Arlington Masters Swimming

1. Pool Closures- There are a few upcoming pool closures that impact us. See this calendar for more details. Note that next week we have two closings.
   • Monday January 16th- No practice, pools are closed for MLK Day.
   • Wednesday January 18th- No practice, pools are closed for a high school meet.
   • Thursday January 26th- No practice, pools are closed for a high school meet. Instead join us for happy hour at Spirits of 76.
   • Thursday February 2nd- No practice, pools are closed for a high school meet.
   • Monday February 20th- No practice, pools closed for Presidents’ Day.
2. Practice Cap-    
   • We have noticed increased crowds this January. In order to make your workout efficient and have the coach reach all the lanes, the board has decided to cap practices at the first 30 people (29 swimmers plus 1 front desk volunteer) who sign in at the front desk. It is imperative that you have a valid 2017 USMS registration in order to swim with us. You will be turned away if you don’t. Be on time to practice! The coach reserves the right to turn you away if numbers are high and you are late.
3. Tropical Splash Swim Meet-  
   • Don’t forget to sign up for the Tropical Splash Swim Meet on Sunday January 29, 2017 at the George Washington Rec Center in Alexandria, VA. This is a great relaxed meet to do if you haven’t competed in a while. At the end of the meet is the ever famous coconut relay!
4. Swim Outlet-
   • In need of swim gear? Don’t forget that we have a Swim Outlet Store! Let Ana know if you want to add anything else to the team vault. Even if your’re purchasing non-ARMS gear, click on our link anyway before shopping and the team will receive a portion of your bill.

• Practice Reminder– no practice tonight Wednesday November 23, and tomorrow Thursday November 24.  Practice will be normal on Sunday. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
• Holiday Party! Friday December 2 from 7-10pm at Rachel Brown’s Condo- 1020 N Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22201 in the club room on the second floor.  RSVP on our Facebook page or sign up at the pool. We are providing drinks and pizza. Please bring an appetizer, snack, side dish or dessert.  For those that are interested, we are going to do a white elephant gift exchange.  What is white elephant? You bring a wrapped gift (examples: a gag gift, swimming gift, bottle of wine, etc)- and don’t spend more than $10. We’ll go around and each person who brought a gift gets to pick a wrapped gift or steal someone’s already unwrapped gift. We hope to see you there!
• USMS Renewal– Not to beat a dead horse, but please renew your USMS memberships! If you haven’t renewed by January 1, 2017, you will not be allowed to practice.  Everyone who was a registered member in 2016 should have received an email from USMS with a personalized link to renew for 2017. If you did not receive a personalized link, the general link is here. Sign the waiver and select Potomac Valley as your LMSC and ARMS as your club.

Thanks to the Spirits of 76 for hosting our team happy hour! We are excited to be sponsored by you!

• Happy Hour- The pool will be closed Thursday November 3 for a dive meet. We will hold happy hour instead at a new location- The Spirits of 76- located at 3211 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA. It’s Patrick Doody’s (formerly of O’Sullivans) new bar and he has been a supporter of our team in the past.
• Election Day- Tuesday November 6, normal practice.
• Thanksgiving- No practice Wednesday November 23, and Thursday November 24th. Normal practice on Sunday November 27.
• Holiday Party- Friday December 2 from 7-10pm at 1020 N. Highland Street, Arlington, VA (Rachel Brown’s condo building). More details to follow in the upcoming weeks.
• USMS Renewal- Starting November 1, you will be able to renew your USMS membership for 2017. Look for a customized link in your inbox next week from the Potomac Valley Registrar. All members of our team must be registered by January 1, 2017 or you will not be allowed to practice. You can conveniently pay for your USMS, Potomac Valley and ARMS dues all at once again this year for $60. Stay tuned for more informationin the upcoming weeks.

1. Columbus Day- The pool will be closed for practice next Monday, October 10th in observance of the holiday. There will be practice on Sunday, October 9th. Enjoy your long weekend!
2. Sprint Classic- Don’t forget to sign up for the Annual Sprint Classic on Sunday October 30th at George Mason Aquatic Center in Fairfax, VA.  The last day to register is October 25th. Click here for more info.
3. Happy Hour- The pool will be closed on Thursday November 3rd for a dive meet. We will hold happy hour instead from 7-9pm at The Spirits of 76- located at 3211 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA.
4. Holiday Party- Our annual party will be Friday December 2nd from 7-10pm at Rachel Brown’s condo building. More details to follow in the upcoming weeks.
5. Exec Board– We will have three openings on the board in the coming year for Vice President, Meet Coordinator and Secretary. It’s not too much of a time commitment and we are a fun group. Below are the descriptions of the available positions taken from our bylaws. Please email us at arlingtonmasters@gmail.com if you’re interested in serving and let us know why! We’d love to get some new blood on board.
   • Vice President- The Vice President shall have full authority to act on behalf of the President in the event the President is absent or unable to perform his or her duties. The Vice President shall perform other duties assigned to him or her by the President. The Vice President shall also act as the Equipment Manager. This includes assessing and purchasing such equipment that the Executive Committee deems necessary, promoting and designing team paraphernalia such as t-shirts, caps, banners, and other accessories, and keeping tabs on team equipment.
   • Secretary- The Secretary shall record the proceedings of all meetings, shall maintain all necessary business and organizational records of Arlington Masters with the exception of those records required to be maintained by the Treasurer and provide oral and written assistance for prospective new members. The Secretary shall also act as a Social Media Coordinator. This includes promoting content for the team website and posts for social networks, providing outreach to the community, and acting as a liaison with other organizations or sponsors of the team. The Secretary shall also provide bi-monthly verbal announcements to the team at practice after a warm-up session, or appoint a coach or other member to announce said upcoming events.
   • Meet Coordinator– The Meet Coordinator shall promote meets within the Potomac Valley region to all Full and Associate Members. The Meet Coordinator shall communicate with the coach in the weeks leading up to meets so that the coach can structure practices tailored to specific competitions (i.e. practicing starts, turns, tapering, and endurance work). The meet coordinator, or a Member he or she appoints, shall attend meets, promote relays, and foster other team bonding activities in support of said meet.