2009-2010 Coach Messages - by Coach Jim Hutcheson

6/4/10 3/30/10 2/3/10 1/27/10
1/20/10 11/23/09 11/3/09 10/26/09
10/15/09 10/9/09 10/4/09 9/13/09


6/4/10

 Hi everyone!

Attached you will find the registration information and forms for next season. Please note that we have tried to make the registration process as easy as possible, but that each family does have to re-register. A few answers to the most frequently asked questions:
  1. We have kept all team fees the same for next season!! The Board approved going forward with no rate increase thanks to an effective season of meeting revenue projections and controlling team expenses.
  2. There are TWO ways to save a little money while registering your swimmers; we are again offering a $25 reduction in family registration fees for those re-registering by June 30th - this helps us plan for new swimmers and gives us a better handle on groupings and schedules, so it's well worth it - and as is traditional we offer a 5% discount for those paying their entire TEAM FEE up front by September 1st (this can be quite significant for multiple child families and INV/SPIES fees). The discount does NOT apply to USA/YMCA fees or the family registration fees, as those offset direct costs to the club.
  3. If you currently pay via auto-pay with a credit card monthly, please note that you need to re-authorize this process and submit a new form for this year. Many families have chosen this method of payment (especially with rewards cards, etc.), and it has helped us in terms of maintaining collections on schedule and having fewer delinquent accounts.

All you need to send in right now to reserve your spot for this season is the FORM and the FAMILY REGISTRATION FEE (either $125 or $150 depending on date). WE certainly hope that all of you will be returning (except for our graduating seniors), and that you are looking forward to a rewarding summer season and bigger and better achievements next season. As a reminder - all spots are held through July 1st with no additional tryouts, and we will fill spots on the team during July tryouts based on the number of returning swimmers we have through this registration process.

If for some reason you are NOT returning to the team next year, please drop me an e-mail so that I can factor that into our planning, as well as so that we can evaluate how to improve our retention rate for swimmers, which normally runs between 80-85% each season.

Thanks for your continued and future support and participation as a member of SPY Swimming!!

Jim and Crystee
Head Coaches - SPY Swimming

3/30/10

 Hi everyone!

Several Updates as we head into spring season and YNats week:
  1. PLEASE CHECK WEBSITE EVERY WEEK!! There is lots of information posted and meet signup deadlines are HARD deadlines so that we do not get shut out of meets. Two things for this week:
    • - SPECIAL SCHEDULE NEXT WEEK (Four of five coaches are at YNats, so there are fewer practices next week);
    • - DEADLINE FOR MCDONOGH MEET IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT, MARCH 31ST!! Last call for sign ups!!


  2. PARENTS OF YMCA NATIONAL MEET SWIMMERS: There will be a mandatory meeting of all families with swimmers attending YNats on Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the pool. This meeting will be to collect signatures and paperwork for the trip, to review the itinerary for the week (new schedule for W-SAT format, and varying travel plans), and provide as much information as we can for those traveling. There is something for everyone - not just "newbies" - so please plan on having at least one parent attend this meeting.

  3. PRACTICES ARE GOING WELL SO FAR - KEEP UP THE GREAT ATTENDANCE!! If you're not attending regularly, you are missing a great chance to make progress without a lot of pressure and chaotic meet schedule.

  4. PLEASE SIGN UP FOR ANY MEETS YOU CAN ATTEND. The Eagle (McDonogh) meet closes tomorrow night, but information for the rest of the LC meets will be up soon. Don't be shy about signing up - we can always let you know you're too fast/slow for a given meet. Meets are the fun part of swimming, and long-course meets are a great experience for allof our swimmers that really increase our presence in MD Swimming (and give our officials chances to get deck hours!!).

  5. BIG NEWS!!! SPY will be hosting a clinic this fall (October 2nd in the afternoon) which will include Olympians Matt Grievers and Misty Hyman of the USA Swimming Olympic Team. SPY swimemr swill receive a discount through the end of April of $10 per swimmer (reduced to $65 per person), and I encourage all of you to keep your eyes open for a special e-mail regarding this event in the next day or two. It is NOT too early to register and plan to attend...imagine your kids swimming with Olympians in our very own pool!!


