Archives

Spring Fling Mar 27, 2008

Spring is in the air, and that must mean that Riptide's Spring Fling program is about to begin! Spring Fling is an 8-week stroke and turn clinic, open to non-Riptide members as well as to team members. Swimmers must be 7 years of age and able to swim two lengths of the pool, without stopping, in order to participate. Please get your application in early, as we will be strictly limiting the number of participants this year. In the past, many Riptiders have waited until the first night of the program to sign up, but we WILL be turning those swimmers away this year, if our limit has been reached, so don't take a chance! Print out this application form, and mail it in with your check (if you are not a Raritan Valley YMCA member, you must also print out this form and include it with a SEPARATE check). Spring Fling is a great way to tune up for your summer swim season. Sign up today!

National Team Banquet Menu Mar 23, 2008

The National team banquet will be held on Sunday evening when we are in Charlotte. We need to get everyone's entree choices to the caterer ahead of time, so please complete this online form indicating your preference. This is due by Wednesday, March 26. If you have any questions, email Marc Weingarten.

Nationals Payments Mar 10, 2008

Margie Zavoda willbe at NBTHS tomorrow during practice for those of you who need to make their second payment and have not done so. Payment can also be mailed to:

Margie Zavoda
5 Winton Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816

Nationals Team Day Mar 8, 2008

Team Day is all set.

When: Thursday, March 13, 5pm-9(ish)pm

Where: Rutgers University College Avenue Gymnasium (This is where some of the groups practiced on Friday nights during the season)

What: Dinner, Rock climbing, Yoga, and Swimming

Please make sure the kids wear sneakers and comfortable clothing for rock climbing and also bring their folders and normal swim stuff.

We will try and get the rock climbing waivers/releases to the kids for the parents to sign before Thursday so keep an eye out for that.

I know at the meeting we had mentioned Sunday, March 16, as the day when we were hoping to have Team Day, but Rutgers begins their Spring Break on the 14th so the facility would have been closed. Practice was already scheduled for Thursday the 13th, so hopefully there won't be a problem with the kids attending.

Marc Weingarten

Nationals Racing Suits and Caps Feb 13, 2008

Nationals Racing Suits and caps must be ordered no later than THIS SATURDAY, Feb 16. Each swimmer is entitled to order ONE Speedo FSII at our team price, which is substantially discounted from the regular retail price. If you are not sure which suit you want, or what size you wear, you need to go to Ultimate Swim Shop, Main Street, Metuchen no later than Saturday, to try on and order your suit. If you already know what type and size you want, you may order online using this form. Payment will be due at the first Nationals Team Parent Meeting on Saturday, Feb 23 from 8-10 AM at MCC (while the kids practice).

All swimmers who wear caps MUST wear a Riptide team cap. Caps come in sets of 2, are available in latex or silicone, and will be imprinted with "Riptide Nationals Team" and the swimmer's last name. You may order as many sets of caps as you want, but your order must be in by this Saturday!

Racing suits are not mandatory, but, if you do not order by Saturday, you will not receive the team discount, and you will be responsible for getting the suit on your own.

8/Under Championships, Feb 3, Ocean County YMCA Jan 29, 2008

Remember swimmers are entering from separate entrance, so coaches please greet your swimmers at the entrance to bring them into the building.

Boys Session 1 Warmups begins at 8 am - Meet Start 9:15.
Doors will be open for swimmers at 7:15. Parents and spectators will not be allowed in the building until 8:15. Warmups begin at 8:00 am. Click here for timing assignments. Timers meeting at 8:45 am.

Girls Session 2 : Warmups begin 1:30 pm Meet Start: 2:45 pm
Doors will be open for swimmers at 12:45 pm. Parents and spectators will not be allowed in the building until 1:45 pm. Warmups begin at 1:30 pm. Timers meeting at 2:15 pm.

Verizon Email Addresses Jan 26, 2008

Once again, Verizon is blocking emails sent from our contact list. If you are on our contact list and your email address ends with verizon.net, you probably missed a few emails that were sent between Jan 16 and today. To start receiving our emails again, you need to go to this Verizon web site and request that emails from rvyriptide.org be allowed: http://www.verizon.net/whitelist. When asked for domain name and outgoing mail server, enter rvyriptide.org for both.

8/Under, Bronze, and Silver Championships Jan 16, 2008

8/Under and Bronze entries are here. Please review them carefully and let Mike know by Thursday morning if there are any changes. The coaching staff took into account each swimmer's preference; however, we entered swimmers where we thought they would have the best chance for success. With that said, if you feel strongly that we missed something or made a mistake, by all means let us know. Also, keep in mind that you must have a valid time for any particular event in our database to swim at these championship meets, so there are events that a swimmer may not be eligible for (especially with the 8/Us).

As far as Bronze is concerned, please let Mike know by Thursday morning if you cannot attend, or can only attend one day. While we entered swimmers in every event possible, there are a few swimmers that may qualify for 3 events in Silvers (on two separate days), and therefore would have 4 full days of Championship meet swimming. In these cases, if you only want to attend one day of Bronze, that is fine; however, please let Mike know of your intentions by Thursday morning. (The breakdown for Saturday/Sunday - events 1-44 are on Saturday, the rest are on Sunday.) Bronze relays will be posted by the end of the week.

Both meets have entry fees. These fees will be deducted from any remaining extra meet balance, or you may pay prior to the meet. The entry fee will cover swimmer fees, relays and coaching expenses. For 8/unders, the fee will be $15 per swimmer, for Bronze the fee will be $25.

If you have any questions, please email Mike at coachmike@rvyriptide.org.

Level I Officials Clinic Jan 4, 2008

A level I officials clinic is being offered the evening of Monday, Jan 7 at the Somerset Hills YMCA. Check our Officials page for details.

Winterfest Jan 3, 2008

Information on this weekend's Winterfest meet is here. Entries and timing assignments were added today. If you are swimming the 500 free, you may need to provide your own lap counter - we're not sure, but it's best to be prepared just in case. If you have any questions, please use the Riptide Hotline at 732-297-6163.

Jan 5 Coed Meet Jan 2, 2008

Saturday's Coed meet will be held at the Wardlaw-Hartridge School, not at the Metuchen Y. Warmups are at 10:30, start is at 11:00. Directions to the school are here. Look on page 4 for directions to the Wardlaw-Hartridge School. Since this is a 6 lane pool, additional timers are needed. Also, they may be short a starter. Please note the additions to the assignments:

Parent Rep: Waidelich
Timer Coordinator: Kleinman
Scoring: Jacobs-Perez
Standby Starter: Rugulo
Stroke and Turn : Maligranda
Across the Board: Endler
Timers: Silverman, Hunter, D'Esposito, Perez, Orlowski-Scherer, Scott, Weiss

Thank you for showing the Riptide spirit and helping out where needed. Joan

Team Clothing Dec 21, 2007

If you ordered Riptide clothing, your order will be available for pickup on following dates and times. Please understand that we will distribute only to an adult, with the exception of Seniors who may be driving themselves to practice and may pick up their own clothing. We appreciate your patience as we changed this year to a new vendor, TEAM USA, and hope you enjoy your clothing. Thanks to Debi Scott and Carolyn Gugliotta for working on the team clothing this year.

Friday Dec 21, YMCA Tices Lane 4:00-5:30 PM
Friday Dec 21, YMCA Tices Lane 7:00-9:00 PM
Saturday Dec 22, MCC (lobby) 9:00-9:30 AM
Saturday Dec 22, YMCA Tices Lane 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Orders not picked up by Saturday will be distributed after Jan 1. Thank you for your orders. Any questions, please email Joan.

New Meet: Princeton Invitational 2008 Dec 4, 2007

The Stingray Splash meet, which was to be held on Jan 20, has unfortunately been closed to our entries. Since we will not be attending the meet, your extra meet account will not be charged for the Stingray Meet.

As an alternative meet, Riptide will take entries for the Princeton Invitational Meet 2008, which will be held on Sunday Jan 20, at the De Nunzio Pool in Princeton. Our deadline for entering this meet is Wednesday Dec 5 at 9:00 PM.

The events, as well as the meet announcement and directions, are here. There are no qualifying times for this meet. There is a maximum of 3 events per swimmer.

You may submit an online meet entry form. If you have any questions regarding events to enter, please contact your coach.

Meet entry fees of $4.00 per event will be deducted from your extra meet account.

No swimmer without an extra meet account will be entered into the meet. If you did not register an extra meet account at the parent meeting, and wish to do so, email Pat Rose ASAP.

