First Meet June 11!

Dear Swordfish families and swimmers:

We are one week from our first meet!  We still need volunteers.  Please use the sign up link to sign up for your jobs.  If you are planning to be a timer, the JSL is strongly urging everyone to watch this video: http://www.jsl.org/support-timers.htm  Both old and new timers should check it out.  Remember, the times recorded by parents are the primary means of determining place for finishers.  This is a fun job (you have the best seats in the house!) but a really important one. 

If you are going to miss a meet, you need to let the coaches know by 10:30 on the Friday before each meet by using the OPT OUT link.  This means that if your swimmers will not be able to attend the June 11 meet, you need to let the coaches know by THIS FRIDAY, June 6, at 10:30.  Please do not email this information to coaches or the swim team email – using the link means that you are directly providing the information to the coaches, reducing the possibility of lost and misunderstood emails.  Thanks!

Why is it important to let the coaches know your swimmer will miss a meet?  Short answer:  They have to submit the list of swimmers for each event to the JSL by a specific time and cannot make changes after that time.  Long answer:  We often think of swimming as an individual event (How fast did my kids swim?)  Remember, though, that this is a swim TEAM.  In order for us to win the meet, we need to win the most points.  The coaches are faced with two constraints: each swimmer can only earn points in a limited number of events and the team can only earn points on a limited number of swimmers in each event.  Considerable strategy is therefore involved in deciding which swimmers to enter in each event.  Once the meet entries are submitted, we can scratch swimmers but cannot add swimmers who earn points.  The coaches need to know who will be available for the meet.  

Weather Hotline:  Wrong information was sent in the last email (sorry!).  If  you want to know the status of practice, please call the swim team hotline: (434) 293-7399.  Remember, weather decisions are made by what’s actually happening at the pool NOT by the weather forecast.  Raining?  There’s practice.  Thunder?  Out of the pool! Lightening?  Clear the deck!  .  If you need to make a decision in advance for your family, use your best judgment. 

GO SWORDFISH!!