News Splash June 26

Andrew Hasek

Good afternoon CAJ Parents,

 

Coach Andrew’s Corner

Next week on Tuesday 7/4 we are cancelling all practices. However, I will be going on an early morning hike if anyone is interested in joining Reina (my dog) and I. We are hiking the North Rim trail in Upper Bidwell. This is a moderately challenging out and back trail where we will essentially hike uphill for 4 miles before turning around and hiking 4 miles back down for a total distance of about 8 miles with 1100 feet of elevation gain. If you want to join in on the hike, meet at the North Rim lot (parking area B) at 7:00am so we can get most of the hike in before it gets hot.

There are still hotel rooms left in our Aquajet block at the Gaia Hotel in Anderson for the NVAL championship weekend (7/28-7/30). The Gaia Hotel is only accepting reservations for our block for another few days, with Thursday 6/29 being the last day that they’ll accept reservations for our block. If you want to get a room in this block you may call to set up a reservation at 530-365-7077 (be sure to mention you are with the Chico Aquajets), or you may reserve your room online by using the following link: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/EV61L5.

We had two meets this last weekend, and I was thoroughly impressed by our Aquajets that competed. There were more best times than I was able to keep track of, we were constantly handing out best time beads. We only needed 36 more best times for me to dye my beard blue for our championship meets, our swimmers far exceeded that number and made their way close to the next milestone of 150 total best times for the season in order for me to cut my hair off. If our Aquajets keep swimming the way they did this past weekend then I expect to lose my hair after the Orland meet. I can not emphasize enough how proud I was watching the races this past weekend. Congratulations to our Aquajets that raced, and I hope to see more fast racing as the Summer continues.

The Otter Space Invitational swim meet hosted by the Orland Otters is our next meet on the schedule. This meet takes place on Saturday (7/8) and Sunday (7/9), with both days beginning at 7:45am. This is a fun meet for all swimmers, and I encourage all of our Aquajets to signup for the meet in order to get more race experience as our championship meets approach. Signups close this Thursday 6/29 at 11:59pm so make sure to sign up as soon as possible so you do not miss out.

The Plumas Rapids Open swim meet is open for signups, and will close Wednesday 7/12 at 11:59pm. This meet is a ton of fun, and normally one of the favorite meets for the whole year. I think all of our Aquajets are capable of swimming at least a few events at this meet. If you are not sure what to sign your swimmer up for, feel free to ask a coach for help. Instead of staying in hotels, most families that attend do some form of camping at the nearby fairgrounds or RV park. To make a reservation for the fairground use the following link: https://plumasrapids.swimtopia.com/shop.

Old Business

Beard and Hair Challenge Best Time Total (as of 6/11): 34 best times total (I am waiting for the official meet results of the RAD and Durham meets before updating our total)

For the safety of our swimmers please make sure to pick up your swimmer(s) on time after their practice ends.

In order to keep our swimmers safe and to ensure a positive relationship with In Motion Fitness I am asking our Aquajet families to adhere to the following. When swimmers are on deck, they need to follow the pool rules; this includes walking on deck, no horseplay, and no foul language. Aquajets are only to use the lap pool, the outside showers, and the outside bathrooms during their practice time as well as 30 minutes prior to and after their scheduled practice. Aquajets that are 14 years old or younger need to be supervised at all times, if you are unable to supervise your swimmer while waiting for the start of their practice then your swimmer will need to sit at the tables located on the deep side of the lap pool so the coaches can watch them. If you are going to watch the practices, please do so at the tables located on the deep side of the lap pool, which In Motion has reserved for us during our practice times, this helps keep the entire outside pool area organized and helps us work with In Motion better. When picking swimmers up make sure to follow the rules of the road in the parking lot; stop at stop signs, follow the speed limit of 5mph, and do not park in the handicap spaces if you are not approved to do so.

