Happy Sunday, Piranha Nation!!

Congrats on an excellent Time Trials meet! Results and our first ladder are attached! On the results you will see some swimmers with a DQ. Please don’t be discouraged! It is very, very, early in the season and everyone is rusty. Our beloved coaches were watching and taking notes (and will check DQ slips) so they can work with swimmers on specific issues. Most are super easy to fix! That said, we had fun, and we hope swimmers & their families did too 🙂 Lots of info to cover for this week and next, but a couple important things first!

• Starting with the B meet tomorrow, and for the remainder of the season referees will start enforcing some important rules at meets:

• Swimmers may not wear athletic tape while they are swimming. If you have questions let us know.
  
  • Swimmers may not wear caps with logos from other teams. We know that we haven’t gotten this year’s caps out yet (coming this week!). If your swimmer has to wear a cap from another team please turn it inside out.
  • Swimmers may not wear suits that tie, zip, etc.
  • Swimmers generally may not wear shirts (including rash guards) while racing. This applies to boys and girls. If you have a modesty concern, or otherwise, please let us know and we can talk about how to handle that with the NVSL.
  • All of the above are part of the USA Swimming and NVSL rules. We would never want a swimmer to have a great race only to be DQed for a gear violation. We also don’t want swimmers to be shaken or embarrassed by having to change at a meet!
• WE NEED MORE HELP!! Our concessions team needs more help! We have added extra slots for the B meet tomorrow, but we need people to grill, to take orders, and to take money. This will make the process faster and much more efficient for everyone. We also need more hands to help clean up at concessions. We were there a solid 2 hours after the meet yesterday. Many hands make light work and we need some of yours!
• On Saturday June 22, we are in need of someone to run the computer at the home A meet. You do not need formal training. But both of our experienced data people are unavailable and we need help! We will teach you what to do. It would be extremely helpful if you can come to the B meet tomorrow and the A meet next Saturday to learn from our experts.
• Okay now the fun stuff. Please keep reading!

WEEK 3: June 10 – June 15

Practice:

AFTER SCHOOL PRACTICES continue Tuesday – Wednesday, same schedule (no practice Monday due to B meet.)

• 13+up: 4:00 – 5:00pm
• 9–12: 5:00 – 6:00pm
• 8+under: 5:45 – 6:30pm
• Please remember that 8 and under swimmers may not be dropped off for practice without a caregiver. Older siblings must be 13+ to qualify as a supervisor for younger siblings. This is for your swimmer(s) safety. For older swimmer(s) please use your judgment about whether you should drop off or stay.

Morning Practices and LPs start Thursday June 13

• 13+: 7:30am-9:00am
• 9-12: 8:45-10:00am
• 8 and under: 9:45-10:30
• Little Piranhas: 10:00-10:30 OR 10:30-11:00 (we will assign to groups)

• Please remember that 8 and under and Little Piranha swimmers may not be dropped off for practice without a caregiver. Older siblings must be 13+ to qualify as a supervisor for younger siblings. This is for your swimmer(s) safety. For older swimmer(s) please use your judgment about whether you should drop off or stay.

B MEET

• June 10: B Meet #1 vs Hollin Meadows @ MHC: 6:00pm. Swimmers arrive NLT 4:45. Warmups @ 5:00. Set up volunteers arrive 4:30 (if possible) Other volunteers arrive NLT 5:30 (first shift) or 6:45 (second shift).
• SO MANY volunteer slots left! We know it is hard on Mondays (especially with school still in session) Thanks to those who have already signed up. We still need: 1 Stroke and Turn judge for B shift (must be NVSL trained last year or this year), 1 Marshal for B shift, Assistant Clerk of Course for both shifts, LOTS MORE Concessions help (like lots), 2 more people for Data (no experience necessary), 2 more runners for B shift (more runners=faster meet, no actual running necessary), and at least 2 more people to help with set up. Sign up HERE!
• Swimmers: NOTE that although SwimTopia might indicate meet entries are closed, this is just for data management. Undeclared/un-entered swimmers may absolutely still swim! Let a rep know, or just arrive & coaches can write you in.
• Suggested pack list: team suit, or green or black suit; team cap (NO caps with other team logos allowed); 2 towels; healthy snacks & lots of water; sunscreen, optional hat/sunglasses; card games or travel activities; spirit wear & green accessories.
• Once the meet begins, swimmers must stick to the team area so they don't miss an event or slow the meet down. This is a safety issue. Parents if your kid comes to find you, make sure they told a coach where they are and then return them to the team area ASAP. Oh hey, this one’s important so we’ll say it again: Swimmers, stick to the team area! Let a coach know if you leave!
• Swimmers can leave the meet when they are finished swimming. HOWEVER, please let a coach know you are leaving before you go.
• Leave cell phones/electronics/valuables at home, or keep them secured inside your bags. We cannot be responsible for any valuables in the team area.
• Concessions will be open! Please visit and eat. Please be sure that your swimmers save candy or soda for AFTER they finish swimming. Please also be sure to send your swimmer back to the team area to eat.
• One more note about the team area: Parents must NOT be in the team area unless they have signed up on the volunteer slot for a “team parent” if you want to help out! Otherwise please keep your kids in and yourself out! (It is a crowd control and safety issue).
• Safety note: Photos and videos are NOT ALLOWED behind the start (so behind the timers or at the far end of the pool in the 25m events). Please move to the side to take photos and videos. It’s a better view anyway!

