The MAC Board of Directors will meet tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 6:30.  It will be held at the Varner & Goundry Law Office at 31 West Patrick Street, Suite 100.

Last month, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to change the fee structure for Club membership. Please read the letter below which explains our rationale. At the Board meeting, we will start with the coach’s report and an open forum to discuss the new fee structure, as well as any other issues that people would like to discuss.  We will reserve a maximum of 30 minutes for comments/discussion before attending to other club business. As always, everyone is invited to attend the entire meeting.  If you cannot attend the meeting, but would like to send comments, please send them to macswiminfo@gmail.com. 

A message from John Borgersen, President of MAC

The MAC Board of Directors is committed to providing our community the best swim program in Western Maryland. This includes coaching, facilities, and team-building activities. To accomplish this, we need to increase the yearly membership fees. At the June Board meeting the Board of Directors unanimously voted for a dues increase.

The increase was necessary for a number of reasons. These include:

• Providing more coaches to work with our swimmers. Payroll is MAC’s largest expense, consisting of 64% of our budget. This year we added Chris Kaplan and John Miller as part-time members of our staff.  We will continue to utilize these resources and look to add additional coaches. The MAC Board is committed that every group receives the benefit of additional coaching, and our plan is to have two coaches on deck as often as possible. In addition, this year’s budget includes a 3% cost of living increase for all staff and the establishment of a bonus pool to award excellence.

• Increased costs related to the operation and maintenance of the bubble. Last year, we spent over $13,000 to clean and fix the blowers/heaters and to clean the inside of the bubble. Many in our community noticed an improvement in the air quality inside the bubble, and these efforts certainly improved the appearance of our facility. Next year, we plan to clean the outside of the bubble and invest in proactive maintenance to extend its life.

• Spending more dollars on swimmer activities/awards and team building.   Last year we increased spending in this area by 39%. This included an improved website, providing T-shirts for swimmers for special meets, sponsoring the “Splash for Cash” brunch, and additional group get-togethers. Although, we cannot increase this spending every year, we are committed to improving the “MAC experience” for our families.

• Saving dollars to ensure the financial viability of our club. In the last fiscal year (primarily due to deferred maintenance issues), MAC had a loss of $11, 035. We need to be strengthening our financial position to handle any future challenges that come our way—be it infrastructure, staffing, or unplanned expenses.

In 2007/2008 MAC had an exceptional year, finishing second in the Maryland State Championships and breaking numerous club records, establishing a new state record, having swimmers qualify for Nationals, Jr. Nationals, Super Sectionals, Sectionals and Zones. We were recognized as a USA Level 1 Swimming Club. The MAC Board of Directors will continue to mange our finances in a prudent manner that puts our swimmers in the position to succeed.

The new yearly fee structure is as follows. 

Senior Red--$2,000

Senior Black--$1,950

Senior White--$1,700

Age Group 2--$1,500

Age Group 1--$1,400

Novice--$1,000

Prep/Masters--$520

In addition, the Board voted to have a yearly percentage increase of to cover increased operating costs due to the impact of the economy on our program. This will ensure predictability of our cash flow, avoid large increases, and allow families to plan accordingly. We will discuss the percentage amount at the July 23, 2008 Board Meeting

The Board appreciates your support and looks forward to hearing comments. Please send your perspective to: macswiminfo@gmail.com or attend the Wednesday, July 24^th Board meeting. As always we value your feedback, comments and, most importantly, your recommendations on how we can continue to build and improve this outstanding organization for our swimmers.

Congratulations to all coaches and swimmers for their efforts in leading MAC to a second place finish (out of 24 teams) at the Maryland State Championships. NBAC was the first place finisher and Loyola Blakefield finished 3rd. In the girls division, MAC finished in 2nd place, with our boys taking 6th. Here is a link to the complete meet results: http://www.mdswim.org/Full_2008_MD_State_Meet_Results.htm. Check back for more stories on the meet and a photo gallery.

Five of our swimmers won events at the Maryland State Championships. Margot Manning won seven (11/12 girls 50, 100 and 200 free; 50 and 100 breaststroke; and the 100 and 200 IM). Muhammad Hudhud won the 11-12 boys 50 free. Christina Hyrkas is the 11/12 girls state champion in the 200 breaststroke and Angie Marruca the state champion in 9-10 girls 500 free.

We would also like to extend congratulations to the following swimmers who whose efforts lead to achieving new Sectional qualifying times at the championship meet - Kiersten Bell, Christina Hyrkas, Nikki Hyrkas, Ally Long, Margot Manning, and Julie Thackston.  In addition, the relay team of Frank Reidler, Chris Howard, Will Goundry, and Josh Kim also achieved a qualifying time.

MAC swimmers setting new club standards were: Margot Manning (11-12 girls 50 free, 50 breast, and 100 IM records); Hanne Borgersen (13-14 girls 200 free, 13-14 girls and Open 500 free, and the 13-14 girls 1000 free); Christina Hyrkas (11-12 girls 200 breast); Nikki Hyrkas (13-14 girls 1650); Kiersten Bell (17-18 and Open girls 1000 and 1650 free marks); Muhammad Hudhud (11-12 boys 50, 100 free and 100 and 200 breaststroke); and, Artem Shandrenko (13-14 boys 200 free). Three new relay records were also set - the team of Andrew Howard, Ahmed Hegazi, Thomas Colket, and Muhammad Hudhud broke a 14 year old record, winning the 11-12 boys 200 free relay. The 13-14 girls team of Shannon McClellan, Chelsea Rossick, Nikki Hyrkas, and Hanne Borgersen lowered the 400 free relay mark, and the 15-18 girls team of Joanna Yeh, Katelyn Rossick, Kiersten Bell, and Laurel Brabson set a new standard in their 400 free relay.

Monocacy Aquatic Club has achieved Level 1 Certification through USA Swimming's Club Recognition Program.  Our website now displays the logo signifying this accomplishment. This is an important milestone for our club, and we thank Fred Manning, Andy Lehner, and Ellen Colket for working to make this happen.  For more information about the Club Recognition Program, go to the USA Swimming website: http://www.usaswimming.org/usasweb/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=897&Alias=R...