Hello Families!

It is almost time for our first swim meet!! Listed below should cover everything you need to know to be ready!!! Fun first. Fast always. Go Dolphins!!

What: Intrasquad Swim Meet. This is our preseason meet. It's a great way for our new swimmers and returning swimmers to get the nerves out. It is also a great way for our new families to learn how our swim meets run and to tackle one of the volunteer positions while you have time to breathe and ask questions.

Meet Sponsor: Our Gold Meet Sponsor is Woody’s Cheesesteaks! Please support Woody’s Cheesesteaks and all our other sponsors who generously donated to our community swim program.

When: Thursday, May 21

Where: Crescent Ridge Pool, 655 Crescent Ridge Trail

Time: 5pm arrival!

Parking: The parking lot near the pool fills up quickly, so if you are parking on the subdivision streets, please pay attention to the No Parking Signs and do not block driveways. Illegally parked cars may be towed.

Meet arrival and logistics: Upon your arrival, please see the attached map to visualize the meet layout. Parents can set up on the grassy area to the left of the clubhouse outside of the pool gate. Swimmers must check in with coaches on the pool deck and should be close by the pool, so they don’t miss their events. 5:30pm warmups. 6pm meet begins. You may leave after your swimmer’s last event if you do not have a volunteer job. We do, however, encourage you to stay and cheer on the other members of the team, but we understand our younger swimmers may get tired and have earlier bedtimes.

Volunteers: If you are scheduled to volunteer, please reference the email that Teri Coons, Volunteer Coordinator, will send with specific information about what time to arrive and where to check in. If you have any questions or concerns about your volunteer job, please work with Teri Coons directly. She will have a volunteer table set up at the meet, so she’ll be easy to find on meet day.

Theme: Dolphins Spirit. Wear your team gear, draw Dolphins on your body, or decorate your chairs to show your Dolphin pride!

What to Bring: Black Sharpie, extra pair of goggles (they do break and get lost), swim cap if you use one, two towels, sweatshirt, spf, bug spray. Cash or Credit Card for concessions. If you have younger swimmers, toys or games to entertain them in the bullpen while they wait for their event is a smart idea.

What not to Bring: NO ALCOHOL. Do NOT bring it. If alcohol is found, we can be fined and the meet forfeited.

Bullpen: There is a bullpen for 5–6-year-olds and one for 7–8-year-olds. These are tents on the pool deck where the younger swimmers stay for the duration of the swim meet so they can be easily located in time for their events. We have adult volunteers supervising the bullpens. When the 5–8-year-old swimmers arrive at the pool, after checking in with the coaches, they should immediately go to the bullpen area, where a volunteer bullpen parent will supervise the swimmer. There is no Bullpen for 9-year-olds and up. It will be the swimmers’/parents’ responsibility to make sure your swimmer is lined up and on time for their events.

Weather: We swim when it is cold. We swim when it rains. If you have declared YES to swim, You are expected to SHOW UP!!!! I will be sending alerts via SwimTopia if there are any delays or cancelations on meet day. If there is a thunderstorm delay, please do not leave the meet location. If the meet is cancelled, you will receive an alert.

Concessions: Will be provided at the meets. Payment options are cash, apple pay and credit card. Our credit card machine is tap only. Insert is not an option. Also, if you are using cash, please plan ahead and bring smaller bills. Lots of $20s for a $3 item is challenging.

We will have the following items available. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, BBQ, Pizza (PIZZA SELLS OUT VERY QUICKLY, IF YOU WANT PIZZA, PURCHASE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEET) candy, chips, freezer pops, water, sodas, and sports drinks and more! Please consider visiting the concessions stand to support our team!

Which Events: When you arrive at the pool, each swimmer must check in with one of our coaches and get a slip of paper which will identify the events they will swim for this meet. If you have downloaded the SwimTopia App, your swimmer’s meet entries will also be available for you to view on the day of the event. For those parents and swimmers who prefer to use the App, please be mindful that you still need to check in with our coaches when you arrive. This is a very important part of our check-in process. Please note that our Head Coach, Assistant Coaches, and Head Coordinators meet each week before the swim meet and consider many factors before deciding which events are best suited for your swimmer. Please know that we spend a great deal of time on individual meet entries, and we ask you to trust the Coaches’ expertise in this area.

How to Mark Up Arms: As a swim tradition, kids mark their arms with a sharpie to keep track of their events. See the attached photo. THE ORDER IS E / H / L (EVENT / HEAT / LANE). If you are new to swim and the team, please ask any experienced family member or coach to show you how to do this! You can also write the child’s name on his/her back with a Sharpie (this helps the Bullpen volunteers find/know the children).

Ribbons: Yes, your swimmer will receive a ribbon for his/her events! You may pick them up at practice from our Ribbon Box next week after Memorial Day.

Questions: If I have missed anything or you have additional questions, please reach out. The email is checked frequently.

Thank you, Carole