Greetings MATS Swimmers and Parents!
Welcome class of 2017 and everyone to the 2014 Miramonte High School Swim Team! We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and are gearing up for MATS Swimming!This is the first of several emails that will provide all of the information you’ll need to know about our upcoming season. Please read it carefully as it lists some very important dates and information.
●Welcome Meeting: Wednesday, January 29 at 6 pm in the MHS Cafeteria. This is a MANDATORY meeting for swimmers and at least one parent. Come learn about the season, meet the coaches and captains, and teammates!
●First Day of Practice: Monday, February 10 at 3:15 on the pool deck for a meeting only. Workouts will begin on Tuesday.
●Coaches: The MATS are fortunate to have a dedicated, talented and experienced coaching staff in Head Coach Donnie Heidary; Varsity Coaches Trevor Rose and Jon Behnke; and Junior Varsity Coaches Nick Stefan and Brad Allen.
●Registration: There are several steps to registration.
1. You will need to go to register your swimmer at the district level. You will need to complete the district forms which include an Athletic Clearance Form which requires a physician’s signature following a physical exam. If your swimmer has already submitted an Athletic Clearance Form for Fall or Winter sports, this step does not need to be repeated. However, regardless of whether your swimmer participated in Fall or Winter sports, you will need to complete and print the Online Sports Summary and submit that to Vince Dell’Aquila, Miramonte Athletic Director, prior to February 3.
2. Update your swimmers information by going to the google doc link below: Click on the cell you would like to edit. When the square is “active” enter the accurate information. We will need at leastone parent email address and cell phone number. Team communications and announcements will be sent to all emails listed. If your swimmer does not use email, please do not list it on the spreadsheet. When all of the cells are accurate, please confirm that you have reviewed and updated your information byplacing an “X” in your swimmer’s yellow boxin the “OK” column on the right. For New Swimmers, if your swimmer’s name is not on the Google doc roster, contact Julie Whitsitt at with your swimmer’s name and parent contact info.
3. Go to the webstore, to pay all fees. Click on Spring Sports, then Swim and Dive. All Fees this year include all required gear. The fees are all payable through the webstore only. In order to fully operate the team, we need ALL swimmers to pay the full amount due. Without full support we may have to cancel buses which means parent will have to drive their swimmers to and from meets, as students cannot drive themselves, or other activities. If there are any concerns in regards to payment, please contact Suzanne Schoenfeld at . Please see attached letter explaining the new fee structure.
4. ALL SWIMMERS: Remember to join the “Mats Swimming 2014” Facebook group!
●Team Clothing: First and foremost, we look like a team. The REQUIRED uniform is as follows, and can all be ordered from the WEBSTORE (with the exception of snorkels):
1. Team suit (girls suit from FINIS, boys from TURBO) which is included with your fees.
2. Team truWest warm-up jacket (same as last year only new swimmers need to purchase one), which is included with your fees.
3. Team tee shirt which is included with your fees
4. Team cap which is included with your fees
5. Snorkels (optional for JV, mandatory for Varsity). Order at NorCal
There will be other fun spirit items available for order – watch for information to be emailed and
The optional apparel items will be available on the WEBSTORE. The order deadline is Friday, February 2. If your returning swimmer has a jacket you will not need to order a new one. The link below will take you to the MATS Swim WEBSTORE. Clothing questions can be directed to Becki Larsen at .
Workout Schedule: The schedule will generally be as follows, with adjustments made
depending upon competition schedule (There will be no workout on Friday 2/14and Monday 2/17 (Presidents’ Day Weekend):
Varsity PM:(begins 2/10)M-F: 3:15-5pm
Varsity AM:(begin 3/3) M: 5:30-7:15am & W: 6-7:45am (5:30 & 6am arrival times)
Varsity Dry Land:Will be included in the workout times
JV PM:(begins 2/4)M-F: 3:30-5:30pm
JV AM:(begins 3/6 Thursday: 5:45-7:15am
(Varsity AM’s optional)
JV Dry Land:Will be included in the workout times
Fees: Your fees will include team suit, jacket (if new to the team) tee shirt, caps, facility fees, certifications, insurance, athletic and DFAL/NCS organizational costs, coaches gear, coaches salary, bus rental, meet supplies, entry fees, website and administrative expenses and some food. Fees must be paid prior to the first practice and can be paid on the WEBSTORE. We need 100% fees paid in order to operate the team.
Boosters: The suggested Boosters donation is$100 per family. Boosters funds equipment, the trainer and weight room supervisor, and other much-needed items.
Parent Jobs: It takes a village to run a successful swim team, and every family is needed to work at meets and social events and to provide food. We will have online job signups via Google docs. Information about signups will be emailed out by the end of January. Parents will sign up for 3 or 4 (still being determined) work obligations per swimmer. Only 2 of those can be food related.
Desk Workers Wanted: Since we have six home meets this season (including JV Invitational), we are in need of desk helpers. If you have any experience with hytek and/or the colorado timing system or would like to learn them, please contact Rob Schussman at
Season Calendar: Our fun and full calendar is attached, though it is subject to change.
Swim Team Trip: Selected swimmers will be invited to attend theMission Viejo Invitational. The tentative plan will be to travel by bus onFriday, April 4 and return late onSunday, April 6. There will be an additional fee for this trip,it is not included in the registration fees.
Preseason Workouts: Preseason workouts are underway—while the season is short, the workoutsfeellong! It is highly recommended by our coaches that swimmers be in shape when the high school season begins. We hope that you will consider the effective program sponsored by Orinda Aquatics. Information about this program may be found at
Team Website: Please check out our team website located on the Miramonte Boosters site at: regularly for information & updates.
If your student will not be swimming this year, please let us know so that we can remove him/her from the roster and email distribution list.
We look forward to a rewarding andexcitingseason. Good luck with finals andGO MATS!
Your 2014 Team Parents: Coufal, Goetzl, Kirchberg, Larsen, Moran, Ostler, Schoenfeld, Whitsitt