The long-awaited day has arrived – it is time for swimming again!
Everyone who wants to be on the Seton Swim Team should come to the first practice on Tuesday, November 8th.
We will enter the Freedom Center from the door that leads into the leisure pool behind the serpentine wall to the left of the front door (see photo above). Do not enter through the front lobby.
Schedule for the First Day of Practice
Be in the bleachers ready for a team meeting before 6:04 a.m. That means you will need to arrive at the pool before 6:04 a.m. I will give an orientation talk about the program so everyone knows what to expect for practices in the future.
We will attempt to get into the water around 6:30 a.m. and exit the water around 7:30 a.m.
I have assigned every swimmer to the practice group for the first day – but this will be for the first day only. Your group assignments are published here:
Seton Swim ’22-’23 Practice Lane Assignments-Day 1 Only-Nov8,22
Again, your lane coaches for this first day will not necessarily be your coaches for the season. We are just trying to get you in the water to start the teaching process. The serious work will begin with the next practice when I have enough information to assign you to a practice group with a specific coach(es).
Because we have the whole team at practice at the same time for this first day only, almost half of you will be with me participating in a brief Time Trial. I need this data for form practice groups. It will also allow us to get a baseline time on all the new swimmers and see if some of the returning swimmers who were new last year have improved dramatically over this past summer. Don’t stress. It will likely only be 50 yards, and I know you can do it.
If you are part of the Time Trial group, after your swim you will likely be sent to the locker room to shower and change so we can space out the crowd of kids flowing through. You can also take advantage of one last opportunity to try on custom apparel.
One Last Chance to Try on Custom Apparel
Once you are done swimming and are on your way to the locker room, you can stop by to see Mrs. Lynch and try on any custom apparel (including swimsuits) or uniform items if you want to be sure of your size.
We are doing our best to get uniform items before the first meet and custom apparel items at least before Christmas. We are hoping that we can get many of the custom apparel items before the first meet. Mrs. Lynch will be placing the orders for all apparel items shortly after the order deadline of Wednesday, November 9th.
Originally, that deadline was for Boathouse jackets, but after reassessing the supply chain situation, we realized that we need to make November 9th the deadline for all items to have any chance at all for a timely delivery.
Practice Group Assignments After the First Day
By Wednesday, November 9th, I will publish the practice group assignments for everyone on the team. About 84 of you will practice in four (4) different practice groups across 14 lanes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The rest of you will practice with Group 5 in up to 9 lanes on Wednesday and Friday.
Divers will also practice on Wednesday and Friday. It looks like we will have a very large Diving Team, so I am working to get more time on the Boards at the Freedom Center. We may need to establish more than one practice group for Diving also. More on that soon.
I have 12 kids myself so I know how hard sports logistics can be for large families. I will do what I can to avoid splitting up families across practice sessions. However, if you have a wide range of abilities among the kids you’ve signed up, it may be impossible. There are many good things about having more than 30% of the school on the team, but this is not one of them.
To give me time to figure it all out and communicate it in enough time for you to plan, there will be no swimming practice on Wednesday, November 9th.
Diving always practices on Wednesday and Friday. The first diving practice is Wednesday, November 9th.
What to Wear and Pack for Practice
Thank you to former team Captain Teresa Bingham for developing a packing list for swimmers coming to Seton Swimming practice. Her list is on the last two pages of the Seton Swimming handbook which you can find under About/Team Information or by clicking here.
Wear your suit under your clothes to practice so you do not have to go to the locker room before practice. The only other things you really need for practice itself are a pair of googles and a towel. If you have long hair, you are also probably going to want to have a swim cap.
The Secret to Getting Up Early for Practice
Go to bed early!
That requires some good time management on your part – use your afternoons wisely.
Here’s one other trick I learned years ago. The time just changed, and that will give you an extra hour of sleep. Don’t allow your body clock to adjust – go to bed using the old time. That will make 6:04 a.m. feel like 7:04 a.m. – no problem!
Be Prepared
I’m looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday, November 8th. Please make sure that:
- You arrive in time for me to start our meeting at exactly 6:04 a.m. in the bleachers.
- You are packed properly and prepared to participate in practice without going to the locker room first.
- You know your practice group and lane assignment before you get to the pool.
See you on Election Day!