January 11, 2009 - January 17, 2009
Practice Changes
Senior Group: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week with TWO exceptions. Wednesday and Friday mornings are TBA (To Be Announced) until time and location are confirmed.
Junior Group: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week.
Gold & Silver: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week.
HS Prep: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week.
Level 1, Level 2, & Bronze: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week.
Other Upcoming Meets and Special Events
The BASS Meet, held in Woodberry Forest (near Charlottesville, VA) will be held January 30-31st. The meet invitation may be found under the Meets Page of the website. The signup deadline is Friday, January 15th.
Hotel information is now available for the A/BB meet in Lynchburg, VA held February 26th - February 28th. The group rate for this hotel will be available until February 3, 2010.
NEW Security Measure:
As a security measure, we are now asking every Olympic Development Swimmer to complete an online meet signup form, even if you will not participate in the meet. If you will not compete in the meet, simply select "I will NOT attend this meet" under the question "Which days will you attend this meet?"
Completing this form even when you are not participating in the meet is Quick and Easy and tells the coaches that you did not simply forget to fill out the form, and that you definitely do not intend to participate in this meet. Also, doing so makes it very easy for us to see if somebody is completing forms for another person. We have not had any problems with this in the past and do not expect to in the future, but it is the simplest security measure to put in place at this time.
Additional Information
Thank you to all those who participated in the Krispy Kreme Donut Fundraiser. Donuts will be available for pickup on Tuesday, January 12th.
We will be placing one final order for H2okie warm-ups this year. If you are interested in ordering warm-ups, please contact Brenda Whitesell via email or at BAC on most afternoons. Jackets are $45 and the pants are $35. Jacket has H2okie logo and name and pants have name on back. Deadline for orders and money is Monday, January 18th.
Question of the Week
Beginning this week, we are adding a new section to the weekly newsletter called "The Question of the Week." Parents can use the form at the bottom of this page to suggest questions each week that they would like to know the answer to but maybe have never asked, such as "Why does my child need to wear a swim cap," "When is my child old enough to shave his legs for a swim meet," or "What are those funny looking doo-hickeys the coaches keep putting on my child during practice?" Please include your name with a question submission.
Question of the Week (Submitted By: Amy Brehl): What championship meets should my child attend?
The championship meet phase of our season can be a confusing time for many swimmers and parents. You may be unsure which meet(s) your child qualifies for and should attend. That is why we have created our Championship Meet Eligibility Page. This page explains the qualifying procedure for the different meets over the next two months. In addition, special circumstances often arise and I have done my best to clearly explain what to do in two very common scenarios.
Special Circumstance #1: What should we do if my child is qualified for more than one meet?
It is not uncommon for a child to be qualified for two or even three meets between the end of February and the end of March. Often parents and swimmers are unsure if they should go to all of the meets they are qualified for or only one of them. While this decision has to be made on an individual basis, typically we recommend participating in two meets during this phase of the season if your child is qualified for two and if you are able to do so. If you are qualifed for three or more meets, it is best to discuss with your child's coach which meets you should attend.
Special Circumstance #2: What if my child is not qualified for a meet such as A/BBs, but hopes to qualify at B/C Awards the weekend before? Will he be able to swim that event at A/BBs if he qualifies? Should I enter my child in the meet even though he does not yet have the qualifying times?
This is a very common scenario and a great question to ask. This situation occurs most frequently between B/C Awards and A/BBs, and also between A/BBs and Senior Champs. After A/BBs there is a full three weeks before Age Group Champs, so this decision does not typically affect swimmers going to Age Group Champs. Often the problem arises because the signup deadline for the second meet comes before the first meet even starts. Hopefully these guidelines should help.
If you would like to go a meet should your child qualify, you should sign up by the deadline listed on the Online Signup form, which is typically 15 days before the meet starts, and make a note to the coaches that your child is not qualifed for the meet yet, but may qualify at the meet the weekend before. This will prepare us to enter your child in the meet as soon as we know if your child achieves the qualifying time.
If your child is qualifed in one or more events at the second meet, but may qualify for more events at the first meet, you should DEFINITELY enter your child before the deadline on the Online Signup form and make a note of events that your child may achieve the qualifying time in. This is not necessary because we will update entries immediately after we know which events your child qualified for, but it is recommended and appreciated nonetheless. If you wait until after the deadline to sign your child up, we will only be able to enter your child in events that he or she just achieved the qualifying times for, so make sure to enter your child before the deadline so that they have a full slate of events.
Lastly, I have done my best to clarify two special circumstances that often arise while signing up for Championship meets. I realize that you may be more confused after reading this than you were before. If you still have more questions or would like clarification, use the contact form at the bottom of the page to send a question (include your name) or just ask one of the coaches at practice. If I were to simplify and summarize the above two paragraphs it would say this: Be sure to sign up for a meet you would like to attend by the deadline, even if you are not yet qualified for it, and if you are qualified for two championship meets, try and attend both.
Still Have Questions?
Use the feedback form below to send your questions. Include your name and email and we will respond to you directly, typically within 24 hours.
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