Good afternoon, Team Seals!

Sometimes you might find yourself wondering ...

Who am I?  Who are you?  What is this?

I can't answer that question. I am your Seals Meet Director. This is your Meet Logistics email, your source of truth for everything ... logistics ... for our swim meet this Saturday. 

This week, the Seals travel to Belterra to take on the Marlins and the TSD Sea Rangers. The meet is located at the Belterra Amenity Center @ 801 Belterra Drive, Austin, Texas 78737.

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WE ARE TEAM SEALS

Before we go any further, please take a minute this week to reinforce the TEAM spirit of Seals with your children, encouraging them to support all of their teammates regardless of how fast they swim, which heat they're in, how proficient their dolphin kick ... you get the idea. While we're developing life skills of swimming, hard work, and self-improvement, we also hope to impact our wonderful swimmers to be better human beings. Each swimmer is on his/her own journey to success. That's why we celebrate our orange ribbons the most -- the sign a child has improved his/her time. 

We may win heats as individuals, but we win meets as a team!

The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.

--Peyton Manning (Richard's Icon)

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If you only do two other things this week, give Richard a hug AND make sure to declare your swimmers before 6:00 PM CDT Wednesday (THAT'S TODAY, in ~ 5 hours). You can declare your swimmers here.

Please declare your swimmer's status for the meet, even if your swimmer will not be able to attend.

MEET ENTRY DETAILS

• We are limiting the number of individual events to three (3)
• If there is any risk in your Saturday plans, do not sign up for relays. There is no other way to say it, rescheduling relays is as fun as running barefoot over Legos.
• The event order will be: 1. IM (fly/back/breast/free) / 2. Butterfly / 3. Backstroke / 4. Freestyle Relay /  5. Freestyle / 6. Breaststroke / 7. Medley Relay (back/breast/fly/free)
• !METERS! this is a 25 meter pool (an extra 2.34 yards). Meet entry times will look wacky, for now. All times will be converted to yards at the conclusion of the meet – all PRs/records will count. If you would like to do the time conversion on your own, multiply by 0.914.

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MEET TIMELINE

6:05 AM: Set-up Crew begins

6:35 AM: Age Group Parents check in

6:50 AM: Age Group Parents ready to check in swimmers

7:00 AM: Swimmers and all other volunteers arrive and check in

7:20 AM – 7:45 AM: Circle C Seals warm up

7:30 AM: Volunteer meetings on the pool deck

7:50 AM: First call to Ready Bench (Events 1 and 2)

7:55 AM: National Anthem

8:00 AM: Meet begins

~11:00 AM: Volunteer shift change

~1:30 PM: Meet ends

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AN IMPORTANT NOTE (A 3-PART NOTE!):

a) Take some time to learn a little sign language. You will be glad you did; and

b) For volunteers who will interact with TSD coaches and swimmers, I suggest you download the app "Make It Big" on the smart device of your choosing. This handy app lets you either type or speak phrases into large text on your screen; and

c) For those less tech savvy (or less willing to download another app) a pocket-sized notepad and a pen are super-helpful and very much appreciated by TSD personnel.

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OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

• Parking: Please park at the Rooster Springs Elementary School parking lot just past the pool. Once this lot is full, parking is allowed on the south side of Belterra Drive. There is a drop-off area for swimmers and gear in front of the pool amenity center. Please do not park in areas with an orange cone. See attached map for further details.
• Spectators are welcome to set up chairs wherever they can find space that does not interfere with swimmer movement and safety (and NOT IN THE SEALS ZOO)
• Zoos: We again respectfully ask that parents do not set up their chairs in age group tents. Parents in tents, who are not Age Group Volunteers, make it harder for Ready Bench and others to know who to speak to. I have been told to consider tarps or blankets for your swimmers in the zoos this week. Consider bringing bug spray as well given the likely rain this week. 
• Parental Supervision is requested and highly encouraged despite parents not actually being located in the Zoo. Please check in with your swimmers as available, ensure they're not risking damaged appendages on the playground (where you play at your own risk), and ensure they're being kind to one another.
• ONLY coaches, swimmers and select volunteers are allowed on the pool deck. And absolutely no photos or videos from directly behind the starting blocks.
• Concessions The Bait Shop will be open for breakfast 7:00-9:15 AM serving hot coffee,nitro cold brew, Torchy’s tacos, and donuts. Then lunch at 10:00 AM serving hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, cheeseburgers, sausage wraps, drinks, chips, and candy. They accept cash, card, and Venmo. Gluten Free & Dairy Free options available for both breakfast & lunch. Please study the meet schedule to strategize on the best time to visit the concessions AND please let an AGP know whenever you are taking your swimmer on a walkabout.
• One final reminder to sign out your swimmers from the AGP ... please do not have your swimmers just leave.

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PARKING RAFFLE UPDATE

Get your raffle tickets for your chance to win one of two (2) premier, ultra-exclusive, primo parking spots for all three Home Meets this season at the Circle C Swim Center, guaranteed to keep your car free from the Green Sticker of Shame.

• $5 for 1 ticket
• $20 for 5 tickets
  • Cash or Venmo accepted
• Purchase:
  • TODAY & TOMORROW AT PRACTICE
  • NEXT WEEK AT PRACTICE

The winning tickets will be drawn on THURSDAY, MAY 14th! 

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SEALS SPIRIT

By now you all know to wear any form of ORANGE. When orange is unavailable, go with black. Avoid shades of green and blue this week. 

Our Seals merchandise stand will not travel this week to Belterra, but will return in time for our first home meet on May 16th.

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AND (BY FAR) THE MOST IMPORTANT THING

Cheer loudly and have fun! We are making amazing memories with our kiddos, and the Seals team community is like no other.

Thanks for EVERYTHING!

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Go Seals!

Joel Stubblefield, Meet Director

[email protected] | 704-451-9705

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2026 SEALS SCHEDULE

[HOME] SATURDAY, MAY 2 - TIMING MEET @ 6:45 PM (First Event)

[AWAY] SATURDAY, MAY 9 - BELTERRA @ 8A (First Event)

[HOME] SATURDAY, MAY 16 - HAYS @ 8A (First Event)

[HOME] SATURDAY, MAY 30 - SHADY HOLLOW @ 8A (First Event)

[HOME] SATURDAY, JUNE 7 - SAAB @ 8A (First Event)

[AWAY] SATURDAY, JUNE 13 - TRAVIS COUNTRY @ 8A (First Event)

[AWAY] SATURDAY, JUNE 20 - CHAMPS