Mustang Monthly - Internet Edition

December 2003

 
Women's Team Fourth at US Open

The Dallas Mustangs sent seven swimmers up to this year's United States Open Championships in Seattle during the first weekend of December.  Over 250 teams from all over the world were represented and only three of those club teams could score more points than our women's team.  The top ten womens teams were:

 

Irvine Nova (CA)  236

Athens Bulldogs (GA)  90

De Anza Cupertino (CA)  80

Dallas Mustangs  77

King Aquatics (WA)  77

Indiana Swim  73

Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (OH)  63

Lakeside (KY)  63

Broward Aquatics (FL)  63

North Baltimore  52

 

Our top finishing relay, the 800 free relay, finished fifth. And it took national teams from Canada and New Zealand and two college teams that recruit swimmers from all over the world to beat us.  Our 400 free relay and 400 medley relays both finished in seventh place.  Congratulations go out to all of our women who raced well and contributed to the cause - Spin Beck, Candace Blackman, Jennifer Blackman, Codie Hansen (who also scored in the 400 free), Katie Roberts, and Katie Smith.

 

These girls continue to excel at just about every level of swimming.  And the reason they excel is that they have put in a treamendous amount of hard work and have made the necessary sacrifices.  They have set a very high standard for all of the Dallas Mustangs to live up to and they will continue to be incredible representitives of the Mustang family.  Keep up the great work girls!

 

 Quarterly Dues

Tuition statements went out the end of November. All quarterly tuition payments for December, January and February and December monthly tuition are now due. Please remember that statements are only mailed out quarterly. If you have selected monthly tuition payments, it is your responsibility to turn in the monthly tuition check by the 10th of each month. If you wish to change from monthly to quarterly payments or quarterly to monthly payments, you must contact the treasurer, Shannon Rusch @ treas@dmswim.com.

 

Directories

Good news! The directories are now ready and should be in the swimmers’ folders within the week. Please note that only one directory is being distributed per family. If you are not receiving team emails or if the email address listed in the directory is incorrect, please contact Wendy Begg at vp@dmswim.com.

 

Mid-Winter BB/B/C Meet – January 16-18, 2004

Volunteers are once again needed for our meet! We had a great effort at our Haunted Hat and really need that much support once again. Remember, to be guaranteed eligible for Mustang Bucks, you need to sign up for your volunteer slot in advance.  If you just show up at the meet to volunteer, we do appreciate your help, but we need to know in advance that all jobs will be filled. Also, you must sign in and out on the volunteer sheets at the meet and work a minimum of 5 hours to earn Mustang bucks. Any questions regarding meet volunteer jobs, please contact Victor Kimm at vkimm@hdrinc.com.

 

Meet Account

Effective January 1, 2004 all swimmers must maintain a current and up to date meet entry account, by attaching a check for the meet entry fees to each meet entry submitted. Should you need to submit your meet entry via email, a check for the meet fees must be placed in the meet entry vox/folder at the pool during your next scheduled workout. Meet entry checks must be separate from your dues/supply checks. All checks for your meet entries should be made payable to “Dallas Mustangs”, marked “meet entry fees”, and have the swimmer’s name included in the memo section.Meet entry fee checks and forms should be dropped in the meet entry box/folder at the pools.

 

Volunteer and Sponsorship Opportunities

It’s not too early to plan ahead and put the following dates on your “volunteer calendar”. The list below is a summary of the meets that we are responsible for hosting:

  1. Mid-Winter BB/B/C (Division 2) at Loos, January 16-18, 2004
  2. DM Classic A (all ages) at SMU, May 21-23, 2004
  3. Senior Circuit at SMU, June 4-6, 2004
  4. DASA Divisional and Champs at Loos, July 14, 15 & 21 (subject to change)
  5. Haunted Hat BB/B/C (Division 2) at Loos, October 8-10, 2004

 

Poinsettia Fundraiser

Many thanks to Harmon Bollen and Nancy Beck for coordinating the poinsettia fundraiser. The poinsettias were distributed directly from the grower and were beautiful plants. The fundraiser was a great success and proved to be a huge convenience for those who participated. Please keep your poinsettia needs in mind for next year as we will probably be repeating this fundraiser!

