Sharks

Home of the Broadway, VA Sharks Swim Team

Author: Kanne

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Good afternoon Sharks,

Looking for a rainy day activity? Grab your markers, sharpen your pencil and create an entry for the Shark team t-shirt! Here are the details:

1) All entries are due on or before June 22. You can bring them to any practice.

2) Entries must be on plain paper 8.5″ by 11″ copy paper or cardstock is fine (PLEASE no lined paper)

3) Entries must be in no more than 2 colors.

Voting will run at practice June 23rd to June 25th. 

Orders will be taken June 26th through Friday morning practice July 3rd. With our short season, no late orders will be accepted this year.

Lanette Smith and the Sharks Board of Directors

lanettefsmith@gmail.com

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Dear Sharks,

The weather has not been kind to us this first week!  Tonight’s practice (Thursday, June 18) is currently ON. We will need to cancel if there are thunderstorms, but the air temperature is warm enough to practice. Be sure to stay for the practice (do not drop off) in case we need to cancel mid practice and send the swimmers home.  The water temperature is chilly, but will probably be warmer than the air.  The practices are currently full. (one spot available in Big Sharks 2)  If you are not going to practice, please sign out asap so someone else can sign up.  Little Sharks needs one more volunteer to be able to run.  Please sign up for this spot so we don’t need to cancel.  Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signup&urlid=9040545adae2da6f49-sharks&view=calendar

Tomorrow morning the air temperature will be in the low 60s.  Because of that combined with the cooler water temperature, we have decided to CANCEL Friday morning practice. (There is no scheduled evening practice)

Please bring payment tonight if you have not already paid and bring the signed waiver if you have not turned that in.  Swimmers who have not paid by Monday will not be allowed to practice until their payment is received.

Please see a separate email about the t-shirt contest.  Designs are due by Monday, June 22.

Go Sharks!

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Due to the water and air temperature, all three practices for tonight, Wednesday June 17th, AND tomorrow morning, Thursday June 18th, are canceled. Thank you.

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Good morning Sharks,

The sign up is available for next week!  I am sending you the “Calendar View” in Sign up genius.  You can click on each day to see that day’s practice sign up.  This should make it easier to keep track of what day you are on when signing up.

Week 2 Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signup&urlid=9040545adae2da6f49-sharks2&view=calendar

Click on “Sign Up” on the day you want to sign up.  Find your swimmer’s group and sign up for a volunteer spot and a swimmer spot. Then click “Submit and Sign Up” to put in your Swimmer’s name.  Then either click “Select Other Days” or go back to the original link and select your next day.  If you find yourself with all the days listed, scroll up to the top and find the link for “Calendar View” at the right hand side of the yellow bar.  If you prefer to see all the days at once, you can scroll up and click “List View” at the right hand side of the yellow bar.

A few points about signing up:  Please sign up for no more than 4 practices before Saturday at 7pm.  On Saturday after 7pm, you may sign up for more than 4 practices.  We want to give everyone a chance to get their first picks.  Some swimmers can ONLY swim mornings and some swimmers can ONLY swim evenings.  If your swimmer can swim either morning or evening, please wait a few days before signing up so that the swimmers who have less choice can sign up first.

If you find you cannot make it to a practice that you signed up for, please sign out asap.  This will allow others to sign up and alert the coaches to not assign you a lane.  If you remove your name from a volunteer slot, please either try to find someone in the group to take that spot, post on Facebook or let me know.  If you are looking at the sign up and notice an empty volunteer spot, please fill it.  Thank you!

There are still some spots available for this week.  Also, we need a Little Sharks parent volunteer for Thursday evening and Friday morning.  Please sign up for these positions.  Here is the calendar view for this week.

Week 1 sign ups: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signup&urlid=9040545adae2da6f49-sharks&view=calendar

Thank you to everyone for volunteering and cooperating to make this program successful!  We are currently the only swim team in the League that is practicing.  Go Broadway!  I think this clinches a first place standing this year!  We still hope to have one other team join the League so that we can have virtual meets.  If not, we will have an intersquad meet.  All virtual meets have ribbons!

