meets (attend or not attend), RSVPing for Munchin Marlins and signing up for Concession donations, Munchin Marlins food items and meet volunteer positions.

Time Trials Tuesday 6/2- "Practice" Meet at MSRC during each practice session

• Please RSVP for this event so that we can organize lanes and make sure we have enough Timers. We do need Volunteers to time at each practice session. 6 and Unders will be timed starting at 5:10 PM. Everyone else will be timed at 5:45. Signups are on our website.
• If any middle school and up swimmers can come early to the 6 and Under practice to help kid catch we would really appreciate it as we have 29 swimmers in that group.
• ***Note from Coach Sam- For 6 and Unders, if your child is not comfortable in the water yet this is not a required event, it is to expose them to how a meet works. For older swimmers we do use the time trial times as a baseline and to create our lineup for our first meet. We time for all strokes, so if you only want to have your younger swimmer "dive" in and go to the rope one time that is fine as it will also give you an idea of how "Kid Catching" works.

First Munchin Marlins next Monday 6/8- Thank you to Kim Caggiano for hosting the first dinner this year. Dinner is after practice for each group.

• Theme is Subs and Nugs. (Firehouse Subs & McDonald's Nuggets.) 
• Cost is $3 for 6 nuggets / $4 for half sub - kids can do both if desired. Payment can be made via Cash, Zelle (919-671-5754) or Venmo @mike-caggiano-2. 
• Please remember to RSVP so that Kim can get a proper headcount. 
• There are also signups for chips or salty snacks, fruit and lemonade.
• We will need more hosting volunteers for the remaining weeks. If you are interested in leading a dinner you can sign yourself up under the Jobs section for your desired week. You can then work with me to update the website with information specific to your week (theme, items to bring, cost (if applicable.) If you have any questions about what is involved please do not hesitate to contact me. 

First Meet Tuesday 6/9 home against Southall. Swimmers should arrive on deck around 4:45 to stretch and start warm up in pool at 5-5:30 PM. More details will be sent out later this week. Please do not forget to declare your swimmer by Sunday nights at 6 PM EST. For any declaration changes from that time until the meet on Tuesday please text Coach Sam at 919-455-4975 immediately. There is much behind the scenes pre-work that needs to be updated so the sooner she knows of a change the better. 

Swim Suits and Caps- Coach Sam picked up suits at Keifer Aquatics today and I will give them out at practice tomorrow. Caps will be distributed at the first meet.

T Shirt Order: Deadline to purchase is Monday 6/1 end of day. Order will be submitted to printer on Tuesday AM. 

• We do not order extras. 
• New this year we have Women's Fit and Tank Tops. 
• Place order and pay under Merchandise Tab on our website.

Sponsors: Thank you very much to our 2026 Sponsors!! Your generosity and support are appreciated and are vital to our team.

• Thank you to our latest Sponsors:
  • Raleigh Pediatric Associates- thanks Sam Miller
  • Master Chang's Martial Arts- Thank you Tompkins Family
  • Los Tres Vaqueros- Thank you Bethany White
  • Woofinwaggle- Thank you Bethany White
• Deadline to have Sponsors information on shirts and signage is Monday 6/1 end of day. If you are still working on obtaining a logo please let me know.

Additional Fundraisers- your support through Registration fees offsets most of the operating costs for our team (Coach pay mostly), but we use Sponsor and Fundraising dollars to pay for equipment (new kickboards this year), Awards and Trophies, Ribbons, Caps, etc. To help fund the team we are planning additional fundraisers- Crispy Creme and Pie a Coach. More details to come!!

Practice Change- Unfortunately we will need to cancel practice on Thursday 6/11 due to Millbrook High School's Graduation. Congratulations to Coach Jessie and Coach Sam Huffine. We apologize for any inconvenience.

SUMMARY OF PARENT TO DO ITEMS:

• By Monday 6/1 end of day- order T-shirts if desired and provide any Sponsor logos to Connie or me.
• By Tuesday 6/2 at 5 PM EST- Declare your swimmer for Time Trials and sign up to Volunteer (Timer) if you are able. We use stopwatches.
• By Sunday 6/7 at 6 PM EST:
  • Declare your swimmer for 6/9 meet,
  • Volunteer Job signup for 6/9 meet,
  • Munchin Marlins 6/8 RSVP and item sign up,
  • Concessions donations for 6/9 home meet, if you are able
  • Signups for rest of season for those who want to get ahead 😊

Thanks everyone! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions!

Jackie Miller

919-345-9359

[email protected]

Swimtopia: this is our team's official platform for schedules, meet sign-ups, volunteer shifts, communications, and more. Website is www.manchestermarlins.swimtopia.com. For new parents- you need to have created an account when you registered your swimmer.

When you registered online, you should have received two emails:

• first confirming your swimmer(s)
• second with instructions to set up your SwimTopia account

If you didn’t complete your account setup, just go to the site and click “Login” > enter your email > click “Forgot Password.” You’ll get an email to reset your password and access your account.

Once your account is created you will use it to do the following each week:

• Meet declarations – you must let us know if your swimmers are attending each meet. The default is not attending, so please make sure that you update this each week. Deadline for each week is 6 PM on Sunday night. If your swimmer is not marked as attending they cannot be added to the lineup.
• Volunteer sign-ups and RSVPs 
• Review Team documents & announcements- found under About>News

All signups can be found under Meets & Events>SignUp Calendar.

If you have any questions about how to perform any of these tasks please reach out to me or consult help info at Meets & Events>Signup Instructions.

*** Swim meets can be a scary thing for new swimmers. Time trials are a great opportunity for new swimmers to learn what a meet is all about in a more relaxed setting. I highly encourage you to sign your swimmers up. If they absolutely do not want to swim in a meet please still attend to support our team and join in the fun on deck!