BLUE DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! DOMINION VALLEY, PIEDMONT, SUDLEY

Please sign up for divisionals if you have swam in at least two PWSL sanctioned swim meets this summer and you will be here next Saturday. Swimmers need to be declared by MONDAY, JULY 21st at MIDNIGHT! This is a day earlier than usual. There will be no option to add you if you miss the deadline.

There will be three shifts for volunteers:

1st Shift - Events 66-67, 1-19 - ending approximately 9:15 am

2nd Shift - Events 20-47 - ending approximately 11:30 am

3rd Shift - Events 48-65  - end of meet approximately 1:45 pm

GO SHARKS!

Can you believe it?  It's our last home meet of the season!  The DV Sharks will take on the Victory Lakes Piranhas (Home Meet). Declare your swimmer and sign up to volunteer under job sign ups. This is a home meet, so we need a lot of volunteers. Food donations will be going out shortly.   This will also be senior swim, so come prepared to cheer on your favorite seniors! 

Swimmers MUST BE declared by 11:59 PM,  Tuesday, July, 15, 2025.

Go Sharks! Swim Fast!

The Stars and Stripes Invitational is an exhibition All-Star style meet. The sole purpose of Stars and Stripes is to be a FUN event for all teams involved. It is held annually on July 4th (or the observed holiday) and is designed to be exciting, quick, and FUN.

THE EVENTS

This is an exhibition meet that features all four swimming disciplines, medley relays, and a crescendo freestyle relay. Each team is allowed to bring one medley team for each age group and gender to swim in the relay and individual events. Swimmers will participate in their assigned discipline for both the relay and the individual event. For example, a swimmer competing in the backstroke event will also swim the backstroke leg of the medley relay. The crescendo relay will include one swimmer from each age group to swim freestyle regardless of their specified discipline.

The Stars and Stripes meet will adhere to PWSL rules and regulations and the events will be standard PWSL meet events with the following exceptions:

• The Crescendo Relay will be swam in lieu of age group freestyle relays. 8&U and 9-10 swimmers will swim a distance of 25m, while 11-12, 13-14, and 15&O swimmers will swim a distance of 50m, for a total of 200m. There will be a boys and a girls crescendo relay event.
• 8&U medley relays will not be a mixed event. There will be a boys event and a girls medley relay event for all age groups.
• Medley relays will be swam after the individual events.
• Event numbering and scoring will not follow PWSL standard formatting.

THE AWARDS

All participating swimmers receive a commemorative Stars and Stripes tee shirt. Medals will be awarded for 1st through 3rd place in each event and given to the swimmers on the podium during designated awards breaks. A trophy will also be awarded to the team that accumulates the most points.

THE BEST PART

There is no fee required to enter this meet, however, the Bridlewaves request that everyone bring some canned or dried goods items that can be donated to the local food bank. Here are the current items on their want list:

Canned vegetables, pasta and spaghetti, pasta sauce, canned meats, canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, cereal, canned fruit, cleaning supplies, toilet paper and paper towels.

PARKING

There is a small parking lot at the pool that fills up quickly. Spots are first come, first served. The pool parking lot includes three reserved handicapped spots. There is plenty of parking at Minnieland and surrounding streets. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN INTERSECTIONS OR BLOCK RESIDENTS’ DRIVEWAYS OR MAILBOXES. CARS THAT BLOCK A RESIDENT’S DRIVEWAY OR MAILBOX WILL BE TOWED AT OWNER’S EXPENSE.

Full details and results of previous Stars and Stripes meets available at the Stars and Stripes Invitational page.

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SWIMMER ARRIVAL: Swimmer check-in will begin at 7:15am. Swimmers should drop off their donation items, enter the gate, find the table set up where they can check in and pick up their fancy tee shirt, and then head over to the team area (which is for SWIMMERS AND COACHES ONLY). The deck will look different than it does for a normal meet and there will be quite a bit roped off, so swimmers should head toward the normal start end and make their way over to our team area, which should be right around the 12.5 meter line. There will be an area behind the coaching tents where our swimmers can bring a chair to set up in during their down time if they want, but they'll probably want to be on deck for the whole meet so they don't miss anything. WARM-UPS: Warm-ups start at 7:35am. Warm up time is limited, so please don't be late. DIRECTIONS: We're hosting this thing, so we're at our home pool. If you don't know where we practice, we're subbing in your alternate. PARKING: Our parking lot, beyond the circle is going to be blocked off to reserve spots for all the other teams and local celebrities. Please do not move cones, steal a reserved space, double park or hang out in the parking lot and clog up the lanes. That would be despicable. We aren't despicable. If you are dropping swimmers off, please drop them off in the circle and move along. In theory, if all the reserved spots aren't claimed by the time the last warm-ups begin, we will probably open up the lot as a free-for-all to the sleepers in, but you'll probably already be on deck by then so you don't miss anything. ADDITIONAL PARKING: Additional parking is available in the ImagiNation Learning Center parking lot and surrounding neighborhood streets. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN INTERSECTIONS OR BLOCK RESIDENTS' DRIVEWAYS, MAILBOXES, OR FIRE HYDRANTS, ETC. The residents of Bridlewood are our friends but they will not hesitate to call in complaints about your bad parking job if it prevents them from getting their latest order of liver pills. IF YOUR CAR NEEDS TO GET TOWED, IT WILL BE AT YOUR EXPENSE.SHADE STRUCTURE: We're moving all the tables and chairs away from the pool because it's STANDING ROOM ONLY ON DECK and that space is up for grabs. Please be conscious of those around you and make sure you allow everybody a great opportunity to watch the action because they probably don't want to miss anything. VOLUNTEERS: Volunteers should check in by the DJ Booth. We have limited volunteer options for this meet, but we will do a quick timer/recorder briefing around 8:00am and an Officials briefing around the same time and probably a coaches meeting because we gotta keep those coaches in check, you know. If we see you twiddling your thumbs, we may ask you to help somewhere like facilities or concessions. DECK LAYOUT: The far side of the pool (baby pool and beyond) is for SWIMMERS and COACHES ONLY. The Baby Pool is closed. The rest of the deck is pretty much open for spectating and enthusiasm. The 8 & Unders will start at the normal start side of the pool, so during their events and during the relays that use that end for starts, the far end is off limits. During all other races, though, you can hang out over there. We will also shoo you away for the podium pictures as well. Please refer to the amazing visual aid attached to this email to see what the pool deck is going to look like. It may not look exactly like that, but you get the idea. If you signed up for Monday Night Setup, study this ahead of time - there will be a quiz.CONCESSIONS: Concessions will be in the normal spot - or maybe where clerk of course is (we're flexible), but there will be yummy breakfast-y foods and drinks and other stuff. Reminder: CASH ONLY.DONATIONS: Don't forget your donations for SERVE's Food Pantry. There will be boxes for collection as you walk onto the pool deck. 50/50: We're also holding a 50/50 raffle and one of these days, we may actually benefit from them, but this time around it's for Willing Warriors. They are in Haymarket and they serve our soldiers. Check out the ad in the Meet program (attached) for a little more detail. MEET START: We will play the National Anthem around 8:25am and the meet will begin at 8:30am. We should finish around 11:30am. QUESTIONS: We'll be around. Ask us. Or email if you need to know RIGHT NOW.

Come if you're swimming. Come if you're cheering. Come join the fun and we'll see you on deck! Hey! You don't want to miss anything.