Hong Kong Island Stingrays

June 2018 In this issue

•Coach’s Corner … and that’s a wrap! •Message from the Board President Dear Swimmers and Families, •FunZone Stingrays Home Invitational We couldn’t have asked for a better end to yet another swim season. Way to go •Swimmer’s Corner Stingrays for pulling off an amazing Home Invitational Meet and capping the season •Perth Meet with a well deserved, fun-filled Year End Awards Party! •Swimmers Shout-Outs •Congratulations Stingrays Congratulations to all our swimmers for your commitment, dedication and grit and a •In the News big thank you to our Stingrays families for your endless support! Have a wonderful •Guyana Swim Drive Update summer and we look forward to another great season this fall! •Upcoming Meets / Events •Summer Swim Program Until then… just keep swimming… just keep swimming… •End of Year Awards Party June 2018

Coach’s Corner Richard Pointon — Head Coach

Dear Stingrays Families,

This is a quick note to thank you for a great Home Invitational Meet. From planning to execution, the entire meet was very well run and displayed an exceptional level of professionalism. We owe much of our success, of course, to a group of very dedicated and hardworking parent volunteers under the leadership of our Meet Chair and various committees. Despite the sweltering heat last weekend, as I walked around I still saw swimmers and parents with big smiles on their faces. The exuberance and team spirit was simply amazing, and I have to thank all the families for being so supportive of our Stingrays swimmers and community.

We are now approaching the end of the season. The registration package and practice schedule for the coming fall season have already been sent out, and I look forward to another exciting swim season when we return in August. Every season, I try my best to provide a practice schedule that can balance the needs of all the swim groups. Ideally, I would like all our swimmers to finish by 6:30pm. Especially for the younger ones, I would prefer that they do not have to travel back to the Tai Tam campus at a later hour after school. However, given the many swim groups we have and our limited pool space, this is just not possible. The Stingrays Board of Directors and I have tried very hard to move our swim program for the younger groups to the Repulse Bay Campus. Stingrays has always been a supportive partner of the school’s aquatics and school team programs. Yet, after a number of positive meetings, the school has not approved our request for the fall semester. Therefore, I am unsure how to answer some of the questions parents have raised as to why we cannot not use the pool at the LP campus. This is a question that we may have to keep pressing on next season; and hopefully, we can secure the LP pool at some point in the future for our younger swimmers.

Thank you again for everyone's hard work. Your support exemplifies teamwork and Stingrays team spirit at its best. I hope you all have a happy summer and safe travels to all.

Coach Richard June 2018

Coach’s Corner Richard Pointon — Head Coach

I think this aptly sums up the intangibles that swimmers gain from swimming …

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money for your kids to Swim?"

Well I have a confession to make, I don't pay for my kids to Swim. Personally, I couldn't care less about the pool.

So, if I am not paying for Swimming what am I paying for?

- I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don't.

- I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are "too tired" to go the pool but go anyway.

- I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined.

- I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body.

- I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates.

- I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that place or PB they'd hoped for, but still have to work hard.

- I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals.

- I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.

- I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships.

- I pay so that my kids can be in the pool instead of in front of a screen...

...I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for swimming I pay for the opportunities that it provides my kids with to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment! - Author Unknown June 2018 A Message from the Board President

It’s hard to believe I am writing the June letter and that another school and Stingrays year has flown by! I want to congratulate David Chen and his Stingrays Invitational Meet Committee for all their efforts in organizing a great swim meet at our pool the weekend of May 18th to 20th. Thank you very much for all those parents who contributed their time and financial support to ensure we had a successful meet as this is not only our biggest event of the year but also helps the Club from a financial standpoint. Also, thank you to all our Coaches (and especially Coach Dean Chan) for their help with this meet. This was a huge undertaking so a BIG THANK YOU to all those involved!!! The Stingrays is a parent run volunteer organization. We are very fortunate to have Coach Richard Pointon as our Head Coach and Assistant Head Coach Luke Wimbush running our program. We truly recognize the hard work they put into the program during the year as well as the contributions by Coaches Frankie, Zento, Dawn and Dean plus the administrative support from Tereza Tam. We are a Club but we are also a family and the Board really appreciates all of their efforts! I also want to take this opportunity to thank all my fellow board members for all their time, effort and contributions during the past year. We had 10 board meetings, plus a number of social events, ad hoc meetings and projects during the year plus just spending time at the pool with parents and coaches. Why do we do it? We see our swimmers progress with their swimming abilities, becoming more organized, developing good training, athletic abilities and learning life lessons. We see the kids developing friendships and experiencing the excitement of both home and overseas meets. For the dedicated and talented group that makes National Performance, swimming may open doors to get them into the universities of their choice. For these reasons, is why the Board makes the effort to ensure that the Stingrays remain a successful and worthwhile competitive swim club. In closing, best wishes to everyone for a great and safe summer and look forward to seeing everyone in August.

