June 10th Home Meet vs. Bentwinds, Pre-Meet Information
Hi Porpoises!
League Philosophy:
The TSA (Tar Heel Swimming Association) mission is to introduce swimmers to the world of competitive swimming in a fun environment with friendly competition. Dual meets should be the "Party on the Pool Deck" minus the alcohol, with gracious hosts and respectful guests. We expect our swimmers and parents to exhibit good sportsmanship and be welcoming to the other team. If you encounter issues with the opposing team, please bring the issue straight to the Park Village TSA rep (usually April). If there's an issue, the TSA reps from each team will work out a solution.
Meet Scoring:
Ribbons:
One of the most frequently asked questions we get at the beginning of the season is from younger swimmers and their parents about ribbons. There are two categories of races during TSA meets - heats that are raced for points and heats that aren't. The coaches won't make a big deal out of this, but parents should know that the way we handle ribbons is different.
* Races for Points - Only swimmers in Heat 1 (often called Main Event) are racing for points. Each team is allowed to have 3 swimmers in a main event. Swimmers will receive place ribbons (1st - 6th) AFTER the meet. We usually hand them out on Wednesday or Thursday at practice. These will be labeled with name/event/time/etc (this is what the ribbon writer does). Swimmers/Relays who are DQed during a main event will not receive a ribbon for that event. (If you ever see a race where one team has more than 3 swimmers, the extra swimmers are considered exhibition swimmers, and we've only done that to fill the lanes and save time.)
* Exhibition Races: All other heats are considered exhibition heats. Swimmers ages 10 & under in Heats 2, 3, 4, etc, will receive either a Participation ribbon or a Heat Winner ribbon when they exit the pool (we typically don't do participation ribbons for 11+). Make sure they look for the ribbon volunteers at the end of their races.If your swimmer is in a main event and wondering why they didn't get a ribbon when they got out of the pool, please explain that some ribbons are given out at practices instead of the end of the pool.
Alright, now for Tuesday's logistics:
Meet Theme:
Swimmer arrival on Tuesday is 4:45 p.m. Swimmers should go immediately to the red swimmer check-in tent on the back deck to check-in and get their names on their arm. If you want to expedite the process, you can write their name/age on their arm before they get there, but they will still need to check-in. Home team will warm-up first, from 5-5:30. Volunteers should check-in under the gazebo. Any swimmer or volunteer who has not checked in by 5:30 will be dropped from the meet - UNLESS we've heard from you first. Coach Evan and I will both check our emails at 5:30. Once a swimmer has been dropped, we will not add them back to the meet.
Deck Layout:
The deck will be much, much more crowded during dual meets. Please leave the area on the far side of the pool (near the deep end/showers) free for the other team. Additionally, please make sure there is a CLEAR PATH for the Bentwinds swimmers to get through from their side to the blocks. We have a bigger team this year, so please consider leaving wagons, strollers, and extra chairs you won't be using at home (or store them on the back deck). We will walk through periodically to make sure there's a clear path to the blocks from both sides. We are expecting approximately 150-160 swimmers on Tuesday night.
If Something Comes Up:
Concessions:
Concessions will be open and will serve pizza, ice cream, snacks, snow cones, drinks, etc. Cash preferred, but Venmo is accepted. If you'd like to preorder a whole pizza ($20), you may do so here: https://docs.google.com/
All preorders must be received by noon on Tuesday. If you're looking for your own Porpoise swag, we will also have that available at concessions this week.
DJ Requests:
If you have a song request or a joke for Ryan, you can submit them here! (Must be clean and appropriate for all ages!) https://forms.gle/rhRmsgVgmefyHYMq
General Reminders:
* As the weather heats up, please remember to keep yourselves, your athletes, and anyone else on deck hydrated!
* Alcohol is never allowed during TSA events.
* All pool rules apply, including no running and no glass.
* No one should be in the water except those actively racing or warming up.
* No parking on the north side of Park Village Drive to allow for emergency vehicles to get through easily. We will have signs up this week.
* Coach Evan is very busy on meet days between 5-6 p.m. while we are finalizing the meet. If you have urgent questions during this time, please ask an assistant coach.
As always, if you have questions, ask me or a coach!
Go Porpoises! 
Kara