The Armada is happy to welcome our 2010 swimmers and families to the pool!

We are excited to have Coach Elisa Chapa and the rest of the coaching staff back for 2010, with one new addition, Don Tran. Don is a former Armada swimmer who is in his first year as an assistant coach. Welcome Don! The rest of the staff will be familiar to you if you were with us last year, providing some nice continuity for the kids.

To read biographies and see pictures of all our coaches, please CLICK HERE.

Daily afternoon practices start Monday, May 10. The first meet is the Red, White, and Blue practice meet which will be on May 22. To see the full meet schedule, CLICK HERE.

Communications will be done in a couple of ways:

1. If you are not on the Armada mailing list (that is, if you did not receive an email pointing you to this newsletter), then email me and I will add you.
2. Remember to check your folder at the pool daily. It will have a variety of forms and other information for you that can't be done via email.

The first Meet Attendance Forms (MAFs) are due on May 17. There will be a file folder with blank MAFs and a folder to return the completed MAF. If you’re new, you might sign your swimmer up for the short free, their best stroke (back, fly, breast) and one other event. That will ensure that your swimmer establishes a seed time for both the freestyle and the medley relay.

There are folders for both the coaches and the board located in the front of the filebox. Please put any questions or concerns into the folders and we will respond as soon as possible. Include your name, phone number or email address. You can email me whenever you like at board@wbarmada.org. Looking forward to another fun and rewarding season!

For more team information, check our website at www.wbarmada.org for the latest information.

WELCOME BACK ARMADA!!

I am so incredibly excited to start a brand new swim season with each and every one of you. I'm happy that I'm back for a second year, and most of our amazing and talented coaches are as well. We have a new coach, Don Tran, that will be joining us this year. He was a volunteer coach last year, and will be a wonderful addition to our coaching staff. Please say hi and introduce yourself so he can start learning all the new names!

I would like to personally welcome all the new families to our Armada swim team! We are so happy that you chose to spend your time with our team, and I hope that you have FUN. Two big goals of mine are improvement, and having fun. If you are new (or returning) and have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to talk to me, or our board president, Paul Wadehra, about it. We will do everything we can to answer any questions you have and make this an enjoyable experience.

I know that May will be a busy month for everyone, and as a teacher, I know school and school activities come first. Please know that my expectations are that you try to make as many practices as possible, and that you try your best when you are there. End of the year is a busy time! However, practices at the beginning of the season are important, especially for those that have been out of the water since last summer. The first week or so we will be covering drills and working on technique. Just like riding a bike, right? :) We have two weeks before our first meet, and we will be ready! Make sure that you practice safety around the pool, and do not get into the pool if a coach is not supervising. I have no doubt this will be a great season and I'm ready to get it started!

See y'all at the pool :)
Coach Elisa

The first day and week of practice can seem chaotic but we are more organized than we may seem.

Parents
We will be distributing t-shirts and swim caps. We will be on the raised grassy area inside the pool area. Swim caps will be given to all girls. Boys are given caps upon request. Boys with longer hair should wear a cap to keep the hair out of their eyes.

The family file box is located under the front covered area on the shelf by the kiddie pool. Please check your folder for a welcome letter and your first meet attendance form.

Remember water, sun block, towels and a well-fitted pair of goggles.

Please remember that most of the swimmers haven't been in the pool for 9 months. It will take them awhile to regain technique and staminia. Be positive and encouraging.

There will be board members around the pool wearing badges the first week. Feel free to ask them questions.

Swimmers
When it is time for your age group practice, the coaches will call the swimmers to the far end of the pool. The coaches will be trying to learn names and determine swimming ability the first week. The 6 and unders will be spending a lot of time sitting on the side of the pool while the coaches work one-on-one with them. If it is chilly, they can have a towel wrapped around them.

Please don't read too much into the lane assignments. We will be grouping the swimmers so we can work with them most effectively. They may be changing lanes throughout the season.

Kiddie Pool
The kiddie pool will be open but you MUST follow the MUD rules posted. A parent must be inside the fence with their child. Failure to follow the posted rules will result in the kiddie pool being closed during practices.

Welcome parents—new and returning! I'm looking forward to working with all of you. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the volunteer positions at the meets. Due to my work schedule, I’m unable to attend many practices, but feel free to leave notes for me in my family folder or email me at volunteers@wbarmada.org.

Saturday, May 22nd is our Red, White & Blue practice meet. For each meet, don’t forget to fill out the volunteer information at the bottom of Meet Attendance Form (MAF). This information will let me know which parent is volunteering and whether you have any scheduling restrictions for that specific meet. Feel free to write additional information you’d like me to know for a specific meet in the bottom area. I use the information from the MAF to develop a volunteer schedule for the upcoming meet, which I will send to you via email by Wednesday before the meet. As always, I appreciate your flexibility as we try to fill all available positions.

If you didn’t sign up for volunteer positions at registration, please contact me. It takes between 70-80 volunteers per team per meet and we need everyone to pitch in to make the meets a success for the sake of our children.

I look forward to a fun summer with you!

Practice groups and times are based on enrollment numbers. Swimmers must attend the practice scheduled for their age group unless Coach Elisa has moved them to a different group.
Check www.wbarmada.org for current information.

Two large file boxes with a folder for each Armada family will be set out at each practice. These folders are a key tool for team communications, so check your folder often. You will get notices, newsletters, and meet ribbons via your folder, and this is where you will turn in the forms each week for participation in that week's swim meet. If your folder is missing or a name is mis-typed, please let us know and we'll get it corrected. Note - please tell swimmers to dry their hands before checking the box.

Our annual practice swim meet - The Red, White & Blue Meet - will take place Saturday morning, May 22. This is an important meet for both swimmers and volunteers. It will be run as a regular meet and gets us ready for the season opener the following weekend.

We encourage all swimmers to participate in this meet. We will use kickboards and coaches in the pool for the younger swimmers who cannot make it the whole length. Having them "practice" at this meet will encourage them to work to swim the whole way so they can participate in a dual meet.

The Meet Attendance Form - MAF - for this meet is in your family folder. Please return it by 8 p.m. on Monday May 17. Do not put the completed forms in your family folder. Please put them in the MAF box.

Photo Day - We will take individual, age group and team photos during practice hours on May 25. A schedule and order forms will be available in your family folders prior to that day. All swimmers are encouraged to participate in the team and age group photos even if you don't want to purchase individual photos.

The Swim Shop will be open from 4:30 - 6:00 Monday - Thursday the first week of practice. We will set up on the elevated grassy area. Sorry, we don't take credit/debit cards.

Items for purchase:

• Goggles - prices vary on brand/style
• Bungee Cords - for goggles
• Armada Swim Bags - $15.00
• Armada Baseball Caps - $10.00
• WBA Koozies - $3.00
• Decal orders - $10 - $12.00
  (Orders will be taken 1st week of practice)
• Armada Shirts (limited sizes available)
  - Crew neck - $10.00
  - Men's tanks - $15.00
  - Ladies Tanks - $15.00
  - Ladies Cami Tanks - $15.00
  - Ladies V-Neck - $15.00

Our annual Swim-a-thon & Silent Auction will be held Tuesday, June 22. This is our primary fundraiser for the year and the funds raised help us keep our registration fees low and help us purchase needed equipment.

We are asking for donations of goods or services or gift certificates that we can auction off during the event. We are a registered 501c3 non-profit organization and donations are tax decuctible.

Please contact Mary Hale at 789-3903 or email her at mjhale@austin.rr.com. She has letters you can distribute to areas businesses.