Later Start Time 4:45 pm -

Girls 15-18 Will Swim in Boys Pool for Wednesday afternoon only

June 23, 2024

Teams,

After reviewing the time lines for all sessions we will be making some changes to Wednesday afternoon's session. We will have a later start time of 4:45 pm. This will also alter the warmup and arrival times for teams in that session by 45 minutes. The updated warmup and arrival times can be viewed at Updated warmup, Team Arrival and Seating Assignments All other sessions will swim as originally scheduled.

Additionally for that Wednesday afternoon session only, we will swim the girls 15-18 events in the boys pool (the one nearest to the scoreboard). Those events will fall in between the boys 13-14 and boys 15-18 events during that session. There was over an hour of time difference between the 2 pools. This will balance things out and get that session done sooner. The projected finish time for Wednesday is around 8:15 pm FYI.

Please share this info with your teams and adjust your schedules for the day.

Below is all of the original info I send yesterday as a reminder. We look forward to a great week of swimming and seeing you all soon.

The following is a link to the list of workers and team warmup schedule 2024 ASA Championship Worker and Warmup Assignments for this week's divisional meets, this information can also be viewed at https://asa.swimtopia.com/championship by clicking on the links on that page for Workers Schedule, Warmup Schedule/Team Arrival Time, Team Seating Area link. Also Included in this info are final team area assignments, the exact section and rows your team will be located including a map of the seating area. Please check this carefully, so you can communicate this with your teams.

Team Warmups, Seating Locations and Arrival Schedule -

Updated warmup, Team Arrival and Seating AssignmentsPlease remember, for this year’s meet, each team has a specific arrival time during which they should come into the building. This window is 30 minutes before your scheduled warmup time, teams will not be allowed into the building prior to that time, so don’t plan on getting there three hours early unless you enjoy being outside. Once you come into the building, please go directly to your team area, NOT to the deck. Please wait in your team area until your team is called to the deck for your warmup session.

For team warmups, there are assigned lanes and pools this year. The boys pool is the one to your left as you face the pool from the stands (the pool closest to the main scoreboard). The girls pool is the one to your right as you face the pool from the stands (the pool closest to the diving well). Please remember feet first entries in the inside 8 lanes (lanes 1-8) during their session, lanes 0 and 9 which are for 1 way sprints only. The diving well will NOT be available during the scheduled warmups. Once competition has started it will be available for warmup and warmdown, please do not use the diving well. For each warmup session teams must supervise their swimmers at all times. All swimmers are to enter the water feet first, except in lanes 0 and 9 which are for 1 way sprints only. Teams not complying with these rules will be removed from their warmup session.

Please be prompt in exiting the water when you warmup session ends to allow the next group to have full use of their warmup time.

Team Check In, Team Packs and Heat Sheets

Team check in will be done when you arrive at Georgia Tech and will be done at the FRONT entrance of the Campus Recreation Center (CRC). Teams will collect their team packs, including credentials and other meet materials and can distribute them before making your way toward the pool. Teams can pay their entry fees at this location, entry fees are $48 per swimmer plus any according late fees if you have late entries. Please bring ONE CHECK payable to ATLANTA SWIM ASSOCIATION.

One thing missing from your team packs that would normally be included will be heat sheets. With this year’s meet and the advance entry deadline we will be e mailing teams a pdf version of the heat sheet, as well as post it on asa.swimtopia.com. TEAMS SHOULD PRINT THEIR OWN COPIES OF THE HEAT SHEET FOR THEIR OWN USE.

Once entries are in, the meet will be moved into Hy Tek to interface with the scoreboard and timing equipment at Georgia Tech. While the meet may appear in Meet Maestro DO NOT USE THAT FOR HEAT SHEETS, ENTRY LISTS OR OTHER MEET REPORTS IT WILL BE WRONG. Because of this the meet will not be listed in your Swimtopia Mobile Ap, it will however be posted in Hy Tek's Meet Mobile, which most people still have access to. We will e mail entry lists and heat sheets to teams several days before their session. YOU MUST USE THE VERSIONS OF THE MEET REPORTS (HEAT SHEETS AND ENTRY LISTS) FOR YOUR TEAM IF YOU DO NOT IT WILL BE CHAOS FOR YOUR TEAM

Print as many as you want. We will NOT be providing printed copies for teams or coaches nor will they be on sale at the meet. As I mentioned, you can print your own for the price of FREE. In an effort to reflect any late entries or corrections, we will not send or post the heat sheets until about 36-48 hours before your session, so please don’t pester me about when you will get them. I will also make available entry lists including the heats and lanes for your swimmers for quick reference and to give you a chance to get a jump on getting heats and lanes on their bodies.

Late Entries

Please remember that we DO take late entries for the meet. If you have them, get them to me via e mail as early as possible, try not to wait until the day of the meet. If you get the entries to me early enough I can still have them in the heat sheet, the 5 families that just turned up out of nowhere and are going to die if they don't get to swim next week can be helped. While I will take late entries up until an hour before your session swims, I can get them seeded in the heat sheet if you get them to me early enough. When you send them, please be sure to include team name, the session you are swimming, swimmer name, age, gender, events and times. The fee for late entries is $50 per individual event and $70 per relay and should be added to your existing entry fees.

