THANK YOU to everyone for making the kickoff to the 2026 season such a huge success at Time Trials! We’re so proud of all our swimmers and excited for an incredible season ahead––and we couldn’t do it without all your support.

We have two more days of afternoon practices on Monday and Tuesday, no practice on Wednesday for the last day of FCPS school, and then we start on our regular morning schedule Thursday through the end of the season. Click here to review the schedule for each age group. A few reminders about practices:

• Practices are for coaches and athletes. Please do not interfere or interrupt the coaches during instruction. Parents are allowed in the spectator areas during practice to observe and socialize with other families.
• Remember that practice is not childcare. Please don’t leave children under 12 at the pool unsupervised before or after their scheduled practice time. An adult must be supervising any children in the playground area. Safety first.
• If you choose to stay at the pool during normal operating hours, you must depart the pool after practices end and sign in with the guards when the pool opens.
• Encourage your child to do their best and enjoy the experience! We believe that is much more important than being the best.
• Familiarize yourself with more details by reviewing our Pinecrest Parent Handbook and New Parent Orientation slides.

📲 DOWNLOAD THE SWIMTOPIA MOBILE APP

We get it. You have enough apps on your phone already. But we promise you’ll want to download the SwimTopia Mobile App to receive messages, weather alerts, meet results, and more.

• Be sure to enable notifications! As last week’s storms proved, weather forecasts are fickle and sometimes we’ll have to delay or cancel practices or team events as storms roll in.
• We’ve received several questions about adding additional email addresses to SwimTopia accounts so teens and other family members can stay in the know. While this information was requested during registration, we understand that family needs change and some accounts may need to be updated.
  • We're offering a one-time opportunity to request additional parent/guardian accounts and athlete accounts for swimmers ages 13 and older. Please complete this form to add one or more individuals to your family's SwimTopia account: CLICK HERE
  • Please note that SwimTopia requires these changes be made by an administrator, so updates cannot be made directly by members.
  • All submissions must be received by Wednesday, June 17, at 3pm.
  • Once Swimtopia is updated, each added member email should receive a confirmation to activate the account.

📣 DECLARE FOR MEETS

Our first A meet is coming up this Saturday, June 20, hosted at Pinecrest. Please let us know ASAP if your swimmer is available so we can begin planning!

From the comfort of your SwimTopia Mobile App or laptop, navigate over to the Meet Declarations page (located under the Calendar menu) to declare if your swimmer or diver is available for each meet. You never know when the team will call on your swimmer for a particular stroke, so please let us know if you are available!

All meets are loaded into the system, so get a head start by declaring for meets now.* And while you’re there, sign up for volunteer slots to start earning those points. We need all hands on deck to run our meets and give our swimmers and divers a great experience!

*Monday B meets have some additional rules around which strokes a swimmer can declare based on the previous A meet. Direct any questions to Developmental Swim Reps Hillary Chan and Cindy Helffrich at [email protected]. 

🏊 EXTRA PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES

If you’re looking for additional instruction outside of regular practices, sign up for extra training with our talented coaches!

• Swim Clinics with Coach Ken: Our technique coach Ken White will be leading daily specialized clinics after team practices 11:00am-11:30am. Each day will spotlight a different stroke or skill, helping swimmers strengthen their technique in a fun, small-group setting. Clinics are open to all ages of swim team members. Cost is $5 per clinic, payable in cash at the start of the session. Signup links coming soon!
• Private Lessons: If you’re looking for one-on-one instruction, our coaches also offer private lessons throughout the summer. This is a great option for swimmers of all ages and abilities––whether you have a new swimmer or experienced athlete working toward a personal goal or faster times. Please contact the coach of your choice to discuss availability and lesson details.

🌺 PEP RALLY – Welcome Back Luau BBQ! – Friday, June 19 | 6pm-8pm

You don’t want to miss our first pep rally this Friday night! Dress in your tropical best and bring car-safe markers if you have them. Our swimmers and divers will be decorating cars to make sure everyone sees our Piranha pride!

