Hello Parents - We are very excited for our first meet of the season this Thursday, June 1st. This is another long email... please hang with us. We have a lot of things to update you on as we kick off the meets this week!  

PRACTICE THIS WEEK: We will have practice today and tomorrow afternoon. We know the weather is colder than usual this time of year. Please consider sending your child with an extra towel and/or a sweatshirt to practice this week to keep them warm when they get out of the water. 

MOCK MEET: Thursday night is a Mock Meet and will be primarily used for getting swimmers and parents used to the format of the meet, and recording times so the coaches know where the swimmers stand at the start of the season. We expect some hiccups! The purpose of this meet is to work out some of those kinks. As always, this is a FUN, neighborhood swim league and we are looking forward to a great evening.

PICTURES: Team and individual pictures will take place Thursday immediately before the meet. Parents will NOT be on deck for pictures - our meet set-up volunteers will be busy getting the deck set up for the meet. And we will have Board members to help organize the kids. If you would like your child to have an individual pic taken, please have them arrive at 4:45pm. Please have ALL swimmers on deck by 5:00pm for the team picture dressed in their suit (no caps on yet, and have them keep their goggles with you). See QR code below for picture order form. The swimmers will go from the team picture, straight into warmups. The meet will begin promptly at 6pm, or earlier if we can. 

Picture order QR Code: 

MEET PARKING: It gets crowded - please fill the parking lot and park on ONE side of Beckford Glen (or walk if you can!). Food Trucks will be set up in the front circle. 

FOOD TRUCKS/CONCESSIONS: Huge shout out to Barb Silagyi for organizing FOOD TRUCKS at ALL the home meets. Spread the word, as this is for the entire neighborhood. A percentage of proceeds will go back to the team. Attached is a flyer detailing who is coming when. The team will have a small concession stand (CASH ONLY for HOWJ CONCESSIONS) at the clubhouse to sell the donated drinks, chips courtesy of Frito Lay (thank you Parker family) and of course.... what's a swim meet without the candy?! 

PRE ORDER FOOD LINKS (this is encouraged to help with the line):

• True Pizza - Pre Order Link - Open till 12pm on WED

CHAIRS/SET UP: Many families may choose to set up chairs, blankets etc. to watch the meet. Please do not set up chairs at the pool before 4:30pm on meet days. At the mock meet, please set up AFTER the team pics. At the mock meet, we can use the pavilion area and the side by the clubhouse - but at regular meets we can ONLY use the side closest to the clubhouse. We have to allow space for our away team. We have over 200 swimmers. For this reason, we are encouraging you to set up on the hill outside the pool deck - where you watch practices. Especially if you are bringing a large cheering section :-). 

ALCOHOL: Please remember it is a Greater Charlotte Swim League policy that there is NO ALCOHOL at the Swim Meets. We can be disqualified if the other team sees it. Please be respectful of this. 

CORRALLING KIDS: It is VERY important that as parents, you are aware of what race we are on and when your child needs to line-up. Kids are going to miss races otherwise. It's not our job to track them down. We encourage them to stay off the playground and engaged in the meet! It will be very helpful for you to bring a copy of the heat sheet with you to the meet so you can be aware of who is up next. You can also follow along in the Swimtopia App at the Home Meets. Heat Sheets will be emailed out morning of the meet usually. They DO sometimes change. This is one reason why it's SO important to get that meet attendance recorded. 

SWIMMERS: It will help the Clerk of Course tremendously if you would sharpie or mark your child's first initial and last name on their back left shoulder blade. (Example: E. Jordan). This will help get the kids lined up in order. Per Greater Charlotte Swim League, our swimmers should be in a Hunter Oaks logo'd suit (any season) and girls must wear a HO cap. It's a good idea to label your goggles, swim shirts, water bottles etc. REMINDER: NO GUM PLEASE! 

WHY DO SOME KIDS HAVE DUCKS? Shrimpers and 7/8s who win their heat will receive a rubber deck and a heat winner ribbon. The duckie is NOT for them to keep. They should turn it into the concession stand in exchange for a little treat.

VOLUNTEERS: If you are volunteering, please check in at the volunteer check-in table - located just inside the gate no later than 5:30pm. Set-up volunteers, please arrive by 4:00pm. Please take a few moments to review all the volunteer descriptions that we will be emailed out later this week. Thanks to everyone for your help in making this a successful Mock Meet! 

SWAG: We will have some swag for sale at concessions. NEW THIS YEAR - our very talented HO neighbor, Kelly Wulinsky - owner of Handmade in Waxhaw - made some custom earrings for our team. You may order them directly through Kelly. With each purchase, a portion of the proceeds will go back to the team. To order -please reach out to Kelly. Pics of the earrings are attached. 

COMMUNICATION: Please keep watch on your inbox as there are more emails to come this week -- regarding volunteer details and year end gift. AND PLEASE declare your swimmers, if you haven't already. 

Thank you! 

-Water Jets Board Please visit SwimTopia for meet attendance, volunteering, schedules and more. GO WATER JETS!