Riptide News! 6-28-26
Riptide News 6-28-26
The Riptide News will come to you through email each week on Sunday, but you can also find it as a news post on our website at SwimTopia.
Lots of news to share this week, as always don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions [email protected].
In This Edition:
- Coach Patrick’s Corner
- Beast of the Week
- Starts, Turns and Finishes Clinic this Thursday!
- Riptide Swimmer Conduct Reminders
- Riptide Food Drive
- Declare Your Swimmer for A Meets
- Declare Your Swimmer for B Meets
- Call for Volunteers
- Riptide Challenge
- Participation Awards
- Eat Out and Support Riptide-Save the Date!
- Social News
Attachments:
- Riptide Food Drive Flyer
Coach Patrick’s Corner:
Our A meet yesterday was a great example of how awesome our team is- high energy, great team spirit, and strong fighters to the very end! Thank you everyone for a great first home A meet this season! As a reminder, swimmers should not leave the team area or leave the meet early. Please stay in the team area for the full duration of the meet to cheer on teammates and so the coaches can easily find you for the next race.
Thank you everyone for participating in our lapathon! We have raised close to $500! Willing Warriors has expressed how grateful they are to our team. Donations are still being accepted, so please consider donating here:
The donation deadline is being extended until Thursday, July 2. Don’t forget to include “VR Riptide” in the comment box. Thank you again for your support!
The weather for our B meet tomorrow looks promising! I’m excited to see all of our swimmers go fast at Oakton tomorrow! Please remind your swimmers to stay in the team area so that the coaches can find them for their event.
Our next A meet is on Saturday, July 4 and we are swimming against our friends and cross-town rivals at Sully Station! Please declare your availability now. Doing the entries is going to be challenging with the holiday, so please let us know your availability by Monday night.
Beast of the Week!: Congrats to the following swimmers who earned the “Beast of the Week” award this past week:
8&U: Kiara Aban
9-10: Brady Martin
11-12: Henry Bradley
13-14: Hailey Minogue
15-18: Emily Lord
Starts, Turns & Finishes Clinic on Thursday: Starts, Turns, and Finishes Clinic Thursday, July 2! The clinic will be held every Thursday evening for the remainder of the season 7:00pm-7:45pm and is completely optional. You can pick and choose which dates work best for you or come to all of them! All ages and skill levels are welcome! We will not section off different times for each age group. All age groups will practice at 7:00pm and Coach Patrick will adjust the lanes accordingly.
Riptide Swimmer Conduct Reminders: Please take a few moments to review the Riptide Code of Conduct with your swimmer prior to practices this week. As a team we value respect, teamwork, integrity and sportsmanship. Any violations of the Riptide Swimmer Code of Conduct will be handled as stated in the Code of Conduct. Use of inappropriate language, bullying, inappropriate touching, biting, etc will not be tolerated and will be addressed immediately.
Virginia Run Riptide Code of Conduct (must be signed into your Riptide account to view).
Riptide Food Drive: Please bring items to practice on Friday! We’ve collected 123 lb so far! Only 377lb until we meet our 500lb goal! We need everyone’s help to meet our goal! The theme for this week is: Farmer’s Market-Bring canned fruits and vegetables. See flyer for details!
Declare Your Swimmer For A Meets: Please declare your availability for our A meet by Monday night!! Only select 'no' if you will be out of town (there is an option to leave a note if you select no). As a reminder, declaring 'yes' does not guarantee you will swim, it just notifies us that you are available to swim that day if selected to swim. You will be notified if your child is swimming the Thursday before every Saturday A meet.
Declare Your Swimmer for B Meets: B Meets are our Developmental swim meets on Monday nights. Unlike A Meets, where swimmers are chosen based on the team ladder and their availability, everyone is welcome and encouraged to swim on Monday nights. Swimmers can choose which events they would like to swim on Monday nights. You must sign your swimmer up for B Meets by completing the following steps:
Log in to the Virginia Run Riptide website.
