September 19, 2012

  To:   All Green Bay YMCA Swimmers & Parents

  From:         Coach Dave - voice mail-436-9624

Email- [email protected]   team unify website - www.teamunify.com/wigbymca

 Re:    1) Stroke Clinics  2) All-parent meeting/Registration Forms/Concussion Information  3)  WGLO Meet/Open Meet Entries  4)  Escrow Balances

1.  Stroke Clinics continue through September 27.  --  Sept 19-Starts,     Sept 20-Flip Turns,     Sept 24-Breaststroke,      Sept 26-200 Race Strategy,  Sept 27 - IM Exchanges

Clinics are opened to all Gold swimmers and approved Silver Swimmers. Cost is $5.00 per session attended.  All swimmers will be charged for clinics in late September through their escrow accounts.  Those swimmers who registered to include stroke clinics may attend all clinics for no cost.  I did make a couple minor changes in the schedule. 

1. The all-parent meeting is next Tuesday evening, September 25, 6:15-8:15pm.  All information regarding the meeting is on the web site.  We again will have this at St. Mary’s Roller rink so that the kids may skate while we are having the meeting.  All registration packets will be distributed at the meeting. There is already some information regarding registration under the “about GBY/registration” tab on the website. I do expect a parent from all families to attend the meeting.  As always there will be a lot of important information gone over at the meeting including some changes in the program.  I also would also ask that all families take a look at the concussion information on the web site. This information is under the documents tab.  Wisconsin now has a law that all participants in Youth Sports programs must read all the information and in our registration packet the parents will have to sign off on this information.  Concussions I know are very rare in a sport like swimming but if something did occur families have information regarding concussions and will also understand why we may not allow a child to participate until cleared by a doctor.
2. Hopefully all swimmers planning to attend the WGLO meet have given me an accurate number of events to reserve under their note section on the entry page.  Entries are also open for the October 27 Marinette-Menominee Pentathlon and the November 4-6, FCY Fall Invite. Please make sure that you register by the deadline dates. When I initially open an entry up it will be e-mailed to you.  You also will receive a reminder 1 week before the entry deadline by e-mail.
3. We still have 25 families who have not taken care of their escrow balances. These must be taken care of right away.  Swimmers of these 25 families will not be entered in any meets until the balance is taken care of and the Y would also expect that monies be added to take care of any upcoming meets that you are entering.  Thank you for taking care of this promptly.  Please understand that a swimmer will just be removed from an entry if you have a balance.  You have full time access to your escrow account on the website so there is no reason that this should not be taken care of promptly at all times during the swim seasons.  Thank you to all those families that already do a nice job of staying ahead of their escrow accounts.  Please remember to put monies in your account to cover the entry fees for the upcoming meets in October and November.
4. Assorted Notes

·        The practice schedule should be up to date on the website.  Practices begin the week of October 8.  Those swimmers that would like to move from Bronze to Silver or Silver to Gold II will be placed after the first week of practice.  Decisions on Gold III swimmers will also be made after the first week of practice but additional swimmers may be moved to this Gold III during the season.  Please check under the “Team/Classes” tab for group requirements. Due to some swimmers not knowing their group placement registration forms are not due until the week of October 15.  All swimmers not registered by the end of this week will lose access to the website so please get your forms in that week.  This includes any high school girls who will be joining our team after their season.

·        I did make a change to the Wednesday night practice schedule.  We will have only the Bronze team practice from 6:30-7:30pm.  And both Silver and Gold will practice together from 7:30-8:45pm.  Gold will practice until 9pm.  Beginning Wednesday, November 7, we will move Gold practices to SWHS from 4-6pm.  And then Silver will have the whole DT Y pool from 7:30-8:45pm.  The team is going to be very large this season so I am trying be as proactive as possible on helping relieve some of our space issue.  Silver and Gold swimmers being more experienced should be able to handle the big practice group on Wednesday nights.

·        Practices for those who registered for year-round swimming will continue on Tuesdays and Fridays until the season begins.  Except October 4&5 when we will not have practices.  I will also run practices for these swimmers on Tuesdays, October 9,16 & 23, from 3:45-5:30pm at the DT Y pool.  We cannot get into SWHS on Tuesdays until October 30 because the pool is scheduled for High School meets on these days.

·        Parent Group committee meetings have been moved to the first Mondays of the Month. Exception being December where we will move that meeting back to November 26 to meet before our December 1 Sprint Meet.

·        The revised handbook has been posted on the website under the documents tab.  Please read this over carefully.  Many new items mostly related to the team unify website.

·        Parents, please also think about what sub-committee you would like to be involved in this season.  Sign-ups will be at the All-parent meeting next Tuesday.  We are in need of many parents to learn to run the computer and timing system for swimming meets. So many parents are needed for the Equipment committee.  Some of the other sub-committees have smaller need also.  We will talk about these at the All-parent meeting next Tuesday.

·        We need volunteers to help with the water station for the Turkey Trot run on Thanksgiving morning.  The sign-up is open on the website.  Please give me names and t-shirt sizes. This can all be done under one swimmer.  Thanks for helping out.

·        We also are in desperate need of Y Officials for our home swim meets.  There are October 20th trainings posted on the website. Parents will be reimbursed the training cost if you work at all of our home swim meets.