Summer Tune-up Clinics at Triangle Aquatic Center - Next weekend!

Triangle Aquatic Center is offering three different Summer Tune-Up Clinics on Saturday, May 31st. These are a perfect way to work on swim team skills as the season begins! Coaches will focus on long axis, short axis, and starts & turns.

Please pre-register by Friday, May 30th.

9am -10am: Free/Back
10am -11am: Start/Turn
11am -12pm: Breast/Fly

$10 each

To register,contact the TAC front desk at 459-4045 or stop by the facility at 275 Convention Drive (beside Cary Towne Center mall). Check out these programs and others at our website.

2008 Meet Management Material Pickup

Board Members,

As you know, the meet management materials for the 2008 swimming season will be available for pickup this evening at our May Board of Directors meeting. If you are unable to pick up your materials tonight, please send an alternate individual to do so. If you do not pickup your materials at tonight's meeting, it is your reponsibility to make your own arrangements to do so through one of the following two gentlemen:

Brian Pate has the materials for the North League
djbrian@bowtiemobiledj.com

Steve Soost has the materials for the South League
sasoost@us.ibm.com

Your cooperation is appreciated in following these procedures for obtaining your meet management materials for 2008.

Special thanks goes out to both Brian and Steve for their hard work in obtaining the materials and assembling the packages for you. Please do pass along a word of thanks when you pick up your materials from them this evening!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Board meeting tonight!

Rick

May Board of Directors meeting

Remember, our final in-person Board meeting of 2008 is coming up tomorrow night (Tuesday, May 20) at 7:00. We will be at our usual meeting place at Powell Drive Park. If you can, please print and bring your own copy of the meeting agenda and the March Meeting Minutes; a limited number of hard copies will be available for those unable to bring their own.

The Board meeting proper should be quite short, which will allow us to distribute meet management materials and then adjourn directly into our annual Meet Management Clinic. Everyone is welcome to stay for this clinic, but it will be most useful for new TSA reps and for new clubs (including exhibition teams). If you are unable to attend the clinic but have questions, be sure to read the meet organization document on the TSA website and to familiarize yourself with some of the other resources on the site.

Coaches Clinic in Cary

We have scheduled another Coach's Clinic for Thursday June 5. The location is Lochmere Highlands Clubhouse. The time will be 7:00 P.M.

Thanks to Lochmere for hosting a clinic again this year!

Stroke and Turn Clinic in Cary

We have scheduled a Stroke and Turn Clinic for Tuesday June 3. We would like to thank Oxxford Hunt for hosting. The time will be 7:00 PM.

For directions see http://www.tsanc.org/src/club.php?club_id=32.

Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon, June 1

I was invited by Bob Goudreau to post information about our upcoming YOUTH-only triathlon held on June 1st in Chapel Hill, NC.

The Swim for Smiles Foundation is excited to announce that registration is OPEN for its 2nd Annual Youth Triathlon to be held on June 1, 2008 in Chapel Hill, NC.

Last year’s event drew over 240 participants and this year’s has been expanded to accommodate at least 350. Open to kids from ages 7-17, the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon is a USA-Triathlon (USA-T) sanctioned event and includes two different courses so that ALL levels of participants are accommodated.

Beginners can select a Short Course triathlon that includes a 100-meter swim, a 2.5-mile bike course and finishes with a short 1K (0.6 miles) run. And, Long Course participants will begin with a 250-meter swim, transition to a 5-mile bike course and then finish with a 3K (1.8 miles) run. The Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon will start on June 1st at Chapel Hill Country Club’s heated pool, move to a neighborhood bike ride and end with a golf-course run. This is considered an easy triathlon and it designed for all levels of youth participants.

Every finisher receives a medal and the top three finishers of each age group will receive prizes (last year's prizes included iPod Shuffles, Ironman watches, movie tickets and a two grand prizes: Nintendo Wiis)!

For more information on the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon or the Swim for Smiles Foundation, please go to http://www.swimforsmiles.org/.

We have also created an event poster/flyer that we would love for you to consider posting at your pools and swim team sign-up events. It can be found by clicking here. We will be more than willing to print as many as each team would like and send them to you if you prefer to hand them out (or we can give it to you in e-mail form to send to your entire team).

