Gator Families,

Even if you are not attending time trials, please make sure to check out the "Parent Meet Information 2025" attached to this email as these will be the general announcements and information passes along tonight, as well as "Swim Meet 101," "What to Pack" for a swim meet list, and how to write your swimmer's events on their arm.  Additionally, the pool staff has requested that we remind families that domestic pets are not permitted in the pool area pursuant with the Ohio Administrative Code; (registered service animals are permitted).  They appreciate our understanding in this matter.  If you are not attending time trials, you can stop reading here.

Time Trials Info Below

Today is the big day! Time trials! Our first major event of the season. We will also have picture packets to hand out at time trials, as well as on Friday and Monday mornings for those who can’t make time trials.  If we have to cancel due to weather, we will make the call at 4:30 P.M.

Some things to note:

1. We are running this meet backwards by age. Typically the little swim first, but we want to use this as a learning experience. So the littles are encouraged to watch how the bigger swimmers do things before their events, especially how clerk of course (some teams call it the bullpen) works.
2. Heat sheets are attached to this email, as well as published in the SwimTopia app. Swimmers who are ages 12 and under will be swimming freestyle and backstroke; 6 and unders will only be doing freestyle. Swimmers who are 13 and over will be swimming all strokes. "Athlete entries" is a way to see all events your swimmer is entered in so you know where to look on the heat sheets. Additionally 11 and over events will be swam mixed gender to reduce the need to run smaller heats.  
3. Swimmers 13 and over will report to clerk for the individual freestyle events so the younger swimmers can watch how “Clerk” works from expert swimmers :-)
4. There will be no relays for time trials.
5. Remember, all hands will be needed to learn how to do the various jobs at the meet. Even if you did not sign up for a job at trials, we will need a lot of help to help the swimmers learn how swim meets work and dust our own adult cobwebs off of how we do different jobs during the meets.  I have attached the job sign up to this email as well.
6. Please arrive around 5:45 P.M. Stretching will start at 5:50 P.M. followed by in-water warm ups at 6:00 P.M. The 10 and unders will have in-water warm ups for the first 15 minutes (6:00-6:15) followed by the 11 and overs from 6:15-6:30. The pool is open until 6:00 P.M., so our time line may shift slightly. Once in water warm-ups begin, we will have a short parent meeting and make sure everyone knows what job they will be helping with for the mock meet.
7. There is a long list of items below the body of this email that are just housekeeping things that will be discussed at time trials. However, to keep things short and moving quickly, we would like to provide the bulk of the information in the email and we will just highlight important information at the parent meeting before the meet starts.

Also, attached to this email you will find a Swim Meet 101 Guide to help new families know a little about what to expect before and during a swim meet, as well as a “checklist” of items to bring (this is taken from our winter meet, so you may not need everything on the list).

Go Gators! Swim FAST!!!

~ The Germantown Gator Board