Good Afternoon Barracuda Parents,

Well last night - all I can say is we tried. We almost got a relay out of each age group.

We will try again for tomorrow night.

We are well into our season now & we really need your help with a few key items:

1. MEET CHANGES - Parents - you must EMAIL Coach Ansley for all meets issues (kid is sick, out of town, etc.) Please remember NOT to email her for issues like "my child doesn't like to swim the IM or I signed my child up for something different". Let's let the coaches coach. They know what your children are capable of swimming by now.

We understand that your swimmer may have more than one sport going on at the same time...but at some point - you have to make a decision on which you can commit to before the meet comes up. The point I am trying to make is that our swim team heat sheets that Coach Ansley creates take A LOT of time to prepare. Please DO NOT come up to her at a meet & say you need to make changes now. Your changes affect other swimmers as well. So please - show her the courtesy of PLANNING your swimmer's schedules AHEAD OF TIME. Coach Ansley @ [email protected]

2. LOST & FOUND - Good Lord...we are going to have to open up our own Goodwill. Parents - please check our lost & found at each practice or at least at every meet. Get some painter's tape, write their name on whatever it is & slap on that tape. So much easier to give back to the kids when their is a name on something.

3.VOLUNTEER SHIFTS - By this point parents YOU should ALL have signed up for at least 4 volunteer shifts by now. Again - I know EVERYONE IS SUPER BUSY...believe me - I know. BUT we all agreed upon registration that you are either to sign up for your shifts or pay an opt out ($175.00) or sponsor fee. So at this point I have a handful of parents that have not signed up for anything...here comes the tough love...either sign up tonight please for 5 shifts or please write a check for $175.00 to the Barracudas. If not - your swimmer will not being swimming in any future meets. Again - these meets take A TON of pre-planning & volunteering. I also need to mention the handful of no-show volunteer shifts we've had as well. Each NO-SHOW shift is $35.00. You can email Niki Rogers with any questions for that @ [email protected]

4. ARRIVAL TIME - This season the kids need to arrive at 5pm. So parents - we can let you inside to set up your chairs at 4:45pm - PLEASE NO EARLIER. Those of us that are inside are setting up, cleaning & getting ready for this meet. We cannot have our parents coming in & setting up while we are doing this. Because we are SWIMMING OURSELVES...YOU WILL ALWAYS GET A GOOD SEAT! So - no need need to line up at 4pm & get upset that we are not letting you in. Please be patient & let us make the magic happen. :)

5. KNOW WHAT YOUR SWIMMERS ARE DOING: Parents - whether it is atpractices or at a meet...please keep an eye on your children. We are having some issues with kids still running on the tennis courts, throwing mulch, making a huge mess in the bullpen area, being mean to each other & my all time favorite (a first here with the Barracudas) peeing inside the bullpen. (I have no shocked face emojis to insert but still). Let me just say - my child would be walking funny if he was doing this at the pool. So - please check in with your kiddos & keep an eye on them.

6.PRACTICES - At this point we still have some swimmers (all ages) that are not quite progressing across the pool. We have tried our best at notifying parents to sign up for additional lessons. Please remember that these are swim team practices not actual lessons. Some parents have expressed that they thought Coach Grant & Coach Laurel are there to work with the kids that cannot swim across the pool. No - they are there to help the swimmers with better or proper stroke techniques. So as just a reminder - ALL OF OUR COACHES offer swim lessons. Please contact them directly through swimtopia.

7. TEAM SUIT - By now - EVERY BARRACUDA should be wearing the team suit as stated in registration. If you do not have it by our next meet....you need to go get one at All American Swim in Roswell immediately.

8. MAKEUP MEETS - Parents - with all of this lovely weather we are having in June...in case our meet tomorrow 6/10 or our meet on 6/17 happens to get RAINED OUT...we will have a MAKEUP MEET on THURSDAY JUNE 24th (the day before our banquet). If this happens - we will notify you immediately. Yes we will have to declare your swimmer again & switch volunteer shifts around.

9. EXTRA T-SHIRTS - Any extra t shirts that were ordered will be here by next Monday 6/14. We apologize for the delay & any inconvenience.

10. THANK YOU - Parents -thank you for all that you are doing for our swimmers! They love when you show up, cheer for them, write on their backs, buy them swim team food & let them be crazy with their friends (but not too crazy as in #5). Thank you for hanging in there with the bad weather & crazy morning practices. These kids truly appreciate you leaving work, taking time off of work, bringing friends & other family members, etc. This part of their lives will be over in a blip. After we all experienced last year - we all just want your kids to have the most amazing memories of summer swim team with the Barracudas! So let's have fun these last few meets.

I thank you again for those of you who read my long winded emails. :)

See you all tomorrow at the pool! #ILB #Cudasforlife

P.S. Many of you have requested the verbiage to our Barracuda Cheer:

ICKY LA BOOMBA

ICKY LA PICKY WIKI

AFFA LA TAFFA WAFFA

WHOOPA TEE-AH!