Good Evening Champs,

As we draw to the close of another Memorial Day you may have felt a slight twinge; it could have been a change in the breeze, a small ember burning deep inside, a disturbance in the force perhaps. Whatever the feeling we all know what it means... It's time for Army Navy Swim Season!

Welcome to all those new to the team and welcome back to the bulk of you who are old hat at this by now. This will be the first of ten installments in our annual TWiS series. You will receive one of these emails on Sunday prior to each week of Army Navy swim season with all the information you could possibly need for the week. Please take the time to read through them at your convenience every week. The coaching staff puts a lot of work in to get these informational emails out so that we are not peppering your inbox with emails throughout the week. 'This Week in Swim' will always be in the title so they will be easy to find in your inbox to go back to for reference throughout the week. This email specifically has information that is helpful for the season as a whole. So make sure to peruse whether you are a rookie or a pro.

Practices

And so it begins...

Schedule

We start our swim team practices on Wednesday afternoon and will remain in the afternoon through June 12th with the following schedule:

11&O swimmers from 4-5PM

10&U swimmers from 5-5:45PM. 

We know that things can be chaotic getting from school to the pool so please make it when you can. We will make sure to get your swimmer in the water. That being said, please stick to the age ranges for practices referenced above. We are...NOT a small team and making sure that we have space for everyone is imperative. 

Practice Attendance

We do not take attendance and attendance at practice is not required to remain on the team. Swimmers will get as much out of being a part of the team as they put in. So obviously, more practice is better than less practice. We know that many families have packed schedules and summer swim is meant to be fun as opposed to a chore. So come when you can and come as much as you can.

What do your swimmers need to bring to practice?

We do not use any extra swim equipment (fins/paddles/snorkel, etc...) and the club provides enough kickboards for everyone, but there are a few things that are necessary:

• Goggles - Swimmers are not able to participate in practice without a pair. Maybe just buy a couple for backup.
• Swim cap - while not required per se, they are strongly encouraged especially for those with hair that goes down past their ears.
• Towel - Swim team members should not be using ANCC towels during practice or meets
• Water Bottle - Staying hydrated in the summer is very important and swim team members may not have cups of water by the pool. So a water bottle to have at the end of the lane would be best.

Communication

Email

You can always contact the coaching staff by replying to a TWiS email or by using the email address - [email protected]. That will be the quickest way to get a reply. If you ever have the need to contact any of us individually you can find all of our emails on the Swimtopia website (ANCC.Swimtopia.com/coaches). Please make sure that your question has not already been answered in a previous email before sending off. 

Website

The Swimtopia website - ANCC.Swimtopia.com is a wealth of information. The entire meet schedule is posted there with descriptions and themes for each meet. Sign ups for meet entries and volunteering is already open. There is no need to wait until the last second to mark your swimmer as attending/not attending for meets if you already know their schedule now. If you ever have any questions about meets, the season, what's going on, the FAQ page of the website covers an immense amount of ground. Feel free to familiarize yourself with it over the course of the summer. 

In-Person

Of course good old face-to-face conversation is still an option (no matter what the Gen Alpha kids say). Coaches will be on deck before and after practices each day. All that we ask is that during practice times please allow us to put our full focus into your kids in the pool. 

I guess that's enough for now. Looking forward to another wonderful season of Army Navy Swim Team.

Hipzoo Rahzoo,

Coach Ian