Barracuda Nation!

It's been a great post-season week for Blue Ridge, with a lot of great swims across the board. We'll close out the week with a recap of Northerns and a preview of All Cities. But first, a few reminders for the end of the season — we'll put the most important information first.

• End of Season Coaches Gift. We'll close the collection end of day Sunday, 8/2. If you'd like to donate or add to your contribution, please Venmo (@Karen-Bombino) or PayPal ([email protected], no “n” in Karen), or see the coaches gift page for other ways to donate. We'd love to celebrate and recognize the hard work of our awesome coaching staff: Dom, Sophia, Cooper, Matthew, Adam, and Olivia.
• RSVP for the End of Season Party. We're excited about the strong turnout for the party on Wednesday, August 5th, 6–9pm at the Blue Ridge Pool — should be an awesome time! If you're planning on attending and haven't responded yet, please RSVP in Swimtopia by Sunday 8/2 so we can plan the Chipotle order. Feel free to also sign up to bring a dessert or help with clean-up.
• Season Photo Gallery. Please submit any good photos you've collected from the season to our 2026 Barracuda Google Photo Gallery. We'll share the highlight reel at the party on Wednesday.
• It's Lifeguard Appreciation Day! There are still plenty of opportunities to celebrate and thank our awesome lifeguards, who help keep our kids safe and the pool running smoothly all summer. See the sign-up genius to contribute to today's pizza lunch or tonight's dinner, or write a note of appreciation to your favorite guards.
• Water Polo. Looking for a fun way to stay active in the water after swim season ends? Water polo season has started, and there's still time to join — the team is open to non-Blue Ridge residents as well. Learn more and sign up on the water polo registration site, or email [email protected] to learn more.
• Food Truck Friday. It's another sunny Friday, so we hope to see many of you at the pool or clubhouse this afternoon. Blue Ridge favorite Impeckable Chicken will be there — should be a fun time!

Northerns Recap

Once again, the Barracudas showed up strong and represented Blue Ridge well at Northern Finals last night at Klahaya. 23 Barracudas qualified for Northerns, across 22 individual events and 7 relays, and there were a ton of time drops across the board as we raced some of the fastest swimmers in the city.

After the meet, the Northerns coaches gathered to await the Southern meet results and learn who qualified for All Cities. Coaches Matthew, Olivia, and Adam then headed back to the clubhouse to share the news with Northerns families. We're excited to share that 8 Barracudas qualified for the final championship of the season:

• Maya Barnes, Eliza Fitzgerald, Olivia Keith, Syd Weholt – Girls 8&U 100 Medley Relay & 100 Freestyle Relay
• Olivia Keith – 25 Freestyle (8&U)
• Eliza Fitzgerald – 25 Butterfly (8&U)
• Jasper Timmons – 50 Backstroke (9–10)
• Theodore Elder – 50 Breaststroke (13–14)
• Andrew Williams – 50 Breaststroke (15–18)
• Evan Howerter – 50 Freestyle (15–18)

We're also proud that 13 Barracudas finished in the top 8, earning an alternate designation at All Cities:

• Teddy Fitzgerald – 100 IM (9–10)
• Molly Slater – 100 IM (9–10)
• Jasper Timmons – 50 Freestyle (9–10)
• Lillian Sullivan – 50 Backstroke (9–10)
• Shea Swinburne – 25 Backstroke (8&U)
• Andrew Macey-Cushman, Jamie Drulard, Luke Branstetter, Tyler Branstetter – Boys 11–12 200 Freestyle Relay
• Tyler Branstetter – 50 Butterfly (11–12)
• Max Kaul, Jack Hoge, Anthony Yuchasz, Evan Howerter – Boys 15–18 200 Freestyle Relay

Every Barracuda should feel proud of their post-season accomplishments, but we wanted to take a moment to highlight 8&Under Shea Swinburne, who entered prelims as a “bonus” entry, dropped an amazing 4.15 seconds to qualify for Northerns, and then dropped another 1.07 seconds at Northerns to finish 7th in the city (first alternate, All Cities). Amazing job, Shea!

Two of our qualifiers, Evan Howerter and Olivia Keith, will each start the All Cities meet with a swim-off, having tied for 6th in their events, to try to draw into one more event at All Cities (Evan Howerter, 100 Freestyle 15–18, 49.31; Olivia Keith, 25 Backstroke 8&U, 20.97).

But more than the results, it was the overall vibe and energy from the entire team that stood out. Every time a Blue Ridge swimmer was announced, the cheers were the loudest, and the energy from the stands and behind the blocks was palpable — a reflection of every swimmer and family on the team.

Well done, Barracudas! And thank you to Jenn, Beth, Ashley, and Joe for serving as timers and meet officials at last night's meet!

Onwards to All Cities!

All Cities Preview

The final meet of the season is the All City Championships, taking place in the South this year at Arbor Heights in West Seattle. The meet starts at 4:00pm. We'll send more detailed information to families with All Cities qualifiers shortly, but the key points: Blue Ridge warm-ups will be 2:30–2:45pm, Lanes 1–2. We only need to provide one timer for this meet (first half, Lane 3) — if you can help out, please sign up here so we can get that settled. More information to come in the next few days!

Congrats again to all of our post-season swimmers and to our All Cities finalists — we'll be cheering for you loudly on Tuesday. Hope to see you tonight or this weekend around the pool.

Go Barracudas!

Stephanie, Lulu, and Joe
2026 Swim Team Coordinators