Rudgear Rats: Week of June 7th Newsletter

Rudgear Rats: Week of June 7th Newsletter

Upcoming Dates

• June 7 - Picture Day (no practice)

• June 12 - REST vs. WHO (home)

• June 14 or 15- Tentative 6Us and 7/8s socials (volunteers needed ASAP)

• June 15 - Team Dine Out at Extreme Pizza

• June 16 - REST vs. WST (home) Declare by 6/9

• June 19 - REST @ IVST (away) Declare by 6/12

• June 21 or 22 - Tentative age group social (volunteers needed ASAP)

• June 26-27 - City Meet Declare by 6/10

• June 28-29 - Tentative 15-18s social (volunteers needed ASAP)

President’s Message
Summer is finally here!!! We are excited to have more pool time,  and have the season fully underway! Over the next few weeks you will likely see that we will continually be updating the format of our swim meets, as the environment changes. No two swim meets will look alike, so be sure to check our REST Communication emails frequently before each meet (any even before you leave for the pool)! There is no standardized format or rules for swim meets, so each pool and swim team comes up with their own design that meets their needs. Thanks for being flexible as we work out how to best host meets in this unique season.

REST home meets will likely follow the two wave format until on or around  June 15, at which point we hope to resume a full team swim meet, as in prior years. Each swim meet we improve and become more efficient,  as it is our goal to include as many swims as possible (including A, B & C relays and IM). Thank you for being patient and cooperative. A HUGE shout out to the DESK team and my fellow BOARD Members who have worked countless hours to make these meets happen! It takes a strong community to run a swim meet...

Speaking of a strong community, you may have noticed that there were no signups for Team Jobs this year. This was because we simply did not know what events and activities we would be hosting. Throughout the season we may be asking for volunteers to help with various activities, please be open to coordinating an event or helping with a project.

Finally, welcome to all of our new Rats families!! The team is bigger than it has ever been, and we are so excited to have you on board. Swim team is a lot of fun, but sometimes a bit intimidating, so please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Thanks & Gooooo Rats!
-Karen

A Note from the Desk

Our desk crew works really hard to prepare for smooth meets, and to do this we need everyone declared by the deadline. Late additions to meets are incredibly time intensive and we will not be able to accommodate them all depending on date, time, and desk crew staffing. Please double check that you have declared for future events before the deadline (and remember the best practice is declaring for the summer, so you don't have to stress!).

Meet Declaration Reminder
Please be sure to declare (opt in or out) for each meet. Declarations are due a week prior to the meet date. Upcoming due dates:

• Woodlands - declare by June 9

• City Meet - declare by June 10

• IVST - declare by June 12

Picture Day - Monday, June 7

8:30-9:00am - 13/14 and 15-18s 

9:15-10:15am - 9/10s and 11/12s 

10:15-11:00am - 6Us and 7/8s

* Feel free to consolidate siblings during one of your time slots

If you do not want to buy, you just need to show up and take your team pose (digitally mastered for team shot). If you want to take individual and buddy photos, you will need to opt-in via text (see the attached flyer). 

There is no pre-purchase necessary, but if you want to take advantage of the FREE Shipping promotion, you'll need to purchase an advance pay credit. No paperwork! When the pictures are ready, you will get a text directing you to view and purchase. Ordering will be open for 2 weeks after you receive the text notification. 

REST Social Events (your help and input requested)

Time to plan some fun! Each season, volunteer parents plan one age group social per week but due to the pandemic, we weren’t sure this would happen. As we approach lighter restrictions with COVID guidelines, we’re optimistic that we can schedule some family and age group socials! 

Age Group Socials

We are looking for at least 2-3 volunteers to coordinate each event. Age group socials will have a budget to spend and we have the activity ideas so all you would have to do is basically finalize the details, create an Evite, and chaperone the event. Easy & fun! Talk to a couple of your planning pals and let us know if you are in. If we don't get volunteers, then sadly the events won't happen. Note: coordinating an event will count as one of your required meet jobs! 

We’d like to start the socials around the pending June 15th reopening, so please consider hosting a fun event for your kids to get to know their swimmates outside of practices and meets. This means we need your commitment and help ASAP. We typically start with the youngest age groups but are open to start with whomever can plan their event first.

If you are willing to head up your child’s age group social, or want more information on what that looks like, please contact Sarah Johansen ([email protected]) and Jen Barnes ([email protected]). They will help you with the next steps and scheduling. 
 

Family Socials

We need your input! Family socials are meant for REST parents and siblings to meet, reconnect & have fun. However, we need to know your interest level and availability for certain events. Please fill out the following survey no later than Sunday, June 13 so if there is enough interest, we can get started on the planning: https://forms.gle/RpaTwti5qU7GxxUv8 . 

Spirit Apparel
Anyone who still needs to pick up their team shirt and/or apparel order can do so at Picture Day!

And, the spirit shop is open until June 9th - so be sure to get those orders in! (We’ve heard that some devices are showing that shirt sizes aren’t available. If this is happening to you, please try to order via a different device.) Contact Nicole Main ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Spirit Shop: https://rats-swim.square.site/

Extreme Pizza Dine Out Day - Tuesday, June 15
Mark your calendars! Extreme Pizza now has two patios to accommodate outdoor dining. Sandwiches for lunch, pizza and beer for dinner, meet up with other Rat families, and help raise funds for the team. 20% of all orders will be given back to the team if you mention Rudgear Estates Swim Team. Tell your friends, neighbors & coworkers! More details to come later this week.