Hello Rapids!

Thank you all who came out to the pre-season meeting last week. As a reminder, and for those who were unable to attend, here is some IMPORTANT information for the next few weeks. 

** Before you do ANYTHING else, go download the Swimtopia App, sign in, and enable push notifications. This is how we will communicate important information with you about practice cancellation due to weather, urgent messages, meet updates, reminders, and things of the like. If you go to our Swimtopia Home Page there is a link to download the app. We promise we won't abuse the notifications, but this is very important! 

Now onto the information:

• PLEASE be patient with us and the coaches the first week of practice. Coach Dylan and the coaching staff are going to do everything they can to get the kids into the right lanes based on ability. Coach Dylan has last year's ladder, and we're going to try and make sure kids are in lanes with swimmers of their levels. However, we have a lot of new families, some kids have been swimming year round, some haven't, so this is going to take a little time to shake out. Please be patient. There are 160 swimmers on the team at varying levels. Coach Dylan and the coaching staff have a really good plan to get to know the kids, their names, and abilities, but it is going to take a little time.
• PLEASE do not interrupt practice to talk to a coach. They have a ton going on. We highly encourage communication with us or the coaches, but please find a time before or after practice to talk to coaches.
• First Day of Practice Activity: This is new! We have ordered, blank, white swim caps for all swimmers. The first part of practice, the swimmers will write their names and decorate their cap (To whatever extent they want to) and meet the coaches. The coaches will then "check them in" and get them to an appropriate initial lane. This is going to help with names and abilities. We're going to ask the swimmers to wear their caps for the first 2 practices to help learn each others names, as well as help the coaches learn their names. The coaches will also have their names visible.
• Practice Equipment: All you need is a swim suit and goggles. We provide everything else. Any swimsuit you can actually swim in is fine. Team suits are NOT mandatory.
• 6-Unders:
  • If you have a 6-under swimmer who was part of the main team last year, they are welcome to join the main team practice starting tomorrow.
  • If you have a 6-under swimmer who was NOT part of the team last year and who you believe can practice with the main team, for safety reasons, we need to have them swim with a coach first. The general requirement is being able to swim down the length of the pool free style, and back on their back without complete exhaustion, panic or drowning. If you believe you have a 6-under who can do that, bring them BEFORE practice on Wednesday or Thursday to meet with Coach Dylan. Please do not come on Tuesday. The first day of practice is too chaotic to accommodate anything other than survival.
• Mini-Rapids: Mini-rapid "evaluations" will be held June 13th and 14th, and mini-practices will start on Monday June 17th. A signup Genius will be sent tomorrow. We are also working to schedule several "Meet the coaches" sessions with the minis over the next few weeks, where Mini's can come and splash around with Coach Caroline and some of the other coaches and get to know them. A note will be sent to the Mini's with these times in the next couple of days.
• Pages to check out on Swimtopia: (This is especially important for new families to the team or new families to swim in general!)
  • Swim Team Practice Schedule
  • Swim Meet 101
  • Volunteers (And check out all the sub-pages!)
  • Swimtopia Scheduling/Meet Availability Help - Walking through how to declare availability for your swimmers and volunteers.
  • Meets and Events Main Page - Schedule of all events and other information.
• Reminder - Team Suits: See the email on team suits we sent out last Friday with information on the 2 options of getting a team suit if you would like one. If you have questions, let us know. Suits must be ordered by June 4th and will be delivered by June 6th to the club. Click HERE to get to the SportsFair Team Page.  
• Merch - Merch has been ordered! We will let you know when it starts to arrive.  You can still buy Yeti's on the team store.
• Instagram - Follow rapids_gfst on Instagram!

Looking forward to a fun, energetic and exciting season! 

-Your Team Reps 

Mandy, Noelle and Shaq