Monday, May 9, 2016

How to pick up a permanent spot in the squad now winter's here!


Dear Swimmers

I hope you had a great weekend and for the Mums in the squad (and swimmer's Mums in the squad!) I hope you had a great Mother's Day too!

A few of you have been enquiring how to snag a permanent spot in the squad now that we're going into the colder months. I can't quite believe that the "new" PAYG-BLUK payment system and funky app is nearly 12 months old now - wow! How time flies. I'm hoping that you've found it to be a beneficial addition to your squad experience and I thank you for supporting that change-over last year as it's made a big difference to how I've been able to personally manage the ever-growing wait list. 

I've got some good news for those of you trying to pick up a permanent spot in some of the squad sessions. Basically we have two user groups in the squad:

  1. our permanent members who have been allocated a permanent spot in the squad through regular attendance - with the PAYG-BLUK system you guys have to "opt out" of sessions you cannot attend, thus freeing up space for…
  2. ...our waitlist members who are allocated spots in the squad, but only when space naturally opens up by permanent members opting out. Our wait list members have to thus "opt in" and depending upon the popularity of which session you're trying to get in for, this can be hit and miss - though generally the reports from the front-line is that this is working well…still, we all like "certainty" though, so…

…I've had a good scan through the upcoming months and I am pleased to offer the following permanent spots on a first-come / best-dressed basis*
  • Monday 7am = 5 permanent spots available - contact swimsmooth@me.com 
  • Monday 9.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
  • Tuesday 5.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
  • Tuesday 6.30am = 2 permanent spots available - contact swimsmooth@me.com
  • Tuesday 6.15pm = 5 permanent spots available - contact swimsmooth@me.com
  • Wednesday 5.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
  • Wednesday 9.30am = 2 permanent spots available - contact swimsmooth@me.com
  • Thursday 6.15pm = 2 permanent spots available - contact swimsmooth@me.com
  • Friday 5.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
  • Friday 6.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
  • Friday 9.30am = 0 permanent spots available - keep using wait list please!
*in the event of over-enquiry for these spots, spots will be awarded based on the number of sessions you've managed to get in for over recent months via the waitlist system. I will make a review of these applications after 5pm on Friday 13th May, and invite those of you who have secured a spot past that point to join the squad as a permanent member.

Booking in past August 12th 2016

You will have probably noted that you've been unable to add yourself to the waitlist or make changes to your schedule beyond Friday 12th August. This is simply because I can only extend the schedule out 12 months at a time. So in the next few weeks I will load up the next 12 month block. Anyone currently assigned a permanent spot between now and then will hold that spot going forwards (unless you tell me otherwise), so it's definitely worth aiming to snag a permanent spot to carry you through into the next summer season when demand lifts again. I will let you know when the new schedule has been loaded so that you can make amendments or register for various waitlists etc.

If you're planning a winter break from swimming, do please drop me an email with your dates so I can help you bulk cancel.

A quick reminder about the 12-hour cancellation window

You can cancel out of any session you're nominated for up to 12 hours before the session starts. This allows time for those on the waitlist to ready themselves for a swim, so your help in opting out as soon as you know you cannot attend really helps thanks. Inevitably though, we'll always see that flurry in the last hour before the cut-off I suspect, so waitlisters, please be prepared for that. Equally, if you are on the waitlist and can no longer attend, please cancel this waitlist as the system will assume you can still make it if you haven't opted out and will add you in automatically.

Thanks everyone! I don't know about you, but there's something virtuous about the feeling of getting up at 5am, swimming in the dark with the steam rising and then heading off to work, proud of the fact that you did it when most others would have rolled over and hit the "snooze" button! As ever, I'll do my very best to keep you engaged with some new session ideas going forwards to tempt you down!

Cheers

Paul




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