Prep and Landing...

There was a funny Christmas special TV show a few years back called "Prep and Landing." The general idea was that there is a huge team of elves that deploys all around the world to help Santa perform his job well. They forward-deployed to each house to get everything in order so that Santa could quickly land at each location, do his duty, and then quickly move on. I liked how it showed that for Santa, as in most areas of our lives, there is lots of work and preparation necessary to make an event go off seemingly "with a hitch." Swim team is no different! The kids and coaches have been practicing since Memorial Day (and many all winter long), doing all that behind the scenes work that makes their swims turn out so great. The many volunteers for the team have been doing TONS of work getting the team together and preparing for the meets. 

Parents need to prepare, too! Maybe you're new to the swim team or just new to A meets. Or maybe you were new last year, but felt you were missing out sometimes. You may be wondering what you can do to prepare so that you can be in the loop, participate in the team activities, and enjoy watching our team of 60 swimmers compete on Saturday mornings. Well, you're in luck, this blog is going to tell you exactly that! 

First, being prepared means several things: 

1. Wear Green this week. As much of it as possible (unless you are an official, then wear the required White and Blue...). Our spirit day theme is Green. It's not just for the kids, its for the parents, too! The greener we can make it, the better. 
2. Print out the heat sheet emailed out by the team reps and keep track of the events (and the unofficial results). It's like keeping score at a baseball game. The heat sheet also lets you learn the order of events (if you don't know them), which helps so that you don't miss your own kid's swim. It happens. Printing a Heat Sheet also allows you to follow along and learn who the swimmers are in other age groups. We have a big neighborhood and a big pool population, so not everyone knows everyone. But if you're going to be at the A meets, try to learn who the other Gators are, what strokes they compete in, and cheer them on. Team spirit is a huge part of the summer swim team. 
3. Bling your car. Get some soap or window markers and show your Gator swimmer pride for the drive to the pool. 
4. If you have the time, join the caravan. It's fun team bonding in the parking lot before we all shove off. 

Those steps should get you ready. Next, what to watch for at the meet so that you are "in the loop":  

(1) I said it above, I'll say it again. Watch your own kid. These meets can move quickly. It's easier to miss a swim that you might think. (Guilty.) 

(2) Be alert for some possible record-breaking races. Many folks will recall that last season was a full out assault on the Gator team record books, with 13 records being broken on 26 different occasions. While we don't expect that level of heat this year, we're sure to see a few. Early on, there is one record in the "highly likely to be broken" category: the 13-14 Boys Freestyle. Last year's record breaker extraordinaire, and former holder of the 11-12 NVSL Freestyle record, Donovan Kovalsky, has a pretty high chance of breaking that one this year. His NVSL record setting time last year was 26.20 seconds... which is faster that the current Gator record for 13-14 year olds which is 26.47s (set by our own Clark Bayer in 2017). But, last year's time doesn't count for the older age group, he's got to do it when he's 13 or 14 to make it official. So, if he at least equals his own best mark from last year, he'll take over the new team record this year. You never know if or when it will actually happen, but I'd keep your eyes on that race, just in case. There are also other records that may be in jeopardy, both in individual and relay events. I won't go over those prematurely, but keep your eyes peeled. I'm sure we'll be covering a few more in the weeks to come. 

(3) Be on the lookout for some clean sweeps. When one team places 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in a race they hoard all the points (9-0) and accordingly, we call it a clean sweep. The team loves to give an extra cheer when it happens. So, keep on the look out, as a couple of Gator sweeps are possible with some fast swims... especially in Freestyle and Breaststroke. 

(4) Join in the excitement of the tight races. The dramatic finishes of many of the close races are exhilarating to watch. We expect to see lots of close finishes, especially in Backstroke. As an insider tip, be sure to put some extra focus on the 15-18 Girls Fly race... the seed times between the six ladies from both teams are so close together, we very easily could end up with a 6-way tie... and I honestly have no idea how you would score that one. The ensuing chaos at the scorer's table would be interesting. 

Lastly, once the meet is over, please join the team at the post-meet lunch (details in the team rep email). Again, this a big part of the team spirit and camaraderie for the swimmers. And the more green we can pack into the restaurant, the better. 

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for a swim meet. Hopefully these tips will help you enjoy it all that much more. Go Gators!