Preserve Your Suit Mix together baking soda and dish soap, then rinse out bathing suits after use. It helps remove the chlorine and the suit will last longer.

Preserve Your Hair Add baking soda to shampoo and it will remove chlorine build-up from hair.

General Invitational Info No busses are provided for invitationals. You are on your own for transportation.

Invitationals are a chance for you and your child to choose events, and invitationals cost money.  The event charge is typically $3.00 per event.  Invitationals require sign-up in advance, with money and entry forms due to Carol Nolan (at pool desk T-F during practice).

When arriving at the gym of the host site, there will be signs on the wall identifying where each team should sit. You can also look for swimmers and parents wearing ESPY shirts. There are several styles from past years, but most are black and gold.

There will also be programs (called heat sheets) for sale that will list the events, heat and lane assignment and swimmers’ seed times. Typically, these are $3 or $4.

The swimmers and parents spend their day in the gym. The only time you will go into the pool is to see your child swim. (Unless you like to sit on hard bleachers and sweat!) We suggest you bring the following: A chair to sit on. A book or computer to occupy your time. A blanket for your child to lay on. Something to keep your child busy while waiting to swim (cards, games, etc.) No balls are permitted in the gym. Warm clothes/sweatsuit/jacket for your child to put on before/after swimming while they are in the gym. They will be wet and need to keep warm for their next event.

There is always food available for sale throughout the day. This is a way the host team makes money for their team.

If you have additional words of wisdom for newbies, you can email your tips here.