Issue: 2026-6
Date: May 18, 2026
Newsletter 6: Ribbons & Time Improvements

This week’s Swim Meet:
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Host Team: Forest North Stingrays (with Balcones Country Club Sharks)
Location: Round Rock ISD Aquatic Center: 2801 Gattis School Rd, Round Rock, 78664
Note: At this location, there is not a lot of shade or bleacher space. We highly recommend parents and guests bring their own tent canopies and their own chairs to sit in when not volunteering. Age group tents are for the swimmers only.
Swimmer entries are now closed! Late entries are not permitted.
Coaches pick the events: 3 individual events plus 2 relays (1 relay if 6 and Under).
Details to come either Thursday, May 21 or Friday, May 22 in an email from the Meet Directors.

Next Swim Meet: Saturday, May 30, 2026 at Sendero Springs
May 30 Meet - Swimmer Entries Close: Sunday, May 22, 2026

Concessions Pre-Order:
The Forest North Stingrays are doing concessions preorders for the May 23 meet.
Items: Breakfast Tacos ($3) and Smoothie King Smoothies ($6).
Deadline to order: Thursday night (link closes Friday).
Order Link: https://stingrays-pre-order-5-23-26.square.site/

Volunteering:
We have the BEST volunteers! Thank you to everyone who helped on Friday and Saturday to make the meet a success. There is no meet without you, and it is so fun to work together as a team!

As a reminder, if your kids are swimming in a meet, then the team needs you to volunteer. If you cannot volunteer for any reason but your swimmer will be in the meet, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Liz Leonard at [email protected] or 512-789-4133. If you realize you won’t be at the meet after signing up for a shift, please cancel your shift as soon as you know. You will have to contact Liz to do it if it is after signups close on Wednesdays at midnight. It is very chaotic and challenging to find out on Saturday that volunteers won’t be there because they fail to sign in.

ALL volunteers and swimmers should sign in at the time designated in the meet director’s email. The only exception is parking, because you are still working. Thank you!

Swimtopia:
The North-West Swim Circuit uses the swimtopia app and it is a great resource to use at the swim meets. Download for free from the App store or Google Play store and log in using the same email/password you use for the Marlins website.

Practice Reminder:
There are no practices on Monday, May 25 - Memorial Day.
On Tuesday, May 26, practices switch to the mornings and are now five days a week
(Monday to Friday). Swimmers are expected to stay with their assigned practice groups.
Note: We understand that Leander ISD does not finish school until May 29. Unfortunately, we only have pool time in the mornings this week.

• 3:30-4pm practice becomes 12-1pm practice
• 4-4:45pm practice becomes 11-12pm practice
• 4:45-5:45pm practice becomes 10-11am practice
• 5:45-6:45pm practices becomes 8:30-10am practice
• 6:45-8:15pm practice becomes 7-8:30am practice

Swim Meet Swimmer Tent Reminder:
Please do not let your swimmers bring anything of value to the swim meets. There are times that the swimmer tents and items inside are left unattended while the tent parents are taking the swimmers to their events and getting everyone where they need to be. Another option is to have your swimmer leave their valuables with their parents/guardians. We want to ensure all their items stay safe.

Please also ensure that swimmer items, including bags and shirts are clearly labeled with your swimmer’s names as multiple swimmers have the same bags and they all have the same shirts.

Ribbons:
Now that we have had our first meet, it is time to learn about ribbons and family folders.
Starting Monday, on the pool deck will be plastic totes with one family folder for each family on the team.
On Mondays after the swim meet, these totes will be on deck for your swimmers to pick up their ribbons. If you have multiple swimmers, you will need to check the back labels to see which ribbons belong to which swimmers.There are 4 types of ribbons:

1. Black Heat Winner Ribbons - handed out at the meet to the heat winner.
2. Plain Colored Place Ribbons - for top placements in the meet events (in the family folder).
3. Red-White-Blue Time Improvement Ribbons - given to swimmers who swam to a new personal best time at the meet (in the family folder).
4. Rainbow BINGO Ribbons - given to swimmers who get 3 time improvements at one meet in their individual events (in the family folder).

At Fun Friday last week, your swimmers got a ring that they can put their ribbons on and hang from their bags to showcase their meet achievements.

Big Swimmer/Little Swimmer:
Matches can be found here: https://bcmarlins.swimtopia.com/big-swimmer-slash-little-swimmer-pairings
Week 2 Activity: Secret Handshake: Create a secret handshake or pre-race routine with your big/little swimmer

Merchandise & Team Suits:
*New* Men’s Polo with Embroidered Logo. These polos make the perfect gift for dads, grandpas, uncles, and all your favorite Marlins fans! Comes in two colors: Royal Blue or Light Blue.Pre-Order ONLY
Pre-order closes: Friday, June 4, 2026
Pick up: Saturday, June 20 at the Merch Tent.
Pre-order Link: https://brushy-creek-marlins-swim-team.square.site/

Any team shirts, pre-ordered items, and swim suits that have not yet been picked up, can be retrieved at the swim meet on May 23 at the merchandise tent.

Lap-a-thon:
This is our biggest fundraiser on the season! Swimmers ask for donations and pledges for swimming as many lengths as they can during practice.
Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 during morning practice.
Donations are now open! There are two ways to donate, either by a flat rate (a one-time amount) or per lap (so much for every lap swam)

This year’s lap goals:

• 6 & under - 50 laps
• 7-8 yrs - 75 lap
• 9yrs & up - 100 laps or more!

Prizes:
Most Laps (boy & girl for each age group): The boy and girl from each age group who swims the most laps will get to be Coach for their lane for one practice! They will also receive the coveted “Golden Duck” award. (Date of practice will be coordinated by coaches)
Most Funds Raise: The swimmer(s) who raise the most funds will be Head Coach for Fun Friday! Help plan the practice with Coach Caitlyn and be in charge of the relays! (Fun Friday to be coordinated with Coach Caitlyn)

The Lap-a-thon is still a team effort! If we reach our goal of $15,000 again the entire team
will be treated to Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee (13-17 yr olds) and Kona Ice (6U-12) after their practice!!

Lap-a-thon Donation Link:https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/peer-to-peer/2026-brushy-creek-marlins-lap-a-thon
Be sure donors include your full name in the message portion before they complete the donation so you get credit for the donations! That’s how our swimmers earn prizes!

How can families help?: Our volunteers are the very best and to make this super fun day a huge success, we need a little help from our amazing Marlins families. It takes lots of food to fuel these athletes, so on June 10 please bring an item to share. We will also need parent help with counting laps. Please be prepared to stay during your swimmer’s practice on June 10 to help us with counting laps. We will need a minimum of 8 volunteers per practice time to help count laps. More is even better!

Marlins Board:
The Brushy Creek Marlins is run by a board of volunteers. They ensure that the team is able to operate by coordinating with the MUD on our pool contract, to planning and organizing all the events, activities, and swim meets, to securing sponsors and fundraising opportunities, to ensuring we have the proper, functioning equipment, and working with the Swim Circuit, With the way that our bylaws are set up, our volunteers can only hold a position for a maximum of 2 years. We will have several openings at the end of the season, and are looking for people who are wanting to step up and help the team. Meetings are once a month, however exact time commitment does vary depending on the role. If you are interested in learning more about serving on our board, please contact our President, Margit Dennon ( [email protected]).