Barracudas ladies checking on their times!
The funnest management job ever.
Coach Averya getting her lanes ready for free style. Terrel enjoying the fun.
Richard giving stroke clinic tips and techniques.
SWIM MEET – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. What is a swim meet, and how many are there?
A. A swim meet is an organized competition between swim teams. In our recreational league each swim team participates in five regular season meets, each one against one other swim team (these are called dual meets), and the end-of-the-season Championship Meet that includes all teams in the league as well as competitive leagues from around the city.
Q. How is a swim meet organized, and how long does it last?
A. A swim meet consists of 86 events. For example, event 1 is the age 6 and under girls 100 yard free style relay. Individual events may have several heats (races) since there are often more kids swimming than there are lanes. In our pool, we only have six lanes, so if 9 kids are swimming in an event, there will be two heats. It usually takes about 3-4 hours to complete a swim meet.
Q. What events will my child swim in?
A. Typically, children swim in 2 or 3 of the individual races and up to 2 relays. Your child will swim in races with other children of the same gender, in the same age group. The only exception to this is when a child “swims up,” or participates in a race with older children in order to fill an empty spot. A swimmer is not allowed to “swim down” for obvious reasons. You may request a specific event by asking the coaches, but please do not request that your child be removed from an event because they are not comfortable or proficient in their strokes. Summer league is a learning league and coaches are trying to broaden your child’s horizon. Coaches will not put your child in any events that they (the coaches) feel your child is incapable of swimming.
Q. Why are they writing on my child with a permanent marker?
A. Before the meet (and BEFORE APPLYING SUNSCREEN), parents or coaches write “E”, “H” , “L” and “S” with numbers on their arm or leg, oriented to the swimmer so that they can read it themselves and know what they are swimming. These letters stand for Event, Heat, Lane and Stroke. Other artistic drawings of marlins or creative (tasteful) expressions of competition are encouraged. Don’t worry; the ink will wear off in a day or so. We have had good luck taking off excessive writing with soap, baby oil, fingernail polish remover or GoJo.
Q. Why isn’t my child swimming in a relay?
A. This is probably best explained by an example. Take the freestyle relay, for instance, in which four swimmers participate. If there are only three swimmers in your child’s age/gender group, then there are not enough to make a relay team. If there are more than four swimmers, but less than eight, then there are only enough swimmers to make one relay team. In the latter case, the swimmers with the top four individual freestyle times are chosen for the relay team.
Q. Does it matter what order the medley relay or the IM go in?
A. Yes. For the medley relay the order is back, breast, fly, then free. For individual medley it is fly, back, breast, then free.
Q. What is the bullpen?
A. At the meets, we have 2 bullpens–the team bullpen and the deck. The one where the kids hang out for most of the meet is the team bullpen area. Parent volunteers (Bullpen Wranglers) help the kids make sure they don’t miss their events. A few minutes before their race, the kids move up to the Deck Manager to call their name and line them up in the right spot. One of the biggest headaches for our Bullpen Wranglers is hunting down little Johnny who’s gone off to play, or get a snack, or go to the bathroom. Please help your child understand that they should stay in the team bullpen area during the meet so that they will not miss an event. If your child needs to leave the bullpen for any reason, they should inform the Bullpen Wrangler as to where they are going.
Q. If I notice that my child is in the wrong lane, what do I do?
A. Often there are changes at the last minute that may affect heat and lane for a child’s race. We like to combine heats whenever possible to make the meets run faster, and there may be substitutions because of absent swimmers. If you think your child is in the wrong heat or lane for his/her race, ask the Head Coach or Deck Manager. Remember that what we write on their arm prior to the meet is not the final word on a child’s heat/lane. The Deck Manager has the most current list of where the swimmer should be.
Q. What happens if it is raining; do they cancel the meet?
A. No. The meets are rarely cancelled because rescheduling is a nightmare. Please show up at the scheduled time unless you get an e-mail telling you otherwise. Thunder will delay a meet, but it will be run eventually, rain or shine. If a meet is interrupted by a thunderstorm, the swim team representatives from each team will meet and agree how to proceed. If the meet is over the half-way point, they may decide to stop and call a winner. If it looks like rain, be sure to bring umbrellas, rain slickers and extra towels for your swimmer as well as yourself.