I will send a reminder to those who haven’t paid yet.  Remember, payment must be received by Thursday evening or your swimmer will not be allowed to practice and will be removed from practice slots.

Go Sharks!

Beth Arnold and the Board of Directors

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Due to the water temperature and the anticipated air temperature tomorrow, all MORNING practices are cancelled.  We will make a determination on evening practices in the afternoon.

Thank you.

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Good evening Sharks,

I apologize for the harshness of the subject and this message.  But we need all volunteer positions filled by 9pm the night before the practice or the practice will need to be cancelled.  We need volunteers in position when swimmers arrive to check in.  We cannot find a volunteer during the practice.  We have 6 different practices a day and don’t have someone to monitor this.  The coaches will be busy. We need parents to be proactive and sign up ahead of time. Since parents are required to stay on the grounds during the practice, it should not be a problem finding able bodies to volunteer.  If you need to have a younger child with you when you volunteer, just check with me.  That should be fine.  I am noticing the same names signing up for volunteer positions.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

As of now, Big Sharks 2 morning practice and Little Sharks evening practice are in danger of being cancelled on Monday (tomorrow).  I will send out a notice by 9pm if practice is cancelled for the following day (including evening practices).  If you see an empty spot in your practice for the next day, be sure to check your email before leaving for practice.  Or better yet, sign up for the spot! If practice is cancelled the gate will be locked.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040545adae2da6f49-sharks

Let’s all work together to make this work! If you are practicing tomorrow, remember to bring a signed waiver and payment in an envelope (not sealed). Arrive 10 minutes before practice to check in.  The first few practices may be a little crazy as we work under these new restrictions. Information is always on our website: https://bwaysharks.com/

Go Sharks!

Beth Arnold

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Hello Sharks,

Please sign up for this week’s practices NOW.  Directions are on the sign up.  Make sure you sign the right swimmer up for the right practice.  You may sign up for 4 (out of a possible 9) practices before 7pm today.  After that, we will allow swimmers to sign up for open slots (greater than 4).  If you are flexible with when you can swim (mornings or evenings), please sign up for times when there is the most availability.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040545adae2da6f49-sharks

Volunteer Positions: Thank you to all the parents who have signed up to volunteer!  We need to have all the positions filled for each practice the day before practice starts.  Here are instructions for each position:

Check-in/Check Out Volunteer – Arrive 15 minutes before practice.  You will be given a list of swimmers to sign in.  Find their name on the list.  Check them off and give them their lane assignment (if available).  Then send them to have their temperature checked and answer the questions. Write down names of any spectators, parents, volunteers or coaches going on deck.  Make sure no more than 50 on deck at any time.  After practice, make sure swimmers connect with parents as they leave the pool. Please bring a mask and wear it while checking in or checking out people. You do not need to wear the mask when not interacting with swimmers. Bring a chair if you would like to sit and watch practice.  Watch for late comers.

Temperature and Restroom Volunteer – Arrive 15 min before practice. Scan every person who enters the pool area including coaches, volunteers, swimmers and Board members.  Temperatures of 100.4 or higher will not be allowed in the pool gates. Ask list of questions (provided).  Incorrect answers will not be allowed in the pool gate.  During practice, please sit near the restrooms and make sure there is no more than 1 swimmer in the rest room at a time. Bring your own chair.  Please bring a mask and wear it when scanning temperatures and walking (young) swimmers to the rest room. We will provide gloves for temperature scanning.  You do not need to wear mask when not interacting with swimmers. After practice, help wipe down ladders, furniture and restrooms (if used).

Social Distance Monitor Volunteer– Please arrive 10 minutes early and jump to the front of the check in line. Before practice make sure swimmers put their belongings on the ground (not on the furniture) at least 10 feet from another swimmer’s things.  Swimmers are required to stay 10 feet from each other.  You are monitoring this when they are NOT in the water.  Please ask any parents/spectators to maintain their distance.  Please bring a mask.  You do not need to wear mask when not interacting with swimmers. After practice, help wipe down ladders, furniture and restrooms (if used).

