Week 1 Newsletter

Hello Parents and Swimmers!

Practice has begun and we are excited to see all the new faces. Once the first week goes by, it will be much less hectic. A few things to keep in mind for this week:

1.       REGISTRATION. If you haven’t registered and paid at the front desk yet, make sure you do so ASAP. You cannot swim this weekend at the Coppell Meet if you are not registered with our team. Even if you haven’t been able to make practices this week, drop by the Richardson YMCA to do this.

2.       THE BOX. The swimmer box will be out at practice shortly. Once everyone is registered, we can begin making the hanging folders with your swimmers names. Remember, this is where you can get all hard copies of information—including meet packets, driving directions, flyers, ribbons/awards, etc. You will also turn in meet entry forms to this box. This should be out by the end of the week.

3.       OFFICIALS. It’s that time again: we are looking for officials to represent our team! Our only remaining officials are Bill Webb, Blake Hamaker, Kristen Falies, Regina Moss, Annette Engle and Mike Kmak. If you are interested in obtaining your YMCA Swim Official Certification (valid for 3 years), please e-mail richardson.rapids@hotmail.com and let coaches know.

4.       COPPELL MEET. We told you it was going to go by fast! Our first swim meet is this weekend at the Coppell Family YMCA. It’s an indoor pool with primarily outdoor seating. Indoor seating is limited as the bleachers fill up fast. Get there early if you want to sit inside. It’s a sprint meet, only short events will be offered and no relays. Warm-ups for 11 & over begin at 8am, warm-ups for 10 & under begin at 12pm. Maps are available on the meet info packets for your convenience. Meet entries are DUE BY 1PM TOMORROW!!! If you have not turned in an individual meet entry form or e-mailed us and are planning on swimming this meet, let us know ASAP! We will be taking electronic entries (via e-mail) since many cannot make practice this week. All swimmers will be posted to the site tomorrow so you can confirm that we received your entry form.

5.       T-SHIRTS. A sign-up sheet will be available at practice beginning Thursday so be looking for that. You will be able to see the t-shirt design, color, slogan, and price at that time.

6.       DONATIONS. We are asking for a $20 donation per family to get the summer started off. The money will be used for purchases toward concessions and hospitality for the June 14 Richardson Meet. Then it will be rolled over to pay for team equipment, banquet, and such. Since we start off the summer will a zero budget, it really helps our team if you have the money to invest in the Richardson Rapids. You can turn your donation into our team treasurer, Bruce Dillow, or any board parent/coach at practice. Thanks in advance!

7.       PRACTICES. We are excited to be having 40 swimmers a night at evening practices! We certainly anticipated on having much less since school is still in and club practice times are still conflicting. Thanks for your commitment! Remember that practice will resume the morning times next week. Times are as follows: Level 4—6:45am (dry lands on Tuesdays), Level 3—7:15am, Levels 1 & 2—7:30am.

8.       LEVELS. We hope to get this out to you by next Monday. Once everyone has registered for the summer and we have gotten a better understanding of what all swimmers capabilities are, we will place them accordingly.

9.       RICHARDSON MEET. Calling all parents!! We are hosting a meet next weekend and need any and all volunteer help. A sign-up sheet is available at practices and will continue to be into next week by ‘the box’. We need volunteer help with timers, runners, concession workers, ready bench, and hospitality. Also, if anyone has a connection to someone who could help sponsor our hospitality room by donating food and/or drinks then let us know!