Fun • Teamwork • Confidence • Achievement • Friendship • Excitement
Have fun improving your swimming skills and learning new strokes with the Belchertown Stingrays. If you are not sure you are ready to join the Stingrays, come and try it!
We are happy to offer a full Spring 2024 season for our Mini, Junior, Senior, and Race Club Stingrays.
Coach Matt assigns each new participant to a practice group. Participants are expected to attend all practice times in accordance with their swim group each week in order to get the most benefit from the program. Swimmers must attend at least 4 swim meets to qualify for Championships.
Race Club is a new group for swimmers with higher level competitive goals: reaching A standard or higher USA swimming times, swimming competitively at High School Level, or have aspirations of Division 3 College swimming. Ages 13-18.
General Information
- New Stingrays will receive a team swim cap courtesy of the Stingrays Boosters. Additional swim caps are available for $10.00 from the Boosters at the pool.
- Stingrays have a team swim suit which every swimmer should try to purchase. A team swim suit helps build team unity and every effort is made to select a quality suit at a reasonable price. Team suits can be purchased from http://www.swimoutlet.com/btownstingrays
- Head Coach Matt is a former Belchertown Stingray and Belchertown High School’s first individual state champion. Matt has well over a decade of competitive swimming experience. After swimming with the Stingrays, he branched out into USA and YMCA leagues competing at regional and national meets; eventually moving on to collegiate swimming with Ithaca College. At Ithaca Matt majored in Physical Therapy and minored in Coaching, picking up coaching experience with the Swim Ithaca age-group team. Now Matt is back here in Belchertown transitioning to a new school and new major, but he is excited to continue coaching with his home town team. The Stingrays started Coach Matt’s swimming career, and he now hopes to help provide the same opportunities and experiences to our swimmers.
- The Stingrays Parent Board is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization. Parents volunteers are crucial to running meets and many other team activities throughout the season. As such, volunteers will be required to sign up for a minimum of 2 team events, along with swim meets. All new volunteers will be taught specific job duties. There will be a sign up sheet at the first Mandatory Parent Meeting of the season, on October 1st, 2023, 5:00p.m. at the Rec Dept. Positions will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. If you are unable to fulfill your position, please let a Board member know as soon as possible, so a replacement can be found. Parents are the backbone of our wonderful swimming community. Without whom, our season would not be possible!
Practices
Practice times start on Wednesday, May 8th, 2024.
For those attending the following group practice times will be as follows:
Mini Rays: 4:45-5:30 p.m.
Junior Rays: 3:30-4:45p.m.
Senior Rays: 3:30-5:15 p.m.
Race Club: 3:30-5:30 p.m.
*All Swim Meets are in person
***Practices days will be adjusted to accommodate missed practices due to holiday or cancellations.
Week Day group schedules:
Mini Rays: 3 days out of week - Monday-Friday
Junior Rays: 3 days out of week - Monday-Friday
Senior Rays: Monday-Friday
Race Club: Monday-Friday
No practice on:
• Monday, May 27
• Wednesday, June 19
• Thursday, July 4
All new swimmers to the team are required to take the prequalifying test. This allows the coach to make sure they have the endurance and skills needed to be a part of the team.
Prequalifying test: Monday, May 6th, 4:00 p.m.
Mandatory Parent Meeting will be Monday, May 6th, at 5:00p.m. at the Rec Center.
All late registrations for new swimmers must email Mfurnia@belchertown.org to schedule a prequalification test.
Trial Period/Refunds
Please Note the first three weeks are a trial period. If you wish to receive a refund you must contact the Recreation Department prior to 4:00pm on Monday, October 23rd, 2023. ($25.00 of the fee IS NON-REFUNDABLE)
THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS AFTER Wednesday, May 29th.
Please note: When school is dismissed or cancelled due to inclement weather, the CHCS Pool is closed.
Levels
Mini Rays- For beginner level swimmers (swim lesson level 4 or 5) who are new to the sport. This group will focus on developing the 4 competitive strokes and beginning to build endurance. Swimmers must be able to swim a continuous 25 yrds and know the basics of Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breast stroke
Junior Rays- For higher beginner/intermediate level swimmers who have the basics of all 4 strokes down and can perform a basic start, but still may need work on short axis strokes (Butterfly and Breaststroke). Swimmers may also be new to competition. This group will focus on developing the 4 competitive strokes, race techniques, and building endurance.
Senior Rays- For intermediate/advanced swimmer who has developed all 4 strokes, can dive off blocks, perform appropriate race turns and are invested in competing. This group will build upon the Junior level and involve more intense training, race techniques, and stroke proficiency.
Race Club- For advanced swimmers who have higher level competitive goals like reaching A standard or higher USA swimming times, swimming competitively at the High School level, or have aspirations of Division 3 College Swimming.
All new swim team participants are to attend the placement test on Thursday, September 28th at 5:00p.m. at Chestnut Hill Pool. Swimmers may also be moved by the Coach during the season to ensure participant is in the appropriate group according to progress. If you have questions about which group your swimmer should be placed, please contact the head coach at: stingrayswimcoaches@gmail.com . Payments will be adjusted on a case to case basis if group placement is changed after testing.