100% of all funds raised from this triathlon (and every Swim for Smiles event) goes to the North Carolina Children's Hospital. We are proud to have raised over $17,000 last year for the hospital and with your league's help, we can beat that total this year.

Finally, the site also includes details on how to volunteer for the triathlon and how to become a sponsor, but if you want more information on either, please feel free to call me, Gary Kayye, at 868-3358 or e-mail me at gkayye@kayye.com.

Thank you!

Coaches Clinic on Wednesday, May 28

The first Coaches Clinic will be May 28. The time is 7:00 PM and the location is Northbrook. Jonathan Watson will be the instructor.

Learn to be a more effective coach and promote good sportsmanship, ways to motivate swimmers and their families, and more. Each club is required to be represented at this clinic. Attendance will be taken.

Directions:
NORTHBROOK COUNTRY CLUB (4905 North Hills Drive, Raleigh)
• From I-440, take Exit 7 (if coming from south) or Exit 7B (if coming from north) onto US 70 (Glenwood Avenue) westbound
• Turn LEFT at the first traffic signal after the I-440 interchange onto Lead Mine Road
• Turn RIGHT at the next traffic signal onto North Hills Drive.
• Turn LEFT into the club parking lot just past Northbrook Drive, which will be the third street on the right.

Assistant Coach Position

The Reserve Sting Rays have a new opportunity for an assistant coach position for this season. We have a great team with committed head coach and parent support.

Please direct any leads or interested persons to sas1710@nc.rr.com and jdecandio@nc.rr.com .

Thanks,
Steve

Clinics

Greetings busy TSA Reps! Your Clinics Committee has been finalizing details for this season's clinics. Here is what we have scheduled for you:

STROKE AND TURN JUDGES (Mandatory; choose either one):
Tuesday [corrected from Wednesday - Bob] , May 6, 7:00 PM at Planter’s Walk clubhouse in Knightdale
(clinic could last almost two hours)
OR
Thursday, May 22, 7:00 PM at Jewish Community Center

STARTERS (Recommended, but not mandatory):
Tuesday, May 27, 7:00-8:00 PM at Medfield Pool in Raleigh/Cary

COACHES (Mandatory): We have instructors lined up for two clinics; locations and dates are being agreed upon. We expect to announce these in a few days.

(CONTACT Tony McCullough ASAP with corrections or if interested in arranging another clinic.)


DIRECTIONS
PLANTER’S WALK CLUBHOUSE (901 Lynwood Road, Knightdale)

From North Raleigh and Northern Wake County
· Take I-540 East to Exit 24B (Business US 64 East, a.k.a. Knightdale Boulevard)
· Follow the directions in the “From Knightdale Boulevard” section below

From Wendell and Eastern Wake County
· Take US 64/264 West to Exit 423 (I-540 West)
· Take I-540 to Exit 24 (Business US 64, a.k.a. Knightdale Boulevard)
· Turn right (Eastbound) at the top of the ramp
· Follow the directions in the “From Knightdale Boulevard” section below

From Raleigh and Southern and Western Wake County
· Take I-440 to Exit 14 (US 64/264 East)
· Take US 64/264 to Exit 423 (I-540 West)
· Take I-540 to Exit 24 (Business US 64, a.k.a. Knightdale Boulevard)
· Turn right (Eastbound) at the top of the ramp
· Follow the directions in the “From Knightdale Boulevard” section below

From Knightdale Boulevard
· Stay in the right lane and take the first right (past the I-540 interchange) onto Lynnwood Road to enter the Planter’s Walk subdivision
· If Lynnwood Road is closed due to construction, take the next right (Hinton Oaks Boulevard) and catch Lynnwood at the roundabout
· Take your second left after the 4-way stop into the clubhouse/pool parking lot at 901 Lynwood Road
· The pool parking lot is reserved for our visitors. If the parking lot is full, feel free to park on one of the side streets. Parking on Lynnwood drive is not recommended.

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER (12804 Norwood Road, Raleigh)
From I-540, take Exit 9 to NC 50 (Creedmoor Road).
Head North on NC 50/Creedmoor Road.
Turn LEFT at the traffic signal onto Norwood Road.
Cross over Old Creedmoor Road and you will see the Jewish Community Center on the left.
Take a LEFT into the JCC. If the parking lot is full, you can park in the lot at the church across the street.

