Greetings Gators, Here is the information you need for this week.

(1) Kingsgate Invitational: Saturday, June 8th at the Kingsgate Monarchs. Gators will warm up at 7:40am. The meet will start at 8:30am and end by 1pm. This meet is more of a try-it-out meet and less of a real meet but fun all the same. For new families, the best way to prepare is to learn as you go, and next are an overwhelming amount of items and tips to prepare…

(2) Meet Preparations: Swim meets can last up to four hours, and are held come rain or shine! Meets are only canceled for thunder or lightning. Temperatures can vary greatly during a meet, so be prepared for all weather variations.

Items you need to bring, or consider, as you prepare for a meet:

1. Team suit and a back-up suit – marked with the swimmer's name for easy identification (Tip: use one suit for warm ups, and then change your dry team suit to stay comfortable until your event. Suits must be the team suit or all black for competition. Any suit will work for warm ups)
2. Team cap (Tip: caps are optional for competition. If you choose to wear a cap, it must be the team cap or all black)
3. Goggles and back up goggles (Tip: goggles are optional. If goggles often fall off after the start, try goggles under the cap )
4. Lots of towels- A good rule is to have one towel per event plus one extra. (Tip: For this meet, plan on 3 towels per swimmer)
5. Sharpie - All swimmers must have their swimmer ID written largely on their shoulder/upper back. (Tip: to stay organized write your event, heat, lane, and stroke on your forearm. Any buddy, board member, or seasoned swimmer can help with this)
6. Sunscreen (Tip: Be mindful of sunscreen on the face as it often makes goggle and caps slippery for swimmers)
7. Warm clothes - Sweats, swim parka, rain jacket (Tip: for new swimmers, a snow coat and hand warmers are perfect)
8. Blanket(s) - (Tip: Can also work as an extra towel)
9. Folding chair(s) - Both home and away pools do not have enough seating to support all the spectators (Tip: Set up away from the pool deck and go to the pool deck when you swimmer swims to watch and cheer them on for their race and then return to your set up spot)
10. Entertainment - Cards, books, other items to pass time while waiting at the meet (Tip: swimmer favorites have been Uno, Spot It, TacoCatGoatCheesePizza, Coloring books. Electronics are not ideal)
11. Canopy/tent - Great for all weather, sun or rain. Please try and share/coordinate with other Gator families.

(3) Meet Declaration: Declaring for all meets will open June 9th. This is your RSVP (attending or not attending) to the swim meet and it is critical. The deadline for declaring for meets is the Friday before the week’s meets at 9pm. Late declarations will not be accommodated. You will receive a separate email from Swimmingly to declare for meets. Once all meets are open, you can declare for the whole season if you already know what your swimmers' attendance will look like, or you can declare week-by-week. With either option, you are able to change your swimmer’s declaration up until the deadline.

Declaring happens on the Swimmingly Clubhouse website. You will sign in, click on "Meet Schedule" on the left-hand menu, and then click on the individual meets, and RSVP accordingly. You can then select what event your swimmer would prefer, selections are suggestions to coaches and not guaranteed.

(4) Buddies: We are still working on pairing buddies and are hoping to have it ready to share before the invitational on June 8th but it might be the following week. Thank you for your patience. Review the buddy expectations: https://kingsgategators.swimtopia.com/little-buddies

(5) Team Gift: The team gift this year is a green towel with a black logo. Most swimmers received it at practice Monday and Tuesday. If you did not receive a towel, please reach out.

(6) Team Photos: Team photos will be Wednesday, June 12th at 7pm at the pool. There will be no regular practice and no Gator Pod that evening. There will be an opportunity for individual photos as well. Sign up for individual/family photo time slots on the website (similar to clinic sign ups aka sign up as it is a job) Please wear your team suit. Order form attached.

(7) Celebrating Our Swimmers: Congrats to our swimmers who have achieved swimmers of the week so far! Check out the GroupMe each week who is supporting our team goals and philosophy nominated by the coaches. Swimmers of the week get a special green kickboard, pull buoy, and swim cap to use during the week of practice.

(8) Reminders on repeat:

• Subscribe to the team calendar
• Check your practice time slot
• Join the Gators Swim Team 2024 chat on GroupMe to congratulate our swimmers of the week, meet other swimmers in your age group, and connect with the team.

As always, reach out with questions. See you at the pool. Go Gators!

Donna and Ashley