Nationals 2010


Overview

This year the annual Sunkissed Junior Senior Championship will again be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. The dates are March 25-28, 2010.

The list of those swimmers who have qualified is here. If you feel you have qualified for this event and your name is not listed, please contact Marc Weingarten. The qualifying times are here. A swimmer needs only to qualify in one event to attend the event, 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.

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 Tuesday, January 26, 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.

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, March 25. At the conclusion of the meet on Sunday, March 28, 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 (March 29).

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, work as halls monitors both during the day and evenings, as well as saving seats in the Natatorium.

Swimsuits

Speedo will be replacing its style FS PRO with a suit called the LZR PRO, making the FS PRO obsolete. This means Ultimate has some stock left in the FS PRO suits at this time but the stock and sizes are limited. They will do their best to fill our orders. You should contact them to find out about sizes. Ultimate's suggestion is to purchase one of the other suits.

Speedo can't guarantee that the LZR PRO will be available before May, although they are working on producing it sooner. If you are willing to wait, Ultimate will fill your order with the LZR PRO. This is an excellent offer, if you want to use the suit for the following year. Please email Joan with questions.

If you can't get the FSPRO at Ultimate, you may want to try www.swimoutlet.com. While not as competitive, they sell limited sizes at a discount price. You may purchase blue or black.

Again, you are NOT required to purchase any suits but these types of swimsuits are an upgrade from our regular team suits.

Expenses

The following are the 2010 costs:

Expenses for swimmers: $775

Expenses for parents: $300 per parent (single parents requesting a single room, $600)

The following are included in the above expenses for the swimmers:

Hotel room
Pool use fee
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

We ask that parents who will not be coming down with a spouse try to and 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. The fee also includes provisions for the Hospitality Suite. 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.

Swimsuit and caps expenses:

Girls' swimsuits: $100 - $140
Boys' swimsuits: $100 - $125
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 will be provided for all swimmers and coaches by a catering service each morning. It is not mandatory for swimmers to attend breakfast, they can bring food from home and in their rooms. The hotel does NOT provide refrigerators. Once the swimmers have left for the Natatorium, parents will be able to enjoy any food left over.

Lunch : Swimmers are responsible for their own lunch. There are many restaurants and shops within walking distance. Parents may also take their children out but must have them back at the hotel at the assigned time. We have added a team lunch for Sunday that will be provided for by the caterer.

Dinner will be provided by a catering service. Swimmers attend dinner together as a tema every evening after each session.

Miscellaneous apparel

Parents and swimmers will have the opportunity to order additional National Team apparel . 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. The first day of National Team practice is Wednesday, January 27. Also, the most intensive and important week of training will be held from Sunday March 7 - Saturday March 14. All of these practices are mandatory. The coaches have a very structured two month training program planned, and disruption to the practice cycle can hurt a swimmer's performance at Nationals. Only a limited number of absences will be accepted without jeopardizing one's place on the team.

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 mandatory parents meeting at 11:00 AM on Sunday, January 31 at NB (during practice). 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 (note that not all forms are currently available - this section will be updated as the forms become ready). 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. Expenses Statement (Minimum 50% Deposit)
  4. Banquet Attendance Form
  5. Banquet Order Form
  6. Mandatory T-Shirt Order Form
  7. Optional Apparel Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  8. Boys Swimsuit, Cap, Warmup and Backpack Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  9. Girls Swimsuit, Cap, Warmup and Backpack Order Form (Full Payment Required)
  10. Fly / Drive / Cell Phone List
  11. Parental Consent Form
  12. Dilworth's Dinner Form (Full Payment Required)

Links

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