Week 9 Outlook - Last Week, Best Week!

Hard to believe we are already at the end of the season! It has been amazing getting to know all of you. Thank you so much for welcoming me (and Gabrielle, Emma, and Abby) into the Cherokee family and for bearing with us as we worked out all of the first-year kinks. Read below for what’s ahead this week:

Practice Schedule (note time change):

• Monday
  • 9-10 am - 8u
  • 10-11 am - 9+
  • All Team - 7-8 pm
• Tuesday
  • 9-10 am - 8u
  • 10-11 am - 9+
• Wednesday
  • 9-10 am - 8u
  • 10-11 am - 9+
  • All Team - 7-8 pm

Fun Pre-City Meet Things:

• Monday Morning: At practice, we are going to stencil shirts in preparation for tie dyeing on Tuesday morning. Thanks to Jess Ramsey for buying the stencils! We will also be swimming.
• Monday Night: Parents (and coaches) are going to relive their glory days by participating in parent relays. If you want to participate, contact Callie Jubran! Swimmers will practice the first 30 minutes.
• Tuesday Morning: Tie-dyeing shirts! We will provide the supplies and shirts! Swimmers will practice the first 30 minutes of their practice slot.
• Wednesday Morning: Regular practice and keychain-making, courtesy of Callie Jubran!

All Things City:

Thursday - 10 & under; Friday - 11 & up; Saturday - Qualified Finals

Final entries are due July 20th by 8:00 pm. Please look over the email I sent last week and ensure you don't want any changes. 

Tent Map is attached.

Parking Passes: I will be picking these up at Allan Jones on Monday morning. I will begin distribution Monday night at practice through Wednesday night. Any passes not picked up by Wednesday night will be available in our team tent on Thursday.

Food: Cherokee will be providing food each day as they’ve done in the past. I’m unsure what the menu will be for each day, but I’d imagine it’d be the same as last year.

City Meet Apparel: https://asoapparel.com/pages/gkaisa-swim-meet-knoxville-tn-7-23-7-26

Worker Assignments: These will be coming out in the next couple of days. I will send an email once I receive those positions.

Communication: GKAISA is moving away from Twitter (yay!) and going to GroupMe! Join here: https://groupme.com/join_group/116014706/eOIkuQaR

From GKAISA:

Clerk of Course - What to Expect:

Clerk of Course will be laid out differently this year than in years past. There will be a single entrance located on the far East side near the closed UT Drive. All swimmers will enter Clerk of Course here and only swimmers, coaches, and volunteers will be allowed in. We will be using a new piece of software to check each swimmer into CoC, giving us a clear, real-time understanding of who has entered and who is missing. Swimmers will then enter the aptly named 'Chaos Tent'. This tent will be divided into a girls' side and a boys' side. Swimmers will remain in this tent until such time as their Event is announced for seating in the actual Clerk of Course tents. As in the past, fans and soaker hoses will be deployed throughout CoC to try to keep our athletes cool and comfortable. Additional fencing will be in place to further separate the athletes from the crowds that often gather around CoC.

Expectations of Teams and Athletes:

• Athletes should arrive at CoC with everything they need to swim their race. Goggles, caps, last minute coaching, etc. Parents will not be able to reach them once they enter CoC.
• Relays must arrive together and will not be allowed into CoC until all 4 members of the team are present. Coaches and Parents must help coordinate swimmers into their 4 person relay teams and ensure all 4 members are present at the entrance to CoC.
• Good behavior is expected. The chaos of CoC is caused by two things - behavior of the athletes and the nearby crowds yelling encouragement and last minute advice. Additional fencing addresses the crowds. Our team of Chaos Coordinators will be present, clearly identifiable and will be monitoring behavior. Below expectation behavior will be addressed and the athlete will be removed from CoC and the meet if necessary. Good behavior will be recognized and rewarded.
• Chaos Coordinators will be stationed at the entrance to CoC and throughout the tents. They will be available to assist and answer questions. Look for them in bright orange shirts if needed.
• Large teams with multiple relays entered into any one event must plan to have coaches in Clerk of Course to assist. If you know you have an athlete that will struggle to comply with these rules a coach should plan to be with that athlete in the tent.

End-of-Season Banquet: This will take place at 5 pm on Saturday, July 25th following finals. Please plan on attending as we recognize this year’s accomplishments and celebrate a fun season! From what I understand, the buffet will open at 5 pm. I’d like to get awards started in the Game Room by 5:30 (at the latest 5:45). Hope to see you there!

Thank you for such a great season and for allowing me to be your head coach. Go Tomahawks!

Coach Marlee