As far as scratches for your sessions go, I don't take them now, nor do we refund the entry fees of those swimmers. We will however watch the nice still water in that lane for the missing swimmer in honor of their absence.

Team Arrival – Teams will be allowed into the building on a scheduled arrival time basis. Teams will not be allowed to enter the building until 30 minutes prior to their warmup time. A schedule of these times will be made available by Sunday, June 23. All athletes/teams must enter the venue via the FRONT entrance to the Campus Recreation Center on Ferst Drive. No teams will be allowed to enter the venue via the Tech Parkway entrance.

Teams are requested to come through the Team Entry location as one team with a coach to supervise the arrival process. Teams should enter the building as one group. Any stragglers may be collected by a coach or team representative that can escort the swimmer into the venue to your team area. There will be a meeting area outside of the Campus Recreation Center entrance where coaches and team coordinators can collect their team members before entering the venue as one group. Anyone (coach, team rep, or scheduled meet volunteer) coming onto the deck should have a credential in hand or visibly displayed and must display the credential at all times. Please do not instruct your swimmers to arrive and enter the building whenever or wherever they like. Unaccompanied athletes will NOT be allowed into the building. Please go to your designated team area and remain there until your warmup time.

TEAM AREAS - Team seating will be on the deck for some teams and in the upstairs seating gallery for others. Each team will be assigned a specific seating section and row(s) and must sit in that section for the meet. Athletes and coaches should remain in their team areas at all times unless going to warmup or to compete in a race via the staging areas on deck. Team seating areas will be sent to teams and published on the ASA website no later than Sunday, June 23.

Teams are NOT ALLOWED to bring large coolers or other items into those seating areas, smaller coolers or bags that fit underneath one of the seats in the stands are permitted, but items larger than that are not permitted. Please keep this in mind when planning on what to bring to the meet. We advise each athlete bring their own water/sports drink and any food needed.

Teams are welcome to bring team signs, but we request you use blue painter’s tape or zip ties only to hang your team signs. Please do not use masking, scotch, athletic or duct tape to hang your signs. Damage caused by use of anything, but blue painter’s tape will be the responsibility of the offending team.

Seating Areas - Seating Area Diagram

Please note the seating locations on the chart. Each team has a specific bleacher (on deck) or section and rows (upstairs) assigned for their swimmers, coaches and parent helpers. The section numbers are located at the entrance to the seating gallery and the row markers are on the side of the seats of each row. Each bleacher will me marked with a corresponding letter (see diagram above). Please note teams located on deck have their bleacher, as well as the space immediately behind their bleacher. Each team has more than enough seats to handle their entire group, including coaches and parent helpers. Teams, please don't allow your swimmer's parents to sit with them in your team area, this will result in you not having enough space for them. Conversely, please don't allow you swimmers to sit with their parents in the spectator sections. One important reminder about team seating. Your designated team area on the diagram I sent recently is for your athletes, coaches and the parent helpers that were provided a green credential. This especially applies to teams seated in bleachers on the deck. Parents should NOT sit with their children in the team areas, there will not be enough room for everyone. Parents without a credential should sit in the general spectator seating located over the competition pools.

Please make sure you sit only in your designated area for team setup. A full diagram of the pool as well as traffic flow to from and on the deck can be found at GTAC Inside of Pool and Deck - Traffic Flow. Teams are reminded to stay in your team area during the meet unless you are going to warmup or swim. Please remind parents, no one can go on the deck without a credential. Your cooperation with this is crucial to helping us manage the number of bodies on the deck.

Meet Worker Schedule - Team Worker Assignments

The schedule reflects which jobs you are assigned and HOW MANY people are required to staff that job from your team. The number in the box is how many people are assigned to that particular task. If there is a 4 in the Girl Timer Column that means you need to provide 4 people to time in the girl's pool. Many teams are assigned multiple jobs, so check the schedule carefully so we can start the meet on time. Please make sure you staff your positions for the duration of your session. If you are assigned 4 timers, that means you need to have 4 people available to time for the duration of that session. Sessions are likely to run close to 3.5 - 4 hours.

You may work in shifts if you like, but are responsible for the assigned job for the entire session. Teams will receive one set of extra credentials to allow you to cover your jobs in multiple shifts. Remind your parents who are done with their shift to return upstairs and not linger on the deck, otherwise we are adding another 50-60 bodies to a deck full of swimmers and coaches. Please make sure your folks know where to report and when to be there, some jobs must be in place up to 1 hour before the start of session.

Job Descriptions, When and Where to Report

Timers - Report to the respective bullpen you are timing on the deck near side of the pool (girls by the diving well, boys by the boys pool and interior stairs) no later than 30 minutes before the start of your session. They are responsible for serving as backup timers for the timing equipment. TEAMS NEED TO BRING THEIR OWN STOPWATCH FOR EACH ASSIGNED TIMER. 2 people work each lane, one person works the stopwatch. The person works a backup button for the touchpad that they depress at the FINISH of the race, the button will arm automatically at the start of the race. The button pusher also records the stopwatch time on a clipboard (that we will provide) for each race. Any relief timers that will work the second half of the meet for a team should access the deck by going down the back stairwell behind spectator seating. From there, follow the signs down the lower hallway to the collection area just off the deck near the finish end of the pool. If you are a relief timer, please do not use the stairs on the inside of the pool by the scoreboard, that is for swimmers only to go to their races.

