for 2012
A Parent's Guide to Surviving the Summer Swim Season
Other Fun Stuff
We do MORE than Just Swim
While most of our focus is on the swimming pool, we do find time to squeeze in some other activities during the season (although it seems a lot of it has to do with eating). One fun thing we do after every dual meet is go out for a meal and fellowship at a nearby restaurant. Included in the potential destinations are Chuckee-Cheese's, Sweet Tomatoes, Five Guys and whatever other fun place you may want to suggest.
We've listed the annual fun activities on this page for your reference during the year and
will place additional items and links on the web site as the season progresses.
If you would like to help out with any of these items, please let us
know and we'll get you involved!
Team Pictures
Each year we have a team picture made for our families as well as individual swimmer photos.
Details for this year’s team picture will be available in early June. Please have your swimmers
wear their team suits and/or T-shirts and plan to arrive at the pool at the specified time so we can
begin promptly. After the picture, the coaches promise to have an “extra fun” practice. The purchase
of these pictures is recommended but not required; however, it is a TEAM picture and we want everyone
on the team in it even if you are not purchasing one for yourself.
Team Awards Ceremony
Our season is capped by our annual awards ceremony, where each swimmer receives their trophy for participating on the team, their championship awards plus many other special awards including much coveted Most Improved Swimmer trophies in each age group.
This is a great program with good food, slide shows, lots of awards, reminiscing, fun and fellowship
and we encourage all of our members to attend. We also love the chance to see everyone “dressed” in
their best “Sunday Go to Meeting” clothes! We have tentatively set the Awards Ceremony for Tuesday,
July 31st for this event this summer. Further details including confirmation of the date, time, location
and other details will be available sometime in late May or early June.
Psych-up Spaghetti Dinner
Seven years ago, as part of our preparation for Championships, Jane Dillard put together our first
annual Psych Up Spaghetti Dinner. We thought it was a good opportunity for everyone to get to know
all of our great families prior to the big meets and to start the process of getting excited for
Championships. And the food was great, too!!
We plan to have this great fun event again this season. The dinner will be in mid-July in the JCDS
"Cafe-gym-atorium" and we will begin serving at 6:30 after the first practice is over. As
the late practices finish, those swimmers and families can join the fun. We hope to hold the cost
to the same as last year, $5.00 per person, and we ask that any family coming bring a dessert that
will feed
6 - 8 people.
We try to get a head count and payment (if possible) in advance so we know how much food to prepare. Please watch the web site for finals details on this event sometime in early June.
Pizza & Poster Party
As the final step in preparing for Championships each season, we have held a Pizza & Poster party for the team families following one of our last practices before Championships. In addition to eating pizza, the swimmers make posters to put up in our team tent at Championships and our parents make sure all is ready for the big meet.
Last summer we held this event at JCDS & the local Cici's Pizza Restaurant. The little swimmers made the posters at JCDS on the patio from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. while the older groups practiced then everyone went over to Cici's from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Everyone seemed to have a great time so we plan to do the same thing this summer - again, details will be available in late June.
We ask that you bring any poster making supplies you may already have to the pool that evening. You will also need to have the money to pay Cici's for your dinner (about $5 or $6 per person). Check with the coaches if you have any questions. The coaches will be available both at JCDS and Cici's to explain what happens at the Championship meets to the moms and dads of these swimmers as well.
The kids have come up with awesome posters and many creative sayings in past years! Most of the posters could be credited to the girls as the majority of the boys were too busy playing to decorate - this year we want the guys to make some posters, too! Everyone needs to be sure to check out the posters at Championships!
Championship Meet Afterglow
Every year we have an "afterglow" party to celebrate the end of another great Championship
meet. It is held on the Sunday of Championships (July 31st this year) at a time that allows everyone
to go home, clean up and put on their party faces and outfits!
We are again hoping to go to the Sneakers at 8133 Point Meadows Way (near 9A and Baymeadows). They claim to have enjoyed hosting us and our crazy dancing and Karaoke singing(?) the past three years!?!? We also hope to have a Disc Jockey for the evening again this year.
We usually try to start gathering around 6:00 p.m. with our DJ starting the music at 7:00. He'll keep things rockin' until 9'ish and we need to clear out by 10:00. We do like to have an approximate head count on Sunday afternoon for our hosts so they can adequately staff for us. If you know you are going, you can complete the online form we'll post or you can sign up in the team tent at Championships.