Weekly Update

Erin McCann

Weekly Update

THANK YOU to all swim families and swimmers who helped us to fundraise for MSA! We surpassed our 10k goal and could not have done it without you, you are all what made this possible and we cannot thank you enough!

Announcements

Our new block wedges are going to be up soon and ready to use! We will keep the old wedges off for now as they are a safety concern (sliding back, not clicking in place, etc). For swimmers safety we have taken them off but are excited for the new ones to go up.

One of our clocks is under repair, so we will only have one digital clock for the time being but the other one should be back soon.

Caroline Wathen will be passing out swimmer shirts/caps and anything purchased through the Apparel Lab on Monday from 4-5pm & Thursday from 3:30-4:20pm in one of the meeting rooms at Dublin Park. If you cannot make those times, then please email [email protected] to coordinate pickup from Caroline Wathen’s home.

The outdoor pool is going to be closed over Fall break to install the bubble over the pool. This will result in all MSA practices taking place at the indoor pool during that time. Stay tuned for more updates on that schedule, which will only take place while the bubble is going up. After the bubble is up we will resume the normal MSA schedule.

Please click the link below to register your swimmer(s) for their USA Swim Membership. This needs to be completed ASAP, especially if you plan on attending the SSA Kone Ice Invitational and/or the Intramural Meet.

Click or copy & paste: https://omr.usaswimming.org/omr/welcome/093F451D856809

The SSA KONA ICE Invitational sign-ups are now CLOSED. Entries have now been submitted.

The MSA Intrasquad Meet information & sign-ups are now available under the events tab. Just go to our team website and click>events>scroll to SSA Kona Ice Invitational. We are excited that our first swim meet is just a month away! Please register for events no later than September 21, 2024.

Practice Schedule Changes

Upcoming Schedule Changes (9/16/24-9/22/24)

Practice Schedule:

White: T/TH 3:30-4:30PM. T/TH (always indoor).

Yellow: M/W/F 3:30-4:30PM. M/W outdoor, F indoor.

Blue: M-F 3:30-4:30PM. M/W indoor, T/TH/F outdoor.

Bronze: M-F 3:30-4:30PM. M-F indoor.

Silver: M-F 4:30-6:00PM, Sat 8-10AM. M/T/W/F indoor, TH/SAT outdoor.

Gold: M-F 4:30-6:30PM, Sat 8-10AM. M/W/TH/F indoor, T/SAT outdoor.

MSA Gear and News

The “swim outlet” link and “apparel lab” link are updated now for the 2024-2025 MSA Season gear. You can click on the links to check out our new merch, the team suits for swim meets, and the gear lists. All of this is also on our website.

This is what each group will need, we recommend purchasing an equipment bag as well.

Yellow & White: Fins/KickBoard/Pull Buoy
Blue & Bronze: Fins/KickBoard/Hand Paddles/Pull Buoy
Silver: Fins/KickBoard/Hand Paddles/Pull Buoy
Gold: Fins/KickBoard/Hand Paddles/Pull Buoy/Snorkel/Tempo Trainer

https://www.swimoutlet.com/collections/msa

Get Involved!!!

Become an Official

MSA regularly needs officials to host meets and run the consistent and high-quality competitions we have become known for. Each MSA Meet must have certified USA-S certified officials conducting the meet for each swimmer to receive official credit for their swims/times.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact our MSA Officials Point of Contact, Heather Koehler at [email protected]

Parent Education

I have been adding a few readings onto the Weekly Updates. Here you will be able to find articles written by coaches, parents, athletes, psychologists, etc., about team sports, importance of parent involvement, and roles that seemingly assist coaches, parents, and athletes in their endeavors through the greatest sport in the world (swimming).

Swim Parents: Your Stress & Expectations Are Contagious

https://swimswam.com/swim-parents/

8 Things Every Swim Parent Should Know

https://wanderingswimmer.com/swim-parent-should-know/#google_vignette

Other:

12 Things All Swim Parents Should Know

MSA Sponsors and Affiliates

Please remember that when you support our sponsors you are also supporting MSA! If you have or know of a business that would like to help a local non-profit organization support young swimmers and growing program, please have them contact Anna Wright at [email protected]

Boars Head

Papa Johns

PJ’s Coffee

Tyler Mann

Vertex Stone

Long Range Planning

Please note the schedule of the following events which will take place several months from now

Signup deadlines are generally 2 weeks before the event.

September 28: SSA Kona Ice Invitational (Scottsboro,AL)

October 5: MSA Intrasquad Meet (Madison, AL)

October 18-20: Fran Norris Meet (Huntsville, AL)

November 8-10: Veteran’s Day Meet (Madison, AL)