Farmington Family YMCA Stingrays was formed in August, 1997.
Created through the merger of the Michigan Stingray Swim Association (MSSA) and
the Farmington Family YMCA Devil Ray (FDR) swim team, FFYS brought together two
of the longest traditions in amateur swimming in the state of Michigan.
Michigan Stingray Swim Association
was one of the oldest teams in Michigan Swimming, the Local Swim Committee of
United States Swimming. Its history extends over 30 years with many team State
Championships and many individual State and National champions. Michigan
Stingray Swim Association swimmers still hold state records in both individual
and relay events. MSSA had proven
itself to be a trainer of high-level swimmers.
The Farmington Family YMCA Devil
Ray swim team began in the early 1970's. The Devil Rays were among the
strongest Y swim teams in Michigan. In the mid-1990's the FDR team found
themselves with a solid base of young swimmers. Its caring attitude and
nurturing environment proved to be a great opportunity for novice and
developing swimmers.
In the summer of 1997 MSSA joined
the Farmington Family YMCA in order to better serve the community of Farmington
Hills and the surrounding area. This merger brought a renewed strength and
direction to competitive swimming in the area. The combined team is now called
the Farmington Family YMCA Stingrays (FFYS). This team has brought with it the
best of what both FDR and MSSA had to offer. Swimmers have the opportunity to
swim in a greater variety of swim meets and strive to achieve their personal
best. The success of this team shows. FFYS has grown from 70 to nearly 150 swimmers. The 2004-2005
season saw FFYS crown its first National Champion at the YMCA Long Course
National Meet. Also, relay
teams scored and FFYS placed in the Top 25, both “firsts” for the team at a
National Meet. The motto of the Y
is "Everybody Swims, Everybody Wins." This winning attitude shows in
all levels of the program.
One of the many distinct
advantages we have is our relationship with the Farmington YMCA and the
Farmington Public Schools. Younger swimmers practice at the YMCA, which
provides a "home base" for swimmers and families alike, nurturing a
feeling of community. The Farmington Public Schools is supportive in working
with FFYS and the YMCA to provide the necessary pool time for our advanced
swimmers. New families to FFYS will find a warm welcome! We are a
community-based team with a sense of family and purpose that goes beyond
raising fast swimmers. We try to nurture the whole swimmer.
Each year the team has swimmers at every level of competition. We offer a level of swimming competition to meet all of our swimmers' needs, starting with dual meets and invitational meets in the fall and winter, and ending with championship meets in the spring. Championship meets range from the YMCA 8 & Under State Meet to the USA and YMCA Zone Meets all the way to the YMCA National and the US Open Meets.