1. Swim Meet

Dear Racquetfish, families, and friends...

Congratulations on completing your first swim meet of the RRC 2026 summer season! Last night was truly a swim meet of firsts. Not only was it our first meet, but we also had first time coaches officially helping! We had first time swimmers, with first time parents attending, first time meet volunteers, a first time TSA rep assisting at the helm, and so much more!

I could not be more proud and thankful to every single one of you, truly! I am eternally grateful to my coaches for running warmups and kid catching when I wasn't available. I'm proud of our sportsmanship, our effort, our enthusiasm, our communication, and our solidarity. I have so much respect towards our handful of brave swimmers who swam up, kicked it with the older kids, and gave it their all. Major props to the kiddos who wiped their tears and jumped in throwing caution to the wind. Nothing but admiration to multiple swimmers who were aching and tired, but still found that little spark in their heart which let them swim just one more event.

Not just our athletes either! Without all of you parents, volunteers, officials, and coordinators being there to fix my little mistakes, wrangle our swimmers, and stay on top of everything, the entire team literally wouldn't be possible. Let alone a swim meet, oh my goodness!

And lastly, we must also thank Black Horse Run. While we didn't win this time around, it was much closer than last year, and we needed them to challenge us to be the best we can be, which they did. We can go into our next meet with our heads held high expecting to have gotten better. Because every loss just makes the next win that much sweeter! And besides, the Canes ended up winning, so really we ALL won last night :)

2. Practice

A quick reminder that traditional calendar Wake County Public Schools are officially out starting this Friday, June 12th, so we will be having a morning practice option as well! The times are from 8:30am to 11am, and the days are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Please feel free to attend morning, late afternoon, or even both practices!

3. RSVPs/Jobs

As some of you may remember per Marissa Howard's important RSVP announcement the other day: After the first meet onward, all families will be required to RSVP yes or no in SwimTopia. We will no longer assume that no response is a "yes." This is to reduce confusion, chaos, and complications on the pool deck before the swim meet begins. Attendance matters so much, not just at a swim meet. The score of last night was genuinely a close one for 75% of the meet, but BHR started to seriously pull away towards the end where we may have been short a handful of swimmers and relays. No shows without any communication or an RSVP response affect more than just your swimmer and the meet, but they also affect the other swimmers as well. We may have to cancel said relays which can be a real bummer to some super excited kids, or even move swimmers up to swim a little harder than they’re used to, which can cause some strain. Last minute emergencies and change of plans are of course understood and expected, as communication is key and is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this change, please refer back to the original message on our news board. You can also contact me through email, phone, or in person.

So far, looking at next meet's RSVPs and jobs, everything is looking fantastic so far! Keep up the good work everybody, RSVP those Racquetfish, and sign up for those jobs! I believe we only need a few more timers, and a handful of responses for swimmers. But you've got a few days, so think about it!

4. Conclusion

I apologize for the gigantic message, but I feel it was necessary. The show must go on and I look forward to each and every day with all of you. Thank you so much!

Christian E. Osafo

RRC Head Swim Coach

(661) 540-3057