LVSC Winter 2026 Newsletter
LVSC Winter 2026 Newsletter
Welcome To the Team:
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new swimmers who recently joined LVSC. Please make the effort to say hi if you see these swimmers or their families on deck and welcome them to the team. In addition, please offer help or directions to all our new families at our upcoming Winter Invite meet as first time- meet attendance can be a bit confusing and overwhelming and a friendly face can make all the difference
Meet the Board of Directors:
Our current LVSC Board of Directors is listed below. Please email or find any of our members on – deck to ask any questions, offer suggestions, or just to learn about our team mission and goals.
Ryan McCarthy… President [email protected]
Melissa Branch… Vice- President [email protected]
Kristy Fortinberry … Treasurer [email protected]
Terri Hovanec… Secretary [email protected]
Maren Fritz… Safe Sport Officer [email protected]
Emily McCarthy…. Group Parent and Meet Operations Officer [email protected]
Sashel Peterson… Volunteer Coordination Officer [email protected]
Josh Logie… Meet Operations Officer [email protected]
Open Sessions at All Board Meetings:
The LVSC Board of Directors meet monthly to review and vote on several topics relating to team growth, goals, budgeting, philanthropy, coaching, and staffing. (Meeting agendas and minutes are available upon request). The first ten minutes of each meeting are always open to general membership to ask any questions, offer suggestions, voice concerns, or brainstorm ways to continue growing our team and mission. All meeting dates and times are posted on the events calendar on TeamUnify. Our next regularly scheduled board meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 11th 2026 at 6:30 pm at Pavilion Pool. Please email [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Group Parents:
With the start of 2026, the creation of our Platinum 2 and Gold groups, and the movement of several swimmers to new groups, we are looking for volunteers to serve as group parents in several of our swim groups. Group parents are volunteers who work with the board to hold group socials, answer questions and support the families of swimmers in their group, and assist their group coach with team unity and information. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Emily McCarthy at [email protected].
2026 LVSC Annual Awards Banquet:
Save The Date: Our 2026 Annual Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday January 31st from 5 – 10 pm at the SunCoast Hotel. This is one of our most anticipated events of the year and all LVSC swimmers and their families are encouraged to attend! Please join us for a night of great food, dancing, raffle prizes, and swimmer recognition. If you haven’t completed the Google Form to reserve your tickets, please do so before January 15th. There will no be physical tickets given this year. All swimmers will instead check- in upon arrival. We will additionally be hosting a 50/50 raffle during our banquet. 50/50 raffle tickets can be purchased at the check- in table for $2 per ticket… cash or zelle will be accepted.
** Please send any meet, LVSC events, or group swimmer photos from the previous year to Maren at [email protected] for inclusion in our pre- dinner slideshow.
LVSC Team Suit:
In 2026, LVSC is pursuing a new initiative to enhance team culture and spirit. We would like all swimmers to compete in a LVSC, Speedo branded, team suit when attending local and travel meets. Several styles of both male and female suits can be found on the CAS team online store. In addition, CAS will be on- deck at our upcoming Winter Invite and will have samples for swimmers to see and order. For our older swimmers, an LVSC suit is highly encouraged for all meets when they are not competing in a tech suit (tech suit styles, brands, and designs will remain the individual athletes preference).
SwimSwap – Swimwear and Gear:
Have gently used practice suits that your athlete no longer wears or training equipment they have outgrown? Please consider donating to our team’s swimswap. Please contact Melissa at [email protected] if you have any items to donate.
LVSC’s Sunshine Group:
LVSC is proud to continue our “Sunshine Group” for the 2025 – 2026 season. Our sunshine group aims to provide support, encouragement, and positivity to those LVSC swimmers and families who are facing adversity or a challenging medical, life, or other hardship through such acts as, gift cards/ meal trains/ helping carpool to practice/ sending greeting cards, etc. Founded and lead by board member Melissa Branch, the sunshine group hopes to be able to show those LVSC families that may need a little extra encouragement and assistance that we are thinking about them and want to bring a little bit of joy during a difficult time. If your family, or a family that you know, may benefit from the Sunshine group, please reach out to Melissa Branch at [email protected], any LVSC board member, or your group parent.
TeamSnap:
Thank you to everyone who has continued utilizing TeamSnap. We appreciate your patience as we are still learning the best ways to navigate and utilize this new communication tool. If you have any questions, need to add an email to the app, or have suggestions on additional ways to use TeamSnap, please email [email protected] or [email protected].
