Hello, Sharks Families! 

This is going to be a long email but very important so please read all the way through!

We are halfway through our first week of practice and I know I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all. Your kiddos seem to be having a great time getting to know each other and our coaches. We hope you are all feeling at home here with us!

2 important announcements... 

1.  The Y has requested that Sharks parents do not park at the curb in front of the pool club. This is the childcare pickup and dropoff area. It is also a firelane. Please park in a parking spot. Just an FYI... that area with the yellow lines painted in it directly in front of the pool club IS NOT A SPOT! That is a path for people to safely cross the lot to the pool!

2.  Unfortunately, neither parent rep will be at the 11-12 or 13Over practices tonight. Both of us have awards banquets for our kiddos. So sorry! you can always email or send us a Remind message if anything comes up during practice!

If you missed the parents' informational meeting, no worries! Here is a recap:

Practice:

Practices are not mandatory but are STRONGLY encouraged. Practice makes permanent! On top of helping your swimmers build strength, stamina and stroke skills... it also helps your swimmers to form strong bonds with both their teammates and their coaches. The more you all are here, the more you become part of the Sharks family. Parents are absolutely allowed to stay during practices but please be sure not to interrupt practice or distract the coaches or swimmers. The safety of your swimmer is always our top priority. Also... please remember that the pool club is technically CLOSED for the next week and a half. Even if you are Y members, only our Sharks are allowed to use the facility and even then ONLY during their designated practice time.

Swim Meets:

PLEASE declare your swimmers available or unavailable for the meets! You can do this on the website or through the app.

1. Click on the meet

2. Click on Meet Signup

3. Click on edit

4. Click on the drop down menu and mark as ATTENDING or NOT ATTENDING. Arrival time for Wednesday meets is 4:15PM. Arrival time for Saturday meets is 7:15AM. PLEASE arrive on time! The check in process can take a little while and we really need to start warmups on time so that we can start the meet on time! When you arrive at the swim meet, your swimmer MUST check in with the coaches. The check-in coaches will write your swimmer's name on his/her arm. If your swimmer does not have a name written on his/her arm, he/she is NOT CHECKED IN! Please send back to the coach!

How to mark your swimmer:

Lingo:

**"Events" are the different strokes/age divisions/gender divisions (ex. Girls 8 and Under 25 Backstroke)

**"Heats" are the individual races within each event.

**"Lane" is the actual lane (or row) of the pool in which your swimmer will be swimming.

Sport Spot and our Team Suit:

The Sport Spot will have tables set up during ALL practices tomorrow (Thursday, June 12th) The bring suits, towel pants, goggles, bungee, caps and other swim gear you might want to purchase. They will also bring what they have completed of our team suit. If she runs out and you would like to order one, you can do so tomorrow or you can call Sport Spot ((732) 747-0585) and place your order. You can also stop in to the store (660 Broad St, Shrewsbury) and order in person. If this is your first time with a competitive suit, please remember that it should be TIGHT. The staff at Sport Spot is great at sizing by sight! Ordering the team suit is not mandatory but your swimmer must wear a red and navy suit at meets to show that he/she is part of our team. Our suit is the Speedo Spark Splice in navy and red. It looks like this:

Unfortunately we have had to cancel our spiritwear order as we didn't meet the minimum requirement for each piece (this was a new thing with our custom gear guy). I will be Venmoing back those of you who paid that way. I also have 1 check in my possession to return. Believe me... I am just as disappointed as you are. I really wanted those flannels!!

Workbond:

If you haven't done so already, please drop off your $50 workbond check to one of the parent reps or drop in the SHARKS mailbox at the front desk of the YMCA. If we don't have your workbond, your swimmer may not be included in our first dual meet! Once you complete your 2 volunteer jobs your check will be returned to you. Points are only assigned for opportunities during which you volunteer your TIME. This includes meet day jobs, setup/cleanup or serving food at any of our events.  Volunteers are an essential part of our program. For a great description of each volunteer job available at our swim meets, see the Swim Meet 101 section of our website :-)

Silicone Caps:
We have 2 silicone caps left for purchase. Let me know if you are interested!

Swimtopia App:

Please be sure to download the Swimtopia app. This works in conjunction with the website using the same login credentials. If you haven't signed in to the website yet, go to THE WEBSITE and use the Forgot Password option. You can then set your password to whatever you'd like.

Remind:

Please sign up for the Sharks Remind. We swim in the rain!!! However... if the need arises to cancel practice, we will do so using the REMIND app. Sometimes this alert will come moments before practice is scheduled to begin. The easiest way to sign up for REMIND is to text (just like you're texting a friend) @fhsharks25 to the number 81010. See a parent rep for help, if needed.

Tips:

**swimoutlet.com (bungee cords, goggle, suits, caps... great prices and free shipping over $49. Sometimes it's even lower).

**Consider swapping out the elastic on your swimmer's goggles for a more durable (and less painful) bungee cord.

**TOWEL PANTS!!! Through Sport Spot or try ETSY for custom pants.

**SHARPIES SHARPIES SHARPIES!!!