MEET LOGISTICS | Saturday, May 10th vs. Belterra Marlins
Goooooooooood morning, Team Seals!!!!!
Hey! This is not a test! This is rock and roll! Time to rock it from the delta to the DMZ!
What on earth is he blathering about?
I'll tell you what I'm blathering about ... I've got information, man!
Grab a BIG cup of coffee and read on for your MEET LOGISTICS.
Our first official meet of the 2025 season has arrived. Your beloved Seals are hosting the Belterra Marlins on Saturday, May 10th.
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First & Foremost: Event sign-ups are open and close on Wednesday at 6P CDT. Please declare your swimmer's status for the meet, even if your swimmer will not be able to attend.
If you have questions about what strokes your swimmer is capable of swimming legally at this early stage in the season, feel free to check with the Seals coaching staff before or after practice.
As this is an official league meet, we will be swimming relays. Please be sure to indicate if your swimmer is available for relays (all day, or just early, or just late).
Please, please, PLEASE do not register your swimmer for relays and then leave the meet. It's quite a hassle to rework relay teams, and as it affects three other swimmers and their families in addition to our beloved Seals team, just don't do it.
PLEASE declare your swimmer by the cutoff, Wednesday evening at 6pm.
Declare your swimmer(s) here. And if you need some guidance, you can read this great post about how to sign up for meets.
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A HUGE thanks to ALL OF YOU for your patience as we shook off the rust and ran the Timing Meet. Special shoutout to Alice Steele who absolutely smashed her rendition of The Star Spangled Banner!! Ready or not, our dress rehearsal is over ... Saturday is the real deal.
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Our meet theme will be Hawaiian. More specifically, Orange Hawaiian!
ORDER NOW to get your cabana wear in time for Saturday! (Note: said cabana wear is not sanctioned by Seals, but you might get a free Kona Ice)
Parents, please bring your own swimsuits -- time permitting -- for a S.E.A.L.’s relay. That's Seriously Entertaining And Laughable.
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MEET ENTRY DETAILS
- We are limiting the number of individual events to three (3)
- The event order will be: 1. IM (fly/back/breast/free) / 2. Butterfly / 3. Backstroke / 4. Freestyle Relay (The *EARLY* Relay Slots) / 5. Freestyle / 6. Breaststroke / 7. Medley Relay (back/breast/fly/free) - The *LATE* Relay Slots
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MEET TIMELINE
05:45A: Set-up Crew begins / early shift Gatekeepers arrive (*not a typo*) - What's the "0" stand for?
6:15A: Age Group Parents check in (also not a typo - get to bed early on Friday)
6:30A: Age Group Parents ready to check in swimmers
6:40A: Swimmers and all other volunteers arrive and check in
7:00A – 7:25A: Circle C Seals warm up
7:20A: Volunteer group meetings and system testing
7:25 – 7:50A: Belterra Marlins warm up
7:50A: First call to Ready Bench
7:55A: National Anthem - to be performed by Kyra Blunck!
8:00A: Meet begins (on time, people!!!)
10:00A: Volunteer shift change and S.E.A.L.’s relay (time permitting) - There may be props!
12:15P: Meet Ends
1:00P: Clean-Up Finished
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A CHAIRS-IN-THE-AGE-GROUP-TENTS REMINDER
We respectfully ask that parents *do not set up their chairs* in age group tents. The best shade is under the trees in the southwest corner of the park. I'm told it's quite relaxing listening to the Seals Team Cheer as the rays of sunlight play shadows on the ant hills. Parents in tents, who are not Age Group Volunteers, make it harder for Ready Bench and others to know who to speak to, and make it more complicated to get our swimmers in and out of the tents on time for their heats.
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A WE-HAVE-TO-FOLLOW-THE-POOL-
For emergency access reasons, there is a *HARD CAPACITY LIMIT* for our pool. This limit is strictly enforced by our Aquatics Directors. During the Timing Meet, we didn't really need to enforce this practice, but ... with two full teams, we can easily exceed this number if we're not careful. We encourage you to come and view your swimmers’ events in the grass stands or the side of the pool nearest the Zoo.
We respectfully ask that you: 1) stay west and clear of the Tech Team and Starters; 2) DO NOT BLOCK SWIMMER PATHWAYS TO THE READY BENCH (now with plastic chains!) or Swimmer exit pathways; 3) sit on the Emeritus Bench at your own risk (those guys need this location to hear the DJ, I assume); 4) return to the Plaza Park when your swimmer's event is concluded; and 5) do not set-up chairs anywhere in the pool area.