That's all for now - see you on deck!! Jim

Jim

2/3/10

 Hi everyone!

I certainly hope we get to swim our meet this weekend, but it's only prudent to start planning a couple of "just in case" scenarios, as we are starting to get close to end-of-season meets and deadlines. I have with the CATY coach about things like timelines for decisions this weekend in case of snow, and we have worked out a contingency plan. Here are some considerations and my initial plan to deal with the situation:

  1. In case of bad weather, a decision will be made by 9:00 am Saturday about cancelling the meet. The decision could be made as early as 9:00 PM on Friday if conditions change and a decision can be made by then. I will get an e-mail out IF THE MEET IS CANCELLED (ONLY)!! If there is no news, then the meet is ON and we will deal with things as best we can.

  2. If the meet is cancelled, we are using February 27th as a make up date. Swimmers will be allowed to get into or out of the meet because of several considerations...

    • high school swimming has their state championship meet for public schools that day. That will take several swimmers out of the meet, but we could pick some up that are missing this weekend due to private school championships on Sunday;

    • that date is only two days before District entries are due, and if anything else happens we will not have a chance for qualifying for Districts. This may make some of you reconsider about skipping C&P's on the 20-21st. I will accept additional entries and event changes this weekend if necessary - even if we swim the meet. I also understand that the school system has now pushed their Regional meet back to the 20th from the 13th, which may affect whether some older swimmers can swim on Saturday at C&Ps (Ironic since we pushed C&P's back to avoid high school meets),

    • that date is the day before the 8 & Under meet at Towson (we still need all 8 &U to sign up for that meet). We may just take 8&Unders out of the dual meet - it would be a long weekend for them - but I have not yet spoken with the CATY coach about that eventuality.

  3. For those of you swimming Saturday in hopes of making District cuts (especially younger kids) - I will accept changes in C&P events or participation (maybe you make your cuts and want more, maybe you just miss and want another chance) after the meet Saturday or anytime Sunday until 6 PM (I AM going to watch the Super Bowl).

In short, I know this is a mess, and I am trying to work out all possibilities and se how all of these changes affect our club and its swimmers. Some of it I can control - some of it I can't. Rest assured that we have each of your best swimming interests at heart, but that safety and fun are much more important in the grand scheme of thigns than forcing one more meet into the schedule. I know there will be questions, and I will do my best to respond as quickly as I have information to questions you may send me.

It's just going swimmingly!!

Jim

1/27/10

 Hi everyone!

Great job the last two weeks at meets - now we start looking forward to the end of the Short Course Season. Here are some pieces of information you will need over the next few days to make sure it is a smooth landing as we look towards C & P's, MD States, Towson 8 & U Championships, and Districts.

  1. MEET SIGN UPS DUE FOR CATONSVILLE AND C & P'S: Deadline for these meets (both of them) is THIS SUNDAY at 5 PM!!! The Catonsville meet is next Saturday (February 6th) from 1:30-5:00 (10 and unders) and 5:45-8 or so (11 and overs). This is the one of the last two meets before Districts to make some cuts, and is always a fun meet with competitive swims. C&P Championships are the first step on the road to the finish, and is a "slower than" meet for swimmers who have not yet qualified for Districts and also has OPEN sessions for those seeking to swim distance events for cut times. It will take place in Hagerstown on Saturday February 20th and Sunday February 21st. I am still waiting for confirmation from the host team about USA sanctioning (which will determine of times swum there are eligible for MD State LSC meet in March) [NOTE - I GOT AN E-MAIL TODAY (WED.) SAYING THAT THEY ARE NOT PURSUING A USA SANCTION, SO THOSE HOPING TO GO JUST FOR STATE CUTS SHOULD NOT SIGN UP LET CINDY KNOW TO CANCEL YOUR SIGN-UP]. Sign up, and put a note in the box about whether you will be dropping out if it is NOT USA observed. Remember - you could theoretically swim up to 4 events at C&P's if you swim your "regular" age group session and that afternoon's "OPEN" session.

