Serpent News: June 18, 2026
COACH’S CORNER
PRACTICE SCHEDULE
We will be switching to the summer practice schedule on Friday, July 19. For further details/times, please visit the link below.
https://www.stonegateswimteam.
- THERE IS NO AFTERNOON PRACTICE ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12 DUE TO THE TEAM PICTURES!
- COME TO PRACTICE ON FRIDAY MORNING!
- PRE-TEAM STARTS ON MONDAY, JUNE 22.
SATURDAY A-MEET
Our next A-Meet is at Woodcliffe on Saturday, June 20! The meet theme is WESTERN! The Serpents will be traveling to the Wild West to duel the Wahoos this Saturday. Serpents should wear western hats, scarfs, plaid shirts , jeans, boots and anything else needed for this showdown. Let’s wrangle another win this season!
The meet line-up is on the bulletin board and it is posted in Swimtopia. Please check carefully to see if you are swimming. We will meet in the SG parking lot at 7:00 am to caravan together to the meet Let's Win at Woodcliffe!
SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK
ALEX ADEBIYI
Alex swam several lifetime best times in our first Saturday A-Meet! You know things are rolling the right direction when you're able to perform that way in WEEK 1! Alex has been diligently working at his craft and it shows. He is especially FAST underwater! Alex also did a great job leading cheers and demonstrating steady good sportsmanship. Now all Alex has to do is stay off the ropes! Make friends with the laneropes Alex! They can guide you to success! Great start, mister!
STAR WHITE
Yikes! What a start! Star swam best times in all 5 of her races! While all of her swims were impressive, we were especially proud that she answered the call in 12 and Under 100 IM! The other 5 swimmers in the race were either 11 or 12 years of age. Star is only 9 and she was ready to swim FAST for the team, dropping 4 seconds compared to her previous best time. Star also broke the pool record in 9-10 25 butterfly! This is Stonegate's 16th straight year in A Division and all of our pool records are fast! It's quite an achievement to break a pool record at the bottom of your age group. Way to go, Star! Keep it up!
LUCIA HERRERA
Young Lady! You've had this in you all along! Lucia has been working hard and swimming super FAST in practice. She just had to make the connection in meets! Well Lucia certainly did that on Wednesday! She swam best times in all of her races by large margins! We're really proud of the steady dedication Lucia has shown and we're excited to see where she goes from here! It's also nice to hear "thank you" at the end of every single practice. What a nice young lady! Keep turning your arms FAST Lucia!
ISAIAH HARVEY
We're glad your foot/ankle is feeling better Isaiah! You swam great on Wednesday! Isaiah swam several outstanding times on Wednesday and we're looking forward to another great performance on Saturday. His butterfly was especially impressive. What a beautiful stroke! Prepare to demonstrate your awesome butterfly technique in practice, young man! We're proud of you, Isaiah. Let's keep it going!
SERPENT PICTURE DAY!!
Classic Photography will be at the pool on Friday, June 19, to take swim team photos! They will be taking both individual pictures and a team photo. Also, if a family has more than one swimmer on the team, instead of taking individual pics, all the siblings can be in a photo together.
We’ll start taking pictures at 4 and should be done well before the potluck dinner begins. If you can, come a bit early to get in line.
This year, Classic Photography will send each family an email with a QR code a few days before picture day so you can choose your package of photos.
See you there!
SATURDAY MEET KEY INFO
TEAM TUESDAY UPDATES + INFO
Enjoy some time with your fellow Serpents outside of the pool this summer at our Team Tuesday events. Most events are from 1–3 PM and all ages are welcome. Exact details for some events will be shared as they are finalized, but here's this year's lineup:
June 23: TWO OPTIONS
#1 Serpent Painting at We Art Fun: Join us on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:00–3:45 PM at We Art Fun Studio in Germantown 19847 Century Blvd, Suite G Germantown, MD 20874 as we create a custom Serpent painting together. Cost: $35 per participant Registration: Please complete the Team Tuesday Registration Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdT2r9py9lGcmAOcs-2vLvSKZ3sSiKgZ33RXzshKFxHvj53Dw/viewform
Payment must be received by Friday, June 19 so that we can provide final attendance numbers to the studio. Your registration is not complete until payment is received.
Payment: Venmo @Noelle-Cofield Please include the participant name(s) in the payment note. Space is limited and registration will close when all spots are filled. Questions? Contact Noelle Cofield at [email protected] or 240-551-8575.
