Hello parents and swimmers!

Many thanks to all of you who participated in the meet with the Steiner Stars and made a successful meet. We swam well against a very strong team, and had lots of time improvements and Invitational qualifiers.

Congratulations to Sydney Yang, Belinda Chang, and Efaine Chang for breaking two records each! Also to the relay team of Greggory Gavin, Maurice Prosper, Douglas Dalke and Tucker Lewis. See below for details on all these record breakers.

Our next meet is on the road. We will visit the Round Rock Dolphins. Arrival time is 6:15am at their pool. See below in this newsletter for more details.

Email me any time with questions at board@wbarmada.org. For complete team information, visit www.wbarmada.org. Don't forget to check your folders daily. See you at practice!

Hi Armada!

Great job finishing up the last full week of afternoon practices! Remember, we start morning practices on Wednesday and will stay on that schedule the remainder of the summer. I know it isn't always easy waking up early in the morning, but your perseverance will pay off. I was very impressed with the races that went down in the pool on Saturday. You guys were champs inside and outside of the pool with your team spirit, and dedication to racing until the very end.

I want to encourage you to sign up for events that are not only your strengths, but also your weaknesses. Part of mission statement on this team is to have fun, and also improve. To be a good athlete, you need to learn to improve your favorite strokes, and your not so favorite strokes- and even the 100 IM! :) You guys are fully capable of doing great- you never know what your "go to stroke" will be one day unless you try it! Make sure you ask a coach if you are legal (so you won't get DQ-ed) in a stroke before signing up for it. That way, if you aren't, your coach knows they need to work on it with you so that you CAN sign up for it!

This upcoming weekend we swim a great team in Round Rock. Please arrive no later than 6:15 so we can check you in, give you your events, and make sure you have a complete relay. Coach Gina does an excellent job making sure all the relays are ready to go at 6 in the morning, so please don't make it more stressful for her by showing up late, or not at all :) I know you guys will do excellent against the Dolphins! The theme is Pajamas, so make sure you dress up and show them our Armada pride!

I am very proud of all of you. You work so hard in practice, and really want to improve. Remember to listen to our very wise coaches, they know a TON about the world of swimming, and will mold you into a better swimmer and athlete in no time. Congratulations on finishing another school year, and I'll see you at the pool!

See ya at the pool,
Coach Elisa

Hi Parents!

Great Job Saturday. We appreciate the willingness of each of you to volunteer.

We have our first away meet this weekend. Our volunteer requirements change a bit when we swim in an opponent's pool. For example, the RR Dolphins have 8 lanes instead of 6 - so more timers are needed.

Their ready bench is located a bit farther from the starting blocks so the swimmers have to be led there.

We do not provide help with the concession stand or parking lot.

We do have to transport all of our equipment to their pool and set up tents and tarps for the swimmers. Please be willing to pitch in Saturday and get the tents up quickly -- and, please help us take them down and load them in the transport vehicles.

Volunteer positions in both halves of the meet need to be covered. If your child(ren) swim in the second half, you are expected to volunteer in the second half, as well, if necessary. I can certainly understand you wanting to go home as soon as your children finish swimming (I would like to, as well), but we have to consider that this is a team. We all need to pitch in and help the team succeed.

Another thing that would help a lot, is that if you see something that needs to be done, just do it. Things as simple as picking up trash, helping with set up in the morning or tearing down after the meets is extremely helpful!

I appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility when it comes to your volunteering assignments.

Thanks again for everything you do and I look forward to our next meet!

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at volunteer@wbarmada.org. Thanks for your help!

Practice Schedule Changes to Mornings on Wednesday, June 1:

Swimmers must attend the practice scheduled for their age group unless Coach Elisa has approved a move to a different group.

Rain/Bad Weather:
In case of weather changes, please have a back-up plan for your swimmer (bike riders, walkers, etc). Everyone must be out of the water during a thunderstorm and if lightning is seen. Swim practice may continue if it is only raining and the coaches feel practice will be beneficial. If in doubt, you can call the pool and ask the lifeguard if swim practice is on. If the weather changes quickly, and the swimmers must get out of the pool, a coach will remain with them until everyone is picked up.