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    first StH meet on Monday

    June 1st

    06.01.25

    It has been a great week back in the pool! There is A LOT in this email so please take the time to read through it all before our meet on Monday.

    • Thanks to the parents for remaining outside the fence during practices. We see you and appreciate your following the request. It helps swimmers better focus on the coaches and keeps the area clear for the team to move around.
    • We will have our New Parent Meeting on Monday at 8:30am behind the pool. ALL FEES are due Monday. This is an extension of the due date and your swimmer must have a zero balance to participate.
    • We will hand out caps at Monday’s practice and will have the rest to distribute at the meet on Monday. Swimmers should wear their 2025 team suit and cap to every meet.
    • Our first meet is MONDAY at Signal Mountain. Swimmers are still learning the ropes and coaches are still learning the strengths of our swimmers so lets just jump in and have fun! Warmups start at 5:30 (so everyone should be on deck by 5:20). It can be chilly on the mountain so please bring warm clothes and blankets to wrap up in. (See below for lots more info about meets.)

    Calendar:

    • June 2 - 8:30am New Parent Meeting behind the pool & last day to submit payment
    • June 2 - StH @ Signal Mt - 5:30 warmup, 1100 Ridgeway Ave, Signal Mountain, TN 37377
    • June 5 - Movie Night: Lilo & Stitch, 4:30 @ AMC Northgate
    • June 9 - StH @ Ooltewah
    • June 12 - Ft O @ StH
    • June 16 - Signal Mt @ StH
    • June 23 - StH @ Ft O
    • June 30 - Ooltewah @ StH
    • July 11 & 12 - City Meet @ Ft O
    • July 13 - End of Season Banquet @StH

    Has your swimmer declared their meet attendance? A yes or no RSVP for each meet is critical and needed at least a day ahead but the sooner the better!

    • Log into our SwimTopia website
    • Click on EVENT/MEETS CALENDAR tab
    • Scroll down to each meet (yes, it will take a little time)
    • Click the green MEET ENTRY button and EDIT your swimmer(s)
    • Pick a volunteer job shift
    • Remember to SAVE before leaving the page
    • Repeat for each event & meet.

    The final heat sheet will be posted after 1 pm on the day of the meet via SwimTopia.. The SwimTopia app is free but to see the heat sheets, you will need a subscription, just $2.99/month. There is usually one copy of the heat sheet printed and posted at the pool but the most convenient method is to download the app.

    Thanks to everyone for signing up for volunteer positions. On Monday, all volunteers need to report to the Volunteer Sign In by 5:00.

    • Volunteer Sign-In - please arrive by 4:45. Check with a board member to get your sign in information. You will be in charge of organizing the other volunteers for this meet.
    • Deck Parent - arrive by 5:00 to sign in. You will have a printed heat sheet and will organize our littles and get them to the correct lane on time. A perfect job for a parent with a younger swimmer.
    • Place Judge - arrive by 5:00 to sign in. You will watch the finish of each heat and determine the order in which the swimmers finished. A great job for a fast-paced, front-row seat.
    • Lane Timer - arrive by 5:00 to sign in. You will stand behind the block and record the swimmer’s time. Each timer is provided a stopwatch, heat sheet, and assigned a lane. A great job to stay cool with the spray of pool water.
    • Scorekeeper - arrive by 5:00 to sign in. You will work with the other team’s scorekeeper to enter the scores immediately after each event.

    Timeline of a meet:

    • Day of /pre-meet prep:
      • Swimmers should hydrate and eat healthy food
      • EHL (see above) written on arm (or leg) with sharpie *Sunscreen will smear Sharpie ink
      • Littles need first initial, last name, & age written on the back, right shoulder blade
      • Pack a towel, team suit & cap, goggles, healthy and hydrating snacks, and water
    • Parents - bring your chairs, shade, and waterbottles. The pool deck can become brutally hot as summer progresses. The pool at Signal Mountain has plenty of shade and deck space to spread out.
    • Five minutes before warmup - swimmers need to be on deck, behind the blocks, and fully ready to get in the water with goggles and StH cap on (no other team cap is allowed)
    • WarmUp with coaches will be 30 minutes (or less for the younger swimmers)
    • Summer swim meets will take approximately four hours from beginning to end
      • If there is a weather delay, please go to your vehicle or into a building but do not leave. If the meet is canceled/or to be rescheduled, we will let you know via our Remind app. If you have not joined, please do with class code @e7eh68

    General meet info:

    • The Swim Team Board will be wearing bright pink on purpose so you can locate us to ask questions. If we don’t know the answer, we will find out!
    • Swimmers must wear StH team caps to every meet.
    • Please wear your StH swimsuit. There are more suits available at Front Runner if you need to purchase one.
    • During the meet, our 8 & unders should sit together so it is easy for our Deck Parent to find them and get them to the blocks on time. Big Sharks will be managing themselves.
    • It is so important that parents & swimmers listen to the announcer and be ready to report to the appropriate lane at least one event before. Summer swim meets go pretty fast, so it is critical that everyone pay attention.
    • Every swimmer has the chance to earn points for our team, and every point counts!. The team with the most points at the end of the meet wins. And Sharks are in it to win it!
    • If something happens and a swimmer misses an event, go directly to the head official (wearing white, usually with a whistle/microphone). If you are lucky, you may be able to get into another heat. This is not always possible so it is very important for swimmers (and their parents) to pay attention to the event numbers to be in the pool at the right times.
    • Points are awarded to the team for swimmers placing 1 through 8 in individual meets, plus first and second in relays. Relay points are huge! We always have tough competition in our division and want to be the team that works the hardest and has the most fun!
    • The reasons are complicated, but sometimes coaches will enter an athlete as an exhibition swimmer. This means the swimmer cannot earn points but can still swim for practice and sportsmanship.
    • A DQ is a disqualification from an event due to a mistake in a start, stroke, turn, or finish. If you are disqualified in a race, the judge will raise their arm, fill out a DQ slip, and your time will not be counted. This will happen. It is part of the learning process and no reason to scold a swimmer. We are all out there to have fun. Yes, we want to win, but developing a love of the sport and enjoying the team comradery is so much more important.
    • Good sportsmanship is essential. Stay in the pool until everyone from the heat is finished. Shake hands with the swimmers on either side of you. We are the team with the best integrity and will remain so.
    • If you don’t make it until the very end of the meet, we will post the final points on Facebook & Instagram.
    • We are a TEAM. Please encourage your swimmer to cheer on the other Sharks. The atmosphere of a summer swim meet can be so much fun with full participation.
    • So on that note, the team cheer kicks off each meet. The cheer is repeated three times: soft, loud, then screamy, and a ”GO SHARKS!” finale.

    Finally, we recognize this email is a lot. We always want parents & swimmers to be comfortable and ready. There is even more info to be found in our Team Handbook and Tips page on the website (links below). Please reach out if you have any questions and let’s take a bite out of those Greenies. #Sharks4Life

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