News Splash July 12

Andrew Hasek

Good afternoon Aquajets,

Table of Contents

  • Coach Andrew’s Corner
    • Summer Beard Challenge
    • Swim-a-Thon Tue July 16
    • In Motion Locker Rooms
    • Requests from In Motion
    • NVAL Championship Information
    • NVAL Theme: Pirates!
    • The Otters in Paris Invitational is open!
    • Durham Mini Meet Entries
    • Bring Water to Practice
    • Team potluck and poster decorating party Wed 7/24
    • How to cancel membership reminder
  • Important Reminders
  • Upcoming Meets
  • New Aquajet Reminders
  • USA Swim Registration Link
  • Swimmer Account Reminder
  • Membership Cancellation Policy
  • Old Business

Coach Andrew’s Corner

Save the date: North Valley Aquatic League Championships (NVALs) 7/26/24-7/28/24 (you must attend two summer meets to be eligible to attend)

The Swim-a-Thon will be on Tuesday July 16 from 7:00am-9:00am at the PV pool. This is arguably our biggest fundraiser for the year. Save the date, be ready to participate. More information was sent out by our board President James. If you did not get James’ email, let me know so I can get that information to you.

Summer Beard Challenge Counter: 245 best times. Our swimmers have been crushing it so far this summer! A ton of best times! Lots of good stroke improvements! A bunch of high point winners! Our coaching staff is very proud, the swimmers and their families should be proud as well!

I am bringing back the best time beard challenge from last year! If, as a team, our swimmers can get more best times before NVALs than they did last summer, I will dye my beard. The number to beat is 434 best times, I think is a challenging number to beat but is achievable. After our first meet of the summer season (our CAJ Winzenz Family Summer Splash) our swimmers already have a total of 245 best times. Last year I dyed my beard blue, if you have not seen any pictures of that then you can find them on our team’s Instagram.

Please remind your swimmers that the locker rooms at In Motion are only to be used when absolutely necessary. In order to help maintain a positive relationship with others using the gym, chico Aquajet swimmers (regardless of In Motion membership status) should prioritize using the outside restrooms and showers when needing to change, shower, or use the restroom. If our swimmers need to use the locker rooms, they need to be quick and respectful while doing so. The locker rooms are not a place to be social. I will talk to each of the groups this week to remind them, please talk to your swimmer(s) as well to help make sure we are using the facilities as intended.

To help maintain a safe environment, In Motion has asked us to follow a couple rules. The first rule is that any children under the age of 14 need to be supervised by an adult. Our coaches are focused on the actively practicing group(s). Which means when your swimmer(s) is waiting for their practice to start or when they have finished their practice, they need to be supervised by a parent or guardian until they leave the facility. The second rule is to not park in handicap spaces when dropping off or picking up if you do not have the clearance to park in a handicap spot.

The North Valley Aquatic League Championship (NVALs) is our end of the Summer championship meet and will take place 7/26/24-7/28/24. This meet is one of the highlights of the entire year, great racing and great fun! We have a theme each year and quite a few team events surrounding this meet. To be eligible to race at this meet, your swimmer will need to compete in at least two other meets this summer (June and July), please plan accordingly. Our team has some rooms blocked off at the Towneplace Suites Hotel in Redding for this weekend. If you know you are going to attend this meet, which I hope all Aquajets are, and you would like to stay with the team, then be sure to call and make your reservation as soon as possible (530-223-0690). When making your reservation be sure to mention you are with Chico Aquajets and would like one of our blocked rooms. The rooms are going on a first come first serve basis, and any rooms left after July 1st are forfeit to regular hotel reservations.

Our theme for this upcoming North Valley Aquatic League Championship (NVALs) will be Pirates! Part of the fun of NVALs is getting dressed, lots of decorations, and in general embracing our theme to have an entertaining championship meet experience. If you have not gone to an NVALs yet, then I suggest going onto our CAJ Instagram and looking at the pictures from last year’s NVALs to get an idea of how we utilize our theme. Last year we had three themes (Greek, Under the Sea, and Aquajet Pride). This year, to simplify it, we are going to do one theme, which will be Pirates! Start planning now.