Winterfest Nov 28, 2007

Winterfest '08 will be held at the Sonny Werblin Aquatic Center at Rutgers University on January 5th and 6th. Swimmers must have silver or gold level times to qualify for this meet. The list of Riptide swimmers who have qualified is here. All qualified swimmers who have extra meet accounts will be automatically entered into the meet unless they scratch no later than 9:00 PM, Thursday, November 29th. Swimmers may scratch from all or just some of their events. If you do nothing, you will automatically be entered into all events in which you qualify. If you believe you have qualified for this meet and are not listed, you must let us know by the same deadline. For those who qualify in more than the maximum events per day (3), the list of events is here. If you don't send in your scratches , you will be entered into 3 events based on event spacing.

The directions for scratching or for claiming eligibility are as follows:

• All scratches and other concerns must be emailed to Priscilla, NO LATER THAN 9 PM, Thursday, 11/29. DO NOT CALL - send an email.
• If you are scratching from the entire meet, just say that.
• If you are scratching only certain events, you MUST BE SPECIFIC. Indicate the # and the name of each event that you want to scratch. (EXAMPLE: "I wish to scratch from Event # 41, 11-12 Girls 100 Breast")
• If you believe that you have qualified for the meet, or for additional events not listed on the report, you must indicate the event, the meet at which you qualified, and the time that you swam. ( EXAMPLE: "At the 11/17 Boys Team dual meet at Ocean County, I swam a 2:29.87 in the 200 Backstroke.")

Remember, if you want to be entered in all of your eligible events, you don't have to do anything. Email Priscilla only with scratches, additions, or other problems. Once the scratch deadline has passed, no further changes will be made and your extra meet account will be charged for all events that you entered.

Raritan Valley YMCA Memberships Nov 28, 2007

We recently received the following list of swimmers whose Raritan Valley YMCA memberships have either recently expired, or will be expiring shortly. Please contact the Y to make sure that you are currently a member.

Valerie Rugulo, Jessie Gibbons, Matthew Burke, Dan Lewis, Tyler Catania, Vincent Gibbons, Kevin Weiss, Danielle Bartolotta, Christopher Rettinger, Matthew Elkins, Ryan Bartynski, Caitlyn Ignal, Evan Cesanek.

Stingray Splash Nov 27, 2007

The Hunterdon County YMCA Stingray Splash Meet (Sunday Jan 20) is now open for entries. This meet will be held at Raritan Valley Community College. Our deadline to enter this meet is Friday Noon Nov 30.

The meet events, as well as the meet announcement and directions, are here.

There are no qualifying time requirement for this meet. Age eligibility is determined by the swimmer's age as of Dec 1, 2007. You may submit an online meet entry form.

The entry fee will be $5 per event and will be debited from the swimmer's extra meet account. No swimmer without an extra meet account will be entered into the meet. If you did not register an extra meet account at the parent meeting, and wish to do so, email Pat Rose asap.

Riptide Clothing Orders Nov 20, 2007

We have a new vendor and are pleased to offer you new colors and a lower price for Riptide jackets! The order form is here. The deadline for any orders and payment is Wednesday Nov 28 at 9:00 PM. The earliest we will be able to get the orders is Dec 21 and we will keep you informed as to whether they will be distributed at practice or at the YMCA.

Please print and complete the form and bring it to practice. Debi Scott and Joan Wieczorek will collect forms and full payment at all upcoming practices. Please check the form for further details and how to contact us with questions.

You may also email the completed form directly to Joan and indicate in the email when you will meet her with payment before the deadline.

Rutgers Masters Zone Meet Nov 19, 2007

On Saturday Dec 8 and Sunday Dec 9, Riptide will be helping the Rutgers Masters Swim Team by serving as timers for their Zone Meet held at the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center. This event will help us to hold our annual Team Day in March, and also will give our swimmers a good insight as to what their parents have to do during their meets! This is a great opportunity for our team to contribute to our local swimming community and to see what it's like to be on the other side of the blocks.

Attendance for this event is MANDATORY, because we simply cannot provide enough timers without all of our swimmers participating.

This document contains your name and the session you are working. If you cannot attend, you MUST find a substitute on the team (it can be a parent). However, your assigned slot must be filled.

If you have any Riptide Gear - T-shirts, Nationals Shirts, etc. PLEASE WEAR IT!

Location of Coed Meet Nov 16, 2007

Saturday's Coed Team meet against Princeton Y will be held at the Jonathan Witherspoon Middle School NOT at the Princeton Y. Here are the directions:

John Witherspoon Middle School
217 Walnut Lane
Princeton, NJ 08540

Directions:
Traveling South on Route 1
Make right hand turn onto Harrison St.
Cross Route 27 (Nassau St) and make left onto Franklin Ave. (it should be no more than 1/2 mile)
Make right onto Walnut Lane (school is 1/3 mile on the right)

Peddie Thanksgiving Classic Oct 8, 2007

The Peddie Thanksgiving Classic meet (Sunday Nov 18) is now open for entries. The deadline to enter this meet is Wednesday Oct 10. The meet events, as well as the meet announcement and directions, are here. You may enter only those events for which your best time is "slower than" the time shown in the time standard column. Age is as of Nov 18, 2007. If you are eligible for this meet, submit an online meet entry form here.

The entry fee will be $4 per event and will be debited from the swimmer's extra meet account. No swimmer without an extra meet account will be entered into the meet. If you did not register an extra meet account at the parent meeting, and wish to do so, email Pat Rose asap.

Swim Suit Fitting Sep 28, 2007

The swim suit fitting is tonight, Friday Sep 28. Ultimate Swim Shop will be at MCC 5:30-7:00. Forms for senior 2's and anyone else who is not able to make practice at MCC will be available at the Sep 29 Saturday practice. You will also be able to go to Ultimate Swim Shop on Main Street in Metuchen on that Saturday, if you do not know your size and wish to try on suits. We are keeping the same team suit (black with blue Riptide logo on front for girls, on back or leg for boys) as last year. Please plan to have your order in no later than Saturday, so that we can have the suits in time for the first dual meets on October 27th.

Fall Festival Of X-Cellence Sep 26, 2007

The Fall Festival of X-Cellence (Saturday Nov 3 and Sunday Nov 4) is now open for entries. Our deadline for entries is Friday Sep 28. This meet is replacing the former Fall Festival meet which no longer exists. There are no qualifying times for this meet. The maximum number of events which can be entered each day is 3. The meet events are here (scroll to bottom of page). If you want to attend this meet, submit an online meet entry form here.

In order to enter "extra meets" this year, swimmers will need to open an extra meet account. Extra meet accounts will be set up at the Parent Meeting on October 2nd; however, the Fall Festival of X-Cellence and Go For the Gold Meets are already open for entries, so we will accept entries for these meets only, prior to an extra meet account being set up. Understand that, if you enter Fall Festival of X-Cellence, you will need to pay your extra meet fee no later than October 2nd. Entry fees will be deducted from the extra meet account.

Go For The Gold Sep 23, 2007

The Go For The Gold meet (Sunday, Nov 11) is now open for entries. Our deadline for entries is Wednesday Sep 26. You may enter events for which you have qualifying times. The meet events are here (scroll to bottom of page). If you are eligible for this meet, submit an online meet entry form here.

In order to enter "extra meets" this year, swimmers will need to open an extra meet account. This extra meet account is not mandatory, however no swimmer will be entered into extra meets if s/he has not paid his/her extra meet fee. Extra meet fees will vary based on practice group:

Tiny Tides / Tidal Waves $50
Juniors $75
Seniors $100

Extra meet accounts will be set up at the Parent Meeting on October 2nd, however, the Go For the Gold Meet is already open for entries, so we will accept entries for this meet only, prior to an extra meet account being set up. Understand that, if you enter GFTG, you will need to pay your extra meet fee no later than October 2nd.

Officials Clinics Sep 20, 2007

As always, there is a turnover of officials as children reach college age or leave the program. Riptide has always had a tradition of parents volunteering to officiate at meets. New parents are urged to volunteer as officials and be trained as Level I. New officials, as well as current officials whose certification has expired, are asked to attend the scheduled clinics listed in this document. Only the first class is required to become certified as a Level I official. That will allow you to perform stroke & turn, finish, relay takeoff, timer, and scorer duties. Optionally, the second class will let you become a referee, starter, and chief judge. Al Wieczorek will be at the Parents meeting to speak for a few minutes and talk to anyone interested. It's very rewarding!

