Happy Wednesday, Stingrays.

What a change in weather from last week.  Perfect for a swim meet tomorrow night.  The Stingrays will be traveling to the home of the Hurricanes at the Hills of Walden.  Below are a few announcements to keep in mind as you prepare for the meet as well as the address for the pool.

***Hills of Walden Clubhouse - The address is 5858 N. Polk, Kansas City, MO 64151*** (NOTE: There has been quite a bit of construction around their pool in the past couple of years. If you’re using a navigation system to find the pool, stick with the one on your phone, not in your car, because there are some new roads.)

Warm Ups: New Mark swimmers can warm up between 5:15 pm and 5:45 pm. Plan to arrive by 5:00pm.

Parking: Both parking lots by the clubhouse are available for parking, but fill up quickly. Parking is also available on the streets of the neighborhood. There are signs posted where parking is not allowed, and parking is not allowed in the parking lot of the townhomes across the street from the pool.

Concessions: Please plan to enjoy concessions at the pool! They will have delicious food available for dinner (including their famous walking tacos), so don’t worry about packing dinner for your family! Here is a link to their concessions menu for your reference! They accept cash or Venmo payments.

Crash Area: Visiting team crash area is at the north end of the pool, in the grassy area near the tennis courts. There should be plenty of room for all of our families! There is some shade there, but some tree removal has happened lately, so you may want to bring some shade tents. You will be able to hear the announcer calling events to clerk of the course from this area, and our orange events board will be visible from this area as well.

***Spectators: Parent spectators are not allowed on the pool deck. The west side of the pool deck will be clear of furniture and swimmers and a spectator area will be marked off outside of the pool deck with a clear view of the pool. Please be courteous in this area, allowing parents who have children in the current heat to get to the front to see their children swim. When your child has finished swimming, please exit the spectator area to make space for the next parents. This allows a chance for everyone to see their child!

Clerk of the Course: The Clerk of the Course area is inside the fence under the red tent. It is run by veteran parents who keep things very organized! They ask that parents drop their swimmers at the pool gate to go to the Clerk of the Course, and then head to the spectator area to watch the races. No parent spectators are allowed on the pool deck. This clears up congestion and ensures that each child makes it to their event on time! Please encourage your 8 & under and 9-10 families to write their swimmer’s name on their back (shoulder area) to help the Clerk of the Course identify swimmers and get them to the right place!

Other Notes:

• They have two pools within their fence. The north pool (with the diving board) is closed during meets. No one may be in that pool for any reason!
• They ask that swimmers NOT play on the playground to avoid injury during the meet!
• Heat sheets are available for purchase at the concession stand for $1.00. The meet will be seeded and available in the Swimtopia app as well.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the coaches or the board.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!