The Otters in Paris 2024 meet is open for signups! Signups close Tuesday 7/16 at 11:59pm or when all spots are filled. This meet also tends to fill up fast, I recommend you sign up ASAP so you ensure that your swimmer is able to attend this meet. Each of my summers as a coach, I have had families miss this meet because they waited too long to signup for it. There are fun relays and even a coaches 100 IM race on Sunday where you will get to see myself and your other CAJ coaches race against coaches from other teams. OME Link

This Wednesday morning (7/17) is the Durham Mini Meet in Durham. The mini meet is open to 8&under swimmers only. Each swimmer may swim 2 events each. If you have an 8&under swimmer that wants to race at this meet, you need to email me what events they want to race by the end of the day Sunday (7/14).

Bring Water to practice every day! It may not seem like it, but swimmers do sweat all the time during their practices. With the weather warming up, it means they will be sweating more. To help keep them healthy and comfortable they should bring water, or better yet an electrolyte drink, to practice everyday. Going without sufficient fluids can lead to dehydration, irritability, and poor performance in the pool. Staying hydrated is essential.

On Wednesday 7/24 we are having a Team Potluck and Poster Decorating party to prepare for NVALs. It is starting at 6:00pm at the Denney household, the address can be found on the Team Snap event page. Afternoon practices will be done at 5:30pm this day to let everyone attend this fun event. There is a pool so if you want to swim be sure to bring a suit. I will be handing out group awards from June. Other than a fun social event, this will provide an excellent opportunity to ask any last minute questions about NVALs before the meet later that week. If you plan on attending, please RSVP on Team Snap so we can plan accordingly.

As we approach the end of our summer season I wanted to send a reminder on how to cancel your CAJ membership. I hope to see all our current Aquajets keep swimming year-round, but I understand that families have other obligations once the school year starts. To cancel your CAJ membership you need to send us a contact us message through our team website stating your swimmer’s name and your intent to cancel. This message needs to be sent by the 15th of the month in order for your membership to be canceled for the upcoming month. If your cancellation message is sent after the 15th then you will be charged for the upcoming month and your cancellation will take place the month after that. Here is a link to the contact us page: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/caj/page/system/contactus

IMPORTANT Reminders

  • Make sure your swimmer is USA Swimming registered (the link can be found in the “USA Swim Registration” section of the news splash)
  • Make sure your swimmer is bringing a water bottle to every practice
  • Check out the Team Store for CAJ gear: Team Store Link
  • Swim-a-Thon Tuesday July 16 7:00am-9:00am at the PV pool
  • Team Potluck and Poster Decorating Party Wednesday 7/24 6:00pm at the Denney Household

UPCOMING TEAM MEETS

  • Durham Mini Meet [SCY, 8 & Under] 7/17/24
  • Otters in Paris 2024 [SCY, NVAL] 7/20/24-7/21/24 OME Link
  • North Valley Aquatic League Championship (NVALs) in Redding [SCY, Invitational] 7/26/24-7/28/24

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    

USA SWIM REGISTRATION

This link will show you all you need to register your swimmer until the end of 2024.

https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/2945A4A75BFD45

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.

Membership Cancellation Policy: 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 must 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 $75 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! 

Old Business

  • 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
    • 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
      • do not park in the handicap spaces (if you are not approved to do so).
  • We use 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. Please 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 get an invite to you.
  • Our Team Snap schedule has been updated for the 2023-2024 swim season. The majority of our planned meets as well as some planned practice cancellations have been posted. A couple meets I want to highlight and for you all to start planning for is our CAJ Winzenz Family Summer Splash meet June 14, 2024-June 16, 2024, and the NVAL championship July 26, 2024-July 28, 2024. We will be hosting the CAJ Summer Takeoff and will need all hands-on deck to make the meet run smoothly. The NVAL championship is our final meet of the summer and a lot of fun.
  • Be sure to check out our Chico Aquajets Facebook and Instagram pages for fun posts and information about the team!

·         There is new merchandise available at our online store (Link). There is a lot of good options on there to choose from in order show off your Aquajet spirit. There’s gear for cold weather. There’s gear for warm weather. There’s even pajama pants to help you dream about swimming! Take a few minutes to sit down with your swimmer(s) and see if there is anything on the store either of you are interested in.

 

·         We have CAJ water bottles, t-shirts, and car magnets available for purchase. Water bottles are $35, t-shirts are $15, and car magnets are $5. If you would like to purchase a water bottle, t-shirt, or car magnet, let me know so I can get it to you.

  • 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.

Let’s go Aquajets!

Coach Andrew