Happy Monday Blasters! There are a lot of events this week, but please read it carefully as there is a lot of important information.

This Wednesday, July 22 will be our Micro Blaster meet at Iona Sound pool from 5 - 7 pm. Please sign up your Micros if they can attend by TODAY, Monday, July 20. In addition, when you RSVP for your swimmer, there are volunteer jobs to sign up for. Swimmer coaches, please make sure to arrive by 4:45 pm.

Just a reminder that the Microblasters program culminates with the meet, so there will be no Micro practices on Thursday.

This Saturday, July 25 will be the White Division Championship Meet AWAY against the Kingsbrooke Sea Lions and Victory Lake Piranhas. Swimmers should plan to arrive at the Piranhas’ Pool (12600 Victory Lakes Loop, Bristow, VA) in their team suits and caps no later than 6:00 AM. Today is the deadline to declare for the meet. We will NOT ADD swimmers to events after the declaration deadline tonight. Attached is a list of those who have declined or are undeclared. PLEASE CHECK THIS LIST, EVEN IF YOU BELIEVE YOU DECLARED, DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT ON THE LIST. If you appear on the UNDECLARED list but plan to swim this weekend, please edit your swimmer(s) commitment on the website by 11:59 pm tonight! Unlike regular dual meets, per the PWSL bylaws, there are requirements for swimmers to be eligible to swim at divisionals: all swimmers must have a legal time and participate in 2 PWSL swim meets during the season. For this reason, those who do not meet the eligibility requirements are automatically noted as ineligble. If you have questions about this, please reach out to [email protected].

Here are a few additional reminders:

1. The 2026 Braemar Blasters Executive Board Election will open today. All Braemar Blaster families are eligible to vote in the Executive Board Election–one vote per family. Please vote for one person for each position. You can learn more about the candidates by selecting the information link below their name. The election will be open until 10:00 PM Friday, July 24, 2024. The results will be announced at the awards ceremony and sent via email. For any questions or concerns please reach out to the elections committee at [email protected]
2. Non-resident pool passes are due this week! We will have a box to collect the pool passes at the last practices and the awards ceremony. Please make sure you turn in your passes on-time to avoid additional fees and the inability to register again.
3. If you would like a photo banner to decorate your tent for Divisionals, our fabulous photographer Maria has captured wonderful images through the season and will be ordering banners for $10.50 plus shipping (Maria does these at cost) and will need to order by Tuesday night 7/21. She has posted more info to the Facebook group with how to go about ordering and we've pinned it to the top next to this newsletter. Questions? You can email her at: [email protected].
4. Don’t forget, volunteering for Blaster families is MANDATORY…including at Divisionals!
5. If you ordered divisional merch, we will have them later this week. Once they are ready for distribution, we will post on Facebook and send an email for more information.
6. More information on the divisional meet will be sent on Friday, including the specific timeline. Stay tuned.
7. PWSL top 25 times for individual events and top 15 relays are listed on the PWSL website, along with the meet results for all the meets on Monday. Congrats to Gigi May, Amy Kislowski, and Caroline Cotter for making top 5 this week!

Events this week

It’s SPIRIT WEEK!! This is a busy week for the Blasters, with lots of fun events–there is an event every single day for all to participate in. Some require you to bring items (like tie dye day), so please come prepared. Remember, unless noted otherwise, all events are open to Blasters and MicroBlasters.

1. Monday, July 20:
   1. I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream! Our favorite spirit night will take place from 4 - 8 pm at Sweet Frog off Sudley Road in Manassas. Come grab some ice cream while the coaches scoop it out.
   2. Muffins by Matt order form tonight is deadline by 9pm and pick up is at the pool on the 22nd for blastermania! https://forms.gle/sGJLiAnAn1oZQQhi7
2. Tuesday, July 21: Tie-Dye Tuesday! Don’t forget to bring your items to tie dye from 6 - 8:30 pm at Clareybrook Park.
3. Wednesday, July 22:
   1. BLASTERMANIA!! Don’t forget to RSVP today!
   2. Micro Meet at 5 pm at Iona Sound. Come cheer on our littlest Blasters!!
4. Thursday, July 23: Breakfast after ALL practices. Sign-up today for the items you will bring! All items must come pre-cooked!
5. Friday, July 24: Crafts for all ages after practice!
6. Saturday, July 25: Tent decorating contest at divisionals! This awesome annual tradition will happen again this year with prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
7. Sunday, July 26: AWARDS CEREMONY! The awards ceremony is a celebration of the summer season and open to all Micros and Blasters. Please RSVP on our website ASAP. If you would like to be considered for one of Coach Chris’ prizes, you must RSVP by Tuesday, July 21 at 11:59 pm. The ceremony will take place at Patriot High School from 2 - 4 pm.

Volunteers

Volunteers are needed to run this meet–in fact more than normal. Everyone will be encouraged to sign up for a spot, even if it may not be your general committee role in order to meet the increased shifts. Please note if you are attending the meet and have not signed up for your specific job shift, you will automatically be assigned a shift. As a reminder, the following committees have the ability to sign-up on the website/app when declaring their swimmers: computers, clerk of course, timers, ribbons, runners, and stroke & turn. A guide on how to sign-up for job shifts is available on our website.

Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have questions in the meantime.