Regards, Craig Lindsay - President Hong Kong Island Stingrays

June 2018

FunZone Stingrays Invitational Meet 2018

Our annual May Meet invitational was a resounding success with 400 swimmers participating from 18 schools and clubs across Hong Kong and overseas in a weekend of fun-filled competition. The continued success of our home meet not only raises the profile of the Stingrays team, but also will continue to establish our meet as a premier invitational not to be missed, bring the international meet “experience” home to our youngest swimmers, and lead to greater recognition and success for all our swimmers.

Thank you to all the Stingrays swimmers who swam your hearts out to provide a high level of competition, while achieving many PBs. Your team spirit was inspiring to see (and hear!) in both the relay races and individual events. You were all truly “in the zone!”

I would also like to thank Coach Dean for working closely with us on every detail, big and small over many months, and all the May Meet Committee members for their hard work and dedication to organize the meet:

Awards: Alvina Kwan & Nashra Rahman Bake Sale/F&B: Christina Kang, Jennifer Ko & Sarah Won Finances: Tereza Tam Marshalling: Christophe Hebrard Merchandising: Julie Pouillart & Hillary Sandeen Volunteers: Angela McCareins & King-sze Yip

Without the year on year experience and continued guidance from Craig Lindsay, Liza Wei, and Susie Yee, we could not have pulled it all off as smoothly as we did and appreciate all your guidance and support.

Thank you to Coaches Richard, Luke, Frankie, Zento, and Dawn for getting our swimmers ready for the big event and all your support and suggestions.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all the parent volunteers who did the heavy lifting and executed the meet throughout the weekend, pitching in wherever needed to make certain everything ran smoothly and the parent race event sponsors. We are a volunteer run Swim Club and without your team spirit in making this a priority, we could never pull this off year after year.

If anyone has any improvement suggestions or ideas from their experiences over the three-day meet, please provide your feedback through to [email protected]. It was my honor and a privilege to work with you all. Thank you again and have a great summer break!

Best regards,

David Chen 2018 Meet Chair June 2018

Swimmer’s Corner

My name is Thad Sandeen, this year I am in 6th grade. I am a JP swimmer and have been swimming for 6 years. I started taking lessons when I was 6 years old in Suzhou, China and have continued up until now. I was born in Hong Kong and moved back here when I was 8 and joined the Stingrays and was placed in Academy, then moved to bronze, and silver and then Junior Performance. At first when I was younger, I learned to swim because my parents wanted me to. However, as I progressed and elevated my skill level, I began to grow a substantial liking to it and eventually became very serious. I enjoy swimming for various reasons. First, it is a great way to keep fit and it also motivates me and makes me feel content. After I swim, I feel energized and satisfied. Also, I am an extremely competitive person and swimming allows me to be competitive. Sometimes, being competitive can be a flaw but in swimming, it helps me to channel my competitiveness and drives me and helps me to improve.

Apart from swimming, I also play rugby which is another sport I really love. I am part of the Hong Kong Football Club and have been playing since I was 8. My family is from Minnesota which is in the north of the United States. Every summer we go back there to visit friends and family. We also own a cabin there which is on a lake. Every day in the summer, me and my sister go water skiing.

Besides sport, I am really interested and enthusiastic towards math and science. I have great understanding towards it and I really love to explore and do it. I have lived in Asia my whole life and moved to Suzhou, China when I was 3 from Hong Kong. While I was living there, I learned how to speak Chinese at a very young age and am now fluent. I appreciate the culture and really love to speak the language. I am very grateful to be living in Hong Kong and to be a part of the Stingrays. June 2018 Sunsmart City vs. Country Challenge Perth, Australia

Congratulations to our 26 Stingrays swimmers! They were instrumental in helping Team Asia take home the title this year from down under in Perth!

Our swimmers had an amazing meet achieving:

32 Gold Medals 17 Silver Medals 16 Bronze Medals 107 pbs

High Point Winners: Alys Lindsay Aubrey Cantrell Eric Chen June 2018

Swimmer Shout-Outs!

