April 9, 2008
After you have hopefully recovered from the exhaustion of the CARIFTA swim meet, attached please find the updated results file for TM as well as updated list of records. As you may have noticed there was an error in the 400 meter Freestyle relay boys 11-12. The Trinidad relay did finish first but their time was 4:06.90 and thus is not a new CARIFTA record.
My apologies for the error and obvious oversight.
Maureen Groters

April 1, 2008
After four days of exciting competitions, the 2008 CARIFTA Swimming Championships came to a happy and very positive end. Our congratulations to the winners, to the finalists, and to all the swimmers who tried so hard to improve their previous performances. To all the participating delegations (14 in total!) a sincere word of appreciation for their support, their confidence and for making CARIFTA 2008 the success that it was.
To the many supporters that traveled to Aruba to support their teams, thank you! You made each day a celebration and created a true Caribbean party atmosphere at the pool.
For all of us at the Aruban Swimming Federation, the CARIFTA 2008 Organizing Committee, the officials and volunteers, and to all those who made the event possible, it was a privilege to welcome you to our island and to celebrate this unique sporting event with you. The high level of competition once again demonstrated the development of swimming within our region and sends a clear signal to the world about the impressive level of performance of our new generation of Caribbean swimmers.
We look forward to continue working together with you towards even greater things for our region, for our countries, for our organizations and – most importantly – for our athletes.
Thank you so much! Masha danki!

Aruban Swimming Federation.
Organizers of the 2008 CARIFTA Swimming Championships.

April 1, 2008
Despues di a disfruta un poco di un dia liber ayera (mi ta spera....), awe nos a get back to reality y "life after CARIFTA"! Prome cu nos tur wordo absorba atrobe pa tur e otro actividadnan cu ya caba ta sperando y pidiendo atencion den bida di cada un di nos, mi no kier a keda sin expresa mi mas sincero aprecio pa e FABULOSO trabou cu boso a hasi pa CARIFTA. Berdad e trabou tabata hopi, berdad nos a pone expectativanan halto pa nos mes, berdad ta cu no tur ora a hanja e cooperacion cu nos lo a desea, pero.... e resultado final tabata un campeonato di nivel TOP, cu resultadonan fabuloso pa nos propio seleccion y pa tur otro landador tambe, y un campeonato cu a laga tur participante masha satisfecho y contento. 
E tabata un privilegio di por a traha cu boso y sigur mi ta spera cu nos lo por tin e oportunidad aki mas biaha den futuro. Nos a demostra cu nos por!
Cada un di boso a traha duro y merece un gradicimento pa esey, pero mi kier menciona specialmente Maureen cu tabata tin e tarea di coordina e parti mas importante - e parti tecnico - di e evento, loke sigur no tabata facil. Asina mes, yuda pa un equipo profesional, e trabou a keda ehecuta na un forma cu lo a hasi organizadornan di Weganan Olimpico mes envidioso.
Na e coordinadornan di e areanan funcional (Marion, Mayens, Stella, Milagros, John, Janine, Ricky, Nelson, Ezzard), na e grupo di Party Animals, na personal di piscina, na e oficialnan tecnico, na e tantisimo voluntarionan cu a yuda, na prensa deportivo, na Eddy Tec, enfin......boso tur hooopi danki.
Na e staff tecnico, e coachnan di nos seleccion - Ismael, Chacon, Randy - boso tabata SUPER y a crea no solamente landadornan di e nivel mas halto di historia di landamento Arubano, pero mas importante a hasi di esaki un berdadero Equipo Nacional! Nos ta orguyoso di boso trabou.
Esnan cu mas elogio merece, sin duda ta e landadornan, cu a get the job done! And what a job that was!! Mas landador di nivel halto, mas record kibra cu nunca, mas puesto den finalnan cu nunca, mas medaya gana cu nunca, wauw, kiko mas nos por pidi!! Sigui bai riba e caminda di exito cu boso a drenta cu tanto entusiasmo y dedicacion.
Tambe den nomber di Presidente Ronald van den Berg mi kier a gradici tur hende cu di un of otro forma a yuda pa a hasi CARIFTA 2008 e exito cu ela bira. Y............ban traha pa otro anja!!!
 
Nicole Hoevertsz
Secretaria General
Arubaanse Zwembond

March 29, 2008
Pictures are finally starting to upload. Enjoy.

March 25, 2008
NATIONAL ANTHEM AND FLAGS
 
While you are preparing to travel to Aruba for the CARIFTA Swimming Championships, we would like to send out a friendly reminder to all Heads of Delegation to bring along a recording (on CD) of the National Anthem, as well as THREE flags of your country. 
In addition we would like to inform you that the immigration forms (ED forms) will be handed out by the airline personnel and must be filled out by each passenger prior to their arrival in Aruba. It was not possible for us to get them to you before your departure, but we are confident that you will have enough time to fill out the forms.
May you have a safe and comfortable trip to Aruba. We are looking forward to greeting you all soon.

DEPARTURE TAX
Please verify your airline tickets to make sure that the departure tax (Passenger Facility Charge) is included in your airfare. The departure tax for Aruba is US $36.75 for all flights traveling to the USA. For all other destinations, the depature tax is US $33.50.
It will further interest you to know that Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport has a U.S. Immigration, as well as a U.S. Customs pre-clearance facility, which will make your travel out of Aruba (when traveling through the USA) more comfortable.
Have a great trip!

