To: 2019 Four Seasons swim team families, coaches, and new friends

Hello Swim Team Families,

We sincerely hope that you have been able to stay healthy and safe during the quarantine! You have all been in our thoughts.

We know that summer swimming may be the furthest thing from your mind with everything else going on. Or, maybe cabin fever has you thinking about nothing but warmer weather and swimming! Either way, we wanted to reach out and give you an update on our efforts to plan for the Four Seasons 2020 summer season. Planning for a summer season always starts on the 1 ^st of the year, and this year is no exception for the league and our own team board.

Needless to say, there is still a great deal of uncertainty. Unless the current stay-at-home orders are lifted early, at a minimum we’re looking at starting the season late. There is still a good chance the season will be cancelled altogether, and if not, the league is actively (even vigorously) discussing whether it would be best to hold an abbreviated season or try for a full season pushed later into the year. No one can know how things will ultimately play out with the virus, any CDC and state guidance, or the economy. But our efforts, and hope, is to be 100% prepared for a season if circumstances allow us to have one.

Here is a rundown of some pertinent information and status on planning.

Registration

We would normally have opened registration by now. The key prerequisite is having a meet schedule from the league. We’re not sure if they are going to hold off until we know that there is a season or if they will try to put together a nominal schedule and adjust later.

For our team:

• We have decided to hold off on registration until we know more. Another email will go out if / when registration is opened. But you can be sure: if the league is able to have a season, we will definitely open registration.
• If for whatever reason the season is cancelled after we begin registration, we will issue a full refund.
• We are looking at options to provide a pro-rated registration fee if the season is shortened. However, please keep in mind that many of our costs are fixed, so our options may be limited.

Light and Simple

Regardless of the season schedule (full or shortened), if we have a season it will be a “light” one this year. This means there will be fewer social activities, so expect that there won’t be a kids party or teen party. This is mostly due to the inevitable impact on team finances, but would probably be prudent from a health perspective as well (see more on this below).

We’re also trying to keep things as simple as possible where we can; for instance, we’ll stick with last year’s swimsuit design rather than changing it up this year.

Participation

Even if the league is able to have a season, we understand that participating during an ongoing health alert may still pose a challenge (in any scenario good or bad, the virus will still be with us this summer). Therefore, we understand that participation is a decision every family will have to make for themselves. Please consider recommendations by the government health departments and your own health status.

Coaching Staff

We are fortunate to have had such a great coaching staff over the years at Four Seasons. We’d like to congratulate (now former) Coach Austin in his new endeavors. And we are excited to announce that our own Luke Watling is stepping up as Head Coach. Luke’s Assistant Coaches will be Kimberly Watling, who is back for another year, and Lana Bennett - another Four Seasons swimmer turned coach.

Website

https://fourseasons.swimtopia.com/

The website is partially updated with 2020 information. Where we have information about this year, it will be marked as 2020. If we are still waiting to see how things play out, it should still be marked as 2019. Please check back on the website for updates. For anything important or requiring action, though, we’ll send out another email.

Team Sponsors

Please think about our Sponsors from the last few years. As small businesses, they are undoubtedly struggling due to current events. If they are still open, consider keeping them in mind when looking for insurance, or ordering a meal for take-out or delivery.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to reply to this email, or use one of the Contacts listed on the website. 

Stay safe everyone!

- Four Seasons Swim Team Board