Stingray Swim Club makes big splash in January
Swimmers at the 2019 EY Sprint Meet
(CNS Local Life): Stingray Swim Club (SSC) is holding its annual swim-a-thon on 25 January at the Lions Aquatic Centre after a month full of events. At the club’s fundraiser, known as the Big Swim, participants have two hours to swim a maximum of 200 lengths. Donors are encouraged to support the athlete either through a flat donation or by pledging a certain amount of money per length that the swimmer completes.
In addition, available for the first time is the opportunity to donate online through the club’s Go Fund Me Page.
To encourage participation in this fundraising event, the club has organised a number of prizes – for most money raised, first to finish, and most number of pledges. In addition, special edition neon SKY (Stingray Cayman Islands) caps will be awarded in the lead-up to the event.
The money raised in the swim-a-thon will support “a number of important things” for 2019, said SSC president Marlene West in a press release, with the primary focus “the club’s discretionary membership programme that covers the cost of memberships for reasons of social or economic hardship; and offsetting the costs of team travel to overseas meets”.
The club has been holding events every week this month, with the most recent the Pete Ribbins Consolidated Water Meet, held 18-20 January, which is a 2019 CARIFTA qualifying meet for Cayman’s National Junior Swim Team.
The Stingray team at Pete Ribbins Consolidated Water Meet
Stingray’s head coach David Pursley said of the competition: “Consolidated Water’s Pete Ribbins Memorial meet was the first full list of events in the new year but one of our last meets on the schedule to help prepare for CARIFTA and international travel.
“Pete Ribbins is an important opportunity to help sharpen racing skills heading into CIASA nationals and one of the last opportunities to qualify for the CARIFTA team.”
Also this month, on New Year’s Day, the club held open-water beach training, followed by the first fully officiated meet of the year, the Friday Night Lights and the EY Winter Sprint Meet on 4-5 January. Hosted by SSC, Cayman’s first swim meet for the year had participants of varying ages and abilities. Also taking part were the Camana Bay Aquatic Club, Seven Mile Swimmers and Stingray’s Special Olympic swimmers who train regulary with the club and compete in all their meets.
Following that event, the rescheduled 2018 CUC Open Water Sea Swim took place 12 January.
Stingray’s head coach David Pursley said of the busy first month: “We have started 2019 with a strong show of training, competition and team spirit.
“We are grateful to our sponsors, as any time young swimmers can compete in a fully officiated meet it is good for their development; and speaking of fully officiated, we are also grateful to our officials – who are all volunteers – and encourage all swim parents to consider training as an official.”
Pursley added that parents who volunteer as officials contribute to “the positive development of your swimmer, and (allow) all our swimmers to learn how to compete under the watchful eye of an official”.
Meanwhile, the club’s new board of directors, who were elected at the end of last year, took up their posts 1 January. Along with West, the board comprises Lynne Walton (vice president), Victoria Havlin-Hollingworth (treasurer), Samantha Fletcher-Watts (secretary), Kathryn Jackson (public relations officer), Karen Watson (corporate sponsorship, Tracey-Anne Lawle (parent group liaison), Lucy Muyunga (social/banquet), Bonnie Bloxham (equipment/apparel and supplies) and Carrol Marc Cooper (fundraising).
Anyone interested in sponsoring a swimmer for the swim-a-thon should email David Pursley or go to the Stingray Swim Club’s Facebook page
