Dear Stingray Parents and Swimmers,

Congratulations to all of our swimmers who swam at the 2025 RAYS TYR Thanksgiving Classic!  Our Stingrays dropped A LOT of time and made many State and Zone cuts!   

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MERCHANDISE - LAST CALL

Our holiday store is OPEN, but only until the end of the day today, NOVEMBER 17, at 11:59 P.M.  Orders will be completed by December 19th and available for pickup at the Varsity Shop at 623 South Adams Road, Birmingham.  Stingray gear makes a great holiday present for your swimmer! 

Click to order: https://ffysholiday2025.itemorder.com

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MEET UPDATE

2025 FFYS Holiday MEET - December 6-7

This is our “home” meet - 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.

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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VOLUNTEERING - ACTION NEEDED

Our FFYS Holiday Invite VOLUNTEER signup is OPEN for December 6-7, 2025 

 PLEASE sign up for AT LEAST TWO jobs.  Click here: Volunteer Signup or go to our team website, under the FFYS Holiday Invite and click the Job Signup button. We need volunteers for ALL FOUR sessions.  ALL families, including high school boys & girls, must volunteer for AT LEAST TWO, but we welcome more, sessions at this meet. We are well known for running a great invitational and this happens when everyone pitches in and helps out. Let’s talk about those jobs right now!

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 have help, and you WILL NOT miss your swimmers events! You will be able to see your swimmer 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 is LIVE!  Click here: Volunteer Signup If you are having trouble, please ask!
 What happens if we don’t fulfill our volunteer obligation?

As indicated in the registration process, every family has 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.
However, WE DON’T WANT YOUR MONEY, we want YOUR HELP!  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? ASK as soon as possible!

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PRACTICE THIS WEEK 

No Changes! 

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MEET INFORMATION

Meet Entries: When meets open for entry, you will receive an email from 'Sean Smith' via SportsEngine Motion.  The first step is to click on the button that says “For more information about this event click here.” This will take you to a page with detailed information about the meet, including the very important Meet Packet, that can be found under FORMS / DOCUMENTS.  Be sure to read this packet!  Next, sign your swimmer up for the meet by clicking the ATTEND/DECLINE button AND choosing his or her events BEFORE the deadline. Some of the deadlines come up fast, so please keep an eye on our Meet Calendar and look for those emails from our very own Sean Smith.  Click this link: Entry Instructions for more meet sign up directions.

Meet Structure:  Meets are made up of days and sessions.  Each meet is unique, varying from 1-3 days and from 1-8 sessions.  Sessions are based on the age of your swimmer, and may be different for each meet.  For example, one meet might have AM sessions for 12 and Under swimmers and PM sessions for 13 and Up, whereas the next meet might be a completely different age group structure.  Swimmers can sign up for just one session on just one day of any given meet.  It is not mandatory to sign up for all days or all sessions. 

Meet Packet: Every meet has a packet with LOTS of information about the meet.  Reading this entire document is the best way to make sure you have all of the relevant meet information. 

Individual Events: Meets have a certain number of individual events per session that a swimmer is allowed to swim.  These are described in the meet packet and are always part of the meet entry process.  Additionally, the order of events varies for each meet, so reading the meet packet can help inform your event choices for your swimmer as well.  Parents choose individual events for their swimmers. If you are not sure what to choose, please talk to your swimmer’s coach.  

Relays: If there are relays, the coaches place swimmers in the relays based on who attends the meet.  Sometimes relays are at the beginning, but they can also be at the end.  For some meets, relays are at the beginning and the end!  Relay placement decisions are usually made by the coaches on the day of the meet, often at the end of warmup, so pay attention to the warmup schedule in the meet packet, and help your swimmer be on time!  

Meet Entry Fees: Our Meet Entry Booster enters all of our swimmers who sign up for a meet in one meet entry submission.  You do not have to individually send anything to the hosting team.  (There is a meet submission page included in the meet packet.  This is for our Meet Entry Booster to send in our team entry.)  Fees for meet entries vary, but are usually $5-$7 per individual event, per swimmer, plus a $1-$10 surcharge or facility use fee.  Individual event costs and surcharges/facility use fees are charged to individual Booster accounts.  Relay entry costs are picked up by the Boosters.  

Please note, once the meet submission deadline passes, if your swimmer cannot swim for any reason, you will still be charged for the events for which you signed your swimmer up to swim, since we are charged by the hosting team at the time of entry submission.

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Let’s go Stingrays!!