News Splash November 25

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
    • Thanksgiving Week Schedule
    • Shasta Y Sharks North State Championship is open for signups OME Link
    • Senior Dryland Schedule Change
    • Team Merchandise
    • Polar Bear Season
    • Pre-Senior and Senior Fins
    • 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

We are canceling some practices during this week. The only days with practices are Monday (11/25) and Tuesday (11/26). Practices will be canceled Wednesday (11/27) through Saturday (11/30). Practices will resume on Monday (12/2).

The Shasta Y Sharks North State Championship meet is open for signups! This will be a one-day meet up in Redding on Saturday 12/14, signups will close on Thursday 12/5 at 11:59pm or when all spots are filled. I want as many Aquajets there as possible, if your swimmer is available on that day please sign them up especially if they have not been to a meet recently. This meet will give the swimmers and coaches an excellent opportunity to see how the swimmers are progressing. If you have any questions, please send me a message. Here is the OME Link: OME Link

The Senior group dryland schedule is changing starting next week (Mon 11/18). We are going to add a day of dryland and do dryland before getting in the water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some Wednesday drylands will take longer than the standard 30 minutes. The Navy group and pre-senior group dryland schedules are not changing and will remain on Mondays and Thursdays.

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.

The Senior and Pre-Senior groups are going to start using fins every week at practice. The team has a few sets of fins that swimmers can borrow, but we do not have enough storage space to have a lot of fins for the swimmers to use, so we need swimmers to bring their own fins to practice. In addition to adding variety to their training, wearing fins can help swimmers improve their propulsion, increase their ankle flexibility, increase their feel of the water, and build overall strength. Here is a link to the fin page of Elsmore Swim Shop: Swim Shop. I recommend the shorter tailed fins, let me know if you have any questions.

Polar Bear Season started this week and will last through February, Monday November 3-Sunday March 2! Every year to help motivate the swimmers to keep active during the colder months we have a polar bear season. If swimmers attend a high enough percentage of their offered practices Monday-Friday, then at the end of polar bear season they will be a part of the polar bear club and get some exclusive merchandise. This year’s polar bear club members will earn a pullover hooded sweatshirt! Saturday practices and swim meets count as extra credit towards a swimmer’s polar bear attendance; they add to a swimmer’s practice count without adding to the overall number of practices offered. The necessary practice percentages for each group are as follows: Minijet groups 65%, White group 65%, Navy group 70%, Pre-Senior group 75%, and the Senior group 80%.

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 child under the age of 14 need to be supervised by an adult. Our coaches are focused on actively practicing groups. 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 brings a water bottle to every practice
  • Check out the Team Store for CAJ gear: Team Store Link
  • Polar Bear Season starts Monday November 3 and ends Sunday March 2
  • 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

  • SYS North State Championship in Redding [AGO, SCY] 12/14/24 OME Link
  • Chili and Cornbread Potluck in Redding [Dual, SCY] 1/25/24
  • SNS Senior Championships in Woodland [Qualifier, T/F, SCY] 1/31/25-2/2/25
  • SNS 14 & Under SCY Championship in Roseville [Qualifier, T/F, SCY] 3/7/25-3/9/25
  • 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.
  • 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. 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.
  • 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 hold on to lost bottles for one month, and then I will donate them.

Your next race has already started,

Coach Andrew