Q. Do I have to stay for the entire meet?
A. Maybe. Our league orders events so that relays are swum at the beginning and again at the end of the meet. If your child is on a relay team that swims at the end of the meet, they must stay and swim or else that relay team cannot compete. Having a relay team member leave early is particularly disappointing to the other relay swimmers if they are planning to swim and are told at the last minute that they do not have enough swimmers to make a relay team. You are encouraged to stay and cheer on our team through the end of the meet, but younger siblings may dictate that you must leave early. Unless you prevent the competing of a relay, you will be forgiven for not staying until the bitter end.
Q. What should I feed my child at the meet?
A. That is a little tricky. There is always junk food around the meet no matter how much we try to avoid it. Consider feeding your children a healthy protein breakfast (bananas and yogurt or something like that) right before the meet and then bring or buy them something to eat during the meet. Please check with the bullpen parent if you are taking your child away from the bullpen to buy them food to make sure they will not miss their events. Also, use common sense here. Please do not feed your child right before they swim an event, especially an Individual Medley.
Q. My 5 year old is swimming against kids that have already turned 7. Why?
A. The child’s age as of June 1st is what age they are considered to be for the whole season. Kids with summer birthdays may pass this age during the season, but they stay with the age group where they started. Every age group has at least 2 years of kids, so the younger kids in each age group are at a disadvantage. Help them understand that swim team has “off years” for the children. When they are 7 it is much harder to win against 8 year olds than when they are at the top of their age bracket. Reinforce to them that they should work on their personal best times and not worry about their place in the race.
Q. What about good sportsmanship?
A. This is a great place for parents to help. Talk with your children about this issue. I am always so proud of our kids not only when I see great races where we win, but also when I see us lose and shake hands with the other team’s swimmer, telling the winner, “good race.” Please help make this important to our kids. Also, during the meets, be friendly to the other team’s parents and complimentary whenever possible. It creates a positive environment for everyone. Our most fun meets have been with teams that have this same attitude
PRACTICES
Fri. June 20th – 6:30 – 7:30
Tue. June 24th – cancelled
Wed. June 25th 5:00 – 6:00
Thur. June 26th 6:30 -7:30 make-up for June 24th
Fri. June 27th – 6:30 -7:30 
Tue. July 1st – 6:30 -7:30
Tue. July 8th – 6:30 -7:30
Fri. July 11th – 6:30 -7:30
Tue. July 15th – 6:30 -7:30
Fri. July 18th – 6:30 -7:30
Tue. July 22nd – 6:30 -7:30
Fri. July 25th – 6:30 -7:30
MEETS
Sat. June 28th – 8:00am MOCK MEET @ MURPHEY-CANDLER (arrival 7:45am)
Sat. July 5 – NO MEET
Sat. July 12th – TBD
Sat. July 19th – TBD July 28th – TBD
ROSTER
| 6 & Under | Age |
| Jocelyn Axelrod | 6 |
| Kathleen Mattison | 6 |
| Patrick Oliver | 6 |
| Logan Coppler | 5 |
| Peighton Williams | 5 |
| 7 – 9 | |
| Samantha Weiner | 7 |
| Mid McDonald | 7 |
| Nicole Adams | 7 |
| Ananda Accardi | 7 |
| Kaylee Underwood | 7 |
| Vanessa Oliver | 7 |
| Hanley Levine | 7 |
| Luke Simonsen | 7 |
| Cole Dyess | 8 |
| Ethan Mitchell | 8 |
| Kara Croone | 8 |
| Jack McLellan | 8 |
| Miles Mattison | 9 |
| 10 & Older | |
| Lane Dyess | 11 |
| Olivia Mitchell | 10 |
| Jasmine George | 11 |
All three City of Brookhaven Swimming pools are offering up free admission Saturday June 14th 10AM-1PM to kick off the Summer Fun.