  2. Towson 8 & Under Championship Meet information will be posted in the next day or two on the website. The deadline to sign up will be Sunday February 14th at 5 PM. ALL 8 & UNDER SWIMMERS ARE ASKED TO SWIM THIS MEET - THIS IS THE BIG TEAM MEET FOR OUR YOUNGEST SWIMMERS!! We try to treat it as a true championship meet, jst as we do Districts and YMCA Nationals for the older kids. It will be at Towson University on Sunday, February 28th - they get a weekend all to themselves this year!!

  3. Maryland States has not issued a meet notice yet regarding which events will be which days. As soon as we have one, we will post for review and include an eligibility list of swimmers who have qualified. This is not a required meet, as we will be swimming our biggest team meet of the year (Districts) the following weekend. Crystee will be handling information and entries for this meet as I will be handling District entries.

  4. REMINDER (from the website and a couple of weeks ago): PRACTICE SCHEDULE THIS FRIDAY IS CHANGED DUE TO A HIGH SCHOOL MEET AT SPY. Spies 3-5, Investigators AND Sleuths at AACC 4-5:30, PE and DET are cancelled. As we did two weeks ago, Private Eyes are welcome to come Saturday morning during DET practice to make up the pool time.

  5. YMCA MEMBERSHIP FORMS NEED TO BE FILLED OUT BY NEW FAMILIES: We will be sending out forms with swimmers for those families not already in the YMCA database, but need you to fill them out and bring them to the pool ASAP once they go out. I am trying to get the form in an electronic format that can be printed and filled out. If you were on the team last year (even if a new sibling is swimming) you do NOT have to fill out the form. Only new families need to fill it out. NO MONEY IS DUE - the payments have been made for the team, but we need to get them the data for their computer and the waivers need to be signed as we apporach the end-of-season meets. Thanks for your help when you get the form!

  6. TWO ITEMS REGARDING PRACTICE:
    • PLEASE BE ON TIME!!! We are having an ever-increasing problem of swimmers being late to practice. This is disruptive and causes everything to get behind as we repeat directions, look for lane space for swimmers, and swimmers are not really warmed up to swim hard in the main sets; and

    • PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES!!! Take charge of your own possessions, put anything away that you borrow during practice, and try to keep the locker rooms picked up when you are done in them. A little help from every swimmer will make the facility run more smoothly for everyone!
I think that is it for now...stay up on the e-mail items, because things get very busy for a couple of weeks as we try to prepare entries for all of these meets! Drafts will be posted, but each family should always check them so that no errors go uncorrected.

Thanks! SEE YOU AT PRACTICE!!
Jim

1/20/10

 Hi everyone!

Our only home dual meet of the year is this Saturday against Towson (2:00 warmup, 2:45 meet - DO NOT ARRIVE PRIOR TO 1:50!!). I have attached entries for your review. If you have a real desire to change something, I must know by 12:00 noon on Thursday.

We will be recognizing any senior swimmers who are present at approximately 6:00 p.m.. Many of our seniors have a high school meet, but should be able to get to SPY by then. We will recognize the seniors who are there; if someone is not there, it will have to wait until the banquet as this meet has been scheduled since September and cannot be changed.

Spies and Investigators ONLY will practice this Saturday morning. Spies 6:00-8:00 AM, and INV 8:00-9:30 AM. All other groups will have regular Sunday practice. I know a few people are taking SAT's, but everyone should be there whether or not they are swimming the meet in the afternoon.

See you at the pool!

Jim

P.S. I know there is a natural lull after a big meet like Winterfest, but we still need to practice and improve if we want to try to be District Champions again this year. There are still meets to be swum and times to be achieved to accomplish individual and team goals for the end of the season. Try to make practices and work harder than ever to be great - the time for greatness is fast approaching! Attendance has been disappointing this week thus far.

11/23/09

 Hi everyone!

Wow - what a weekend at Wilton! I think that we did phenomenally well up there, and accomplished three major team goals during our trip:
  1. Good swimming, including distance events for younger kids and new events for older kids. We even got a few Raleigh cuts while we were up there, and the next wave of kids is developing very nicely!

  2. WE DID NOT MISS A SINGLE SWIM UP THERE!! Thanks to all the parents of our younger kids who helped marshal kids to their pools, and to those parents who helped keep kids in the team areas and available for their events. I cannot believe the enthusiasm, willingness to help, and support of our parents - it was commented upon by many other coaches and parents, and coming from Wilton (one of the premier YMCA programs in the country) it meant a lot to see how well we did;

  3. Further development of our new officials - I think we're ready to rumble towards Winterfest, and I encourage anyone who has not been working meets to get going on it at the Catonsville meet so that Winterfest goes smoothly and we're all contributing.

Now for the last big push before the holidays...we have three big meets in the next two weeks - the ASC dual meet this Friday for the 8 and Unders, the Capital Classic in Raleigh for the National training group, and the CATY Invitational for the bulk of our team. Entry reports for those three meets are listed above and need to be reviewed by Monday night or no later than Tuesday morning. Raleigh entries are due tonight - what you're in is what you're in at this point. For the other two meets, you may respond to Crystee with any changes by Tuesday at 8 PM, as entries go in Wednesday morning.

The Thanksgiving Schedule is in effect this week - check the website if you are unsure of your group's practice schedule. EVERYONE practices Thursday, NOBODY practices Friday, and most everyone practices this weekend.

FINALLY, to make a long story short (I know - too late), the Big Em and Little Em list is listed above. Try to make a point of meeting your Big or Little Em at a practice or a meet in the next week or two to say "Hi" and make a friend. Goodie bags for the meets next weekend would be great, but probably need to be delivered at practices.

Hope that's it for news and notes - remember we need feedback very quickly for the meet entries, and remember to sign up for Winterfest ASAP.

Jim

11/3/09

 Hi everyone:

Three quick items on routine matters...another e-mail will come out later this week regarding Opening Gun and the weekend schedule.
  1. REMINDER - GENERAL MEETING THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7:30 PM AT THE HOLY GROUNDS CENTER (The "old church" across the parking lot). Every family should be represented at this meeting - there are only two of these per year, but attendance is critical for information updates.

  2. WE NEED COMPUTER OPERATORS FOR WINTERFEST!! We are currently gearing up for our biggest team meet of the year -- the Eighth Annual Maryland Winterfest Invitational -- which will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park. There will be over 40 teams and 1400 swimmers attending this meet.

    One of the many key components to a meet of this caliber is computer operations. We are looking for parents who enjoy working with computers and may have had experience with computer operations at summer swim meets (not required) to train on the software before Winterfest.

    We will be hosting several small, short meets in the next few weeks, and we are looking for parents who are interested in this volunteer job to attend 2 of these meets to be adequately trained for Winterfest.

    1. Friday, November 6th-Intramural Swim Team meet: 7-8pm - report time 5:45pm
    2. Friday, November 27th-SPY 8 & Under meet 4-5:30pm - report time 2:45
    3. Monday, December 7th-Severn School meet: tent. 4:30-6pm - report time 3:15pm


    If you are interested, please e-mail maureen@spyswimming.org with your name, contact information, and meet #
    Thank you,
    Winterfest Meet Committee
    Maureen Kogut
    SPY Aquatic Director


  3. OFFICIALS - WE NEED TO COLLECT SOME INFORMATION FROM YOU!! So that we can be more organized as we get into meet season, we are trying to collect information about all our parents who are certified officials - either YMCA only or USA/YMCA officials. Please send the following information to Barbara Cooke (who has generously volunteered to coordinate this information for us): Barb's E-mail is barbcooke5a@gmail.com

    Name
    E-mail address
    Swimmers in your family (ages and genders - to help with session planning)
    YMCA Level
    USA Level (and if registered)

    I also need to know when you register online with MD Swimming - this is important as we seek to improve our team's profile in MD Swimming and USA Swimming. We get bonus points for each official that registers and goes through their apprentice hours. Please just drop me a quick e-mail when you register. This will also help us reimburse you for the registration fees after you complete your hours and work some meets.

Thanks (as always) for your help and support.
Jim

10/15/09

 Hi Everyone:

Several important announcements for this week, with Wilton Meet information and Halloween this weekend:
  • WILTON DRAFT ENTRIES ARE POSTED: If you have issues with what you are swimming or any other special requests, you have until NOON ON WEDNESDAY to e-mail me. We have a decent turnout, but if anyone else wants to attend our only real travel meet of the year for most swimmers, please e-mail me directly. I cannot change anything after NOON on WEDNESDAY!! I am willing to put more people into the meet, but I must know immediately. Hopefully everyone has made their hotel reservations as linked on the website.

  • HALLOWEEN WILL CAUSE A COUPLE OF SCHEDULE CHANGES: All practices for the weekend will happen as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. Due to SPY's annual SPOOKY SPLASH (a few tickets are still available if you are really nice to Maureen...) on Friday the practice schedule will be as follows:
    SPIES - at SPY 3-5 PM
    INV and SLEUTH - at AACC 4-5 PM

  • SWIMATHON MONEY DUE: Please get all money collected and dropped off to the front desk (in a labeled envelope) by Saturday, October 31st. This is an important fundraiser for our team, so I hope that everyone was able to meet their $100/swimmer goal for the event. Thansk for your efforts!

  • CAPS SHOULD BE IN THIS WEEK: Once the caps arrive, all swimmers will be asked to wear SPY caps ONLY at meets. This is an important part of being a team and appearing "professional" when we go to meets, and we will be pretty insistent about wearing the proper suits and caps at meets.

I think that's it for now - please check the Wilton entries and get to me by WEDNESDAY at NOON if you want to be added to the meet or would like to swim different events. Thanks!

Jim

10/15/09

 Hi Everyone:

WELCOME BACK, PETER!!

Peter Kogut has rejoined our staff to assist with deck coaching and allow us more flexibility with individualized attention at practices. While working primarily with the younger groups, he will sometimes appear as if by magic to assist with or cover all groups as necessary as we get into our meet season. Peter has more than 10 years experience as a swimmer and coach, understands our program structure and goals, and has been a fixture in the summer swimming community for many years. It's great to have him return to SPY after some time away during the past year.

SWIMATHON SUNDAY!! Please make sure you get your Swimathon pledges committed (and preferably collected) by Sunday for the BIG EVENT! We have several incentives for those raising the most money in each group, and the group that averages the most money per swimmer will receive the annual PIZZA PARTY for their group instead of practice one night later this fall.

We have the pool from 1-4 on Sunday (there will obviously be no "regular" practices that afternoon - SO YOU CAN SWIM ANYTIME IN THAT TIME FRAME), and the Ravens are OFF - so NO EXCUSES for not coming and swimming your laps! The coaches will be participating, and Jim may even race any 10 and under swimmers that think they can beat an old man [that will OBVIOUSLY be a limited-time offer, as we hopefully do not want any on-deck fatalities from over-exertion!]. We may even be able to con Richard into some fun type races...see you there - we need to make our goal of $15,000 ($100 per swimmer).

OFFICIALS CLINIC SATURDAY!! Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to attend out training session this weekend to become certified officials - the turnout has been greater than our wildest dreams, and puts us in a great position to run meets and make vital contributions to YMCA and Maryland Swimming for many years. The clinic will take place in Classroom M1 of the Community Center starting at 8:30 and continuing until no later than 12:00 (they usually end a little early, but with so many people no promises!). Please make it a point to follow through on getting signed up for deck time and shadowing/apprenticing for the next few meets, as well as taking the online tests to complete your certifications. We will support you all that we can by answering questions and making your job as easy as we can.

There will be donuts and juice on Saturday morning; it's the least we can do for so many people who have stepped up big time! Thanks again!

As an aside...we have the perfect child care available that morning - SWIM PRACTICE!! All practices will happen as scheduled on Saturday morning.

See you at the Swimathon or at practice!

Jim and the Coaches

10/9/09

 Hi Everyone:

A few updates about important upcoming dates that need your support. I know it seems like things are flying right now, but if we can get to the upcoming meets, all of the extra effort will be worth it and things will become a lot more rhythmic and go smoothly for everyone!!

On to the info!!
  • SWIMATHON TIME - NEXT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18TH - EVERYONE NEEDS TO HELP OUT!! The only straight fundraiser we do as a swim team is the annual Swimathon. This fundraiser helps us avoid doing dozens of smaller events by simply asking each swimmer to raise $100 in pledges from family and friends to swim up to 100 laps on Sunday afternoon. We will be using our normal practice slots to raise this money, and kids can swim with their friends in other groups and have a parent count their laps. Both an informational flyer and a pledge sheet are attached to this e-mail. As has become a tradition, there will be prizes for those who raise the most money for the team and also a pizza party for the practice group that raises the most money (think how nice eating pizza at a future practice will be compared to swimming!!). Some group needs to knock the Spies off of their perch...they've won the party for the past two years! The coaches will be participating and helping to encourage the swimmers during the event, and it promises to be a fun afternoon for all swimmers from 6 to 18!! Please do your part to get sponsors or corporate pledges and help SPY raise money to assist with some of the "extras" we like to have for our program. We'll see you on deck on the 18th. A HUGE thanks to the Harmon family for helping to organize and conduct the event this year - they will make it a great success next weekend!

  • OFFICIALS CLINIC NEXT SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH: There has been a good response to the Officiating clinic next Saturday at SPY (8:30-12:00), but we could still use a few more parents to become trained as officials in both USA Swimming and YMCA Swimming. To get both for one morning of training is a rare opportunity, and we will have people from several teams attending the training. I will put out an e-mail early next week listing those people I have received e-mails from to sign up, but it is certainly not too late to get in on the opportunity. This will help not only our team during the coming years, but also your summer clubs who always need help to stage swim meets, and the swimming community in general. Thanks to those who have stepped up thus far, and I hope to hear from more of you in the coming few days.

  • MEET DEADLINES ARE STARTING TO APPROACH!!: Remember that the meet deadlines are not all the same amount of time prior to the meets, so it is CRITICAL that you check the meet schedule each week and register for the meets that you would like to attend. The deadline for Opening Gun (at Talbot County - an all-stroke invitational) is this Sunday (10/11), the deadline for the HCY dual meet on the 24th is next Tuesday (10/13), and the deadline for the Wilton Thanksgiving Invitational (our big "all team" travel meet that we would like at least 100 swimmers to attend) is Sunday, 10/25. We must hold to these deadlines to get our team entries in on time, so please make sure you sign up and then check the swimmer list for each meet a day or two later. Note also that hotel information for both Wilton and the Capital Classic (Spies and INV with cuts) is on the website so that you can make reservations - we have reserved hotel blocks for each meet.

  • ATTENDANCE: As fall sports seasons start to wind down with the time changes, please make an effort to keep your practice attendance as high as possible. We're starting to see that "lull" between the first few weeks of practice (when everyone is excited) and the start of meets (when everyone sees what not practicing does to their performance). Remember that we'd like everyone to attend a minimum of one practice less than is offered for each group (although perfect attendance is never bad!).

I think that's it for this week - regular practices all weekend!! Get those sponsors for the Swimathon so we can have a great event next weekend!!

Jim and Crystee
SPY Swimming

10/4/09

 Hi Everyone:

As I have discussed with the parents of new swimmers, and was promoting heavily through the spring and summer with our current swimmers, one of the biggest needs our club has as we move into the "meet season" is certified officials to help run our meets. As an official, you have an opportunity to learn a tremendous amount about the sport of swimming, get great views of your swimmer at meets (especially meets where parents are limited to balcony or remote seating), and gain skills which you can carry back to the summer clubs and improve the swimming community for everyone.

We are one of the largest swim teams in Maryland in terms of swimmers, and we need a new crop of officials. We have a few veterans, but we have lost a lot of parents to the graduation of their children the past two years, and have many more seniors leaving this year or next year that will cost us some more officials.

I have finally (after several months of trying to coordinate with a very small pool of trainers) been able to secure an officials clinic for SPY - at SPY, and covering both YMCA and USA Swimming certifications for stroke and turn judging (same rules - different paperwork). Now it's time to ask for a time commitment from our parents - I would really like to have at least 20 parents (but can take as many as can come!!) take this training so that we are set for the season and indeed for seasons into the future. This also gives us a base from which we can develop referees and starters as people become experienced in the other positions.

The clinic will be at SPY on OCTOBER 17TH (two weeks from yesterday). It will START AT 8:30 AND FINISH NO LATER THAN NOON. All materials and books will be provided - no need to buy anything, etc. All we need from you is for you to come and go through the training, and then be willing over the next few weeks to complete the online or take home test (I believe both options are available for the YMCA part, but USA part is online only to the best of my knowledge). I know that many of you have indicated that you would be willing to do this; I'm countin on it. I tried to get a time that would not be too much "extra" pool time - we practice Saturday mornings for most groups, after all.

Additionally - for those of you who cannot come on the 17th (I do know it's a Federal holiday on Monday, and schools are out one day in there somewhere), you can still get the same training by making a short trip to Easton, MD, on Thursday the 22nd when the same trainers are doing a class at Talbot County YMCA at 6:00 PM. It's not at SPY, but it's only about 45 minutes away and you would still get the same certifications.

PLEASE HELP US OUT - THIS IS CRITICAL TO OUR SUCCESS AS A CLUB, as we are expected to provide our share of officials at meets, and right now we are woefully short of people. It's not difficult, it's extremely valuable, and it's a way to help make the swimming experience better for not only your child, but our entire team!

im and Crystee
Head Coaches - SPY Swimming

9/13/09

 Hi Everyone:

We're off to a pretty good start, and you can pretty much plan on at least one e-mail per week from me so that we can keep the lines of communication open as much as possible. Most of these e-mails will be the same for each group, but it never hurts to read each one if you have more than one swimmer, as occasionally there will be "group specific" news that is appended to the bottom of the general e-mail.

  1. EMAIL: I am still trying to finish refining our e-mail lists for newsletters; I have made many of the changes that I was asked to or that had swimmers in the wrong group, etc., but in case you missed my previous e-mail (or I somehow missed your response), please let me know if I need to add an additional address, etc. ALSO - IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU LET ME KNOW IF YOUR E-MAIL CHANGES DURING THE YEAR!! If you do not receive anything from me in more than two weeks, please check with me re:your e-mail address or if somehow you disappeared off of my list (it seems to happen on rare occasions - it's nothing personal - I swear!).

  2. MEET SIGN UPS: Remember that all of our meet sign ups are done on-line through our website www.spyswimming.org/meetschedule.htm . This is a good site to check at least once per week, as it will make sure that you do not miss deadlines for signing up for meets. The first meet is for swimmers that were on the team last year ONLY - the Annapolis Freestyle Meet. The deadline for this meet is this Tuesday at 8 PM!! If you miss sign-up deadlines, it is extremely difficult to get you into a meet, and many times it will not be possible. Other upcoming meets can be seen on the website.

  3. PRACTICE CHANGES: We will be making a few changes to the practice schedule beginning Monday, September 21st. These changes are in response to some of the crowded situations that we have encountered at the start of the season. Don't worry - there are no DAY changes except for one Sleuth practice (Tuesday) disappearing (they were scheduled for SIX practices per week instead of the five they should have). There will be a couple of days where a group changes their TIME by an hour or so. This will allow for fewer kids at each practice and better training conditions for everyone. A COMPLETE SCHEDULE AND NOTES WILL BE E-MAILED OUT BY THIS WEDNESDAY, but in all honesty it should have a minimal effect on our swimmers and their schedules.

  4. EQUIPMENT SALES: Sizing for suits and ordering of equipment will take place this upcoming Thursday-Saturday at the pool. The schedule is on the website, but allows swimmers from each group to come and be measured and order equipment and clothing for practice and meets. Thursday 5-8, Friday 4:30-7, and Saturday morning 7-10 am. We need everyone to get their team suits and caps ordered so that they can come in by our dual meet in October! Please e-mail Marianna Brusnighan if (after downloading order forms) you have any questions. A link to her e-mail is on the website's swim team page.

  5. NEW SPY FAMILIES: I hope to have a meeting for our new families as soon as I can find a date and a room (we may use the weight room at SPY if all else fails), and will let all of you know that datee and time when it is set. Overall, we as coaches are very pleased with the first week of practice in terms of orientation and first steps to our season. This week we will start to get a little more into training mode and start on what should be a great road through the season!

As always, please feel free to e-mail me about any questions, concerns, or unresolved issues you may have. I am the contact point for our team in terms of e-mail and information distribution regarding swim team issues. I will either handle them or direct you to the person in our organization who can best help you so that everything runs smoothly!

Jim Hutcheson Head Coach - SPY Swimming

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