I am pleased to announce Coach Andrew’s Beard and Hair Challenge for our Summer Season. Starting the weekend of the Kalsbeek Classic (5/13) and ending with the NVAL Championship meet (7/28-7/30) I am going to keep track of the number of best times achieved by our Aquajets. If we can get 70 best times by NVALs I will dye my beard blue for the meet. If we can get an additional 80 best times (for 150 best times total) then I will cut my hair off. This will be a fun challenge for our team, and I am excited to see if I will get to keep my hair or not.

Our themes for the NVAL championship meet have been decided! Our Friday theme will be Greek (togas, etc), Saturday’s theme will be Under the Sea, and Sunday’s theme will be Aquajet pride (CAJ gear, lots of navy and silver).

If you are looking for ribbons from our past few meets, they are organized in our file box by last name. Feel free to look for your ribbons or ask a coach for help.

We have started using an app called TeamSnap in order to improve the ability of our team to communicate with each other, and to make it easier for our members to see upcoming events. I highly recommend you download the app and turn notifications on, so you do not miss any information. If you have not received an invite to our team’s profile on TeamSnap, send me an email and I will work to get an invite to you.

Be sure to check out our Chico Aquajets Facebook and Instagram pages for fun posts and information about the team!

Check out our team store on our website for some CAJ gear!

If your swimmer is not USA swimming registered yet, please do so as soon as you can. There is a link to do so in the “USA SWIM REGISTRATION” section of this news splash.

USA SWIM REGISTRATION

This link will show you all you need to register your swimmer until the end of 2023.

https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/43F7068EBC3C44

UPCOMING MEETS

  • Otter Space Invitational meet in Orland 7/8/23-7/9/23 https://ome.swimconnection.com/meets/3236
  • Plumas Rapids meet in Quincy 7/15/23-7/16/23 https://ome.swimconnection.com/meets/3239
  • Dual Meet with Durham Dolphins (12 and Under swimmers only) Tuesday 7/18/23
  • Bill Rose Classic: SNS Long Course Championships in Elk Grove (LCM) 7/20/23-7/23/23 [Time Qualifier Meet]
  • North Valley Aquatic League Championship (NVALs) in Redding 7/28/23-7/30/23

IMPORTANT Reminders

  • Make sure your swimmer is USA Swimming registered
  • Make sure your swimmer is bringing a water bottle to every practice

NEW AQUAJETS: 

Please Familiarize yourself with our  CAJ Handbook located on the CAJ website under Join the Team.  

We ask that parents avoid being on deck during practice as it can be distracting to the coaches and the swimmers.  

NEW SWIMMERS: SIGN    CAJ WAIVER  AND HAND IT TO YOUR COACH    

SWIMMER ACCOUNT REMINDER:  All swimmer fees are due on the 1st day of each month and are considered late if not received by the 10th. A $10 late fee will be assessed for late payments. Notice of intent to discontinue swimming must be provided to the Chico AquaJets in writing by the 15th of the month before the date of inactivity to cancel monthly fees. Written notice should be provided through the "Contact Us'' button on the CAJ website. Verbal notice to coaches is not sufficient. Any written notice occurring after the 15th of the month before deciding to discontinue will be charged the following month. Any hanging balances left will be billed and payment will be required before any re-registration. 

  • BE ADVISED: if you discontinue your membership, the $65 registration fee will be reassessed upon re-registration. 
  • CAJ WEBSITE: All members must double-check your Team Unify member account to ensure that your e-mail is correct and verified. We also need you to verify your SMS number, and make sure you use dashes. This will ensure you receive ALL of our communications. 
  • REMINDER FROM IN MOTION: If families discontinue their In Motion gym membership it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify In Motion that the swimmer is remaining an Aquajet swimmer. We’d also appreciate notification to the team through the “contact us” button so that our bookkeeper and membership coordinators are aware of your IMF membership status. This will assist in smooth entry to the club as well as accurate billing information for CAJ. Thanks! 

Coach Andrew