PAY Swim Team News- Week of 1/9-1/16/2023

PAY Weekly News for 1.9.2023-1.15.2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR again! Here is what you need to know for this second week of 2023! There is a lot of news so please scroll down to the end.

COACHES NOTES

SCHEDULE CHANGES:

Please be on the lookout this entire week for day to day updates/emails on the status of both Myrin pool and Heritage pool.  

Some practices will take place at either Ursinus College or Pottstown YMCA this week, and will be communicated in these daily emails.

Ursinus Pool Address: Pool and adjacent parking lot are located at the intersection of College Avenue and 9th Avenue, Collegeville, PA 19426

Pottstown YMCA Pool Address: 724 N Adams St, Pottstown, PA 19464

Dual Meet Results vs. RY 

Congrats to our boys on their overall victory over RY; as well as our 15 + Overs, 9-10’s, and 8 + Unders on their age group victories.

A hearty congratulations to our girls team on their overall victory over RY! Age group victories were notched by our 8+Unders, 9-10’s, and 13-14’s! We are grateful to our friends at Reading for getting this make up girls’ dual meet together so quickly on Sunday. It was well worth a trip for our girls in so many ways!

With this last dual now wrapped up; our girls and boys teams both finish the PennDel Washington Division dual season at 3-1! Congratulations!

What I have loved most about this dual season is how a different set of age groups has put us over the top at each dual. We haven’t relied on one age group to carry us throughout the season. It’s been a team and group effort, and I am proud of each and every PAY team member for this successful piece of our season!

Girls’ Swimmer of the Meet: Megan Curran

Out of necessity, I placed Megan into the 200 Fly at both of our most recent dual meets in the 13-14 girls age group. To my most pleasant surprise, Megan has wholeheartedly embraced this event. She finds herself on the precipice of qualifying for YMCA Districts in it, and there is no telling what heights can be reached from there. To a casual observer that may find more excitement in the 50 Free or 100 IM, this kind of race may have flown under the radar. As such, I find it so important to recognize Megan’s quiet ambition, drive, and willingness to step into roles that both benefit the team and her long term development as a swimmer. She is a role model and part of a large, spirited group of 13-14 girls that have so abundantly poured heart, spirit, and fire into our team at large this season. I look forward to seeing Megan and her teammates grow and develop as a group!

Boys’ Swimmer of the Meet: Micah Smith

Micah notched a pair of victories for the 8 and Under boys in the 25 Back and 25 Fly. His contributions played a large role in the win that was achieved by the 8 and Under boys. His strong foundation in all four competitive strokes is something that is special for a swimmer as young as he is. Micah is also capable of “climbing the ladder” within his age group, where he can sprint 25’s and tackle races like the 100 Free and 100 IM as well. It’s no small achievement for any member of the 8 and Under age group. He relishes these opportunities to branch out and explore new heights and territories. We look forward to seeing what the short term and long term future hold for Micah!

THANK YOUs: Thank you to all the families who donated food and drinks to our Saturday snack bar.  Also, thank you to all the volunteers at our boys’ and girls’ meets this past weekend!!  We can’t attend or host meets without parents volunteering to help out so we appreciate everyone! 

UPCOMING MEETS or DEADLINES

Please remind your swimmer that it is every swimmer’s responsibility to clean up after themselves and leave the area we occupy at meets in better condition that we found it AND if your swimmer has to cancel attending the night before or morning of a swim meet, please email coaches (david.rue@philaymca.org and Kathryn.deeney@philaymca.org ) and Kate Baganski (kbaganski@verizon.net ) to ensure the lineups are edited prior to the meet starting.  Thank you!

1/13-1/15 SPY Winterfest - YMCA Invitational Meet at the University of Maryland. Please keep an eye out for emails on the days leading up to the meet and/or each day of the meet for updates from Coaches.  THE MEET INFORMATION IS NOW PUBLISHED HERE. TAKE NOTE OF THE PARKING PASSES YOU WILL NEED TO PURCHASE for each session as detailed in these pdf'd PARKING PASS INSTRUCTIONS  (also see the pdf attachments under the event) and the PARKING MAP posted HERE,  These attachments are also found in Team Unify under the Event. Please note that the Maryland Police monitor speed by overhead radar….WATCH YOUR SPEED WHEN DRIVING.  Each year, we have families who arrive home to find a speeding ticket in the mail days later.  Don’t let it be you!  TSHIRTs will be handed out at practice Wednesday and/or Thursday night.  If you miss the handout, Coach Dave will have your shirt at Winterfest.

14-1/15 GPAC New Years Meet - USA Invitational Meet - The final details for this USA meet will be emailed this week to those attending.

