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Duck Classic Sunday, June 6

Norwood DUCKS

You guys are such good sports! The Swimmingly activation did not go smoothly for many of you and I really appreciate your perseverance. Because this has been such a bumpy start, if your swimmer(s) will NOT be attending the Duck Classic please reply to this email and let me know. Regrets only, s'il vous plaît.

MEET INFO: DUCK CLASSIC 
Swimmer/Volunteer Check-in: 8:15 am
Warm-ups: 8:30 am
Timers and Officials meetings: 8:45 am
This is a very exciting meet, where we all try and remember how meets run and introduce our new families to the excitement of a swim meet. The times we record at this meet will give the coaches a baseline to work with when seeding swimmers into our upcoming virtual dual meets, as well as a way to measure your swimmer’s improvement over the season.

And bring your Sharpies! In addition to writing your swimmer’s events on their arms for their easy reference, we will also need your 3-digit swimmer code (found in the app) on their shoulder for the timers to verify they are sending results for the correct swimmer.

Your swimmer’s 3-digit code and their four event numbers with heats and lane assignments will be available in the SwimminglyFan app. (More on the app below.)

SWIMMINGLY
If you received an email on Sunday about activating your account, please read it. I know many of you thought you’d already activated, however I only sent email to you if your account was not fully activated. (That’s why you are having trouble declaring.) I’ve attached a flyer with tips, but what I’ve heard from almost everyone is that if they stepped through the instructions in the email one more time, it worked better the second time around. You have to follow the activation link and sign up for a new account, then closeout, and go back to the activation link again and the next time you login it offers you all the right seasons and swimmers. Makes zero sense to me, but it seems to be working. Please take a look and give it one more try. It will be worth it once we get over this hurdle.
SwimminglyFAN app
Once you’re activated, it’s time to download the app, if you haven’t already!
  • Check your smartphone compatibility here: https://swimmingly.app/device-compatibility
  • Search for and download the free app: SwimminglyFAN (Not Swimmingly, unless you’re a timer or official, then you’ll want both.)
  • Once the app is loaded, search for “Norwood: 2021 – season – Midlakes"(we are not the only Norwood!)
PANCAKE BREAKFAST
For the Duck Classic, the Patten and Gillin families have planned a wonderful pancake breakfast for $5 a plate. Many of you pre-paid for this during registration (we’ll have your name on a list, we can remind you if you paid or not). If you did not pre-pay, we will be accepting cash or credit card upon arrival for those that want pancakes.
  
JOB SIGNUP FOR THE DUCK CLASSIC
There are a few more volunteer positions we need to be filled for a successful meet this Sunday. Please click here and sign up if you can help. Specifically, we need:
  • Stroke and Turn Official for the 2nd half(and one trainee official for the 2nd half if you’re a newly minted Official!)
  • Lane Timers for 2nd half – no experience necessary! Just bring your fully-charged smartphone loaded with the Swimmingly (different than SwimminglyFan) app. We’ll train you at the timer’s meeting at 8:45 am.
  • Meet Announcer Trainee – Sit alongside our Meet Announcer and learn how to call out our meet events to keep our meet moving smoothly.
  • 8U Girls Coordinator – 2nd Shift: Help corral our youngest swimmers and make sure they make it to the blocks in time for their events.
  • Scorekeeper – This is a key volunteer position that has not been filled. We need someone with meet experience and an analytical eye to help us ensure the results coming in look good and are ready to be published. It’s a job that spans the entire meet, but it is not hands-on work the entire time. I’ll be filling this role until someone else takes it up. Come by and see me at the meet if you’re interested. I’ll be under the tent next to the Starter by the blocks.
NEW RULES FOR SPECTATORSHIP THIS SEASON
Our meets will run in the usual (pre-pandemic) order of events with the mixed age group progression (so your swimmer will have breaks between events while the other age groups do their swims). The virtual aspect of our meet means we will have half the physical crowd without the opposing team present. To further respect local guidelines for gatherings, please observe the following adjustments:
  • Please spread out and set up your chairs, tents, or blankets through the open gates on the park side only.
  • No chairs, blankets, or tent set up inside the pool grounds; These areas are reserved for people passing through to concessions, restrooms, or families currently watching their swimmer’s event.
  • Concessions will be available (pancakes!) for purchase and carry out from the Quack Shack window. Please take your food back out to the park, food is not allowed around the pool deck.
  • Volunteers, coaches, and staged swimmers only allowed on the pool deck at all times.
BIG BUDDIES
For new swimmers, the excitement of a swim meet can be a little overwhelming. To help ease these swimmers into the meet routine and get them excited to be there, Norwood has a wonderful Big Buddy Program. An important part of Norwood’s summer swim team success, Big Buddies are role models and friends who show our little Ducks how meets work. We will be announcing our big buddy/little buddy pairings on the Team Spirit bulletin board above the swim team files.
  
What does a Big Buddy do?
  • Get to know your Little Buddy. Be a friend!
  • Leave your little buddy notes or surprises in their swim files.
  • At meets, greet your Little Buddy as soon as possible. 
  • Make sure your Little Buddy goes to warm up.
  • Help your buddy and parents understand the event/heat/lane assignments.
  • Make sure your Little Buddy gets to all of their events!
  • CHEER! CHEER! CHEER! Be at the finish with encouragement and a towel.
  • Escort your Little Buddy to the coaches following their swim for feedback.
  • At Home Meets, most Big Buddies gift their little buddy with thoughtful little something as a token of encouragement, such as a homemade poster with a protein bar, a small bucket of goodies, a Gatorade, or a little toy duck. Homemade items are encouraged. Purchased gifts are not necessary.
SWIM CAPS AND CLUB APPAREL
Fingers crossed, your swim caps and club apparel orders are expected to be in my hands by Friday for distribution at the Duck Classic!
  
See you at the pool!
Heather

P.S. Since we are an outdoor facility, and the coaches and lifeguards do not spend any length of time face to face with swimmers, our fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks from final dose) employees have been given the option to work mask-free if they feel comfortable. So if you are noticing for the first time that you can now see their faces, be confident that we all are still following healthy guidelines.