Hello, everyone!

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things (which may or may not be new to you) since the end of the season is fast approaching. Conferences are coming which means that it is very important that swimmers try to make it to every practice in the upcoming weeks. We want to make sure that they are in the water and ready to swim their fastest for the last meet of the season. Practice is an important part of getting faster, giving us more time to fix strokes, work on different techniques, and, especially for the older kids, increase endurance.

If your swimmers are missing more than a few days due to vacation or other sports/activities, please inform the coaches as soon as possible.

As for Conferences, I am sure that you aware that B Conference is Saturday, July 16th at Hanover Park and A Conference is Saturday, July 23rd at Glendale Heights. Each swimmer will only swim at one conference depending on certain choices made by coaches and by the swimmer's times.

There is a significant difference between the goals of both conferences. In B Conference, swimmers are essentially racing against their own times, rather than for points or simply to win the competition. Each swimmer can help gain points for the team by beating his or her own time. Since it is an individually focused meet, there are no relays, but instead multiple heats of each event in order for each swimmer to swim the maximum numbers of events. The events that your child/children will swim are chosen by us, the coaches. For swimmers attending B Conference, practice the week of July 25th is optional.

As for A Conference, this meet is primarily based on points. Swimmers are racing against other swimmers in order to win the heat/event. It is still important for them to beat their times, however, there is the added bonus of placing in an event to earn the team points. For this meet, the top two swimmers with the fastest times in their age group are chosen to swim. Some swimmers will be swimming in both relays and individual events at the maximum number, while others may only be swimming in individual races for two or three events. Swimmers are chosen according to two key principles- 90 percent is based on times, while the other 10 percent is based on practice attitude (which includes attendance, performance, and behavior). All of this is assessed by the coaches.

The unfortunate downside to A Conference is that we cannot take everyone. Because it is based on the fastest time system, swimmers who cannot attend B Conference and do not have one of the fastest times for an event in A Conference will not be able to swim in A Conference. It is very disappointing for all, swimmers, parents, and coaches alike. If this is an issue for you or your swimmer, please come talk to us. Swimmers will find out this week which conference they will be placed in.

Both of these meets are very important for the team, as both will determine 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th place in the DuPage Swim and Dive Conference White Division. With that said, it is very important that your swimmer(s) in the upcoming weeks remain as healthy as possible. Sickness (and swimmer's ear) is the last thing that any of us want, so it is important that swimmers eat healthy foods, get a decent amount of sleep, use drying drops to get water out of ears, and attend practice to keep in shape.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact the coaches or Board members. Thank you and I hope we have a great end to this wonderful season!

Upcoming events – all can be found on team website calendar

Wednesday, July 13^th Last regular season swim meet and Senior Night

Thursday, July 14^th TP night

Saturday, July 16^th B Conference

Saturday, July 23^rd A Conference and Banquet