Dave's Notes

Welcome to the new season! We are coming off our two week break, and rolling right into our new '24-'25 short course season.

What's on the horizon?

Team Hike Saturday 8-31:

This saturday there will be a team hike - Cowles mtn (map here). This is an informal event that all families and friends are welcome to attend (dogs on a leash are allowed on the trail). We will be meeting at the base of Cowles mtn at 7:30 am this Saturday. Plan on about an hour for the event. The hike is about 3 mi round trip, and has an elevation change of about 1000 feet over the 1.5 miles up the hill. Bring water bottles.

In September - (schedule here)

Kroc center closed for Labor Day. . . and also closed in the afternoon the day after for a staff develepmont day.

There will be a SR practice the morning of 9-3 6:20-7:45 a.m. - all other groups will have both Monday and Tuesday of next week off.

Group shifting

Coach DawnElla has chosen to end her time with CAST. This presents some unexpected challenges, but rest assured, your swimmers will be well taken care of. Due to group sizes, I will be coaching both the SD and SR groups. This does not affect anyone in the novice  level and will only affect some in the AG group as we do a little shifting to accomodate change. Every season - usually at the beginning of a season - we move swimmers along from one group to another. Coach Ben, Coach Raven and I are working on who will be changing groups in September. We will be contacting you to discuss these moves in the coming week or two. If we do not come to you about moving up a level, and you think your child should be considered for this, please just ask to talk to us and we will be more than happy to discuss it.

Freestyle Festival

The first meet of the year is the annual Freestyle Festival on 9/21. This meet is freestyle events only. It is a great way for all swimmers to get a start on the season. The entry deadline is 9-10. All CAST swimmers all levels are encouraged to attend.

Beach Day

On 9-14 there will be a beach day - all CAST swimmers are invited. Where: La Jolla Shores. We will meet at the grass area near the main lifeguard tower at 8:00 am. (allow time for parking). The swimmers will have some team activites, then a beach run. Those who wish to participate in a team swim are encouraged but not required to do a team swim as well. - after that families are encouraged to stick around for a while and enjoy some time together at the beach. You can leave after the team activities (will end approx 9:15 am), or stay as long as you like.

Fall parent meeting -

Online zoom - Monday 9-16;  8-8:30 pm. - more info and zoom link will be available the week prior to the meeting.

USA swimming memberships

All swimmers on the team are required to have USA swimming memberships. For those of you who joined us in the summer, you may have registered as a "seasonal" athlete. If so, you'll need to register as with one of the annual membership options as soon as possible. For those who are year-round members already, your membership expires on 12-31-2024. Annual memberships for '25 can begin to be purchased any time after 9/1/24. FOR Swimmers who are new, or those of you who were a seasonal athlete, if you purchase your '2025 registration after Sept 1, it also covers you for the remainder of 2024 (so it's good for 16 months).

I will be double checking registrations this weekend. If your USA swimming registration was seasonal, or is inactive, I will be reaching out to you with instructions for registering.

Just for fun meets

We had such a great time with our Just-For-Fun meets this summer that we will be continuing them this fall. The first one will be on 9-18 and will include all levels, at the Kroc center. More info as we get closer.

Swim-O-Rama

We have one fundraiser every year. Our annual Swim-O-Rama is a fundraiser where swimmers see how many lengths of the pool they can swim in an hour, and seek donations from family and freinds on either a flat rate or per-length basis. The actual swimming will take place on Sept. 26th (we will have a make-up day for those who can't make that night). You will be receiving more information next week, including pledge sheets, prizes offered, etc.

This is the San Diego meet Calendar for Fall and Winter '24-'25 short course season.

Meets will be available for online sign ups shortly.

I think that's it for now.

See you at the pool.

Coach Dave