Hello CB Swim Family!

The eve of our first swim meet is here, and I hope you are all as excited as we are! Here is some important information to help you to prepare. This is a LOT of information, so I apologize ahead of time for the VERY long email. I promise they won’t always be this long!

A. Bus and Transportation:

Please have your swimmer and all their gear at the bus at 8 AM tomorrow. The pick-up location will be outside CBHS's cafeteria. We will take the role and leave directly after. All swimmers are expected to ride the bus to the meet, with the exception of Lanier Aquatics swimmers, who choose to warm up with the team ahead of time. If those swimmers plan to do so, they MUST contact me TODAY and let me know!

The bus will return to the high school after the meet, and parents should pick up there.

B. Seating and Attending (IN person or Virtually)

The meet will begin promptly at 10:30 AM, but the facility fills up quickly, so I suggest arriving early. The seating space for spectators is relatively small, so be prepared to be very close with some friends and neighbors. It is also hot in the facility, so I suggest bringing layers to wear, or you may find yourself quite uncomfortable.

Parents should plan on sitting in the stands only. Unfortunately, the windows in front of the pool deck have been reserved for swimmers and team tables, so there is very limited seating and only for our special situations. If you or a family member cannot sit comfortably in the pool area, please let me know via email or private GroupMe today.

Please remember that there should be NO parent spectators on the pool deck!! This is for the safety of the swimmers, coaches, and officials. HOWEVER, if you’d like a cooler seat, access to the deck, and a guaranteed view of your swimmer (plus a FREE lunch), we still have SEVERAL timer spots available!

If you or a loved one cannot attend, I have attached a flyer to this (GoDog) for a FREE streaming service from the facility. You can also watch the meeting on demand using the link for up to 10 days after the event. See the flyer for more information.

C. Gear:

Despite our best efforts, the warm-ups are not here yet. I apologize for this, and I hope they will be this week. Students will receive their CB Swim Cap on the bus; all competition suits are in now. High School students can pick up theirs from Coach Rowland at the high school, and middle school students can pick up theirs from Coach Goodwin. We also have mesh swim bags for those who have not received a team one yet!

Please have swimmers plan to wear their competition suit (the Nike one) for tomorrow.

D. Be sure to bring:

We will have a small food table with snacks for the swimmers throughout the meet. In addition, you are welcome to pack HEALTHY snacks for your swimmer. Junk food in = junk swims out… so some good options are protein- and carb-rich - almonds and other nuts, cheese sticks, beef sticks or jerky, fruit like cuties or bananas, and granola/protein bars. A reasonable exception to the “healthy” factor that’s always good is fruit snacks! Snacks should be smaller so they don’t overload their tummies between swims.

All swimmers should have a refillable water bottle as well. Good hydration started yesterday, so ensure they get the water in! Swimmers often don’t realize how much they are sweating because the pool is washing it off as it forms, but I assure you they are working quite hard and sweating. Staying hydrated is so important! If your swimmer doesn’t LOVE water or you’d like extra hydration, a lower-sugar electrolyte powder like Liquid IV or Pedialyte is a great option.

They should also have (ideally) two pairs of goggles, their suit, at least two towels (one will inevitably get soaked), and a change of clothes. A meet makes for a long day, so something to read, small card games to play between swims, and electronic devices (headphones) and chargers are also options. Just remember that your child will be on an open pool deck, so keep that in mind! A sharpie to record their events is also helpful.

E. The MOST IMPORTANT THING:

Here is the MOST important thing I want to communicate with you about the upcoming meet. What is your role as a family member and parent? ENCOURAGER!!! You are your child’s biggest cheerleader. I know first-hand that sometimes we as parents get caught up in our child’s sports and want to try to make corrections and critiques. I encourage you to STAY AWAY from this as much as possible. Please know that as coaches, we are taking EXTENSIVE team and personal notes to work on in the coming weeks. Furthermore, we often don’t get those critiques out before the swimmer already analyzes everything they did wrong.

You are there to remind them of everything they are doing RIGHT! I PROMISE there is always one thing that they did better, braver, or faster than they did last time. Swimming is a sport of personal gain. Overall, winning a race is incredible. But sometimes, the win is getting in the pool when you are nervous, diving well off the block, fixing their breathing technique, and dropping time from the last time you were in the pool. Don’t forget to look for THOSE things as well! I promise it will make a massive difference in the attitude with which your swimmer approaches the pool and the sport. Remind them that working hard, putting in effort at every practice, attending every practice, and dryland will all help them achieve their goals moving forward, but we aren’t going to be able to fix it all in the warm pool today.

Coaches will tell them what they did wrong. We’re good at being the “bad guys,” I promise. Take the time to say to them all the things they are doing right and remind them it's ALWAYS good to be a BEAR!!!

I know that was long and filled with a LOT of information, so I appreciate your patience if you made it all the way here!!! I’ll see you all tomorrow morning and can’t wait to show everyone what these swim bears can do!!!!

GO BEARS!!!

Coach Goodwin