WELCOME

The Stillwater Starz is a developmental summer swim team and a member of the Naperville Swim Conference (NSC). A volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our mission is to develop confident, capable young swimmers and foster a love of competitive swimming in a safe, supportive, and fun environment.

Our swimmers range from 4-18 years of age, and most are residents of the Stillwater subdivision and other nearby communities in southwest Naperville, Plainfield, and Oswego. For our youngest swimmers, their time on the Starz is often their first experience with competitive swimming. It’s also where many of our returning swimmers, some of whom now swim year-round in club and school programs, got their start. Join us this summer, and find out what fun you can have when we shoot for the Starz together!

Starz Roundup: Sunday, June 1, 2025

Lea Fortkamp

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Starz Roundup ***CORRECTED PRACTICE TIMES***

Sunday, June 1, 2025

***Please note the correction to regular season practice times, beginning Wednesday, noted below.***

Good Afternoon, Starz Families,

 

Welcome to a new week of summer swim fun!

 

Monday and Tuesday: Final Pre-Season Practices

Monday and Tuesday will bring our final two days of pre-season practices. Please make note of the following times:

Monday, June 2, and Tuesday, June 4

6:15-7:00 p.m.               6U, 7/8

7:00-8:00 p.m.               9/10+

These practices tend to be larger, and swimmers will work in stations to allow ample space for all. We know that these last days of the school year are very busy for many families, so if you can’t fit these practices into your schedule, don’t sweat it!  If you can’t make it, your swimmers can join us when regular season practices begin on Wednesday!

 

Tuesday: Pizza Night

On Tuesday, following each practice session, swimmers can enjoy a slice of pizza, a drink, and light dessert on the patio courtesy of the team. This swim-and-dinner event replaces the pizza dinner we’d initially planned for our rainy Meet the Coaches event. Please bring comfortable clothes for your swimmer to throw on following practice and encourage them to visit the patio concessions window if they’d like a slice! Consider this our School’s Out/Pre-Season’s Over kickoff to the regular season.

Please note that Tuesday’s event is for swimmers only; if you purchased Meet the Coaches meals for additional family members, the cost of these has been credited back to your account. Should this credit remain on your account at the end of our swim season, if will be refunded back to your credit card on file.

 

Wednesday: Regular Season Practices Begin

Starting on Wednesday, your swimmer will swim with his or her regular season practice group, AM or PM. Please be sure that your swimmer attends the group for which he or she is registered. Groups (from Wednesday onward) are as follows:

AM Practice Option (5x/wk.)

7:30-8:20 a.m.               11/12, 13/14, 15-18

8:20-9:10 a.m.               9/10

9:10-9:50 a.m.               7/8

9:50-10:20 a.m.             6U

PM Practice Option (2x/wk.)

6:15-7:00 p.m.               6U, 7/8

7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.     9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15-18

 

Subscribe to our Practice and Events Calendars via Stillwaterstarz.org

Did you know that you can subscribe to your swimmer’s practice calendar and the team events calendar online, via our website? Find instructions for iPhone and Android HERE. Some tips:

  • Subscribe ONLY via the website, not the SportsEngineMotion app, to avoid a potential glitch.
  • If you encounter trouble adding the URL for the calendar into your device, trying using “Select All” then copy/pasting rather than using the website’s “Copy Link” button.

 

This Week: Suit, Spirit Wear, and Yard Sign Distribution

We anticipate delivery of suit, spirit wear, and yard sign orders this week. Once they have been sorted and are ready for distribution at practices, you’ll receive an email with pickup instructions. As a reminder, each swimmer receives one latex team cap with team registration. Have your swimmer ask a coach at practice for his or her cap. These are available NOW.

 

Jobs Signup: CLOSED

As of today, Jobs Signup is closed. As a reminder, each family is required to work four (4) regular season meet jobs. If there is a problem with your jobs signup, you will be notified by our Jobs Coordinator, Asheley Kram. (She has reached out already.)

 

Private Lessons/Team Development: Signup Restrictions Have Been Lifted

Signup restrictions have been lifted! Families are now free to sign up for as many lessons as they’d like during our daily 10:20-10:50 a.m. Team Development block.

Please use this Google sheet (also available on the team website under Resources>Private Instruction) to sign up. Refer HERE for coach bios, then view the tabs at the bottom of the Google sheet for coaches’ preferred payment methods and daily availability. Note that each week of the season has its own tab.

You can work with one coach throughout the season or mix it up. Private lessons are $30 (Volunteer and Junior Coaches) or $35 (Head Coach and Asst. Head Coaches). Payment is made directly to each coach.

If you’re interested in arranging private lessons OUTSIDE the daily team development block (during other regular pool hours), please contact a coach directly to inquire about his or her availability.

 

TIME TRIALS: Saturday, June 7

Declarations Have CLOSED

Swimmer declarations have closed for Saturday’s Time Trials. No additional swimmers can be added to this event. A separate email with swimmer list, worker list, and concessions offerings will be sent later this week. If you are unsure of your swimmer’s status or whether you have signed up to work a job at this meet, please check the event listing on our website or in the SportsEngineMotion app.

 

Weather

Typically, practices will be held rain or shine. In the event of severe weather (thunder or lightning observed at the pool) practices may be delayed, shortened, or, as a last resort, canceled.

We do everything in our power not to cancel practices unless it’s absolutely necessary. Notification of practice delay, abridgment, or cancellation due to weather will be sent no earlier than one half hour before the event via SportsEngine email (and, for those with a verified cell phone number on file, by SMS message and push notification). Individual emails asking whether practices will be adjusted due to weather will not be returned; please check your email for updates from the team. If you hear nothing, the npractice is ON.

It's good to keep in mind that even on cooler, cloudier days, the pool is warm. On rainy days, the pool is…well, wet. We firmly believe, though, that parents know their children best. If you look out the window, assess the weather, and feel that your kiddo would be happier at home than in the pool, please make the decision that’s best for your swimmer. It’s supposed to be fun, after all!

 

New This Year: Priority Parking Raffle

In Friday’s Roundup email, we introduced this year’s home meet Priority Parking Raffle fundraiser. The raffle for these two ideally placed parking spots will continue at ALL PRACTICES this week. Winners will be announced on Friday.

Tickets are $5/ea. or $20 for five. Please refer to Friday’s email for details. You can find ALL recent emails on our website’s front page under News.

 

 

That’s it for today! It was really fun seeing so many Starz swimmers in the water this weekend swimming long course in Wisconsin! We leaders of the summer swim community are so grateful to our friends at Delta and Fox for keeping so many of our athletes so fit for us. (-;

It’s almost time for some fun, fast 50’s in the sun; are you ready?

 

Have a great week,

 

Lea

Stillwater Starz Parent Board