Despite all of the things that are learned and experienced at a normal summer
club dual meet, very little compares to the excitement and caliber of swimming
that occurs at prelims and finals. This year, the prelims will occur from July
6-11. As a coaching staff, we will be signing up ALL swimmers who are in town
to participate in this meet because we believe it to be a phenomenal swimming
experience. It is not necessarily about times or speed, but about getting to
swim in the type of meet where there are dozens of different teams
participating; the energy of such a meet is really difficult to describe unless
you have attended one and is an opportunity in which every Piranha swimmer
should participate.
The coaches will be gathering entries beginning
Monday of next week. When it comes to prelims, we will allow (for the most
part) swimmers to choose their own events. Having said that, keep in mind that
for certain age-groups and genders, some of the least desirable events offer
more opportunity (for instance, a 13-14 boy swimming IM almost always qualifies
for the finals). Feel free to ask coaches for more details if you are unclear
of what your child should swim.
At the prelims, each age-group occurs on
a different day (consult your Piranha handbook for specific dates). If a
swimmer qualifies in the top 16 based on time from all the entries, then he/she
is invited to attend finals on the 11th of July.
As with all meets, EVERY
swimmer is essential to a successful meet because the coaches will be putting
together relays and depending on every person to be there and be on time unless
we know far ahead of time the swimmer will not participate. Even if you think
that there is no way your swimmer will qualify, it is always surprising how many
relays are admitted and every parent should be prepared to possibly attend the
meet on the 11th.
In short, all swimmers should plan on
attending prelims and all swimmers should pl an on attending finals. Block
these days off in your calendar! They are extremely
important!
Please feel free to email or chat with coaches and
team parents if you have any further questions. We are very excited to be
moving into this part of the season; it is very much a culminating event to a
very fast, jam-packed season.