Pep Rally

• June 14: Pep Rally: Wild West!, 6-8pm.

• Pot Luck Dinner! Bring a dish to share. Bring water or Gatorade for your swimmer(s). Please no soda.
• Last Name A-H (Side – veggies, fruit, etc)
• Last Name I-O (Dessert – cookies, brownies, etc)
• Last Name P-Z (Main – meat, pasta, etc)
• Dress in your finest western wear! Come eat, play games, participate in the costume contest, and bond with the team! Everyone (including LPs) welcome! This is not just for A meet swimmers!
• We will also be decorating cars for the caravan to the A meet!
• Please note that this is NOT a drop off event for swimmers 10 and under. Stick around and meet/mingle with other parents. It makes swim team way more fun.
• Clean up!! Please be sure that your swimmers clean up after themselves and that you do as well. It is not the lifeguards’ job to clean up after us. If you don’t clean up we will not be able to continue to have these fun events!

A Meet

• June 15: A Meet #1 vs. Villa Gorillas @ Villa Aquatic: Caravan from MHC exact time tbd but around 7:00am. Selected swimmers only; more information to come as to who is swimming and what you need to know. Please mark availability now and no later than Tuesday. Watch your email on Thursday for a notice of whether/what your swimmer may be swimming! If your swimmer cannot attend (no matter their age group or level, excluding Little Piranhas), please mark that in SwimTopia TODAY.

WEEK 4: June 17 – June 22

Practice:

Morning Practices

• 13+: 7:30am-9:00am
• 9-12: 8:45-10:00am
• 8 and under: 9:45-10:30
• Little Piranhas: 10:00-10:30 OR 10:30-11:00 (we will assign to groups)

• Please remember that 8 and under and Little Piranha swimmers may not be dropped off for practice without a caregiver. Older siblings must be 13+ to qualify as a supervisor for younger siblings. This is for your swimmer(s) safety. For older swimmer(s) please use your judgment about whether you should drop off or stay.

Afternoon Practices

• Tuesday-Thursday: All ages EXCEPT LPs. 5:00-6:00pm
• Sign-up on Swimtopia and update there if you cannot come. Please do not just no-show
• No coaches in the water at these practices, so plan accordingly based on your swimmer(s) skill level.
• Please remember that 8 and under swimmers may not be dropped off for practice without a caregiver. Older siblings must be 13+ to qualify as a supervisor for younger siblings. This is for your swimmer(s) safety. For older swimmer(s) please use your judgment about whether you should drop off or stay.

B MEET

• June 17 -B Meet #2 vs Riverside Gardens @MHC: 5pm warmups. Information to come. Mark availability HERE.
• Wear green and white and come ready to cheer and help.
• Warm-ups at 5:00pm, meet starts at 6:00pm
• MARK SWIMMER AVAILABILITY and select swimmer events as soon as possible! Same link, different meet, super easy. This is the single most significant thing you can do to support reps & coaches – thanks in advance! 😊
• MARK VOLUNTEER AVAILABILITY while you’re there. Basically, ditto. Meets don’t happen without volunteers.
• Not sure what to bring or what your swimmer needs? Check Meets 101 on SwimTopia! Lots of great info there.
• June 18- Team Pictures! Brush your teeth and comb your hair! We will need a few parents to assist the photographer. She typically offers a discount so sign up early on Swimtopia to help! No practice after photos.
• June 21 - Pep Rally: Disney! @ 6pm. Potluck. Information to come.
• June 22 - A Meet #2 vs. Lakeview @ MHC: 8am warmups. Select swimmers only. Please mark availability now! Details next week.

REMINDERS AND YOUR TO-DO LIST! Lucky you, we make it easy. All you have to do is…

• MARK SWIMMER AVAILABILITY if you haven’t already. Help us out and click here now to mark swimmer availability for future meets. No answer = not available = not swimming. (For A meets and relays. B meets can just show up!)
• MARK VOLUNTEER AVAILABILITY while you’re there. Like what you did at Time Trials? Awesome, do it again! Want to try a different volunteer post? Also awesome – check out descriptions right here.
• Pool use before 11am when the pool opens: Kids are NOT ALLOWED in the main pool outside of practice until the pool opens at 11am. No kids or adults in the main pool outside of practice until the pool opens at 11am. This includes lap swimming for adults. No exceptions. There are no lifeguards and we could be significantly fined by the county. Kids 6 and under can swim in the baby pool ONLY with direct parent supervision.
• Get familiar with the SwimTopia website! Chances are, answers and clarifications can be found there—swim meets 101, volunteer job descriptions, pep rally descriptions, full season calendar, team handbook. Don’t see it there? Let us know – we’re always revising.

This is important so we will say it again: Post-Event Clean-Up: Whether it's an A Meet, a B Meet, a Pep Rally, or a team breakfast and whether you stay till the end or leave as your swimmer is finished, PLEASE REMEMBER:

• How we leave our team area/the pavilion is a direct reflection of who we are. ALL SWIMMERS should leave their immediate areas free of trash and looking orderly.
• Clean up is our responsibility and not that of the lifeguards. This goes for all swim team events. Please be respectful.

We’re loving the chance to get to know new families and reconnect with returning swimmers. Thanks for making it fun so far!