hi Poolsharks - happy last week of school (or almost last week of school for our Paideia & Dekalb students). 

First - I realize this may be a TLDR email, so please just do the best you can staying informed and this is a no judgement zone during this very busy time of year and so many emails.  

The rhythm of Poolsharks season is about to shift as we are now in meets season starting with our Time Trials this Tuesday and about to begin morning practices. Time Trials is typically our highest attended meet of the season as most families are still in town and have not started sleepwaway camps etc (228 of our Poolsharks = 80% of the team will be racing this week).

We want to especially thank each of our parents - from navigating May's busy schedule to get your kids to practice, to volunteering for Time Trials, to organizing and hosting age group parties that have been a blast - our team is as strong as our parent involvement - I am very thankful for each of you giving your time, talents & resources to make our team possible!

Things to look for at Time Trials on Tuesday
Sportsmanship - this is the #1 goal for every single swim meet - one way we do this is the expectation (except for relay swimmers 1-2-3), swimmers stay in the water until ALL swimmers are finished - then they give a fist bump/good job/high five to their swimmers left & right

We will have 6 'HOT HEATS' led by Erin Brewster.  

Order of events for Time Trials: 

#0 Starfish 

relays for all age groups (free relay for 6U, medley relay for ages 7-18)

individual free

individual back

individual breast

individual fly

(no IM's or free relays at the end)

Please be aware of your children at meets - they should be in their Age Group bullpens during the meet but if your child is having a hard time listening, keeping hands to self, etc - parents should also volunteer/be close by to the age group bullpen to help your child be their best self. Coaches will be coaching and not managing children off deck - please do not allow your kids to run wild - this is not safe nor a positive environment. If your kid misses a race, this is a learning opportunity for being aware & responsible with natural consequence and they will be more ready next time. We will not make up missed races, even if they are 5 or 6 years old.

Parking Parking is always challenging during swim meets. For time trials the parking lot is open, but for all dual meets, it is reserved for the visiting team. We will have an officer at the pool starting at 3:45pm to help with crossing Scott Blvd. If you park on a neighborhood street, do NOT block driveways or mailboxes.

Concessions - Poolshark parents Sybil & Robbie McCullar do an amazing job and will have everything from CFA & Raging Burrito, to pizza burgers hotdogs and BBQ - venmo & cash for payments.You can support the Poolsharks with a donation to the concession stand! Popular items include: Gatorade, Canned Sodas, Fizzy Waters, chips, or baked goods such as brownies, cookies, or cupcakes. Candy is also a big hit! If you bake, please wrap each item individually. Just stop by to drop off & donate to the Concession Stand on your way into the meet. Thank you!  All proceeds go directly back to the team.

Spirit Wear Pickup and 6 year towels & silver V swim caps - these items will all be available for pickup/purchase at the Concessions area (the 3 seasons bag & 6 seasons parkas have not yet arrived).  

Dress warm for the meet (2 towels ideally) because it will get cool as the sun goes down

Please show up to the meet if you declared YES - one child missing will affect their entire age group of 20+ kids because almost everyone is in a relay.

Time Trials Volunteer training At 5:15pm there will be 2 volunteer meetings: a timers meeting (for all timers, finish judges, runners) at the computer operator area and a bullpen (for all age group bullpens, head bullpen, bouncer) meeting near the snack shack. If you are not signed up for these shifts but would like to hear about the jobs, please plan to attend—especially great for new families. Meetings will be quick but informative! We are still short several important volunteer jobs, including timers. We have to staff 2x as many timers at time trials since we don't have another team. If you have swimmer(s) and are NOT signed up for a job, please consider signing up HERE.

Declare YES/NO for Meet 1 - home May 27th vs Briarcliff/Sagamore HERE. Starfish can swim at this meet because it is HOME. Deadline to declare each week is the Wednesday night 11:59 pm before.

BUDDIES - we will release buddies later this week and have them ready for Meet 1 (no official buddies for Time Trials)

Private lessons with poolshark coaches HERE

Crack of Dawn Memorial Day practice - potluck breakfast signup HERE. Parent practice signup HERE (all levels welcome). Practice & details below.

Time Trials Timeline & swim cap expectation

Poolsharks MUST either wear the silver V team cap or if their hair is not bothersome, no cap. This is part of representing our team.

We will be doing best time 'speeding bullets' but will not be doing ribbons for Time Trials.

Timeline:

4:00 - 4:15 all swimmers arrive at the pool in this window and find their age group bullpens.

4:30 - 4:40 warmups for our 6U/8U kids

4:40 - 4:50 warmups for our 9-10 kids

4:50 - 5:00 warmups for our 11-12 kids

5:00 - 5:10 warmups for our 13-18 kids

5:15 (timer & volunteer meeting)

5:15 - 5:20 team meeting & team picture (near the dirt basketball court)

5:20 TEAM CHEER (P-O-O-L-S-H-A-R-K-S)

5:25 ALL Starfish in Event #0 will head straight to the blocks (coaches will be with them to swim the length together with a kickboard/coaches arms)

5:25 all 6U & 7-8 kids go to their relay positions (this will feel hectic!!!)

5:30 pm Event #0

5:30 pm Event #99 6U free relay

5:35 pm ages 7-18 medley relays

6:15 pm individual races (free, back, breast, fly) - swimmers are welcome to stay or leave after their last race.

8:45 pm Meet Ends

Practice Updates

Mon May 19 - regular practice

Tues May 20 - time trials schedule

Wed May 21 - regular practice

Thurs May 22 - regular practice

Mon May 27 - Crack of Dawn practice (my favorite practice of the year)

Tues May 28 - summer AM practice schedule begins & Dual Meet #1 in the PM

About 50% of the team is still in town for Memorial Day and we have a lot of fun. We need everything from setter uppers & servers, to smoothie ingredients, bacon, burritos, bagels, fruit, & plates.

This is a great time for families to connect as we have a potluck breakfast during all practices times, signup HERE

Crack of Dawn Practice Times:

6:15 - 7 am ages 9-12

7 - 8 am ages Starfish/6U/8U

8 - 9 am ages 13-18

9 - 9:45 parent practice (all levels welcome) signup HERE (no equipment needed, just your suit & goggles).  Last year we had 29 parents sign up!

Tues May 28 - morning practices begin - website info HERE -(yes we practice on meet mornings).

Summer practices Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri (yes we practice Friday AM)

Starfish/6U/8U, 8:15 - 9 am

9 - 12, 9 - 10 am

13 - 18, 10 - 11 am

Wed summer mornings - we call this Donut Wednesdays - we start 30 minutes later as meets can be LATE nights and kids/parents/coaches may need a little more sleep in time.

Starfish/6U/8U, 8:45 - 9:30

9 - 12, 9:30 - 10:15 (45 minutes)

10:15 - 11 (45 minutes)

Have Fun, Race Hard, Do Your Best, Go Poolsharks!

- Beth