Due to the complexity of securing a venue for our 7th Annual SFS Youth Triathlon, we have decided to postpone our race to later summer or early Fall. We apologize that this is not only a change in venue but also a change in scheduling, but this was an unavoidable outcome. To schedule a late May race now would be hectic and would sacrifice the quality of our experience. Wee have all intentions of holding a 2013 race, but until we have secured a SAFE, accessible and fun venue that can accommodate over 1,000 kids and spectators in the Triangle area, we can’t set a date for our event. We are diligently working with UNC (still a potential location) as well as a few select venues to partner with. We will announce any progress here on the site as well as on our Facebook page as soon as we have something definitive.
Again, we apologize for the inconvenience but we promise a safe and exciting race even if we have to keep postponing it to get there.
For the second year in a row, the Swim for Smiles Foundation is participating in the Chapel Hill Holiday Parade scheduled for 10 a.m. this Saturday, December 8th.
We want you to come march with us in the parade from 10 a.m. to Noon. We’ll have kids representing all three parts of a triathlon (you pick where you want to be).
Swimmers (bring your goggles – we’ll supply swim caps)
Bikers (bring your bike)
Runners (wear winter running gear!)
We have plenty of FREE Swim for Smiles t-shirts for you to put on over your clothes and we’ll supply tons of candy for you to throw to kids along the parade route.
Interested? Just show up in Chapel Hill at the intersection of Franklin Street and Henderson Street (in front of McAlister’s Deli) at 9:30 a.m. THIS SATURDAY!!! See you there!
Top fundraising boy Henry Benjamin excited about iPad prize
We just wanted to share with SFS supporters a picture of Henry Benjamin, top fundraising boy during this year’s Swim for Smiles FUNDays of Summer!
Every summer, the swim teams of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area participate in the Swim for Smiles FUNDays of Summer. The top fundraising boy and girl receive a grand prize (this year it was the new iPad), and the winning team receives the Wacky Relay Day trophy and an ice cream party sponsored by TCBY.
Congrats again to both fundraising champs — Henry and Daisy (check out Daisy’s story here) — and thanks for all your hard work!
Follow Swim for Smiles on Twitter and see what we’re up to on Facebook!
You guessed it: we’ve mapped out each of the three running courses for RunFest located on the UNC Chapel Hill campus near Hooker and Fetzer Fields! Check it out:
1K Map
3K Map
5K Map
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
You can also find this information and more about RunFest — everything from registration information to way to get involved — here: http://swimforsmiles.org/events/runfest/
We’re really excited to officially launch the Swim for Smiles RunFest, which will take place at UNC’s campus on Dec. 16!
RunFest is the first and only road race intended for all ages:
The 1K race (0.62 miles) is designed for kids ages 10 and under
The 3K race (1.68 miles) is designed for kids ages 18 and under
The 5K race (3.1 miles) is designed for ALL ages — parents and kids — and yes, parents feel free to run with your kids for this race
Proceeds from the race benefit the UNC Burn Center as well as the North Carolina Children’s Hospital.
So why do we call it RunFest?
We want this race to combine the thrill of a road race with the fun, family-friendly festivities that you’re accustomed to if you’ve ever attended our annual triathlon. Whether you come as a participant or as a cheerleader, we’re united in our support of kids helping kids!
Despite the fact that this year’s Wacky Relay Day fell on Friday the 13th (WoooOOooOOOoooo), the relays and festivities took place without a hitch!
In fact, the swim teams that participated in the event raised more than $20,000 for the N.C. Children’s Hospital!
A special round of congrats goes out to Henry Benjamin & Daisy Mozgala, the two winners of the new iPad, for raising the most money during the SFS FUNDays of Summer!
Wacky Relay Day, sponsored by SFS, is an opportunity for everyone swim and have fun at the Koury Natatorium, one week prior to the Summer Champs. Some of the relays that day included a
Noodle Relay
Pyramid Relay (kids from each age group on one relay team)
Wacky Stroke Relay
Parent/Child Relay
Thanks to all the swimmers and Swim for Smiles supporters that participated in all the festivities — and good luck at Summer Champs!
Many of you attended this year’s 6th Annual Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon and got to experience the King BMX Stunt Team‘s phenomenal performance during the race!
We’re so happy that they were able to come out and help us support the kids and entertain to the community during the Finish Line Festival.
Check out the picture gallery above for some of their awesome stunts and you won’t be surprised to find out that in April, King BMX was approached by NBC’s hit show America’s Got Talent to audition. On America’s Got Talent, you’ll see them as “American BMX Stunt Team” and they made it to the LIVE shows (Semi-Finals) in NYC.
Join us in showing your support by voting for them on Monday, July 2 at 8:30PM EST on NBC. Watch Keith King and his posse of 10 professional BMX, inline skate, and scooter athletes perform, and then VOTE when the show provides the call-in number!
Like ‘em on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and watch their video below:
It’s about that time again for the summer swim teams of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area to participate in the Swim for Smiles “FUNDays of Summer” (check out the Fundraising Calendar for specific dates).
SFS FUNDays are events where kids of the swim teams get to help raise money for the NC Children’s Hospital. SFS provides the teams with envelopes for each child to collect donations throughout the swim season and a thermometer rally board to keep track of team totals for a dinner out, provided by SFS, for each team to thank them for their hard work.
A special event that happens at the end of “FUNDays of Summer” is a day of crazy relays called Wacky Relay Day, sponsored by SFS, where everyone gets a chance to come swim and have fun at the Koury Natatorium, one week prior to the Summer Champs. Some of the relays that day include a
Noodle Relay
Pyramid Relay (kids from each age group on one relay team)
Wacky Stroke Relay
Parent/Child Relay
It’s just a great way for SFS to say thank you to all the kids and families for their hard work. Each team’s fundraising totals will be announced at Champs after the morning session. The top fundraising boy and girl will receive the new iPad, and the winning team will receive the Wacky Relay Day trophy and an ice cream party sponsored by TCBY.
Any swimmer who raises at least $25 get an SFS Summer FUNDays t-shirt!
This is a great annual event that gets the kids excited about helping other kids in their community — and that what Swim for Smiles is all about: Kids Helping Kids!
The Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon wouldn’t be The Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon if it weren’t for the hard work friends, family, volunteers, community businesses, Chapel Hill and Carrboro town officials — and especially the kids — put into making this event an amazing success.
In all this celebrating, let’s not forget those that have helped spread the word about the triathlon — and even showed up to help us document all the fun and energy.
The Swim for Smiles Team would like to say thanks to all the news organizations that came out on Sunday to support us!
Here’s a snapshot of their coverage:
From News 14 Carolina
Huge thanks to News 14 Carolina’s Linnie Supall who captured the heart of the triathlon on video and wrote up a story on the event. Find the story and watch the video here.
Are you a news organization that covered the Swim for Smiles Youth Triathlon? Let us know! Email nc@swimforsmiles.org so that we can feature your news stories, too!
It’s about that time again for the summer swim teams of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area to participate in the Swim for Smiles “FUNDays of Summer” (check out the 
