Old Farm Swim Team Schedule for 2012

For those interested in swim team, dates and locations for this summer’s A Meet schedule are below. There will also be B Meets during the week on Wednesdays too, please stay tuned for those dates and locations.

• June 9-10: Time Trials (precise time TBD)
• June 16: A Meet: Away versus Clopper Mill
• June 23: A Meet: Home versus Eldwick
• June 30: A Meet: Home versis Poolesville
• July 7: A Meet: Away versus Plantations
• July 14: A Meet: Home versus Carderock Springs
• July 21: Divisionals
• July 28-29: All Stars

There are also A and B relays somewhere in there as well (usually each is on a Sunday in the middle of the season).  The details regarding these meets still needs to be finalized. For your convenience, all of these dates are located in the Old Farm Swim and Paddle Tennis Club calendar. Feel free to subscribe to this calendar to automagically sync this information into your family’s personal calendar.

Old Farm Swim Team Coaching Search

It’s cold outside and we’re still four-plus months from the first practice, but plans for the 2012 swim season are already under way.

In particular, we have started our search for both a head coach and assistant coaches.  If you know someone who is interested in either position, please encourage them to contact me at his/her earliest convenience at jrmatson@aol.com.

For the head coach position, candidates should send me a resume and salary requirements. For the assistant coach position, a simple email letting me know he/she is interested is sufficient – I will follow up.

Our goal is to have completed the process and hired the coaches in the next 4-6 weeks.

Stay warm!

Swim Team: All Stars Weekend!

Congratulations to all the swimmers who are competing in All-Star Relays and Individual All Stars this weekend!

Saturday (July 30): All Star Relays

Warm-ups are at 9:30am. Swimmers, please be there on time! The meet starts at 10am and is expected to conclude by 12pm. Our team area will be in the grassy area on the far side of the pool, most likely near the scoreboard.

Sunday (July 31): Individual All Stars

Warm-ups will be as follows:

• 7:00am-7:20am 12& under
• 7:20am-7:40am 13-18
• 7:40am-7:50am general warm-up

The meet starts at 8am. There will be warm-ups available during the meet. We will plan to meet up in the same place as Saturday – the far side of the pool in the grassy area by the scoreboard.

Cheer On Our Swimmers!

All Old Farm swimmers not competing, but who will be in town are encouraged to attend to cheer on our fellow Eagles!

Where The Meet Is & A Note About Parking

The All Star meets (relays and individuals) will be held at the Rockville Municipal Swim Center, which is at 355 Martins Lane in Rockville (near the post office just north of Rockville Town Center).

• Parking will likely be difficult for these meets, so you should plan on arriving earlier rather than later. Here is what MCSL is saying about parking:
• Parking in the Rockville Swim center parking lot will be controlled and if you want to park in that lot that it will cost $1.00
• Only park in the defined spaces at Rockville, do not make your own parking space.
• If no spaces are available in the Rockville parking lot, you may park on Martens Lane, or at the Rock Terrace School (do not park on their fields or grass), or in the Board of Education parking lot.
• Do not park in the surrounding neighborhoods.
• If you do not heed the above advice you will run about a 99% chance of getting ticketed or towed.

Swim Team: Ready for Divisionals?

On Friday, July 22nd, there will be morning practice from 9:00-10:00 AM.  Immediately after practice, we will be feeding the team a pancake breakfast instead of donuts. If you have contacted me to volunteer, please arrive or drop off your contribution no later than 9:45am.

In the afternoon, the coaches will be directing the swimmers to rest and stay out the sun in preparation for our big Divisional Meet (accordingly, there is no afternoon practice on Friday).  Each year, we host a Movie Watching Party so that the team can be together.  The Gendelman family has graciously offered their home (and 55″ TV) for this year’s party.  Details are below:

Swim Team Movie Day

Friday, July 22nd 12:30 – 3:00pm
(please feed your swimmer lunch before sending him/her)

9 Dairyfield Court, Rockville (in North Farm)
301-984-3249

Donations of healthy snacks and drinks are greatly appreciated!
(please be considerate of the Gendelman’s carpeting)

Swim Team: Divisionals Week Reminders

Welcome to hump day, buckle you seat belts and aim for the weekend!

A couple of reminders as we approach Divisionals and the Banquet:

1.  Coaches Gifts – Please Give
To all of you who have contributed to end-of-season gifts for the coaches, Thank You!  To those who have not yet done so, there is still time!

Amount: We’re asking that folks consider $10 per swimmer or $20 per family (if you have 2 or more swimmers in the family).  Bottom line – whatever you’re comfortable with.

How:
Optimal would be to hand cash or a check directly to Gail Daumit or Ron Minsk.