Attention New Team Members Sep 20, 2007

If you are a new team member, AND HAVE PREVIOUSLY SWAM FOR ANOTHER USS TEAM (MEY, SAC, Princeton, etc), you must fill out a transfer form in order to complete your USS registration. These forms are due to Coach Mike by practice on Monday. The transfer form is here.

RVY Roster Sep 14, 2007

The preliminary roster for the 2007-08 season is here. Congratulations to all the new team members. This year, we have the largest team in Riptide history, as we tried to take everyone that we could. A note about practice groupings; we haven't made the final practice groups up yet - we are going to move a few people up in each group, after we see how everyone progressed during the summer. Our final groupings will be posted after practice on Wednesday, and as usual we will move more people up after the high school season starts in mid November. If you have any questions/concerns please email Mike.

IMPORTANT! All parents of NEW team members must attend a brief meeting at the Raritan Valley YMCA, TONIGHT, (Friday, September 14) at 7:00 PM. The Y is located at 144 Tices Lane in East Brunswick. Please bring two checks: one for $200, made out to Riptide Swim Team, as a deposit toward the team fee, and a second, for $60, made out to RVYMCA for the swimmer's mandatory Y membership. YMCA membership forms will be available at the meeting, or you may print one from the Raritan Valley YMCA web site and bring it with you. These two payments must be received from each new swimmer before they will be allowed to practice. Please email Priscilla with any questions about tonight's meeting.

2007-2008 Season Tryouts Aug 10, 2007

Open tryouts for the 2007-2008 Riptide Swim Team will be held at the Middlesex County College Pool on Monday, September 10th from 6:00 to 8:30 PM. There will be a mandatory registration meeting for all prospective team members and their parents at 6:00 sharp in the spectator balcony of the MCC Pool to go over tryout procedures and team policies. Please note that all swimmers trying out, regardless of age, must be accompanied by at least one parent who will attend the meeting.

A limited number of candidates will be called back for a "second-look" tryout on Wednesday, September 12. Please note that these callbacks are by invitation only, and will not be open tryouts.

Middlesex County College is located at 2600 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison. A map of the area is here. From Woodbridge Avenue, turn onto Mill Road, then turn left to enter the college at College Drive East. The phys ed building is past the parking lots and the baseball field, on your right.

If you have questions about tryouts, please email Priscilla Rose, or call the Riptide Hotline at 732-297-6163. Calls to the Hotline are answered within 24-48 hours.

John Boyd Memorial Open Water Swim Aug 9, 2007

Riptide swimmers participated in the John Boyd Memorial Open Water Swim in Seaside Heights last Sunday. Congratulations to everyone who competed.

Win a trip to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Jun 8, 2007

USA Swimming is offering fans a chance to win a trip of a lifetime - a visit to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games! Enter for your chance to see Phelps, Coughlin, Hansen and all the Team USA superstars as they go for gold in 2008!

Provided by CoSport, the official source of Olympic Games tickets and hospitality packages in the USA, this trip to Beijing is the ultimate dream vacation for swimming fans. Valued at over $15,000, the package will include 4-Star hotel accommodations for 5 days/4 nights, food and beverage, access to sponsor hospitality areas, accredited ground transportation and tickets to your favorite Olympic events! In addition, the winner will enjoy motor coach transportation and an Olympic pin package as a special souvenir.

To enter the promotion, all you have to do is visit the Make a Splash Beijing Sweepstakes home page and complete the online entry form. Limit one entry per person per day for the duration of the sweepstakes. Prize winners will be announced in July.

Summer Splash 2007 June 8, 2007

Summer Splash is back again for 2007! This year, we are planning on having two groups - Juniors and Seniors. The Junior group will meet only Tuesdays and Thursdays (same times) and will have a separate coach. This group is intended to introduce younger swimmers to summer workouts.

Any swimmer age 10 and over that can demonstrate command of the four competitive strokes and can show the ability to adapt to the difficulty of the workout can sign up. Younger swimmers (9 year olds) may sign up with permission from Laurie/Mike. WE WILL ONLY HAVE THIS GROUP IF WE HAVE STRONG INTEREST.

The senior group will remain the same as in previous years - serious and dedicated 12 and overs, including college students, meeting 4 days a week.

You do not have to be a Riptide member to participate; however you must have a current Raritan Valley YMCA membership. Riptide winter swimmers and Riptide alumni will receive first consideration, as due to the large turnout, space is limited.

Dates and pricing information are on the registration form.

If we don't see you, have a great summer!

Mike

NJ Swimming Scholarship May 24, 2007

Click here for a NJ Swimming scholarship application form for graduating seniors. Please apply by July 31. Also, please provide Mike a copy of your application form, as he is contacted with questions.

Home News Tribune All-Area Swimmers May 2, 2007

The Home News Tribune newspaper recently published its All-Area Swimming Team. Riptide was well represented on the list. The first team members swimming for Riptide were:

Girls		Boys
Rachel Abadie		Greg Bellizzi
Tiffany Carson		Travis Catania
Brenna Dean		Kevin Chibbaro
Alex Nawrot		Aaron Moskovich
Abby Weingarten		Alex Ratajczyk
Katie Zavoda		Andy Rose
Jenny Zavoda

Honorable mention went to the following swimmers:

Girls		Boys
Gabrielle Alicino		Dan DeOliveira
Danielle Bartolotta		Alex Krueger
Stephanie Bartolotta		Kevin Sheridan
Tracy Lindboe		Travis Wardlow
Nikita Nadkarni		Tyler Wardlow
Liz Samtur
Kayleigh Shangle
Tanya Witlen

Alex Ratajczyk was also named the Home News Tribune's 2006-2007 Boys Swimmer of the Year! Read the article and see the pictures here.

Nationals Results Apr 16, 2007

Congratulations and welcome home to the members of the Riptide Nationals Team 2007, who competed in the Sun Kissed National Invitational this past weekend. There were many, many fast swims, many records broken and much fun had over the course of the meet. Special kudos go out to the 6 swimmers who competed on the Senior Boys "A" relays this year - those relays broke all four Riptide team relay records! Their new records and others will be posted soon. In the meantime, you can check out the results of the meet here.

Nationals Pizza Party Apr 3, 2007

The Nationals team pizza party will be held on Tuesday, April 10th immediately following practice. This year it will be at Leone's Restaurant, in Lion's Plaza, on Rt. 130 in North Brunswick.

Thank You Mar 23, 2007

Thanks to everybody who helped with YMCA Championship meet officiating. We received this message from Ed Miller specifically regarding State Championships.

Children's Specialized Hospital Regional Swim Invitational
Mar 22, 2007

The first Children's Specialized Swim Meet will be held at the Sonny Werblin Pool on the Rutgers campus this Saturday, March 24. This meet is for young disabled swimmers. The organizers are looking for a few more timers, runners, officials, etc. Volunteers will help out from 12:30 until approximately 5:00. If you would like to participate in this worthwhile cause, please contact Al Wieczorek. The schedule of events is here.

Psych Sheets Mar 21, 2007

Preliminary Psych Sheets for the Sun Kissed Invitational (Nationals) are here.

Please note that NO updated seed times from Y states were able to be entered.

Scratch sheets will be handed out AND COLLECTED at Saturday's practice, so please look over the sheets and be prepared to scratch down to a maximum of 6 events at that time. Be sure that you talk to Mike or to one of the assistant coaches before you make your final scratch decisions.

Questions, concerns about psych sheets should be addressed to Priscilla Rose.

Spring Fling Mar 17, 2007

Hopefully the snow is past us, and we can look forward to Spring, and to Spring Fling 2007. Spring Fling is an off-season training program that provides extra focus on stroke development and endurance building. Since this is the best time of the year to correct major stroke problems, the practices are designed to enhance swimmer's technique and introduce swimmers to the most up-to-date theory on stroke mechanics. It also is a great tune-up for summer swimming! Previous experience as a competitive swimmer is strongly recommended.

All Riptide members are strongly encouraged to sign up. This stroke and turn clinic will run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Middlesex County College from April 25 until June 13. Practice times for the different age groups are listed on the registration form.

This program is open to non-Riptide members as well, and is a great opportunity to introduce swimmers to a year-round team environment. To register, fill out the registration form and mail it by April 3. Please email Mike with any questions.

Pre-ordered State T-shirts Mar 16, 2007

As some of you may be aware, SVY had a problem with the shirts that were pre-ordered for the YMCA State Swim meet. This problem was in the way the shirts were distributed and is the responsibility of SVY. This problem was not with the vendor, Kast-A-Way Swim wear. SVY is working to resolve the issues as quickly as they can. For those impacted by this problem, SVY would like you to direct all inquiries directly TO the SVY meet director: Dave Rznewnicki at drz04@aol.com.

