What to Expect from the “Stingray Experience” Ivy Hills Stingrays Orientation Session Chuck Herrington – Parent Coordinator Tom McTernan – Head Coach

Agenda What are the Stingrays? League Key Dates Swim Meets Meet Sign-In Process Practice The Coaches Coaching Philosophy Parent Expectations Communication Swimsuits Merchandise Ivy Hills Stingrays Orientation Session Tom McTernan – Head Coach Chuck Herrington – Parent Coordinator

Ivy Hills Stingrays – What is it? The Ivy Hills Stingrays is a social, yet competitive Summer swim team whose mission is to develop the swimming skills of our membership’s youth—while promoting goodwill, sportsmanship, and fun for all of our swimmers and parents! DON’T think of the Stingrays as a “You have to be good to join” kind of swim team!! We are FUN, SOCIAL, and SUPPORTIVE, ₋with a little bit of COMPETITION sprinkled in!! Anyone ages 5-18 can be a Stingray, as long as they can swim without a vest or floaties! ₋We had 143 swimmers in 2014, ranging from ‘Learning to Swim’ to ‘National Level Athletes’, and look to have near 150 in 2015!! Wonderful opportunity for the kids and parents to meet and socialize with others in the Ivy Hills community!

The Stingrays participate in the 14-member “Greater Cincinnati Country Club Swimming & Diving League” (GCCCS&DL), and follow the League’s By-Laws and Meet Guidelines. The GCCCS&DL is divided into 3 Divisions based on Team Size and Championship Meet Results at the end of the previous season. Each season, the top team from Champs in each division ‘moves up’, while the lowest scoring team ‘moves down’. Ivy Hills competes in the Red Division, the top division in our League! Ivy Hills Stingrays – Our League

2015 SEASON OVERVIEW Wednesday, April 29 th : Orientation Session Wednesday, May 6 th : Registration/Suit-fitting event Tuesday, May 26 th : Practice Begins (1 st week in afternoons) Wed, June 3 rd – July 8 th : Weekly Swim Meets (every Wednesday night) Thursday, June 18 th : Picture Day (between practices) Saturday, June 27 th : “King of the Hill” Meet (optional, non-League) Monday, July 13 th : League Championships Thursday, July 16 th : End of Year Award Banquet Ivy Hills Stingrays – Key Dates SWIM MEETS Wednesday, June 3 rd : at Ft. Mitchell Country Club Wednesday, June 10 th : vs Coldstream/Camargo Country Clubs Wednesday, June 17 th :vs Cincinnati Country Club Saturday, June 20 th : ‘King of the Hill’ Meet (voluntary at Anderson YMCA) Wednesday, June 24 th :vs Triple Crown Country Club Wednesday, July 1 st :at Highland Country Club Wednesday, July 8 th :at Hyde Park Country Club Monday, July 13 th :CHAMPIONSHIPS at Ivy Hills Country Club

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Swim Meets Our Swim Meets are the highlights of the Stingray season! They are essentially a weekly, pool-side party every Wednesday, with parents and swimmers all socializing, eating, drinking, and cheering on our Stingrays! Swim Meets start at 6pm and last roughly 3 hours. Swimmers must report 30 minutes before the meet for warm-ups. Swim Meets have 68 events, where each event is a different race for each stroke type, by age group, by gender. Each event could have multiple ‘Heats’ if there are more than 6 swimmers entered in the event (since we only have 6 lanes in the pool). Swim Meet entries will be determined every Monday by the coaches, and ed out to all parents early Tuesday. Swim Meet entries are the listing of which events each swimmer will be swimming for that week’s meet. Girls Event/# Boys

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Meet Sign-Outs Q: What if we can’t make it to a meet? A: No Problem!! Just let us know no later than the Monday prior to the Swim Meet! If your swimmer will not be swimming in a Swim Meet, you will need to “sign out” your swimmer by the Monday before the Swim Meet! There is a “Sign Out Book” always at the pool that has a page for each meet during the season. To sign out of a particular meet, simply write the names of the swimmers that will not be able to attend that Swim Meet! It’s that easy! Except the swimmers who have been “signed out” of a meet, all other Stingrays will be entered into events for the meet per the coach’s discretion on Monday night. To eliminate rework in preparing the Meet Entries, please make sure to sign-out swimmers by Monday.

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Swim Meets Other Things to Know about Swim Meets: For the four younger swim groups (Girls 6 and Under, Boys 6 and Under, Girls 8 and Under, Boys 8 and Under), we assign multiple parent volunteers per group. These volunteers keep their group of Stingrays in the same area of the pool during meets and get them to their events and lined up! They usually lay down towels and their parents bring crafts, games and activities to play between events. Expect to see kids writing on each other with Sharpies! Everyone writes their Event Number, Heat, and Lane Assignment on their arms to remember what races they are in. Then they usually write ‘Go Stingrays’, or ‘Eat My Bubbles’ on themselves as well. It’s a fun, swim team ‘norm’!! It’s OK if a swimmer doesn’t want to dive off the starting block. Many of our younger swimmers start races from the pool deck, and that’s perfectly fine. Don’t be surprised, however, if they are diving in from the blocks by the end of the year!

