Parents,

We are excited for our first home meet for the '22 season.   Again, there will be lots of information in this email. Please note that there will be a few changes since we are hosting another team this week and the following week as well.  (Tuesday, June 22 and Tuesday, June 28th)

SPECIAL EVENT TONIGHT!

Please RSVP today for BOTH meets and sign up to volunteer as well!

Tuesday, June 22

Gulf Park will host Jefferson City Swim Club at Gulf Park Pool.

When:

Tuesday, June 22

Time:
Arrive at 4:30, warm ups begin at 5:00 & the meet will begin at 6:00 sharp. All swimmers should be at the pool, settled, and ready to get in the water at 5:00 pm.

We will be swimming all events during this meet. There are 70 events. Typically, swimmers will swim 2 individual events and 2 relays. Please do not leave the meet until your child has completed all of their events. Free relays is the last event and if one child leaves, this scratches an entire relay.

Workers Meeting:

Promptly at 5:30. Please remember to volunteer for a job at each meet.

Spirit Theme:
Don't Forget to show your BLUE SHARK SPIRIT! This week's theme is Super Heroes/Super Villains.  

Availability:

Go to the team website https://gulfpark.swimtopia.com/ and sign into your account. On the home page you will see the Jefferson City @ GP under the Upcoming Events Header and under the 'Schedule' Tab. Click on the meet to declare your child's availability! Click on Meet Entry, then click 'Edit'. Click the arrow icon for each child and select ATTENDING or NOT ATTENDING. Even if you are not attending, please LET US KNOW! This must usually be done at least 3 days prior to each swim meet for your swimmer to be scheduled properly in the meet! Best to go ahead and edit your swimmers availability now for all meets; you can always go back and edit later if the need arises.

Volunteers:
We require each family to provide a volunteer for at least 1/2 of the meet, and if possible if each adult works 1/2 of the meet it would be GREATLY appreciated. It truly takes a village to put on the meet and we need all hands on deck!! Go to the team website https://gulfpark.swimtopia.com/ and sign into your account. On the home page you will see an Upcoming events listing and you will see the Jefferson City vs GP meet listed. Click on the meet, click on Job Sign Up, Click on each parent/guardian and 'SIGN UP FOR JOBS'. The first half of the meet begins at 5:45 for most jobs - parking needs to check in by 5:00. The second half of the meet begins when we are half way through the events. Disregard current times on the site if different as they are incorrect. Check in with your Volunteer Coordinators - Jennifer Manrod/Alison Ross/Joanna Steinmetz when you arrive at the meet - this should be around 4:30.

Parking: Very Important!!!!!

For home meets, Gulf Park will park in the grassy lot outside of the fence on Cedar Bluff Road. Please do not park in the lower parking lot. This is reserved for the visiting team. We will have people directing traffic for each lot. Please do your best to carpool.

Food:
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, sports drinks, and ice cream.

Our Hospitality area is called the SHARK BITES CAFE, it will be set up with tents at home meets. We will have hamburgers and hotdogs combo meals $6.00 to $8.00 (includes 2 sides and a can drink).

Please come and start your account for hospitality and you get a 10 percent bonus !! It’s great because you don’t have to carry cash and your child can run down between swims and grab a snack Remember WE need your help with donations!! Please bring cases of bottle water and can drinks. We also need bagged chips and cookies. Let’s talk about FRUIT !! Frozen grapes are a huge hit and sell fast and so are strawberries. Please don’t drop food until Tuesday at the meet but drinks are welcome anytime. But make sure to bring your contribution!

What to Bring:
For those of you, who are new to the team, please pack towels, folding chairs, goggles, swim cap and a sweatshirt. A sharpie pen is also handy for jotting your events on your hand for reference. Many kids also bring hand held electronics, books or playing cards to pass time between events. (Please be mindful that swimmers are responsible for all of these belongings.) This meet will run longer than the Blue and White Meet.

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 clerk for relays, we will need assistance separating them and getting them to the correct sides of the pool. At our pool, all events finish on the Cedar Bluff Road side of the pool!

Please be sure to check the event boards when you arrive for the most up to date swimmer information!!
**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!

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

Traditions: Gulf Park Blue Sharks have been swimming since 1970, and we have many time-honored traditions.

In addition, at the end of every home meet, the whole team dances "the time warp" and leaps into the pool. These traditions began long before us, and will continue as long as there is a blue shark at Gulf Park!

THANKS and See You TUESDAY! If you have questions, please ask! We are happy to help!

Another note:

• Declare your participation in the Smoky Mountain Invitational meet in Alcoa. This is a large meet and registration is due on 6/24.
• Springbrook Pool in Alcoa, Tennessee
• Saturday, July 9, 2022 -- 11 years old and up
• Sunday, July 10, 2022 -- 10 years old and under
• Warm-ups start at 7:00 AM and the meet at 8:40 AM.
• https://flyingdolphins.swimtopia.com/smi-meet

Go Sharks!

Kimberly Evers

Meet Director