Hello CB Swim Families!

I can’t believe we are already well into November and starting to think about holiday practices! I feel like we were just meeting in the cafeteria to sign up yesterday. I can, however, see the fantastic work your swimmers put into each practice shining through at each meet. From mastering that dive (finally!) to some awesome time drops, we’re so proud.

I will admit, however, this is the hard part of the season when it comes to practice. The newness of practice and meets has worn off. The mornings are cold and long, and it’s easy to want to skip or stop giving our best. BUT now is the make-or-break time for our team. Those swimmers and teams that push through these practice doldrums are going to be the ones that come out victorious on the other side. Now more than ever is the time to buckle down and put in the work!

Speaking of practice, Monday and Tuesday are going to be COLLLLLD!!! Our Bears practice late Monday night will let out right at 8:45 pm. Please encourage your swimmer to wear/bring WARM clothing to cover up before going out to their cars. (Yes… they head out in wet swimsuits sometimes!) We will be encouraging them to go STRAIGHT home with no detours!

Tuesday morning practice will be even colder! It is predicted to be in the 20s when it is time to get on the bus. I’ll be sure to get there extra early to warm up the bus, but there is only so much that a bus heater can do! Encourage them to bring warm clothes for the ride to/from. I know that some may want to bring a blanket for the ride, and that’s okay with me. BUT please note that they will have to put it away once they get to school and won’t be allowed to carry it around or get it out during classes/hallways. Middle schoolers are more than welcome to store their bags in either my room or Coach Grace’s during the day and then pick up before leaving for the afternoon.

Our meet this weekend is away in Tallulah Falls. It is quite a drive, so we will need to leave much earlier than usual. I hope to have specific information out to you as soon as the meet hosts send it, but it may be Thursday before I have specifics. For now, we plan to leave at 6:15 AM. The meet begins at 10 AM and the address is 201 Campus Drive, Tallulah Falls, GA. There is bleacher spectator seating, so you can bring small seatbacks as well, but do note that the seating area is smaller than our regular seating.

Also, be sure to mark your calendar for upcoming holiday practice dates. We will practice from 11 AM to noon at Frances Meadows on November 24 - 26, as well as December 22, 23, 29 - 31. These are not required, but are highly encouraged for those in town to maintain conditioning before our championship meet on January 17th.

One final heads up, November 22nd will be the first of our split meets. The HS will be traveling to Cumming Aquatic Center in the afternoon for a meet against the Forsyth and Gwinnett teams, while our middle school will compete at Frances Meadows.

The HS team will leave by bus for the meet at 10 AM and plan to return after stopping for dinner around 7:30 PM. Students will need to bring money for a fast-food dinner.

The middle school team will NOT have a bus for this meet and will require parent transportation to and from the meet. You will be meeting the Coaches at 8:30 AM to check your swimmer in and will need to check them out (as usual) before departing with them at the end of the meet, so please plan accordingly!

Here’s a look at the week ahead: