Stingrays Scoop 10.29.25
🐟 HCY Stingrays Scoop
🐬 Dear Stingray Families and Athletes,
As we dive deeper into the season, we want to remind all families about the best ways to communicate with our coaching staff and team community.
Email is the preferred method for one-on-one communication — especially when letting a coach know about an absence, schedule change, or other individual matters. This ensures messages are received, documented, and can be responded to in an organized way.
Our GroupMe platform is used for team-wide updates and quick reminders, such as last-minute announcements or general questions from parents to other families (for example, “Should I worry about parking at this weekend’s meet?”). It’s a great space for community support and shared guidance.
We kindly ask that all communication with coaches take place between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, except for early morning meets or practices. This helps our coaches maintain a healthy work–life balance and ensures timely, focused responses.
Thank you for helping us keep team communication positive, clear, and respectful — both in and out of the pool! 💙💛
🎯 30 Visit Challenge: Holiday Edition
Swim Team should take full advantage of this and all get the 30 days in!!!!
Don’t let the holidays sideline your goals! Stay active and motivated during the busiest season of the year with our 30 Visit Challenge: Holiday Edition.
How It Works:
- Visit the Y 30 times in 9 weeks (November 1 – January 2) to earn fun prizes and keep your wellness routine strong.
- Just like our Summer Visit Challenge, large poster boards in the Wellness Centers let you add a sticker for each visit, creating a visual tracker to celebrate your progress together!
Dates:
- Saturday, November 1, 2025 – Friday, January 2, 2026 (9 weeks)
Registration:
- Free to join
- Members only
- No minimum age — everyone is encouraged to participate! [REGISTER HERE]
Prizes:
- 10 Visits: RCY sticker (great for water bottles, laptops & more!) or bottled water
- 20 Visits: Protein bar or sports drink
- 30 Visits: Celebrate your success with a Y Ice Scraper or Festive Y Ornament*
*Prefer more flexibility? Choose 2 of the 10 or 20 visit prizes instead!
Prizes will be available for pick-up at the Welcome Center and recorded in Daxko upon receipt.
Stay active, have fun, and let’s make this holiday season one full of movement and celebration! 🎉
🏊 New Meets Posted This Week
JSY Holiday Mini Meet
We’re excited to announce that this meet will now include Junior 1 swimmers as well! This event is open to all swimmers ages 10 and under and is a great opportunity to gain valuable race experience in a fun, supportive environment.
🗓 Sign-up Deadline: October 30
CAT Winter Classic
Our mid-season invitational, the CAT Winter Classic, is open to all swimmers ages 9 and over who are registered with USA Swimming. This meet serves as an important checkpoint in the season, giving athletes the chance to track progress and race against strong competition.
🗓 Sign-up Deadline: November 3
🏊♂️ First Frost Meet Information — Sunday, November 2, 2025
Important Note:
Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 2. Clocks roll back one hour at 2:00 a.m. — enjoy the extra hour of sleep, but please double-check your clocks to arrive on time!
Facility & Parking Guidelines (From Meet Host – FSPY):
- 🚫 No drop-offs at the facility entrance for safety reasons. FSPY staff will direct parking — please follow their guidance.
- ✅ There is ample parking around the facility.
- Do not park across the street at the Farmer’s Market or next door at Murray Hill Tennis — these lots are off limits.
- 🅿️ Additional parking is available at 675/630 Central Ave.
- 🚪 Doors open at 7:30 AM for Session 1 swimmers and parents. Please do not arrive before this time.
- 👨👩👧 Parents are not permitted on the pool deck unless volunteering as a marshal or timer
HCY Team Details:
- Arrival Time: 11:50 AM — check in with Coaches Chris and Alecia
- Warm-Up Begins: 12:10 PM
- Estimated End Time (8 & Under Session): ~3:15 PM
🦃 2025 STAC Great Gobbled Meet
November 1–2, 2025
From the Meet Host:
The STAC Great Gobbled Meet is coming up this weekend at Rutgers! Please take a moment to review the important meet details below.
Tickets & Parking:
Links for spectator tickets and parking registration will be posted on besmarttinc.com once they are provided by Rutgers.
👉 Please ensure all spectators have purchased admission tickets and all vehicles are properly registered.
Meet Highlights:
- Pie Raffle: A free raffle will be held during each main session! Parents and coaches can pick up raffle tickets near the entry doors — don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a pie! 🥧
- Jolyn Pop-Up Sale: Jolyn Swimwear will host a pop-up shop on Saturday only, located near the spectator restrooms.
- High Point Awards: Awards will be presented for the following age groups:
- 10 & Under, 11–12, 13–14, 15–18
- Team Spirit Pins: STAC swimmers will be participating in a fun spirit activity — “pinning” others with decorated clothespins featuring positive messages. Encourage your swimmers to join in on this uplifting trend!
- Daylight Saving Reminder: Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 2.
Meet Schedule:
We’re looking forward to a fantastic weekend of fast swims and great team spirit. Go Stingrays! 💙💛
📱 Stay Connected with GroupMe
Join your swimmer’s GroupMe chat to stay updated. We recommend both parents and older swimmers join:
- Seniors: Join Here
- Pre Seniors: Join Here
- Junior 2: Join Here
- Junior 1: Join Here
- Little Stingrays: Join Here
🏅 Fall Meet/Event Schedule
🚨 Important Practice Updates – Fall 2025 🚨
Oct 31 – Halloween 🎃
- All practices canceled – Have fun Trick-or-Treating!
Nov 1 – STAC Gobbled Meet
- All practices canceled
Nov 8 – Dual Meets
- No practice: J1, J2, Pre-Senior
- Senior practice: 7:00–8:30 AM @ Deer Path
Nov 14 - Distance Session of Autumn Challenge
- Senior 1/Senior2 Canceled
- Junior 2/Pre-Senior - 5:30-6:15 Meet Warm up prep
- Little Stingrays - Normal Practice
Nov 15-16-17 - Autumn Challenge
- Practices canceled for the meet along with the Monday following the meet
Nov 27th - HAPPY THANKSGIVING
- The YMCA is closed for Thanksgiving - Enjoy the day with your families.
💡 Tip: Mark your calendars now! These changes affect all groups—especially during meet weeks.
See you on the pool deck,
Coach Lou & Coach Ruby
