NOVA News
October 16th, 2023
NOVA families,
I want to share an update on the capital campaign.
This spring NOVA was awarded a $15,000 grant from Dominion Energy, received a $2,500 consolidated grant from Coca-Cola, and welcomed Sheetz as a new NOVA sponsor.
Because of this support, we are now just $160,338 away from FINISHING the Elevate Campaign. There are a few important additions that we have to have the funds to finish:
1- The buildout of a permanent concessions space for all of our meets. We have Chick-fil-a, Pizza Express, Tropical Smoothie, and others that are excited to be able to provide, food, coffee, and smoothies for all of our meets, but we have to build out the space.
2- Live Streaming. We want to be able to add FREE live streaming to all of our meets, for busy families, grandparents, or teams travelling from long distances. To add this infrastructure, we have to have these last funds.
From June 1st through July 31st, we are asking every NOVA family who has not yet made a pledge or gift to help us finish this campaign. Other clubs often rely on assessments and mandatory fees, but NOVA has always been different. Our families are generous, passionate, and committed to building something bigger than themselves. Time and time again, our community has risen to the challenge.
We still have room for many more names on the Elevate donor wall, and our goal is to fill that wall, and finish this campaign by July 31.
If you have already given, thank you. Your generosity is helping shape the future of swimming in our region.
If you have not yet participated, you will receive a phone call from one of our volunteers in the coming weeks. We hope you will take a moment to listen, ask questions, and consider how you can help. No gift or pledge is too small to help us finish this campaign and fully fund our aquatics center that you and your children are already benefitting from in so many ways.
Thank you,
Leigh
Summer league is a great way to add fun and social interaction to the swimming season! It also helps kids build confidence in the work they’ve put in all year long at NOVA. The practices, however, do not include the same attention to detail as NOVA’s practices and can even cause more harm than good. Unlike most summer practices, NOVA’s practice groups are built around kids of a very similar age, skill level, and experience. This keeps our practices more productive and safe!
Finding a balance between summer league fun and NOVA training can often have huge benefits for those that get it right. Swimmers can develop and grow their skill, creating great momentum for them to start their next short course season in September! While most outdoor practices don’t create the most conducive environment for NOVA swimmers, we love to see our kids having fun. This is why we encourage kids to attend their summer league meets and fun practices! Most teams have something planned for the day after meets where kids can get their ribbons, eat a treat, and play games. This is a great opportunity to hang out with summer league friends and get outside. I also hear about a lot of my kids meeting their friends at the pool directly after summer league practices to play and hang out! Sharks and Minnows was a personal favorite of mine.
Hopefully this helps guide many of you looking for how to plan your busy summer schedules. For more specific advice on how summer league can mix with your NOVA practice group, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s coach!
Thanks for reading,
Coach Luke
(former Raintree and Church Run swimmer)
Age Group Gold and Senior Dev. Silver celebrated the last day of school by swimming the distance session of the Success Bell meet. Swimmers raced new events and swam fast, achieving new Age Group Champs times, new all time top tens and many new best times. Congratulations on a great session swimmers!
Many factors set open water swimming apart from racing in the pool, and this weekend 35 NOVA swimmers got thrown right into the challenge at the Ben Hair Memorial at the Blacksburg Quarry. With colder-than-normal water and air temperatures, the meet quickly became more than just a race, it became a test of toughness.
Throughout the morning, swimmers battled through the 5k, 3k, and 1.5k events while navigating crowded fields, experienced older competition, and even a slightly altered course thanks to the unusually dry weather over the past few months. The conditions were anything but comfortable, but our swimmers embraced every second of it.
From the first start to the final finish, NOVA athletes showed incredible courage, resilience, mental toughness, and racing ability. Whether fighting for position in the pack or pushing through the cold late in the race, they refused to back down. Their efforts paid off in a huge way, as NOVA finished the meet with more Top 8 finishes than any other team!
Results:
5K
Boys
2nd- Matthew Wolfle
3rd- Zach Fisher
Girls
1st- Oreille Hall
3nd- Brantley Patterson
3K
Boys
1st- Daniel Bunge
2nd- James Wallin
3rd- Trent Abbott
4th- Noah Wolfle
6th- Cole Stuhlmacher
Girls
1st- Nora Francis
2nd- Rebecca Goins
4th- Bradleigh Oakley
7th- Victoria Sessa
8th- Ainsley Agee
1.5K
Boys
1st= Hank Lindberg
5th- Carlin Stamm
Girls
1st- Yara Tysbulina
2nd- Abigal Ferguson
4th- Adry Francis
7th- Juju Abbott
8th- Hartley Oakley
UNCW Training Camp SDS & SDG- 6/4-6/7
AGDB Float and Sundae social event- 6/5
NCAP Elite Qualifier 6/11-14 entry deadline 5/31 commit HERE
VA Commonwealth Games 6/11-14 entry deadline 6/1 commit HERE
SDG Pool, Pickleball and Pizza Party 6/19 RSVP by 6/15 commit HERE
Central District LC Champs 6/25-28 entry deadline 6/15 commit HERE
SDG Pool, Pickleball, and Pizza Party 6/9
12 and Under PPOW
Our 12 & Under Practice Performer of the Week is Age Group Dev. Silver's Avyaan Shirodikar. Avyaan has made a point to push himself in every set. Finding someone to race, even if it was just the clock. Notably, Avyaan made sure to finish first on every kick set he was in attendance for, taking great pride in trying to be the quickest kicker in AGDS!
Congrats Avyaan!
13 and Over PPOW
Senior Gold's Brantley Patterson is our 13 & over Practice Performer of the Week. It speaks volumes to her consistent effort that Matt and Mike W were surprised to learn she’s never gotten this accolade before.
This past week, like many others, she had multiple practices where stood out for her grit, focus, and determination on the stress of a set. She took on the open water race in Blacksburg, came right back and volunteered to do our 20x100 best average test set. All of this without missing a single meter of practice and making zero complaints along the way.
She sets a great example of what it takes to reach the next level in this sport and She’s certainly earned this one. Congrats Brantley!
