Hi all! 

Apologies for the late information regarding tomorrow's meet. A lot of moving parts have left me settling things much later than I had planned. I appreciate your patience! 

Some important information for tomorrow: 

1. How will they get there? 

The bus will be leaving at 8:15 AM tomorrow from the front of the Cherokee Bluff Cafeteria. Please have your swimmer there by 8:10 AM so that we can take attendance and get everyone settled. 

**Please prepare your swimmer that the bus will be VERY full, so be prepared to share! 

2. What will they need? 

Swimmers should wear their swim gear to the meet (jacket and shirts). Please have them put their names or initials inside the tag if possible. One of my least favorite games is "whose is this?" at the end of the meet!

Swimmers will need to be ready on the deck in goggles, suit, and cap by 9:30 AM. They are welcome to wear their suits in the morning to the meet, or change as soon as we arrive. All swimmers should wear their competition suits and CB cap during the meet unless you have spoken to me prior. 

There will be a snack table with lunches provided for the swimmers during the meet. (Thank you to Rylee Mantilla for sponsoring this! ) If your swimmer has particular snacks they like, I suggest packing them in a small bag. Nuts, granola or power bars, fruit snacks, etc., are great options. Lots of junk = junky swims and puke in the pool, neither of which we want! Save the treats for after the swims, please. 

All swimmers should have a refillable water bottle. They sweat—a lot. And often don't know it because it washes off while they're swimming. Hydration is critical. 

Two towels, spare goggles, a change of clothes, and something to occupy their time between swims —like small card games, books, or electronics —is also great. While swimmers are welcome to visit their parents during the meet, they should plan to remain with the team for the majority of the time. This builds camaraderie and ensures we can help swimmers reach the blocks and not miss their events! 

3. What about when they are done swimming? 

New this year, in compliance with transportation rules in athletics, swimmers are required to remain until the end of the meet. You are welcome to also stay for the end of the meet and then check them out (this will require a physical signature) and take them from the facility, OR they should plan to return to the school on the bus. I will send a GroupMe and Swimtopia alert when we leave the pool, with a scheduled ETA for the parent school pickup. 

Swimmers can change AFTER they swim, but this is a great time to make sure that ALL our swimmers have support during the competition. 

4. What should I do? 

This is the most important part! CHEER Loudly!!! You'll spend a lot of time waiting for a little bit of excitement. When your swimmer is in the water, take that time to absorb all the good that came from the hard work they've put in over the past few weeks. If you've never stepped up on a block, it's hard to describe the anxiousness, the excitement, and thrill that comes from competing. Whether they "won" or not, they are winning when they drop time, master a technique better, have a great dive, finally get that flip turn they've been working on down, or finish strong. Find those things and encourage them! 

I promise we coaches are taking extensive notes about how they have improved, and what they need to do to continue. We will talk with them about it, offer feedback, and then start shaping our practices about what they need. In other words... coach. Let us do that, and you take this opportunity to be their cheerleader! 

We are so excited for tomorrow! 

GO BEARS! 

Coach Goodwin