Happy New Year!

While it’s chilly outside, your team reps are already hard at work getting ready for the upcoming summer swim season.

Winter Swim Update

There will be no winter swim this weekend due to club swim meets and the long holiday weekend. The schedule for the remainder of the season can be found below. Please mark your calendars accordingly.

• January 11, 25
• February 15, 22 (this is a change due to High School districts)
• March 1, 8, 15, 22
• April 12, 19, 26
• May 3, 10, 17

Open Volunteer Positions

As we say throughout the season, many hands make light work. With that in mind, we want to highlight several open volunteer roles and share plans for an upcoming social where families can learn more about how to get involved. Increased parent participation helps ensure a smooth, fun, and successful season for everyone.

Concessions Manager
Like trips to Costco, earning Chick-fil-A points, and preferred parking at home meets? We have the job for you! The Concessions Manager is responsible for purchasing, organizing, and selling food and drinks at home meets. Michelle Tranquilli will work closely with this volunteer to ensure they are set up for success.

Officials Coordinator
Each meet requires a set number of certified volunteer officials. This role works with the Team Reps to develop an officials schedule for the season based on volunteer availability.

Social Chair
At the end of each season, families consistently say the fun is one of the highlights. From pep rallies to team traditions, it takes planning and creativity to keep that energy going. The Social Chair will recruit a small committee to organize:

• Welcome Back Potluck
• Donut Tuesdays
• Pep Rallies
• End-of-Season Team Breakfast

End-of-Season Banquet Manager
This role coordinates all aspects of the banquet, including managing RSVPs, catering, purchasing supplies, and event setup.

B Meet Set-Up Manager
In recent seasons, B Meet setup has been challenging due to the pool remaining open until 4:00 pm, leaving a short window to prepare the deck. This position is ideal for someone with flexibility to arrive at 4:00 pm and help ensure enough volunteers are on deck for a quick and efficient setup.

If you’re interested in volunteering or would like to learn more about any of these roles, please email [email protected] and [email protected].

We are planning a casual social gathering in February at one of our homes for anyone interested in learning more. Details will be shared directly with those who reach out.

Mini Barracudas Announcement

We’re excited to announce that Sayla Runnels will be returning this season to lead our Mini Barracudas program!

Mini Barracudas is our developmental swim program designed to help young swimmers transition from swim lessons into confident, full-fledged Barracudas at their own pace.

For the 2026 season, swimmers must be at least 3 years old by January 1, 2026 to participate. Mini Barracudas are official team members and will practice five days per week. Swimmers will be placed into one of three skill-based groups:

• Guppies – Introduction to Water Skills
• Minnows – Fundamental Aquatic Skills
• Barracudas – Stroke Development

Additional details will be shared in future communications and are available on the team website.

Swimmer Coach Planning – 2026 Season

As we begin planning for the 2026 season, we are starting the process of identifying Swimmer Coaches for this summer. Any swimmers who have completed their freshman year of high school and are interested in coaching should complete the Google Form linked here.

Over the coming weeks, we will begin scheduling interviews with interested candidates as we build out our coaching team for the season.

NVSL Officials

Many of our current officials have children graduating in the next few years, so we are beginning to build our base of certified officials. If you are interested in becoming an official, NVSL University (NVSLU) will be held on Saturday, May 30. We will also share several other training options by early March.

Important update for 2026: all training clinics will be held in person this spring and summer. There will be no virtual recertification clinics.

Participating as an official is a great way to get involved and gives you a front-row seat to watch your swimmer compete. We encourage all families to consider certification.

Upcoming Dates to Keep in Mind

• Seeding Meeting: Sunday, March 1
  After seeding, we’ll announce our division and confirm home vs. away meets.
• Divisionals: Saturday, July 25
• Tentative Dates:
  • Time Trials: Saturday, June 13
  • First B Meet: Monday, June 15
  • First A Meet: Saturday, June 20

You can view the full A Meet schedule on the NVSL website. We will start to add all key dates to our website in the coming weeks.

Registration & Website

Be sure to check out our new team website, and mark your calendars. Registration opens April 1!

New Record Board

In case you missed our social media post, the Barracudas are excited to kick off 2026 with a brand new record board. Here's to fast swims, big goals, and an exciting summer ahead!

Swimmingly,

Lauren & Michelle