Willow Run

For those new to summer swim league, we'd love to share a few things which may make swim meets a little better for your swimmer. 

1. Drinks. It's important for our athletes stay safe, hydrated (and avoid overheating!) so please make sure to bring your swimmer a water bottle! (A reusable water bottle is, well, reusable, environmentally sensitive and is one less piece of trash after a meet.) Water and sports drinks are encouraged! 
2. Snacks. Nothing passes time better than a few good snacks. Fruit, pretzels, and granola bars are some favorites. Swimmers burn more calories than most athletes! It's also critical to keep their blood sugar up in hot summer environments!
3. Cash. To buy MORE snacks. At an actual meet, most pools have a grill fired up or pizza by the slice as well as fun snacks for purchase. Our grill is well-loved by many teams for our burgers! 
4. Towels. Plural. A towel to dry off after warm-ups. A towel to sit on. A towel to snuggle up under if the rains come pouring down. 
5. Toys for the younger Dolphins. If you have younger swimmers, they may need entertained. Legos, cars, dolls, coloring books, card games...whatever makes your kiddo happy. 
6. Chairs for spectators and swimmers. Some pools have chairs or picnic tables, some don't. During pool season it's great to keep enough for your family packed in your car so they are there when you need them! Our younger swimmers love to spread out on blankets, opened up sleeping bags or sheets as well. This gives them room to have a designated area to play with their friends. And bonus? The wranglers can keep an eye on them and know where to find them! 
7. Sharpies. Many pools, such as ours, have rules restricting writing or drawing on backs as it often comes off on white deck furniture. Please write your swimmer's name high up on the shoulder to prevent marking. This is especially important for volunteer wranglers who don't know the names of each child. Please also write your child's event/heat/stroke/lane on their arm. It is not the responsibility of the parent wrangler. If you don't know how to write your child's event/heat/lane/stroke on their arm/leg, please see a veteran parent or a coach and we will be happy to show you how. (Pro-tip: Write the name prior to sunscreening to prevent ruining your sharpie.)  
8. Heat Sheets. Prior to arrival at the meets, please print heat sheets that will be emailed at some point in the afternoon on meet days (coaches will get them to you as soon as possible!). Please print what your family will need as they are not provided at the pool. Beginning this year, heat sheets will be available on Swimtopia for either printing or following along at the meet. Please keep an eye out for emails from coaches or Rich, there are often last minute updates and changes! Also be sure to check over your swimmers events with a coach or team parents at the swim meet, they will have the most accurate and recent information!
9. Meets are scheduled to start at 5:30, and the league has a rule preventing any arrivals prior to 4:30. Meets run until they finish which is variable. Plan on 3-4 hours. 
10. Weather. We will utilize Swimtopia to send alerts regarding weather updates. Occasionally a meet will start and be put on hold due to thunder. The pool deck must be cleared and there will be a 30-minute delay. In extreme cases, a meet may be rescheduled. 
11. Sportsmanship. Summer swim league is meant to be fun. We hope each child enjoys their season. As part of that, cheering on teammates, shaking hands with competitors, leaving host pools cleaner than we came and being polite to all the volunteers is essential. Also, given the wide range of swimmers ages, we asks everyone to be mindful of language and behaviors that while appropriate for some, may not be appropriate for all. We expect our older swimmers to be leaders and role models for our younger swimmers.