 

Holiday Schedule

The holiday schedule is posted on the website. It was also distributed through email. However, if you are gone from workout for a few days, it is probably best to check the team hotline for any last minute changes in the schedule. The email notification system is going to be offline until December 30th. It is therefore in your best interests, to check the team line (972.530.SWAM) and go inside the pool to view the bulletin boards and check with other parents or the coaches, for any schedule changes.

 

Bad Weather Policy

The general bad weather policy states that if school is out (DISD), so is practice. Well, that’s a no-brainer over the Christmas break! So, if there is bad weather to the extent that businesses are closing etc., please check the team line for announcements regarding any cancellations of practice.

 

Gold Group Full at Loos

That title may not sound so wonderful, but in fact it has resulted from lots of new swimmers and many group promotions. It’s a great problem to have, however what that means at the moment, is that there will not be any additional promotions to the Gold group at Loos until further notice. Swimmers making their third BB time or B time for 14 year olds, (which would normally qualify them for a move-up), may choose to join the Gold group at HP. Questions should be addressed to head coach, Mook Rhodenbaugh.

 

Mustang Bucks

Mustang Bucks are a tuition credit incentive program. Mustang Bucks credits can be earned through volunteer service at the swim meets we host, sales of meet advertising and lane sponsorships and referral of new swimmers to the Dallas Mustangs.

All Mustang Bucks credits are applied at the beginning of the swimmers next swimming quarter. Mustang Bucks have no tangible cash value and can only be applied as a credit on future tuition payments.

Mustang Bucks may be earned for:

Volunteer Service

Mustang Bucks are issued for qualified volunteer service at the swim meets we host. Mustang Bucks for meet volunteer service (four opportunities per year) are issued as follows:

  • 5-10 hrs per meet/event - $10
  • More than 10 hrs per meet/event - $25

 

Note: up to two members of one family may qualify for Mustang bucks per meet/event.

 

All volunteer jobs at the swim meets we host, except for lane timers, qualify for Mustang bucks. Other qualifying opportunities will be identified in conjunction with the event. Older swimmers may qualify for Mustang Bucks if they are capable of filling a volunteer spot in the same capacity as an adult. Volunteers must sign in and out at the activity to be eligible for Mustang Bucks. Questions regarding the volunteer program may be addressed to any Board member or the person responsible for the meet/event.

Advertising/Lane Sponsor Acquisition for Swim Meets

Every family is encouraged to assist in the sale of advertising in the heat sheets and lane sponsorships for each of the swim meets hosted by the Dallas Mustangs. Mustang Bucks credits will be issued to a swimmer equal to 25% of the advertising and lane sponsorship value sold by the swimmer’s family.

New Swimmer Referrals

Swimmers and their families are encouraged to let their friends and associates know about the Dallas Mustangs. A Mustang Bucks credit of $50 will be issued to a swimmer referring a new swimmer to the Dallas Mustangs. (Note: the new swimmer must list the current Dallas Mustang swimmers/family name on their registration form in the “referred by” section).

 

Websites

Do you have the Dallas Mustangs website on your list of Favorites? How about the North Texas website? Both of those websites are a key to you being well-informed about what is going on with our team and our LSC. The North Texas website is a wealth of information, with results, meet information, best times listing and many other resources available at a click of a mouse!

Dallas Mustangs: http://www.dmswim.com/

North Texas Swimming: http://www.ntswim.org/   Be sure to check this website for meet results and upcoming meet information. It is a vital source of information if you are a swimmer or a parent of a swimmer in North Texas.

 

Dallas Mustangs Annual Swim Banquet

Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 2, 2004! Yes, we already have a date for the DM Annual Swim banquet. In that vein, please remember to be taking photos for the slideshow. Please submit digital photos – most photography developers now give you the option of putting your photos on disc. This cuts down on the time spent scanning in photos and ensures crisp, clear photos. More details on the banquet will be coming in the new year.

 

And on that note…

 

We would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. We are all so lucky to be part of the Dallas Mustang family!

                        The Board & Coaching Staff