November TEAM Brief
Hello Storm Families!
Welcome to your November Team Brief! As our hub for information each month, I encourage you to please take the time to read through all items. There is plenty to go over as we look toward mid-season focus meet right around the corner!
As we begin our mid season championships next week after Thanksgiving recess, we are excited to be heading to YNS Reid Sacco prelims/finals meet December 5-7 with over 110 swimmers! Also highlighting that same weekend, National team member, Izzie G., will be traveling to Austin, TX to compete at Toyota US Open Championships! This highly competitive meet will feature the best swimmers in the US and will be an incredible opportunity for Izzie to race against many world ranked athletes. Izzie will be competing in the 100 breaststroke on December 5th and 200 Breaststroke on December 6th. US open will be airing on USA Swimming Network. Let's send Izzie off next week feeling with cheers and support from her STORM family!
Meet Wrap Ups: We have had three meets since our last Team Brief. Below are the links to the wrap-ups! Please forward these to your swimmer, or sit down with them and read through the articles and see what the team has been up to in competitions over the past month!
Monthly Announcements:
- Practice schedules through 1/10/2026:
- There are no practices on Thursday, 11/27. Happy Thanksgiving!
- As we head into the holidays and mid-season championships, there may be occasional changes to schedules due to the championship meet schedules. Please be sure to check in with our website calendar regularly as we should have changes posted early next week.
- The Merrimack pool is needing maintenance that will require it to shut down from 12/22-1/10. Practice schedules will change during this time, though we do plan to get everyone into practices at the Nashua pool. I will share the practice schedule next week
- WINTERFEST: ICYMI Winterfest 2026! has been moved to a family travel meet. All attendees should make sure they read my email regarding this change, sent out on 11/24.
- If you are a parent interested in helping make this family travel meet have the team travel feel and tradition we usually have, please reach out to Meredith at [email protected]
- Team Folders: Swimmers! Please clean out your folder this week! There are many folders with items from meets (some several seasons old) in them! Additionally, all cap replacement orders will be delivered to swimmer folders moving forward.
- TEAM ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE HOURS during the holidays: please note that during the upcoming holidays, the team administrative offices will be closed 11/26-11/28 and 12/22-1/2/2026.
- Returning swimmers and transfers: Meredith will be processing your USA Swimming Renewals (for 2026) in the upcoming days. Please expect this charge to go through your Sports Engine payment method on file on 12/1 along with your owed meet fees and other purchases from November. This charge will not apply to swimmers that already registered with USA swimming for the 2025-2026 year back in September
- Practice Etiquette - Dryland Equipment (AG, HSP, JR, SR, NAT)
- In recent weeks, we have had damage to several or our dryland items, and additionally multiple smaller items have walked away from our storage area. If this continues, we will have to limit use of some equipment and/or ask for swimmers to provide their own. Please speak to your swimmer about this. Thank you!
- Grinch Week: Grinch week is our annual training tradition at STORM, where swimmers are challenged with a bump in training intensity during school winter break weeks cluminating with a century practice the last practice of the 2025.
- STORM Grinch Week tee shirts for dryland: Commemorate our annual training week tradition with a fun tshirt. Design and shirt order form can be found HERE. Due date for orders is 12/1.
Action Items and Notes from our Parent Volunteers:
From Kristen, regarding Apparel:
- Needing another silver cap? Order through our apparel page. Caps will be delivered to your folder at the Merrimack YMCA.
Thank you to each and every one of you that make this team such a phenomenal program to be a part of. As a coach and swim parent I appreciate the time, dedication, support and spirit that you all bring to the pool every day. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
With Gratitude,
Coach Erin
