Practice starts on Monday, May 12, at the Riverbrooke Pool. We are excited for another great year of swimming. Our parent meeting will be during practice on Wednesday the 14^th in the Riverbrooke Club House.

PRACTICE

Until Memorial Day, we practice Monday – Thursday Evenings

• 7:00-7:45 – All Swimmers 10 and Under
• 7:45-8:35 – Rising 6th and Middle School Swimmers
• 8:30-9:30 – Rising 9^th through High School Swimmers

The parking lot can get crowded during the transition from 10 and Under to Middle School, so please plan ahead for that. Parents of middle school swimmers: you may want to drop your kids off and then sit on a side street for a few minutes as you wait for the parking lot to clear out.

Parents, please make sure your swimmer arrives at the pool a few minutes early so that they are ready to be in the water when practice starts. They need to come in their suit and bring a swim bag with their goggles and a towel. Swim caps are great, but not necessarily required at practice.

During practice, please let the coaches coach. There are a lot of kids in the pool, and, for safety, the coaches need to keep their eyes on the swimmers. If you need to talk to a coach, plan to do so a few minutes before or after practice. Also, it can be very distracting for swimmers if parents are talking to the swimmers during practice. Again, please let the coaches do the coaching.

Practice is a very important part of swim competition. Everyone is requested to attend the practices as often as possible, but practices are optional. The more you practice, the better you will swim.

PARENT MEETING

Our parent meeting will be in the clubhouse DURING PRACTICE on Wednesday. We will get practice started, and then try to start the meeting around 7:15. Please make every effort to attend. We will be going over the season, volunteer needs and opportunities, the meet schedule, and sponsorship opportunities.

One need/opportunity we wanted to throw out there early: we need Starters and Stroke & Turn Officials. This is a great way for newer parents to learn all of the rules and ins and outs of the sport. It is also one of the best views available to watch part of a swim meet. Moreover, we are not allowed to run meets unless we have trained officials. The training is entirely self-paced and online: watch a couple of videos, take an online quiz, and you are good to go. Please, please consider getting certified. (The training videos and quizzes are attached.)

SPIRIT WEAR

The Spirit Wear shop is open on the Thunderbolts Website for only a couple more days. Please go to https://riverbrookethunderboltsswimteamretail2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/ to get your 2025 Spirit Wear!!!