Nationals Update Mar 13, 2007

Nationals Team Day will be held this Sunday, Mar 18, at the Mid State Lanes bowling alley in the Midstate Mall on Route 18, East Brunswick, beginning at 1:00. The cost is $10 per swimmer, and includes 3 games of bowling, shoe rental, lunch (subs, fruit salads, drinks), and a pep talk from Mike. (OK, the pep talk is free...) Please pay either Elaine Shangle or Sandy Johnson at Saturday's parents meeting. Cash is preferred. Directions to Mid State Lanes from NBTHS:

• Take Route 1 North to Route 18 South.
• Stay in the right hand lane, and at the 3rd light take the Old Bridge Turnpike jughandle.
• Remain in the right hand lane.
• Go across Route 18, taking Old Bridge Turnpike to the Midstate Mall (Midstate Mall is just past Tices Lane - there is a car wash on the corner of Tices Lane).
• Make a right into the parking lot and Mid State Lanes will be on your right.

Speaking of the Nationals parents meeting, it will start at 8:30 this Saturday morning (room TBD). All final payments are due at the meeting, including hotel, equipment, team day, banquet, and dinner at Frankies (checks for Frankies should be made out to Steven Charniga).

Nationals Entries Mar 8, 2007

Preliminary Nationals entries are here. If your entries do not appear on this report, it means that they have not yet been received. Entries were due, with payment, on Monday March 5th - if you have not yet submitted your entries, you should contact Priscilla Rose immediately.

Please check over your entries carefully, and contact Priscilla with any questions, changes or additions.

Nationals Entries Mar 1, 2007

Nationals entries are due, with payment, on Monday, March 5th. Here is a link to the final results of last year's meet, which may be of assistance in helping swimmers to decide which events to enter.

Silver Championship Results Feb 22, 2007

Our Girls and Boys Teams swam an outstanding meet this past weekend at Silver Championships. Two meet records were broken! Many girls and boys finished in the Top 16 in multiple events, and many had personal best times. Several swimmers qualified for YMCA States at this meet.

RVY broke 2 Meet Records at Silvers. Well done!

Kevin Chibbaro holds the new meet record in the boys 15-18 50 yard free with a time of 22.70

Tyler Wardlow holds the new meet record in the boys 15-18 100 yard back with a time of 59.09

Congratulations to the following event winners:

Allison Huber, girls 10 & under 100 Free
Tori Glascock, girls 10 & under 50 Free
Kevin Chibbaro, boys 15-18 50 Free
Tyler Wardlow, boys 15-18 200 Free
Tyler Wardlow, boys 15-18 100 Back
Kevin Chibbaro, James DeCicco, Travis Wardlow, and Gregory Bellizzi, boys 15-18 200 Medley Relay

Overall, we finished an impressive 4th place out of 28 teams. Below are the full meet results:

Full Meet 12 and Under
Full Meet 13 and over
Combined Age Group
Combined Team

Bronze Championship Results Feb 14, 2007

Out of 25 Girls teams competing at Bronze Championships, the Riptide Girls took first place. Congratulations on their win! Combined, the Girls and Boys finished in 6th place.

Many new Silver times and personal best times were achieved at the meet. Congratulations to the following event winners:

Julia Wieczorek - 11/12 girls 100 free
Katie Wierzbicki - 15/18 girls 50 free

For the full meet results click here.

8/Under Championship Results Feb 14, 2007

Congratulations to our 8 and unders who participated in the YMCA 8&U Championship Meet. Many of our young swimmers achieved personal best times at the meet. The full meet results are here.

Lillian Rose Heidelberg Feb 9, 2007

Congratulations to Mike and Missy on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Lillian Rose Heidelberg. She was born on February 3rd at 1:07 PM and was 5 pounds and 10 ounces. Click the picture for an enlargement.

Nationals Attendance Feb 8, 2007

The Nationals team season will commence next Wednesday, Feb 14, with a mandatory practice from 6:30-9:30 PM. To ensure that we have adequate room accomodations in Charlotte, we ask that you please complete the National Attendance Confirmation Form by Sunday, Feb 11. If you attended last year, but will not be attending this year, please complete the form anyway, just so we know. Please direct any questions to Terry Lindboe. Thank you.

Bronze Championships Feb 8, 2007

• Timing assignments for this weekend's Bronze Championships are here.
• Updated meet information is here.
• Below are the warmup and start times.

  Saturday 9/10 Girls/Boys:
  Warmups at 10:40 AM, meet starts at 12:10 PM

  Sunday 11/12 Girls/Boys:
  Warmups at 7:30 AM, meet starts at 8:40 AM

  Sunday 13/14 and 15/18 Girls/Boys:
  Warmups at 12:15 PM, meet starts at 1:15 PM

Silver Championships Jan 30, 2007

After discussion with the swimmers, the coaching staff has entered the swimmers into Silvers. Some notes: Please review the entries and send any changes to Mike by Thursday evening, as entries are due to the league on Friday. There can be no changes after Thursday evening. There are no relays entered yet, however, most swimmers will be swimming a relay (wherever possible), and those will be entered after final changes are made on Thursday. If they qualified, swimmers were entered into the maximum events possible - 4 total individual events, with no more than two events per day. Please remember that swimmers who qualified in 4 or more events at States cannot compete at Silvers. If you have any questions, please see Mike.

Also, the coaching staff has been very disappointed in the number of people who have requested to swim only one day at Silvers - especially for those who have not yet qualified for States. While I understand that this meet is an hour and a half drive, this is the last meet of the regular season for many Riptide members, and part of the team commitment, just as dual meets are. By not swimming a full schedule of events at Silvers, you are not giving yourself a complete chance at success, not preparing yourself for multi-day meets like Nationals that you will swim in the future, and most importantly hurting the team by not scoring individual and relay points. Please remember that the Championship Meet is an important part of the Riptide season, and we need everyone that qualifies to participate.

Fees for Championship Meets Jan 30, 2007

All Riptide swimmers will pay a flat meet entry fee for each meet into which they are entered. This fee is based on overall team entries, swimmer surcharges and additional coaching expenses. Each meet has its own flat fee, based on the cost and entry requirements of that particular meet.

A swimmer who is entered into more than one meet will need to pay the flat fee for both meets.

A swimmer who qualifies at one championship meet for a higher level meet will need to pay an additional fee for that entry.

Meet Fees for Championship meets are as follows:

8/Under Championships - $20
Bronze Championships - $20
Silver Championships - $15 if swimming one day, $30 if swimming both days
State Championships - $20 if swimming one day, $45 if swimming 2 or 3 days

All entry fees should be mailed to:

Chris Hochman
82 Stillwell Road
Kendall Park, NJ 08824

You may use your extra meet account balance to pay for Championship meets, as long as you contact Chris Hochman in advance to confirm your account balance and let him know that you want to use it toward Championships.

More information on Championship meets can be found here.

Other questions about meet fees should be emailed to Chris or left on the Riptide Hotline (732-297-6163).

8/Under Championships

Jan 30, 2007

The morning session will remain as 8:00 warmup (doors open at 7:15), and the afternoon session warmup will start at 1:15 PM (doors open at12:30 PM) and a 2:30 meet start time.

We are looking for one parent volunteer for the boys and the girls to help marshal the swimmers. Please email Mike if you can help out and are familiar with marshaling swimmers. Marshals will be the only parents allowed on deck.

Timing assignments are here. Please direct any questionss on timing to either Joan Wieczorek or Margie Zavoda.

Championships Jan 28, 2007

The regular season is ending, and we are looking forward to another great Championship and Nationals season. For all swimmers, your season ends with the last meet that you are entered in. Here is the new practice schedule. Please note the changes due to the Championship meets.

We will be completing Silver entries this week. The coaching staff will discuss event choices this week with the swimmers, and entries will be posted for review and final changes on Thursday. Please let Mike know by Tuesday evening if a swimmer cannot attend, or is only planning on swimming one session, so that he can make up relays. (You can find out what events are in what session by checking the meet info document.)

For Silvers, swimmers can enter a maximum of four individual events, no more than two each day. Fees for this meet will be posted shortly. Please check the eligibility report for further information as to what your son/daughter qualified in. Also, please remember that if you have qualified for 4 or more State times, you are not eligible to swim at Silvers.

