Thank you all for your patience as information and updates from the champs meet seem to be trickling out at best at this point. However, I have heard that there are some general questions that folks have been looking for guidance on, so I will attempt to address those here.

• Will I be able to see/contact my swimmer during the meet? Not in person. If your swimmer has a phone then you can contact them this way of course. However, this meet is different in that parents/spectators observe from the observation deck above the competition pool. If you need to communicate with your swimmer, you can attempt to contact Coach Andrew, but he will have several swimmers under his charge, so the response will most certainly be lagged, if at all. PLEASE do not stress about this part. This meet is actually a FANTASTIC opportunity for swimmers of all ages and abilities to learn to maneuver these events with some independence. Coach Andrew's number is 919-500-0942.
• What should my child bring? Please have your child arrive in their team suit. Please send your child with their team cap, goggles, 2-3 towels, snacks, water, and a camp chair. On deck seating is not necessarily guaranteed at this meet. The pool deck can be both hot and cold, depending on the number of swimmers and the time of day. Send a sweatshirt with your swimmer just in case it's cool on the pool deck. And please mark their arms with their events before dropping them off with the coaches.
• What can parents/spectators expect on the observation deck? A full house of people to start. Seating is generally tight. TAC frowns upon bringing in food/drinks on the observation deck as they have an onsite concessions stand. Bleacher chairs do work on the observation deck bleachers. You may want to consider packing a camp chair for yourself as well. Depending on the numbers of people in attendance, TAC has sometimes allowed camp chairs in the back room located behind the bleacher seating. It is easy to walk out to the observation deck, watch your swimmer, and then go sit back down.
• But my child is only 6,7,8,9,10 years old! Will they really be able to do this? YES! We will have 2 Kid pushers at each 10&Under session that will assist the kids along with the coaches to get folks where they need to be. Here are some things that you can discuss with your swimmer prior to the meet:
  • TAC is a BIG pool and a BIG facility. The lights and the scoreboard and the sheer size of the pool are VERY EXCITING but can be overwhelming at first. If your swimmer has never been before, there are tons of pictures online. Maybe take a moment to preview those pictures so they have a better idea of what to expect. But from a 7 year swim mom veteran, you will always remember seeing your child's name on that board the first time, and so will they! Enjoy it!
  • When your swimmer is not racing, they should stay seated with their team in our designated area.
  • When they get out of the pool at the end of their races, they should find one of our coaches for their race review. If a coach is talking to another swimmer, they should just wait patiently until it is their turn.
  • If they need to go to the bathroom, do so in between events. And if they do leave the area to use the bathroom, to please let a coach/kid pusher know.
  • Remind them to keep up with their cap and goggles! Put them in their bags in between races!
  • College is not on the line at the summer swim meet championship! Missed events, time adds, and disqualifications WILL HAPPEN and are THE LEARNING TOOLS of this sport. Positivity in all ways keeps the kids swimming!

I hope this helps to answer some of the questions that have been running through the minds of our families as they try to prepare for this event. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email.

Go Rays!

-Sarah