Go to the Meets & Events tab and then click on Sign Up Calendar
Next to each B-Meet, click on Meet Entry. Then click on the Edit button below your swimmer’s name to mark if they are available to attend.
Once you click Available to Attend a list of events will appear.
Each swimmer can choose two individual strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and IM as a third event.
If you're unsure what your swimmer should swim, please reach out to Coach Patrick. He will be happy to help your swimmer decide.
While we request that each swimmer declare their availability now for all A-Meets, swimmers can declare for B Meets weekly no later than the Sunday before the B Meet at 10am. Swimmers who are not signed up by Sunday (before the meet) at 10 am will not be able to swim at the B Meet on Monday night.
Volunteering Reminders: All families are required to volunteer a minimum of 6 times. Please sign up for your volunteer spots now.
No shows have a big impact. We are counting on you to show up and stay the entire time to complete your job.
Volunteers are the backbone of Riptide and we appreciate each and every one of you!
Volunteering Questions?
Email [email protected]
Riptide Challenge:
Riptide Challenge Requirements:
Ages 8 and under- Complete any 3 legal strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly).
Ages 9 and Older- Complete all 4 legal strokes (Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly), plus a legal Individual Medley (IM).
Take on the challenge, improve your skills and earn your exclusive Riptide Challenge 2026 Bag Tag.
If you have any questions please email Amy Cunningham [email protected]
Participation Award: We're excited to celebrate our swimmers' hard work this season! If you would like your swimmer to receive a participation award at the end of the swim season award banquet, please complete the survey by July 1, 2026.
https://forms.gle/7tsPY73ZaqAxrrVx6
If you have any questions please email Amy Cunningham [email protected]
Go Out To Eat and Support Riptide-Save the Date!: Save the date for our Red Robin fundraiser on 6/30 and Farmside Kitchen on 7/18 all day. Details are on our Facebook page as an event, hope to see everyone there.
Questions? e-mail Jen Snitselaar, [email protected]
Social News:
Wednesday, July 1st: Riptide Goes to SplashDown!
Grab your goggles, sunscreen, and your Riptide friends because we're headed to SplashDown Waterpark on Wednesday, July 1 at 12:00 PM! Families are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance and make plans to meet up with teammates for an afternoon of slides, splashes, and summer fun. When you arrive, look for Riptide coaches and parents who will help direct swimmers to a common seating area so everyone can enjoy the day together. SplashDown Waterpark – Northern Virginia's Largest Waterpark
Please note that this is not a drop-off event. Parents or guardians are responsible for the supervision of their swimmers, and all families should follow SplashDown's safety, supervision, and behavior guidelines. Most importantly—come ready to have way too much fun!
Friday, July 3rd: Riptide Pep Rally – Pie the Coach
Get ready for one of our favorite traditions — Pie the Coach!
Join us on Friday, July 3rd at 6:00 PM at the pavilion behind the lower parking lot for an evening full of laughs and a little friendly revenge!
Swimmers will have the chance to put our coaches to the test by asking them questions. If the coach gets the answer wrong… SPLAT! They earn a pie in the face!
Come ready with your best questions, your loudest cheers, and plenty of team spirit as we see which coaches can stay clean and which ones will end up covered in whipped cream.
A cold treat will be provided for all swimmers after the activity.
Save Date- Toy Story 5 & Riptide Fundraiser @Chipotle - 7/14
Please save Tuesday, July 14th around 5pm for Riptide at the Movies! More details will be shared soon on where swimmers can purchase tickets. We will also have our team fundraiser at Chipotle that night - movie & burritos? We think so! Details to come.
Stay Connected: Follow our team on Instagram and X @vrriptide! We also have a facebook group where last minute reminders are sent and people can ask questions.
Thank you to our Riptide Sponsors! Pin Oak Tree Services, Virginia Run Community, Virginia Run Children’s Sale, Capital Construction of America, Cheron Orthodontics, Collegiate Sealers & Paving, Ciro New York Pizza, The Dog Stop, Wholesome NOVA, Luck Stone, Living Colour Pack 2011 Cub Scouts
