Swim Team Friends,

We are so proud of you all. What a joy to watch you in the water these past 3 weeks! And now…it’s the real deal. We can’t wait to see you put your “fins” to the test in our 1st swim meet against Hammond Hills on Tuesday, May 31st.

Schedule for 5/31: Away meet against Hammond Hills

• Location: 555 Glenforest Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
• 4:30 PM arrival for swimmers & 1st shift volunteers
• 5:00 PM Barracuda’s warm-up
• 5:30 PM meet start
• 6:30 PM arrival for 2nd shift volunteers

Here’s the run-down:

Meet entries closed on Friday and we have 133 athletes participating in the meet. We’re also hearing that flu, strep, etc is starting to circulate. If your status has changed (swimmer or parent volunteer) please let us know ASAP. Virginia was just diagnosed with the flu this evening and will miss the meet. Please wish her well and wish me luck!

Morning practice resumes on Tuesday (We do practice on meet days): 8:30 AM-9:15 AM 8&Under, 9:15 AM-10:00 AM 9-10, 10:00 AM-10:45 AM 11&Up.

Swimmers

Swimmers should be dressed out in their team swimsuit, team cap and goggles. Upon 4:30 PM arrival for a swim meet, a swimmer’s four basic responsibilities are as follows:

1. Report to their respective bullpen preparation area and let the bullpen volunteer know that they have arrived (bullpen preparation areas are located in the Hammond Hills baby pool area.)
2. Ensure they are marked up by the bullpen volunteer with first name, last name initial, age group, and the events they are swimming (the only exception is 13&Up who will mark themselves)
3. Report on-time to warm-up (begins at 5:00 PM)
4. Once the meet starts, report to the bullpen waiting area at least 5 heats before they are to swim and line up according to heat and lane number (volunteers will be there to assist).

Volunteers

Upon arrival for a swim meet, a volunteer’s three basic responsibilities are as follows:

1. Let the Volunteer Chairperson (Sandy Burt) know they have arrived and obtain a name tag (Sandy will be at the check-in desk at the entrance to the pool)
2. Report any volunteer job concerns or questions to the Volunteer Chairperson
3. Report on-time to designated location for their volunteer job

Side note: Timers, Judges and Coaches will have a brief meeting with the ASA official assigned to our meet around 5:15 PM. Listen for the call to do so.

Spectators

• Shall be gracious (and have fun!) as they cheer on all our Barracudas in a respectful manner
• Shall not engage in loud, intimidating, disrespectful or negative behavior toward officials, athletes, other spectators, support personnel or pool staff

Tips for a Successful Meet

• Wear your Barracudas attire! Team shirts are in and we have some adult merchandise hot off the presses that you can purchase at practice Tuesday morning if interested. Check out Emma Dempsey (7-8 girls) rocking her new tee!

• Bring cash for concessions. Hammond Hills also accepts Venmo.
• Do not put sunscreen on the right/back shoulder blade and left/inside forearm of your swimmer. We write on those areas for each swimmer and the ink will not transfer if you have sunscreen there.
• Bring fold-up chairs, activities and sunscreen. Basically, anything that will make your experience more enjoyable and quiet activities (like cards) which will make your swimmer less restless in between events.
• Clean up, throw away trash. Please, be a good neighbor and don't leave our host team and volunteers to clean up after you.
• Drive slowly through the neighborhood, do not block driveways or mailboxes when parking.
• Swimmers need to stay in their designated bullpen preparation area (in the baby pool area) until they have completed all their events. If your child comes to you after their event, please quickly congratulate them and send them back to the bullpen area. In order to keep the meet running smoothly, it is important for your child to be in the team area to know when to proceed to the deck to line up for his/her event. Ownership is on parent and athlete to ensure the swimmer is lined up on deck and ready for their event. Bullpen volunteers will help in the process however they have a lot of swimmers to keep track of and need the extra help.

Finally…during this meet, let’s demonstrate our finest moments of kindness, compassion, patience, and support! This is what swim team season is all about!

Enjoy the holiday- we love swimming with you!

Brooke

404-857-7478