Lane Monitor Volunteer – Arrive before practice starts and jump to the front of the check in line.  During practice, stand at the opposite end of the pool from the coaches and ask swimmers to stay in the middle of their lanes, not hanging on the lane lines.  During Big Sharks 2, make sure no more than 3 swimmers are in the lane at a time. Keep an eye on the pool. Please bring a mask.  You do not need to wear mask when not interacting with swimmers. After practice, help wipe down ladders, furniture and restrooms (if used).

Please bring a signed waiver with you to the pool as well as payment – exact change or check made out to Broadway Sharks – in an envelope clearly marked with your swimmer’s name(s).  Do not seal the envelope. If you would like to pay by credit card, someone will call you.

Missed the registration deadline? We may have room for Sharks who swam last year or swimmers in the Broadway school district. Please sign up for the waiting list here: https://forms.gle/v7wo5ZX7sNPKh6Qj9

Can’t wait to see you in the pool!

Beth Arnold and the Sharks Board of Directors

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING UP FOR PRACTICES

  • To sign up for practice, follow the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040545adae2da6f49-sharks
  • Be sure you are looking at the your assigned practices and the day, time and morning or evening are correct.
  • Pick a volunteer position that you would like to sign up for and click the box that says Sign Up next to that position.
  • Find Swimmers – ‘group name’ and click the box that says Sign up.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow box that says Submit and Sign up.
  • If you don’t already have one sign up for a SignUpGenius account so that you don’t need to enter your information every time.
  • Now put Your Name into the volunteer box and the correct Swimmer Name into the Swimmer box.
  • You can sign up for one day at a time or the whole week at one time.  You can go back and correct mistakes.  If you ever can’t get back, click the first link again.

It is possible that all mornings may fill up or all evenings may fill up. If you can only swim in the morning or only swim in the evening, please sign up as soon as possible when the sign ups are released. If you are flexible with mornings or evenings, please wait a few days to see which have the most availability and select that practice for the day. We will need to work together to make this work.  We may also need to adjust this procedure as the season goes on.

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Hello Sharks!

It’s (finally) that time again! Time to get geared up for the Broadway Sharks Summer League swim season; please read through the following information to help you get ready for the 2020 Shark Season! You may utilize the team website (www.bwaysharks.com) to receive updates and review our calendar. This year swimmers must be able to swim the length of the pool to join. This is because, in order to maintain social distancing, we will not have junior coaches in the pool helping little sharks across the pool.

  1. Practices (June 15th-July 31st): Swimmers will be assigned to a practice group based on their age and ability. You will be informed of your child’s assignment by email.
  2. Schedule Monday through Friday AM: First group’s practice will start at 8:00 am and the last group’s practice will end at 10:20 am
  3. Schedule Monday through Thursday PM: The first group’s practice will start at 7:10 pm and the last group’s practice will end at  9:30 pm
  4. Pick up and Drop off: Swimmers will enter practice through the main gate and exit at the side gate. Whoever is providing transportation for your swimmer should meet your swimmer near the side gate when you see them approaching. Parents/guardian’s should not leave the immediate area (pool parking lot or park) in the event swimmers need to be dismissed, including due to weather. Only Little Sharks practice may have parents/spectators on deck.  All other practices parents/spectators must watch from outside the gates.
  5. Signing up for practices: Volunteers and swimmers will sign up for practices using Signup Genius. You can register for a FREE Sign Up Genius account to sign up your swimmer. Each Wednesday signups for the next week will open. Swimmers may initially sign up for up to 4 practices each week. On Sunday, swimmers may sign up for additional practices if openings are available. We must have parent volunteers in order to hold practice. To make it easy for you, signups for volunteers and swimmers are included in the same sign up. If you find you cannot make a practice that you signed up for, please sign OUT asap so that someone else can sign up in your spot. Practice sign up link for each week will be emailed and available on our website.
  6. Coming to practice: Please arrive to practice no more than 10 minutes before the start of practice and no later than the time of the start of practice. Please maintain proper distance in line to check in.  Come ready to swim with suit on.  All swimmers, volunteers and on-deck spectators will need to be signed in, have their temperature checked, and answer a few questions. Do not enter the pool area if you have not signed in! If you are visiting the pool before 7pm, come out and sign in before starting practice.
  7. Leaving practice: Please exit the pool immediately after practice.  You will exit through the side gate and be checked out.  Do not use the locker room to change. We have less than 10 minutes to change over from one practice to the next.
  8. Practice Cancelled Notification:We will do our best to notify you of practice cancellations as early as possible. Cancellations will be announced as an email and  text. If you did not include your cell phone number (for texts) on your child(ren)’s registration form and want to be added to the text messaging list, please email Robin Anderson at ander2rd@gmail.com

2) Meet Information: Due to COVID, if we hold meets (and we plan on holding at least 2 meets), they will be virtual meets. With virtual meets, each team swims at its own pool and times are combined electronically to determine place.

