Hi Barracuda Families,

Thank you to everyone who attended the Welcome Back Potluck last week. It was wonderful to see so many families come together to kick off the season. We are excited for our first meet-style event of the summer and a busy week ahead!

Practice Schedule (June 8–June 12)

Fairfax County schools are still in session, so practices will continue in the evenings:

• 4:30–5:15 PM — 8 & Under
• 5:15–6:15 PM — Ages 9–12
• 6:15–7:15 PM — Ages 13–18

Upcoming Dates

• June 12 — Time Trials Setup (8:00 PM)
• June 13 — Time Trials (Theme: Blue & White)
• June 15 — B Meet vs. Mansion House (Theme: Pink Out)
• June 18 — Parent Happy Hour @ the Michaels' Home
• June 20 — A Meet @ Arlington Forest (Theme: Cops & Robbers)

IMPORTANT: Time Trials & B Meet Declarations

We currently have more than 85 swimmers who have not yet declared for Time Trials.

As a reminder, and new for this year, swimmers who are not declared by the deadline will not be entered into the meet. We will not be adding swimmers past the cutoff.

Please take a few minutes today to declare your swimmer for:

• Time Trials (Saturday)
• The B Meet against Mansion House (Monday)

Time Trials declarations and event selections are due by 6:00 PM on Thursday.

For Time Trials:

• Swimmers 9 & older should generally select all four strokes.
• 8 & Under swimmers should select only the strokes they can swim legally.
• If you are unsure what events to choose, please speak with Coach Heidi, Coach Avery, or Lauren before or after practice.

How to Declare for a Meet in SwimTopia

1. Log in to the team website.
2. Click Meet Schedule or Events.
3. Select the meet.
4. Click Meet Entry or Edit Commitment.
5. Indicate whether your swimmer will attend.
6. Select events (if attending).
7. Click Save.

Meet declarations are critical because coaches use them to build lineups, seed events, and prepare meet entries.

Friday, June 12 – Time Trials Setup

We will begin setting up the pool at 8:00 PM on Friday evening.

Setup includes:

• Timing equipment
• Team areas
• Tents
• Tables and chairs
• Clerk of Course area
• Concessions

If you are available to help, please join us. The more volunteers we have, the quicker setup goes for everyone.

Saturday, June 13 – Blue & White Time Trials

Time Trials is our first meet-style event of the season and gives swimmers an opportunity to establish official times for the year. It is also a great chance for new families to experience how swim meets operate before our dual meets begin.

We encourage everyone to wear blue and white and show their Barracuda spirit!

Schedule

• 8:00 AM – Swimmers arrive
• 8:15 AM – Warmups begin
• 8:25 AM – Officials briefing
• 8:40 AM – Timers briefing
• 8:50 AM – Event 1 reports to Clerk of Course
• 8:55 AM – Welcome & National Anthem
• 9:00 AM – Meet begins

Events will be run in the following order:

1. Freestyle
2. Backstroke
3. Breaststroke
4. Butterfly

Each stroke will run from youngest swimmers to oldest swimmers.

Swimmers are welcome to leave after completing their events, but we encourage everyone to stay and cheer on their teammates whenever possible.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteer signups are available on the website.

Because Time Trials involves only Hollin Meadows swimmers, we actually need more volunteers than we do at a typical dual meet. If we do not have enough volunteers, we cannot run the meet.

Please consider signing up if you haven't already. No experience is necessary, and we will happily train you.

Volunteer Arrival Time: 8:10 AM

Volunteer Uniform:

• White shirt
• Blue shorts/skirt/pants

Please avoid clothing or hats with logos, including Hollin Meadows team gear, while officiating or working in official positions.

Team Area Reminders

During meets, swimmers should remain in the team area unless they are:

• Reporting to Clerk of Course
• Swimming an event
• Using the restroom
• Visiting concessions with permission

Keeping swimmers in the team area helps ensure they do not miss events and encourages team spirit.

Before leaving the meet, swimmers should:

• Check out with a coach
• Pick up all personal belongings
• Help clean up the team area

Monday, June 15 – B Meet vs. Mansion House (Pink Out!)

Our first B Meet of the season will be at away against Mansion House.

Theme: Pink Out

Think pink everything—shirts, socks, tutus, boas, sunglasses, and anything else bright and fun!

For New Families: What Is a B Meet?

B Meets are developmental meets held on Monday evenings. While there is no team score, official times are recorded and can be used for A Meet consideration and swimmer improvement tracking.

B Meets are a great opportunity for:

• Younger swimmers
• Developing swimmers
• Swimmers looking to improve times
• Swimmers trying new events

Most B Meets allow swimmers to select up to two events.

Exception: For our first B Meet, swimmers who cannot attend Time Trials may select all four events so we can establish official times.

Schedule

• 5:00 PM – Families arrive
• 5:00–5:20 PM – Mansion House warmups
• 5:25–5:45 PM – HM warmups
• 5:25 PM – Officials briefing
• 5:40 PM – Timers briefing
• 5:50 PM – Event 1 reports to Clerk of Course
• 5:55 PM – Welcome & National Anthem
• 6:00 PM – Meet begins

Events will run in the order of freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.

Additional details will be shared after Time Trials.

Merchandise Pickup

If you ordered sweatshirts, swim caps, or car flags, all merchandise has arrived.

Michelle and Lauren will be at practice this week distributing orders. Please stop by and pick up your items.

Remind App

Throughout the season we will use Remind for weather updates, practice changes, cancellations, and other important announcements.

Join here:
https://www.remind.com/join/789ac22

NVSL Officials Needed

It's not too late to become a certified NVSL official. No experience is necessary, and training is provided.

We are also looking for an additional Head Timer to assist with Away B Meets.

Upcoming Clinics

Sunday, June 14 (8:00–10:00 AM)
• New Referee/Starter — Rolling Valley
• Referee/Starter Recertification — Crosspointe
• Referee/Starter Recertification — Sully Station II

Wednesday, June 17 (7:00–9:00 PM)
• Stroke & Turn — Hayfield Farm
• Stroke & Turn — Sleepy Hollow Recreation Association

Please note that New Referee/Starter clinics are for first-time officials only and cannot be used for recertification.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the pool this week and can't wait to kick off our first meet of the season!

Go Barracudas!

Lauren & Michelle