Flying Fish News - 8/21/2020
For the calendar
  • Our next session of modified swim team -- only for certain groups and with limited capacity -- takes place August 24 - September 13. Learn more here.

  • Beginning in mid-September we will offer a more robust return to swimming with more practice groups and expanded capacity. Look for an email soon about September/October programming and how the online registration process will work. Note: While capacity will be expanded from our summer programming, we will still be limited as compared to years past. So please check emails and register promptly if you're interested.
Safe Sport training required for mid-September swimming
Thank you to those of you who have completed USA Swimming's Safe Sport training program, which helps codify and ensure our commitment to a safe, healthy, and positive environment for our swimmers, coaches, parents, and volunteers.

For those of you -- swimmers (age 12+) and parents of swimmers age 12+ -- who have not yet completed this training, we ask that you do so prior to registering for the swim team session that begins in mid-September. Acknowledgment of completing Safe Sport training will be part of the online registration process.

To complete the training, all you need to do is participate in one free, web-based training session.
  • For Safe Sport training for swimmers 12-over click here.
  • For Safe Sport training for parents click here.

Our LSC is Illinois Swimming and our club name is YWFF. Parents, if you are not a member of USA Swimming (most of you aren't) you will need to create a free account.

Note: The athlete training course takes about 25 minutes and the parent course is slightly longer.
Good luck, high school girls!
Best of luck to our high school girls who are training with their respective schools for an IHSA girls swimming season unlike any other. We are proud of all of you!

Congratulations also go to the Flying Fish girls who are serving as high school team captains. Go Fish!
Marathon prize pickup
We're sorry we haven't been able to distribute marathon prizes yet. We are currently waiting for renovations of the pool areas and lobby to be more complete before we distribute prizes. Thank you for your patience!
Renovation update
If you've been to the YWCA lately you're well aware that there's a lot of construction! It's all part of YWCA's planned expansion project.

This expansion includes renovations of the pool areas and spaces nearby. It also includes a new roof for the big pool and larger windows on the east side of the big pool, which were taking shape in this photo from earlier in the summer.

Although the work will be ongoing for awhile, we're hoping to have access to the big pool again in mid-September.

You may also have noticed a lot of activity on the north side of YWCA's property. This area will be the new home of YWCA's Family Support Center, which will provide services to domestic violence survivors and their families.
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Seth Weidmann to moderate panel discussion about diversity and inclusion in swimming
Seth Weidmann, head men's swimming and diving coach at Carthage College, will moderate a panel discussion for the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America's webinar titled "Diversity and Inclusion in our Pools -- Why it Matters."

The event will take place at 2 pm (Central Time) on Tuesday, August 25, and will include the president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and coaches from UMBC, Tulane, Fresno State, and Howard. You can be part of this Zoom event by registering here.

Prior to being named head coach at Carthage in 2014, Seth was an integral part of the Flying Fish for more than a decade, serving as a coach and also expanding our community outreach to broaden access to swimming for all children.
Farewell to Peter Raffel
peter
We wish Peter Raffel a fond farewelll. Peter is moving to New York next week. He has been part of the Flying Fish in some fashion for more than two decades, first in swim lessons, then as a member of the swim team. He served as a coach and instructor during breaks in his college years and more recently, he held the title of Aquatics Manager, overseeing the Flying Fish Swim School, which serves nearly 1,000 children each year.

Said Peter, "I’ve been with the Flying Fish for over twenty years, beginning in lessons before joining the swim team and eventually the staff. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without this program, and I’d like to thank all our coaches/instructors, past and present, for their guidance over these two decades. In particular I’d like to thank Pete, who has nurtured this institution unrelentingly since its inception, supporting thousands of swimmers – myself included – for so many years."
In other YWCA news...
Crowded Closet
The Crowded Closet, a beloved consignment boutique currently located at 808 Dempster Street in Evanston, will now be owned and managed by YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

Like the YWCA Shop for Good in Wilmette, which the YWCA acquired in 2018, all proceeds from the Crowded Closet will go to support our domestic violence and economic advancement programs, helping women and children throughout northeastern Cook County.

Learn more about this exciting addition here.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore recently received a grant for a high-tech job training program from Google.org.

Known as YWeb, the program focuses on increasing access to digital skills, such as web development and design, particularly for women of color. 

We are excited to be chosen to participate in this innovative program," said Karen Singer, CEO and president of YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

Learn more about the potential of this economic empowerment program here.
YWCA Flying Fish | 847-864-8445 | flyingfish@ywca-ens.org| www.ywca-ens.org