We’re excited to have you and your swimmers join us! Summer swim is a team effort; we need 15+ Piranhas volunteers to run each meet. With at least 2 meets per week from June 14th through July 20th, your participation is critical to our team’s success! SwimTopia is your one stop shop to sign up your swimmer for races, volunteer at meets, and to get team information and communications. Please register for an account:  https://poolesvilleswim.SwimTopia.com/

New Swimmer Evaluations:
Friday, 5/30 starting at 5:00PM until all swimmers are evaluated

Practice Schedule During School:
Begins Wednesday, 5/28 (No practice Friday, 5/30) 

• 10 & Under: 5:30–6:30PM (8 & U done by 6:15PM) 
• 11 & Over: 6:30–7:30PM (11–12 done by 7:15PM) 

Summer Practice Schedule

Morning Practices (starting Wednesday, 6/18; times may be adjusted after swimmer evaluations)

• 13 & Over: 8:00–9:00AM
• 11–12: 9:00–9:45AM
• 10 & Under: 9:45–10:30AM 

Evening Practices (Mon/Tue/Thu) 

• All Ages: 8:00–9:00PM 

Note: Please DO NOT have your swimmer practice 2 times per day. Your swimmer may want to skip the Wednesday morning practice if he/she competes that night. Meets can last until 9:30PM, so be mindful if you sign up for the last event (Butterfly).

Swimmer Expectations: Discuss behavior and sportsmanship with your swimmer. We aim for an inclusive and respectful team environment. Coaches will issue warnings for inappropriate conduct; persistent issues will involve parents. 

• Family Expectations: 
• Treat our pool with care and do not damage the facilities 
• No glass items at practices or meets 
• Clean up after yourselves 
• Parents are not allowed on the pool deck during practices 
• Siblings who are not on the team may not swim during team activities 

Uniform 

• Team or plain cap required for meets (use older/other caps for practice) 
• Team suit recommended (not required); worn, secured, and tied properly
• No taped or bonded tech suits for 12 & under swimmers
• Tech suits must be approved and marked with a green check printed on the suit
• Spiritwear is optional 

Time Trials: Saturday, June 7th 

• All swimmers must swim all legal strokes. 
• Requires full parent/volunteer participation (30+ volunteers, since we compete against ourselves)

First Meets (see SwimTopia for full schedule): 

• A: Saturday, June 14th vs. Little Falls (Away) 
• B: Wednesday, June 18th vs. Manchester Farm (Away) 

Team Photo: Friday, June 20th (at the pool)

Visit the Piranhas team store on SwimOutlet for all your team needs!

Meet Structure:

• Each summer swim week starts on Thursdays, and goes through the following Wednesday
• Saturday “A” Meets (lineups posted Thursdays on SwimTopia):
  • Meets are generally the top 6 times in Freestyle for each age group and the top 3 times in every other stroke (i.e., IM, Back, Breast, and Butterfly)
  • Saturday meets have relays, too!
• Wednesday “B” Meets (sign-ups open Thursday afternoon, close the following Monday morning):
  • Open to most swimmers (see guidelines below)
  • Events based on swimmer performance and availability 

Wednesday Meet Guidelines: 

Swimmers can participate if:

• They earned points on Saturday (and have one un-swum event for time only)
• Were disqualified and need a correction swim
• Swam fewer events on Saturday and earned no points (eligible for ribbon) 

Please only sign up for Wednesday meets if your swimmer can stay until they’ve swum all their events, or if you’re volunteering until the end (~9:30PM). No-shows make the meets much harder to run.

PLEASE HONOR YOUR COMMITMENTS – ONLY ENTER EARLY EVENTS IN THE MEET IF YOU CAN’T STAY LATER!!

Volunteering: 

• Every meet requires 15+ Piranhas volunteers plus 15+ volunteers from the other team! It is essential that you volunteer at the meets that your child swims (you still get to see them swim their races)! No volunteers = no swim meets! 
• 9 timers, 1 automation, 1 starter/ref, 2 stroke & turn officials, 1 ribbon writer, 1 clerk of course 
• 12 timers needed for B meets 
• Additional help is needed for home meet setup/break-down, concessions, hospitality, runners, and more! 
• Swimmers of appropriate age can volunteer to earn SSL hours (see below) 

SSL Hours:

• Swimmers in grades 6–12 may earn SSL hours. It is the swimmer’s responsibility to track their hours
• SSL forms are distributed at season's end

Weekly Communications:

• Saturday meet lineup is posted on SwimTopia and at practice by Thursday noon
• Meet details (location, theme, parking, etc.) are sent to families with participating swimmers 

Team Structure: 

Montgomery County Recreation (MCR) oversees all county-run summer swim teams, including the Poolesville Piranhas, by managing registrations, SwimTopia websites, coaching staff, and pool facilities. The team competes in the Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL). 

Supporting the Piranhas at a local level is the Poolesville Piranhas Swim Committee (PPSC), a parent-run volunteer group operating as a non-profit booster club. PPSC fundraises for the Piranhas by managing the concessions stand and coordinating team merchandise/swag. PPSC also helps to ensure the team has the necessary equipment and volunteers to operate smoothly. 

Problem Resolutions: 

Swimmer Issues:

• Safety: Promptly notify head coach or pool operator
• Bullying or Inappropriate Behavior: Report to lane coach or head coach 

Adult Issues:

• Attempt to resolve directly. If not possible, contact head coach
• Assistant coach concerns should be reported to head coach
• Remember: This is a youth sports activity. Mistakes are part of growth, and it’s our role to guide and support the children—big or small—as they learn. 

Contact: 

Piranhas Team General Inbox: [email protected]
(PPSC) Head Coach:  [email protected] (Tara) 
A-Meet/B-Meet Representatives: [email protected] (Donna – Head Rep; Jacki – A Rep; Lauren – B Rep) 
Treasurer: [email protected] (Matt)