Hi everyone! We are in full-time prep mode for this season -- did you know the Mustangs have a team of 23 coordinators all hard at work planning the FUN!

A couple of quick updates for you:

Championships Date Change for 11 & Up Swimmers

Championships for our older swimmers has been moved to Friday, July 12 with a tentative 4:30pm start at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center.  Our 10 & Under swimmers will still compete on Saturday, July 13 with a 10am start time. Warm-ups for both sessions typically begin 90 minutes before the meet.  ALL SWIMMERS should plan to attend Champs! (You don't have to qualify...all are welcome and it's such an exciting way to wrap up the season.)

We know this date change is a little bit of a bummer for families with kids in both age groups.  The alternative was actually worse -- Shawnee Mission has mandated a 2.5 hour break between sessions for large meets like ours due to water chemistry issues.  This would have had many of us with kids in both age groups there for a 15-hour day on Saturday, which felt too long and not ideal for kids who need to be at their best to swim!

Volunteer Sign-Up Opens May 15!

We are opening volunteer spots for the entire season on Wednesday, May 15 @ 8pm. They will close Wednesday, May 17 @ 8pm.

As in past years, each family is required to sign up for six volunteer credits. Some jobs are worth one credit, some two – based on the amount of time required and the difficulty of the job. Jobs for all meets will open at 8pm on May 15. There are PLENTY of spots for everyone – we will let parents choose first, then fill in the remaining spots with college kids that we use volunteer buyout money to hire.

The volunteer sign-up will remain open until Friday, May 17 at 8pm – after that, it will close for the season so that we may fill the remaining open positions with college kids. If, after May 17, you find that something you signed up for does not work, you will need to make arrangements to switch with someone or send a replacement. (A replacement can be a relative, friend, babysitter, neighbor that you pay a few bucks...) We are not responsible for filling your spot should you decide to change/cancel. If you do not show for a shift you signed up for, your swimmer(s) will not be eligible to swim at champs or register for the Mustangs in subsequent seasons. There will not be any exceptions to this rule.

Our apologies for being so strict on the cancellation policy – we were more lenient back in the early days of Mustangs and the no shows/cancels were a problem, so we really do have to be strict about it. Thank you for understanding!

Sample Volunteer Sign-Up

For those of you new to all of this, if you would like to take a look at a sample sign-up (and even practice signing up and cancelling), we have a meet called ‘VOLUNTEER PRACTICE SIGNUP’ on our website that looks just like a real meet. It has all possible volunteer jobs listed. Feel free to read and play around there – you can’t mess anything up as it’s not a real meet! You can review a list of all volunteer jobs and reach out before 5/15 if you have any questions.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 15 at 8pm!

Bystander (Hands-only) CPR & AED Training

All of our swimmers will be doing a short Bystander CPR and AED Training on Friday, May 31 after their practices (but before their pancake breakfast!). You are welcome to come listen/participate with your swimmer!

We are hoping ALL Mustang families will plan to participate in one of the following bystander training sessions at the pool.  Sessions are only 15 minutes long.  With the drowning at the Mills Farm pool last summer, we really want all of our Mustang families and swimmers trained in these lifesaving techniques!

Stop by the pool any time within the windows below for a 15-minute session.  Kids are welcome (the staff motto is "If you can walk and talk, you can be trained!)

• Friday, May 24, 1-4 pm
• Saturday, May 25, 10am-1pm
• Saturday, June 1, 1-4pm

If you would like to be fully certified in CPR and AED, you can also sign up for one of these sessions:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4AACA82DA3F5C...

Reach out if you have any questions...practice starts 3 weeks from today!!

-Lindsay

Important Links:

Practice Schedule

Swim Lesson Info

Mustang and League Records (for those swimmers who want to break them!)