News Splash September 13

Andrew Hasek

Good afternoon Aquajets,

Save the Date:

  • SNS SCY Champs in Roseville: Fri March 7 – Sun March 9 (3/7/25-3/9/25) (Last Chance is 2/22/25-2/23/25)

  • CAJ Spring Splash in Chico: Sat April 5 (4/5/25)

  • CAJ Winzenz Family Summer Splash in Durham: Fri June 13 – Sun June 15 (6/13/25-6/15/25)

  • Bill Rose Classic: SNS LCM Champs in Roseville: Thu July 17 – Sun July 20 (7/17/25-7/20/25)

  • NVAL Championships in Redding: Fri July 25 – Sun July 27 (7/25/25-7/27/25)

Table of Contents

  • Summer 2024 Review

  • Coach Andrew’s Corner

    • CAJ Merchandise

    • Officials Training

    • Spooktacular Meet is open

    • Monday 9/16 Dryland rescheduled to Tuesday 9/17

    • Lost Water Bottles

    • Goal meetings with Coach Andrew

    • In Motion Locker Rooms

    • Requests from In Motion

    • Bring Water to Practice

  • Important Reminders

  • Upcoming Meets

  • New Aquajet Reminders

  • USA Swim Registration Link

  • Swimmer Account Reminder

  • Membership Cancellation Policy

  • Old Business

Coach Andrew’s Corner

Talk to Coach Andrew and check out our Team Store for some CAJ merchandise. If you would like a car magnet ($5), CAJ Klean Kanteen ($35, image attached), or CAJ cap ($12) let Coach Andrew know so he can get it to you. There are also team suits, shirts, parkas, hats, and much more in our team store. It is definitely worth it to take some time and see if anything in the team store piques your interest. Here is a link to the team store: CAJ Team Store.

We need more officials! Officials are like the referees of swimming. They watch the races to make sure swimmers are following the rules, they start each race, and they help organize the administrative part of the meet. Officials are a necessity for swim meets. If a team does not meet their official requirements for a meet then their swimmers will not be scored or awarded at that meet. We have been fortunate to have a handful of wonderful parent volunteers that always help us meet our official requirements. Having more officials on our team will help lessen the load for those that currently help our team out by officiating. Other than just supporting our team; officiating lets you learn more about the sport, it helps you be more involved, and a lot of the time you will make friends with other swim parents who are also officials. There is a zoom training coming up on Wednesday September 18 at 6:00pm, if you want the ability to ask questions during a training session, or you may start becoming an official through online USA Swimming courses. Here is a link with more information on the official training process: Official Training. Let me know if you have any questions about becoming an official.

The Spooktacular meet in Roseville is open for registration! Here is the link: OME Link. The meet will take place Friday 10/4 through Sunday 10/6, registration closes on Thursday 9/26 at 11:59pm or when all spots are filled. You do not have to attend all three days, only racing on some of the days is okay with me. Attending more meets helps your swimmer practice racing, keep track of their progress, and make stronger friendships in the sport. 

Due to staffing Monday 9/16’s dryland for all applicable groups will be rescheduled to Tuesday 9/17. I do not anticipate needing to reschedule dryland again after next week, but if something changes I will be sure to send out notice.

There are a lot of leftover water bottles on our cart. If your swimmer is missing a water bottle please check the cart and reclaim any of your bottles. I will hold on to lost bottles for one month, and then I will donate them.

Setting goals is a vital step for the progress of all athletes. Your swimmer will see better development when they have a goal in mind that they are striving towards. In order to help your swimmer set SMART goals, I am available to set up a goal meeting. If your swimmer is interested in setting up a goal meeting with me, reach out and we will work to find a good time to meet.

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.

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 every day. Going without sufficient fluids can lead to dehydration, irritability, and poor performance in the pool. Staying hydrated is essential.

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

  • No Practice Wednesday October 16 for the Fish Bowl (Chico High vs. PV High swim meet)

  • Polar Bear Season starts Monday November 3 and ends Sunday March 2

  • No Practice Monday November 11 for Veteran’s Day

  • No Practice Wednesday November – Sunday November 30 for Thanksgiving break

  • No Practice Tuesday December 24 – Wednesday December 25 for Christmas

  • No Practice Monday December 30 – Sunday January 5 for Winter break

UPCOMING TEAM MEETS

  • Splashtember Mixed Meet in Vacaville [AGO, SCY] 9/27/24-9/29/24 OME Link

  • Spooktacular in Roseville [AGO, SCY] 10/4/24-10/6/24 OME Link

  • Bill Fisher Classic in Redding [AGO, SCY] 10/12/24

  • RAD AGO Trials and Final at Shasta College [T/F, SCY] 11/9/24-11/10/24

  • WAC Cranberry Classic at Sierra College [AGO, SCY] 11/22/24-11/24/24

  • SYS North State Championship in Redding [AGO, SCY] 12/14/24

  • SNS 14 & Under SCY Championship in Roseville [Qualifier, T/F, SCY] 3/7/25-3/9/25

  • CAJ Spring meet in Chico [AGO, SCY] 4/5/25

  • CAJ Winzenz Family Summer Splash in Durham [AGO, SCY] 6/13/25-6/15/25

  • Bill Rose Classic: SNS LCM Championships in Roseville [Qualifier, T/F, LCM] 7/17/25-7/20/25

  • NVAL Championships in Redding [Invitational, SCY] 7/25/25-7/27/25

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 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.

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

·       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.

Your next race has already started,

Coach Andrew