Happy Fall, swim families!

It's a little strange to think we're starting our 4th week of practice already.  I hope that the kids are starting to feel settled in their school/sports routines and parents are finding a minute to themselves here and there. 

I will send a longer email regarding the intra squad meet later this week along with heat sheets, etc. In the meantime, we have information here regarding meets and how they work for new families/swimmers.  Meets & Events

Upcoming swim meets: 

September Intra-Squad Meet

• when: Saturday, 9/27 (warm ups 8:30, meet begins promptly at 9)
• where: Northside Indoor Pool (8401 Tidewater Dr. Norfolk)
• declarations due Tuesday 9/23 by 11pm.  Declare here

Reminder, we need volunteers! You do not have to volunteer at EVERY meet, but I do need you to help out when you can. We still have a few positions that are essential to running the meet. Please check your availability and reach out if you can lend a hand at this upcoming meet.  If you have a teenager who can lend a hand, have them bring their volunteer sheet for school and I'll sign off on it!  

ECAT October Invitational 

• when: Sat/Sun 10/4 & 10/5 (details coming soon but meet begins promptly at 8am)
• where: East Coast Aquatic Center (5905 Portsmouth Blvd, Portsmouth)
• declarations closed. Payments can be made now Here on our team store.  Enter qty 1 for entrance fee, and then the amount of events.
• we will need to provide timers for this meet, but no other support staff.

UPDATES: 

A note regarding Norfolk City Parks & Rec pool rules and our responsibilities towards the pool: 

I know at practice some of our advanced families may have noticed the kids exiting the pool a little early.  We have worked this out with Northside and we will from here on out utilize the pool until 8pm sharp.  With that, please (Parents), start to pack up your things and plan to exit the pool space right at 8pm sharp.  You can wait for your child in the lobby and remind them to be fairly prompt as the pool staff has cleaning to do both on the pool deck and in the locker rooms after we leave for the evening.  Swimmers can either exit with their parents at 8, or enter the locker room to change, etc. and then proceed through the locker room and exit down the hall and back into the lobby.  Please do NOT re-enter the pool deck from the locker room.  The staff is unable to supervise at that time, and they're asking us nicely to wait for our swimmers in the lobby.  We'd like to keep up our positive relationship with the pool staff, so please be friendly and accommodating :)

Reminder for before practice:  

The city pool rules state that any swimmer 8 & older can free swim as long as they pass the swim test.  Swimmers under 8 will need a parent in the water with them.  BEFORE practice, it is open swim and the kids may swim recreationally in the shallow end and open section of the pool.  That said, I always advise parents against this.  It tires the kiddos out and they need all their energy for the great work they're doing in practice.  But it is allowed.  Children MAY NOT enter the lap lanes until a coach is present for practice.  So please have the kids wait together at the edge of the pool for their coach to arrive before entering the water for practice.  

Sizing kit will be available at Northside this week, if you haven't ordered an NSD suit yet, just wear your practice suit for Saturday.  Or a solid blue, snug, one piece suit is always acceptable even for meets.  I will have caps this week as well, and they're always available at the meets.  I also ordered some "long hair" caps that I hope will fit nicer for our swimmers who have just that: long hair!  

Lastly, please always have your swimmer in well fitting, snug goggles, a swim cap, and a proper suit for practice.  And try to be timely!  It's an interruption if we have kids straggling in throughout practice.  We'll start using fins at practice next week after the meet.  If you need help with understanding their sizing, come find me to ask or text/call/etc.  Fins should fit snug.  My kids always sized down for fins.  

Happy swimming this week!  See you at the pool!  

Amber Breguet

secretary, NSD