Relays:  All swimmers in Event #1-Event #4 need to  be at the child gathering area no later than 5:45.  We need to remember that relays involve a team and one missing swimmer can effect 3 others.   If you are not going to make it with your kids by then, then you need to let one of the coaches know.  The meet may start at 6:00 but only if the kids in the first few events are there are ready to go.
Swim Team  Etiquette: Being a Birkdale swimmer represents our entire neighborhood.  So our behavior is very important.  Please remind the swimmers that running on the pool deck is not safe.  We have had the following issues with swimmers: snapping goggle straps at each other, snapping the back of bathing suits, tugging on swim caps,  5-star ( One person slaps the other so hard that it leaves a imprint of their hand), and yelling in the gathering area.  Yelling for team is great during the races but it makes it very difficult for the child gathers and clerks of coarse to do their job if it is done in the child gathering area.   When swimmers not with parents and are in the gathering area please take a moment to check their behavior. 
Close Events:  Please take note of your child's event. Watch the gathering numbers closely. Some are being gathered almost immediately after they have gotten out of the pool for one.  It would be helpful especially with the 10 and unders to have parents get their swimmer out of the pool and escort them back to the gathering area for their next event.
Leaving Early: If you know that your swimmer cannot stay late please let the coaches know so they will not put them in a relay at the end of a meet.  The next  two meets will probably last until 10:00pm.  The ideal time for notifying Coach Holly would be a minimum of 48 hours prior to the meet.  We understand that things come up but the less changes made the day of the meet the more smoothly thing will run and the faster the meet will be completed.     Leaving early without prior notice and skipping events makes everyone's job harder.  Skipping relays at the end  leaves 3 other disappointed kids who don't get to swim in the relay and for some kids relay ribbons are the only ones they get.
Championships:  The championship meet is between 6-7 hours long, starting at 2:00pm.  It would be a good idea to think about this thoroughly before Coach Holly make out the events.  If you think you cannot stay until the end then let us sooner rather than later.
Missing Meets: Holly is away this weekend at a swim meet, she has the computer and is setting up Tuesday's meet.  If between now and Sunday the status of your child participating or not changes please reply to information@birkdalebarracudas.com with your information.  The sooner we get changes the easier it is to fix them.  This includes people who cannot stay until 10:00pm to finish the meet.    If you have not already emailed Holly about your child's status for the July 6th make up meet with MacAuley then please do ASAP.  Do not you tell her in person and expect her to remember, she needs it in an email so she can double check her data.
Volunteers:  Please remember that whether you have small children, work a full-time job or are a single parent everyone is required to work 2 meets and a shift at the championship   The team is run on volunteer power and everyone has to do their part.  You can switch off with some to watch your younger children or get a baby sitter, whatever it takes.  We cannot accommodate everyone's unique situations.  Everyone was informed of this commitment when they signed up and are expected to follow through. 

This is also on the website.

Latta Springs: Map It

Take either Hwy 73 or Gilead Road/Bud Henderson to Beatties Ford Road travel south toward Hopewell High School. Latta Springs neighborhood will be on your right,  after Neck Road. Turn right onto April Mist Trail, the pool is about 1/8 from the entrance on your left.   Drop off at pool, then proceed to park on only one side of the street so as not to block the road from emergency vehicles. If you pass Hopewell you have gone to far. Approximate address for GPS 6600 April Mist Trail, Huntersville, NC 28078

From Latta Springs Team:

We suggest  drivers drop off their families and gear in front of the pool and proceed to park toward the back half of the neighborhood.  We ask that drivers please park on only one side of the street as our streets are very narrow.  If cars are parked on both sides of the street emergency vehicles can't pass through. Thank you and we will see everyone on Thursday.

See updated list below - confirmed for banquet, not all in order, scroll to bottom if you don't see your name.

Aneralla 3
Alfaro 4
Agosto 4
Bales 3
Bauer 4
Behling 3
Bellinger 5
Bouthillette 2
Brower 5
Carey 4
Ceccarini 2
Christman 4
Cornacchione 4
Dukes 3
Farley 4
Francovig 4
Gonzalez 2
Hamrick 3
Harris 4
Hart 4
Harvey 5
Hicks 4
Holtham 4
Hoyer 3
Huber 5
Jackson 2
Lagueux 2
Lazur 3
Lesseur 3
Lewis 3
Lutz 4
Masterton 4
McArthur 4
McCandlish 3
McGeough 5
Morlidge 4
Morris 3
Moss 5
Munsch 5
Nelson 3
Norris 4
Owen 3
Panicco 6
Parrott 4
Perkins 4
Rammacher 4
Sabbagh 4
Saltrick 4
Saunders 4
Taffet 4
Tascione 5
Thompson 4
Thornton 4
Tilley 4
Ward 4
Webb 3
Wilson 2
Zitnick 4
Zogzas 4

Copley 4
DoCabo 3
Brown/Hemingway 2
Merritt 4
Neault 3
Quaranto 4

There is a Swim Clinic on Thursday June 18, 2009 from MAC. They will be here to work with the kids from 8.30 to 9.15 and 9.15 to 10.15.  The 8 to 8.30 kids will have their regular practice at their regulare time. Please make an effort to atten

General Info

All meets start at 6:00. If the weather is bad the meet will be called either way by 7:30 but not
before. Kids should try to arrive at the meet by 5:15. We will have warm ups for older kids before the meet
begins. Meets with smaller team generally end earlier than meets against larger teams.
Meets should go no later than 10:00.

The event #'s stay the same for every meet.

 IM stands for Individual medley, this is when one person swims all four strokes by  themselves. The order is Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.

Swimmers are only allowed to swim the maximum of 3 individual events and 2 relays.

Swimmers in events for all ages under 10 will swim only 1 length of the pool (our pool is 25
yards). Expect for the IM in which they swim 1 length of each stroke for a total of 100 yards.

Swimmers in events for ages 11 and over swim 2 lengths of the pool for each event for a total
of 50 yds and a total of 100 yards for the IM.

Relays have four people in them, each relay (set of 4 kids) is lettered A, B, C, D, etc. 
Swimmers can swim up from their age group for relays but not for individual events which is why relays will say 18 & under or 8 & under unlike individual which say 13 -14.The exception is for little kids who are 6 & under.

6 & Unders
There are only 3 events that are specifically 6 & under.  They are events #'s 11 & 12 which are boys and girls 6 & under freestyle and event #43 which is  6 & under mixed freestyle relay. Event #43 is also the only event that mixes boys and girls.
6 & unders that swim Backstroke,  Breaststroke or Butterfly are put in events set for 8 & unders. 

 
 
Very Important Information about Child Gathering
Generally swimmers take a Sharpie and write their event numbers and description of the event on their arms or legs to remind them which races they are in. In our child gathering  area we have a big flip chart with all the event numbers on them. When the child gatherers are collecting kids for a race that number will be displayed. It is the kids (and/or parents) responsibility to keep track of the races they are in and which races they are gathering for. If the chart is already past a numbered race they are supposed to be on then they has bettered get back to the gatherers quick. The gatherers are usually about 6 or more races ahead of the starter because after being gathered they are seated on the benches according to their
heats and lanes by the Clerk of Course and there are at least 5 or 6 rows of benches, each bench represents a heat in a race.
If you have a new child it might be helpful to write their name with a Sharpie on the side of their left shoulder so people don't have to keep asking them their names.
When we have home meets we ask that the children do not color all over their backs and arms as it tends to transfer to our white chairs.