One Week out!

Schedule Updates I have attached new calendars and posted them to the website. There are only two changes that are listed below. Our meet that was originally against Joppatowne with the location listed as TBD will now be at Bel Air. We will be competing against Bel Air and Aberdeen. There is a New Parent Meeting June 12th at 6:00PM. With an influx of new swimmers, we will be holding that meeting to go over some meet specific information and help prepare you for the first competition. The first meet can be overwhelming. Our first meet is against a team that will likely have 200 kids entered into the meet. These events can be large and we want you to feel prepared. Parents with swim team experience are welcome to attend as well. Volunteering It looks like we have little more than half our volunteer positions filled. That is great! I appreciate those of you who have already signed up! The time and energy you donate to the team does not go unnoticed. For those of you who have not signed up, you still have about a week before the deadline. We are asking that everyone commit to their 7.5 hours before the season. The deadline is June 4th. If you are interested in being the timer coordinator or helping with the party, feel free to reach out to me and we can use that time to cover meet responsibilities. Swim Team Sundays Tomorrow is the last Swim Team Sunday. Regular practices will begin next Sunday, June 4th. Practice Starts Next Sunday, June 4th! I have attached the groupings to this email for reference. They are also posted within the last two news items. We DO NOT have any practices at HCC the first week. Reminders about practice Requirements: 10&Under: 2 swims a week. One of those should be a class at the swim school. 11&Older: 3 swims a week. One of those can be a class at the swim school. You are welcome to attend more practice than what is required. We will have plenty of swimmers who attend 3 and 4 practices a week in addition to their lessons. The more time in the water, the faster they will improve! But do not feel overwhelmed by our schedule. It is designed to give families flexibility. Suits and Team Apparel The suit order was started a little late as a result of some design issues again this year. They should be arriving on time for the first meet! Everything is on schedule with apparel and those items should also arrive the week of our first meet. Information on Harford Community College (HCC) Practices: First of all, pay close attention to the calendars when practices are at HCC. All morning practices will be there. Evening practices will be there for a couple of Sundays at the beginning and then Mondays throughout the remainder of the season. I will be sending some more in-depth information about HCC practices and how to access the pool next week before our first HCC practice. Here are some reminders about the facility. The pool is within the Susquehanna building. Parking is allowed in the lot in front of the APGFCU Arena. The entrance is along the left side of the APGFCU Arena. Parents will escort their swimmers to the right and down a long hallway to access the pool. Unlike Aqua Culture, younger swimmers can not enter the facility on their own and may not play in the facility without supervision. Swimmers under the age of 12 should be escorted to the pool deck and escorted from the pool deck and outside. Swimmers should not be roaming around the dry side of the facility unattended. Clean-up will be essential and items left behind are subject to disposal. HCC is kind to us and we do not want to incur additional fees or be bound by additional rules as a result of an increased workload on their staff. We would like to keep the use of the locker rooms at a minimum There is no way for us to safely monitor the behavior in those areas. Swimmers should arrive in their suits. Swimmers should also leave in their suits when possible. We ask that food stays off the pool deck at HCC. No one is there long enough to require a snack. Fluids including water and sports drinks are always allowed.