Parents,

24 hours from now, we'll be knee-deep in heats of the 50 freestyle.  It's time to start figuring out those final details for the Fall Kickoff.

When Do I Get There?

One of the overseen things on our website is where we keep the details for each meet.

When you're on the homepage, scroll down to the Fall Kickoff event.  Or, from the Event page, you can do the same.  Click the title of the meet and a lovely little popup emerges.

1) Where to go --Pretty self-explanatory.  Keep in mind that not all locations are at corresponding high schools (see: Watertown)

2) If your swimmer has a tech suit, whether or not we think they should be wearing them.  If you don't know about tech suits, we'll save that for another conversation.

3) We try to go black on Friday, red on Saturday, blue on Sunday.  It's not required, but it sets my "particular" mind at ease.

4) What to expect for admissions.  Some teams do cash on site, some do ticketing in advance (like us), and others sneakily bury admission fees into the meet fees for "convenience."

5) Where to find the heat sheet for the meet.  A few have printed heat sheets for sale, but most are electronic only in 2025.

6) The meet timeline.  Each group has a specific arrival time, typically 15 minutes before their warmup begins.  That's when we take attendance and adjust relays accordingly, so it's a big deal for them to be there on time.

7) If there's anything special to know like "you'll be in a cold gym" or "bring suncreen and chairs"

8) When we can, we'll include entry lists for arm marking.  It's *much* easier than sifting through the heat sheet to find your swimmer's heats and lanes.

What is My Child Swimming?

If there isn't an entry list, or if you want to look before it's published, go to where you declared your swimmer for the meet.  Once we've selected events for them, they'll populate beside your swimmer's name.

It doesn't show heat and lane, but it's a great start.

How do I Mark my Swimmer's Arm?

Using that entry list, or after sifting through a heat sheet, you'll now have heats and lanes.  Use this handy-dandy FAQ to tell you what to bring and how to mark your swimmer's arm for the meet.

Is My Swimmer in a Relay?

Maybe?  Probably?  We'll know after warmup.  We have a tentative plan for relays for each meet.  But with relays often going A-G, all it takes is one sick child to mess up an entire system.  So, after warmup concludes we'll post a green sheet of paper on the wall.  Swimmers are responsible for seeing if theyre 1) in a relay, 2) an alternate, or 3) not in a relay.  We try to give relay opportunities to as many swimmers as possible.

Does My Swimmer Have to Stay Until the End?

Nope!  Once your swimmer does their last event, they're done.  Have them check in with their coach before they leave.

Why Does My Swimmer Have a Handful of Mints?

One of the things that's really important to the growth process is taking instruction, applying it, and receiving feedback.  When a swimmer is young, sometimes they forget to check in.  So we encourage (bribe) them to talk to a coach before and after each race by giving them a mint.  So, each race should earn them two mints, whether they set a world record or swam the wrong stroke in the wrong lane.  Please encourage your swimmer to talk to their primary coach, and to ask what they were told afterwards.

My Child is Sick and Can't Come.  Now What?

Notify your swimmer's coach of record (either me, Erin, or Greg) by email ASAP so we can start the process of adjusting relays and scratching.  We won't get money back from meet hosts, that ends up becoming a "donation."

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

If you're looking for heat sheets for tomorrow--they should be out in the next couple hours!