#2 Just for Serpents 13 years and over: Top Golf. Meet in the lobby at Top Golf Germantown at 1 pm. No prepayment required. Come with $20 cash or Venmo to cover playing fees and money to buy your own food and drink.
June 30 – Bowling (Details TBD)
July 7 – Movie at Regal Rockville (Details TBD)
July 14 – Monster Mini Golf (1:00 PM)
Photos of Serpents By Our Team Photographers
If you're wondering where all the photos from this season and past seasons are, they are in the Serpents' Flickr account. In Flickr, use the following login name and password:
LOGIN: [email protected]
PASSWORD: StonegateSerpents
In the search bar, type in "Stonegate" and then "Search people." The "Stonegate SwimTeam" account will show up in the search. Click on the account. You can then view and download any photos from the account. If you search by album, you can see photos by each meet.
Would you like to perform the National Anthem at a home meet? We need you!
We are looking for performers for the National Anthem, if you would like to share your musical talents on a Wednesday night or Saturday morning swim meet. If you like to sing or can play an instrument, please email [email protected].
Please contribute Snack Bar Drink "Dues"
Traditionionally, we ask each Serpent family to donate $10 towards purchasing drinks for selling at the snack bar during home meets. You can Venmo the amazing Marjie Dewey (@Marjie-Dewey) who purchases the drinks to fill our stock. If you don't have Venmo, please donate $10 at the snack bar set up at Saturday’s meet. Thanks Serpent families!
Group Swim Lessons for Brand New + Young Swimmers (For Those Not Quite Ready for Pre-Team)
So many Serpents begin their swimming journey with Group Lessons. Group swim lessons are for swimmers ages 4-8 years old. The goals are for swimmers to feel comfortable in the water, float and learn some basic freestyle skills. Each session is 8 classes over a span of two weeks from 11:30-12:00. The first session will be on June 22, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 and July 1, 2. The second session will be on July 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 17. The cost is $120 per session. If the classes are full and we have enough interest - we will open a second class on the same days from 12:00-12:30. The classes will be in the 2 feet area. Coach Anna says that If we have enough interest we will open up a second class on the same days from 12:00-12:30. Sign up for lessons here.
Serpent Shanty
The Serpent Shanty will be your go-to for all things Serpent Swim Team!
We will have items for purchase at all home meets! Our current offerings include umbrellas, car flags, car magnets, team schedule bag tags, swim caps, croc charms, and water bottle stickers. We also have a limited inventory of team t-shirts available at the Shanty.
2026 Swim Team schedule bag tags and team swim caps are available for pre-purchase with credit card on the SwimTopia website (https://serpents.swimtopia.com/team-store) to be picked up at the Serpent Shanty!
Please direct any questions to Kim Friedman ([email protected])
Spirit Wear: The Online Serpent Shanty
Second round orders have arrived!! pick up your order, look for me (Kim Friedman) at swim practices this week, home meets or email me to arrange pickup! ([email protected])
Orders in Round #3 will be delivered the first week of July!
2026 Team Swim Caps
We have the 2026 team caps (white) available at the Shanty. Caps can be purchased in person using cash or Venmo, or pre-paid on the SwimTopia website (under the Team Store tab.) We also have previous years' silicone caps (blue or silver) and latex caps (blue, silver or white) available for purchase the same way.
Serpent Team Suits
The new two-year team swim suit is set up in the Stonegate Swim Outlet private page and ready to order! This suit is new for 2026 and will also be the team suit for 2027.
Visit https://www.swimoutlet.com/ and search "Stonegate Serpents" as your team. You will be able to view the team suit on the team page, and any purchases you make on the site will benefit the team!
Any questions on suits or caps can be directed to Kim Friedman ([email protected])
Sign Up for the Fitter & Faster Butterfly & Breaststroke Racing Skills camp that we are hosting on August 22nd & 23rd at Stonegate Swim Club
This high-performance camp, led by 2 x Olympian, Tom Shields is designed to sharpen butterfly and breaststroke technique and racing skills. The sessions will focus on explosive starts, powerful underwaters, refined technique, and faster turns and finishes to help swimmers drop time and race with confidence.
Swimmers ages 10 & Over, REGISTER HERE!!These camps fill fast, and this is a great chance to sharpen technique plus starts, pullouts, timing, power, and race execution! Sign up before prices increase!