JH Stingrays Families and Supporters,
The past several months have been a challenge for USA swim teams across the country with closed facilities and cancelled events. The JH Stingrays are no exception. Since March, we have been unable to access the Teton County Recreation Center to hold practice, and we have been unable to compete in any events. We hope that this is about to change, as we plan to begin our fall 2020 swim season. As we move forward cautiously, but optimistically, with practice this fall, we ask that our swimmers and supporters remain flexible and understanding, knowing that circumstances can change at any time during this global pandemic.
At this time, we are planning for a limited start to our fall season, beginning on September 2 with our competitive swimmers who have committed to compete at the Winter State Meet, if qualified, in February 2021. Competitive swimmers will swim M, W, F from 6:15 – 7:15 p.m. (beginners), M, W, F from 6:15 – 7:30 p.m.(intermediate), M, T, W, Th, F from 6:15 – 7:30 p.m. (advanced). Our start time is later this year during the high school girls swim season to avoid any overlap or contact within the pool area. The start time will shift when the high school swim season ends. During practice, at least for the time being, no other members of the public will have access to the Rec Center, again, to minimize contact. Swimmers and families will follow strict health and safety protocols, which you will find here. Swimmers and parents will also be asked to sign the release found here. A mandatory parent meeting for families registered for the fall competitive swim team will be held before practice on the lawn outside the Rec Center on Wednesday, September 2 at 5:30 p.m. We will discuss the safety protocols in detail and assign equipment at that time.
If all goes well for our competitive swim practice, we plan to begin our fall pre-competitive session in mid September on T, Th from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m. If your child or family has participated in the group before, you will be forwarded an email inviting you to register on a first-come-first-serve basis. If any of the limited spots remain after our existing families register, an additional post will be made to the blog inviting new swimmers to participate. Please watch for an email from the Board (jhstingrayboard@gmail.com) with more information and an invitation to register. The pre-competitive swimmers will be subject to the same safety protocols as our competitive swimmers, and a mandatory parent meeting will be arranged prior to the start of practice.
At this time, no final decisions have been made regarding what competitive events the JH Stingrays will attend or host this fall. Wyoming Swimming has placed our Fall-in-the-Hole meet on the swim calendar for November 14-15. However, at this time, the Teton County Recreation Center guidelines do not allow spectators, which poses challenges particularly for our younger swimmers. We may host the event without spectators, or opt for intrasquad meets that can be held during practice time or following the High School girls swim meets. Dual or tri-meets with Pinedale and Kemmerer may also be an option. We will keep you posted as the situation develops.
We cannot stress enough how grateful we are to our members and families who have supported us through this challenging time. If you have any questions as we move forward, or input on any of the health and safety measures in place, please contact the Board at jhstingrayboard@gmail.com. We look forward to talking with you.
JH Stingrays Board
