Practice Meet Heat Sheets & Information
Hello Sea Lion Community!
Get your sharpies out… this is your first official 2024 “Heat Sheet” email!
BUT FIRST, A NOTE FROM COACH MARK AND COACH PAUL…
All Sealions,
First off, a huge thank you to everyone for all of their volunteering. Many hands make light work and we are so grateful to everyone that helps out. The clubhouse grounds look better than they ever have. Our board has been working extra hard, so please make sure to pat them on the back. Also we love the dinners, you have no idea how much we appreciate the efforts to bring us dinner.
Welcome to the Swim Meet Season! The kids have been working hard and we are both looking forward to watching them all swim on Saturday. The groundhog days are over and things get more exciting each week from here on out. We have a ton of work to do and the kids are improving every time they come to the pool. The practice meet is a good measuring stick of where we are and is basically another practice. We don't put too much weight into the results. Mistakes will be made, there is lots of time for growth and we will know what we need to work on. There is a plan to our madness!
The dual meets are fun and here are some tips for first time swim parents.
1. We love encouraging kids to meet new friends that may be older or younger than their peers. One of the best things about SHST is meeting new friends and families. It is awesome cheering for kids who you have no idea who they are and then become friends.
2. We, as parents, can encourage our swimmers to always act with class and sportsmanship. This means staying in the pool until all swimmers are done with their race and shaking hands/fist bumping the competition. We love watching parents cheering everyone on and helping kids do the same.
3. Warmups for the meet should be for just group 3 and 4. We believe group 1 and 2, do not benefit from warming up before a swim meet. It is too cold for them and can drain energy they should save for races. Please do not coach your child during warm ups. Let them be, it is their time to get out nerves.
4. We do encourage taking a video of your child's races and watching with them the next day or the next week. We do not encourage speaking with them right after races about what they did wrong. The best thing you can do is tell your child you love watching them swim after every race and that they did great. At some time when away from the pool, ask them if they would like to watch their race on video. They should be their biggest critic, you should be their biggest fan.
A tip for veteran parents: try to find a random child to follow this season. Get to know one of their times from any race. Make a point of speaking to them each meet about that certain race. We are encouraging our older swimmers to do this as well.
That is it for now. We look forward to seeing and meeting everyone on Saturday morning.
Kick Bootyakum,
Coach Mark and Coacvh Paul
HEAT SHEETS
…are attached. Heat sheets are a schedule of who is swimming what event, in which heat and lane. The heat sheets are also posted on a board at the meet. Bring a “Sharpie” marker to the meet and write the heats and lanes on your child’s hand. This helps swimmers get to the right place at the right time. There are Clerks of the Course at each lane to help the 8 & Unders line up for their races. For example:
If you have not yet done so, be sure you have read our About Swim Meets page to prepare for tomorrow.
SATURDAY TIMELINE
7:45 AM - Warm-ups begin. Groups 3 & 4 Only.
7:45 AM - Volunteer Check-in
8:00 AM - Swimmers arrive no later than 8 AM
8:00 AM - 8:25 AM - Volunteer Trainings
8:25 AM - Team Cheer - not to be missed!
8:30 AM - Intro to the meet & National Anthem
8:35 AM - Meet Begins
VOLUNTEER CHECK-IN REMINDER
All volunteers for Poolside (timers, clerk of course, runner, trash), Officials and Medical MUST check in at the volunteer table (situated directly inside the black gate to the left) to get their name badge and be signed into your job assignment. This is how we keep track of all job assignments and ensure that each job is filled. It is critical to sign in by 7:45am (for both 1st and 2nd shifts) with the volunteer team to make sure your job is accounted for and you have been checked in as a volunteer for that day. If you cannot make your shift, it is YOUR responsibility to find a replacement and notify the Meet Chair 2 days prior to a meet. All missed volunteer assignments are charged at $150/assignment. Brief trainings for Poolside jobs begin at 8:00am on the pool deck.
Set-Up & Take-Down, Traffic, Snack Bar, Awards and Timing Desk volunteers should check in with their Committee Chairs per their instructions.
SPIRIT WEAR
Our fabulous new Spirit Wear will be sold at the practice meet and other home meets. Bring a credit card to get the whole family decked out for the season!
SNACK BAR
We have a great snack bar during our meets offering breakfast and lunch. We start serving Peet's coffee, Good Earth breakfast burritos, donuts and bagels at 8:00 AM. For lunch we will have hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, baked potatoes and fresh Caesar salad. Jamba Juice will be there selling smoothies, too! We accept both cash and credit.
PARKING
Parking at our pool is in the surrounding neighborhood.
This year, you’ll notice a substantial change in parking availability along Butterfield: Bike lanes and “No Parking” signs have been added on both sides of the road. Parking in a bike lane, even partially, is prohibited (see illustration below) . 
Thanks to a partnership with nearby San Domenico School, we are able to offer ~70 parking spots in their gravel parking lot—just a short walk from the pool—for 3 of our 4 home meets. Please consider using this gravel parking lot (see map below).
We ask that everyone be careful not to block any bike lanes, driveways or mailboxes and avoid No Parking Zones. The neighbors have been known to call the Sheriff to ticket and/or tow illegally parked cars and we don't want any unwelcome surprises at the end of the meet.
There is a drop-off circle in front of the Clubhouse where you can drop your swimmers and then find parking.
RESPECTFUL REMINDER
And lastly, please remind your children to be respectful of all facilities – keeping the bathrooms clean, respecting others’ property and that of the beautiful community center. THANK YOU!
Let’s have a great Practice Meet and Kick Bootyakum!!!
-SHST Board
