Sharks,

We are looking forward to a great 2021 GKAISA City Meet Championship this Thursday - Saturday. Please take note of the following important information including arrival times, warm-up times TBD, and other useful information.

10 and Under Families - Thursday, July 21st

Arrive: 1:00 p.m. (Be under the tent. You will need to arrive around 12:30-12:45 to find parking, etc.)

Warm-Ups : TBD - Be looking for another email.

Meet Begins: 3:00 p.m.

11&Up Families - Friday, July 22nd

Arrive: 7:00 a.m. (Be under the tent.)

Warm-Ups: TBD - Be looking for another email.

Meet Begins: 9:00 a.m.

Finals - Saturday, July 23rd

Arrive: 7:00 a.m.

Warm-Ups: TBD

Information for each day:

Please remember your parking pass. They will not be available to purchase the day of the meet.

Please be on time. See arrival times above.

Our tent is behind Allan Jones Aquatic Center (AJAC) - you'll see our banner hanging on it.

If you are late or if your swimmer is sick and cannot make it, we need to know ASAP. Please TEXT either Jennifer Manrod (865-660-8627) or Kimberly Evers (865-207-4236).

At the meet, Radio GKAISA will operate at 88.1 FM and keep families up to date on the status of events and/or you can follow GKAISACITYMEET@GKAISAOFFICIAL on twitter to see what events are being called or you can walk over to the clerk of course tents to look on the whiteboard. Remember that the boys and girls swim in separate pools.

I also want to take a minute to say THANK YOU to all of our parents for being so willing to pitch in as we run the Clerk of Course. We have a really special group of people at Gulf Park! We are still in need of more volunteers on Friday and Saturday. We will train you on how to do each job, so please sign up today!

If you are unable to volunteer, we need your help under the team tent. Please make sure the kids are to Clerk of Course on time, staying hydrated, well behaved and cleaning up after the meet.

Heat sheets will be available to purchase each day. Please bring cash.

What: GKAISA City Meet Championship

When: Sharks 10 and under swim Thursday, July 21st and 11 and up swim Friday, July 22nd - these days are called "Preliminaries"

Saturday, July 23rd is the Championship. The Top 16 swimmers (all ages) from preliminaries for each event of the previous two days will return for the final championship score. The top 16 swim, the 17th & 18th swimmers are alternates.

Where: UT Campus - Allan Jones Aquatic Center (AJAC)

Pools:

This meet uses one pool for boys (8 lanes at the pool closest to the diving well) and one pool for girls (9 lanes in the pool closest to the scoreboard) for preliminaries, and then one 8-lane pool for the Finals session on Saturday. Pool depth is 8-feet at ends, 9-feet in the center. Seating for the 1,284 spectators is available in the balcony overlooking the pool for free. Only workers and coaches are allowed on the pool deck.

Time:

10 and Unders - Thursday, July 29th

Arrive: 1:00 p.m. (Be under the tent.)

Warm-Ups : TBD

Meet Begins: 3:00 p.m.

11&Up - Friday, July 30th

Arrive: 7:00 a.m. (Be under the tent.)

Warm-Ups: TBD

Meet Begins: 9:00 a.m.

Finals - All ages - Saturday, July 31st

Arrive: 7:00 a.m.

Warm-Ups: TBD

Meet Begins: 9:00 a.m.

Volunteering

*Workers meeting at 2:20 on Thursday and 8:20 am on Friday and Saturday at the clerk of course. Please check in with Jennifer Manrod/Joanna Steinmetz/Alison Ross when you arrive.

Sharks - when you arrive, please double check your events and please find all the members of your relay teams. If you do not find someone that is swimming on your relay team, please let a Coach know as soon as possible. Please DO NOT rely on Swimtopia. Individual events are showing up, but relays are not. Most swimmers are swimming relays. Events will be posted on the concrete wall next to our tent.

Tent Location: Like last year, our tent will be located between the girls and boys clerk of course behind the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.  We are labeled "GP."

Parking: There will be no “in and out” privileges. Free parking is available at the lot at the Metron Center across from Kingston Pike, however we will not have a shuttle. It is approximately a 1-mile walk. Please make sure to allow plenty of time to get your swimmer to the tent and ready for warmups as there will be heavy traffic around the aquatic center.