MEDFIELD POOL (1401 Baker Road, Raleigh/Cary):
From I-40, take Exit 290 to NC 54 (Chapel Hill Road) westbound.
Turn RIGHT at the first light past the I-40 interchange, onto Trinity Road.
Turn LEFT at the third side-street onto King Lawrence Road.
Take the first LEFT onto Baker Road.
The pool is on the RIGHT where Baker ends at Philips Court.

Reminder: April Board meeting is CANCELED; results of rules ballot

Just a reminder that the April TSA Board of Directors meeting originally scheduled for April 15th has been canceled in accordance with a motion that passed by acclamation at the March meeting. Our final Board meeting this spring will be held on May 20th. Everyone is now free to finish filing their taxes without TSA getting in the way :-).

The rules proposals cited below all passed. The rulebook has been modified accordingly and the final 2008 version that will go to the printers can be viewed here. It will also soon be available on the TSA web site.

52 clubs voted on the proposed rules changes, so a quorum was achieved. Clubs not voting were: Bedford, Bentwinds, Charleston Village, Durant Trails, Eagle Ridge, Harrington Grove, Hawthorne, Heritage of Wake Forest, Kildaire Farms, Lakemont, Manchester, North Ridge, Regency Park, Scottish Hills, Scotts Mill, Shepherd’s Vineyard, University Club, Weatherstone and Wellsley.

The first measure passed by a margin of 51-1.

The second measure passed by a margin of 47-5.

The third measure passed by a margin of 47-5.

March 2008 Meeting Minutes Now Posted

Board Members,

The minutes of the March 2008 Board of Directors meeting are now posted at the following location:

http://www.tsanc.googlepages.com/Minutes2008-03-18.pdf

Pizza Advice

any teams with experience selling pizza at meets please let me know how you estimate the number of pies. thanks Hollands Crossing - Cris

Meets with 5 lanes?

Need some quick advice. How does a meet work when you have an odd number of lanes? Hollands Crossing has 5. Advice?

Southern Wake Invitational

Is anyone aware whether a date and/or location has been set for the Southern Wake Invitational?

Thanks so much!

March Board of Directors meeting

Remember, our third Board meeting of 2008 is coming up tomorrow night (Tuesday, March 18) at 7:00. We will be returning to our usual meeting place at Powell Drive Park. If you can, please print and bring your own copy of the meeting agenda and the February meeting minutes; a limited number of hard copies will be available for those unable to bring their own.

Lane Ropes and Rope Reel for sale by Sunset Ridge

If your team is looking for lane ropes or a rope reel for the upcoming season, Sunset Ridge is selling 9 lane ropes and 1 lane rope reel. All equipment is in decent condition. If interested, please send an email to Victoria Whetzel.

Meet Official Vests - Vendor Recommendation Wanted

Walden Creek is looking to buy new meet officials vests/pennies and was looking for feedback from other clubs who have bought these recently. Does anyone know of any vendors that they recommend?

Thanks, Bob Wombacher
Walden Creek TSA Rep
bnewport@nc.rr.com

Triangle Swim School Offers Technique Instruction

Triangle Swim School offers small-group (up to 4 athletes at a time) stroke technique instruction to complement the large-group swim team and swim team clinic instructional environments. We offer instruction for all ability levels from beginning swimmers to stroke refinement for advanced swimmers. If your athlete is interested in preparing for the summer league season with individualized or small group instruction, please contact Triangle Swim School. For more information, visit our web site at www.triangleswimschool.com or contact Kelly at 267-4762 to schedule a class. If you have questions about stroke instruction or Triangle Swim School classes, you can also e-mail Coach Jeannine Carpenter at jeannine.carpenter@gmail.com.

A coach looking for a job this summer

I've at last received a request from a prospective coach (Edward LeBlanc) asking to have his resume posted on the blog's new Resume page. I will update that page as new requests arrive, and also when employment-seekers have found a job and ask me to take their resume down.

Need job description for coaches

Zebulon Swim Team is in the process of updating the job descriptions for our asst. coaches and head coach. We'd like to be more in line with other TSA teams. If anyone would be willing to share their team's job descriptions, we'd be very appreciative. Please forward any to annsbrooks@aol.com.

Thanks!