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Junior Stingrays Introducing our new Junior Stingrays Program! This year, we’re introducing our new ‘Junior’ Stingrays program!! This program is for our 6 & Under swimmers who are already able to swim (granted, it may be a doggie paddle!), yet are not quite able to swim across an entire length of the pool without taking breaks. This new, exciting program is a great way for your beginning swimmers to gain confidence in their swimming abilities through more focused and individualized instruction, with the ability to join the team mid-season in regular practices and swim meets. Coaches determine when swimmers are ready to ‘graduate’ to the regular Stingray program, usually based on when they are able to swim one length of the pool without breaks. Even though Junior Stingrays won’t be able to compete in swim meets until they ‘graduate’, they are a part of the Stingray team and are encouraged to attend the swim meets to cheer on their teammates and be a part of the Team Picture! The coaches will identify candidates for the Junior Stingray program during the first week of practice. If you’re not sure whether your child is ready for the Junior Stingray program, just ask!!

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Practice Practices are split by age group to better meet the different needs/abilities of each swimmer. Times are determined to not conflict with the Club’s other summer sports programs. Practices start Tues., May 26 th in the afternoons due to school still being in-session. The following practice times apply to 5/26, 5/27, 5/28, 5/29, 6/1 and 6/2 Junior Stingrays: 5/26, 5/27, 5/28, 5/29, 6/1 and 6/2 from 4:30pm to 5:00pm Ages 8 and under (age as of 6/1) : 5/26, 5/27, 5/28, 5/29, 6/1 and 6/2 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm Ages 9 and over (age as of 6/1) : 5/26, 5/27, 5/28, 5/29, 6/1 and 6/2 from 6:00pm to 7:30pm The day of the first meet (6/3), practices move to a morning schedule every weekday from Wed., June 3 rd through Fri., July 10 th. Ages 9 and over (age as of June 1 st ) : Every weekday from 8:30am to 10:00am Ages 8 and under (age as of June 1 st ) : Every weekday from 10:00am to 11:30am Junior Stingrays: Every weekday from 11:30am to 12pm Attendance at all practices is recommended, but not required. Perfect attendance award tracking starts after the 1 st meet (due to some schools still being in session prior 1 st meet) Swimmers must attend at least one practice (Thurs – Wed) in order to swim in that week’s Swim Meet. Thursday practices end with donuts and giving out awards from the previous night’s Swim Meet.

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Head Coach One of the key contributors to a solid and successful swim team is consistency in coaching and teaching swimmer development throughout the years. The Stingrays have had this consistent, high-quality coaching with the same Head Coach for the last 6 years! Tom McTernan – Stingrays Head Coach This will be Tom’s sixth season as the Head Coach of the Ivy Hills Stingrays. Tom has over 30 years of swimming and coaching experience. He developed a passion for swimming in High School, placing second in the 50 Free & 100 Free at the Cincinnati District meet. Tom is a ‘Master Swimmer’ and has held many coaching positions in the local Cincinnati area, most recently serving as the Head Coach for the Clark Montessori Jr. and Sr. High Swim Team, the head coach for the Beckett Ridge Barracuda swim team, and coaching the M.E. Lyons YMCA Special Olympics team. Tom has a passion for teaching age group swimmers.

Ivy Hills Stingrays – Assistant Coaches Helping Tom, we have three excellent Assistant Coaches who will be instrumental to developing our Stingrays! Bryan Kimutis – Stingrays Assistant Coach This is Bryan’s third season as an Ivy Hills Stingrays coach, but he has been swimming year-round and competitively since the age of 6. Bryan was a 4-year letterman for Moeller High School—known for its strong swimming program. He was the “Rookie of the Year” in his freshman year, and was the team captain in his senior year. His specialty is long-distance freestyle events, in which he has competed in Districts in all four years of high-school, and competed in Nationals twice. Bryan is accomplished in all four stroke techniques and is great at developing the swimming skills of others - especially age group swimmers. Molly Rothhaas – Stingrays Assistant Coach This will be Molly’s second season as an Ivy Hills Stingrays coach, but she has many years of swimming experience. Molly got her start swimming for the Ivy Hills Stingrays at the age of 5, and has gone on to swim competitively for the Anderson Barracudas, Mercy HealthPlex SeaWolves, and Turpin High School. Molly is extremely excited to be coaching ‘where it all began’ for her, and hopes everyone has as much fun with the Stingrays as she did when she first started!! We are equally excited to have her working to develop our swimmers!! Welcome back, Molly! Michael Montague – Stingrays Assistant Coach This will be Michael’s second season as an Ivy Hills Stingrays coach. He has many years of swimming experience. Michael swam for twelve years with the Anderson Barracudas, and was a 4-time National Team member, 4-time Ohio High School Championship Team member, YMCA National Finalist, Junior National Qualifier, and State High School Champion (400 Free Relay). He has given swim lessons at Anderson Hills Swim Club and comes from a family of swim coaches. Michael understands the important principles for coaching our team will be to improve technique while making sure everyone has FUN! We expect Michael will be a perfect fit for the Stingrays!

