Marlins,

The last week of our summer season is here and we will go out with a bang! We have CIT inner tube water polo on Weds @ 7, CIT goodie bag packing Fri. @ 7, and our Pep Rally on Sat. from 3-5 in the park. After the pep rally the CITs will deliver goodie bags to the 12 and under Champs swimmers, so listen for a doorbell ditch and your swimmers will find a surprise on the doorstep. Champs is Sun AM, and our Awards Night/End of Season Party is Sunday @ 6 PM. All Marlins whether they are doing meets or going to Champs are welcome at the Pep Rally and Award Night. Please see below for more details on these events.

CITS (anyone 13 and older)

All swimmers 13 and older are encouraged to join us on Weds starting at 7 for inner tube water polo and pizza at the pool. On Friday, we will meet in the Clubhouse at 7 PM to decorate and pack the Champs goodie bags and dinner will be provided. Please RSVP using the tabs here so that I can get enough food. We could also use your help at the various Pep Rally stations on Sat, so brush up on your hair dying and nail painting skills.

PEP RALLY: SAT 3-5 in the Park (snacks, no dinner)

Are you FIRED UP for the Marlins Pep Rally on Saturday? Bring your Marlins spirit to lead the team to Champs victory this Saturday in Greenmeadow Park from 3:00-5:00 pm. We will have spirit activities like making flags and signs to bring to the event, nail and hair color, team cheers, and a few (green) snacks. And you won’t want to miss the coach pie toss for the winner of the Swim-a-Rama!

CHAMPS GOODIE BAGS: Delivered Sat after pep rally

If your 12 and under swimmer is going to Champs, we have a tradition of having the CITs dress up in silly clothes and deliver goodie bags. They do a door bell ditch, but run away a little slowly so that the kids can spot them. They will leave bags on your doorstep whether you are home or not. Please try to keep it as a fun surprise for the littles and listen for the door bell between about 5:30 - 7:00 PM. If you have recently moved, please let me know so that we don’t go to your old address.

END OF SEASON PARTY: Sunday 7/14 @ 6-9 PM

Everyone is welcome to join us in the park at 6 PM on Sunday for our Awards Night. All swimmers 12 and under (including our No Meet swimmers and Jr. Marlins) will receive a participation medal. We will have several other awards in various categories. Pizza and cake will be served and then the kids have a final big splash and pool fun. It’s a great way to wrap up our season.

CHAMPS

Champs is a lot of fun, but it can feel overwhelming, particularly if it's your first year. I encourage all of you to take the time to review the general Champs info here, the parent packet here (also attached), and other maps are attached. These have maps to our team location, parking, food, volunteer meeting times/location, rules regarding set up and more. The final details like heats/lanes will be shared close to the event. Please use the Pep Rally on July 13 3-5 PM as an opportunity to ask any questions you have.

LOCATIONS: Meet, Team Area, Team Cheer Section

Champs is located at Independence High School in San Jose (617 N Jackson Ave, San Jose, CA 95133), which is about 25-30 min from Greenmeadow, so please factor in travel time, parking, and set up. Everyone should arrive by 7:40 AM, but some of you may have earlier arrival times based on your jobs.

Our team area is the same as last year. You can see the location of our team area on this map in the lower left corner. When you get to the main entrance, do not enter the pool area, but stay to the left and go all the way down to the last team area. The easiest pool entrance for us will be Gate 3 on the map.

We have a designated section in the bleachers for our team cheer (closest to our gate 3 on the far right end facing the bleachers, which you can see on this map. You you are welcome to move to other areas of the bleachers during the meet to get a closer view of your swimmers races.

PARKING: FREE

The parking lot by the Independence High School pool is by the tennis courts. Avoid parking by the football field as that is a long walk to the pool. Please park in any available stall in the parking area, including the shade area under the solar panels!

SCHEDULE

Saturday, July 13

• 6 pm Walk through for those families who are new to the venue
• 6 pm Set-up workers to arrive at Independence High, but you will need to come to GM 5:15 first to pick up our equipment to deliver.

Sunday, July 14

• 7:00: Doors Open
• 7:15: Pre-Meet Marshal Meeting (see here and attached for location)
• 7:40: All volunteers and swimmers arrive.
• 8:00 - 8:35: Greenmeadow warm ups in these lanes only:
  • Lanes 1-4 Dives
  • Lanes 11 & 12 No Dives, 3 Point Entry
• 8:10: Job specific meetings, locations on the map here and attached.
• 8:40: Team Cheers: Greenmeadow will go last from our cheering section.
• 9:00: Meet Begins.
• 2:00 - 3:00: Approx. Meet Ending
• 6:30 - 8:30: End of Season: Awards Night Greenmeadow Park

GENERAL FAMILY INFO

• Absolutely no chairs, tents, or umbrellas are allowed in the Competition Viewing Bleachers or upper deck breezeways. Shade tents and chairs are allowed in our team area.
• Non-working Parents/Spectators are not allowed on the pool deck after 8:30 am. Please prepare your kids that they will be in the clerk and on the pool deck while you are in the stands. Please rely on CITs if your kids need help. There will be plenty of adults on the pool deck to keep an eye on them and get them where they need to be.
• Champs Programs will be available for purchase for $10. The programs list the swimmer names, heat and lane numbers for each event, in addition to purchased ads, Senior Bios and sponsorship Ads.
• Champs T-Shirts will be on sale just outside the main entrance, which the kids love as a souvenir.

FOOD OPTIONS

• We will have a team table with snack options for our Marlins in our team area, so please help yourselves to those goodies. Thanks Mari and Missy!
• There will be 3 food trucks: Waffle Roost, Mona’s Fruit, and Kona Ice outside by Gate 1 (see maps).
• Families may pack a lunch, visit the food trucks outside or drive to nearby food options on Jackson/McKee, about 0.6 miles: Lee’s Sandwiches, Round Table Pizza, McDonald’s, Duc Huong (Vietnamese sandwiches), Chavez Supermarket (Taqueria), Subway~ 1 mile away: Togo’s
• No metal, aluminum or glass containers at the Independence Pool.
• No food is permitted on the pool deck. Food is permitted on the bleachers and upper deck only.

Let's Goooooo!

Donna