Flying Fish News - 3/14/2020
For the calendar
YWCA Evanston/North Shore is closed for the next month. Currently, we are planning to start our spring season on Monday, April 13. We will keep you updated if this changes.
Marathon prize pickup postponed
We had originally planned prize pickup for the week of March 16, but due to the building closing, this has been postponed. We will let you know new prize pickup dates as soon as we secure them.

To date, our swimmers have raised approximately $72,000 to support Flying Fish Aquatics and the valuable programs of YWCA Evanston/North Shore. (Visit our online fundraising site here.)

Thank you swimmers and Flying Fish families for your generous support!
About the spring season. . .
We are currently planning to begin the spring season on April 13.

Spring is a great time for swimmers to focus on technical skills, delve deeper into stroke work, and build confidence for the future. You'll find our spring practice schedule, including fees, here.

Details about the spring season and registration:
  • If you're a current swimmer, you can register at the front desk or call a coach and pay by credit card -- when the YWCA reopens..
  • New Flying Fish swimmers must meet with a coach in order to complete paperwork.
  • With a few exceptions, most swimmers will remain in the same groups for the spring season.
  • All Greenfish will have the opportunity to move to Purplefish (7 year olds and younger), Yellowfish (8-9 year olds) or Bronzefish (10-older).

If you have questions, reply to this email or email Pete.
March clinics
The final week of March clinics is canceled. If you paid for the final week of clinics already, talk to Pete about credits for future use.
Sign up for lifesaving classes
Note: We canceled the junior lifesaving class scheduled for March 14-15 due to lack of interest. Swimmers ages 15-over can take our regular lifesaving class, which will meet April 18-19, and April 25-26. Learn more here.
Awards ceremony
Due to COVID-19 and the YWCA's closing, this year's award ceremony is likely to be different. We may gather in smaller groups after the YWCA reopens to distribute awards. We'll keep you posted.
Parents: Interested in becoming an official?
You don't have to be a competitive swimmer yourself to become an official. You just need a willingness to learn about ensuring fair play in competitive swimming. Becoming certified is not hard, and you get the best seat in the house at swim meets. Most important of all, we need officials to make swim meets happen!

If you're interested, go here to find a list of upcoming officiating clinics in our area. Since IL Swimming has canceled events for 30 days, clinics before April 12 will likely not occur.

If you have questions about specific clinics or becoming an official, contact Harry Samuels, a former Flying Fish parent and current Illinois Swimming official.
Upcoming swim meets
Illinois Swimming Age Group Championships @ Elkhart Aquatics Center, Elkhart, IN
Thursday, March 12 - Sunday March 15

Our entry is posted here. Update: This meet has been canceled, but we congratulate Jack Myers on qualifying!


Sunkissed Jr/Sr Championships @ Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center, Charlotte, NC
Thursday, March 26 - Sunday, March 29

Our updated entry is posted here. Update: This meet has been postponed indefinitely. We will let you know if it is rescheduled at a later date. Congratulations to all who qualified!
Meet results
Illinois Swimming Senior Championships @ UIC
March 5 - March 8

Congratulations to those who swam in finals and scored points for the team. Special congrats to Anne Leinenweber, whose time of 10:33.55 in the girls 1,000 free set a new team record and Jenna Wild, whose time of 18:13.64 in the girls 1,650 free set a new team record.

Girls highlights
Lily Consiglio: 8th in 100 fly, 19th in 100 free, 11th in 200 fly
Anne Leinenweber: 11th in 1,000 free
Jenna Wild: 16th in 1,650 free
Anne Leinenweber, Lily Consiglio, Jenna Wild, Erin Long (all pictured): 10th in 800 free relay
Caroline Chapon, Natalie Long, Lily Consiglio, Erin Long: 17th in 400 free relay

Boys highlights
Milo Balzer: 10th in 200 fly
Matt Gibson: 2nd in 200 fly
Brendan Long: 7th in 1,000 free, 11th in 500 free
Aaron Martin: 14th in 500 free
John Martin: 6th in 1,000 free, 8th in 400 IM, 9th in 500 free
Aaron Martin, Brendan Long, Kyle Day, John Martin: 11th in 800 free relay
John Martin, Aaron Martin, Milo Balzer, Matt Gibson: 20th in 400 free relay

You'll find complete individual results here and relay results here.


Illinois Swimming Winter Regionals @ UIC
February 28 - March 1

Results are posted here.


Flying Fish Intersquad Meet @ YWCA Evanston/North Shore
February 24 - February 27

Results are posted here.


Windy City Conference Champs (9-overs) @ UIC
February 23

Results are posted here.


Windy City Conference Champs (8-unders only) @ Roosevelt High School, Chicago
February 22

Results are posted here.
Looking for an uplifting, fun volunteer opportunity?
Join us at the YWCA Shop for Good! Our resale shop in Wilmette needs volunteers who want to contribute to this fun (and fashionable) environment that supports the work of YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

You only need to commit to one 2.5-hour shift per week.

To learn more, contact the shop's volunteer coordinator, Gina Griffin-Hill, at ggriffin-hill@ywca-ens.org or call the shop at 847-853-8888.
YWCA Flying Fish | 847-864-8445 | flyingfish@ywca-ens.org| www.ywca-ens.org