No traffic will be allowed on UT Drive between the Student Aquatic Center and the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. Drop-off and Unloading will only be allowed in the right lane of Andy Holt Avenue in front of the Student Aquatic Center (SAC). NO PARKING or leaving an automobile will be permitted there at any time during the meet. ABSOLUTELY NO UNLOADING in front of the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center. The street is not wide enough, and officers WILL WRITE TICKETS to persons who block traffic by stopping there. Police officers will be present to direct traffic and ensure everyone’s safety

Twitter/Radio GKAISA

Radio GKAISA will operate at 88.1 FM and keep families up to date on the status of events and/or you can follow GKAISACITYMEEY@GKAISAOFFICIAL on twitter to see what events are being called or you can walk over to the clerk tents to look on the whiteboard. Remember that the boys and girls are in separate pools.

What to Bring:

A large tent will be provided for our entire team. It will be warm so please plan accordingly to ensure you keep your swimmers cool and hydrated.  You may not set up any other tents at City Meet.

Please bring/donate healthy food items/drinks to share with the team. We will have a table set up in our tent.

Remember to pack healthy food/drink options (the meet will go through dinner/lunch depending on your day), towels, folding chairs, goggles, swim cap, bug spray, and a sweatshirt etc. A sharpie pen is also handy for jotting your events on your hand for reference. Many kids also bring handheld electronics, books or playing cards to pass time between events as this meet will be much longer than our normal dual meets. Please be mindful that swimmers are responsible for all of their belongings. Please remember to clean up after yourself and your family.

General Swimmer Procedures:

The Clerk of Course tent is located close to our team tent. This is where your child will go as the calls are made for their events; relay teams should gather together before heading to the clerk tent. Parents are not permitted in this area...as soon as your child heads to the Clerk of Course, you can head to the front of the building to secure your spot to watch up in the stands. After their event the swimmers will exit the aquatic center on the lower level right under the stairs in the front of the building and you can meet them there or back at the tent.

*** On Thursday and Friday, boys and girls will swim in two separate pools. The two sides will run independently of one another, meaning the boys' side may have completed IM races and moved on to freestyle while the girls are still completing their IMs. The exception will be the Mixed relays which are the first event each day.***

VERY IMPORTANT:

How do you know if you return on Saturday?:

The placing information will be posted in the hallway of AJAC. Look for large crowds looking at a white wall, that is where the printouts are posted. ALL kids and relay teams that place in the top 18 will return on Saturday. The top 16 finalists will swim and 2 alternates must be on site, just in case. We want to ensure all of our Shark Finalists swim on Saturday!!

A Bit About Scoring:

Thursday and Friday are preliminary– they do not score points for the team on those days, the overall goal is to finish in the top 16 to return on Saturday for the finals.

When you get to the meet and buy a heat sheet on Thursday and/or Friday, you’ll see that the swimmers are placed in heats according to time – the slower times are in the first heats. The fastest 24 swimmers are evenly distributed across the last 3 heats. Times are recorded for every swimmer, and the top 18 times (regardless of what heat they were in during prelims) will return for finals on Saturday. See attached psych sheet (shows seed times/rankings for all events).

On Saturday, heat 2 will be the “ribbon heat” consisting of swimmers whose times placed them at #9-#16 ranking, and points are given according to the place they get in that heat. Heat 1 is the “medal heat” – swimmers with rankings of #1-#8 swim in it, and points are given according to the place they get in that heat. If someone in Heat 1 doesn’t return on Saturday, then the #9 swimmer from heat 2 moves up, and the #17 alternate swimmer moves into heat 2.

WEBSITE for additional CITY MEET Information, tent maps, event results, etc…

https://gkaisa.swimtopia.com/ Timelines for each day and psych sheets will be posted here.  They are not available yet.

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

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!! See previous emails for maps, psych sheets, timelines, etc. Most information can be found here as well.

https://gkaisa.swimtopia.com/2022-gkaisa-city-cham...

Go Gulf Park Blue Sharks!!

Kimberly Evers

Did you make it to the end? Come find me at practice this week and say “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” I’ll put your name in a drawing for a $10 Summer Moon Coffee Shop Gift Card!