The bottom of the Extra Meets page contains updated information on all championship meets, including events, eligibility, entries, hotel information, etc. This page will be updated when additonal information is available.

Last Chance National Time Trials will be held at NBTHS on Sunday February 4th from 11:30 to 12:30. In order to participate, you must have a realistic chance at qualifying for Nationals, and not yet be on the National team. Please email Mike PRIOR to February 2 with what you want to swim. If you are unsure, please see your coach.

Finally, congratulations to all of our swimmers that represented Riptide so well at GMC's this weekend. Special kudos go to event winners Travis Catania (200 IM), Andy Rose (100 Breaststroke), and Alex Ratajczyk (50 and 100 Freestyle) as well as top 3 finishers: Rachel Abadie, Kayleigh Shangle, Abby Weingarten, Gabrielle Alicino, Brenna Dean, Jenny Zavoda, Aaron Moskovich, Kevin Chibbaro and Kevin Sheridan. Great Job!

Final Folly Meet

Jan 2, 2006

Entries are now being accepted for the President's Final Folly Invitational. This meet will be held on Sunday, Jan 29 at the Western Monmouth County YMCA in Freehold. Entry fees are $3.00 per event. The deadline to enter this meet is this Saturday, Jan 7. As usual, entries may be made online, with payment going to Chris Hochman or a coach. Payment must be made before we will enter the swimmer into the meet. Please direct any questions to Chris.

Waiver Form

Nov 2, 2005

The waiver form that coach Mike mentioned yesterday is now here.

Officials Clinics

Nov 2, 2005

Two additional officials clinics have been announced. These are to re-certify existing YMCA swim officials and to certify new YMCA swim officials. These are the last clinics expected to be offered this season.

Wednesday, Nov 9 - Somerset Valley YMCA - 6:00 PM. To attend, contact clinic instructors Steve Sawin or Jodi Siegal at 908-541-1170 or by email at siegon@optonline.net.

Friday, Nov 11 - West Essex YMCA - 6:00 PM. To attend, contact clinic instructor Ed Miller at 201-387-1696 or by email at caefmilleriii@msn.com.

Officials and prospective officials must contact the clinic instructor before attending to insure that there is sufficient room and materials available.

Registration forms are here:

SVY
West Essex

Nationals

Oct 30, 2005

With the meet season having started this past weekend we want to remind all swimmers that if they are trying to make the National Team please check out the qualifying times on the Nationals page. Should you make the team please email Terry Lindboe, indicating this so she can add you to the National Team Roster. If you have any questions do not hestitate to contact her.

Officials Meeting

Oct 17, 2005

A state-wide officials' meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Oct 22 at the Somerset Valley YMCA facility in Somerset (not the Bridgewater pool). All Riptide officials are encouraged to join this meeting, which will be held between 10:30 AM and noon (a meeting for coordinators only will be held 9:00 - 10:00). Click here for details. Contact Al Wieczorek with any questions.

Also, there are a fair number of rule changes for this season. A list of the major changes is here.

Paperwork

Oct 14, 2005

If you didn't get the following two handouts at the parents' meeting, we have them here:

• Dual Meet and Extra Meet Schedule
• Meet Work Assignments

Officials Swimposium

Oct 14, 2005

NJ Swimming is sponsoring a "Swimposium" for its athletes, coaches, and officials this Saturday, Oct 15. As part of an ongoing national movement to bring our two groups (USA and YMCA Swimming) closer together, NJ Swimming has opened the Swimposium to YMCA officials, whether or not they are USA officials. Click here for all the details, including times and directions. If you would like to attend, please contact Jim O'Neill at the email address listed in the Word doc referenced above.

Swim Officials Certification Course

Sep 22, 2005

Several more officials clinics have been announced. The list is in this spreadsheet. These clinics fill up quickly, so you should reserve your spot early. Reserve your seat by emailing the contact on the list. Riptide will reimburse the cost of the clinic.

Why be an official?

Being an official is an important and rewarding job that enables you to learn stroke technique and the rules governing meets. No prior swimming experience is needed, only a desire to learn and be an integral part of meets. If you would like to learn more you can call Al Wieczorek, the official's coordinator between our team and the league, or speak to any of our officials who would be happy to share their experiences with you. Al's home number is 732-937-9873; email al_wieczorek@merck.com.

Swim Official Course Description

This course is designed to certify (beginners, currently certified USA, high school and collegiate swim officials) or recertify (currently certified YMCA) individuals as officials in the YMCA of the USA's Competitive Swimming Program. The course focuses on events, procedures and the duties and responsibilities of the officials prior to, during and after the meet. A score of 80 percent must be achieved on a take home test in order to be certified or re-certified.

Note: This course replaces both the previous Level I and Level II courses. If you are certified as a YMCA Level I Swim Official, you must take this course to complete your certification.

Directions to Tryouts

Sep 4, 2005

Tryouts will be held at Middlesex County College. MCC is located at 2600 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison. A map of the area is here. From Woodbridge Avenue, turn onto Mill Road, then turn left to enter the college at College Drive East. The phys ed building is past the parking lots and the baseball field, on your right.

Summer Splash

Jun 2, 2005

It's not too late to sign up for Summer Splash 2005. Summer Splash is a summer distance training program featuring high-intensity workouts in an effort to increase swimming endurance and speed, while still competing for your summer club. Summer training is an important supplement to your overall training. It not only helps you in the summer, but it helps to continue your development as a competitive swimmer in order to attain future success.

This year's Summer Splash program will be held from June 27 through July 29 (we may go until the first week of August), on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at the Brookside Swim Club in Milltown. The coach will once again be Mike Heidelberg. Details and a registration form can be found here.

Banquet

Apr 29, 2005

Here are directions to our annual banquet. Remember it is this Sunday, May 1, 2-6 PM, at the Elizabeth Avenue Firehouse. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail Terry Lindboe.

• Take Easton Avenue into Somerset (Franklin Township).
• Go a few miles and go PAST the signs for 287.
• Make a left at the next light onto Davidson Avenue (Marriott Hotel on the corner).
• Take Davidson Avenue to the end.
• Make a right onto New Brunswick Road.
• Go to the end.
• Make a right onto Elizabeth Avenue.
• Go a few blocks and make a left onto Wiley Drive.
• The Firehouse is on the right.

Nationals Results

Apr 26, 2005

Congratulations to the Nationals Team on a very successful meet! Riptide won the 3rd place Overall Team Award, the 3rd place Boys Division Award and the Spirit Award. This year's performance was an overall team effort, featuring outstanding performances by all of our swimmers, particularly our Junior Boys. Many records were broken - check out the records page here. Results are here.

Swimmers With Disabilities

Mar 27, 2005

Several meets for swimmers with disabilities will be held over the next few months. The schedule is below. Officiating help is needed to run these meets. If any Riptide swimmer would like to volunteer as a timer or assist in some other way, it would be appreciated. This would be a good community service item or something to include in a college resume. Please email Phil Galli if you are interested.

April 2 - Children's Specialized Meet at Rutgers, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
May 14 - Tri-State Regionals at Middlesex Community College, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
June 4 - Masons Regional Meet at North Brunswick High School, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Spring Fling

Mar 22, 2005

The "Spring Fling" is an off-season training program that provides extra focus on stroke development and endurance building. Since this is the best time of the year to correct major stroke problems, the practices are designed to enhance swimmer's technique and introduce swimmers to the most up-to-date theory on stroke mechanics. It also is a great tune-up for summer swimming! All Riptide members are strongly encouraged to sign up. This stroke and turn clinic will run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Middlesex County College from April 20 until June 8. Practice times for the different age groups are listed on the registration form. This program is open to non-Riptide members as well, and is a great opportunity to introduce swimmers to a year-round team environment. To register, fill out the registration form and mail it to coach Mike by April 18. Please email Mike with any questions.

Nationals Psych Sheets

Mar 10, 2005

Nationals preliminary psych sheets are here. All National Team swimmers will receive scratch sheets at the weekend practices, and all scratches will be due to Priscilla Rose by Monday, March 14th - NO LATER! Remember, you may swim a maximum of 5 individual events.

Timing Assignments for Bronze Championships

Feb 11, 2005

Timing assignments for Bronze Championships are here. When you get to the meet, look for Joan Wieczorek. She will have the stopwatches. The meet cannot be run without timers. Any parents who refuse to time will not be allowed to enter into extra meets or championships next year.

