Team Reps and Head Coaches,

It is hard to believe that City Meet is less than a week away! Thank you for everything that you continue to do for your teams and for helping us all make City Meet a success. As always, we appreciate your help in securing Heat Sheet ads. With rising costs, you are playing an integral part in helping us keep swimmer registration fees down this year. We appreciate all of you!

I encourage you to remind all of your families to refer to the GKAISA 2024 City Meet tab on the website to find continued updated meet information throughout the next week.

GKAISA CHAMPIONSHIP MEET DETAILS

City Meet will take place Thursday, July 11 through Saturday, July 13. The daily schedule can be found on the GKAISA website.

• Thursday, July 11: Preliminaries for swimmers 10-Under. Warm-ups will begin at 1:00 pm, with a meet start time of 3:00 pm.
• Friday, July 12: Preliminaries for swimmers 11-Up. Warm-ups will begin at 7:00 am, with a meet start time of 9:00 am.
• Saturday, July 13: Finals. Warm-ups will begin at 7:00 am, with a start time of 9:00 am.

Additional details may be found in the Meet Invitation, which is under the City Meet tab on the GKAISA website.

HOSPITALITY

As a reminder, we will NOT be providing hospitality this year.

Team reps, please be sure that your team and coaches have plans for lunch, snacks, and especially hydration.

NATIONAL ANTHEM, INVOCATION AND TOP QUALIFIER MUSIC

WE NEED YOU!! Please encourage your multi-talented athletes to audition to perform the National Anthem or deliver the invocation. National Anthem information can be found on the GKAISA 2024 City Meet tab. National Anthem Auditions may be carried out in person, over the phone or by video audition (preferable). Contact Brad Salsbury at 865.603.8435 or at [email protected]. Deadline to submit is Monday, July 8.

Also, we will again be asking each top qualifier from the 15-18 age group to choose “walk-out” music for Finals on Saturday. This music will be played over the indoor speaker system after the Consolation heat has been swum and before the finalists are introduced. Please note: This music must be appropriate for all age groups. Any style of music is allowed, but music with an Explicit rating will not be allowed.

If you have a swimmer or relay that is top-qualifier, please email the title of the song and name of the artist to Brad Salsbury at [email protected] no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, July 12. Please put “GKAISA Heat Winner Music” in the subject and include your name, your team, your event, and your event number in the email. Approximately, 30-45 seconds will be played. If a song is not submitted, one will be chosen for you.

SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION

2024 GKAISA Scholarship Information is available on the GKAISA website. We will award four scholarships this year: the Tom Schumann and Bill Lauer Service Awards, the James Rich Courage Award, and the Terry Gardner Memorial Scholarship.

For the Tom Schumann and Bill Lauer Service Awards, only one girl and one boy from a team may be nominated. The nomination must be signed by the head coach and must include an essay from the swimmer.

The James Rich Courage Award is given to a swimmer in the 15-18 age group who has either demonstrated great courage in the face of adversity or who has shown exceptional leadership in a difficult situation. The nomination must be made by the head coach.

The applications for these three awards are due by July 8th to GKAISA President Sherren Chadwell at [email protected]. Please include a photo (head shot) of the nominee. Scholarships will be awarded during Finals on Saturday, July 13.

The Terry Gardner Memorial Scholarship is given to a graduating senior swimmer who has demonstrated great leadership and sportsmanship as a GKAISA swimmer.  Full criteria and submission instructions are listed on the application.  Applications are due July 8th.

Photos of all award / scholarship winners will be displayed on the scoreboard at City Meet.

PARKING / PARKING PASS PICK-UP

• If you have parents who did not purchase parking, free parking will be available at the Metron Center lot off Kingston Pike (approximately 1 mile away near Tyson Park). No shuttle service will be provided.
• A limited number of passes will be for sale each day on a first-come, first-served basis. Price will be $20 per pass.
• Parking passes will be available for pick-up next week. We are not sure when we will get them from UT; however, we will have them ready as soon as they are delivered to us. Watch your email for details… we will post as soon as we have information. In the meantime, please call Angelia Nystrom at 865.851.0262 or send an email to [email protected] if you have any questions. We apologize for any inconvenience.

TEAM TENTS

Team tents will be set-up by All Occasions on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tent map is located on the 2024 City Meet webpage for you to share with your families.

TEAM WARM-UP ASSIGNMENTS

Team warm-up assignments are posted on the 2024 City Meet webpage for you to share with your families.

TEAM WORKER ASSIGNMENTS

We are still finalizing worker assignments to feather in specialty workers (officials, etc.) from each team. A separate email will be sent ASAP with that document.

VIRTUAL TIMERS’ BRIEFING

Timers are likely the most important volunteer position at a swim meet. To ensure all timers understand expectations and to offer a time for questions to be answered, there will be a GKAISA City Meet Timers’ Briefing via MICROSOFT TEAMS on Wednesday, July 10th at 7pm led by Nick Hall (link below). Timers may either attend the virtual Teams meeting or the in-person meeting prior to competition each day of the meet.

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 244 700 556 182

Passcode: CnqzyQ

ATHLETE PROTECTION AND OTHER POLICIES IN PLACE AT AJIAC

The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Program (MAAPP) is in effect at City Meet. UT’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center will enforce this policy. ABSOLUTELY NO CELL PHONES OR CAMERAS IN THE LOCKER ROOMS OR CHANGING AREAS AT ANY TIME.

Also, the diving well at Allan Jones will be closed on Thursday and Saturday of City Meet. We have been requested to advise that absolutely no one will be allowed in the diving well on these dates.

*IMPORTANT* LOCKER ROOM PROCEDURES

We were just notified that the procedures for bathroom / locker room access will be as noted below.

• Athletes age 17 and under should utilize the Visitor Locker rooms on deck level at Allan Jones.
• Adults and athletes age 18 and over should utilize the University of Tennessee Team Locker Rooms accessed on deck at Allan Jones.

ALL ADULTS AND ATHLETES ARE EXPECTED TO RESPECT THE LOCKER ROOM AREAS. ABSOLUTELY NO LOCKERS OR PERSONAL BELONGINGS SHOULD BE TOUCHED.`

IMPORTANT DATES

July 7:

• FINAL Entry changes due by 6pm via email to [email protected]
• City Meet payments made by check must be received by Shawna Davis

July 8:

• Tom Schumann and Bill Lauer Service Award nominations due
• James Rich Courage Award nominations due
• Terry Gardner Memorial Scholarship nominations due
• National Anthem Audition and Invocation Deadline

July 11:

• City Meet Preliminaries (10-Under)

July 12:

• City Meet Preliminaries (11-Up)
• Senior Walk-out Music due 5:00 pm

July 13:

• City Meet Finals (All Ages)
• Scholarship Recognition

We look forward to seeing you at the GKAISA Championship Meet.

Happy Swimming!

GKAISA Board