Good Morning Lakers,

Tonight the kids will be swimming as per the normal practice schedule, separated by age groups.

Below is all of the information I talked about at the parent meeting last night. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. This is super long, so the summary of topics is listed immediately below, followed by the full details in outline format.

1. Coaches
2. Practice Schedule
3. Weather Policy - Notifications to be made via email and website by 4pm
4. Swimmer Attire - suit, goggles, cap, and towel
5. Pool Etiquette
6. T-Shirts - to be handed out at the first meet (May 28)
7. Swim Meet Schedule
8. Swim Meet Thunderstorm Delay Policy
9. RSVP for Swim Meets - RSVP on website by 10pm Wednesday prior to the meet
10. Volunteer Requirements for Meets
11. Requests for Additional Help This Season and Next

1. Coaches:
   1. Head Coach - Mariah Prendes; Mariah started out as an assistant coach with our team five years ago, and this is her second year as our head coach. She grew up in Loch Highland and swam for the Marietta Marlins. She has just finished her first year at Georgia Southern. While home for the summer, she offers babysitting services and private swim lessons. Her contact information will be listed on the website for future reference. Phone number: 678-654-8571. Email: [email protected].
   2. Assistant Coach - Kate Mosely; This is Kate’s second year with the Lakers as an assistant coach. This summer, she is working at the Atlanta Swim Academy. She attends Lassiter High School.
   3. Assistant Coach - Matthew Meadows; This is Matthew’s first year with us. He also attends Lassiter. He and Kate swam together on the Lassiter swim team (I think… it might have been the Stingrays).
   4. Coach Liaison - Bill Sheffield; Bill is a Loch Highland resident with past swim and coaching experience. His son, Carlin, is currently a Loch Highland Laker. If you have questions about anything the coaches are doing, please talk to Bill when you see him out at the pool.
2. Practice Schedule:
   1. 4 year olds from5:30-6:00
   2. 5-7 year olds from6:00-6:45
   3. 8 and up from 6:45-7:30
   4. The coaches may request that some 8 year olds swim with the younger group (from 6-6:45) depending on their swim skill.
3. Weather - If there are thunderstorms rolling through, and they look like they may affect practice, I will make a decision by 4pm about whether practice will be cancelled. If so, I will send a notification via email and post it to the main page of our website.
4. Swimmer Attire:
   1. Swim suit - we have team suits, which are optional. If you want to purchase one, go to All American Swim in King Plaza on Hwy 92. Tell them you want a suit for the Loch Highland Lakers. They are also a good shop for goggles and any other swim gear you need:
   1. All American Swim
   2. 885 Woodstock Rd
   3. Roswell, GA 30075
   2. Goggles - Make sure your swimmers have their goggles every day for practice and meets. It doesn’t matter what color or brand they are as long as they fit snugly and do not come off during dives.
   3. Swim Caps - Coach Mariah wants everyone to wear a swim cap every day. I have a few LH Lakers caps that I’ll have with me at practice the next few nights. They are $5 each. If I run out before you get one, you can purchase any swim cap from All American Swim or any other swim shop. Color, style, and brand do not matter.
   4. Towel - make sure you have a towel every day. I think this has been a problem on some occasions in the past.
5. Pool Etiquette:
   1. Pick up after yourselves please; don’t leave trash
   2. Put tables and chairs back where you found them
   3. Absolutely NO GLASS on the pool deck
   4. Please let the coaches do their jobs - Please don’t interfere with what the coaches are doing. Two of our coaches are lifeguard certified (we are only required to have one lifeguard certified coach, so having two is great). And if the coaches have any concerns about any of the children, they will speak to you about it.
   5. Arrive a few minutes prior to your practice time. Late arrival interferes with the rhythm of the coaching instruction.
6. T-Shirts - I will be ordering shirts Wednesday morning, and I will be handing them out to everyone at our first meet. Whoever is volunteering in the meet, please plan to wear the shirt during the meet. This makes it easy for us to identify each other.
7. Swim Meet Schedule - the locations and full meet details are on the website
   1. Tuesday, May 28 at Johnsons Landing - arrive no later than 5pm
   2. Monday, June 3 at Piedmont Bend - arrive no later than 5pm
   3. Monday, June 10 at Loch Highland - arrive no later than 4:30pm
   4. Monday, June 17 at Loch Highland - arrive no later than 4:30pm
   5. Monday, June 24 at Loch Highland - arrive no later than 4:30pm