Ivy Hills Stingrays – ”Philosopher Tom”

Ivy Hills Stingrays – The Parents! Parent Involvement is CRUCIAL to making the “Stingray Experience” awesome for everyone! Our children depend heavily on all parents investing their time into the team to ensure the season flows smoothly and is enjoyable to everyone. This means: ₋Making sure our swimmers are at practices and meets on time! ₋Volunteering for meets to make the season flow smoothly and be enjoyable to everyone! We’re one big happy family, so don’t be afraid to ask for help from fellow parents (especially for carpooling to practice/meets or swapping volunteer positions)!! A contact list will be sent out right before the season starts to help everyone be able to contact each other. Parents need to sign-up for various ‘positions’ for each Swim Meet in order for the meets to be run smoothly (and on time!). Each position is easy to execute, and most positions change at halftime. Volunteer positions include Age Group Organizers, Timers, Runners, Averagers, Scorers, Ribbon Writers, and Stroke Judges. Each position will have a simple ‘training session’ before each meet. Sign-up for preferences to your volunteer positions in your Registration Packet for each meet. Chuck needs to make sure all volunteer positions are filled the Sunday before each Swim Meet, so expect your Parent Coordinators (who are volunteers themselves!) to ask you for help!! Most importantly, have fun! The best thing about volunteering at Swim Meets is that all positions can be worked with a cold beverage in your hand!! Ask someone to fill in for you for a few minutes if you’re child is racing. Remember, the “Stingray Experience” is all about having a good time!

Before and during the season, there are various methods for Stingray information to get out to Parents and Swimmers. These are highlighted in the Registration Packet’s Team Communication sheet – so please reference that in more detail. The vast majority of your communication will come via from your Parent Coordinators or Head Coach—so it is critical that you provide correct addresses in your Registration Packets. If you have more than one that you wish to get these communications, list them all in the registration packet! The website will contain all important documents, schedules, meet entries, meet results, and other formal Stingray information. The Stingray Facebook page is where all photos and videos will be posted throughout the season, as well as quick news items. The Stingray Twitter account will pretty much tweet out similar information that is posted on the Facebook page. Ivy Hills Stingrays – Communication

The 2015 swimsuit is the Dolfin Styx V-2 Back for girls and the Dolfin Styx Jammer for boys (both in Blue/Green)! Girls ($ tax)Boys ($ tax) Regional swim retailer “Kast-A-Ways” will be at the Club on Wednesday, May 6 th from 5:30pm-7:30pm for our “Stingray Registration and Suit Fitting Event” to help with ordering and sizing our Stingrays into the correct suit. Note that these suits are not required to be members of the Stingrays, but are the recommended suit for the 2015 Season to maintain a unified team ‘look’. For those families who are not able to make the May 6 th Suit Fitting event, arrangements can be made to order their suits directly from Kast-A-Ways. Their contact information is below: Kast-A-Ways National HeadquartersRetail Store Hours: 9356 Cincinnati-Columbus Rd., Rt. 42Monday - Thursday - 9:00am - 6:00pm Cincinnati, Ohio Friday - 9:00am - 5:00pm Toll Free: (800) Saturday - 9:00am - 3:00pm(800) Local Calls: (513) Sunday - CLOSED(513) Ivy Hills Stingrays – Swimsuits

You and your swimmers will be able to show off your Stingray Spirit through various Stingray Merchandise items being available during the season: everything from swim caps, towels, t-shirts, sweatshirts and adult golf shirts, and more! All proceeds from Merchandise sales go directly back into the swim team to continue to make the Stingray Experience an awesome one! Order forms are located on the website under Stingray Documents. Contact Parent Co- coordinator, Leann Burke, for more information! Ivy Hills Stingrays – Merchandise

If you want you to be a part of the Stingray Experience, all you have to do is: Fill out the Registration Packet and return it to the Club prior to the first practice! Registration Packets are available on the website ( as well as in various Club s. They are also available at the Registration Event. The first 6 pages of the packet are informational for you to keep. The last 4 pages of the Registration Packet must be completed and returned to the Club 1.Registration form – swimmer and parent info, total amount. Club will charge to your member account, or accept check payment. 2.Emergency Release Form – medical information for swimmers 3.Parent Commitment Form – for identifying a special interest in certain volunteer roles 4.Coach’s Information Sheet – for putting any specific information about your swimmer of which you want the coaches to be aware. It’s that easy!!! Ivy Hills Stingrays – Register!!