Pre-Meet Info Update #1 - 2025 Snowball Invite

YDSC Relays - Please check to see if your swimmer is included in a relay and include this on their hand/arm if they are aged 10&Under. - /ymca-1739/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/relay-entries---2025-snowball-invite_078665.pdf

Psych Sheet - /ymca-1739/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/psych-sheet---2025-snowball-invite_047380.pdf 

Estimated Timeline - /ymca-1739/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/estimated-timeline---2025-snowball-invite_089162.pdf

Meet Packet - /ymca-1739/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/meet-packet---2025-snowball-invite_040629.pdf

Heat Sheets - Will be available on MeetMobile after positive check in closes each day.

Warm-Up & Arrival Times - /ymca-1739/UserFiles/Image/QuickUpload/warm-up-timer-assignments---2025-snowball-invite_043615.pdf

• Friday All Ages - Warm-up at 5:00pm, Arrive to the facility by 4:45pm
• Saturday Morning 11&Over Prelims - Warm-up at 7:25am, Arrive to the facility by 7:10am
• Saturday Afternoon 10&Unders - Warm-up at 12:40pm, Arrive to the facility by 12:25pm
• Saturday Evening 11&Over Finals - Warm-up at 4:30pm, Arrive to the facility by 4:15pm
• Sunday Morning 10&Unders - Warm-up at 7:20am, Arrive to the facility by 7:05am
• Sunday Afternoon 11&Overs - Warm-up at 12:10pm, Arrive to the facility by 11:55am

TEAM WARM-UP IS NOT OPTIONAL! Our expectation is that each swimmer participating in the session arrives early to the facility and gets in the water on time for warm-up. Please prepare accordingly to make sure your swimmer is not late getting into the water. This is disruptive and makes things difficult for the other swimmers on our team and our coaching staff. Swimmers who have not arrived for warm-up within 15 minutes of our team's warm-up period starting will be automatically scratched from the session and will not be allowed to participate in the meet. 

Team Timer Assignments - 

• Our team is responsible for filling the following mandatory timer assignments during the meet this weekend. Please help us fill these spots! The meet won't start until all the YDSC mandated timers have reported to the pool deck!
  • Saturday Morning 11&Over Prelims - 2 Timers for Full Session OR 4 Timers for Splitting the Session in Half
  • Sunday Afternoon 11&Over - 2 Timers for Full Session or 4 Timers for Splitting the Session in Half
• Please text or email Coach Lauren asap to fill a spot! Timers can be anyone aged 13&Over! 

Finals - This meet has swimmers aged 11&Over qualify and participate in finals! This is a wonderful opportunity for our 11&Over swimmers to gain valuable experience with the prelim/finals format of racing as it becomes common place at championship meets once they hit age 11. For the 11-12, 13-14, and 15&Over age groups, the top 16 fastest swimmers for each event in Prelims will qualify for and come back in the evening to race in Finals. All Friday night and Sunday events are timed finals and all 10&Under events on Saturday are timed finals as well. Our team expectation is that all swimmers aged 11&Over who qualify for Finals stay to race in the Finals session - our team can incur fees if swimmers qualify for Finals but do not race in Finals in addition to that swimmer potentially not being able to race other events remaining in the meet as a penalty for not showing up at Finals. If you have a legimitate reason for not being able to stay and race in Finals should your swimmer qualify, you will need to discuss with Coach Lauren for approval to scratch out of Finals!

Meet Fees & Date of Charge - Fees are $5 per individual event, $3 per relay event per swimmer, $16 per swimmer host team participation surcharge, and a $5 per swimmer YDSC Coach Travel Fee. You can use the swimmer entries document at the top of this email to add up your swimmer's fees total that will be charged for this meet. Meet fees will be charged to swimmer's accounts on Monday, January 13th. 

Facility Address - 

Gus & Flora Kerasotes YMCA

4550 W Iles Ave

Springfield, IL 62711

Additional Reminders - 

• Please read the meet packet thoroughly prior to the meet as it has additional information that may be useful to you. This email just hits the highlights for the meet and does not mention everything in the packet. 
• Locker rooms are for swimmers only - there is absolutely no exception to this. There will be restrooms available for non-athletes. SafeSport rules require athletes & non-athletes use seperate facilities.
• Swimmers will remain in our team crash zone when not racing. Spectators will also remain in the team crash zone when not watching their swimmer race - there is on deck bleachers for viewing races, but rotating in and out of the bleachers may be necessary due to the size of the meet. Swimmers and spectators should bring chairs/blankets, etc to be comfortable in the team crash zone!
• Medals will be awarded to 1st - 3rd place and ribbons awarded for 4th - 8th place for all individual events. No awards will be given for relay events. Snow globes will be awarded to the top high point finisher in each age group. Team trophies will be awarded to the top 3 visiting teams.
• There will be no admission cost for spectators. Heat sheets and results will be available on the MeetMobile app.
• There will be a bullpen for the 10&Under sessions.

If there is anything you have questions about or need to communicate to the coaching staff before the meet begins please text Coach Lauren at 765-201-5916. If there is anything you need to communicate during the meet you can text Coach Lauren, Coach Christa, or Coach Jessica, but please be aware that we will be actively coaching during the meet and will not be checking our phones regularly. 

Looking forward to our first away meet of 2025! Let's Go Gators!! 

- Coach Lauren