Weekly News - December 5, 2022

Amy Parratto

Riptide Weekly News – December 5, 2022

Latest Information

  • Jingle Bell Invite: Thank you to all of our volunteers for running another great meet for our swimmers and the visiting teams. The coaches are very proud of the swimmers! Way to go everyone!!! The results are now listed on TU and SWIMS. 
  • MNSI 14&U Single Age State Championships: Riptide sent 22 swimmers this past  Friday through Sunday to a new mid-season championship meet held in New Prague. Our swimmers swam their hearts out and had a ton of great swims and a ton of fun! Although we were small in numbers we were strong on performance and finished 7th in the combined team standings. Several Riptide swimmers finished top three in the high point standings. Waiting on those official results. I will have those details for you in the next newsletter. Way to go everyone!!!  
  • Chilly Dip Invite: We are looking forward to our 10th year running this meet. Unfortunately, it is a bit small due to the large number of meets being run on the same weekend. Meet details will be posted by this Wednesday. Breaks will be built into the timeline to assure that the swimmers have adequate rest. Stay tuned!
  • Practice Update: All practices are canceled Friday and Saturday due to the swim meet.
  • Junior Nationals West: Riptide is sending three swimmers to Junior Nationals West in Austin, Texas. We want to wish Megan Hutchins, Matthew Mortenson and Matthew Warweg all the best and fast swimming at the meet! Go Riptide!!!
  • Looking Ahead to the Holidays: Our TU calendars have been updated to reflect any adjustments to the December holiday schedule. There will be no practices on Dec. 24th and 25th with the exception of Senior Elite. All groups, other than Senior Elite, will follow their normal practice schedule Dec. 26th thru the 28th. We will have an adjusted practice schedule on Dec. 30th (stay tuned) and no practices Dec. 31st.
  • Holiday Splash: We have a few spots left for our Holiday Splash Night. Please register by December 11th if your swimmer is interested in participating. We will have an inner tube water polo tournament, open swim, movie and ugly sweater contest. The winner will receive a free 30 minute private session. Pizza and popcorn will be provided! 
  • Parent Committee Recognizing Riptide Swimmers: Our Parent Committee will organize something fun each month for all of the groups to recognize our swimmers. Specific groups will be nominated each month. This month the Parent Committee would like to recognize 9U, Bronze and Silver groups and invite them to a cookie decorating night on December 16th at 7:15pm  after the practice ( Thank you Katy Ploehn!). Please note the Bronze group practice time will be changed to 6:15-7:15pm on December 16th.   Swimmers will work on their creations and enjoy the cookies with their teammates, followed by a raffle drawing. If your child needs a GF option please email Coach Olga by December 7.
  • Cub Fundraiser Update: Thank you to all of the parents and swimmers who have donated money or signed up to help with fundraising at Cub Foods on December 18th! We truly appreciate your involvement! However, we still have plenty of spots open. If you are available to help, please consider volunteering. 

            https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4FA8AE29A7F49-cubfoods

  • Ongoing Fundraiser for the Team Banquet: We will be offering various fun fundraising options throughout the season at our meets to help raise money to reduce the cost for the team banquet in April. At the Chilly Dip meet we will offer the following options: 
  • On Friday 12/9 you can purchase raffle tickets to enter into a drawing for a preferred parking spot for the upcoming I-Heart meet (for all 3 days 2/10-12)
  • On Saturday 12/19 we will have a 50/50 raffle offered. 50% of obtained revenue will go to a winner. The winner’s number will be posted on the wall in the lobby on Sunday and the winner can claim their cash by presenting a winning ticket. 
  • On Sunday 12/20 we will be selling good luck ducks so you can send the inspirational message to your swimmer to support them during the last day of the meet. If you are interested in participating please stop by the concessions stand.

Regular Reminders

  • Questions: If you have any questions regarding your swimmer, meets, clinics, practices etc. please contact your swimmer’s lead coach in order to get the quickest, most accurate and helpful response (see the list below). The coaches are here to help your child in all areas of their swimming. Make sure to reach out to them! If you have a billing question, contact Cara Pavek – [email protected]
  • Important Meet Fee Billing Reminders: 1. Parents are required to pay their swimmer's meet entry fees.  These fees are specifically highlighted in the meet information section for ALL meets.  Riptide pays meet fees prior to the meet start date.  Riptide then collects these fees from parents after the meet has concluded. 2. Once the meet deadline passes, meet fees are non-refundable. If a swimmer is a no show or scratches after the deadline, the meet fees will still be charged to the swimmer's account. It is imperative that all families follow the meet entry accept/decline process. 3. Meet fees are invoiced and posted to all accounts within one week after the completion of a meet. All charges will be processed with the automatic credit card processing on the first of each month.
  • Adult Swim Training & Private Lessons - Group Technical Skills Training For Triathletes & Masters; Beginner Adult Swim Classes; Individual and Small Group Lessons going on now! For more information – contact Michelle Hopewell at [email protected]
  • Stroke and Turn Officials - Anyone interested in learning to become a USA Swimming Stroke and Turn Official - please contact Wendy Peterson at [email protected].  
  • Private Lessons - Riptide Coaches are offering 30 and 60 minute private lessons. If your swimmer is interested, either contact your lead coach directly or [email protected].

RIPTIDE STAFF CONTACTS: