Announcement

Message from Coach Kevin

Posted by Birmingham Blue Dolphins on Jan 16 2020 at 04:33AM PST
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Dear Swimmers and Parents,

Please read this carefully.

The championship season is upon us. Here are some general guidelines for our big meets. Remember, all championship meets are required with some exceptions for middle school boys swimming for their middle school and high school boys who are representing their high school. If a middle school boy has AA qualifying times they should miss Clusters. High-school boys should swim Clusters and miss the YMCA State Meet.

We taper the swimmers for the biggest meet for which they are qualified. Eight and under swimmers will taper for the YMCA Eight and Under State Meet. Swimmers nine and up who have not yet qualified for the YMCA State Meet will taper for the Cluster Meet in the hope that they will qualify for the YMCA State Meet. Only swimmers who are tapering are allowed to wear “speed suits.”

Shortly, you will be entering the Eastern Cluster Meet or the Michigan Open (a US meet.) All swimmers should be competing that weekend, except for those exceptions already noted. Eight and unders swim one day at Clusters. All other swimmers should swim both days and enter the events where they have a chance to advance to the next championship meet (and avoid the events for which they already have state, AA and zone meets.) Swimmers may swim up to six events at Y States, AAs and Zone Meets and we want them to have a full complement of races at those meets.

Eight and unders should consider both the Cluster Meet and the State Meets when they select events. Generally, they should swim their most challenging events at Clusters and their best Y events at the state meet. Remember that at the state meet eight year olds swim against eight year olds, seven year olds swim against seven year olds, six year olds swim against six year olds and five year olds swim against other five year olds.

Please feel free to ask the coaches for advice about event selection. While for the most part we do not tamper with a swimmer’s choices, we reserve the right to do so!

Please remember that the team is hosting the YMCA Eight and Under State Meet/Districts on February 15. We cannot staff the meet with the parents of the participants only. Please do your part volunteer!

Kevin