March 17, 2008
The Psych Sheets for the XXIII Carifta Swimming Championships are here !!!!!!!!

March 5, 2008
All entries have been received and returned to the countries to verify for possible errors or omissions. We are happy to announce that there will be 14 countries participating with almost 290 athletes. It promises to be another great CARIFTA meet. The following countries will be participating:
Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, French Antilles, Grenada,Guyana, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, US Virgin Islands and of course Aruba. If you have not received your entries for verification please contact Maureen Groters (maureencroes@hotmail.com)

February 23, 2008
The enclosed list contains the names of the Technical Officials that were approved to work during CARIFTA 2008. The names were taken from the entries we received from your technical officials, who had expressed their interest in assisting in making CARIFTA 2008 the great success we all hope it will be. The Organizing Committee has selected first of all those officials who indicated their willingness to work during five or more sessions. We thank all of you for your interest and cooperation.  
May be also remind all your Technical Officials to send us a PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPH, in order for us to prepare their badges.
For organizational and logistical reasons it would also help us very much if you could indicate which of your officials are men and which ones are women (sorry, the names are not always clear). Also if there is any specific preference of officials that have been accepted to work as Technical Officials during CARIFTA to share their room with someone in particular. With this information, we can start pairing up the officials.  

February 23, 2008
As promised you will find in the links & info (left) section the menu's for the lunches that are available to your official delegation members. If the menu's suit your needs, please let us know how many lunches you would like to order each day and we will place your orders. Lunches are available at US$ 10 per person/lunch. If there are any specific dietary needs, we would appreciate being informed of that too.

February 22, 2008
May we please remind you that the final entry date for CARIFTA 2008 is Friday, 29 February 2008. For your convenience we have copied the actual text of the Summons, so as to remind you of the information that we would be expecting to receive of each delegation by next week Friday.
 
FINAL ENTRIES
The Final Entries must be submitted to the Organizing Committee by Friday, February 29, 2008 by 4:00 pm. Swimming entries must be submitted using HY-TEK Software. Final Entries must include the following details:

A.      Name, sex and date of birth of each swimmer.
B.      Events being entered by each swimmer.
C.      Entry time for seeding purposes (swimming only)
D.      Names of Team Officials and the position held by each official
E.      Names of qualified persons and capacity in which they are willing to serve as Meet Officials.
F.      Passport size photographs of each athlete, team and meet official.
G.     Photographs must be submitted in electronic format as .jpg files. Each picture (.jpg file) must specify the full name
and Country of the competitor. Photographs must also be compressed in Zip format for efficient transmission. The zip file must be labeled with the name of the Country and discipline. Please submit separate zip files for each discipline.
H.      A profile of each swimmer, team and meet official. Profiles should include National and International achievements.
I.         Details of arrival and departure of all swimmers, team and meet officials(See attached form on the left)
J.       Despite entry submission in electronic format a team or meet manager’s printout, signed by the President or General Secretary of the Federation with the Association’s stamp affixed must be faxed (+297 587 3023) or sent to the Organizing Committee Organizing Committee by the deadline date of Friday, February 29, 2008.
We look forward to receiving your final entries and related information and thank you in advance for your cooperation.

February 22, 2008
Please be informed that the Organizing Committee of Carifta 2008 is prepared to offer assistance with a lunch package for your delegations. The lunches that we can arrange for all interested delegations (only for those members of the delegations that are officially accredited) will be served at the pool upon completion of the morning sessions and are available at a cost of US$ 10 per person per day.
For those interested we can send you a menu upon request of the different meals that are being offered. Special menus (vegetarian or other) are available as well.   
Looking forward to receiving your reply.

February 14, 2008
The Hy-Tek zip file with the CARIFTA 2008 meet events is ready for download. Click on the link on the left.

February 9, 2008
Dear colleagues,
Award ceremonies and protocol procedures are important parts of any sports competition and in particular very meaningful moments for athletes and their countries. For the upcoming CARIFTA championships, we would like to remind all participating delegations to bring along with them THREE identical flags (one to be displayed at the pool and two for medal ceremonies), as well as a recording on CD of the National Anthem of your country. Without your cooperation we unfortunately can not guarantee the quality of the protocol aspects that we would like to offer all participants in the CARIFTA Championships. We therefore hope to be able to count on your support.

February 7, 2008
The Supporters' Package is ready for download.

January 28, 2008
It is our great pleasure to inform you that FINA has approved the 2008 CARIFTA Swimming Championships as a meet where swimmers van achieve the FINA 'A' and 'B' Swimming Qualifying Standard Times for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
This positive news will certainly be an even bigger and important incentive for all swimmers from the Caribbean region (and perhaps even beyond!) to come to Aruba for the CARIFTA Championships.
You will also find enclosed the logo for the 2008 CARIFTA Championships, which you are free to use. The pantone colors that are used are PMS blue 072 and PMS 355.
We would like to inform you at the same time that we will have merchandise with the CARIFTA logo for sale during the event
.
January 24, 2008
Very important !!!!! On the left you'll find the Entry Requirements for Aruba. We advice you to take good notice of this information. In particular those countries that require a visa to come to Aruba are advised to start the application process as soon as possible. We can be of assistance in facilitating the process with the DIMAS and with the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but only if we receive your (complete!) information soon.
For questions or additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

January 13, 2008
The Carifta 2008 Official Web Site is finally here. We'll try to keep you as much informed as possible. Click on the links on the left to get the info.