Latest News

Practice Changes:

• Monday 2/6 No Practice all groups due to O'Neal conference meet. All Thursdays are back to normal practice.
• SR practice 2/4 7:30-10:00am
• SR practice 2/5 3:30-4:45pm

All boys need to have their things out of visitor locker room today (Monday) - The lockers will be painted Tuesday.

High School Regionals - View Parking Map

Age Group & Senior Champs - Check meets page for entries (qualifiers) so far.

Practice Change - SRI & SRII 1/28 - 8-10am.
SRI & SRII Practice Sunday 1/29 3-5pm. Jr may attend.

Qualifier sign-up deadline 12 midnight tonight. Meets Page

New Information has been posted for the Snowflake Meet. Please check the meets page for details.

Only four days until the Shark-a-thon! Here is the schedule for swimmers this Friday:

Times
All seniors1&2 - 4:30-6:00 pm
All other swimmers - 5:30-7:30 pm

Awards
Top money raiser will get $75 in Sandshark merchandise
2nd place - $50 in Sandshark merchandise
3rd place - $25 in Sandshark merchandise
All that raise over $125 get a car magnet!

Remember we have online pledging this year in addition to our traditional pledge and collect. Contact those relatives and friends near and far and raise some money for your team!

Please consider volunteering for a time slot to help count laps while your child swims. Just a half hour of your time will help immensely. Also, bring along some baked goods! Store bought is fine. We'll sell treats to spectators for a small price. All proceeds go to the team. Contact Julie at djformanski@earthlink.net.

RSA January Jubilee meet - bus will leave after practice on Friday for the RSA meet. Swimmers traveling with team need to bring bags to practice.

Order Nike Racing Suits - Sandshark discounts!

Practice changes

• Thursday 1/12 - Seniors: No am practice, but will practice 3-4 pm. All other groups, no practice due to High School meet.
• Friday 1/13 - Seniors will practice 3:30-5:00 pm. All swimmers, juniors and above, may attend practice if they are going to RSA Meet.
• Saturday 1/14 - No Practice due to RSA meet.
• Monday 1/16 - Senior I&II 1:00-2:30pm.

Saturday Senior practice is moved to Sunday, Jan 8th from 3-5pm.

Snowflake Meet (8&Under meet) - Jan 28th, Ravencroft School, Raleigh. Check meets page for information and to sign up online. Registration Deadline is Jan 13th.

Blue v Green Meet Results Posted - Check the meets page. Blue won Girls and combined and came away with 2 pts. Green won Boys which resulted in 1pt.

Extra Credit!!! Any swimmer that can tell Taylor who was 7th place in the 11 and up 25 free gets 1/10 of a pt for their team. It must be by the end of practice on Thursday, Jan 5th.

RSA January Jubilee meet information has been posted - Click here - Please check the entries to make sure there are no issues. If so, let your coach know by Wednesday.

Attention all Sandshark parents and swimmers: This years Shark-A-Thon information has been posted. For your convenience donors can give online! Swimmers may enlist their friends and family to donate to the Sandsharks and the Olympic dream. All donations will be credited to swimmers for Blue vs. Green competition and Family Obligation. Please help the Sandsharks in their 30th year of commitment to excellence.

2012 Shark-A-Thon - Friday January 20th, 3:30-7:30 pm - Click here for information. Donate online!

Reminder: O’Neal High School meets are coming up during the months of January and February. There will be NO PRACTICE the afternoons of HS Meets for all groups. The following dates will affect practice time.

Thursday, January 12
Thursday, January 19
Thursday, January 26
Monday, February 06

RSA January Jubilee meet info has been posted! Please check the Meets Page. We will attend Saturday and Sunday sessions for this meet. We will not be attending the Friday session. Warm-ups begin at 8am, meet starts at 9am both days for ALL age groups. Finals will be late afternoon/early evening. Register Online! Deadline is Dec 30th at midnight!!!

Shark-a-thon Information

Sweat and T-shirt orders are in!

Blue Green Cup – Each year the team is split up in to 2 teams Blue and Green and will compete in intersquad competition during the year. The first is the intersquad meet December 21st at 4:00pm.The roster for each team will be posted on the board outside the pool. Please check your swimmers name if you are going to attend. This is a meet for all sandsharks, more importantly it is a great meet for new swimmers. After the meet the team will go to a restaurant for and drink (I need a parent to make arrangements).Hhope to see you there!

Shark-a-Thon News - To insure a successful fundraiser, we are moving the date of our annual Shark-a-Thon until after the Holiday Season. Look for more information on this important event at the beginning of December. Be ready to talk to your family and friends to line up sponsors! Thanks, Julie Formanski, contact person for 2011-2012 Shark-a-Thon (djformanski@earthlink.net)

Important Reminders

• Parents and swimmers need to watch sign-up dates for meets. All dates are on listed on the meets page.
   