Did you RSVP for the pep rally and sign up for the potluck? Pep rallies are for every swim, dive, and Pee-Wee family and are guaranteed Friday night fun!

🐟 PIRANHA PACKS & RED vs. BLUE TEAMS 🔴🔵

At Friday’s pep rally, we’ll also be introducing our Piranha Packs and Red & Blue Teams! Throughout the season, our Red and Blue teams will engage in a friendly competition to see who can earn the most points and claim the coveted Frenzy Cup!

We’ve also organized our swimmers, divers, and Pee-Wees into Piranha Packs made up of kids across all ages so they can build camaraderie, work together, and spread Piranha spirit across the entire team.

Check out the roster to find your Red/Blue Team and Piranha Pack assignments.

✅ NVSL STROKE & TURN CLINIC ON WEDNESDAY

Did you have FOMO at Time Trials wishing you were the one holding the clipboard judging those swim strokes and turns? You’re in luck! You have one more opportunity to get certified (or recertified) for Stroke & Turn. This is a critical role for our meets, and we need more eagle-eyed volunteers to get certified!

• Wednesday, June 17, 7-9pm: New/Recertification Stroke & Turn @ Hayfield Farm OR @ Sleepy Hollow Recreation Association

🙋🏻 CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!

Our summer season depends on the support and involvement of our families––and every family is expected to fulfill a volunteer point requirement based on the number of children they have on the team. It takes at least 40 volunteers for each swim meet, and every adult working behind the scenes to make the summer swim season happen is a volunteer and member of our pool.

1️⃣ swimmer = 15 points

2️⃣ swimmers = 22 points

3️⃣ swimmers = 28 points

Want to knock out all your volunteer points with a season-long gig? We’re looking for a Developmental Swim Representative Trainee to take on co-leading the B Meet role next year. Contact Volunteer Coordinators Abbie and Paul Shlesinger with any questions at [email protected].

👕 TEAM GEAR

• If you didn’t already pick up your team T-shirts, swim caps, water bottles (for new team members), and swimsuits (if ordered), we’ll have them at practices this week.
• Team suits (not required) can be ordered online or in person at Metro Swim Shop. We highly recommend getting fitted.
• Show your Piranhas pride with Pinecrest spiritwear from our SwimOutlet store.

🏊 Piranha-Thon Is Coming!

Get ready for one of the most fun practices of the season! Our inaugural Piranha-Thon will take place during Fun Day on Tuesday, June 23, for swimmers and Wednesday, June 24, for divers. Athletes will have the chance to challenge themselves, cheer on their teammates, and help raise funds for important team improvements. Swimmers will see how many laps they can complete while divers will rack up as many flips as possible. Along the way, we'll have all the Fun Day energy you've come to expect—music, team spirit, and plenty of Piranha pride!

This year's fundraising goal is to help purchase new lane lines and storage equipment for the swim team as well as new mats for the dive team.

Supporters can make either a flat donation or pledge an amount per lap/flip using our Piranha-Thon Supporter Form:

👉 Piranha-Thon Supporter Form

Every pledge, big or small, helps make a difference for our athletes. And because no Piranha event is complete without a little friendly competition, we'll be tracking fundraising totals by Piranha Pack! The Pack that raises the most support will earn special recognition later this season, so start spreading the word and recruiting your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to support your favorite Piranha.

Let's make our first-ever Piranha-Thon a FIN-tastic success!

📸 2026 Swim & Dive Photo Album

Our summer photo album is now live! Time Trials photos have been uploaded, and we'll continue adding photos throughout the season so be sure to check back often.

Have photos you'd like to share? Feel free to send them in—we love seeing the season through our families’ lenses!

👉 View the album here: 2026 Pinecrest Swim & Dive Photos

Thank you for reading through all these details and for supporting our athletes! We’re looking forward to the official start to summer with our first morning practices this week!

Let’s go Piranhas! 🐟