Age Group Champs - SC - March 10, 2018

Name Events Aubrey Cantrell 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Back, 200 Back Camille Vong 200 Back Carolyn Rong 50 Free, 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100 IM Charlotte Ducanois 200 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 50 Breast, 100 Breast Chloe Pouillart dN 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 Breast Claire Kiely 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Breast (1st), 100 Breast, 100 IM Elizabeth Won 200 Free, 800 Free Ellie Ko 50 Free, 200 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back, 200 IM Emily Yates 50 Breast, 100 Breast Eric Chen 50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly Eric Zhu 50 Back Isaac Cheng 50 Breast, 100 Breast Jenivive Won 100 Fly Jude Cheng 100 Breast Laura Park 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 800 Free Max Xu 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Fly, 200 Fly Parker Shu 50 Breast, 100 Breast Paul Hebrard 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back, 50 Fly, 200 IM Sun Young Byun 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 100 Back Thaddeus Sandeen 100 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back, 50 Fly Division 1 - SC Part 1 - June 2-3, 2018 Wilfred Ding 50 Back, 100 Back Name Events (*Qualified for Age Group) Alys Lindsay 800 Free*, 100IM*, 200 Free* Festival of Sport - LC - April 14, 2018 Aubrey Cantrell 50 Back*, 100 Breast, 100 IM*, 200 Free* Camille Vong 200 Free* Carolyn Rong 50 Back, 100 Breast, 100 IM, 200 Free* Name Events (*Swam in the Finals) Chloe Pouillart 100 Breast*, 100 IM*, 200 Free* Alys Lindsay 100 Free, 200 Free, 50 Fly, 100, Fly Claire Barry 100 Breast Carolyn Rong 50 Free, 50 Fly Claire Kiely 50 Back*, 100 Breast* (2nd) Claire Kiely 50 Free, 50 Breast* (3rd), 100 Breast* Elizabeth Won 800 Free, 50 Back, 200 Free* Ellie Ko 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Back* Ellie Ko 50 Back*, 100 IM*, 200 Free* Gabby Wei 50 Breast, 200 Breast* Eric Chen 100 Breast*, 100 IM*, 200 Free* Hannah Tan 200 IM* Eric Zhu 50 Back* Samy Morton 50 Free*, 100 Free*, 200 Free* Gabby Wei 800 Free* (4th), 100 Breast*, 100 IM*, 200 Free* (3rd) Hannah Tan 200 Fly*, 100 Breast*, 200 Free* Division 2 - LC Part 1 - April 21, 2018 Jacquelyn Sparrow 100 Breast Jenivive Won 50 Back* Name Events (*Qualified for Division 1) Jodie Eilers 50 Back, 200 Free Audrey Sandeen 100 Back Jude Chen 100 Breast* Camille Vong 100 Fly, 100 Back* (4th) Lauren Hsu 100 Breast Eric Zhu 50 Free, 100 Fly Laura Park 800 Free* (4th), 50 Back*, 200 Free Isaac Cheng 200 Breast, 100 Back Nathalie Kerrigan 50 Back, 100 IM, 200 Free* Jason Chen 100 Fly Parker Shu 100 Breast Lauren Hsu 200 Breast, 100 Back Paul Hebrard 50 Back*, 100 IM*, 200 Free* Parker Shu 100 Fly, 100 Back Samy Morton 50 Back*, 100 IM* Paul Hebrard 50 Free, 200 Breast Thaddeus Sandeen 50 Back*, 100 IM, 200 Free* Wilfred Ding 50 Back*

June 2018

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Gabby Wei as she represented Hong Kong at the Thailand Age Group Championships this past April. Gabby finished in 1st place for 200 Breast, 4x100M Free Relay & 4x200M Free Relay, 2nd place for 200 IM and 3rd for 100 Breast!

You did us proud representing Hong Kong, Gabby!

Samy Morton was the 2nd Female finisher and 8th overall with a time of 1:04.02 in this year’s VRC’s Deep Water Bay 5K Open Water race held on May 1.

It was a beautiful day with a fairly large turnout including eight swimmers from the Hong Kong Open Water team. As Samy says, “There honestly is no feeling like being in the big blue on a beautiful day! I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.”

