Our first AWAY meet is Monday at the Woods of St. Thomas Pool, located at 6701 Fallen Leaf Circle 40241! It takes about 17 minutes to drive there from Lake Forest, but expect some traffic at that time of day. All swimmers need to arrive by 4:45 and set up in their group areas and check in with the age group parents for your group so they know who has arrived. At away meets we usually set up on age group tents in the grassy areas outside the pool deck. Bring bag chairs to sit in! Warms up start at 5:00.

WOODS OF ST THOMAS SPECIFIC INFO

Please do NOT park where there are no parking signs or by the medians. Everywhere else should be OK. Expect to park on a neighborhood street and have to walk a block or two to the pool. They will have chick-fil-a at their snack bar. They are allowing one spectator per swimmer on the pool deck during that swimmer’s race. Then please go back to our team area.

SHIRTS AND SWM CAPS

If you did not pick up your 2021 team shirt and cap and any spirit wear you ordered last week, you can pick these items up near the volunteer table when you arrive at Woods of St. Thomas tomorrow. Look for Cala!

LAST MINUTE CHANGES AND NO SHOWS

If something comes up last minute between now and Monday at meet time, like a swimmer gets sick or there is a family emergency, you must contact Coach OLIVIA on her cell phone 864-525-9197 and let her know as soon as possible. Please contact Coach Olivia directly with last minute issues. You must contact Coach Olivia ahead of time because any changes to the events have to be made in the meet computer, and coaches need time to find replacement swimmers.

Please understand that last minute changes or no shows at meets have great negative downstream effects on other kids and the team’s ability to score points and win the meet. If a swimmer is a no show at a meet, then a lane goes empty that could have been filled with another swimmer from the age group. So someone missed out on a chance to swim. And a no show means a relay is missing a swimmer and the other 3 swimmers in the relay cannot race and have to scratch.

WHAT TO BRING TO A MEET

* Chairs for parents and swimmers (those bagged, camp chairs work best).

* Multiple towels and weather appropriate clothing to keep kids warm/dry between events.

* Sunscreen and bug spray (we will probably be sitting in the grass).

* A cooler with water, Gatorade, or any other non-alcoholic drinks you may like, and healthy snacks. Yu can bring your own food. A snack bar will be available. Bring cash.

* Games or small toys for the young kids to play with in the age group tents to keep them occupied while they wait for their events.

* A highlighter to mark your children’s names on the heat sheets and a black sharpie to mark your child’s arm with their events.

* A happy, positive attitude!

HEAT SHEETS

The heat sheet will be emailed out to everyone on as soon as it is ready. Please print it at home and bring it with you to the meet so you can follow along and know when your kids will swim. But when you arrive at the meet, please ask the age group parents if there have been any last minute changes that might affect your swimmer’s age group.

We need parents to write their kid’s events, heat and lane assignments with a sharpie on their arm and their first name and swimmer number on their shoulder before you arrive at the pool for the meet. I am attaching a document to this email that explains how to do this. If you do not understand, feel free to contact me or an experienced swim team parent for an explanation. This helps the kids know what their next event is and helps age group parents gather the right swimmers for each event.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO VOLUNTEER AT THE MEET – all volunteers need to check in at the Volunteer Table – a white folding table we will bring and set up near the Lake Forest tents. That way we know all volunteers have shown up. If you do not show up and check in with Susie the volunteer coordinator, then your credit card will be charged $100 for each missed meet you were supposed to volunteer.

If you have any questions or issues about your volunteer job, please contact our volunteer coordinator directly: Susie Pechaur: [email protected].

When you arrive at the meet on Monday, all first half volunteers need to check in immediately at the Lake Forest Volunteer Table so we know you have reported for duty and can give you any equipment needed. Second half workers need to check in at the Lake Forest Volunteer Table any time before the mid-way break of the meet (break occurs after event 40).

If you are a timer or Stroke and Turn judge you will be expected to attend a 5 minute informational meeting with the LSA reps at around 5:30 to 5:45 (for first half workers) or during the mid-way break (for second half workers). Please listen for announcements made over the PA about when and where the timers meetings and officials meeting will take place. If you do not go to this meeting or arrive late to the meeting,you will delay the start of the meet/second half while we try to find you. For home meets at the Lodge pool this meeting will take place inside the glass room inside the lower level of the Lodge. Not sure where other teams do it for away meet so just listen for the announcement.

