Columbus Aquatic Club News

In honor of our first meet of the season, we are bringing the "Thoughts from the Turn End" series to our team blog. These are our collected observations on swim life from the side of the pool during our meets. Here's a few as you kick off the season!

Hello Hurricane families, and welcome to a new swim season! We are so glad to have so many new and returning families join the Hurricane family this year! If I haven't met you yet, my name is Jen Ladson, and I am happy to serve the team as the President of the Board for the next two years. As a member-owned team, the Board of Directors is parent-elected and handles all "dry-side" related team activities, so everything from team registration to team social events (and many things in between!) Our team of coaches supervise the "wet side" of the program, so anything related to the direction of the season, season planning, training, athlete development, meets, swimmer progression, etc., is under coach purview. We will hold our annual team meeting via Zoom on Sunday, September 7 at 4 p.m. This is your opportunity to hear a little more about our team, our vision and values, and the upcoming season from both the board and our coaches. While you are marking your calendars, please take note of these upcoming dates: Monday, September 1: NO PRACTICE, CAC closed for Labor Day Sunday, September 7: Annual team meeting via Zoom, 4p Saturday, September 13: September Sprint home meet! Register your attendance on Captyn Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21: OST Fall Invite (contact your coach if you are unsure if you should attend) Our regular practice schedule and meet calendars are located on the program page - Hurricanes Year Round Team. Last-minute changes to practice schedules due to weather or pool closures will be communicated as quickly as possible and via text when possible; otherwise, please check Captyn for swim schedules. A few reminders from our host pool: Swimmer Pick-up/Drop Off : Swimmers 10 and under (Usually Cat 1-3) should be WALKED IN to their COACH no more than 15 minutes early; they should not be left at the facility alone when a coach is not present. Parents should pick them up inside the facility no more than 15 minutes after practice. They should not be dropped at the curb to walk in alone or wait alone before or after practice. If they have older siblings, the siblings may walk them to their coach. Swimmers 11-14 in Cat 1-3 may walk in alone but should not be at the facility more than 15 minutes before or after practice. This is plenty of time for them to get their gear ready before practice and put gear away/dry off/shower after practice. Parents should ensure their swimmer has a way to contact them if you are dropping off at the curb. High school swimmers and Cat 4, 5, and Senior Group may arrive earlier, if carpool and school release times require this. Coaches expect they will be on deck 10-15 minutes early to prepare gear. We believe that these experienced swimmers can be trusted to arrive earlier when needed, behave respectfully in the facility, and use their time to chat with teammates, do schoolwork or prep for practice. After practice, we expect them to depart within a reasonable amount of time. The emergency lane out front is for emergencies , there is no parking and no staying for long durations, it is allowed for swift pick up and drop off only. Vehicles should always have a driver inside for emergencies. As per USA Swim and pool rules , parents are asked to sit upstairs or on the concourse during practice. If you have a younger swimmer who needs assistance gathering equipment at the end of practice, you may come on deck after the conclusion of practice to help. I look forward to meeting and working with you all this season! See you at the pool soon! Jen