Good afternoon Piranhas families!

Thank you to all of our swim families and especially our volunteers for a great start to our season with Time Trials yesterday. The meet results are available on our website under the Meets and Events tab.

Meet versus Belmont Sharks on June 15

For all swim team members, our first competitive meet will be held at the Belmont Community Association pool this Saturday, June 15. 

• You must declare your swimmer's events by Wednesday, June 12. Minis swimmers should not declare for the meet.
• The theme for the meet will be Pajama Party
• Each swimmer may declare for up to 3 individual events for the meet. Please reach out to Coach Sabine if you have questions about what events to sign up for.
• Swimmers must be legal in the events they sign up for. Coaches may remove swimmers from events like breaststroke, butterfly or individual medley if the swimmer has not demonstrated that he or she can swim the event legally. If you have questions about whether or not your swimmer is legal to swim in an event, please reach out to Coach Sabine.
• Relays are group races that occur at the end of meets if time allows. They are a lot of fun both for the participants and the spectators. A couple of important reminders around relay races.
  • Relay teams are selected by the coaches.
  • There is no sign up to swim in a relay team. If you know that your swimmer cannot participate in a relay at the end of the meet, please select Not available for any relays when declaring for the meet. This will let the coaching staff know to not include your swimmer on any relay teams for that meet.
  • If your swimmer is selected for a relay, please make sure he/she stays to participate in the race. It is very difficult to adjust relay rosters at the last minute, and one swimmer dropping often results in the entire relay team having to scratch from the event.
  • If unexpected circumstances arise and he/she cannot swim in the relay, please let Coach Sabine or a board member know as soon as possible so that we can try to make adjustments.

Questions on how to sign up your swimmer or volunteer for a meet? Check out this help article for detailed instructions or reach out to a board member with any additional questions

Other notes on meets

A few other reminders to families for meets going forward:

• Please have your swimmers check in as soon as they arrive to the meet. This helps our clerks of course know who is present when lining up the swimmers for events. 
• It is critical the swimmers check in on time. There is a lot of work involved to set lanes assignments and finalize heats between the time swimmer's check in and the time the meet starts. If swimmers check in late they may not be able to swim in the meet.
• Volunteers should also check in as soon as they arrive to the meet. You need to check in to ensure you get credit for your volunteer hours.
• Please make sure you honor your volunteer commitments. If unexpected circumstances arise, let a board member know as soon as possible so that we can find a substitute.
• If your swimmer cannot swim in one or more events that he/she initially signed up for, please let a board member or coach know as soon as possible. We understand that unexpected changes in plans can happen, but it's imperative that our clerks know when swimmers are absent so that we can adjust our event lineups.
• If your swimmer is not swimming they are not allowed in the pool. No exceptions.
• DO NOT photograph or record your swimmer from behind the blocks. This is a safety rule for our swimmers. You are welcome to take pictures from the spectator areas on the sides of the pool but not from the pool ends where swimmers enter and exit the pool.
• Finally, a word about courtesy when it comes to our pool and our neighbors' pools. There is a principle in Boy Scouts called Leave No Trace that states that you should leave an environment exactly as you found it. It is imperative that our swimmers follow this same principle at swim meets. Please ensure that you clean up any food wrappers or other trash off the pool deck before you leave. It is important that we treat our pool facilities and other communities' facilities with respect as it reflects on our team, our parents and our community. Parents, please make sure your swimmers are cleaning up after themselves and are respectful of the pools we compete in.

8 and under Ice Cream Social

All team and minis swimmers aged 8 and under are invited to attend an Ice Cream Social on Monday June 10 from 5 - 6pm at the Community Center Pool. This will take the place of regular practice for both age groups. Swimmers will play games in the grass/picnic area and enjoy ice cream, all while getting to know one another and the coaches.

Practices

Our afternoon practices continue for team members Monday through Friday at the Community Center pool. Please see the times below:

Practice Reminders

• Do not go up to your swimmer or a coach during practice
• Bring all your equipment to practice. This includes goggles, fins and a cap or at least a hair tie for long hair
• Do not record/video practices - you can record/video your swimmer in a meet but not at practice
• During practices and swim meets, swimmers (and their siblings) are NOT allowed in the shallow end of the pool or in the baby pool. This is a safety issue as there are no lifeguards on duty during our practices

Weather alerts

Our new website allows us to send alert notifications directly to team members via the SwimTopia mobile app. In the event of thunderstorms, if we need to cancel practices we will send out mobile alerts as well as emails. Please download the mobile app to ensure you get these notifications. Make sure notifications are enabled for the app!

Volunteer needs

We have several season-long volunteer chair positions available for the season. It is critical that we fill these roles in order for the upcoming swim season to run smoothly. Volunteer chairs and co-chairs automatically meet their volunteer hour commitment for the entire season, and there is lots of support to help newcomers understand the role and responsibilities.

If any families currently enrolled or waiting to enroll are interested, please reach out to Kate Amstutz.

Open roles

• Clerk of course
• Facilities chair
• Concessions
• Computer operators