Good afternoon, Dolphin Families! 

In a few short hours we will be together on deck for our Practice Meet! Please see the attached Heat Sheet! 

A few reminders: 
We encourage you to carpool since overflow parking at Fernbank will not be available today! 

The snack bar will be open for over the counter service (snacks, drinks, and ice cream) and we have arranged a pizza buffet for our main food option!

Caps have arrived! If you have not received the cap  you ordered, we will have them at the towel shack. Please make sure you pick them up! 

Time Trials Meet Timeline:

4:30pm – Swimmer/Worker arrival and check in. (Family workers, arrive promptly at 4:30 and check in at the towel shack- even if you selected the second shift! Swimmers, check in at your Bullpen!)
5:00-5:30pm – Dolphin Warmups
5:30 – Meet begins!

We are so lucky to have 80% of our swimmers declared for this meet! This is a great representation of our team! If you did not declare your swimmer and would like to participate in Time Trials, or you do not see your child on the heat sheet, please promptly let Justin/Robyn know, and your child will be added into the final heat of the event. We have received several communications today already, and we will be making adjustments prior to the meet. 

What to Expect at Time Trials

Our "Time Trials" - Sometimes referred to as a "Practice Meet" is our first opportunity to time our swimmers in the various events in which they will be competing. During competitive meets, we arrange swimmers in their heats based on their "seed times" - the time they have most recently recorded for that particular event. We will be using the times gathered at Time Trials for our first meet vs. PDC on May 28th, but also to have a defined starting point for our swimmers to track their growth throughout the season!
This run through is also important for our team- giving our swimmers the chance to experience what a meet will be like, and giving our parents who are working a shift an opportunity to practice their roles without another team on deck.
Time Trials will run like a regular meet- meaning we will have a Heat Sheet, the swimmers will remain in their Bullpens for the duration, and our timing company will be on site to time our swimmers! Swimmers will participate in the events they are eligible for so we can gather their base times.

We recommend that you also pack a light snack for your swimmer(s), a water bottle, towel, and sweatshirt/jacket (as it can be cold when they get out of the pool). Also, we suggest something to keep your swimmer occupied in the bullpen during the downtime in between their events - a book, coloring materials, cards, games, etc. We do not recommend electronics as the bullpen can get quite soggy and rumor has it that water and electronics are not a good combo.

HEAT SHEET INFORMATION

My child isn’t on the heat sheet!

• First, to prevent this, make sure you “commit” or “not commit” to every swim meet on Swimtopia by the cutoff date. If you have not “committed” your swimmer on Swimtopia, they will not be on the heat sheet.
• If your child is not on the heat sheet and will be attending the swim meet, do two things:
  • Email or text Robyn! I will not be able to respond to all emails but will collect all notifications and forward them to Coach Justin. ([email protected]) (301-473-3221)
  • Come to the meet, check in with our Swim Team Committee Parent Job Chairs, let your bullpen parent know, we will make it work.

My child IS on the heat sheet but now will be absent (sick, etc.)!

• Let Robyn know via email or text, as above. This is important so that we can shuffle relays and get other swimmers in the water.
  • Please note, if you don't check-in with the appropriate bullpen parent on time, there is a possibility that your swimmer will be scratched from their events, particularly early races. If you are running late please let someone in your bullpen know so that we don't tap another swimmer for your relay spot.

My child’s name is wrong on the heat sheet!

• All names of swimmers on the heat sheet will appear as the swimmer is registered under Swimtopia (e.g., John Michael Phelps will appear as John Phelps on the heat sheet, not Michael Phelps). If you want the name of your swimmer to be anything other than their first name and surname, please make sure that information is noted on Swimtopia.

My child is entered with “NT” in an event!

• If your swimmer is entered with "NT" in an event, that simply means your swimmer has never swum the event previously and does not have an official time.

My child is swimming the Individual Medley, or is on a Medley Relay. What order of strokes do they swim!

• If your swimmer is swimming the Individual Medley (IM), the stroke order is butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. If your swimmer is swimming on a Medley Relay (MR), the stroke order is backstroke (1), breaststroke (2), butterfly (3), and freestyle (4).

Other Time Trials Notes:

• Towel service will not be provided, please bring at least two towels, non-electronic games for the bullpens, and healthy snacks.
  • We will bring towels for swimmers should rain occur - our first priority will always be swimmer comfort!
• Sunscreen is available for purchase at our towel shack.
• We would like to remind our parents that it is very important that swimmers remain in their Bullpen. You are always welcome to spend time with them there, regardless of whether or not you are working in that bullpen! If your child requires shelter during the meet, it will become your responsibility to make sure they swim in their events! Please check them out with the Bullpen Parent Workers and GA assigned to your bullpen before taking them for clarification on where they need to be and when!
• While some of our friends are still in school, please stay for the final relays! We need our swimmers to bring the DOLPHIN SPIRIT and cheer for their teammates, but we also often have to pull our friends to compete in the place of those who are absent during those relays!

• Please make sure to bring:
  • Caps
  • Goggles
  • Sun Screen (labeled)
  • Water Bottle (labeled)
  • Nut-Free Snacks
  • Non-Electronic Entertainment for the Bullpen
  • Towel (Towels are not provided for meets)
• Wear your Competition Suit!
• You are welcome to stay with your child in their bullpen even if you are not working a bullpen shift. Please make sure your child is in their bullpen so our family workers can mark them and line them up for their events.
• Please Sun Screen your swimmer AFTER they are marked. It is difficult to use a sharpie on already Sun Screened Skin!
• Don't be afraid to CHEER LOUD for your teammates!

As Coach Justin says, most importantly, be sure to "have fun and swim fast!"

GO DOLPHINS!

Robyn Whittemore