Second best, you can leave a check in their mailbox (999 Farm Haven Drive in North Farm) – DO NOT LEAVE CASH IN A MAILBOX (in fact, do not leave cash anywhere except your wallet or purse . . . I lost cash yesterday in the pocket of my swim suit.  Yes, that’s true.).

Last but if your schedule absolutely prohibits options 1 or 2, email me (jrmatson@aol.com) and tell me you pledge X, but keep in mind if you pledge, we are going to “front” the money on your behalf. That means, like Dog the Bounty Hunter, we will track you down – no backsies!

2 . Friday – Pancakes, Practice and Movie
There is practice on Friday.

There is also a pancake breakfast (Yummy!) and a movie (Fun!). Pencil all this in on your calendar.  Details coming a little later today!

End of Season Old Farm Swim and Dive Team Banquet

When:

Sunday, July 24, 2011
6pm at St. Elizabeth School

917 Montrose Road
Rockville, Maryland

$5.00 per person

Menu

Red, Hot and Blue BBQ

Families A -G:
Fruit for 10 to 12 people
Fruit salad, Fruit platter, sliced watermelon

Families H-M:
Salad for 10 to 12 people
tossed green salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, broccoli salad

Families N-Z:
Pasta for 10-12 people
Baked ziti, Mac & cheese, plain or buttered pasta, lasagna

Dive Team families without swimmers:
Dessert – two dozen cookies, cupcakes or brownies

Volunteers needed for:

Set up   4 – 6pm

Serving 6 – 7pm

Clean up – post banquet

Help Wanted! Meet Managers for 2012

As we approach the end of the 2011 swim season, we are already thinking about the 2012 season.

A Meet Assistant Manager

For those who don’t know, after many years – something like 8 !!! – as the A meet manager, Jill Ray is going to retire.  We have begged her to stay, but every time we do that she just laughs and walks away (ok, that’s not true, but we think she is looking forward to retirement).  In addition, Griff Lindsay, who has been doing swim team stuff since the last ice age (well, something more like two decades.  No, seriously.  TWO DECADES!) is going to take emeritus status.  Kind of like when Yoda fled to Dagobah . . . he was still around to help from time to time (and Griff will be around), but Luke was largely on his own.

Gail and Jay will be working together on the A meets next year.  We hope not to miss a beat, but we could really use a third person on the team, an assistant A meet manager.  If the prospect of working with Jay isn’t totally repulsive, let him or Gail know if you would be interested.  We’ll train you.  It will be fun.  If no one steps up, Jay will feel rejected and that will make him cry.  We don’t want that.

B Meet Manager and Assistant Manager(s)

Kathi Nardella is going to be retiring as well.  Kathi has been doing yeoman’s work as the B meet manager for the past couple of years.  She is looking forward to Wednesday nights roaming the Wholefoods, looking for bargains (actually, we have no idea what she’ll be doing on Wednesday nights – maybe helping with the B meets in some other capacity?)

If you have a low IQ, you’re disorganized, you have a generally cranky personality or you dislike working with others, don’t bother to volunteer for these positions.  We need smart, organized, upbeat and social.  Ok, we’ll settle for a pulse.  For those of you who feel guilty, like you should do more, go with that feeling.  Let it drive you to tell Jay that you want to manage the B meets, even though you’re not really sure what it involves and you’re scared it will overwhelm you (Jay can get you narcotics that will totally eliminate that feeling, and he’ll throw in a large bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in case you get the munchies.).  If we can get a team of 2 or 3 folks for the B meets, the work can be shared and it will be fun.  And if Jay actually becomes a Jedi, he’ll provide whatever guidance you need.  So who’s up for it?  Bueller . . . Bueller . . . Bueller.  Come on, someone wants to do this, we can tell!

Seriously, we are about to undergo a major changing of the guard next year.  If you think you might be able to help in any of these positions, let us know and we’ll talk earnestly about what it entails and support you in any way we can.  We really do need several people to step up!

Fifth A Meet: Roster and Volunteers List

Here are the details for the Fifth A Meet of the 2011 season!  It’s a bit long, but read the whole thing.  You can read fast, but keep in mind there will be a short quiz administered on Saturday to keep you honest.

Where:

• Somerset (click for Google Map)
• Warwick Pl. & Falstone Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20815

MCSL Directions

• Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Ave. south towards DC
• Go through Bradley Blvd. Intersection.
• Turn Right on Dorset Ave., (the first light after Bradley, if you go past Saks, you’ve gone too far).
• Go to second Stop sign and turn left onto Warwick.
• At the second Stop Sign look for the pool parking lot.