ALL TIMERS AND JUDGES NEED TO HAVE THE SWIMMINGLY APP DOWNLOADED (OR UPDATED IF YOU HAVE IT FROM TWO YEARS AGO) AND A FULLY CHARGED PHONE OR IPAD BEFORE THEY ARRIVE AT THE POOL. Apple devices be updated to the newest iOS version, but at least 12, and your swimmingly app should be updated to version 8. Android users can only use a device that is between android 6-10. Please download and charge before you come, otherwise you will delay the start of the meet if we have to download the app or charge your device at the pool.

If anyone has any old Iphones, Ipods, or Android devices that they would donate or we that we could borrow this would be a huge help. The iphones should be 6 or higher and able to update to the latest iOS.

Please contact Casey Johnson at [email protected] if you have questions about timer and judge devices or have an old Iphone or Ipad we can borrow for the next few weeks.

Age group parents need to be in their age group areas by 4:45 with the clipboard and materials they pick up at the Volunteer Tableto take attendance of all the swimmers in the age group swimming in the meet as they arrive and make sure everyone has their events written on their arms. If a swimmer has not shown up by the time the kids get in the water for warm ups, please find Coach Olivia and tell her. You will need to get your swimmers to the start end of the pool and lined up in the correct lanes about 3 heats before your age group’s event start. You know when this is by following along on your heat sheet and listening to the announcements. I am attaching some materials about How To Read A Heat Sheet and Tips for Age Group Parents to this email to help. Please review before Monday. Especially the part about how to line up the relays so that the right kids are on the right sides of the pool. Laura Haara will be around to help with this during the first meet if you have questions.

Please remember, age group parents are not responsible to babysit your child. They are only there to get your swimmer from the age group area to the edge of the pool at the time of their race. Please instruct your children to stay in the age group area and not wander or go play on the playground while the meet is going on. Age group parents should not have to run around and find your child. If a swimmer needs to go to the restroom, they should ask the age group parent if there is time to go before the next race. If there are behavior issues in the age group tent, you may be asked to directly supervise your child during the meet.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT RAINS ON MEET DAY?

For those families new to the swim team, I want to let you know about how things are handled in case of rain on the night of a swim meet. If there is rain on a meet day, even rain at 4:30 when everyone is arriving at the pool for the meet, PLEASE STILL COME to the meet unless otherwise instructed by a rained out text alert from Coach Olivia. We will have the meet unless there is thunder and lightning or rain so hard it obscures the bottom of the pool at that time. We will swim in a light rain. We need everyone to come unless there is a cancellation text because if individuals decide they would rather not come in the rain then the relays are ruined for all kids and there is mass confusion due to “no shows.” So please come! And bring rain ponchos, umbrellas, and weather appropriate clothing if need be.

We do everything we can to have the meets as scheduled. Trying to reschedule a cancelled meet for later in the same week is a logistical nightmare. That might mean starting the meet, stopping to wait for heavy rain or lightening to pass over, and then restarting the meet in the same night. This might even happen a couple of times in one night. In that case we ask everyone to wait in their cars or in the lower level of the Lodge out of the weather, but PLEASE do not leave the premises. Coach Olivia will send a text alert when the meet is to restart and you can come back to the pool deck. If bad weather looks like it will be sustained and not let up, the two teams’ LSA reps may might a joint decision to call off the meet after consulting the radar. We will send a text alert out if that happens.

If weather cancels a meet or we have to stop the meet before event 40 and it does not restart, then we will have to reschedule the meet. This will probably happen on the Thursday night of the same week. If we reschedule a meet we will have to do a brand new swimmer sign up and brand new volunteer assignment, all in 3 days, so we really, really hope that does not happen. If we get past event 40 before a meet is cancelled for weather, it is considered a completed meet and will not be rescheduled.

If anyone has any questions, you can call me at 502-235-4304. Thanks, Laura Haara