Dear Stingray Parents and Swimmers,

Congratulations to all of our swimmers who swam at the BBA meet this weekend! An extra shout-out to Maia Brown and Maryn Varga for their outstanding swims! For our 12 and Under swimmers, there was a preliminaries/finals format for both days. Maia and Maryn swam in the morning and qualified in every one of their events for finals in the evenings. They both made it to the podium (top 6) many, many times. Maia brought home FIVE Gold medals. Way to swim fast girls!!

We are in the thick of meet season.  Please read on to find out more details!

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MEET UPDATE

2025 RAYS TYR Thanksgiving Classic - November 15-16

Zeeland West High School, Zeeland, Michigan

This is a YMCA Meet!

2025 FFYS Holiday MEET - December 6-7

This is our first “home” meet of the season - more information coming soon!

ALL SWIMMERS SHOULD SWIM THIS MEET!

Entry Deadline: November 21, 2025

2025 DRD Winter Solstice Meet - December 13-14

Saline High School, Saline, Michigan

This is a USA Meet.

Entry Deadline: November 12, 2025

2026 Circle City Classic Invite (Indy Meet)

Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana

This is a USA Meet.

Entry Deadline: December 12, 2025

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MERCHANDISE UPDATE

If you missed our fall ordering opportunity, the team store will open again just in time for the holidays! 

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PRACTICE UPDATE 

Normal schedule Monday - Wednesday

Thursday, 11/13

Gold - No change

Senior - 5:45-7:15pm  -  NF (No dryland)

Friday 11/14

Senior/Gold COMBINED- 5:30-7:00pm - NF

No changes for Silver, Bronze, Miniray

No practice Sunday 11/16 - Coaches will be at the meet with our swimmers!

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STINGRAY WEBSITE

If you have not had a chance, be sure to check out our Stingray Website.  There is a plethora of information about practices, meets, social events, hotel information (Meet Info, Meet Hotel Info) for travel meets, team records, and more!  You can even sync our practice calendar with your Google Calendar or the calendar on your iphone.  Go to the Parent Info: Athlete Calendar for directions to sync your calendar.

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VOLUNTEERING - FFYS Holiday Invite - December 6-7, 2025 

Our Volunteer signup will open soon.  You will be asked to sign up for AT LEAST 2 jobs.  On our team website, select the Event Tab and look for the GREEN Job Signup Button.  We need volunteers for ALL FOUR sessions.  ALL families (including the families of high school boys & girls) must volunteer for at least two (and preferably more) sessions at this meet. We are well known for running a great invitational and that can only happen if everyone pitches in and helps out. Let’s talk about those jobs right now so you can sign up if you haven't already.  

What volunteer positions are there? How will I know which position I can actually do?

• Do you like handling money? Then you can sign up to collect money for Admissions or sell food at the Concessions stand!  

• Do you like organizing small children? Then you are perfect for Marshaling!  

• Do you like making kids happy? You should volunteer in the Awards department!  

• Do you like getting your step count in while having front row seats for the meet? Then you are fit to be a Runner!  

• Do you have excellent handwriting and acute listening skills? You’re going to be a great Recorder!

• Do you have a sexy radio voice? Then Announcing could be your deal!

• Do you like yelling at children not to run and keeping helicopter parents off of the deck? Then the Security team is for you!

• Do you have a thumb and an index finger, and none of these other jobs look even remotely appealing?  Then you are perfect to be a Timer!

No matter the volunteer position you choose, you will not miss your swimmers events! You will be able to see your swimmers swim!  

How many positions do I sign up for?

We require each family to fill TWO slots during the Saturday/Sunday portion of the meet, but we welcome you to sign up for more if you are able!   This means that one parent/guardian/related-and-responsible-adult can fill a slot during two sessions, or two parents/guardians/related-and-responsible-adults can fill two slots during a single session.
 
I like volunteering…can I fill more than two slots?

Yes, PLEASE.   In fact, many parents prefer to volunteer, to be busy, and to be on deck during the meet, so they volunteer whenever their kids are swimming.
 
How long is each volunteer position?

Each position requires you to show up shortly before the session begins and lasts for the entire session. This means about 4-5 hours, but since your swimmer is there anyway, you are volunteering while they are swimming…swimmers have to be there early for warmups too, just like you do for volunteering..
 
When and how should I sign up?

The Volunteer Sign Up will go live soon.  You will hear from me soon!  You must be logged in to your FFYS Booster account to see the Volunteer Signup button.  If you are having trouble finding this location, please ask!
 

What happens if we don’t fulfill our volunteer obligation?

• As indicated in the registration process, we do require every family to fill a minimum of TWO volunteer slots at our December meet (Saturday/Sunday) and TWO volunteer slots at our Clusters Championship Meet in February.   If you are unable to fulfill this requirement, we charge a $100 volunteer fee per meet. 

• WE DON’T WANT YOUR MONEY. We’d really rather have you volunteer. It’s not scary. The other parents are really fun people. Our meet is the best-run meet all season because we have parents who care and work well together. If you have an unavoidable issue with availability, we expect YOU to contact us ASAP so alternative volunteering opportunities can be arranged.  Don't wait until the last minute.
   

Questions about volunteering? Please ASK as soon as possible!

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MEET SPONSORSHIPS

We are asking ALL families to secure ONE sponsor! Take or email this form Stingray Sponsorship  form to your…dentist, orthodontist, massage therapist, florist, ice cream shop, insurance agent, favorite restaurant or brewery, or any other local business.  

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Fire Up Stingrays!  It’s time to swim fast!!