Records

Feb 11, 2005

Eight more Riptide records have been broken in 2005, in addition to the 8 broken during November and December. Congratulations to all of our record breakers this season! The newest one are:

• Girls 8 & Under 25 Back
      Bernadette Maligranda at Pennsbury Splash
• Girls 8 & Under 50 Back
      Bernadette Maligranda at Final Folly
• Girls 8 & Under 50 Breast
      Bernadette Maligranda at Final Folly
• Girls 9-10 50 Back
      Julia DeCicco vs. Westfield
• Girls 9-10 100 Fly
      Jamie Weingarten at Winterfest
• Girls 11-12 50 Fly
      Abby Weingarten at Winterfest
• Boys 8 & Under 50 Free
      Vincent Gibbons vs. Metuchen
      Matt Zebrowski at Westfield
• Boys 13-14 200 Fly
      Tim Mancuso at Winterfest

All records are here.

Off-Season Swimming

Feb 10, 2005

Improve Your Swimming this Off-Season!

Spring Fling

The "Spring Fling" is an off-season training program that provides extra focus on stroke development and endurance building. Since this is the best time of the year to correct major stroke problems, the practices are designed to enhance swimmer's technique and introduce swimmers to the most up-to-date theory on stroke mechanics. It also is a great tune-up for summer swimming! All Riptide members are strongly encouraged to sign up. This stroke and turn clinic is scheduled to begin on April 20 and end on June 11. Depending on the group that you are placed in, practice will be held from 6:30 to 8:00, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at Middlesex County College. This program is open to non-Riptide members as well, and is a great opportunity to introduce swimmers to a year-round team environment. Please email Mike soon at coachmike@rvyriptide.org, with the words "spring fling" in the subject line to reserve your spot!

Riptide's Summer Splash

This popular summer program, held at Brookside Swim Club in Milltown, is open to any swimmer that has a strong command of the four competitive strokes and can show the ability to adapt to the difficulty of the workouts. As a guideline for current Riptide swimmers, the program is for Seniors 1 and 2, as well as some of the stronger Juniors (11 years and older.) This summer, the program will mix endurance swimming (to build a proper base for the winter season) and stroke and technique instruction to further the swimmer's development. Times have not been finalized, but it looks like it will be held from 6:00 to 7:45 AM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from the end of school until the beginning of August. Please note that ALL Senior 1 and 2 swimmers are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to participate in this program. Please email Mike soon at coachmike@rvyriptide.org, with the words "summer splash" in the subject line to reserve your spot!

ARETE Swim Camp at Rutgers University

Chuck Warner, the head coach of Rutgers University and his coaching staff run an excellent swim camp during the summer. I (Mike) have been involved with the camp in the past and can recommend it highly. To be frank this swim camp is the single best program your child can do in the summer to improve their swimming. It is a one-week, intensive camp that focuses on stroke technique, nutrition, and mental training. One of the things that I have found most beneficial to the participants is the excellent feedback that they receive after almost every lap. Because the camper - counselor ratio is kept low (about 8-1), the swimmers really get top-notch advice from great college swimmers and coaches. It is for swimmers 8 and up. Please see http://www.scarletknights.com/swimming/camp/camp.htm or call the Rutgers Swimming Office at 732-445-0467 for details. NOTE: Do not delay signing up for this program, as it always sells out quickly!

Nationals Sweatshirts

Feb 9, 2005

We are able to order small sweatshirts (the black ones for Nationals, with the swimmer's name on the back). If you would like to change the size on your order you can email Margie Zavoda with your change. If you want to place a new order for one you may do so by email, and give her a check for $28 ASAP. The deadline for this is this Friday, Feb 11. The rest of the order must be handed in today, Wednesday, Feb 9.

Nationals Parents Meeting and Swimsuit Fitting

Feb 7, 2005

The Nationals parents meeting is tonight at 7:00. This is a mandatory meeting, and at least one parent must attend. Please remember all of your forms and checks. The meeting will be held at the far right end of the MCC pool balcony. Please be on time, and sit close together. Details are on the Nationals page.

Your fees include three T-shirts. Please print this t-shirt form, indicating the size, and hand it in at the meeting. Also, if you would like to order optional apparel, the form to do so is here. That form is also due on Feb 7, along with payment.

The swim suit fitting has been moved back from 5 PM until 5:30, and will last until 6:30. Ultimate can't stay longer as they have another fitting. Please be at the pool on time to place your order. You need cash, check or credit card. They need to place the order immediately, so please be on time. Remember, we are ordering new suits, the Fastskin II's. Also, the warmup suits we ordered last year will be available for ordering at the suit fitting. This is the only time they will be offered for the National team to buy. The cost will be about $70, and payment is to be made directly to Ultimate.

Nationals swimmers are encouraged to select hotel roommates. Please complete the form on the Nationals page and return it to LouAnne Wolf at tonight's meeting. Both swimmers must be requesting each other, so please talk with your teammates. If there are an uneven number of swimmers per age group, we will discuss having three in one room. It appears that due to the small number of junior swimmers, all swimmers will be on one floor, but we will do our best to have the juniors all together, separate from the seniors.

YMCA State Championships

Feb 3, 2005

We are now accepting entries for the YMCA State Championships. You may enter in either Silvers or States, but not both. The deadline to register is Saturday, Feb 12.

To enter this meet, follow the usual procedure. The preferred method is to fill out a meet entry form online. Make sure you indicate which meet you are entering. Upon completion, the form will be electronically submitted to Chris Hochman, and you receive an email confirmation. If you choose to print the form and hand it in, you must give it to Chris Hochman or a coach. Either way, the deadline to register is Saturday, Feb 12.

No payment is required for this meet. RVY will pay the entry fees. If we have enough swimmers in an age group, we may place them into a relay. Meet information is here. Swimmers' top times are here.

Please contact Chris with any questions.

Silver Championships

Jan 31, 2005

We are now accepting entries for the YMCA Silver Championships. The deadline to register is Friday, Feb 4. Any swimmer with less than 4 Gold times may enter Silvers in any event other than an event they have made Gold times in. Swimmers already entered into the Bronze meet may not register for the Silver meet.

A Silver State Championship representative will be in attendance at the NJ YMCA Bronze Championships on February 12, 2004. Any competitor, or his/her coach or parent, achieving a Silver State Championship qualifying time must appear at the Silver State Championship table and register for the Silver Championships. ENTRY FEE: PAYMENT MUST BE MADE AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION OR BEFORE THE BRONZE CHAMPIONSHIP CONCLUDES. Failure to pay the appropriate entry fee will cause the swimmer entry to not be registered. Riptide will not be paying this fee.

To enter this meet, follow the usual procedure. The preferred method is to fill out a meet entry form online. Upon completion, the form will be electronically submitted to Chris Hochman, and you receive an email confirmation. If you choose to print the form and hand it in, you must give it to Chris Hochman or a coach. Either way, the deadline to register is Friday, Feb 4.

No payment is required for this meet. RVY will pay the entry fees.

• Meet information is here.
• Events and qualifying times are here.
• Swimmers' top times are here.

Please contact Chris with any questions.

Information on States will be posted later this week.

Bronze Championships

Jan 28, 2005

Entries for YMCA Bronze Championships are due Sunday, Jan 30. Meet information is here. Swimmers' top times are here.

To enter this meet, fill out a meet entry form. Upon completion, the form will be electronically submitted to Chris Hochman, and you receive an email confirmation. No payment is required for this meet. Please contact Chris with any questions.

8 And Under Championships

Jan 15, 2005

Riptide will be participating in the 8 and Under Championship Meet, a meet for swimmers 8 or younger as of Dec 1, 2004. This meet will be held on Sunday, Feb 6, 2005 at the Ocean County YMCA.

To enter this meet, fill out a meet entry form. The form may either be printed and given to coach Mike or Chris Hochman at Boys Meet, or to Marc Weingarten at the Girls Meet, or submitted electronically. Either way, payment for the meet must be received to complete the registration. The deadline for registration is Wednesday Jan 19. No swimmers will be entered into any extra meets without advance payment. Please contact Chris Hochman with any questions on extra meets. This meet is for swimmers who swam 8 and under this season. Entry fees for individual events are $3.50. Swimmers may be placed into a relay if enough are available. RVY will cover the cost of the relays. Meet information, including directions, is here.

Records

Dec 24, 2004

Eight Riptide records have been broken so far this season. Congratulations to all of our latest record breakers!