• Check out the new Sandshark Online Store! Get your SSS gear now! FYI...SSS Caps prices have gone up to $6/ea.
   
• High School meets are coming up in Thursday in December, January, February watch calendar for practice changes
  

We Support Our Champions!

Olympic Trials!  A dream for some, but one outstanding Sandshark named Kurt Wohlrab will have a legitimate shot for making the cutoff for the Summer Trials.  As a small club you should have pride that we have such athletes on our team and that our best compete with “the best” swimmers in the world.  American swimming is filling with reigning world and Olympic record holders.  Just to have the opportunity to see them races is a rare occasion; but add our sandshark to the mix and we have another level of excitement to look forward to. After Taylor spoke with Kurt they decided it would be just as easy to make plans for 15 swimmers as easily as you could just for 1.  And so the plan began:

Sandsharks will take a team trip to Olympic Trials.

• First and foremost we want to support Kurt in any way possible and show him we are a Sandshark family that will be there for him no matter what
• If he were to make it (which is by far no easy task, but within range) we would like to have a fan base he can rely on
• Taylor would leave June 23 with Kurt and get hotel/van together before the rest of us got there
• The rest of the team would come on Sunday, June 24th
• Kurt would swim the first day of the meet on Monday, June 25th
• The team would stay and attend Trials until after the Wednesday morning session
• All swimmers would be home Wednesday evening
• We have the ability to train every afternoon
• All meals would be in-house; except plan for 1 nice dinner out
• Cost
  • Air fare $400 (continually monitoring costs) as of 10/25/11 $377
  • Trial Tickets $150
  • Transportation  $100
  • Hotel $175
  • Food $100
  • Chaperone fee $30
  • Training $30
    • Renting water time for us to train
  • Total $885
    • This is before fundraising
    • Cost are based on 12 swimmers
• Possibilities to help with costs
  • Tag Sale (need parent volunteer)
  • Car Wash (need parent volunteers)
  • Please come talk to Taylor if you have any additional ideas (we have many, but you must consider the time vs. output)

This is an invaluable experience for any swimmer (or athlete).  We have the ability to see a dream come true for one and inspire a whole new generation of swimmers and their pursuit of a dream.  Truly an experience to put in the logs of even the most notable biographies.  Come support your teammate!

Update! The Team Covered Dish Dinner scheduled for Tuesday night has been postponed - We will reschedule in the near future.

Sandshark Website - Important things to remember

• Online Registration - Pay your registration fees online and then contracts will be mailed out to you.
• 2011-2012 Calendar - Meets, events, special dates, etc.
• 2011-2012 Practice Schedule - Some changes from last season.
• Team Email & Txt Blast - Sign up now! Please note that some parents have had issues getting the email alerts through their Time Warner Cable email addresses (@nc.rr.com), so we recommend using another email address.
• 2011-2012 Swim Meets - Online registration and Information regarding upcoming meets.
• PLEASE...Check our website often for the latest information and updates! STAY INFORMED! Talk to your coaches if you have any questions or concerns.

Address Change!!! Due to the fact that the Village Post Office in Pinehurst is closing, we needed to move our PO box to Southern Pines. Please send all payments and correspondence to the new address from now on.

Sandhills Sandsharks
PO Box 657
Southern Pines, NC  28388

Please check Swim Camp dates and times.

MCSL Party & Awards - Friday 7/22 5-7pm

Stanford LC Practice - costs this year - Pay online!

BUS RIDER $135 2ND SWIMMER $115
NON BUS RIDER $100

Baltimore Trip - Cost $285.00 balance due + 52.00 for entry.

Open Water News:

A big thank you to all our sponsors for helping us reach an all-time high of $11,000 in sponsorships! Coming in at the wire to help us pass the record were:

Black Sheep Design (Graphic Design)            Dana Danielson/Brittany Wallace******
Howard Gartman CPA                                   Lindley
Wells Fargo Private Banking (donation)        Mike Rowkoski/Lindley

If we can retain many of this year's sponsors and get some more next year, we are bound to do even better! Please let me know if you have any ideas. In the past we have offered BAG TAGS (for swimmer's bags) and WATER BOTTLES ...also big plastic DRINKING CUPS with Open Water and corporate logos.

Many thanks to Christa Duffy , Molly & Wallace Beeson, and the rest of that Hospitality crowd for providing an amazing lunch for our sponsors.

*****Brittany was responsible for contacting and signing up MANY sponsors this year!!!

Enjoyed the excitement! Until next year,

Lindley Fleury
World's oldest Sandshark still swimming :)

Last Open Water Sponsor Update:

We exceeded our goal of over $10,000 in sponsorships! My T-shirt design needs to be in Monday morning, but anyone with a LAST MINUTE logo or line item is welcome to slip one in before then!

