Gulf Park Blue Sharks vs Fox Den Red Foxes

The Gulf Park Blue Sharks are looking forward to our first meet/first virtual meet of the season! The theme is Blue and White - please check which team color you are on this week at practice. We are hoping to see lots of creative outfits!

There is a lot of information, so please read everything carefully. For all meets, it is VERY important that you arrive EARLY (on-time) and that all swimmers STAY until they have finished their LAST EVENT (each swimmer can swim up to 4 events based on your event selection during meet sign up) additionally, coaches may assign your child to a relay to occur at the end of the meet. Team warm ups begin at 5:15 pm - please be settled and ready to swim in plenty of time. This means you will need to be at the pool between 4:45-5:00. MOST importantly -- swim your best, have fun and enjoy a GREAT opening meet on Tuesday, June 30! GO SHARKS!

RSVP TODAY!

Go to the team website https://gulfpark.swimtopia.com and sign into your account. On the home page you will see Fox Den @ GP Blue and White under the Upcoming Events Header. Click on the Meet Entry icon to declare your child's availability! Please note that all swimmers MUST RSVP for Tuesday’s Meet by noon, Friday, June 26 for your swimmer to be scheduled properly in the meet! So if you haven’t done so already – DO IT NOW! If you have not already done so, it is best to go ahead and edit your swimmer’s availability now for all meets; you can always go back and edit later if the need arises.

Volunteer TODAY

We still have volunteer positions we need to fill; let's go ahead and get those filled because we have great families here at Gulf Park! Thank you all for volunteering; it truly takes a village of Shark families to put on a swim meet! Our volunteer coordinator, Liz Hall, will be reaching out to secure help for all unfilled positions. The worker's meeting for volunteers will start at 5:45 pm.

Reminders for all meets…

As with all meets the following applies….

What to Bring:

Please pack towels, tent, folding chairs, goggles, swim cap and a sweatshirt. A sharpie marker is also handy for jotting your events on your hand for reference. It also helps, especially for younger swimmers, to put their name on their back – this will be helpful to Clerk of Course and others making sure everyone is where they should be. Many kids also bring hand held electronics, books, etc. to pass time between events. (Please be mindful that swimmers are responsible for all of these belongings and please make sure to practice social distancing!) Immediate family members should only be sharing games and food items.

EAT at the MEET:

We urge you all to "Eat at the Meet" and have two areas to serve you. On the side of the pool nearest the kiddie pool, our concession stand will be open and features packaged snacks, chips, waters, soda, sports drinks, candy and ice cream.

Our Hospitality area is called the SHARK BITES CAFE, it will be set up with tents at home meets. We are determined to still offer an opportunity to support your Sharks and have an easy meal at the meet. However, due to current health department regulations and an abundance of caution - it is a little different this season. We are offering pre-order hot and ready pizzas - must order on our website by Monday, June 29th at 5pm (just sign in, then click the 'shop' link at the top of the page). https://gulfpark.swimtopia.com/shop They are $8 each +taxes/fees and you can choose pepperoni or cheese pizzas (whole pizza pre-orders only). We will pick them up and have them for your family at the start of the meet and a portion of the sales go to support our swim team. So...buy a pie (or 2)...eat at the meet...and help your sharks!

Misc. Notes...

8 and under parents: Please help your little ones get to their mark on time. Pay attention to the order of events (the event number is on display at the starters table) and direct them to the blocks where a volunteer will line them up. Please bring them to the clerking board for relays, we will need assistance separating them and getting them to the correct sides of the pool.

Please be sure to check the event boards when you arrive for the most up-to-date swimmer information! We will not have event cards for swimmers this year. We will have heat sheets posted throughout the pool area so swimmers and their parents can view the events of their swimmers.

It is especially important to take note of relays; Free Relays are the last events of the evening. If your child is scheduled to swim the Free Relay and will be unable to stay for that event, it is imperative to let a Meet Director or Coach know as soon as possible. Remember the relays affect all 4 scheduled swimmers and in many cases a swim meet score is decided by these last events!

Please send your child to the pavilion for relays, not the starting blocks. We will have Clerk of Course directing them to the blocks. Parents are welcome to walk them to the pavilion but please exit outside of the fence after your child is in Clerk of Course.

Ribbons: As in 2019, for 2020 meets, ribbons will be made for swimmers 10 and under. In the past we have found that 11 and up swimmers are not as interested in ribbons; therefore, to save time and money, 11 and up swimmers will only receive ribbons upon specific request. Ribbons are available at swim practice within 5 days after the meet. If you are missing ribbons, double check the meet results (sent out by Coach Ben soon after each meet) and if the event was not disqualified, let us know and we will get it to you ASAP.

Reminder: No smoking or alcohol at swim meets per GKAISA rules, all smoking, vaping and alcoholic beverages are absolutely prohibited on the pool grounds in all GKAISA meets - Dual, Tri, Relay and Championship.

Questions? Please ask! There was a lot of information sent last week about our meets. Please reread the email from Jennifer Manrod for loads of information including where to park and where to set up!

See you Tuesday! Go Sharks!

Kimberly Evers