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Gold River Messenger

More Showers Bring Stingray Flowers

May 24, 2019 12:00AM ● By By Jan Float

The mini-Rays are ready to flower. Photo courtesy Stingrays

GOLD RIVER, CA (MPG) - May has brought our local Stingray flowers into full bloom. Their soil has been mulched and fertilized, an array of butter “flyers” has pollinated these florets, and the team’s California poppies’ color is now vibrant. So what’s going to happen when the raindrops stop and the rising temps start? Not to worry. There’ll be plenty of water splashing around to sprinkle these chromatic plantings. Then sit back to watch as the Stingrays, those gardeners-in-training, go swimming around the Maypole … and continue to soak up the benefits from fresh-cut dryland training: strength, conditioning, core, and flexibility. Ahh, what it means to be Alive & Thrive!  

On May 11, team Time Trials were conducted at the Gold River Sports Club. All athletes implanted their seed times and measured root depth. Already surprisingly prolific, it doesn’t take a landscape architect to see how fruitful this Spring & Summer will be!

Equipped with their own dig-in tools, the Mini-Rays, five- to seven-year-old rosebuds, are busy little bees, swimming in May and three times in June, right in their backyard flowerbed. Following these May Days, they’re sprouting up to join the stronger, taller Stingrays. We can all learn a lesson from the blossoming Minis. After a 25-yard row to hoe, each one lives in the moment, smiles from the fruits of his/her labor, and takes time to smell the roses. So sweet … and so true!   

Unlike rolling stones that gather no moss, our local athletes are firmly embedded with the team, yet must stay in perpetual motion, cultivating speed and technique by weeding out that which stands in their way. Throughout June, this constant tilling of the eight-lane field will surely overflow adjacent pots and saucers. How about four dual meets and two invitationals? Dig in, plow down, pull up and come out with a spray of rainbowed ribbons. Braving the bitter wind-chill factor, depicted here are six Mini-Rays clutching their ribbon bouquets. Don’t let the cuteness overload fool you; they’re determined to add many more. 

If you’re a resident in close proximity to the club, heed this advisory warning: For those four Saturdays in June, should you sense early-morning rumblings or slight tremors, they’re not even 2.5 on the Richter scale … they’re merely home swim meets. Well over 500 gardeners assemble to shake it up!  Swimmers churn through the gold riverbed, slam mightily into the wall, and gather multi-colored ribbons. Coaches create vibrational energy when hollering for their athletes’ times to go down the storm drains. Johnny-jump-ups. Parental volunteers activate the drip system, stop poolside to shout for exciting races, and everyone congratulates the swimmers on personal-best forget-me-nots.

It’s loud. It’s earth-shattering. It’s fun. It’s hard work. It’s growing. And it’s paying off in gardeners’ spades. As Gold River’s swimming centerpiece, the delicate Spring flowers usher in strong Summer black-and-gold sunflowers. Entering Woodland, the site of this year’s Championships, you’ll notice 3,000 acres of sunflower orchards. An undeniable omen for the Stingrays success at Champs … with forceful use of their Flower Power!    

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