The following helped us cross over our goal:

FirstHealth Fitness Ctr (Brittany Wallace SSS)
Caddell Plumbing (Caddell Family-SSS)
Howard Gartman , CPA (Lindley)

Thanks again to all who helped this year!!

Other sponsors...

Fresh Market ~ fruit (thank you Don!)
Food Lion, Pinecrest Plaza ~ fruit (thank you Mr. Rosser!)
Panera Bread ~ coffee, bagels, and cream cheese spreads (thank you Pete!!)

Sponsor Update from Lindley Fleury:

I am very close to breaking our record of $10,000 for sponsors!! Tomorrow is the last day (I can stretch it to Sun night for the printer if I have to)! Special thanks to Suzanne Cooper, Diane Atherton and Brittany Wallace for bringing some more sponsors to us.

New Tshirt sponsors since last email:

Prescription Shoppe - Atherton Family solicitation
Dr Cile Williamson - Lindley
Comfort Inn - Byers Family (Multiple years)
Mellow Mushroom - Taylor   (former Sandshark family ties)
OutreachNC magazine - Brittany Wallace (Sandshark parent solicitation)
Scotland Medical Center - Lindley (multiple year sponsor)
Specialty Pharmacy and Cafe - Suzanne Cooper (Sandshark parent solicitation)

Donations for the race include:

Gulley's: Plants for Award stand - Gulley Family (Sandsharks)
Carthage Farm Supply: Gates
 
I dont have any car dealerships...more attorneys? Banks???..think about businesses that may involve "wellness" also...
 
Remember that finding a sponsor counts towards your $300 family fund-rising obligation!!
 
Thanks!!

Open Water Sponsor Update:

New T-shirt Sponsor: TroopConnect ( Brian Burns Family)

Just another thanks to our race sponsors. I have noted that these sponsors are all Sandshark families and many have been sponsors for multiple years. Please support those business that are supporting the Sandsharks!!

Swim Caps: Spring Lake Dental Group (Dr.and Mrs Dickerhoff) Multiple year
Bronze Sponsor: Peking Wok (Zhang Family) Multiple Year
800M: Leslie Murphy, MD Multiple Year
2k: CMD Properties/Christa Duffy Multiple Year
3K: Dargan Moore CFP, CLU Edward Jones Sanford
5K: Pinehurst Surgical Orthopedic and Joint Replacement Center Andrea Burns, PA/Dr Kurt Wohlrab - Multiple Year

Reminder that my deadline for Tshirts is this upcoming Friday: May 27...Please find me 6 more Tshirt sponsors!!!

Thanks,
Lindley

2011 Open Water

To SSS Parents and Friends,

As the 2011 Open Water Champs are quickly approaching, we are once again asking for your participation in promoting our sponsorship opportunities. The success of this weekend since 1999 has placed our event among one of the largest age group open water events in the country. The Sandsharks depend upon the proceeds of these races and sponsorships as our MAIN fundraiser for SSS swimming operations throughout the year.

We have many sponsorship opportunities ranging from T-shirt logos to individual race sponsors to cap sponsors. Please ask your friends, neighbors and business acquaintances to support sponsorship opportunities. Overall Race Sponsors at the Platinum, Gold, SIlver and Bronze levels may place their logos on the website for the entire year, in addition to other perks!

Please read the attached letters. You may contact Lindley Fleury at (910) 690-0090 or lindley285@yahoo.com with questions. Also contact Lindley if you want to reserve specific sponsorships immediately!!!

Thank you and let's break our fundraising record this year!!

• 2011 Open Water Sponsor Letter
• 2011 Open Water Sponsor Acknowledgement Form

Message from Kast-a-way Swimwear:

Dear Taylor Cooper, 

Sandhills Sandsharks - NC Swim Team merchandise has been updated and is now on the Kast-A-Way Swimwear Web Site. Now all your swimmers can log on and purchase their already discounted team merchandise, as well as all the other items we carry, right over the web. 

To access this secured site have your swimmers/parents complete this one time registration process: (you may want to print out this section for them to follow)

1. Go to kastawayswimwear.com 
2. Click on Sign In in the upper right corner of the website.
3. ***YOU MUST REGISTER WITH kastawayswimwear.com FIRST BEFORE YOU CAN ACCESS THE TEAM SECTION OF THE WEBSITE.***
4. If you have already registered with kastawayswimwear.com, skip steps 5 & 6 and go to step 7.
5. If you have not registered with kastawayswimwear.com, go to Not Registered and click Create New Account.
6. Fill out all the required information and click Create Account.
7. Click on Sign In above the links bar.  Enter your email address and password and click Sign In.
8. Click on Teams/Guard Central.  
9. Enter the Team Login: SSSNC   (case sensitive)
10. Enter the Team Password: SHARKS   (case sensitive)

We hope that this will now make purchasing your team appointed merchandise easier than ever. Only those that have the user name and password can access the team page. Please share this information with your team members. 

