Gator Tales - May 1

May 1st

It’s Gator Raid Time!

Circle In: 7:15am

Warm Ups: 7:40-8:15

Meet Begins: 8:30

“Gator Raid”/Time Trials is this Saturday! Swimmers will be swimming to get their seed times for the season. Please understand that time trials is a requirement so that we have times for swimmers to enter official meets. If a swimmer misses time trials or is not able to swim all of their events, they will need to attend practice on Monday or Tuesday so that coaches can get their times. Swimmers are entered all events that they are eligible for in their age group for time trials. There are no relays at Time Trials.

6 and Unders: 25 yard Freestyle and Backstroke

7-8: 25 yard Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly

9-10: 25 yard Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly, 50 yard Freestyle, 100 yard IM

11-12: 50 yard Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly, 100 yard IM

13-14 & 15-18: 50 yard Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly, 100 yard Freestyle & IM

Reserved Spot Winners!

Congratulations to our reserved parking spot winners for this week! We will have another raffle for our next home meet!

Trailwood Village Lot: Jorge Avalos and Wendy Butler (New Parent Meeting Raffle Winner)
Woodland Hills Lot: Courtney Alva

Here are some helpful reminders as we get ready for Saturday:

Circle In-All swimmers must check in with the coaches as soon as you arrive at the meet, no later than 7:25 this week. Swimmers who do not circle in will be scratched from the meet.
If plans change and you cannot make it to the meet or if you are running late on the morning of the meet, please text Robbie Morrow at (281) 468-3908 by 7:25am.
Warm ups will be by age group youngest to oldest and move very quickly, so listen and be ready!
Check the posted list and SwimTopia to get your swimmer’s event numbers and listen for when the events are called to the ready bench.
Team set-up is in the grassy area within the fenced pool area.
Volunteers will check in with Reagan Henderson at the pool entrance near concessions.
Swimmers will receive their free latex Gator cap at practice on Friday or on Saturday morning.
Swimmer shirts will be distributed soon!
Let a coach know if a swimmer will be leaving before they have completed all events.
Help each other out! If you are a new Gator family, find a board member or veteran if you have any questions. If you are returning Gator, please help out any new Gators!

Chomp Chomp!

Volunteering – We Need You!

Volunteer Sign Ups:

Volunteer sign ups for Time Trials is still open! We still have a few spots available, especially for second shift. It takes many volunteers to run our meets. Remember, each family is responsible for 7 shifts throughout the season. Please email Reagan Henderson at [email protected] or text at (713) 724-2472 if you have any questions about volunteering.

Chomp Talk: A Message from the Coaches

Our Gators have made so much progress and we have had an amazing time getting to know all of them! As we move forward into our Gator Raid, don’t forget to have your swimmer come talk to us after their races for feedback. This swim meet is so we can get times for all of their races so they will be trying everything. Also don’t forget to bring caps, goggles, towels and their super big muscles so they can swim fast!

RSVP Swimmers for Meets:

All Gators must RSVP for each meet! This is necessary for coaches to put together line ups and relays. Entries and volunteer sign ups opens on Sunday evenings at 7:00pm. Swimmer RSVP’s close at 9:00 Tuesday evening. When you RSVP, you can include notes such as stroke preferences. These preferences are not guarantees, but will be considered by the coaches. Our first regular meet of the season is next Saturday, May 10 at Bear Branch so don’t forget to sign up starting Sunday night at 7:00pm!

Pep Rally

Our first pep rally of the season is Friday, May 2nd at 6:30 PM outside the pool area. Wear your Gator Green and bring a towel to kick off the swim season. Coaches will announce the swimmers of the week! Pizza, popcorn, and snow cones will be available for purchase. Be on the look at for an email with the RSVP information!

So don’t forget to….

● Wear Gator Green & bring a towel

● Come ready to cheer & get your Gator Raid on!

● Bring Chairs or Blankets, sit back and enjoy the fun!

We will ask for RSVPs for pizza orders next week

Friday Practice Schedule

6&U - 4:30-4:50
7/8 - 4:50-5:10
9/10 - 4:10-5:40
11&U - 5:40-6:30

MEET CHECKLIST

Checklist for Parents

★ Tent

★ Chairs

★ Lightweight clothing preferably in Gator Colors

★ Hat

★ Sunglasses

★ Sunscreen

★ Bug repellent

★ Shoes that can get wet

★ Sharpie for writing events on swimmers

★ Snacks and drinks

★ Concession money

★ Book

Checklist for Swimmers

★ Swimsuit (wear it to the pool)

★ Goggles - Extra pair if possible

★ Swim Cap

★ Towels (at least 2 per swimmer)

★ Sunscreen

★ T-Shirt / Shorts

★ Shoes that can get wet

★ Snacks / Water

★ Concession Money

★ Books / Cards / Games / Toys

Why Do You Need a Sharpie/Permanent Marker at a Swim Meet?

Writing your child's events on their arm helps all swimmers, parents and volunteers get the swimmers to their events. Once your swimmer circles in with the coaches at the meet, they need to check their events either on the posted heat sheet or on the Swimtopia app. Write the following information on your swimmer’s upper arm, just below the shoulder: their name and every event they swim (event #, heat #, lane # and event name).

Don't worry! Volunteers are ready to do this for you the first time if you haven't done it before!

Parking Rules for Home Meets:

Please respect our Trailwood Village neighbors and observe the following parking rules for our home meets. Click here to view the parking map.

No Parking along the “inner loop” where the no parking signs are located.
No Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. No parking within 30 feet of a stop sign or intersection.
No parking blocking driveways or mailboxes.
No parking on grass, medians, or parkland.
No parking in the turn around area of a cul-de-sac.
When parking on residential streets, all vehicles need to stay on one side (“outer loop”) of the street for emergency vehicles to access.

GET YOUR GATOR MERCH!

We've got some awesome Gator merchandise this season - silicone swim caps, ball caps, drifit shirts, mom tanks, yard signs and more! Check out our online store to purchase items that will show your Gator Pride!

If you have ordered a swimsuit they have arrived and will be available for pick up on Friday and Saturday.

NEWS & PRACTICE NOTIFICATIONS

We will post news to the team website throughout the season. If there are any practice cancellations or rain delays, we will notify you by email, send alerts using the SwimTopia mobile app, and post notices to the team website. Gators don't mind swimming in the rain, but if there is lightning and thunder at the pool, practice will be delayed or canceled.

GET THE APP

We encourage you to download SwimTopia's mobile app. With this app, we'll be able to communicate with you through push notifications. If you upgrade to the Pro version ($2.99/month after a free 7 day trial), you can get meet heat sheets, meet results, and more right on your phone.

To receive push notifications:

Download the SwimTopia Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play
Log in with your SwimTopia (Gator website) login
Be sure to check your app's notification settings - ensure that it's set to pop up on your screen (Android users: you may need to receive your first notification before you can edit this setting)

Important Dates

May

5/2 - Pep Rally - Gator Raid, 6:30pm

5/3 - Time Trials (Trailwood Pool)

5/10 - Gators @ Bear Branch

5/16 - Pep Rally - Camo “Battle in the Swamp!” 6:30pm

5/17 - Gators VS Greentree (Trailwood Pool)

5/24 - Gators @ Sand Creek

5/30 - Pep Rally - Hawaiian Luau

5/31 - Gators VS Mills Branch (Trailwood Pool)

GATOR SPIRIT DAYS ARE BACK!