However, it is not just the competitive athlete who benefits from RAM coaching. RAM sponsors and staffs stroke clinics for people of all ages and abilities several times yearly. In addition, RAM athletes volunteer their time as coaches for swim teams in and around Raleigh. Since RAM is a volunteer organization, RAM athletes serve countless hours of their time helping swimmers.

ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

A major RAM effort each year is to host the North Carolina Masters State Swimming Championships for swimmers across NC and surrounding states. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase our great city to visiting swimmers. Despite many hours of volunteers' time, this swim meet is expensive for RAM. Pool rental and timing equipment alone for the two day meet runs in the thousands of dollars. Custom awards and social programs add to the expense, but are very much appreciated by Masters athletes from across the state.

Due to the quality of the meet, Masters athletes from the southeastern US routinely travel to Raleigh for this event. This year's meet takes place on April 18-19, 2009, at Raleigh's Pullen Park short course pool. If you do not plan on competing at the meet, join us as a volunteer, or consider making a sponsorship donation to be listed in the meet heet sheets.

After the meet's events on Saturday, RAM hosts an annual social event for the RAM participants. All participants are invited to attend as long as the social doesn't sell out. A menu will be posted soon for the social See the meet entry form for the entering the meet (One Event Registrations are available at the registration desk if you are not already a USMS member, and deck seeding of events must be done by 8:10am on Saturday, and 8:45am on Sunday - fees apply to entering the meet and one event registration.)

JOIN RAM

To Swim with RAM at Milbrook Exchange and Pullen Park practices, you must be registered for 2009. The City of Raleigh requires RAM to be insured, and for insurance to be in effect, All Swimmers must be registered. Click on the link in the right hand gray column for Registration Form to download and print RAM's form, please mail it along with your $35 check payable to LMSC for NC to the LMSC registrar. If you are a potentially new swimmer, you may swim with RAM twice as a trial before registering. You can also register online and pay your 2009 registration fees by going to the USMS website for NC registrations, please make sure you select NCMS as the club and RAM as the workout group, Click here for North Carolina - registrations online Thank you

Note, RAM normally would practice at Optimist Park Pool, however during Optimist's renovation phase, those practices are held are at Millbrook Exchange Park Pool on Spring Forest Road. Optimist Park is scheduled to reopen and our first practice will be in early June, 2009.