If you need to make a change to any of the team items, please call 800-401-5278 and ask to speak with our North Carolina Team Coordinator, Barb Prue. You can also email her at barbp@kastawayswimwear.com

Thank you for all your support. 

Kast-A-Way Swimwear, Inc.

Sandsharks Switch to Nike

The Sandhills Sandsharks will switch to the Nike brand. After reviewing our contract with TYR, we determined that Nike was offering us a much better deal.

Major differences:

• Open water – TYR has offered less and less each year due to the economy. Nike is willing to honor the first year of what TYR offered. Nike is also willing to promote the team**
• Nike is offering more for National, Junior and Sectional* swimmers
• Nike has offered to help with Summer League**
• The discounts are basically the same
• Tech suit prices are the same, but Nike will offer a once a year order for tech suits at a discount to all senior swimmers**
• Nike will give us ample time to change over to their product**
• And more!

**TYR didn’t offer

Overall, Nike is a much better deal for the team on many levels and is a good product. Parents, if you do any ordering please call: 800-401-5278 and ask to speak with our North Carolina Team Coordinator, Barb Prue. You can also email her at barbp@kastawayswimwear.com. It will take 2 weeks to update the link on the Kast-a-way web page.

Parents and Swimmers,
We were very impressed and proud of all swimmers and parents throughout this season.  This team is definitely taking the right steps toward creating good attitudes and exceptional performances. Here are the five basic levels of development that we want to work with the parents and swimmers for this next short-course season: Training, Competitive Performance, Stroke Biomechanics, Physiology, Character Development and Life skills, and Psychological Skills.  You will notice in this list only a portion of their growth, as an individual, will come from actual lap time and we will rely on cognitive physiological progression, championship behavior, accountability, self-discipline, time management, commitment, team loyalty, visualization, concentration, self-image, and practice behavior to complete the training cycle we would want in a Sandshark Swimmer.

A wise old-man (Taylor) once told me that “swimming is 90% mental” and I cannot help but find new examples of this everyday.  We are willing to share the responsibility with all the parents to do what is necessary to nurture our young impressionable athletes and expand on this 90% mental potential. All we ask is that you trust our judgment and have confidence in our skills as a swim coaches.  It is insulting to a coach to teach/coach your child during swim team practice.  We work very hard on our knowledge and ability to be able to perform at the top level across the country despite our small size. 

Please talk to your coach before or after practice if you have any questions or concerns.  Sit on the side of the pool, as not to give any distractions to your child during practice.  As a coach, we will give them constructive criticism and, as parents, you should be prepared to be there for love and support no matter how your child performs.  They need this comfort zone that enhances the relationship with the coaches and the parents, or they can become overwhelmed trying to please everyone and while still worrying about doing their best.

Keep up the positive attitudes and almost anything is possible.

All age group swimmers must be dropped off no more than 10 min. before the beginning of practice and must go directly to the pool as soon as they are dressed for swimming. Senior must wait in pool area until practice begins.
Under no circumstances may any swimmer wander the campus before practice.

Swimmers will have 10 min. from the end of practice to be dressed after dressing will go directly to the pool and wait in pool until parent pick them up.

Practice/Pool Notes::

• Parents please do not enter the pool by the double doors at the end of the pool.  This tracks in dirt, which ends up in the pool
• NO EATING ON DECK it brings bugs
• Swimmers that repeatedly take too long in the locker room will lose locker room privileges for 1 week.
• Parents - please, please be on time so coaches & swimmers are not waiting.
• All swimmers’ book bags or any other items are to be brought into the pool area and not left in the hallway.
• If a parent is going to be late because of an emergency, please call the office and leave a message - (910) 692-5777 or find your coaches emergency number on the website.

Please read these rules and talk them over with your swimmer, make sure they understand that if we do not comply, the team may lose pool time or usage of the pool altogether. It is very important that everyone follow these rules.

Parents on the deck - Please sit on the Blue benches and not on the white ones at the end of the deck; it is detraction to the swimmers when they are practicing. Also, there is no eating alowed on the deck. It attracts insects.

E-mail Blast Issues Update: If you use a Time Warner Cable Road Runner e-mail account you are probably not receiving our e-mail alerts. We recommend that you use another e-mail account for signing up for SSS E-mail Alerts. In many web mail accounts, you can set it up to auto-forward e-mails to other accounts, so you may want to investigate this option if you would still like to get your alerts via your Road Runner e-mail account. E-mail accounts are offered free from many popular internet companies such as Google and Yahoo as well as many others. Setting up accounts is usually very simple to do.

Want to be a sponsor?
Contact us!