Dear Seahorse Families,

It’s hard to believe that our first meet of the season is nearly here. We are looking forward to seeing all of you for Time Trials next Sunday, May 21. Time Trials is your swimmer’s opportunity to establish base times for the 2023 season, and the best way to start achieving Pops - so it is really important to attend!

For many swimmers and parents, it is also the first opportunity to experience a swim meet. THANK YOU in advance for reading this email thoroughly and carefully so that you know what to expect.

LAST CHANCE TO DECLARE

This is the final reminder to declare your swimmer for Time Trials. The deadline to commit is Wednesday evening. Remember, your swimmer is not automatically entered to participate in any meet. You must go to the Signup Calendar and declare your commitment to Attend or Decline for each meet in which they wish to swim.

Looking ahead, the deadline to declare for Campo Cabana Club @ LTST is Wednesday, May 24.

7/8 100 YARD IM

If your swimmer is a returning 7/8, he or she will be entered in the 100 IM. If your 7/8 swimmer is NEW to the team, please indicate in the NOTES SECTION of the declaration page, whether or not they wish to get a base time in 100 IM. All swimmers in age groups 9/10 and up will be entered into the 100 IM.

15-18 FREESTYLE OPTIONS

We have two freestyle events for the 15-18 age group: 50 Yard Freestyle (Events #1 and 2), and 100 Yard Freestyle (Events #34 and 35). When you declare for the meet, please indicate in the Notes field whether you would like to swim the 50, the 100, or both! If you do not enter any notes, the default will be that you are entered in BOTH events.

MEET PROGRAM

You will be receiving a meet program via email from our Desk Team on or before Saturday, May 20. In that email, we will include some instructions about how to read a meet sheet and how to mark your swimmer with their heat and lane assignment. Stay tuned for that.

MEET TIMELINE

• 7:45 AM, Pool is open for 15-18 age group early warm-up, in case you want more than about 10 minutes of warm-up time.
• 8:00 AM, Warm-Ups officially begin with the 15-18 swimmers first. All swimmers should be ready to get in the water when their age group is called.
• 9:00 AM, Meet begins
• 2:00 PM, Estimated end time

PARKING ON SUNDAY, MAY 21

We are not allowed to park in the Church parking lot across the street on Sunday, as they will be holding their weekly services. Please plan to park in the neighborhood if the LT lot is full.

NAME TAGS

So many new families have joined our team this year! Let’s introduce ourselves to one another by wearing name tags. These will be available inside the front gate on Sunday morning.

LTST YARD SIGNS

We have yard signs for families who are new to LTST. If you are a new family, please stop by the Yard Sign table, let our helper know your name, and take home a sign to display your team pride!

FUNDRAISING

Our Fundraising Coordinator, Colleen Mahoney, has been hard at work organizing some unique experiences you won’t want to miss! We will be sending a Fundraising Preview email shortly. Remember that Time Trials is our most important Fundraising date of the year! We are saving up for a NEW SCOREBOARD so please be as generous as you can. Be prepared with cash, check or Venmo.

TIME TRIALS PARENT JOBS

If you have a Parent Job at Time Trials, you will be receiving a confirmation email from our Parent Job Coordinators, Sarah and Heather. Please refer to this email for specific instructions.

Please remember: 

• You MUST email Sarah and Heather at least 24 hours before your work shift if you plan to send a Substitute for your Parent Job. 
• You MUST check in upon arrival so that Sarah and Heather know you are at the meet. 
• Only some jobs may be performed by a Substitute … be sure to read the Policies!

SNACK SHACK

The Snack Shack will be featuring Breakfast Sliders (soft baked rolls with melted cheese, egg and ham) on the morning of Time Trials, as well as favorites like bagels, coffee, hot dogs and hamburgers. The snack shack accepts cash, Venmo and credit cards.

POST-TIME TRIALS Q & A 

We will be hosting a Q & A Zoom Meeting on Monday, May 22 at 7:00 PM. If your family has questions following Time Trials, we would love the opportunity to answer them before our first dual meet. Swim Team often involves a steep learning curve for the whole family, so don't be bashful.

We do not prepare an agenda for this meeting, so all topics discussed are based on your questions! If possible, please submit questions in advance via email - [email protected]. Q & A Zoom Link

TECHNIQUE REFERENCES

The following YouTube videos were produced by USA Swimming, the governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States. They are a great resource for learning more about the technical requirements of each stroke. Originally intended as training videos for Stroke and Turn Officials, these videos are also helpful and interesting to parents who wish to learn more about the specific details that Officials are looking for when judging races. If you are new to the sport, or want a refresher course on the rules, check out these videos!

Freestyle / Breaststroke / Backstroke / Butterfly

See you soon!  And Happy Mother's Day to our Seahorse Moms.

kindly,

Marisa and Dana