Over the next several days, you will get information regarding about the pep rally on 6/12 and the meet on 6/13.

Pep Rally:

The Pep Rally is Friday (6/12) from 6-7:30 at Hood College in front of Gambrill Gymnasium (building with columns) beside the pool. Please join us for pizza provided by the team. Please bring a dessert or side to share. While we cannot swim at this Pep Rally, we will be setting up the meet and need your assistance while the kids play. Please bring chairs/blankets and/or sun cover. Many hands make the setup go very swiftly! Thank you to everyone that signed up to help us have accurate numbers!

Meet Information:

6/13 Meet at Hood vs. Ridge – coaches arrive at 6:30 AM; swimmers arrive 6:45 AM; 7:00 warmup. Meet is at Hood.

Please sign up to volunteer if you haven’t already! We are still in need of several positions. We cannot run a meet without these positions being filled.

Good sportsmanship is expected from everyone. Unsportsmanlike behavior and lack of adherence to rules will not be tolerated and should be brought to the attention of Team Reps immediately. Meets are for the swimmers, and we appreciate everyone’s help in keeping things positive and laid back.

Suits/Caps/Goggles: Information about apparel is on the Hammerheads webpage on the apparel tab after you log in. Swimmers are not required to wear the team suit or cap, but it does help us to identify them and feel like a team. Wearing a suit or cap from a prior season is totally OK! Well-fitting suits work best, and our team colors are red, white, and blue. Tie-back suits are not allowed at all; technical suits are not allowed for 12 and under swimmers (Plus, it’s summer league! No need to wear an uncomfortable suit!). Swimmers generally must not wear caps or suits representing another team. For those that registered early, the free shirt and free cap will be given out at one of our regular season practices. Details are forthcoming.

Arrival time and parking: Please plan to arrive and have your swimmer in the team area by the time noted above. Our warmup time is 7:00. Coming to warmups is very important so that swimmers can settle any nerves and make sure that they are ready for their events. Every pool is slightly different; warmups let the swimmers figure out some of those differences before their races. Please allow ample time for parking. There is a swimmer drop-off area as noted on the map. Please pay attention to “no parking” signs”; please also refrain from parking on Magnolia if possible. It is an emergency route, and it’s very difficult to get through if folks are parked on both sides.

Team seating: Our team area for seating/setup is noted on the map. This area has plenty of room for canopies, chairs, and blankets. Do NOT use any spikes or stakes in the ground, including grassy areas. Using them is a safety risk. Sidewalks must remain open. Do not put any tent, towel, or canopy over the sidewalk. Once the meet begins, no one should be on the stairs to any building. To continue to use the Hood facility, the areas we use must be pristine upon our departure. We ask that you monitor our space and help pick up as needed. Trash cans are available throughout the pool area and the team seating areas. We ask for everyone’s assistance cleaning up any trash during and after the meet. Thank you for helping us keep the area clean.

Volunteering: First, thank you! Second, check in with Beth Reiten at the volunteer table near Clerk of Course as soon as you arrive. This will make everyone breathe a little easier. If we do not have enough volunteers, we cannot run the meet. Thus, if you haven’t signed up for a volunteer position and there is a need, you may be asked to step in.

Getting swimmers to events: Listen/watch for your child’s event to be called to Clerk of Course. We will also have a volunteer in the team seating area to help identify swimmers who should be going to Clerk of Course. When their event is called, children go to the tent to line up. Volunteers at Clerk of Course will help them get into the appropriate places for their events. It is helpful to write the event, heat, and lane on swimmers’ hand, arm, or leg so that the swimmer can quickly check their information. This is often written with a Sharpie. This information will be sent out as a ‘handwriters’ attachment closer to the meet (often Friday night). For new folks, you want to mark your swimmer to look like the picture where the numbers represent the event, heat, and lane of the races the swimmer is in. 

If you’re not sure what to do for your swimmer, coaches and other parents will help you on Saturday morning. If you have a child that often gets nervous and forgets what they’re supposed to do, you might also want to write the amount they are swimming as well as the stroke to help them remember. No parents are allowed in Clerk of Course unless the swimmer has accommodations. Adults of swimmers needing accommodations should identify themselves to Shannon Kundey ([email protected]) as soon as possible. Parents in Clerk of Course make it very difficult to move the meet along and ultimately lead swimmers to be nervous. If parents stay out of Clerk of Course, the kids talk to each other and have a much better time. Coaches and junior coaches will be available to help out swimmers who are feeling especially nervous. Just let Shannon Kundey ([email protected]) that they need a buddy.

Watching your swimmers: Spectators are allowed near the shallow end of the pool and near the guppy tank outside of the roped off area only. Parents/spectators must enter the pool through the main pool house as marked in the attached diagram. Spectators may not enter the pool through the door located behind the blocks. Please respect the volunteer and/or coaches manning the swimmer entrance door.

Restrooms/locker rooms: Located in the pool house. No recording or cameras are allowed in the locker rooms.

Meeting times on Saturday morning for various volunteer positions:

Stroke & Turn: 7:30 at pool house near pool entrance

Timers: 7:40 Hodson Drive entrance to pool by blocks, outside of the doors

Clerk of Course (not including Team Seating Area Clerk Helper): 7:40 Entrance to Clerk of Course Chairs

Clerk Team Seating Area Helper: See Shannon Kundey ([email protected]) after checking in with Beth Reiten at the volunteer table.

Coaches (scratch meeting): 7:50 IT Table inside the pool house

What do I do if my swimmer can no longer attend? Let us know right away via email. We know things happen at the last minute, but the team has a deadline to ‘scratch’ swimmers who cannot compete to avoid penalties.

Programs: Programs are not sold at the meet. We will send them via email when they are available if you would like to print off a copy. We will also use the Meet Mobile app to post meet information. Meet Mobile is an app available for mobile devices that is used at many swim meets to provide information about events, heats, and lanes as well as results. You may wish to download and install the app prior to the day of the meet.

Food & Fun: We will offer concessions on the porch of Gambrill Gymnasium – cash only. You are also welcome to bring your own snacks, and we encourage you to bring things for your swimmers to do in between events. We also encourage safe sun practices, but keep in mind that sunscreen does take off Sharpie! If you have concessions donations, please bring them at the time indicated on the signup site either Friday night or Saturday morning.