3) Annual Team T-shirt:  2020 T-shirt designs are due June 22nd; vote at Thursday night practice (June 25th) and orders due July 2nd by evening practice. Team names are on the back of the shirt. 

4) Pictures: Pictures at the pool on Thursday, June 25th – Please fill out the order form before arriving at the pool and have payment ready (check and exact cash only) to minimize the exchange of items. Order forms will be available at practice prior to photo day.

5) Fee Schedule: 1st swimmer $ 65.00, 2nd swimmer $ 55.00, 3rd swimmer & additional $ 45.00 Please note that you will need to bring exact change or a check made payable to “Broadway Sharks” (sorry, we won’t have change available at signups). Swimmers and parents must sign a waiver before their first practice.  Waiver is attached to this email.  Please print and bring to first practice. Payment and waiver must be placed in an envelope (not sealed) that is clearly marked with swimmer names. Credit card payments can be taken over the phone. Please bring payment to the first practice. All payments are due by Thursday practice on June 18th. Swimmers will not be allowed to practice without payment after this date.

6) Facebook Page: Please go and join the group and then add your Facebook friends that are also members of the Sharks. Here is the link for the Sharks Facebook page, this is a closed group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/266781596816702/ 

7) COVID-19 Guidelines: Please read and adhere to all COVID-19 guidelines in the attached document.  We risk losing our ability to practice at Broadway Pool if these guidelines are not followed.  Please set a good example for all.

8) Contact information: Our head coach is Richard Morrell (broadwayheadcoach@gmail.com). Board members include: 

Andrea Strawderman astrawderman115@yahoo.com 
Lanette Smith lanettefsmith@gmail.com 
Erica Kann kannes@jmu.edu 
Sharon Armentrout Armentrout.Sharon@va.sysco.com
Beth Arnold arnoldeaa@gmail.com 
Shawna Messerley shawna.messerley@gmail.com 
Amanda Holsinger amtoscan@vt.edu 
Tricia Johnson Tricia@altsabstracts.com 
Marissa Keagy marissa.keagy@yahoo.com 
Robin Anderson ander2rd@gmail.com 

We are always open for comments and suggestions, so feel free to contact us!

Written by:
Category: Uncategorized
Published:

Dear Sharks Families,

It is time to register for the 2020 Shark Season!  This season promises to be a season like no other!  We plan to start practices on Monday, June 15 and swim until Friday, July 31.  We will hold 3 morning practices M-F: 8:00-8:30am (12 swimmers) LITTLE SHARKS, 8:40-9:20am (18 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 1 and 9:30-10:20am (24 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 2.  We will hold 3 evening practices M-Th 7:10-7:40pm (12 swimmers) LITTLE SHARKS, 7:50-8:30pm (18 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 1, and 8:40-9:30pm (24 swimmers) BIG SHARKS 2.  Practice groups will be assigned to each swimmer after registration has closed and will depend on the age and ability ranges of the swimmers that register.

The Governor of Virginia has announced that Virginia will enter Phase 2 tomorrow, Friday, June 5.  The Broadway pool will open at 11am Friday! Due to restrictions for lap swimming and social distancing, we will need to have quite a few guidelines in place.  Phase 2 restricts gatherings to 50 people or less.  It also specifically limits lap swimming to 3 swimmers per lane with a minimum distance of 10 feet between swimmers at rest.  We have spent the last several weeks coordinating practice and season plans with our coaches.  We are very happy to report that Coach Richard will return as our Head Coach and Coach Carla will return as our Assistant Coach.  We will also have several younger experienced coaches helping on deck.

