We had a great first practice. It was great to see so many kids in the water and so many parents at the meeting.

Here is the info shared at the parent meeting as well as some follow-up information:

FOX Friends: Each season, we pair younger swimmers with older swimmers as a way to build encouraging relationships within our team. The older Fox Friend should take responsibility to get to know their younger friend and to cheer for them during the meets. It is customary for both to trade a small token (piece of candy, note or picture, etc) during the meets as well, however verbal encouragement is more important than gift giving. Here is the Fox Friends List:

Coaches: If you haven’t had a chance to meet the coaches, you can read about them on our website here. The coaches prefer communication by text. However, they will not respond during practice. Additionally, they are available for after hours lessons for anyone who is interested in working on basic strokes or even improvement on technique. Here are their phone numbers and rates for lessons:

• Kyle Bradley (864-884-6480) $30/30 min
• Sam Wingard (864-361-0968) $25/30 min
• Clara Mozingo (864-553-9278) $25/30 min
• Ella Rollins (864-517-4260) $25/30 min

Board Members: We are thankful for all the volunteers who work throughout the year to keep summer swimming competitive and fun for our neighborhood! A list of our current board members can be found here. Any of them would love to talk to you about the Swim Team or how you can become more involved with the team and board.

Team Size: We have a total of 121 Swimmers (95 Competitive Swim Team and 26 Fish) from 54 families. We have lots of new families this year! Each new family has been paired with a current swim family. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions. The first meet will seem overwhelming, but thankfully it will be a virtual meet here at home, which will be a nice way to ease into the season.

Volunteering: We are still a relatively small SAIL team, and need lots of parent volunteers to run the meets. Please see the email sent Sunday from our Volunteer coordinator, Kelly Keever (864-354-7561 or  [email protected]). We use Swimtopia to sign up for volunteering during the meets, however Kelly will assign your position. We need all parents to complete the online training for Timer and Runner ASAP.

Covid protocol: We are still working on safety measures for the season. While we are in a much better spot this year as compared to last year, we will maintain some protocols implemented last season. We will continue to space out the kids during the swim meets (as opposed to having all swimmers crowd under one tent) and limit spectators on the pool deck. More to come!

Sponsorship: Our sponsors make it possible for us to meet our budget without asking families to spend extra time fundraising. Please thank our sponsors when you see them. All of our sponsors are listed on Swimtopia here, on the back of our swimmers’ T-shirts, and on a banner that will be hung at the pool for the season. 

Calendar of Events: All Meets and Events are listed on Swimtopia. We utilize both the built in calendar within Swimtopia to RSVP for meets and events as well as an embedded Google Calendar. You can view or subscribe to the Google Calendar here.

Weather Information will be sent as a group text. Most decisions are made as close to practice time as possible if it appears there may be an opportunity to practice. Please sign up for Remind app if you have not yet done so. Text @foxswims to 81010.

Foxwear: For all those who ordered caps and suits, the order has been placed and everything will be shipped directly to Erin Chilton. We will pass out suits, caps, and T-shirts as soon as they arrive

Ear Drops: Remember to use ear drops for your swimmers to prevent swimmer's ear. We have more information on our Resources Tab.

Swimtopia App: Now is the time to go ahead and download the Swimtopia App to your phone. There is a free or pro version. The free version will show your child’s events and your volunteer positions. The pro version will also allow you to see scores live during the meets, get alerts of when your swimmer's event is coming up, etc.