If you have a family member with a disability, please reach out to me directly, and I will be happy to facilitate accommodations in advance.
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AN IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDER
We are all excited to capture the special moments of Seals, especially Google and Apple as we blow through our device limits and purchase terabytes of cloud storage on monthly subscriptions. Alas, there should absolutely be NO one on the deck directly behind either starting or finish area taking photos or video. This includes volunteers who are on deck - and it includes the permanent bench area nearest The Dive (behind the Timers). This is non-negotiable. We do this for the safety of our swimmers.
Thank you for understanding. Film to your device's limit from the south side of the pool.
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THE FINE PRINT
Veteran families, feel free to skip this section and move on to the part where I provoke and antagonize my neighbors and friends.
New families, unfortunately, you have to read this section ... all the way through ... at least once. That's the deal. That's the rule.
He won't know if we read all that.
YES I WILL!
- Volunteer changes should be made before Wednesday at 6P. If you have any last minute changes, please contact our Volunteer Coordinators, Bethany and Alison at ccsealsvolunteercoordinator
@gmail.com - There is NO parking on Escarpment. Please park on LaCrosse, east of Escarpment. The CDC and Kiker parking lots are open to Seals families and our guests. Also: please do not park in the spots reserved for mail pickup
- Drop and pick-up in the Plaza Circle is also an option
- There is no playing in the sand (kids and adults), no littering, and no leaving without signing your child out. Seriously - do not put tent parents through the hassle of chasing down missing kids. Alert them that you have your child.
- Circle C’s finest and favorite poolside cafe, THE DIVE will be OPEN. For any of you that missed the Timing Meet, there were donut holes ... and many breakfast tacos.
- Kona Ice will also be there -- please study the meet schedule to strategize on the best time to visit the truck, AND please let an AGP know whenever you are taking your swimmer on walkabout through the outback that is the Kona Ice line.
- Travelin Tom's Coffee is *supposed* to attend. I'm tremendously sorry they no-showed at the Timing Meet. Free espresso for all on Saturday! (I say this in the spirit of middle school class elections where I'll make all your dreams come true, and it will cost us nothing).
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FINE PRINT THAT EVEN THE VETERAN PARENTS HAVE TO READ
*NEW* for 2025: Volunteer sign ups are limited to 15 points per FAMILY per MEET. For this meet ... and all meets to come.
If you sign up for more than 15 points, we assume it's an oversight and give you a chance to remedy the error. If you fail to rectify your signups, we resolve the situation for you.
I don't prefer to play Bad Cop (think Liam Neeson in the Lego movies), but what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I've acquired over a very long career (one *practice* meet, so far).
Let's all abide by the limits.
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SEALS SPIRIT
As always, let’s show our Seals spirit by wearing orange. If you need any clothing items in a pinch, find your friendly neighborhood Tennessee fan, and beg, borrow, or steal your way to orange (or orange and black) clothing.
Tennessee orange is not Seals orange, Joel.
I know, Richard. Indeed. It is not Seals orange, but it's better than wearing green like our Belterra foes. If Tennessee doesn't float your kickboard, insert your preferred orange team above: Clemson, Auburn, Syracuse, OK State, Baltimore Orioles, Denver Broncos, etc.
OR BETTER YET
Pop on over to the Seals team store to fill that gap in your wardrobe. Many items also make a wonderful gift for that special someone in your life.
https://stores.inksoft.com/
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You made it this far. You probably need more coffee. You definitely will this weekend.
Final reminder to get your beauty sleep all week long. That clock (phone alarm) rings EARLY on Saturday for us all (some earlier than others).
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AND (BY FAR)THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
Cheer loudly and have fun! We are making amazing memories with our dearest children, and the Seals team community is like no other.
Thanks for EVERYTHING!
THESE MEETS DON'T HAPPEN WITHOUT YOU!
GO SEALS!!!
Joel Stubblefield, Meet Director
[email protected]
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2025 SEALS SCHEDULE
[HOME] SUNDAY, MAY 4 - TIMING MEET @ 9A (First Event)
[HOME] SATURDAY, MAY 10 - BELTERRA @ 8A (First Event)
[AWAY] SATURDAY, MAY 17 - SHADY HOLLOW @ 8A (First Event)
[HOME] SATURDAY, MAY 31 - TSD @ 8A (First Event)
[HOME] SATURDAY, JUNE 7 - SAAB @ 8A (First Event)
[AWAY] SATURDAY, JUNE 14 - WESTERN OAKS @ 8A (First Event)
[AWAY] SATURDAY, JUNE 21 - CHAMPS
Come on you Spurs!