8. Swim Meets and Thunderstorm Delays - We make every effort to hold our meets on the originally scheduled night due to the difficulty in rescheduling. If we do not complete at least half of the meet, the league requires us to reschedule. So if we have weather delays, please be patient and work with us to the best of your ability. We don’t want anyone to be at the pool any later than necessary. Most of the time, we have storms that pass through quickly, causing us a delay, but still allowing us to complete our meets. In the five years we’ve had the Lakers team, we have not yet had to reschedule a meet even though we’ve had several thunderstorm delays
   1. If thunder is heard, everyone must get out of the pool until 30 minutes has passed with no thunder.
   2. If lightning is spotted, the entire pool deck must be cleared until 30 minutes has passed with no lighning.
   3. Don’t leave the meet early without telling me (Heidi Stephens) or one of the coaches! If at all possible, don’t leave early. But if you absolutely must leave before your child swims all his/her events, let one of the coaches know. If your child is scheduled in a relay, and you leave early, it might mean that the other three children on that relay team won’t get to swim. However, if you let us know that you have to leave before that relay race occurs, we can sometimes substitute another swimmer.
9. RSVP by 10pm the Wednesday Prior to Each Meet
   1. RSVP online
   1. Log into the website
   2. Go to the Swim Meets tab
   3. To the right of each swim meet is a green button labeled “Meet Entry” - click this button
   4. Your swimmers’ names will be listed, along with a message showing whether or not they have already signed up for the meet. Click the green “Edit” button to sign up or to change adjust your previous RSVP
   5. For each of your swimmers, choose “Attending this meet,” or “Not attending this meet.”
   6. Then press the green “Save” button
   2. After 10pm on the Wednesday prior to the meet, RSVP will automatically close, and you will no longer be able to RSVP. If you do not RSVP to say that you are attending a meet, it will be assumed that you will not be attending, and your children will not be entered into any of the swim events.
10. Volunteer Requirements for Meets - One person from each family is needed to work approximately 2 hours during each swim meet.
    1. Martha Rothschild is the Volunteer Coordinator - she will be assigning people to the various tasks required for running the meet. She will do her best to assign you to a job that you feel comfortable with.
    2. Shifts - there are 2 shifts per meet. The 5 & 6 year olds only swim in events during the first half of the meet, so we do our best to put parents of 5 & 6 year olds into the first shift.
    3. Types of jobs - There are too many to list here, but if you are new to the team, Martha will be talking to you in the next week or two to give you an idea what to expect. Before the meets begin, we will have an experienced person talk to you and show you what to do.
11. Requests for Additional Help This Season and Next
    1. Someone to purchase odds and ends for the team - I need to purchase a PA system, a scoreboard, and new backstroke flags before our first home meet. It would be a huge help if someone could do some online research to find good prices, purchase them, and get them to the pool shed. The swim team has funds to cover these expenses. Please talk to me if you’re interested in helping with this task.
    2. Concessions - I need someone to manage the concessions for our home meets. This entails planning what food will be offered, purchasing it, and preparing it. The swim team will pay for all purchases. Martha will make sure several people are scheduled to help with concessions during the meet. Please talk to me if you’re interested in helping with this task.
    3. Team Coordinator for 2020 - This is my fourth and last season serving as the swim team coordinator. I’m looking for someone, or a team of two or three people, to take on this responsibility for next season. It is in January of next year that we need to let the league know if we plan to have a team for the 2020 season, so if no one steps up by then, we will not have a team next year. I would love to find someone pretty soon so that I can show them what all is entailed as we go through this current season. However, assuming we do have a team next year, I intend to have my children participate in the next several years, and I will be around to assist and offer guidance. Please let me know if you have any interest. I can talk to you about what is involved before you commit.
    4. Volunteer Coordinator in 2020 - This is Martha Rothschild’s fourth and last season as our volunteer coordinator. We are looking for someone to take over that responsibility for the 2020 season. If you are interested in possibly taking on this role next year, please talk to me or to Martha.

Thank you,

Heidi Stephens

Loch Highland Lakers Coordinator

404-271-2134