News . . .

Name Our Swim Meet Contest
Attention Heartland Aquatics swimmers:
During the 2008 short course season, on November 22nd and 23rd, Heartland Aquatics will host a swim meet. Should it be called the ‘Smorgasbord’ as in the past? Should it have a new theme? The board members and Coaches need your help!

Email your idea for the swim meet name to: Angela Shipman
• Please include your idea, name, phone number and age group you swim with at HLA.
• Entry deadline is May 14 at 10:00 pm.

This will be the first of several contests for the swim meet; the next contest will be to design a t-shirt for the meet.
The winning idea and contestant’s name will be posted on the website June 1, 2008. Our winning contestant will receive an honorary swim meet t-shirt.

Join HLA Today!
Heading into the summer season is a great time to join the team!   For more information about HLA and to learn about our two week free trial, please fill out our new member information request form.

Summer Pool Passes
It's not too early to order your summer pool passes! They can be ordered online at http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/asp/pools/default.asp. Pool passes or daily admission is required to attend HLA practices held at Woods Pool this summer. Lincoln Parks & Recreation sells a limited number of passes each year, so don't wait too long!

New Member Forms
For insurance and administrative purposes, we do need some paperwork completed for all of our new members. Below is a list of the paperwork that we need to have:

1. Completed USA Swimming Athlete Registration Application
2. Completed Heartland Aquatics Athlete Registration Form
3. Check for USA/Midwestern Swimming Registration Fees of $ 50.00. This check will be returned uncashed at the end of the free trial period if you do not choose to continue with the team. (Make check payable to 'Heartland Aquatics')
4. Copy of athlete's government-issued birth certificate or passport
5. If you are transferring to HLA from another USA Swimming team, you will also need a to complete and submit an Athlete Transfer Form. This form needs to be filled out and signed, and then a representative from your former club needs to sign the release section. Cost of an athlete transfer is $5.00.

The above documents need to be turned in at practice or sent to the club mailing address. If you have any questions at all, just send an e-mail to membership@heartlandaquatics.org or call our new member coordinator, JoAnne Ayars, at 420-2006.

Olympic Trial Tickets For Sale We still have 16 tickets left to some of the Olympic Trials sessions this summer! Each ticket is $32, and the cost will appear on your monthly HLA statement. Below is a listing of the tickets that are still available:

• Wednesday, July 2 AM (prelims) - 4 tickets
• Friday, July 4 AM (prelims) - 2 tickets
• Saturday, July 5 AM (prelims) - 4 tickets
• Sunday, July 6 PM (finals) - 4 tickets

Don't see the sessions you want to attend? Ticket packages are still available! Check out the official Olympic Trials web site for more information.

If you would like to purchase any of the above tickets, just send an e-mail with your session preferences and number of tickets to webmaster@heartlandaquatics.org.

Click here for the Olympic Trials schedule

HLA Dining at Skeeter BarnesWant to enjoy a great meal and earn some money for the club at the same time? Just print out a flyer (click here), take it to Skeeter Barnes on the first Sunday of every month, and HLA will get 20% of every dollar spent.

E-mail Sign Up We need your e-mail address! We periodically send out news, reminders, and event details via e-mail. Don't miss out! If you are an HLA swimmer or parent, click the link below to visit our e-mail sign-up form.

Sign me up!

Meet Sign-Up Instructions
Remember to use the web site form to sign up for swim meets. Here are the instructions for using the form:

1. Go to our Meet Schedule page.
2. Click on the name of a meet to open the ''Meet Sign-Up'' form.
3. Click on the ''Meet Info'' link on the form to open the meet flyer in a new window.
4. Look through the flyer and choose which events you want to swim.
5. Plug those events into the form.
6. Click the ''Submit'' button and the entries will be sent directly to Tyler.

Head Coach Phone Number
Tyler's cell phone number is 560-SWIM (560-7946). Please note that normal hours of operation for the cell phone are weekdays from 12:00 noon - 9:00 pm, and from 1 hour before to 1 hour after HLA swim meet sessions. Outside of these hours, please leave a voice mail message.

Attention on Deck...
Due to liability/insurance reasons, we need to ask that parents not wait inside the pool area (on deck) for your swimmer(s) at Lincoln Southeast or Lincoln Southwest. If the doors are locked to the seating area upstairs, please ask a coach to open them, or wait outside the pool area. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

We Need Your Feedback!
Are you an overwhelmed new parent who is struggling to understand the exciting but sometimes confusing sport of swimming? Do you have a question about the club? Have you come up with a suggestion you'd like to pass on to the coaches and/or board members? We need to hear from you! Fill out our online feedback form to submit your questions, comments, and suggestions! It's easy to do, and you can stay anonymous if you wish.