Greetings Gators,

Weekly updates coming your way!

NEW…

(1) Coach Changes: Coach Allison will be a parent for the remainder of the season and will no longer be coaching. Mirel Schultz will now be a parent and coach for the remainder of the season. Welcome Coach Schultz! Learn more about our new coach on our website.

(2) Swim Meets 6/18 & 6/20: This week is our first regular season dual meets. We will compete against the Royals twice: first at home on 6/18 (B Meet) and then again at the Royals pool on 6/20 (A Meet). This week of meets will be tricky as most swimmers are still in school. We know it is a lot and just know we are all in the same boat together running on little sleep, take-out dinners, overcommitments, and the pure joy of summer swim league. Hang in there and reach out for support or to vent. Summer is almost here and school is almost done!

Tuesday, 6/18: For our first home meet, all the info is on our website. Please review and plan accordingly. Additionally, we will have a food truck for each home meet. Food trucks are listed on the team calendar. Shout out to our food truck lead, Renee, for coordinating a great line-up this season!

Thursday, 6/20: For our first away meet, please see the attached welcome letter from the Royals and Cafe Menu.

Before & After Event Swimmer Expectations: Swimmers please check in with coaches before heading to staging and after your event finishes for tips and feedback. A few swim sportsmanship tips: stay in the water until the last swimmer finishes; do not get out of the water if a swimmer from your heat is still swimming. Please make an effort to acknowledge and congratulate the swimmers on either side of your lane after your event for a job well done. Popular choices are a high five, fist bump, hand shake, or a smile/saying “Good race!”. These are excellent sportsmanship habits to build for all swimmers regardless of experience or performance.

Relays: This is one of the MOST FUN parts of summer swim league. Coaches determine relay placements for all swimmers. As mentioned at the team meeting in May, relay participation is an honor and will be earned by attending practices and meets; supporting the team goals; and exemplifying the team philosophy. If you are selected for a relay and do not show up, the entire relay is scratched and it is quite possibly the most disappointing experience of a swim meet for those who were there but unable to swim.

Meet Scratching: As previously mentioned, we acknowledge this week will be the busiest and hardest for most of us this season. While it is realistic that some of us will declare “attending” for the meet and not be able to attend for an emergency or illness, we ask that you do your best to honor your commitment to attend the swim meet. Almost 20% of our swimmers were a scratch for the invitational. This can cause chaos on the deck during the meet and is disappointing for both coaches and teammates as they are excited and ready to swim with their friends.

If you do have an emergency and cannot attend though you have declared attending, please email the coaches ASAP. If this happens the day of the meet, or even at a meet, let the coaches or a board member (green lanyard crew) know immediately so they can scratch your swimmer and are not spending time trying to find you.

If your swimmer is able to physically swim but is struggling mentally by potentially experiencing stress, anxiety, or any other emotion, please reach out to the coaches ASAP. We challenge you to bring your swimmer to the meet if possible and rely on the support systems we have built for you. These are common emotions with many swimmers regardless of age or experience. The coaches are here to support your family and are pros at pre-race pep talks and getting your swimmer prepared and confident. Buddies and swim friends are also an excellent resource for this if you feel comfortable utilizing this resource. Some pre-meet jitters will stick around forever, even in the best swimmers, but we will continually push them to become better humans. Most pre-meet jitters will self-correct over time with support, awareness, and communication. Either way, it is truly amazing to witness the breadth of growth all of our swimmers achieve.

A Meet vs B Meet: Each week we compete twice against the same team. One meet is an A meet and ANY swimmer can swim. One meet is a B meet meaning swimmers with A times CANNOT compete. This gives a chance to make the B meets more equitable for all swimmers to compete. Most families will not know the difference between A and B meets unless it applies to them and it is intended to be that way. We want ALL swimmers to feel confident, supported, and have fun first and foremost.

If you want to lean into the competition of summer swim league more intentionally, Midlakes has time standards for 2024 A Qualifying Times. Coaches diligently track swimmers who achieve, or are approaching, an A time and reward them with a special swim cap. We know this portion of swim league can be overwhelming and confusing. Feel free to dive in or ignore depending on your interest and temperament.

(3) Optional Distance Meet 6/22: Meet Info.

(4) Team Photo: Thank you to everyone who came out for our team photo last week. And shout out to Ashley Marcu for coordinating. Photos will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. We will give you updates as we receive them.

ON REPEAT…

(1) Meet Declaration: This is your RSVP (attending or not attending) to the swim meet. The deadline for declaring for meets is the Friday before at 9pm. Late declarations will not be accommodated. All regular season 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. Information and declaration for league champs (7/28) and division champs (7/20) will come at a later date. How to Declare

(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 to bring, or consider, as you prepare for a meet

(3) Buddies: Buddy matches and swimmer information are posted on the website and in the pool lobby. Pod buddies will come later. We will help match you up in person if you haven’t connected already. All buddies, review matches and expectations. And huge THANK YOU to all the big buddies! This aspect of the team only works because of you.

(4) Reminders:

• Subscribe to the team calendar
• Check your practice time slot (Morning practice starts 6/25)
• Join the Gators Swim Team 2024 chat on GroupMe to congratulate our swimmers of the week, meet other swimmers in your age group, share pictures, and connect with the team.

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

Donna and Ashley