Everything You Need to Know About CHAMPS!
Hi Barracuda Families!
As we head into the final weeks of our season, it's time to start looking ahead to our biggest and most exciting event of the summer—the CAL Championship Meet (CHAMPS)!
CHAMPS is the culmination of all the hard work our swimmers have put in throughout the season. Teams from across the league come together for an exciting weekend of competition, personal bests, and incredible team spirit. While CHAMPS is our biggest meet of the year, our goal is to make it a fun, memorable experience where every athlete can celebrate their accomplishments.
To help our families prepare for this unique event, we have put together the below guide on what to expect, how to prepare, and how you can help us make this our best CHAMPS yet! This information is also on our Barracuda website: https://bcbarracudas.swimtopia.com/champs-101
WHO QUALIFIES?
To participate in CHAMPS, swimmers must meet the CAL qualifying time standard in an event AND have competed in at least two regular season meets.
Coach Melanie has compiled a list of swimmers who have currently qualified. Please review the attached list to see where your swimmer stands.
Not qualified yet? Don't worry! We still have three regular season meets remaining, giving swimmers additional opportunities to earn qualifying times. Want to see the qualifying times? Visit: https://swimcal.swimtopia.com/time-standards
CHAMPS SCHEDULE & PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
CHAMPS will be a 2-day event:
Monday, July 20-
- 8 & Unders: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- 9–10: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 21-
- 11–12: 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- 13–14 & 15–18 --12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
CHAMPS PRACTICE SCHEDULE: (only those who qualified and are participating in CHAMPS will attend these practices)
No evening practice on Monday 7/13 due to the Home swim meet
Tuesday 7/14 - Fun practice for ALL Barracudas
Wed., 7/15, Thurs., 7/16, & Fri., 7/17: CHAMPS practices -
- 8:30am - 9:30am: 11 and up
- 9:30am - 10:30am: 10 and under
- 5:30pm - 6:30pm: 10 and under
- 6:30pm - 7:30pm: 11 and up
Saturday, 7/18: (YES, a Saturday practice!)
- 8:00am - 9:00am - all CHAMPS swimmers
- 9:00am - 10:00am - TEAM TYE DYE - ALL swimmers welcome!
LOCATION:
Swim RVA - 5050 Ridgedale Parkway, Richmond, VA 23234
For facility opening times and warm-up schedules, visit: https://swimcal.swimtopia.com/championship-meet
THEME: TIE DYE!
Our CHAMPS theme this year is Tie Dye! We're planning a Barracuda Tie-Dye Party before CHAMPS and everyone on the team is invited—whether they've qualified for CHAMPS or not! More details coming soon!
SWIMMER SIGN UPS:
If your swimmer qualifies, you'll sign them up through SwimTopia, just like any other meet. DEADLINE for signups is Tuesday, July 14th, by 9:00am.
CHAMPS FEES:
Each year, CAL charges participating teams registration fees for CHAMPS, which include swimmer event entries and league participation fees. The Barracudas have always covered the cost of relay entries, and we are actively working to secure sponsorships and donations to help offset or fully cover the remaining swimmer fees.
At this time, we ask families to be aware that there may be a registration fee for swimmers participating in CHAMPS. We are hopeful that generous sponsors and donors will allow us to reduce or eliminate this cost, and we will communicate final details as soon as they are confirmed.
Thank you for your patience as we work to make CHAMPS as affordable as possible for all of our families.
VOLUNTEERING:
CAL will assign volunteer positions to each team and Collington is responsible for filling every assignment. If your swimmer qualifies for CHAMPS, your family is expected to volunteer. Volunteer sign-ups will be available in SwimTopia as soon as we receive our assignments.
CHAMPS T-SHIRT ORDERS &TREAT BAG ORDERS:
Want a commemorative CHAMPS t-shirt? Order here: https://www.midlothianswimshop.com/CALCHAMPSTSHIRTS The order deadline to receive shirts by CHAMPS is 12 a.m. (midnight) on Tuesday, July 14.
Want to send your CHAMPS swimmer with a pre-made bag of healthy treats? Look no further! Our team will be assembling bags of healthy treats and drinks for purchase - only $5 will get your swimmer a drink and a variety of swim meet-friendly snacks! Click here to order now!
CHAMPS TIPS:
- Arrive early—parking and spectator seating fill quickly.
- CHAMPS is held indoors, and the facility gets warm. Dress accordingly.
- There will be concessions available, but we recommend bringing plenty of water and snacks for both swimmers and spectators.
- The meet can be long, so consider packing books, games, or quiet activities for swimmers between events.
- Swimmers will remain on the pool deck with the coaches throughout the meet. Parents are not permitted on the pool deck unless serving in an assigned volunteer role.
We are incredibly excited for CHAMPS and can't wait to watch our Barracudas finish the season strong!
If this is your family's first CHAMPS experience, don't hesitate to reach out with questions. We're here to help make it a fun and memorable weekend for everyone.
And don't forget—our Team Tie-Dye Party is coming up soon! It's a fun tradition for the entire team, whether your swimmer qualifies for CHAMPS or is simply coming to cheer on their teammates.
Go Barracudas! 🦈💙
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Collington Barracudas Swim Team Board
FEAR THE FIN! Go Barracudas!