Briarwood Park is forming a Swim Team and will have an information table set up where you can learn more about the upco
ming events and how to join in.
The City of Brookhaven and the Parks and Recreation Dept will be holding two identical 
and simultaneous meetings tonight, April 14th at 6:30 PM. One will be held at Briarwood Park
and the other at Oglethorpe Univ. in Lupton Hall. These meetings are for public input and will help shape the future of the Parks Master Plan and development within all of the Parks within the City.
So please come out and attend one of the meetings.
Tonight is your chance to help shape the future of our Park system !!
The Briarwood Park Conservancy will be holding its monthly meeting this coming Tuesday, April 1st at the Forest Patio Pavilion located in the center of the Park. After a brief meeting, updating recent developments and future endeavors, we will be cooking out hamburgers and hotdogs for all in attendance as well as having Ice Cream Sammies for the kids. These are great events and gives ANYONE interested in Briarwood Park Revitalization Project, a chance to meet new friends and neighbors. The Briarwood Park Conservancy has recently adopted a new logo and will be taking orders for Tee-shirts for all those interested as well !
WE HOPE TO SEE LOTS OF FRIENDS OF THE PARK BOTH NEW AND OLD ON TUESDAY, 6:30 PM UNTIL DARK !!
From the Brookhaven Reporter……………..
Arwen Coy, 9, takes a peek into the “little free library” unveiled at Briarwood Park on Jan. 16. The Cross Keys Foundation, a public charity that supports education in the Brookhaven area, was instrumental in opening the free library, which features a post-mounted, book swap unit.
Kids now have more than a new jungle gym to look forward to when they visit Briarwood Park.
On Jan. 16, officials unveiled a “little free library,” which allows kids to take a book or leave behind a book they’ve already read so someone else can read it. The Cross Keys Foundation said the Briarwood Park little library will be the first of 10 installed in parks around the city of Brookhaven.
“Today is a great beginning, not just an event,” Cross Keys Foundation President Kim Gokce said as a group of children prepared to pull a cover from the new little library.
Cross Keys Foundation President Kim Gokce, in red jacket, introduces foundation members, Brookhaven city officials, Atlanta Braves Foundation members and the Briarwood Park Conservancy to the crowd.
“What you’re about to reveal is a magic box,” Gokce said. “It’s going to provide you and your friends with an unlimited supply of quality reading material.”
The little library looks like a treasure chest, too. Cross Keys alumna and Agnes Scott College student Yehimi Cambron painted the sides of the little library with a pirate motif, including a treasure map and a dog in a pirate hat.
Gokce said he wanted to combine the idea of the little free library, most often used as a way for people to swap books, with public education. The little libraries in the parks will contain children’s books exclusively in an attempt to reach kids at the parks, where they already gather.
“We have a great deal of English language learners in our community, a lot of poverty in our community, and a lot of households where kids don’t have access to books or adults who are reading to them daily,” Gokce said.
The Cross Keys Foundation is organizing the little library program, which is being funded by a grant from the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Officials from the city of Brookhaven, the Cross Keys Foundation, the Atlanta Braves Foundation and the Briarwood Park Conservancy were on hand for the ceremony, as well as students from Cross Keys High School.
Dalia Alvarez, left, helps Edgar Remerez put up a donation sign.
Cross Keys student Kedan Endrias said she thinks the little library will be good for the community.
“It’s really good because my little sisters come here all the time,” Endrias said. “My parents always stress how important it is to get an education.”
Vina Vo, a senior at Cross Keys, said she thinks the little library is a good way to get kids excited about books.
Arwen Coy, selects a book to read from the “little library” in Briarwood Park.
“I think it’s such a good idea,” Vo said. “Our generation is so technology- oriented, and I think this is a great way to expose the younger generation to fun with books.”
The Cross Keys Foundation is collecting donations of cash and books to help keep the little libraries stocked. To contribute, email kim@crosskeysfoundation.org.
Briarwood Park and Recreation Center ....... Home of the Briarwood Barracudas ..... Briarwood Park Conservancy...... 