Alright Gators - it's nearly game-time!

Hoping for good weather! Come prepared to get wet, just in case. Umbrellas, rain jackets, tents...just not the clubhouse as there won't be any room. If it thunders, we have to stop for 30 minutes. 

Some information about the meet for our first timers and reminders for our veterans (sorry, it's a lot but I want to make sure I leave nothing out!):

• Parking lot closes at 4pm - all vehicles must be removed. Arrive as early as possible to set up your area in the parking lot and so you get a good, close parking spot on the road. Park on the RIGHT side of the road, following the signs. 
• Bring a tent, tailgating chairs, sharpies, and anything else you can think of to make your waiting in between events pass by. Get with friends!
• Absolutely NO ALCOHOL. 
• Concessions - cash and Venmo will be accepted.
• Suits - girls MUST wear a one-piece and boys MUST wear the tight-fitted shorts (jammers) or the briefs (speedo's.) Caps MUST NOT have an outside team's logo or say anything on them besides your neighborhood swim team's caps. So, if your child swims for the Jets, for example, as well, the Jets caps are not allowed. The caps either need to be plain or, again, have your neighborhood team logo on them.
• Please keep your children OFF the tennis courts. They may go to the playground behind the tennis courts, but they cannot be on the courts themselves.
• Warm-ups begin at 5pm for home meets, 5:30pm for away meets. Our first meet on Tuesday is HOME. The meet itself will begin promptly at 6pm.
• Please keep yourself and children who are NOT currently swimming or lined up for their event to the sides of the pool for watching. The end zones are where our timers must stand and those in relays and events must be - space is very limited and these areas will be blocked off. To go to the bathrooms, you must go around the front of the clubhouse to the far side to avoid jamming up the end zones.
• Please check with coaches before leaving if your events are finished in the event you swimmer is needed to fill in a relay spot.
• Remember to write your child's first initial and last name on the back right shoulder so they can be easily found during line-ups. You can also put their age number.
• Write your child's heat, event, lane, and stroke on your child's arm or thigh. It should look like this: 

  

• If you are volunteering, please check in with the volunteer tent as soon as you arrive. There will be a meeting before the meet starts. Please be here by 5pm if you can.

• Please stay out of the Official's walking lane. 

• NO swimming in the baby pool OR deep end. Only swimmers in events may swim during their time in the lanes. 

• Please pick up your area after you are done packing up and throw trash away. 

• If you can help break down the meet when it is over, any help is appreciated!

• No loud instruments such as cowbells or air horns. The only loud noise should be the starter. 

• If you have not downloaded the Swimtopia app, please do so now. This will help you stay with the meet as each event passes by.

• Have your swimmer line up about 1-2, possibly 3 events (depending on how many heats there are) before theirs - ask a friend or coach if you're not sure. The meet will not wait and will continue without your swimmer if they are not in their position on time. 

• Speaking of events and heats - what are they?? Events are when the specific strokes are being swam and the length - so Event #1, for example, may be a 25 freestyle. That tells you your swimmer will swim down one lane, one time, in the freestyle stroke. The heat is which group they will be swimming in - so Event #1, Heat 2, means your swimmer is in the second group of the same event. Lanes 1-4, Heat 1, are the scoring lanes and heat for the teams. 

If there is anything I left out, please let me know! I will send a reminder the day of the meet.

If you have not signed your child up as of yet, and intend for them to swim in the meet, please sign them up and let your coaches or me know so we make sure they are put in the heat sheets. We combine our sheets with the opposing team the day of the meet after morning practice.

Thank you!!

Beverly Shackelford

Gators Coordinator

[email protected]