Flying Fish News - 9/11/2021
For the calendar
  • Monday, September 13 - Tuesday, September 14: modified practice schedule; see below.
  • Saturday, October 8 - Sunday, October 9 - NASA meet; see below.
  • Saturday, October 23 - Sunday, October 24 - LFSC meet; see below.
Practice changes September 13 and 14
The stairway to the small pool is being replaced on September 13 and 14. Note the changes and cancellations below.

Monday, September 13:
  • Whitefish A and Whitefish B will practice at their regular times, but in the big pool.
  • Bluefish A and Bluefish B will practice at their regular times, also in the big pool.
  • These groups will NOT have PM practices - Thunder/Lightningfish, Diamondfish, Ironfish, Silverfish and Platinumfish. (There will be AM practices for Gold, Thunder and Lightning.)

Tuesday, September 14:
  • These groups will practice on their normal Tuesday PM schedule - Platinum, Iron, Gold and Diamond.
  • The following groups will NOT have practice - Copperfish A, Copperfish B and Redfish A.
Main parking lot set to open soon
Our newly expanded main parking lot (accessible from Church Street) is scheduled to open on September 15 or 16. Look for an email to confirm the exact date.

We still are using the Ridge Avenue pool door as our main entrance. The lobby entrance will open soon. Stay tuned!
Covid protocol reminders
  • All swimmers -- regardless of vaccination status -- should arrive at the YWCA wearing masks.
  • All swimmers who have been vaccinated should provide vaccination cards (electronic or hard copies) to their coaches.

Also, as part of the registration process, swimmers/parents have accepted responsibility for self-certification, meaning swimmers will attend practice at the YWCA only if:
  • they do not have any symptoms of illness (of any kind);
  • have not been exposed to anyone with Covid-19; and
  • have not tested positive for Covid-19. (Anyone testing positive must communicate that information to a coach.)

We continue to adhere to the City of Chicago's Travel Advisory, which applies to those who are unvaccinated.

Thank you for your ongoing caution and commitment to safety!
Flying Fish in the news
We're proud of our Flying Fish girls who are competing for their high schools. Read a news story about the ETHS team here.
New to the Flying Fish? Complete Safe Sport training
In an previous email, we noted that new swimmers need to complete the IL Swimming Covid waiver. That waiver is no longer necessary.

However, we ask that parents and swimmers (12 and over) who haven't swum with us before or haven't swum since before the pandemic complete USA Swimming's Safe Sport training course. (Learn more about our commitment to Safe Sport on our website.)

Swim parents and athletes over 12 -- who have not already done so -- can complete the brief training with an online, self-directed course. You also can complete the training via one Zoom meeting.

How to sign up for online Safe Sport training
For athletes (12 and over): 
  1. Visit www.usaswimming.org/learn.
  2. Enter your last name, first name and date of birth into the search boxes. Click “Search”.
  3. Click “Continue” next to your name.
  4. Click “Go to Learn”.
  5. Select “Courses” at the top.
  6. For athletes ages 12-18, click on the Safe Sport for Athletes course and complete the course using the prompts.
  7. For athletes over the age of 18, click on SafeSport Training for Adult Athletes.

 For parents:
  1. Visit https://learn.usaswimming.org/
  2. Click “Register”.
  3. Click “Create Account” in the Non-Member Access box. 
  4. Follow the prompts to create an account.
  5. Click “Courses.”
  6. In Parent’s Guide to Misconduct in Sport, select “Add to Cart”.
  7. Click “Checkout”.
  8. Enter the requested billing address information and click “Order”. [Note: the course is free]
  9. Click “Dashboard”.
  10. Select the Parent’s Guide to Misconduct in Sport course to start.
  11. Complete the course using the prompts.

The courses take less than an hour to complete.
Upcoming swim meets
There are some swim meets on the calendar, but due to capacity limitations, only certain groups are eligible to attend. Look for more information soon about these upcoming meets.

NASA Fun in the Wild @ Northwestern University, Evanston
Saturday, October 8 - Sunday, October 9

LFSC Monster Mash @ RecPlex, Pleasant Prairie, WI
Saturday, October 23 - Sunday, October 24
Parents: Becoming an official is easy and the role is rewarding
Officials are a key component of swim meets because they ensure fair play and help swimmers learn and grow in the sport. Does officiating sound appealing to you? Illinois Swimming, Inc. (the local governing body of competitive swimming) is looking for more officials.

You don't need to be a swimmer or have experience in competitive swimming to become an official. You'll learn everything you need to know at their free virtual training clinics this fall.

If you have questions about officiating or the training clinics, please contact Harry Samuels, a former Flying Fish parent and experienced official.
Congratulations, Chris and Min!
Congratulations to Chris Russo and Melinda "Min" King on their recent wedding. Chris and Min met as young Flying Fish swimmers and they've served as coaches and instructors as adults.

In addition to coaching, Chris also serves as our Aquatics Coordinator.
In other YWCA news. . .
YWCA Evanston/North Shore's new Career Kick-Starter workshops launch on September 13. Learn more here.

Interested in other programs and events at YWCA Evanston/North Shore? Read our latest e-newsletter here.

If you'd like to receive the YWCA Evanston/North Shore e-newsletter or other emails tailored to your interests, click here.
YWCA Flying Fish | 847-864-8445 | flyingfish@ywca-ens.org| www.ywca-ens.org