Thanks to everyone who participated in the Red, White & Blue meet. Although the weather cut us short, we did get a chance to run through the process of setting up and running a meet. The swimmers, parents and coaches all did a great job and our first dual meet against the Hurricanes this Saturday will go even better.

Here are a few reminders:

• Being on time is critical. Swimmers who have not checked in with their pit parents by the designated check-in time will be scratched from their relays and may be scratched from the meet.
• Swimmers MUST remain in their pit areas unless excused to go to the restroom or concession stand. Parents, let the pit parents know if you take the swimmer somewhere (and limit this, please).
• The area behind the starting blocks and around the Ready Bench is a critical and hectic place. The only people allowed there are swimmers that are about to swim, coaches and volunteers who work in that area.
• Remember, at our meet this Saturday and all future meets, will have twice as many people as we did last Saturday.

Remember to check your folders daily. See you at the pool!

You can contact me with questions at board@wbarmada.org. For more team information, check our website at www.wbarmada.org.

Too bad about the weather this past weekend! I'm really glad that we got to at least get through some of the events and get you guys in the water, AND your parents trained for their jobs too! Make sure that you come to as many practices this week, so we can be super prepared for the Hurricanes meet this weekend! It's almost summer- hang in there!

Just a couple reminders- make sure that you show up at the meet on time! Warm up is extremely important to your performance in the meet! Make sure when you get there, that you check in with your pit parent and be prepared to warm up. If you are going to be late, or need to leave early from the meets, make sure that you put it on the Meet Attendance Form, or at least let a coach know. Relays are a tricky thing, and we want to make sure that we're all ready to go!

Continue to keep up the hard work, and I'm ready to see all the Armada SUPERHEROES next weekend! :)

See you at the pool! :)

Coach Elisa

The WB Armada has a snack bar open at each home meet. We sell items such as breakfast tacos, coffee, baked goods, hot dogs, sausage wraps, water, sports drinks, soda, etc
 
Parents - Please help the team by donating baked goods to our concession stand for each home meet. It is fine to purchase items such as muffins and bagels but please avoid pre-packaged items such as store-bought rice crispy treats, Twinkies, etc. Important notes: Chocolate melts too quickly in the summer heat. Fruit, such as individual-size bags of grapes, or cups of cut-up fruit are very welcome. The snack bar donation schedule is:

The WB Armada is a part of the 12-team Northwest Swim Circuit. The circuit has four divisions composed of three teams each. The divisions are realigned each year based on the each team's scores at their divisional meets. The Armada is in a division with Block House Creek and Balcones Country Club. We will compete against both teams at our Divisional meet on July 11. It is VERY important that as many swimmers as possible compete in that meet.
Read Circuit Bylaws

Dual Meets - Each Saturday beginning May 23, we will participate in a "Dual Meet". That means we will compete against one other team. Swimmers and relay teams placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in an event earn points for our team. It is great fun to win a meet but our main focus is to have swimmers participate in the swim meets, have fun and swim a personal best.

Divisionals - Every swimmer that competes in at least two dual meets and has a legal time in an event are encouraged to compete in the Divisional Meet in July. To have a legal time, the swimmer must swim the stroke legally (following the technical rules for each stroke) and must not be disqualified by the judges.

DQ - a swimmer will be disqualified from a race if the stroke judges determine they did not swim the stroke legally. This is not a big deal. All swimmers learning the strokes, and even very experienced swimmers, sometimes earn a DQ. This tells the coaches the swimmer needs more help with the stroke.

Relay Teams- While we try to offer as many swimmers as possible an opportunity to participate on relay teams, some swimmers may be left out occasionally. There are four swimmers on each relay and we put together as many as we can. A swimmer can only swim on one medley and one free relay per meet. This is a good opportunity for our team to earn points and the coaches will put the swimmers together in the best combinations possible to benefit the team.

Invitational Meet - While the Divisional meet is the "championship" meet for the team, swimmers can earn the opportunity to participate in the Invitational Meet that will be held Sunday, July 12 at UT. Swimmers must meet the time standard in at least one event to qualify. There are no team scores or relays at Invitationals.
View Time Standards

Meet Attendance Forms (MAF) are due each Friday
The MAF for the May 30 away meet against Forest North is due by end-of-practice Friday, May 22.

Forest North swims in a pool off RR 620 near Parmer Lane. See Map

Each week, we put a MAF in your file folder for each swimmer in your family. The due date is printed on each form. You should fill these forms out even if you are unable to attend the meet. If you are unsure if your swimmer is ready to participate in a swim meet, you can fill out the form and put a note on it to the coaches. They will inform you if they have enetered your swimmer in the meet.

Vacation MAFs
There are extra forms available in the small folder box located next the family folder boxes. If you have not received a form for a week you will be out-of-town, you can get a form for that week and turn it in early. If you have multiple children that will miss a meet, it is okay to put that on one form.

Here are a few important tips to make your swim meet experience successful:

	Be on time. At the beginning of the meet the coaches will make changes to relay events if there are swimmers that are absent or missing. It is important that swimmers check-in with their pit parent to avoid being scratched from any relay event.
	Bring nutritious snacks. The swim meets begin very early in the morning and last until noon or later. Please pack healthy snacks for your swimmers to eat such as, fresh fruit, bagels, crackers, water, sports drinks etc. We make an attempt to offer healthy items at the concession stand.
	Pack appropriate supplies.Towels, sunscreen, goggles, etc - See checklist below...
	Swimmers should stay in their pit areas The Pit Parents are responsible for watching the swimmers in the pit area and getting them to the ready bench when it is time for their event. If your child is going somewhere with you, please let the pit parents know.
	MARK EVERYTHING! Please write your child's name on ALL belongings. At the meet, you will be dozens of identical t-shirts, caps, goggles - plus similar towels, flip flips, sunscreen. Don't forget to mark any electronic games - they get mixed up!

	2 towels		water or sport's drinks
	blanket to sit on in pit area		nutritious snacks
	warm clothes for after warm-up in early a.m.		Quiet activities to keep them occupied in the pit area between races
	Swim cap		sunblock
	goggles		Parents: Bring a chair, wear a hat, apply sunblock!

Here are a few important things to remember...

	The kiddie pool will be closed during swim meets.
	WB Armada swimmers should stay inside the pool gates and are not allowed on the playscape during the meet.
	Swimmers are not allowed to play in the showers, take extended showers or spend unnecessary time in the bathrooms. This applies to practices also.
	Swimmers should remain in their pit areas. Parents of young children who take a swimmer from the pit area should inform the pit parent of their whereabouts.
	Swimmers and parents should be respectful of pit parents and make their job easier by marking all personal items and cleaning up all personal items and trash before leaving.
	The WB Armada and/or the pit parents are not responsible for lost or stolen items. Please be sure your swimmer has a bag to keep their belongings in and they put their belongings in the bag when they leave the pit area. Any unmarked items left at the end of the swim meet will be put in the pool's lost and found. Items left at away meets may be lost.