REDWINE RAYS SWIM TEAM

What is arm marking? You must mark your swimmer to reflect which event, heat, and lane they are racing. This is used to help remind the swimmer of their events and help the bullpen volunteers/coaches. Write your swimmer's events on their arm before arriving to a meet and before applying sunscreen. Parents (or athletes) must write their event details on their arm prior to arrival at the meet. Depending on the youth coaches to do this is not ideal. Please also write your swimmer's first name on their upper back. 

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• Arrive on time!! We understand parents are working and doing their best. We appreciate that! If you are going to be late, please text one of the coaches or arrange for your child to ride with a fellow swimmer.
• No shows: It is VERY IMPORTANT to let us know if your swimmer is signed up for a meet but will not attend for some reason. It can take several hours to put together the relay teams for the meets, even with the assistance of the meet software. The absence of a swimmer that is signed up for a meet but then does not show up and does not let us know causes a lot of stress as we scramble to find someone to fill the position. When we cannot find a substitute, we have to scratch.
• How long does a meet last? The average swim meet lasts 3- 3 ½ hours. This is contingent upon factors such as weather, size of the teams, and general flow of the meet. It is very important that your child be at the warm-up period prior to the meet. You should arrive 15 minutes prior to the warm-up period. For each meet, your child MUST check in at the bullpen upon arrival.
• What does it mean if your child is swimming a relay? It means that 3 other children are depending on them to complete an event that is either in the beginning or end of the meet, depending on their age. If you are trying to determine when your child’s last event is, you can gauge the time-frame accordingly. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD HOME BEFORE THEY SWIM IN THEIR RELAY. If a child leaves a meet early and causes a relay to be canceled, he/she will not be entered in a relay the next meet.
• Kids need to be at our tent 10 events before their event. In order to ensure a smooth meet experience, we request that children arrive at our tent 10 events prior to their own. We have observed some children sitting with their parents, causing our coaches to search for them around the pool area.

• Print your own heat sheet! You really need one! It will be emailed to you the morning of the meet.
• In a black Sharpie marker, write your swimmer’s name and age on their upper back
• Label your team t-shirt!
• Bring 2 towels (both will be soaked by the end of the night)
• Bring a bag for wet things
• Extra goggles (we recommend 2 pairs of goggles)
• Swim cap
• Something for your swimmer to pass the time: UNO cards, Card games, Notebooks/Pens for hangman, etc. Note: Don’t Bring Electronics/They will get wet or lost
• Cash for concessions at home and away (dinner, snacks, ice cream)
• Label everything!
• Bring extra Sharpies to write on your heat sheets
• Sunscreen: apply sunscreen and let it dry before you write the EHSL or the sunscreen application will wipe it off.
• Good cheering voice. Swimmers can hear in the water. The louder the crowd, the more exciting their swim!