• Girls 8 & Under 25 Free
      Bernadette Maligrandaat Somerset Hills
• Girls 8 & Under 25 Back
      Bernadette Maligrandaat First Frost
• Girls 11-12 50 Fly
      Abby Weingartenat Holiday Classic
• Girls 11-12 100 Fly
      Abby Weingartenat Holiday Classic
• Girls 13-14 200 Free Relay
      J. Zavoda, K. Shangle, R. Abadie, C. Mundorff at Somerset Hills
• Boys 8 & Under 100 Free Relay
      M. Kaplan, M. Zebrowski, H. Kudwitt, V. Gibbons vs. Somerset Valley
• Boys 13-14 100 Breast
      Travis Catania at Holiday Classic
• Boys 13-14 200 Breast
      Travis Catania at Holiday Classic

All records are here.

Pennsbury Splash Meet

Dec 7, 2004

Riptide will be participating in Pennsbury Splash, a meet for swimmers 12 or younger as of October 31, 2004. This meet will be held on Sunday, Jan 16, 2005 at the College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College).

Information on the meet is here. The schedule of events is here.

To enter this meet, fill out a meet entry form. The form may either be printed and given to coach Mike, or submitted electronically. Either way, payment for the meet must be given to a coach to complete the registration. The deadline for registration is Tuesday, December 21. No swimmers will be entered into any extra meets without advance payment. Please contact Chris Hochman with any questions on extra meets.

Remember, this is for swimmers who are 12 or younger as of OCTOBER 31, 2004.

RVY Parkas

Nov 27, 2004

If you are interested in getting a Speedo parka, remember that the deadline to order it is Monday, Nov 29. Margie Zavoda will be at practice both Sunday and Monday with a sample. If you would like to order a parka, fill out this form and return it to her. Include a check for $85 per parka, made out to Ultimate Swim Shop. If you have questions, you can call her at 732-257-7490, or email her at Mzswimmom@aol.com.

The parkas are black nylon with a gray fleece inside. They are long - at or below the knee. It is a winter coat with an attached hood. There are 2 white stripes running from the shoulders down the arms. The swimmer's name will be embroidered on the front and the Riptide logo will be stamped in blue on the back. Click here for a sample picture.

Winterfest Meet

Nov 10, 2004

Riptide will once again be participating in Winterfest, a silver meet to be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan 8-9 at the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center on the Busch Campus (Piscataway) of Rutgers University.

Entry times need to be faster than the cutoff times listed in this document.

To enter, go to the meet entries page and complete the registration form. Registration is not complete until payment has been made to a coach. The deadline to register for this meet is Saturday, Nov 20.

First Frost Mini Meet

Nov 7, 2004

Riptide will be participating in First Frost, a 9-and-under mini meet to be held Sunday, Dec 5 at the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA. To enter, go to the meet entries page and complete the registration form. Registration is not complete until payment has been made to a coach. The deadline for registration is Saturday, Nov 13.

Remember, this is for swimmers who will be 9 or under as of Dec 1, 2004. Complete details on the meet are here.

Go For The Gold Meet

Nov 2, 2004

The Go For The Gold meet will be held this Saturday and Sunday, Nov 6-7. If you are registered for this meet, read on for some important information...

Due to Saturday's dual meets, the Go For The Gold meet organizers have received a relatively small number of swimmers registered for Saturday events. Conversely, there is a much larger number of swimmers registered for Sunday. Therefore, they have juggled the events around a bit to even things out. The message we got from them is here.

Officials Clinic

Oct 21, 2004

Riptide is hosting a clinic for YMCA officials Tuesday Nov 2 at 6:00 PM at the YMCA building, 2nd floor at 206 Dunhams Corner Road, East Brunswick. Judy Sharkey will be the instructor. If you are interested and haven't contacted Al Wieczorek yet, please email him to insure course material will be provided for you.

Here is the PDF file for new officials to download for the take home test and to keep on file. (It's large - over 600KB.)

If you can't make the Nov 2 clinic, there are others available. Let Al know if you are interested.

• Oct 27, Somerset Valley YMCA, 6:00 PM
• Oct 31, Red Bank YMCA, 9:00 AM
• Nov 13, Hamilton Area YMCA

Riptide Equipment

Oct 7, 2004

We are now taking orders for Riptide equipment. The order form is here. Orders and payments are due back to Cathy Diem by the Lollipop Meet, Sunday, Oct 17. If you have any questions about equipment, email Cathy at cdiemnj@yahoo.com.

Extra Meets

Oct 7, 2004

As mentioned at the Parent Meeting on Wednesday, we are now accepting entries for the following extra meets:

Go For The Gold (Nov 6-7)
Fall Festival (Nov 13-14)
Peddie Thanksgiving Classic (Nov 21)
Holiday Classic (Dec 10-12)

To enter any of these meets, fill out a meet entry form here. Fill out one form per meet. The form may either be printed and given to coach Mike, or submitted electronically. Either way, payment for the meets must be given to Mike to complete the registration. For the above four meets, the deadline for entries and checks is Wednesday Oct 13 (ignore the dates listed on the Word documents). No swimmers will be entered into any extra meets without advance payment. Please contact Chris Hochman with any questions on extra meets.

2004/2005 Roster and Practice Groups

Sep 23, 2004

Well, after a long, difficult process, the coaching staff has finally determined the roster and practice groups for the 2004/2005 season of Riptide!

The roster and practice groups are posted here.

We used strict standards in determining your child's placement for this year. They are:

• Senior 2 - Current JO Times and a minimum of 3 Y State times.
• Senior 1 - Ages 15 and up, National Team members or a minimum of 3 silver times.
• Juniors - Ages 14 and under, current state times. For 9-12, minimum of 2 silver times.
• Tidal Waves - 12 and under, coaching staff determination.
• Tiny Tide - Coaching staff determination, 8/u or major stroke help needed.

We have worked very hard to make sure that each group is well rounded and that placement is fair based on the swimmer's ability and potential. Please do not request that your child's placement be changed; at this time I will not make changes. I understand the difficulty with carpools and other things; however we have worked very hard to adjust the practice groups for the benefit of all. See you on Monday!

For those of you that did try out but did not make the team (meaning your name does not appear on the roster):

Thank you for trying out! You all should be proud of yourselves. Unfortunately, at this time, we can no longer take any new members. We had 74 swimmers try out for what amounted to be about 30 spots. Currently we have 155 members, 5 more than last year, and 5 more than our "limit," as designated by the YMCA. In certain age groups we were very crowded; for example, in one age group we could only take one swimmer.

Please understand that we only could see your son/daughter for a few minutes during try-outs, and that our judgment is based on those few laps. While the system is not perfect, and we do miss out on finding out important character and endurance issues, the system usually yields the proper results. I understand that we make mistakes, but due to the large amount of swimmers that try out - it is the best that we have.

I truly wish that we could take everyone; we simply don't have the room. I know that each swimmer has worked hard, and wanted to make the team. Please do not give up on swimming! We have taken many, many swimmers that don't make it the first time around. Please sign up for our stroke clinic, Spring Fling, that we run in the spring! Not only will you improve your strokes, it will let the coaching staff get to know you a bit better. Check the website for details in March.

Coach Mike

P.S. Missy and I would like to thank everyone for all their well-wishes, cards, and gifts that we received for our wedding! We are very happy to be part of the Riptide family.

Registration and Try-outs

Sep 2, 2004

Registration and try-out procedures for new and returning swimmers are listed below.

If you are a high school aged swimmer, and are interested in participating in our high school plan, please note that important changes have been made to the plan. A full description is here.

New Swimmers Only

Registration and try-outs for new team members is Tuesday, Sep 21 and Wednesday Sep 22 at Middlesex County College (MCC). All potential new team members must attend both days with at least one parent in order to be considered for the team! Any questions, please email Priscilla Rose.

• Tuesday, Sep 21 - Mandatory registration and a meeting will be held 6:00-7:30 PM in the MCC Phys Ed building lobby. Candidates and their parents will meet with Head Coach Mike Heidelberg and Parent Board President Priscilla Rose to review try-out procedures, team philosophy, and team policies. There will be no swimming on this date. Registration forms may be completed at the meeting, but it is recommended that an online form be completed ahead of time, printed, and brought to the meeting.
• Wednesday, Sep 22 - Swimming try-outs will be held 6:30-8:30 PM, also in the MCC Phys Ed building. Candidates should be prepared to stay for the full 2 hours. Please note that only candidates who registered on Tuesday will be permitted to try out.