Congrats, Samy! June 2018

In the News …

Ivy Richter and Samy Morton are making headlines! Girls, you’re an inspiration and great role models for our young swimmers. Congratulations on your achievements and best of luck in college! To read their full articles click: Ivy and Samy June 2018

Guyana Swim Drive Update

Dear Stingrays Community,

I am happy to report a great swim drive this year!

We collected 72 caps, 69 goggles, 146 swimsuits, 3 swim bags, 2 paddles, 3 fins and 4 wet- suits! My fellow Stingrays along with visiting swimmers helped to fix, sort and pack the donated gears during the May Meet. Many of you also wrote down heart-warming notes and shared a good wish to Silver Gliders swimmers in Guyana! One swimmer from the Philippines wrote: "My message for you is to keep on fighting, follow your dreams, and your time will come!”

I want to thank Eneka Lamb, a former Stingrays who inspired me to do this project. I’m very grateful to everyone who helped, especially our parents and fellow Stingrays swimmers. I also want to thank the coaches and leaders at the Stingrays, HKIS, IMS, and CIS who supported the swim gear drive and allowed us to collect the swimming gears. Also thanks to the sponsorship from AGS International Movers, the swimming gears will be shipped to Guyana in late June. Please help to spread words on helping other swimmers. I hope that we could do this again and maybe even broaden our reach to more countries next year. It was really great!

Thank you, Stingrays!

Wilfred Ding JD Stingrays June 2018

Nutrition Tips for Swim Training:

Fruits and vegetables - aim for a variety of colors

Choose carbohydrates with lower glycemic index (GI) - oat based cereals, grainy breads and pasta

Protein rich foods - including lean meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, tofu and beans.

Dairy products - opt for low fat varieties of milk, yogurt and cheese

Heathy Fats are important too - vegetable oils, nuts, seed and avocado

For full article, please read: SWIMMING Eating for your Sport

Fall Registration Save the Date is Open Saturday, September 1, 2018 Welcome Back Don’t forget to sign up for fall Sink or Swim Swim Meet season. Deadline for registration & Potluck Party and payment is August 31. Late fee penalty will be applied after 11:30 am - 2:30 p.m. this date. RSVP and details forthcoming Please go to: signup

Congratulations to our winner Sandra Wilkinson on winning the One-Year Temporary Membership to the American Club! June 2018

Upcoming Meets

School Meets Stingrays Events

Sep 27, 2018: ISSFHK Mini Meet #1 @ HKIS Aug 13, 2018 : First Day of Fall Training (MS & HS Swimmers) (NP/SP/CSS/JP/JA/JD/CSJ)

Oct 11, 2018: HKSSF Div 2 Heat @ VPSP Aug 22, 2018 : First Day of Fall Training (MS & HS Swimmers) (Academy/Dolphin+)

Oct 18, 2018: HKSSF Div 2 Championships @ VPSP Aug 25, 2018 : Stingrays Annual Try out (MS & HS Swimmers) Aug 31, 2018 : Last Day to Register and Pay for Fall Nov 1, 2018: ISSFHK Mini Meet #2 @ HKIS Season - Penalty Fee Assessed After this Date (MS & HS Swimmers) (All Stingrays)

Nov 9, 2018: ISSFHK HS Championships @ VPSP Sept 1- 2, 2018 : First Day of Fall Training (HS Swimmers) (Sharks)

Nov 23, 2018: ISSFHK MS Championships @ VPSP Sept 1, 2018 : Sink or Swim Meet & Potluck Lunch @ (MS Swimmers) Tai Tam (All Stingrays)

Jan 11-13, 2019: China Cup Sept 22, 2018 : Stingrays AGM (HS Swimmers) (All Stingrays Parents)

Jan 18, 2019: CIS Invitational Meet @ VPSP Oct 13, 2018 : Stingrays Time Trial (UP & MS Swimmers) (Academy, JD, JA, JP, Club)

Jan 24 - 27, 2019: APAC Dec 2, 2018 : Fast & Furious Sprint Meet @ (HS Swimmers) Tai Tam (All Stingrays & Outside Schools & Clubs)

Note: The above listed meets are limited to HKIS students Dec 14, 2018 : Santa Sprint Meet & Potluck Dinner @ as they will be representing HKIS when competing at the Tai Tam (All Stingrays) above meets. HKASA Events