LVSC Social Media:
Please follow LVSC on Instagram and Facebook for meet results, upcoming event information, USA swimming updates and news, fun swimming facts, and more!
Meet Marshals:
USA Swimming and Southern California Swimming require 3 – 4 certified meet marshals at every sanctioned meet. Meet marshals ensure the safety of our swimmers and spectators at all meets. For LVSC to continue hosting USA Swimming sanctioned meets, it is critical that we have several parents and volunteers who are certified meet marshals and willing to volunteer for one or several sessions. The certification process is quite simple, completely online, and only requires a few hours. Please reach out to [email protected] for more information.
Swimming Officials:
LVSC is in need of swimming officials. Officials are crucial to our ability to host and run efficient and compliant USA swimming sanctioned meets. If you are interested in becoming an official, please contact Ryan McCarthy at [email protected].
CTS Administrative Training:
Interested in learning how to operate the administrative system that allows us to run and host meets (timing/ results board, touch pad, pickles)? Working as the “admin” during our LVSC hosted meets is a great way to learn more about competitive swimming, get a front- row seat to your athlete’s races, and earn your volunteer hours! If interested, please sign up to “shadow/ train” at our upcoming LVSC hosted meets!
Non – Swimming Achievements and Accomplishments:
LVSC’s goal is to create healthy, well- rounded, creative and positive athletes who excel not only in the water but in the community as well. In each newsletter, we hope to highlight swimmers who have been recognized for their achievements outside of the pool. If your swimmer has an accomplishment that you would like highlighted in the next newsletter, please email [email protected]. Examples: academic honor roll, scholarships, citizen or community involvement awards, other athletic or sports awards/ medals/ recognitions.
Team Sponsorship 2026:
Own, frequent, or know of a business that might be interested in sponsoring LVSC? We are looking for local and national businesses to help keep our non- profit running and to help ensure our LVSC hosted events are a success. Please see the following LVSC sponsorship guidelines and details and contact Ryan McCarthy at [email protected] for more information or to set up your sponsorship.
(Las Vegas Swim Club provides a graduated competitive swimming program based on age and ability in conjunction with the national age group program sponsored by USA Swimming, Inc. LVSC offers a comprehensive program that satisfies the needs of novice swimmers to Olympic- hopeful athletes and is a member of the Southern California Swimming Association of USA Swimming (SCS). LVSC promotes physical fitness and encourages proper long term health habits, fostering the development of high self- esteem and helping cultivate positive self- image).
LVSC is a non- profit organization (TAX ID #26-1174290) and is administered through a board of directors comprised of parents and volunteers.
Dryland:
Increasing swimmer dryland attendance, focus, and commitment is a goal we are continuing to strive towards this season! We know that the dedication and work our swimmer’s put into their dryland training will strengthen their confidence, ability, and endurance in the water!
Competitive Aquatic Supply and Speedo Partnership:
You can purchase your LVSC team apparel, equipment, competition suits, and more directly from Competitive Aquatic Supply. You can access the team store directly from our TeamUnify website or visit the Competitive Aquatic Supply website... choose team store... LVSC. All speedo items purchased through the site have a 20% built in discount. Reminder, all LVSC athletes should be in a LVSC team suit at all swim meets! CAS will be on deck during our upcoming Winter Invite to purchase all of your LVSC gear, swimming equipment, and more!
Upcoming Events:
- LVSC Winter Invite at Pavilion Pool
- All Group Invited
- January 16th – 18th
- LVSC Annual Awards Banquet
- All LVSC Swimmer and Families Invited
- Saturday January 31st from 5 – 10 pm at the SunCoast Hotel
- Central AGC’s in Fresno, California
- Qualifiers Invited
- February 13th – 16th
- TYR Desert Committee Championships at Pavilion Poo
- Qualifiers Invited
- February 14 th – 16th
- Allington Senior Meet In Fresno, California
- Qualifiers Invited From National and Platinum 1 Groups
- Team Travel Event February 19th – 22nd
- Speedo Sectionals in Oceanside, California
- National and Platinum Qualifiers
- February 26th – March 1st
- Spring Fling at Pavilion Pool
- Invited Groups TBD
- March 6th
With thanks,
LVSC Board of Directors
Ryan McCarthy… President
Melissa Branch… Vice President
Kristin Fortinberry… Treasurer
Terri Hovanec... Secretary
Maren Fritz... Officer
Emily McCarthy… Officer
Sashel Peterson… Officer
Josh Logie… Officer
