January Thaw A Big Success; Onward to Cape

Our club hosted a fine meet this weekend.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made it possible.

From the Head Timer perspective, things have never run smoother (except that the doggone strobe went on the fritz). Thanks to generous help from members of the water polo team and our senior team and older AGD swimmers, as well as Masters swimmers, parents, and a few old-timers, we relied less on parents from other teams for timing than in any meet I can recall.

All the kids gave it their best, and for quite a few I believe it was their first meet. With a little luck, I'll be posting some photos from the meet to this site soon.

Onward to Cape

While we hoped for greater interest in the Cape meet, I know those of us going will have a great time. The timing was unfortunate; maybe two weekends in a row of swim meets is too much for some people (hard to imagine).

But I would like to make the point to the new families that the Cape meet has traditionally been a special time for everyone, and we'd really like you to join us next year. Being away overnight means we all hang out together and get to know each other better, and the kids get to be in a hotel pool just splashing around for fun (after being in a pool all day, go figure, they just love the water). Personally, I'm looking forward to watching races with many more lanes running at a time (it's a much bigger pool) and eating at the Chinese buffet!

January Thaw timers and other volunteers still needed; timer list posted

Thanks to all who have already volunteered to help time.

I've uploaded a list of all who have signed up. Please verify I have you in the correct time slot. Click here to see the list.

There are still many openings in all sessions. To volunteer, call George Lenard at 721-8526 or email georgeL314@charter.net.

January Thaw Help Wanted; Cape Meet Room Reservation Deadline

Cape meet, February 4-6

Tomorrow, January 21, is the last day to make a room reservation at Drury Inn for this meet.

January Thaw, January 29-30

This is coming upon us rapidly.

We are hosting this meet at our own Natatorium. All parents must volunteer to help, or else pay a $25.00 fine per session per the Parent Agreement.

If you have not already volunteered, please contact George Lenard at georgel314@charter.net or 314-721-8526 if you are willing to help with timing, or Charlee McBride at cusoon61@yahoo.com or 314-427-3605 for all other tasks.

Senior swimmers are strongly encouraged to help as well.

Key meet facts:

Saturday & Sunday morning sessions
10 & under, 8 & under
Warm up: 9:00 am
Start: 10:00am

Saturday & Sunday afternoon sessions
11-12, 13-14 only
Warm up: 12:00pm
Start: 1:00pm

Full details of the meet are available at this page of the Ozark website.

Mock Meet Next Thursday: Don't Miss It

Next Thursday at 6:00 PM, as we gear up for the January Thaw, we will have a mock meet, with our swimmers racing each other.

Don't miss this great opportunity to get in the mood for a great meet! This should be especially valuable to our newer swimmers, who have not been in many (or any) meets.

Reserve Rooms For Cape Now!

This just in from Karen Drake, our travel planner extraordinaire:

Happy New Year everyone. The Cape meet is Feb. 4-6 and I've reserved a block of 2-room suites at the Drury Inn (Cape). Please contact the hotel, say you're w/the University City Swim Club, use a credit card to reserve your room. There are 12 rooms available.

For more Information:

Hotel Confirmation Agreement (Note the price of $96.00. These are two-room suites, so they should be sufficient to house at least four.)

Cover Letter describing amenities, etc. ("Dear Ms. Drake: It sounds like you are planning a great event for the U-City Swim Club. The Drury Suites Cape Girardeau is looking forward to providing your group with first-class service and a value that can’t be beat.")