September 12th Weekly Newsletter

This is your River Falls Swim News for September 12^th!

Action items are highlighted in yellow.  

Welcome to the first day of the Fall Session!  We are excited to see everyone back in the pool!   

THERE WILL BE NO COMPETITIVE PRACTICE OR DEVELOPMENTAL LESSONS ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13^TH, DUE TO A SWIM MEET.  Since there is no practice, we would appreciate any swimmers and/or parents (age 11+) volunteering as a timer for the high school meet.  Please sign up on the spreadsheet posted on Google Drive.

Beginning September 1^st, there will be some changes to USA Swimming registration.  First, the price of the Premium membership will increase from $74 to $76.  Second, the FLEX Membership option, which will increase from $20 to $30, will only be offered to athletes ages 12 and under.  Furthermore, USA Swimming will begin using Online Member Registration for USA Swimming memberships.  This means that the swim team will not batch process swimmers for USA Swimming memberships.  I should be sending out a link, on Wednesday, that will allow you to register your Competitive swimmer(s) on the USA Swimming website.  Finally, in an attempt to keep costs low and provide additional competitive opportunities, we became an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) affiliated swim team.  Athlete membership is only $16.  This keeps expenses low for Developmental swimmers ($16 AAU membership vs $30-$76 USA Swimming membership).  All Developmental swimmers will register with AAU.  Competitive swimmers (Novice Transition through Senior) are still required to register with USA Swimming, in order to participate in local swim meets, but will now have the option of adding the AAU membership, which provides swimmers the ability to participate in the AAU Junior Olympics ($76 USA Swimming membership + $16 AAU membership).  If there are any questions about this information, email me, at [email protected], and I will do my best to answer them.

River Falls High School Swim and Dive – We are in need of timers for the high school home meets.  The first home meet for the Girls’ season is September 13^th.  Please sign up on the spreadsheet posted on Google Drive.  Please note this volunteer opportunity does not apply to the Fall session volunteer requirement.

Have you ever considered a volunteer position on deck during a swim meet?  Would you like to have the best seat in the house at your child’s swim meet events?  Meet new friends? Get free entry into the meet?  Free food and drinks while you officiate?  Consider giving back to the swim community by becoming a swim meet official!  We are looking for Stroke And Turn judges, Administrative officials, Starters, and Referees.  Serving as an official completes all volunteer requirements with the club for the year.  If you have any questions about becoming an official, you can contact Robert at [email protected].

Orders for the black silicone swim cap, with the team logo on the sides, were compiled and sent in on July 1^st.  THE SWIM CAPS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED!  There are still a few remaining caps to be picked up.

If you ordered any apparel from River City Stitch, that order has arrived.  There are still a few remaining orders to be picked up.

If you raised money for the Swim-A-Thon this year, you may be eligible for some swag.  We hope that all swag will arrive within 6-8 weeks (about the first week of October).  If you raised over $400, you should be eligible for a single item from USA Swim (the highest tier item you qualify for based on amount raised).  If you raised over $50, there are RFSC items that will also be handed out.  The RFSC items are cumulative, so you get your highest tier item along with every item below your highest tier.  The tiers are list below:

UPCOMING SWIM MEETS & EVENTS:

The meets for the Fall Session are beginning to appear.  Team meets are posted on the Team Events page of the website and in this newsletter.

October 9: AQJT Splash Into the Season Invite (Eden Prairie, MN).  This is a 1 day Timed Finals meet with two sessions: Mixed Open and Mixed 12 & Under.  $25 per athlete flat fee, $2.20 individual splash fee.  Session 1 (Mixed Open) will not start before 9:15AM.  Session 2 (Mixed 12&Under) will not start before 11:15AM.  Registration deadline for this meet is Friday, September 23, 2022.

October 22-23:  RFSC Skeleton Splash (River Falls, WI).  This is the home meet for the fall competitive session.  This is a 2 day meet, with two sessions held each day (12 & Under each morning, 13 and Over each afternoon).  There is a $2 Facility/Program fee per athlete.  Individual splash fee is $6.  Relay splash fee is $24.  Morning session warmups begin at 7:30AM, meet begins at 8:30AM.  Afternoon session warmups begin 10 minutes after the conclusion of the morning session and run for 60 minutes.  Afternoon meet will begin at the conclusion of afternoon warmups.  Meet information and event file are posted.  Registration deadline for this meet is Friday, October 7, 2022.  Be sure to mark your calendars and sign up for volunteer opportunities for this event.  Volunteer event should open on September 12^th.

