September 9th Weekly Newsletter

Administrator Admin

This is your River Falls Swim News for September 9th!

Action items are highlighted in yellow. 

     There will be no lessons or practices on Tuesday, September 10th, due to the RFHS Girls Swim and Dive home meet.  Since there are no lessons or practices, it's a great opportunity for parents and swimmers (ages 11+) to support your RFSC teammates!  The meet is scheduled to begin at 6pm and is estimated to be complete by 8:30pm.  Timers should arrive by 5:40pm to attend a brief timers meeting.  The atmosphere at a girls meet is rather high energy, so it may be beneficial to bring earplugs.  If you can make it to the meet, please sign up here- we appreciate your help!  *Please note this volunteer opportunity does not apply to the Short Course 1 session volunteer requirement.*

   We have made it through our first week of the session!  There are a few items we would like to remind families about going into our second week. 

  1. Parents are not allowed in the locker rooms.  If your children are unable to change on their own, please use the bathrooms in the band hallway or in the commons area to help your child change.  If you need help locating those bathrooms, please ask a coach. 
  2. Parents are not allowed to remain on the pool deck during lessons or practices.  If you would like to watch your swimmer, please use the pool’s observation deck located just off the running/walking track above the main gymnasium.
  3. Please make sure your child uses the restroom prior to entering the pool.  This will minimize the amount of time your child spends out of the pool during lessons/practices.

ON DECK

SHORT COURT 1 COMPETITIVE SESSION:  The Short Course season is off to a great start!  Short Course 1 session dates are September 3-November 3.  Due to a limited amount of practice gear, and a larger number of enrolled swimmers, if you would like to purchase your own practice gear (e.g. fins), you are welcome to do so.  We have a team store setup on Swim Outlet.  If you order practice gear through the team store, our team gets a small percentage from your purchase.  *Please note this is not a requirement to purchase any equipment.*  If you have any questions, please contact Coach Michael at [email protected] or Coach Marissa at [email protected].

Short Course 1 practice times:

  • Masters 7:45pm-9:00pm (Monday-Thursday), 7:00pm-8:00pm (Friday)
  • Seniors 7:00pm-9:00pm (Monday-Thursday), 6:00pm-8:00pm (Friday)
  • Pre-Seniors 7:00pm-8:30pm (Monday-Thursday), 6:00pm-7:30pm (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)
SPRING DEVELOPMENTAL SESSION:  Registration for the Fall1 session is open until September 4th.  Fall1 session dates are September 4th to October 11th.  The next swim evaluations will be held October 15th and 16th from 6:00pm-7:00pm.  Share with your family and friends if you would like them to get started with RFSC in the coming sessions!

UPCOMING SWIM MEETS & EVENTS

The meets for the Short Course1 session, and through the end of 2024, are posted below.  Team meets are posted on the Team Events page of the website and in this newsletter.  As a reminder, once the deadline passes, we cannot add/remove swimmers or swimmers’ events from the meet registration.

October 5-6: RFSC Fall Invite (River Falls, WI).  This is a two day meet, with two sessions held each day.  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. The distance session will run in between the AM & PM sessions. Afternoon session warmups begin 10 minutes after the conclusion of the distance session and run for 60 minutes.  Afternoon meet will begin at the conclusion of afternoon warmups.  Registration deadline for this meet is September 23, 2024.

This will be one of two home swim meets for the Spring/Summer Session, and we will need everyone’s help to volunteer at the meet and make the weekend a success.  The volunteer event is available for signups here.  Volunteer by September 30, 2024.

October 27: NOR Spooky Splash (Northfield, MN).  This is a one day, one session meet.  Meet information and event file are pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is October 14, 2024.

November 16-17: HAST swim meet (Hastings, MN).  Meet information and event file are pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is November 4, 2024.

December 6-7: OMNI Fall Meet (Maplewood, MN).  Swim meet with a great team similar to RFSC in the East Metro.  Pool is a great new 8 lane facility with warm-up/warm-down area and lots of seating.  Meet information and event file are pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is November 25, 2024.

December 14-15: NOR IMX (Northfield, MN).  Meet information and event file are pending.  Registration deadline for this meet is December 2, 2024.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

USA Swimming registration (for Competitive groups):  Our team has returned to bulk registration for 2025 returning swimmers.  If you were not a USA Swimming member in 2024, please contact Robert at [email protected] to help with new registrations.  USA Swimming membership is good from January 1-December 31 (CY25).  Registration for 2025 opens September 1, 2024.  A premium membership will be $78 ($70 to USA Swimming and $8 to MN Swimming) while a Flex membership, available to swimmers 12 and under, will be $30 ($20 to USA Swimming and $10 to MN Swimming).

Over the 2022 summer break, we became an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) affiliated swim team.  Athlete membership is only $20.  This keeps expenses low for Developmental swimmers ($20 AAU membership vs $30-$78 USA Swimming membership).  All Developmental swimmers will be invoiced for the $20 membership.  Batch registration is sent to AAU and is processed as soon as it is received.  All Developmental swimmers will be registered 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 ($78 USA Swimming membership + $20 AAU membership).  AAU memberships are valid from September 1 – August 31.  If there are any questions about this information, email Robert, at [email protected], and I will do my best to answer them.

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].

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 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 to purchase your swim gear.

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 among 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.

HAPPY SWIMMING!
Robert