Hello, Burke Station families…we hope you’re all having a great Sunday!

It was fantastic to see so many of you at time trials yesterday! Despite a few iffy rumbles of thunder, we were able to speed through time trials and came away with some great times in the pool! Yesterday’s times combined with those from tomorrow’s B Meet will set the stage for our first A meet next Saturday. We’ll also get to see the time drops as the kids are in the pool every day and really come into their own during the season.

We have a busy week ahead with our first B and A meets, afternoon and morning practices, and a pep rally, so we’re giving you all you need to know below.

Monday, June 9: B Meet - at Parliament

• The first meet of the season will be with our friends from Parliament Pool
  • 8510 Parliament Drive, Springfield, VA 220151
• Parking
  • Parking is available in the lot at the pool. Overflow parking is available in the streets near the pool.
• Please arrive at 5:00 pm so swimmers are ready to start warmups at 5:20 pm.
• Team area
  • The team will be located in the baby pool area. Bring chairs for your swimmers.
• The meet will start at 6:00 pm
  • Order of meet is Freestyle, Backstroke, IM, Breaststroke, Butterfly
• Concessions will be available
  • Menu: grilled food (hamburgers and hot dogs), pre-packaged hot and cold food, snacks (chips, candy, etc.), and a variety of drinks
  • Payments accepted: Cash, check, and credit cards
• Spectator seating
  • There is limited on-deck seating at Parliament. We recommend bringing your own chairs for sitting on the deck or up on the hill.
• What to pack?
  • Goggles, towels, and extra shirts/pants in case it gets a little chilly
  • Water bottles and snacks
  • Chairs
  • Bug spray
• Team Reps will communicate any weather delay information via Swimtopia Alerts
  • Parliament inclement weather policy: All attendees will need to leave the deck until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder. We suggest shelter in cars.
• We hope to be done by 9:00 pm, but sometimes our B Meets (especially those early in the season) can run a little long.
• All Swimmers must be declared by Monday morning at 9:00 am
  • Swimmers can swim any two strokes of their choice, plus IM
  • Freestyle and Backstroke are almost always the two best options for newer swimmers. You must be legal (or close to legal) in all four strokes before swimming IM.
  • Instructions for declaring your swimmer is available on the website
• Volunteers - Thanks to all that have signed up! If you can’t fulfill your commitment for any reason, please email the Reps so we can find a replacement.
  • Please remember to wear a white top and dark (navy/black) bottoms
  • Rain gear can be any color

Friday, June 13: Friday Breakfast and Pep Rally

• This Friday morning is the return of our traditional BKS Friday morning breakfasts!
  • Thank you so much to all of you who have signed up to provide food or drink to our swimmers this Friday!
  • There is one remaining slot (13 & Over juice/drink boxes). If you’d like to help with that, you can sign up here.
• Pep Rally at Bowl America/Bowlero Burke!
  • Sign-up link is here on SwimTopia
  • Our pep rally activities are for swim team members only. Parents and other family members are more than welcome to come and bowl, eat, and drink on their own, but RSVPs and payments are for swimmers only.
  • Please RSVP by Tuesday, June 10 so we can confirm lanes!

Saturday, June 14: A Meet at Rolling Forest

• All swimmers must be declared as Attending or Not Attending by 5:00 pm on Tuesday
  • If your swimmer(s) will not be available, please list them as Not Attending in SwimTopia
  • Coaches will set the lineup on Wednesday afternoon. If your swimmer is not declared, the coaches will assume they are not available and the swimmer will not be considered for this meet.
  • Swimmers will be notified at Thursday morning practice if they were selected for the meet on Saturday
  • An email with more details will be coming out later this week

MORNING practices start on Thursday! Please enter through the side gate.

• 10 & Under and Transition Group: 7:45 am - 8:30 am
• 11-12s: 8:30 am - 9:30 am
• 13+: 9:30 am-10:30 am

We’ve got a busy week ahead, so we apologize for dumping so much info on you! We’ll be communicating regularly now that the season is in full swing, but please reach out or track us down if you have any questions at any time!

- Deirdre, Mike, and Matt