Returning Swimmers Only

Registration for returning team members will be held Monday, Sep 13, 6:30-7:30 PM in the MCC Phys Ed building lobby. Registration forms will be mailed out during the week of Aug 29th, but it is recommended that an online form be completed ahead of time, printed, and brought to the meeting. Forms must be returned in person on the 13th. There will be no swimming on this day, so swimmers are not required to attend, but someone, preferably a parent, must return the form. Parent Board members will be available to answer questions and will be handing out important forms and materials. Any swimmer not re-registering on Sep 13th will not be guaranteed a spot on the team. Any questions, please email Priscilla Rose.

Olympics Trials

Jul 13, 2004

The U.S. Olympic swim team trials will conclude this week in Long Beach. NBC will be showing the final 3 days (July 12-14) this Sunday, July 18, from 1:00 to 3:00. If you can't wait until Sunday to find out the results, try these sites for more information:

NBC Olympics
Official U.S. Olympic Team site
Long Beach Aquatic Festival
USA Swimming

Summer Splash 2004

June 3, 2004

Summer Splash 2004 is a summer distance training program featuring high-intensity workouts in an effort to increase swimming endurance and speed, while still competing for your summer club. Summer training is an important supplement to your overall training. It not only helps you in the summer, but it helps to continue your development as a competitive swimmer in order to attain future success.

This year's Summer Splash program will be held from June 28 through July 29, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at the Brookside Swim Club in Milltown. The coach will once again be Mike Heidelberg. Details and a registration form can be found here.

Spring Fling Dates

May 12, 2004

Here is a reminder of the dates and times for the Spring Fling program:

• Begins on Wed April 21
• Ends on Wed June 9
• Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• NO swimming on May 28, May 31, and June 4

• Tiny Tides (8 & under): 6:30-7:30 PM
• PeeWees (9-11): 6:30-7:30 PM
• Middies (10-12): 6:30-7:45 PM
• Juniors (11-14): 6:30-8:00 PM
• Seniors (14 & older): 6:30-8:00 PM

New Jersey Swimming Scholarship

May 8, 2004

Attention Graduating Seniors! Here is information on the New Jersey Swimming Scholarship. Even if you are not planning on swimming next year, you are elegible for this award. You must have swum on Riptide for at least 4 years. The application is due May 31. Please email Mike at mhphish@yahoo.com with questions.

Riptide Banquet

Apr 24, 2004

The Riptide Banquet will be this Sunday (April 25) from 3:00-6:00 at the Elizabeth Avenue Firehouse on Wiley Drive in Somerset.

Directions:

• Take Easton Avenue into Somerset (Franklin Township).
• Go a few miles and go PAST the signs for 287.
• Make a left at the next light onto Davidson Avenue (Marriott Hotel on the corner).
• Take Davidson Avenue to the end.
• Make a right onto New Brunswick Road.
• Go to the end.
• Make a right onto Elizabeth Avenue.
• Go a few blocks and make a left onto Wiley Drive.
• The Firehouse is on the right.

Nationals Results

Apr 10, 2004

Congratulations to the 2004 Riptide National Team which finished in 2nd place at the 2004 YWCA National Swimming Championships!! This is the highest place finish of any team in Riptide history, and it was accomplished with a total team effort. Team results and new team records will be posted soon. Full meet results can be found on the Team Charlotte web site.

Special congratulations to Ryan Martinetti, winner of the 200 Butterfly and to all of the Riptide Relay Teams, which performed spectacularly well and were largely responsible for the team's trophy. Deserving of special mention are the Senior Girls' A relay teams, which set new team records in all four relay events!

Rob Gross was crowned as the 2004 "Mr.Nationals" and Riptide again won the coveted Spirit Award! All in all, a remarkably successful meet for our National Team!

Results are here, and new records are here.

Spring Fling

Mar 27, 2004

We are now accepting registrations for Spring Fling 2004. Running from April 21 through June 9, Spring Fling is a stroke and turn clinic that prepares swimmers for the summer season. As in past years, this program will be held at Middlesex County College in Edison. Previous experience as a competitive swimmer is strongly recommended.

Further details and the registration form are here.

For more information, please contact coach Mike Heidelberg at mhphish@yahoo.com.

Coach's Update

Feb 18, 2004

Well, a lot of things have been happening over the last few weeks - I can't believe that the regular season is almost over! First off, the coaching staff would like to congratulate all those swimmers who took part in 8/under Championships, Bronze Championships, and Silver Championships. Sorting through the results from these meets, I am very pleased to see the great performances of our Riptide Swimmers. Many of our swimmers placed in the Top 8, Top 16, and even in the Top Three. Not bad for State-wide meets! More importantly, I see that most of the swimmers did their best times of the season at these meets, and we are all very proud of them. I want to congratulate all the swimmers for all their hard work throughout the season that lead them to such a successful finish. Good luck as well to all our States swimmers this weekend!

Medals from the championship meets will be awarded at the banquet.

Also, as many of you know, my e-mail had been down over the weekend. Please re-send any e-mails that got "bounced back."

Off-Season Notes

For all those of you that don't want to lose your edge don't forget:

Spring Fling

The "Spring Fling" is off-season training program that provides extra focus on stroke development and endurance building. Since this is the best time of the year to correct major stroke problems, the practices are designed to enhance swimmer's technique and introduce swimmers to the most up-to-date theory on stroke mechanics.

This stroke and turn clinic is scheduled to begin on the third week of April and end the beginning of June. Depending on the group that you are placed in, you will be practicing from 6:30 to 8:00, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The fee has not yet been determined. If you are interested is reserving a spot, please e-mail Mike at mhphish@yahoo.com, or check our website for further details in early March.

Please note: We welcome non-Riptide members for this clinic!

Summer Splash

Don't forget our summer high-intensity training camp at Brookside during the month of July! This is perhaps the best thing that you can do to maintain your edge for the regular season. The major benefit is that the swimmers get those extra yards nessessary to maintain muscle memory. Most of our Summer Splash swimmers go on to have great seasons. We accept everyone that was in the Junior and Senior group during the year, and this year, we can offer spots to a few Middies as well. Contact Mike for details.

Nationals Equipment

Feb 10, 2004

Reminder: All Nationals Team equipment orders MUST be submitted by Wednesday Feb 11! If you are interested, baseball caps can be added to the order at a cost of $12 each. They will be black with the team logo. Also, the Nationals Team logo on the sleeve of the sweatshirt is optional - if you do NOT want the logo, please indicate this on your order form.

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Each swimmer attending Nationals is required to purchase three mandatory team T-shirts at a total cost of $35. This money must be turned in at the parents meeting on Wednesday, Feb 11 along with the Mandatory Equipment Form indicating which size T-shirt you want us to order for you.

Swimmers and parents may select additional National team equipment from the Optional Equipment Form. This money is also due on Wednesday, Feb 11.

Please read the forms carefully and make checks out to RVY NATIONAL TEAM. Please make a separate check for Mandatory ($35) and Optional ($?) orders.

Forms will be made available to all National team swimmers on Monday, Feb 9 if you cannot print it from the web site.

Any questions - please contact Margie Zavoda (732-257-7490) or Terry Lindboe (732-238-7856).

Nationals Registration Form

Feb 10, 2004

Nationals Entry forms were handed out to swimmers at Monday's practice. Additional copies of the form are here. These forms are due back to Priscilla NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13th.

Swimmers may enter as many events in their age group (Junior/Senior) as they wish, but will need to scratch down to the maximum of 5 events after the psych sheets are posted, about 2 weeks before the meet (scratch sheets will be handed out to swimmers at that time).

Swimmers must pay $5.00 for each event entered (even those that eventually get scratched). Payment MUST accompany the entry form.

Events are listed here (go to the box titled YWCA Championships Info, and click on "Events Schedule"). Swimmers are encouraged to talk to Mike about any questions or concerns that they have about their entries.

Golf Outing

Jan 30, 2004

The Raritan Valley YMCA has scheduled its 1st Annual Golf Outing to be held Tuesday, June 29, 2004 at the Forsgate Country Club. We hope that this will be the first of many successful events designed to raise money for programming at our Y.

I am recruiting volunteers to help on the Golf Outing Committee. We need help distributing fliers, recruiting golfers and sponsors, approaching local businesses for prizes, helping out at the event, or just stuffing envelopes!

Our Y has been around forever (well, at least it seems like it!) and serves over 2000 members. The Raritan Valley YMCA is charitable, not for profit. No one is ever turned away from our Y programs, and we rely on fundraising to help pay the bills.

Our success now and in the future depends on the committment of Y volunteers - no able bodied volunteer will be denied the opportunity to work for the cause!!

P