Even on a long weekend we still have lots of swim team updates! These last few weeks are the busiest of the summer and I've had several questions about things coming up, so please read through these announcements especially if your family is new to the team. 

1. We will not have practice tomorrow or Tuesday because of the 4th of July. Practice will run as normal again on Wednesday!

2. Pre-teamers who can swim the length of the pool now have the option to move up to the big team. With that said, please don't send your pre-teamer to 10&under practice without clearing it with a coach first– there is a difference between being able to swim a single 25 and being able to swim in practice for an hour, and we don't want anyone to have a bad experience moving up :)

3. Smoky Mountain entries will be submitted this coming Friday. Once we send in our preliminary entries we will be sent back a proof that I will post to Facebook and email to everyone. Once I get the proof back we'll have less than 24 hours to make corrections, so be on the lookout for that on Friday and let me know asap if you have concerns about individual events. I will not make changes to relays once entries have been submitted, so please don't ask. We do our absolute best to make relays that will score the most points and be fair to the most swimmers!

4. Team movie night is coming soon! I'm tentatively thinking it will be the week before Smoky/after the Cherokee meet. It will replace an afternoon practice, so look for an announcement about that and please try to send your swimmers to morning practice that day.

5. Croc mile is also coming up soon! At both practices on croc mile day our 10&unders will have one hour to try and swim one mile (66 laps). Any swimmer who completes the croc mile will be recognized at the banquet and receive a t shirt! Again, not a firm date, but I'm thinking it will be the week after Smoky/before the Oak Ridge meet.

6. Beginning this week, any 10&under who wants to earn their skills mastery medals can come to the pool at 5:45 right before afternoon practice to try. Please let me know if you are coming! Medals are as follows: bronze– a legal 25 of each stroke. Silver– a 100 IM. Gold– fly and breast open turns, free and back flip turns. Medals will be given at the banquet. If you have gotten medals in a previous year you can not earn the same ones again.

7. Last but not least...older kids have just a couple weeks left to complete the croc challenge! To complete croc challenge you have to either swim the challenge time or finish top 6 at Smoky in two different individual events. All times are posted on the team website and based on past city meet results. Swimmers who complete the croc challenge should feel good about their chances of making finals at city meet and will receive a t shirt at the banquet! If you would like to try an event you don't normally swim at meets, let us know and you can come before morning practice or after afternoon practice to try. Last chance will be our last dual meet against Oak Ridge!

If you made it all the way through this long email you're a rockstar– thank you!!! As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful 4th of July and we'll be excited to see you all at the pool on Wednesday!