Hi Wahoo Families,

I wanted to follow up with a recap of our meeting the other night (sorry for the delay!) for those who could not attend. This is a lot of information, grab and snack and settle in.

Swim Team Leadership - We began the meeting by introducing the leadership team behind the swim team. It takes a village to make the team function, so thank you to all of those who volunteer their time.

Wahoo Board: Meaghan Clayton (president), Alex Johnson (vp), Jana Estes (treasurer), Ashley Hardison (communications) & Jenna Alvarez. We are also grateful for the support and experience of non-voting board members Eric Schoenagel and Bryan Thompson.

Lead Volunteers: Katie Dickson (volunteer coordinator), Sarah Schall & Karen McGrath (meet concessions), Holly Barlow, Gabi Feldberg & Steve Taepke (weekday concessions), Beth Bearrows (kid pushers), Julie Schoenagel (timers), Breiana Wagner (social), Erin Hughes (fundraising), Chantel O'Connell (clerk of course -- need one more to help her!) and Sabrina Waters (ribbons). If you are signed up to help in any of these jobs, this is the person you should talk to about how to do your job! (If there is not a lead person for your job, don’t worry we will still teach you how to do your job if you need help!)

Volunteers: Speaking of doing your jobs, as you can tell it takes a large village to make swim team happen. There are at least 17 jobs for away meets and 23 for home meets. It takes us all. Thank you for understanding that. There are still several volunteer slots open. Some have come open since registration because people have switched to working in the concession stand. I am glad the concession stand is fully staffed because this is a great fundraiser for the team, however, meets can’t happen without volunteers so PLEASE consider signing up for a few extra shifts for the meets. (Otherwise, Katie will have to start nagging and begging folks to work and we don’t want her to have to do that!) In an effort to appreciate those who volunteer a lot, we will be having a raffle at the end of the season and for everyone who has more than 6 points, they will have their name put in the raffle, once for each point over 6.

Training for your job: If you are new to swim team, please don’t let all this information overwhelm you. It’s a lot, I know. But let me reassure you, it’s not hard. You can do it. We also have information on our website that helps you understand how to do your job. Check out these links: Volunteer Positions Explained andSwim Meet 101. Also, just ask. There are a lot of veteran swim parents around, they would be happy to help.

Team Bathing Suits: If you have not already, please purchase a swim team bathing suit at All American Swim in Cary. More information HERE. If the official suits are not in your budget, its ok. I know they are kinda pricey for growing kids. Feel free to ask in our Facebook group if anyone has a suit in your child’s size that they don’t need anymore (its been done many times so don’t feel shy!) or you are also welcome to just get a plain black suit.

Swim Practice Expectations: Our practice times are posted on our website HERE. We will have only afternoon practice until June 9. Starting on June 13, we will hold BOTH morning and afternoon practice. You are welcome to come to both practices, but it is also ok to just come to one practice each day. If your child isn’t able to make their scheduled practice time, it is fine for them to come to a practice in the next age group closest to their age.

When swimmers are in practice, we ask that parents not approach the coaches as it takes their attention away from the kids. If there is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed to right away, please see a board member and we can help.

Meet Expectations: We ask that you please declare if your swimmer is going to be at each swim meet no later than the Friday prior to the meet. To declare, please go to the calendar page on the website and click on the green button that says “Meet Sign Up”. In that same window, you will be given the option to declare if your swimmer will be at the meet for the relays or not. This is very important. If you expect that you will leave the meet early, before the final relay, you MUST let the coaches know (by declaring it on the meet sign up page). If you decide to leave early for whatever reason, it means that 3 other swimmers will not get to swim in the relay that they were looking forward to swimming in. We understand that we have a lot of young swimmers who are in year-round school and you cannot stay until the end of a meet, which can often run to 9:00 or later. It’s fine if you would rather not stay until the end, we just need to know so we can plan accordingly. If something comes up during the meet and your family needs to leave early, unexpectedly, please be sure to tell one of the coaches or a board member before you leave.

Swimmers will be expected to be at meets at 4:45 for home meets and 5:15 for away meets. We will email a heat sheet prior to each meet so you know what your swimmer is scheduled to swim. They will also be posted at the pool and also available in the SwimTopia app. Swim meets are long, so please be aware and plan appropriately.

Swimmers will all be assigned a number that should be written on the upper part of each arm. We will send out the list of numbers prior to the first meet.

During the meet, the kid pushers will be calling for your kids for each event. Please know where your child is so that when it is there time to swim, they are ready and on time. We will not go searching all over the place to find your child. If they miss an event because they are on the playground, we’re sorry but there is nothing we can do about that. Please try to keep track of the meet and have your swimmers ready at the appropriate time.

In addition, as with practices, please do not talk with the coaches during the meet as they need to have their full focus on the swimmers. If you need something, please talk to a board member.

Lastly, during the meets, per TSA (Triangle Swimming Association, our governing organization) rules, there is no drugs or alcohol allowed on the pool property at all.

Mock Meet: We will have our first "meet" on June 7 as a Mock Meet where we will practice how a meet runs and also get initial times for all the swimmers. This meet will operate like a regular meet. Prior to the meet we will be taking our team picture. More information will be coming soon about that, but please plan to be at the pool by 4:45 on June 7 for our team picture. 

Covid-19: As covid seems to be still around, it is necessary to be on the same page with our policy if someone tests positive for covid. Please read our policy HERE.

Concessions: We are excited to have Sarah Schall and Karen McGrath back at the helm organizing our Tuesday night concession stand. In addition to Tuesday nights, this summer we will be opening the concession stand up during the week as well! Thank you to Holly Barlow, Gabe Feldberg and Steve Taepke for taking charge with that.

This year we are offering a Snack Shack Card for $20 which basically is equal to $20. Items can be purchased at the Snack Shack in $1 increments. You can either purchase a Snack Shack card online in our team store or at the concession stand. If you purchase one online, please print your receipt and bring it to the concession stand to pick up your card.

Bike Rack: Our HOA has purchased and built a lovely new, big, bike rack for the kids to use. Please encourage your child to use this bike rack if they ride a bike to the pool. 

Thanks for your support this season. We are looking forward to an amazing season with the biggest team we have had in a long time, if not ever! 

Meaghan for the WC Swim Team Board