July 2018

Greetings from the pool deck,

It’s July and two things are happening - it’s hot outside, and championship meets are only a few weeks away. We can’t really do anything about the hot, but we are working hard to get ready for our champs meets. The first meet this month is a new one, the NT LSC 14&Under Champs. Our fastest young swimmers are just about ready to go. The following weekend is the A/BB Champs where we have several more swimmers getting ready to swim fast. The third weekend this month is a B/C meet for our newest group of swimmers. The TAGS, state meet, is the last weekend in Austin. There we will see the fastest age groupers in the country compete. Finally, on July 31st we have a group of senior swimmers going to Clearwater, FL for the ISCA Summer Senior Champs, a meet with swimmers from all over the country. It’s going to be a busy, crazy, blistering fast month!!

Following a season-ending open meet in Mansfield, we will take our annual summer break from August 6 - 20. We will return on Tuesday, August 21st. This is a great time to recharge the batteries and get ready for the short course season.

Personalized caps have just arrived that were ordered last month. These will distributed to the pool supervisors as quickly as possible. The towels were shipped a few days ago and should be at the pools to pick up in a few days. We’ll do another order in October for both of these.

We have an intra-squad meet scheduled for September 15th at GCISD, as well as a Make-a-Splash event at UTA that same day. More information will be coming soon on these events.

MARS has taken a leadership role within North Texas Swimming again, placing several new faces on the Board of Directors. Coach Suzanne was elected as the Adminstrative Vice Chair, I continue to serve as Secretary, and most importantly, we have three of our swimmers elected as Athlete Representatives - Abby Pham, Molly Henson, and Jibran Himsieh. Having athletes in governance positions is a wonderful learning experience for them, and it gives the BOD input from the athlete’s prospective. Rounding out our leadership positions within the LSC are Ryan Powell, who serves on the Diversity and Inclusion committee, and Coach Shannon who completed her term as General Chair, but continues to serve as Immediate Past Chair. All of these positions are important in that these people will have the opportunity to guide our sport for the next few years, and to make decisions that will help form the future of the sport. Well done MARSians!

Have a great rest of your summer. I look forward to seeing everyone on deck and swimming fast!

Coach Brian

Q: If my child has a short course BB time does that mean she also has a long course BB time in that event?

A: Yes, your BB times in short course will work for long course.

Also the 500 yard free BB time can be used for the 400 meter free, 1000 yard free BB time can be used for the 800 meter free, 1650 yard free BB time can be used for the 1500 meter free. Also, the meet info will usually also state this as well.

Q:With Champs meet coming up when should I buy my swimmer a tech suit and when can they use it?

A: Every coach as their own opinion on this subject. Before you spend several hundred on a tech suit, talk with your swimmer's coach. There are many physical and mental aspects on getting and using a tech suit. Your swimmer's coach has the experience and expertise to help.

Q: Why do we have to volunteer at our meets?

A: In order for us to host a successful and safe meet, we need our MARSian families to be part of every meet we host. We all lead very busy lives. However, I can promise you that your swimmer will feel even more supported seeing you as a timer, head timer, meet runner and/or working concessions or hospitality room. Everyone is good at something which means everyone has something to offer. Please be on the lookout for upcoming dates for training classes for each of our volunteer positions. ***Each person will receive volunteer points for attending the training class. ***Please Note: You will receive the points once you put that training into action at our hosted meets. In addition to the points you will receive for your volunteer work at the meet.

Q: Do the service hours start over in January?

A: Yes, service hours are per calendar year (January 1st through December 31st).

Q: How many service hours will we owe for 2018?

A: We will each owe 18 service hours for 2018 per family that have swimmers in Bronze and above groups.

Q: What is OnDeck Parent application and why do I need it?

A: OnDeck Parent is an IPhone or Android application which allows you as a swim parent to manage your MAR's account and follow your swimmer's accomplishments. See these web sites for more information about the application and download instructions. iPhone or Android

Once you download and install the application on your device you can login by filling in the following entries:

Username - Is your email address that you used to login to the MAR's (TeamUnify) web site.

Password - Is your password used to login to the MAR's (TeamUnify) web site.

Team alias - ntsmars

Q: How do I set up the SMS messaging?

A: How to set up and receive SMS from your coach's about pool updates or quick important info.

1- log-in to your account

2- Click on My Account then under the drop down click on My account again

3- Add up to two SMS number and the Carrier and click save

4- Then go to click on Not Verified and you will receive a code via text message that then you type in and hit verify.

5- Set to start getting text from the team when a pool is closed or we need to get you fast information.

Do you have a question for the MARSian parent? Email at askmarsparent@gmail.com