Alternate Directions

• I-270 SouthI – 495 toward Virgina (Tyson’s Corner)
• Exit at River Road, toward DC
• After Little Falls Parkway, take a left on Greystone St.
• First Right on to Uppingham St.
• Uppingham ends at Fallstone, take a right on Fallstone
• At intersection of Fallstone and Warwick look for the pool parking lot

Opponent:

• Somerset

When:

• Saturday, July 16, 2011.

For those who want to caravan, we will meet at Old Farm Pool at 7:40, and depart shortly thereafter. Otherwise . . .  Swimmers should arrive by 8:10 for warm ups (in the pool at 8:20)!   Volunteers should arrive by 8:20 or Jay will give you the hairy eyeball when you arrive

Spirit:

• Halloween — any good costume will work!

Special Parking Note

Somerset has been doing a lot of renovations.  They expect the parking lot to be freshly paved.  If that happens as scheduled, we cannot park in the lot.  Please park on the nearby neighborhood roads and feed the meter.  (We’re kidding, there are no meters.)

Read more >>

Old Farm Swim Team: B-Relays This Sunday, July 17th at Tally Ho

We hope you will all be able to join us for the B-Relays this Sunday, July 17th at Tally Ho.  We are fortunate to have the last slot for warm ups this year.  Please have your swimmers at Tally Ho by 8:20 a.m. ready to warm up from 8:30-8:45.  The meet starts promptly at 9 a.m.

If you did not participate in the A-Relays, you will definitely be swimming in this event.  If you swam in the A-Relays but are willing to participate in this event we may need you to fill the relay events and/or possibly swim up.   Please help support the swimmers on your team to provide them an opportunity to swim relays.  Everyone enjoys the relay events!!!!  All the young, new swimmers look up to the older, more advanced swimmers and would be thrilled with the opportunity to swim with them.

PLEASE respond to our email about your availability (either way) ASAP because this meet takes a lot of planning before to get the relay teams together.

To do this send an email by WEDNESDAY (7/14) at 7 pm (or earlier if possible) to ofst-B-meet@oldfarmpool.org and tell us if you are available and if you can volunteer. We need to provide 1 stroke and turn, 1 take-off judge, three timers, 1 ribbon writer and our own clerks of course.

Read more >>

Old Farm Swim Team: 1st Place Old Farm Touches Out Manor Woods 401-390 to Remain Undefeated!

The 4th week of competition ended with Old Farm firmly in control of Division K.  The Eagles edged previously undefeated Manor Woods 401 – 390 on Saturday.

Next Week: Wednesday night will have the final B meet of the season when we host Tally Ho.  Next Saturday Old Farm travels to Somerset for the season’s final A meet.

Note that we will be using new Gmail email boxes starting this week due to some problems with the Hotmail addresses. Please use the reply button to those emails or send emails to the new boxes.

A meet: Old Farm and Manor Woods were swimming a see-saw battle the whole morning, with the biggest lead of the day being 18 points.  But in the end the Eagles prevailed by 11 points and that win along with finishing ahead of Manor Woods in third place in today’s relay carnival, leaves the  Eagles are in first place with 30 points, followed by Manor Woods with 22 and Somerset with 16.  This sets up a key contest against third place Somerset next Saturday.   The results from the A meet are up on our web site (A meet results: Old Farm vs Manor Woods).

B Meet: The Eagles visited Wildwood Manor and actaully completed the meet against the Wombats despite the enveloping darkness on Wednesday night.  The results (B meet results: Old Farm vs Wildwood Manor) are now posted on our web site.

Relay Carnival: Yesterday, an undermanned Old Farm team rallied and captured third place in the Division K Relay Carnival. Those results are also posted on our website (A Relay Carnival results: Division K at Quail Valley).

All Star times this week were achieved by:

• Jordan Ray (Free)
• Teresa DiGioia (Back, Fly, Breast)
• Jean-Sebastien Gaultier(Breast)
• Ethan Opdahl (Breast)
• Danny Dunn (Breast)
• Coby Zucker (Breast)

Long Course Qualifiers:
While no records fell this week, we are pleased to share that two of the Eagles qualified for the prestigious MCSL Coaches’ Long Course meet on Tuesday night (7/12).  Only the top eight swimmers countywide in the event are invited.  Coby Zucker and Jean-Sebastien Gaultier qualified for their outstanding breaststroke.

All-Star Relays Qualifiers:
Two squads from Old Farm qualified today by winning their races for All Star Relays on Saturday, July 30.

• The mixed 15-18 Freestyle Relay:  Jordan Ray, Chrissy Cernoch, Hannah Hazlett, and Josh Brenits
• The 11-12 Girls Medley:  Miriam Minsk, Abigail Lindsay, Teresa DiGioia, and Carly Ohlrich

Congratulations to all the Eagles who were simply great this week.