1/21 HARVARD versus PENN Swim Meet- Stay tuned for more details for those interested in heading to Philly to cheer on former PAY swimmer ANYA MOSTEK at this Ivy League swim meet! 

1/21-1/22 PennDel South Distance Championships - YMCA Invitational - This is our league’s distance based championship for the southern portion of the league that will be hosted at the Boyertown YMCA. Events like the 1000, 1650, and 200’s of stroke are offered for our older swimmers. 100’s and 200’s are offered for our younger swimmers. The event is posted on TeamUnify, and more information will be forthcoming.

1/28-1/29 PennDel Washington Division Championships - YMCA Invitational - This is our league’s division champs meet that will be hosted at the West Chester YMCA. This is a time of year where our high school swimmers have a lot on their plate, and they can coordinate with me on a plan for this weekend. However, I do feel it is important that our whole team supports our league champs meet with as close to 100% attendance as possible. The event is posted on TeamUnify, and more information will be forthcoming.

2/3-2/5 John DeBarbadillo Invitational at the York YMCA - USA Invitational Meet - This is a USA sanctioned invitational that is hosted at the York YMCA in February. This serves as an important meet opportunity for those that are looking at a Last Chance for District or JO cuts. The 1650 on Friday evening is also an opportunity that I want many of our swimmers to take advantage of. The meet information and event is posted on TeamUnify.

2/25 Charlie Hartley Memorial Championships at GCIT Hosted by Ridley YMCA - Save the date for our YMCA silver meet for those who do not qualify for YMCA Districts (and those looking to get additional District cuts)

2/26 LCY Last Chance Meet at Lionville YMCA - Save the date for our LAST meet opportunity to go for Y District qualifying times

Sunday March 5- BOWLING PARTY FOR DISTRICTS QUALIFIERS- SAVE THE DATE- will be held at Arnolds Bowling in Oaks PA 2:15pm-5:30pm. Bowling for 1 hour then pizza/drinks/free time in the arcade with a game card. We are working on the details but cost may be around $25/swimmer.

3/10-3/12 YMCA DISTRICTS Meet at the York YMCA in York, PA - Save the date for our culminating championship meet of the winter season for many of our swimmers!

3/24-3/26 YMCA STATES Meet at WVU in Morgantown, WV- Heads up! Thanks to volunteer Siobhan Hummel there are 4 hotel links reserving about 50 rooms for this weekend for those that think they’ll be attending this meet.  The links can be found on our Team Unify website under the YMCA States Event or click HERE. Please check with Coach Dave before reserving a hotel room if you have doubts about whether or not your swimmer may qualify for this meet.

FACEBOOK-Come follow “PAY Swimming” on Facebook to celebrate the achievements of all of our kids.  Even better, text or email your child’s photo and “brags” from our swim meets to swim mom Donna Hungarter to share on the PAY Swimming page at (484) 686-3156 or  dmhungarter@gmail.com. ***Please be reminded that cell phones are prohibited in locker rooms as are photos taken from behind the starting blocks. 

TYR PORTAL - If you need any swim apparel or equipment, please visit teams.tyr.com, create an account and use the access code "PAYSUM25". You will then get access to your custom team portal with TYR. By shopping through the custom portal, you will receive 25% off anything you order including parkas, suits and equipment. PLUS, your purchase helps to support the team as TYR provides benefits back to us, based upon our total sales. Please email our TYR rep Joe Eiden with any questions at jeiden@tyr.com or cell 714-615-3757.

BARELY WORN TECH SUIT FOR SALE: One of our PAY teen girls wore this size 22 Tyr Avictor to a meet and found the hip flex too large for her: https://www.tyr.com/tyr-womens-avictor-2-0-open-back-hip-flex-swimsuit.htmlThe suit cost $499 but the family would like to sell it for $275.  Please reply if your daughter is interested or has questions.

SUPER SENIORS-  On Saturday we recognized our 6 graduating PAY seniors.  Haidyn DiPaolo, Ella Dittmar, Riya Patel, Claire Obara, Joel Smith and Maris Sadowski We wish them well for the rest of the swim season and for the second half of their senior year.  Enjoy each milestone! (We’ll share more news about them in a few months as they finalize their plans.)

BIRTHDAY ROUND-UP Wishing a wonderful day to our teammates who are aging up:

Estela Gilmore turned 11 on January 9!

Claire Estes turns 11 on January 12!

Clayton Heinzmann turns 14 on January 12!

Jane Hummel turns 16 on January 13!

Kyle Kruppa turns 17 on January 15!

“Never regret a day in your life: The good days bring happiness, the bad days bring experience, and the best days bring memories.” – Unknown

Have a Wonderful Week!