Gator Families,

We have a busy week ahead! Please make sure that you RSVP (as attending or not attending) for pictures and time trials. We need this so we can get everything set for our swimmers to have entry times when our actual meets start and can be seeded properly. Please remember these deadlines are important to make sure our swimmers have meets that run well. In addition, please double check that you completed your RSVPs.

As we stated in last week’s Gator Bulletin, we have been looking closely at volunteer shifts. We have added several new volunteer slots to help ensure that families can meet their volunteer requirements. Please try to sign up for 5 shifts (total between champs and regular season meets). Officials, we think that we will still need 4 shifts plus champs, but we are still working on this. If you got into registration early and were able to capture the historical number of 6-8 shifts; you may drop shifts that will place you over the 5 shift mark. Additionally, families who have not yet signed up for volunteer shifts will be sent a quick survey to let us know if they plan on volunteering so we can better determine if 5 shifts will be the magic number this year to complete the volunteer requirement; we are hoping that many families who were closed out of volunteer shifts were planning on helping which will hopefully result in us being able to lower the shift requirement. This is a great problem to have in that so many people want to support the team! We appreciate your patience with us as we figure out how to ensure equitable distribution of the volunteer positions!

Attached to this email you will find this week’s Gator Bulletin and an informational Volunteer Presentation to help explain and give a more in-depth description of the various volunteer jobs.  As meet declarations are now open, we are also attaching a New Swimmer Event Info sheet to help you determine what events to register your swimmer for.

For time trials, stretching and warm-ups for swimmers will begin at 6:15 P.M., please have your swimmer at the pool and ready by that time. Time trials will not have job signups, instead we will be rotating through different jobs that you may have signed up for so you can have a “trial run” before meets start just like the swimmers do. Volunteer training will begin at approximately 6:30 P.M. I will send heat sheets out Tuesday so you know what events your child is swimming and the time trials timeline for Tuesday evening. In addition, I will send a quick explanation of how to read the heat sheet for new swimmers.

Finally, families of 8 and under assisted swimmers, look for an email later today with your child’s group so you know what 30 minute time slot their practice will be.

Thank you again and Go Gators!