Because of the limited pool capacity, we will NOT be able to hold swim meets with other teams or even with our own team all at one time.  We CAN still have “virtual meets” where swimmers race each other in practice, times are recorded, and then we merge the times with other teams to determine placings. If Virginia moves into Phase 3 before the end of the season, we can consider other meet options.  Without the pressure of preparing for meets, we should be able to have some very concentrated practices working on stroke development and racing techniques.  And with the low swimmer/coach ratio, we hope to be able to provide very personalized feedback to the swimmers.

So how will this work? As you can see by the practice numbers, we will only be able to take a limited number of swimmers this season.  First we will require that all swimmers be able to swim the full length of the pool unassisted. (any stroke or any combination, not necessarily legal)  This is because we will not be able to have coaches in the water with the swimmers or touching them while they swim. If your swimmer can swim the length of the pool, but is rusty, use this next week to get to the pool and practice.  A swim test will be administered the first day of practice. Swim lessons will be offered at Broadway pool this summer.  See Coach Carla for more information. Next, we should be able to take all swimmers who swam with the sharks last year.  If we still have room for more swimmers we will take siblings of Sharks and new swimmers from the Broadway school district. After that, we will open up registration to all.  **You will need to register online by completing the information in the document by 9PM on Tuesday, June 9**. After that time, registration will be closed until the practice groups are set. 

Please register here: https://forms.gle/v7wo5ZX7sNPKh6Qj9

Payment will be collected the first week of practice and is due by Thursday, June 18.  Cost is $65 for the first swimmer, $55 for the second and $45 for each additional swimmer from the same immediate family. After registration has closed on Tuesday, the coaches will assign the swimmers to practice groups based on age and ability. We will then have a practice sign up online on SignUpGenius (the same program we used for volunteers).  Swimmers will sign up for either 3 or 4 practices for the week (to give all the opportunity to sign up) by Sunday at noon.  After that, signups will be open for swimmers to sign up for more practices.  Each swimmer can sign up only in his/her assigned practice group sessions.  After the first week, we will make sign ups available by Wednesday for the following week with a deadline of Saturday at 7pm for the limited number of practices.  After that, we will open up the sign ups until the end of the week.  Swimmers will have to be courteous and take their name off of the sign up if they find they cannot swim so that others have a chance to swim in their spot. (See, I told you this would be a season like no other!). More specific details on sign ups will come after registration has closed and swimmers are assigned to groups.

Finally, using CDC, USA Swimming and the Governor’s guidelines, we have established a set of Broadway Sharks COVID-19 Practice Guidelines.  The guidelines are attached to this email.  They are still a work in progress.  We were hoping the Governor would outline his Youth Sports policies for Phase 2 at today’s briefing, but he did not.  So these guidelines may be modified prior to the start of the season. In particular, we may relax the mask and temperature screening guidelines.  We realize these rules may seem too restrictive for some people and too lax for others.  We will do our best to comply with state and national guidelines and still provide a meaningful and safe summer swim experience for your children. If you are uncomfortable with any of these guidelines, you may want to wait to register until we have the final guidelines in place.  Keep in mind that these guidelines may change throughout the season. We have started very conservatively. If your swimmer or anyone in your household is considered high-risk for COVID-19, we recommend that you sit this season out. 

We will need a lot of help with at least 3-5 parent volunteers on deck at each practice to help with these guidelines. Sign ups for parent volunteers will take place at the same time as the weekly swimmer sign ups. Volunteering for parents will be expected, as practices will not be able to run without enough volunteers.  

We would like to thank the Broadway pool and the town of Broadway for working with us to make this swim season happen.  We would also like to thank the coaches and the Board members for working together to create this possibility.  Finally, we would like to thank the parents for working with us, setting a good example by following the guidelines, volunteering to help and for giving their swimmers the opportunity to swim this summer.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I will try my best to answer them.

Don’t forget to register asap.  https://forms.gle/v7wo5ZX7sNPKh6Qj9

Stay safe and healthy.  Go Sharks!

Beth Arnold and the Sharks Board of Directors

*If you would like to be removed from this email list, please reply with REMOVE*

Sharks