Good Afternoon People of The Pool,

Happy belated Independence Day to everyone. It was great to see so many swim team members at the pool for the festivities. It was a great day and I appreciate everyone's involvement. Hopefully you all are enjoying the day off today and have used it to recharge. We have reached the back half of the season and everything from here on out comes at us fast. Here is the week at hand:

Tuesday, July 6th -- A Division Relay Championships

Who: This is our smallest crew of the season in terms of entered athletes. There are only two relays for each age group (one medley and one free) with the crescendo relays at the end. In total our entries total only 43 of our 300+ swimmers. The relay entries are attached for your perusal. While the meet only has a few swimmers competing, all swimmers are welcome and encouraged to join the team on deck and cheer on the team. 

What: The annual Divisional Relay Meet is one of the most action-packed and exciting meets of the year. All 5 teams from the A division come together for a series of relays with a champion being crowned at the end of the night. The meet is just 2 relays per age group and then the crescendo free relays for a total of 22 events. The meet will be over in a little over an hour so no late night here. No late night of course unless you choose to. That is because there is a taco buffet dinner and dance party following the meet on the Clubhouse patio for all the teams. A large contingent of Army Navy swimmers on the dance floor is always a certainty. 

Where: One reason I would love to have a plethora of Army Navy swimmers on deck even if they are not swimming is because this is a home meet for us this year! We need that home deck advantage, so come on out. 

When: The meet will start at 6:30PM. For those competing in the meet the warm ups will start at 5:15PM. As previously mentioned there will be a dinner/dance afterward. The buffet will open at 7:30PM and the music will be going until 10PM. Fun will be had by all whether you like it or not. 

Meet Entry Deadline: Also on Tuesday night, we will be closing the entries for the Bethesda 'B' meet. See below for guidance on who should sign up and how. 

Thursday, July 8th -- B Meet vs. Bethesda Country Club

Who: Our B meets are a great opportunity for those who normally do not get the chance to swim a full slate of events at our A meets to swim a full schedule. Swimmers who normally swim 3 individual events at our A meets can look at this as a night off for the week. The one self-imposed rule that we institute for our B meets given the size of our team, is that no swimmer will be allowed to swim an event that they have scored in at some point already this season. That means if you have finished 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in an event at one of our dual meets already you may not swim that event at the B meet on Thursday. 

What: A meet that will look strikingly like one of our A meets. For Bethesda this meet will be like any other as they will likely have most of their best swimmers attending. We will run the meet like any other and there will be bar service and the Dive Inn open until 7:00PM. There will be a buffet offered starting at 7:00PM in the Sports Camp Room for all to enjoy. The cost will be $16 for those 12 & up and $13 for children 5-11.

Where: This is another home meet so we will be right back on the Olympic Pool deck at Arlington.

When: The meet will begin at 6:10PM and our warm up time will start at 5:15PM. 

Entry Procedures: Unlike most of our dual meets this season you have the option to enter events for your swimmer. Using the parameters laid out above, feel free to enter individual events that your swimmer would like to participate in. I will do my best to honor all requested entries, however there may be certain events where entries will need to be trimmed for the purposes time depending on Bethesda's entries. All entries must be in by 10PM on Tuesday night.

Squirt Gun Entry Deadline: The entry deadline for the 10&U Squirt Gun Invitational on Saturday morning, July 10th will be at 9PM on Thursday, July 8th. If you want your swimmer to participate, please make sure that you have made your entries by that time.

Friday, July 9th: Fun Friday

Fun Friday Practice: We will have our weekly Fun Friday Practice from 8:30-10:00AM. This is for all ages and swimmers and will be the only practice of the day across all groups.

Swim & Dive Team Social: From 10:00-11:00AM, following our Fun Friday Practice, we will have our 3rd Swim & Dive Team Social. Swimmers will compete alongside our Dive brethren on the Red, White, & Blue teams. 

Saturday, July 10th -- 10&U Squirt Gun Invitational Meet

Who: This is a developmental meet that will only include events for 10&U swimmers. The meet will follow our B meet rules for entries. That means as you choose entries please refrain from entering your swimmer in an event that they have placed top 3 in at a meet already this season. 

What: As mentioned above this is a 10&U meet. Swimmers will compete in single-age events: 5&Under, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, and 10 year old divisions. 

Where: Washington Golf & Country Club

When: Our warm-up time will be from 7:15-7:30AM on Saturday morning. The meet will start at 8:00AM and will go until about 10:30AM. 

There is the week. Thank you again to everyone for taking the time to read through the whole email. I know they are long, but hopefully they are still informative. 

From the Deck,

Coach Ian