Overseas Meets and Events Sep 15-16, 2018: Long Course D1 P3 @ VPSP

Nov 2-4, 2018: Long Course AG Champs @ KPSP Nov 2-3, 2018: TAS Tigersharks Swim Meet - Taipei (targeted swimmers: CSS, JA, JD, CSJ, Academy) Nov 10, 2018: Short Course D3 P1 @ SMVSP Nov 17-18, 2018: Singapore National Short Course Dec 1, 2018: Short Course D2 P1 @ SMVSP Championships - Singapore (targeted swimmers: NP, SP, JP w/ Qualifying Times) Dec 8-9, 2018: Short Course D1 P3 @ VPSP

Feb 23, 2018 : Short Course D2 P2 @ SMVSP

Feb 23, 2019 : Short Course D2 P2 @ SMVSP

Mar 2, 2019 : Short Course D3 P3 @ SMVSP

Mar 8-10, 2019 : Short Course AG Champs @ HKSI

Mar 23, 2019 : Short Course D2 P3 @ SMVSP

SMVSP: Shing Mun Valley Swimming Pool - Tsuen Wan HKSI: Hong Kong Sports Institute - Shatin VPSP: Victoria Park Swimming Pool - Causeway Bay June 2018 Swim this Summer!

If you are staying in Hong Kong for the summer and want to keep up with your swimming, be sure to sign up for our summer swim camp. For more details and to register, click here.

Code Course Who? Day / Time Fees/Week 01 Learn to Swim Current Duckling, Starfish, Sea Turtle, Wk 1 - Wk 8 Wk1 & Wk 3 Dolphin or any new beginners. Mon to Fri $800.00 4:15-5:00 pm Wk 2, Wk 4 - Wk 8 (Except Jun 18 & Jul 2) $1000.00

02 Competitive Current Academy & Dolphin Plus or able Wk 1 - Wk 3 Wk 1 & Wk 3 (Junior) to swim 25m with all four different Wk 6 - Wk 8 $300.00 strokes. At least 1 year experience in Mon, Wed & Fri Wk 2, Wk 6 - Wk 8 competitive swimming or equivalent. 4:15 - 5:00 pm $450.00 (Except Jun 18 & Jul 2) 03 Competitive Current Stingrays in Junior Development Wk 1 - Wk 3, Wk 7 - Wk 1 & Wk 3 (Intermediate to & above. At least 2 years experience in Wk 8 $600.00 Advanced) competitive swimming or equivalent. Mon - Thur Wk 2, Wk 7 - Wk 8 7:00 - 9:00 am $800.00 (Except Jun 18 & Jul 2)

LTS Competitive (Junior) Competitive Registration Code 01 Code 02 (Intermediate to Deadline Advanced) Code 03

Week 1 19th - 22nd Jun* $800 $300 $600 Jun 15

Week 2 25th - 29th Jun $1000 $450 $800 Jun 22

Week 3 3rd - 6th Jul* $800 $300 $600 Jun 29

Week 4 9th -13 Jul $1000 Not Available Not Available Jul 6

Week 5 16th - 20th Jul $1000 Not Available Not Available Jul 13

Week 6 23rd - 27th Jul $1000 $450 Not Available Jul 20

Week 7 30th Jul - 3rd Aug $1000 $450 $800 Jul 27

Week 8 6th - 10th Aug $1000 $450 $800 Aug 3 June 2018 End of Year Awards We hope you had a fabulous time at our End of Year Awards Party. Congratulations to all our swimmers on your amazing achievements this year! Your Stingrays energy and excitement were on full display at this year’s awards party and particularly on the dance floor. (GO, Coach Dean!) You will want to watch this video. For more photos of the Awards Party, our May Meet slideshow and the full Stingrays swim season please log onto Team Unify and go to Resources Tab then Stingrays Albums. (Note, photos are only available to members that sign into our Team Unify website). Please also check out the inspiring video about competitive swimming Swim and Shine that was shown at the Awards Dinner. June 2018 Yay, It’s Summer!

COLLECT YOUR MEMORY BOOKS

JUNE 9 - MS Cafeteria (after training)

FUN TRAINING/RELAYS PIZZA PARTY/SWEET TREATS MEMORY BOOKS DISTRIBUTION

JP/JA/JD - Combined Training 9:30 - 11 a.m. Academy - Normal Training 11:00 - 12 noon Dolphin Plus - Normal Training 12 - 12:45 p.m

*NP/SP - Normal Training 6:30 - 8:30 a.m. followed by breakfast at MS Cafeteria

-Open Water Training @Turtle Cove