Crocs!

I hope everyone is ready for our next home dual meet on Saturday against the Northpointe Shockwaves.  This will be our “first” in-division dual meet of the season, following the cancellation of our meet against Towne Lake this past weekend.  I’m going to try and keep this email shorter, as much of the information will be similar to our first home meet.

PEP RALLY:  We will have our pep rally tonight at the pool from 6-7pm.  There will be pizza, snacks, games, cheer practice and some inspirational words from our coaches before tomorrow.  We look forward to seeing everyone.  NOTE:  We will NOT have a pep rally next week before our away meet.

SUMMER THUNDER:  Our mid-season invitational will be held June 2nd and 3rd at Klein Collins High School.  We must submit our team entries on Sunday morning, so we must close registration on Saturday after the meet.  If your swimmer is already qualified and wants to attend, please go ahead and register now.  If your swimmer qualifies on Saturday, please register them ASAP — we will plan to close registration at 5pm on Saturday.  There is a cost of $9 per individual event to swim at this meet.  There is not a 3-swim limit for this meet; you can swim all events for which you have the qualification time.  NOTE:  If your swimmer qualifies for at least 3 events, they can add bonus events if they want (except 100 IM, 100 Free and 10&U 50 Free — they must have the qualifying time in those events).  If you want to add bonus events, please indicate which events in the coaches’ notes on your swimmer’s entry.

SWIM MEET:

MORNING SETUP/PARKING:  Please read this carefully.  We will have the same plan as last home meet; we need to reserve the area outside the gate for our visiting team.

Gates will be unlocked at 6:15 am for tent set up.  Only board members and our setup crew are allowed to gain entry prior to that.  NO setup is allowed on the “front row” area above the retaining wall at the non-block end of the pool, as this is reserved for our sponsor tents.  We need to maintain walking pathways for swimmers and spectators to reach the pool from our main tent areas at the bottom of the hill.  There is also no set up allowed on any paved area around the pool.

No parking is allowed at the pool parking lot unless you are a sponsor with a reserved parking spot.  The pool parking lot will be open for drop off until 6:30am, then will be closed to traffic for safety reasons.  Please move all vehicles out of the lot by 6:30am.

Sampson clean-out will be happening again this Saturday, so the front circle drive and the smaller front parking lot will be restricted for teachers.  If you live within walking distance, please consider walking to the pool due to our restricted parking availability.  Please be courteous to our Coles neighbors and observe all NO PARKING signs on Coles Crossing Drive.  DO NOT park between the lot entrance and the crosswalk and do not block the fire hydrant.

CIRCLE IN BY 7:30 AM:  Just like previous meets, all swimmers MUST circle in by 7:30 at the pool to tell the coaches and computer volunteers that they are there.  The circle-in board will be hanging on the fence by the bike racks.  There will be volunteers stationed to help circle your swimmers’ names.

WARM-UPS will begin at 7:15 this week and they are required for all swimmers.  The visiting team will warm up after us, then we gather at the pool for team cheers and start the meet.

WEATHER:  It’s going to be a hot day.  The forecast calls for sunny skies, highs of 96 and a heat index of 107.  Please remind your swimmers to drink water and apply sunscreen.

VOLUNTEERS:  There is no common volunteer check in area.  The lead in your area will confirm you have reported to your shift and ensure that you get credit for volunteering.  Please listen for the announcer to announce shift changes, timer/scribe meeting, officials meeting and ready bench meeting.  We expect to have our officials meeting at 7:50am in the circle drive; the timers/scribes meeting at 8am in the circle drive; and the ready bench meeting at 8am under the green tents by the pergola.  If you have questions, ask the lead in your area, check with Alexis Dempsey (our volunteer coordinator, tent located near the left end of the pergola by the lane line reels), or come by the announcers area.

CONCESSIONS:  We will be grilling burgers and will have pizza, pasta, and an array of snacks and candy available for sale along with water, Gatorade and sodas.  We will be accepting cash and credit cards ($5 minimum).  Smart Drinks food truck will be there in the morning, offering coffee, tea and smoothies and Bahama Bucks is scheduled to be there.

CHECKLIST for what you should bring:  swimmers!!, suits, goggles, caps, sunscreen, water, a sharpie, towels, tent, chairs, food/snacks (or money for concessions) and patience.  Please understand that we are all volunteers and our goal is to run an efficient meet and get everyone done and home as quickly as possible.

TIMELINE:  I have attached an ESTIMATED timeline for your general information.  Please note this may shift based on swimmer scratches in the morning and the meet can run slower or faster than anticipated.  Swimmer heats/lanes may also change following the morning scratch meeting, so make sure to double check in the apps.

See everyone tomorrow.  Eat ‘em Up, Crocs!

JT Gasson

President, Coles Crocs