October 29-30: NSC Spooky Splash (Northfield, MN).  This is a 2 day meet consisting of one session per day.  All events are Mixed Open (with the exception of the relay teams).  $12.00 individual splash fee, $16.00 splash fee per relay.  Warmups begin at 10:00AM both days, meet starts at 11:10AM both days.  Awaiting Event File.  Registration deadline for this meet is Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

November 12: RIPT Fall Invite (St Paul, MN).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Wednesday, October 26, 2022.

December 2-4: Minnesota 14 & Under Age Group State (New Prague, MN).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

December 17-18: MYWO Otters Invitational (St. Catherine University, St. Paul, MN).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Monday, November 21, 2022.

January 7-8: AQJT Winter Invite (Eden Prairie, MN).  This is a 2 day Timed Finals meet with two sessions each day: Open and 12 & Under.  $35 per athlete flat fee, $2.20 individual splash fee.  Session 1 and 3 (Mixed Open) will not start before 9:15AM.  Session 2 and 4 (Mixed 12 & Under) will not start before 11:15AM.  Registration deadline for this meet is Tuesday, December 20, 2022.

February 25-26: RIPT Last Chance (St Paul, MN).  This is a Bronze only meet intended to provide swimmers the opportunity to earn motivational times eligible for the Minnesota Regional Championships meet.  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Wednesday, February 8, 2023.

March 3-5: Minnesota Regional Championships (TBD).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Monday, February 6, 2023.

March 9-12: Minnesota 14&Under Short Course State Championship (Rochester, MN).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENTATIVELY Friday, February 10, 2023.

March 16-19: Minnesota Senior Short Course State Championship (West Fargo, ND).  Meet information and event file pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is TENATIVELY Friday, February 17, 2023.

MISC INFORMATION:

If you have taken pictures of your swimmer at practice or at swim meets, and would like them shared on the RFSC website, Facebook, and/or Instagram, please email them to [email protected].  Any emailed photos will only be shared publicly with the parental consent of all identifiable photographed swimmers due to league athlete protection policies.

If you are shopping on Amazon.com, Amazon.com will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the River Falls Swim Club.  You can donate to River Falls Swim Club by using this link or by visiting smile.amazon.com, and clicking on the orange word “supporting”.  Search for River Falls Swim Club and click on “select” next to the River Falls Swim Club located in River Falls, Wisconsin.  Only purchases at smile.amazon.com or through AmazonSmile activated in the Amazon Shopping app will support your selected charity.

If you are shopping on SwimOutlet.com, SwimOutlet.com will donate 3%-5% of your eligible purchases to the River Falls Swim Club.  You can donate to River Falls Swim Club by using this link.

If you have been a part of the River Falls Swim Club for any length of time, and you have a Google account, would you mind leaving a review on Google?  Word of mouth is pretty powerful, and there have been many positive things said about the club on social media and amongst friends.  If you would like to share your experiences with the community and let others know about the developmental and competitive sides of the club, you can add your review here.

FALL COMPETITIVE SESSION: Registration for returning competitive swimmers is open and will close September 13^th!  The Fall Competitive session will begin September 12^th.  Please make sure you check the roster to see if your swimmer has been moved to a new group.  If you have questions, contact Robert at [email protected] or Coach Marissa at [email protected].  Fall practice times are forecasted below and are subject to change:

• Seniors 7:00PM-9:00PM (Monday-Friday)
• Pre-Seniors 7:00PM-8:30PM (Monday-Friday)
• Age Group 6:00PM-7:00PM (Monday-Friday)
• Novice 6:00PM-7:00PM (Monday-Friday)
• Novice Transition 6:00PM-6:45PM (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

FALL DEVELOPMENTAL SESSION: Our Fall Developmental session will begin on September 12^th and will run through October 21st.  Registration for the Fall Developmental lessons will open September 1^st for returning swimmers and September 6^th for new swimmers.  Developmental registration will close September 13^th.  There are still a few spots available for Developmental 1 and Developmental 2.  Share with your family and friends if you would like them to get started with RFSC in the coming sessions! 

HAPPY SWIMMING!
Robert