Gator Bytes 6/2/24
Hello Gators Families!
This is your first Gator Bytes of the season. We will send out a weekly communication on Sundays (and sometimes Monday) about what is coming up that week, and any necessary information. There is a lot of information here, I promise they won't all be this long! If you have questions you can always check the website, or reach out and ask.
Meet Results: We had an incredible meet yesterday at Woodbourne! We won our meet 711 to 356. We had 9 teammates qualify for State, 33 of our 12 & unders qualified for the Gold League Championship, and 30 swimmers qualify for the KCI. Some of our new swimmers completed their first race and many of our teammates tried events they have never done before. Once the meet results are official, results for individual swimmers will be posted on our SwimTopia website under the "Meets" tab. Results for the whole meet may be found on the homepage of the website on the bottom left.
Folders: Each week we will set out a box of folders at practice and every family has one. This is where you will find the ribbons your swimmer earned at the meets. Anything else we need to get to you, will be in the folders. It does usually take us a couple of days to get the ribbons, so they may not be available until Thursday or Friday following a meet.
Next Meet: Our second meet is this Saturday, June 8th. We will be hosting Platte Canyon and Bear Creek at home! The meet sign up is open, please make sure you submit the races your swimmer will be competing in by 7 am on Thursday in order to participate. To sign up: Go to "Schedule/Signup" tab and click on "Meet Sign-up Instructions" and follow the directions. If you will not be attending, please make sure to mark that.
Warmups: The warm-up schedule for dual meets will be 6:00 -6:20 for senior and silver groups, 6:20-6:30 for the green group, and 6:30-6:40 for the purple group. Warm-up sessions are short but very important. They help familiarize the swimmers with the pool, allow them to check their backstroke count so they don't hit the wall, and get their bodies ready to race. Thank you for helping your athlete get to warm-up on time!
Volunteering: We have a large number of volunteers this weekend since it's a home meet. It is critical that you check in on time so we can run our meet efficiently. Make sure you find our volunteer coordinator in the green vest to check in so we can give you credit for your shift. If you are on the second shift, please listen for the announcement for volunteers to meet before the break, which happens after event number 48, the backstroke events.
Swimtopia: As the season gets going, we suggest you download the Swimtopia App on your phone. This will keep you updated on urgent announcements like practice cancellations, as well as keeping you updated during meets. You will need to turn your notifications on to get immediate alerts (otherwise it will come as an email). I have outlined the features for the free and upgraded versions here:
Free features
- Team alerts for urgent issues
- Sign up for meets and/or jobs Swimmer’s race results - current and past seasons
- Calendar of upcoming meets & events
- Family's meet overview [swimmer's events & parent's volunteer jobs]
- Post meet swimmer results Live Event/Heat Bar during meet.
SwimTopia Pro
Upgraded features Free 7 day trial, then $2.49/mo or $9.99/yr (you can cancel when the trial ends)
- Heat Sheets Heat/lane assignments & start times for favorite swimmers
- Estimated start times that update as meet progresses
- Upcoming swim reminders for favorite swimmers
- Swimmer results during the meet (as soon as entered in computer)
- Live results for all swimmers Team scores
You can find more detailed info by clicking on this link: https://help.swimtopia.
Team Pictures: Our team pictures this year will be on Thursday, June 6th. Group pictures begin at 8 am so please make sure you are there and ready before then. Please fill out your order form (attached) and bring it with you to picture day. If you would like your child to be photographed before their swim practice, please line up and she would be happy to photograph before they get in the water (and have goggle lines). We will have forms to fill out that day as well. Here are your photo options:
8x10 Individual with Team Photo Print (Memory Mate)- $25
8x10 Photo Print (Team, Individual or Sibling)- $25
5x7 Photo Print (Team, Individual or Sibling) - $15
Digital Images - $40 (per child)
For purchase please total your package options (no tax or delivery fees) and bring this flyer to picture day. Please venmo laura-hatch-12 with “Gator Photos_Last Name” or deliver a check to Laura Hatch Photography by Thursday, June 6th at 8:00am.
We will still hold practice on this day with some slight modifications: The Senior and Silver groups will end practice at 8am for the group photo. The Green group will begin practice immediately following the group photo and do their individual pictures after practice. The purple group will do individual photos following the group photo, and then practice at their normal time.
Relay Entries Explained: There are many elements that go into the building of relay teams for the meets. It’s not always a simple process. Some of the considerations include:
- A swimmers ability to complete a particular stroke legally
- How many swimmers are available to swim from that age group
- Practice attendance, particularly if there are more swimmers than there are relay spots
We are a competitive, recreational team. This sounds contradictory, but we work to balance competition with learning and fun. We believe everyone who wishes to swim in relays should have the opportunity to do so. That does not necessarily mean an athlete will swim in a relay at every meet, but we do strive to enter as many relays as possible to allow the most athletes to participate. It is also important to understand that choosing not to swim in relays or backing out of relays in which you are already entered has an impact on your teammates. Relays can be one of the most enjoyable parts of swim team. They provide the chance to compete together toward one goal.
The coaching staff is so proud of everyone's hard work last week during practice and at the meet. We are most proud of the examples of sportsmanship that we witnessed from our team members. We saw so many of you shaking hands with your competitors and treating our host team with respect. Well done! Last week during our team meeting we went over the three foundations for our team culture: Responsibility, Relationships, and Reaching Out. This week we will focus on responsibility as it relates to personal growth and athletics, as well as how it impacts our lives beyond the pool. Some questions to consider:
Coaches Corner:
- What does it mean to hold yourself to a high standard and be accountable for your own growth?
- How do your coaches, parents, and teammates play a role in helping and supporting you in growing as a person and an athlete?
- What are some practical or everyday things that you can do to be responsible for your growth this season?