Hi there! GREAT first practice today! The first practice is always the hardest - the water is cold, and they are not yet in "swim shape." Remind them that the water is only going to get warmer, and the swimming is only going to get easier. Otherwise, please find a summary of everything we discussed below:

TEAM GEAR

We will be delivering suits all week if you ordered. ALL swimmers, don’t forget to grab a cap as well. We will have the suits and caps available at all practices! Lastly, don’t forget to pre-order your new tidal waves hat if interested. Hats are $25 each with payment due at time of delivery. We need all pre-orders by end of day tomorrow to get these in time for the first meet!

SPINDRIFT LANDSCAPING

You may have noticed the Spindrift pool just got new landscaping. The grass is still not fully established. Please help us avoid costly repairs by keeping swimmers and siblings off the grass. Next week, a concrete repair will also take place at the pool on the walkway closest to the playground. This will be blocked after they lay the new concrete so please be aware and use designated paths to the pool.

GOLD CLINIC

This clinic is only for swimmers ages 7-10. The techniques that will be coached are too advanced for our younger swimmers, and too basic for our older swimmers! :) We will announce adjusted practice times for our 6 and unders, and 11 and olders once the date and time is set.

PRACTICE POLICIES

Our coaches plan to sort swimmers into practice lanes based on coaching techniques and needs for each individual practice session. If your swimmer arrives late, it makes the sorting process difficult. Please arrive 5 minutes before practice starts, but do not enter the water until the coach calls your child's age group.

All children 6 and under must have a parent or guardian present at all times, for all practices.

Children 7 and older may be dropped off for practices; however, the coaches are not responsible for the safety of your children, except when they are in the pool, during their practice time. If your child is dropped off, and coaches or coordinators have concerns about their behavior, you may be asked to stay at practice with your child. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

No child may be present on the pool deck other than 5 minutes prior to their practice time, while they wait to be called to the water. They should use this time to get "swim ready" (goggles on, shoes off, etc.). They may NOT enter the water at all, including the steps, until the coach calls their age group.

If a child is at swim practice during a sibling's or carpool member's practice they may remain on the pool deck if they are sitting with a parent. Please note that anyone on the pool deck who is not sitting with a parent will be asked to leave the pool deck. It is difficult for the coaches to remain focused on the children in the water when other children are sitting on the pool steps, running on the pool deck, climbing the wall, etc. As these coaches are lifeguards, they are obligated to address any safety concerns, and our goal is to make sure they are only focused on the children in the water. Thank you for your help with this!

"MEET" READY

Swimmers must have their arms (or legs) marked for meets prior to arriving. This should be done with a sharpie, and very thorough instructions are posted on the website. If you are new to swim team, please check out "Swim Meet 101" under the Meets and Events tab on our website.

All swimmers should be ON TIME for warmups at swim meets. This means the swimmers should be ready to jump in the pool at posted warmup times. These are very short windows of time, and swimmers are much more successful if they are able to fully warm up.

COMMUNICATION/SWIM MEET NOTIFICATION DEADLINES

Everyone MUST download the SwimTopia app, and SHOULD also familiarize yourself with the website. Many of your questions are answered on the website, if you'll take some time to look through it!

The coaches need all declarations for individual meets submitted via the attendance tab in SwimTopia by the Friday morning prior to the meet. Any specific requests and/or concerns about events must be listed in the "NOTES FOR COACH" box for each individual meet. For example, if little Johnny has a big camp going on, and you think swimming the IM may overtire him, you should ask the coach to remove him from that event. If you do not put these types of requests in the appropriate "notes for coach" section, there is an incredible domino effect on coaches, coordinators, and the team as a whole, when these decisions are left to the last minute. The ONLY EXCEPTION is if your child is sick and unable to participate in the meet. If your child is sick, we ask that you contact the coordinators directly (KELLY: 803-530-5300; KRISTIN: 205-410-6014; NANCY: 832-527-5162).

*Ultimately, we hope you will trust the discretion of the coaches as they move athletes around to compete in different events, to try to "get the win" for each week, while also growing individual skills for each swimmer. Thank you for swimming with us! Go Tidal Waves!!!

Chadds Walk Tidal Waves Board Members

[email protected]