Head Timers - This role is highlighted in green on the workers summary report. Report to the respective bullpen you are timing on the deck near side of the pool (girls by the diving well, boys by the boys pool and interior stairs) no later than 30 minutes before the start of your session. Not as important as it sounds, but still very needed. They start several stopwatches at the start of the race. If one of the lane timers has a malfunction with their watch during a race, the head timer will take them a replacement watch for that lane. Any relief timers that will work the second half of the meet for a team should access the deck by going down the back stairwell behind spectator seating. From there, follow the signs down the lower hallway to the collection area just off the deck near the finish end of the pool. If you are a relief timer, please do not use the stairs on the inside of the pool by the scoreboard, that is for swimmers only to go to their races.

Runners - (Report to the timing and scoring room no later than 20 minutes before the start of your session) They will be stationed by the Hy Tek operator and will be responsible for posting results on the deck and upstairs, taking award labels to the awards room, and occasionally getting backup times for the timing operator. Perfect for the person seeking 5 dots on their Fitbit. If you are being relieved by someone from your team during the meet, please return upstairs to your team area and give your deck credential to your relief worker and tell them where to go and what to do.

Awards - (Report to the timing and scoring room at the start of your session) Stationed in the awards area ON the deck, they peel and stick labels on awards and put them in team boxes. They are not tied to that awards area for the entire session and have the ability to watch their kids swim. If you are being relieved by someone from your team during the meet, please return upstairs to your team area and give your deck credential to your relief worker and tell them where to go and what to do.

Drink Workers -(Report to the timing and scoring room at the end of the medley relays) Not as exciting or fun as it sounds, sorry this is not a literal description. They take water to timers and meet officials who are tied to their positions. They will occasionally help re-stock the coolers of water. If you are being relieved by someone from your team during the meet, please return upstairs to your team area and give your deck credential to your relief worker and tell them where to go and what to do.

Bullpen Workers - Report to the respective bullpen you are working on the deck near side of the pool (girls by the diving well, boys by the boys pool and interior stairs) no later than 30 minutes before the start of your session.. They will work with our staging people to help like kids up in the staging areas and help transport swimmers to the blocks. If you are being relieved by someone from your team during the meet, please return upstairs to your team area and give your deck credential to your relief worker and tell them where to go and what to do.

Crowd Control Workers - (Report to the timing and scoring room no later than 30 minutes before the start of your session) They help keep an eye on the deck and make sure that unauthorized folks are not going into areas where they don't belong. And no, they don't get a badge and a taser, it just wasn't in the budget for this year. If you are being relieved by someone from your team during the meet, please return upstairs to your team area and give your deck credential to your relief worker and tell them where to go and what to do.

If you have any questions about your assignments, please don't hesitate to call or e mail. I have already posted a psych sheet for the meet, please review that information carefully. Updates are periodically being posted at https://asa.swimtopia.com/championship . Please do not request to change events at this point though, changes to individual events are not allowed. In the meantime though if you have late entries for the meet, please e mail me with the information as soon as possible. Late entries will be taken up to about 1 hour prior to the start of each session.

Credential Summary - Credential Summary for ASA Championship

Attached is a list of all of the credentials you will receive in your team pack. This includes:

Coaches Credentials (GREEN) - these are for your non-swimming coaches (swimming coaches don't need a credential). These allow full deck access.

Relay Only Credential (Yellow) - These are for teams to have some extra parent help to get your relay swimmers to the blocks and ensure they are on the correct side of the pool. These allow deck access during the relay events only. At the conclusion of the relays those parents must leave the deck and return to the spectator gallery.

Parent Deck Helpers - (BLUE) - These are for teams to have a little extra help for coaches to oversee swimmers in team areas located on deck and for teams located upstairs to be able to transport swimmers to the bullpens and collect them to return upstairs after an event.

Meet Workers (RED) - These allow your assigned meet workers (timers, runners, awards, etc...) to get to the deck for their assigned jobs. Teams are provided two sets of these, if you were assigned 4 jobs you got 8 credentials. This allows you to have a second shift of workers. Please only use these to access the deck while you are actually working. If you are just standing around with one of these on, we will find something fun for you to do, like scrub the parking lot with a toothbrush. Please don't abuse the use of these passes and overcrowd the deck.

I usually get asked how many passes do our team coordinators get, those passes are included in your listed supply with the Parent Deck Helper passes described above. You do not have to ask for additional ones above and beyond what is listed, they are already included.

Please remember to bring one check for your entry fees to your divisional session. Please make sure checks are made payable to Atlanta Swim Association. The entry fee for the meet is $48 per swimmer.

Thanks and see you soon,

Franke Marsden - ASA