Nationals 2008


Overview

Welcome to the 2007/2008 Raritan Valley Riptide swim season. This year the annual YWCA Junior/Senior Nationals Championship Meet will again be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The dates are April 3-6, 2008.

We need to know if you are planning to attend this year's event. It is important for you to complete this online form by Sunday Feb 10, so we can begin coordinating the logistics of our trip.

The Blake Hotel is where the team will be staying, as we have done in previous years. It is conveniently located directly across the street from the natatorium.

The qualifying times are here (the document says 2007, but the times have not changed for 2008). A swimmer needs only to qualify in one event to go to Nationals; however, once there, he/she may swim up to 6 events plus relays (coaches decide who swims relays). For further information on the team sponsoring this meet you can go to the Team Charlotte website.

While the coaches, many parents and swimmers fly to Nationals, just as many drive. Flight arrangements must be made on your own. We have found we can get good rates online and parents tend to keep each other informed of those rates. Whether you fly or drive, the most important thing to remember is that all swimmers must be at the hotel and ready to swim by 3 pm on Thursday, April 3. At the conclusion of the meet on Sunday, April 6, our annual National Team Banquet will be held. The banquet is open to all swimmers, parents and siblings. For this reason, most of us will not be leaving for home until Monday morning (April 7).

This is a true group effort. Please note that all parents will be given assignments both before and once down in Charlotte. All parents will time, plus we need halls patrolled both during the day and evenings, as well as assistance with dinners, etc.

Expenses

The following are the 2008 costs (these are last year's costs and we aren't anticipating any changes, but if there are any, they won't be much).

Expenses for swimmers: $700

Expenses for parents: $600

We ask that parents who will not be coming down with a spouse try to share a room with another parent since we are assigned a limited number of rooms. Requests will be taken on a first come first served basis for individual rooms. Please note that the cost of the room is more than the actual room rate because several other costs are included as well, including the Parents Meeting Room. This is where we will meet, relax, discuss the days events, and pick up information on the following: timing assignments, seat saving schedule, team roster and room assignment list for the hall monitors, and any other info we need to get out to the parents. The following are included in the above expenses:

Hotel room
Parents' Meeting Room
Pool use fee (MCC and NBTHS)
Swimmers' breakfast for Fri/Sat/Sun
Swimmers' lunch for Sunday
Swimmers' dinner for Thu/Fri/Sat
Banquet dinner on Sunday
Mandatory T-shirts
Team Day
Pizza Party
Coaches' expenses
Swimmers' entry fees

Swimsuit and caps expenses:

Girls' swimsuits: $85 - $140
Boys' swimsuits: $75 - $100
Two Team Caps: $15-$23 (the team pays for one cap, additional caps may be purchased in sets of twos)

We are always looking for ways to help defray our costs. If anyone is interested in working on fundraising for Nationals, or if you know someone who would be interested in sponsoring our National Team please let us know.

Meals

Breakfast: The hotel will provide a complimentary breakfast intended for SWIMMERS ONLY, however, parents have been able to come down after the swimmers have left for the natatorium. We are working on this year's menu. In the past it included juice, fruit, danish and bagels. Should a swimmer want anything else they may bring it with them.

Lunch: Swimmers are responsible for their own lunch (bring healthy snacks). We have added a team lunch for Sunday.

Dinner: Swimmers attend dinner together every evening after the meet. The hotel will assign a room once we are there.

Miscellaneous apparel

Parents and swimmers will have the opportunity to order additional National Team apparel in late February/early March. In the past, items such as the following have been included: golf shirts, T-shirts, jackets, warm-up suits, shorts, swim bags, etc.

Practices

Please note that Nationals practices are more rigorous than regular season practices. Practice times vary. See the practice schedule for exact times.

We also have one week before tapering that is even more intensive.

The first day of National Team practice is Monday, February 11.

Transportation

If you decide to drive, there are two popular ways to get from NJ to Charlotte. Talk to other parents for their opinions. One is to take I-95 south into Virginia, then I-85 south to Charlotte. The other is to go west on I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) into Harrisburg PA, then south on I-81 into Virginia, and finally I-77 south to Charlotte. Either way, be prepared for at least 12 hours of driving, depending on traffic. One option is to get an early afternoon start on Wednesday afternoon, take the second route mentioned above, and sleep over in Roanoke, VA or even Jonesville or Elkin, NC. There are a number of reasonably priced hotels right off the interstate highway.

If you decide to fly, and need transportation from the Charlotte Airport to the Blake Hotel, we recommend you call Queens Transportation ahead of time and schedule the drive with them. If you are traveling with others, call as a group - you may get a group discount. Queens Transportation can be reached at 704-752-9858.

Forms

A number of forms must be completed and brought to the parents meeting (date and time TBA). To help you get organized, here is a checklist of all forms to be completed. Please take the time to complete these forms ahead of time, reading the directions carefully on each form. Some require checks to be submitted. Multiple checks are required. Any questions? Contact Marc Weingarten or Margie Zavoda.

  1. Swimmers Roommate Request Form
  2. Parent Roommate Request Form
  3. National Team Expenses Statement (Minimum 50% Deposit)
  4. National Team Banquet Attendance Form
  5. Mandatory T-Shirt Order Form
  6. Optional Apparel Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  7. Warmup and Backpack Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  8. Ultimate Swimsuit and Cap Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  9. Fly / Drive / Cell Phone List
  10. Parental Consent Form
  11. Frankies Dinner Form (Full Payment Required)

Personal Ads

Team Charlotte is offering all swimmers, families, and clubs the opportunity to purchase personal ads for the SunKissed Invitational swim program. If you are interested, info is here.

Links

Questions?

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