STING parents and swimmers,

The final regular season STING swim meet is this Saturday, February 21, at 4:00pm at our home Alpharetta YMCA. We will be hosting families and swimmers from the Northwest Family and Decatur Family YMCAs. Below are the details you need to know for Saturday.

***9 VOLUNTEERS are still needed for the meet.*** The meet will not start on time if we cannot get enough volunteers. If you can help out on Saturday, please sign up via Swimtopia. I am leaving volunteer sign up open until noon on Friday. I need the following volunteers:

• 3 Timers
• 4 Bullpen/Staging parents
• 2 Clean Up parents (if your swimmer is in Butterfly or Free Relay events you will be at the meet until the end anyway)

Swimmers need to arrive between 2:15-2:30pm. Warm-ups are 2:45-3:15pm. The meet begins at 4:00pm. We estimate the meet will last about 3-3.5 hours.

Before you arrive at the YMCA:

• The heat sheet with events and lanes will be emailed to the team Friday night or Saturday morning when it is available. Please print your own copy at home to follow the events at the meet.
• Mark your swimmer with his/her name on their back shoulder and their Events/Heats/Lanes on their arm. 

When you arrive at the YMCA:

• Please enter the YMCA via the ramp by the outdoor pool. You will see a sign pointing you in this direction.
• Check-in your swimmer at the check-in table. The table will be located in the Rock Wall area. Volunteers will also check-in at the table and get their name tag.
• Direct your swimmer to the basketball gym to set up where they want to sit and get ready for warm-ups.
  • Please DO NOT sit in front of the doors by the Rock Wall where the swimmers will line up. The green cushion chairs will be in that area to reserve it for staging the swimmers. The green cushions chairs are NOT for the swimmers (or families) to sit on or play on top of.
• If you are running late and will not be to the Y by 2:45pm when warm-ups start, please send Emily Crenshaw a direct message in GroupMe. That way, we know you are on your way. Otherwise, we will start calling missing swimmers at 3:00pm if we have not heard from you.

What to bring:

• Swimmers should wear the team suit or a solid black racing suit. They need to bring a swim cap and goggles. I recommend bringing extras of both - you never know when something might break.
• Swimmers and families should bring folding chairs, blankets, towels, etc. to sit on in the gym or viewing areas.
  • If you are bringing a wagon to haul your equipment, PLEASE fold it up after you have unloaded. Last meet there were multiple wagons in the upstairs viewing area that were impeding YMCA members from walking in the facility.
• Extra towels - for sitting on and drying off with.
• Swimmers should bring drinks and snacks and anything they want to entertain themselves with during the meet - books, cards, games, etc.
• PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put your swimmer's name or initials in all their gear - swimsuits, team t-shirts, cap, goggles, swim bag, water bottles, etc. Things get lost very easily!
• Swimmer's are welcome to wear their STING t-shirt. We still have adult sizes available for $15 if parents want to purchase a team t-shirt.

General information about the meet:

• Swimmers may NOT be dropped off for the meet. A parent must be present and stay for the duration of the meet.
• All swimmers MUST sit in the basketball gym. This is where the swimmers' names will be called for lining up for events. The Bullpen parents will not call names outside the gym or go looking for swimmers. Swimmers may NOT sit with families outside of the gym. Families ARE welcome to sit in the gym.
• ABSOLUTELY NO RUNNING IN THE GYM!!! I cannot stress this enough! The floor gets slippery and we don't want anyone getting hurt.
• Families may sit in the basketball gym with the swimmers. Please DO NOT use the Rock Wall area to enter/exit the gym. This area is reserved for lining up swimmers.
• There will also be limited seating areas upstairs and downstairs by the windows at the pool.
• Parents MAY NOT sit on the pool deck for the duration of the meet. We will have a crowd control volunteer monitoring the pool deck.
• When it is your swimmer's event, you are welcome to walk onto the pool deck (via the door by the Family Locker Rooms) to watch his/her event. Please exit the pool deck when your swimmer's event is over.
• You are free to leave the meet when your swimmer is finished swimming his/her events. Please make sure to pick up all belongings and pick up any trash.
  • Please do NOT leave the meet early before your swimmer has completed his/her events. Last meet there were swimmers who left early and caused relays to be forfeited.
• Parents may NOT enter the Boys or Girls locker rooms. If your swimmer needs assistance, please use the Family Locker Room area.
  • Do NOT take your swimmer into the Men's or Women's locker rooms. These locker rooms are reserved for persons 18 years and older. Last meet there were multiple parents taking their swimmers into the Women's locker room.
• We will have Concessions for sale at the meet (water, Gatorade, snacks and fruit). All items will be $0.50-$2.00. Concessions will be CASH ONLY. Please bring small bills. The Concessions volunteers will not be able to make change for a $20 bill. :) The Concessions table will be located in the Rock Wall area.
• Results will be posted in Swimtopia when they are available. Ribbons for the top 8 finishers in each event (not heat) will be available next week at practice.

If for any reason your swimmer cannot attend, please contact Coach Jeff immediately. You can send him a direct message on GroupMe. A swimmer not coming to the meet impacts the entire team.

A separate email with further details and instructions will be sent to the volunteers on Friday. Volunteers should plan to arrive and be ready by 3:30pm (unless your job is before the meet - Set Up parents).

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

GO STING!!