I hope you all had a chance to watch some of the Pan Pacific Games Swimming on TV today. That Ryan Lochte has really made a statement with his hard work this summer. I can definitely see some of you in a meet like that in the future.
Until that day comes, we are setting the stage for our own BIG swimming season with a continued emphasis on DRY LAND, KICKING and DRILLS this coming week. The things I saw on TV today are the same specifics we are working on….low, straight-arm recovery with a big kick in FLY…head straight and shoulders rotating on BACK, a shooting arm recovery and strong kick in BREAST and no cross-over with a huge kick on FREESTYLE. So we are on our way!
A few updates for you this week as we get things going:
September is a big month for Jewish Holiday and we have several days where practice will be impacted by JCC hours. The days impacted, as provided to me, are; 9/8 @ 6pm, 9/9, 9/10, 9/17 @ 4pm, 9/18, 9/22 @ 6pm, 9/23, 9/29 @ 6pm, 9/30 (if no time mentioned, club is closed all day). For days where the club closes at 6:00, we will likely have a regular practice day with an early release for GOLD/PLATINUM….all other days we will have to cancel practice. I will send reminders on those weeks that are impacted, but mark your calendars today.
We had a good first week with a much more efficient registration process thanks to our band of volunteers! Once I have the final numbers I’ll share the comparison to last year and any other amazing facts. THANKS to all for a good process this year and our volunteers for donating their time.
I interviewed several coaches last week and have chosen a couple to move forward with. Once those selections are final, I will share the specifics of our new staff.
MEET Schedule - my apologies, but this is not complete yet. I hope to distribute a schedule by next weeks update.
SILVER Group - my apologies for the confusion around the practice time on Friday. In speaking with the coaches, it appears the Friday SILVER practice disappeared late 2009 due to pool capacity and hours, however, it has remained on the web-site and registration forms. In speaking with many of you, I’d like to try and bring this back with a 3:30 to 4:15 practice. This time may change depending on the number of GOLD/PLATINUM swimmers that are consistently at the 4:00-5:30 practice on Friday. Let’s try it at 3:30 for a couple weeks and see if we can change it. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
As the season takes shapes and you notice new kids with you in practice, make a point to introduce yourself and make them feel at home with the Stingrays. One of the things I was immensely proud of this summer was the sportsmanship we showed in the pool with all of our meets….let’s make sure we show the same to our own teammates.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. See you tomorrow.
Brian
Good Day Stingray Swim Team-
I hope you all have had a wonderful break and are looking forward to our return to the pool as much as I am on Monday. We’ve got a lot to catch up on in this weeks update, so without further delay:
Good Day Swimmers- BIG Couple Weeks ahead of us and I can hardly contain my excitement to see some FAST swimming!! Some important dates and action items coming up:
Jordon Belton and** Matt Kautz** had a terrific showing at the Senior State Meet this weekend. Both made finals in some events and had some very good times, despite the intense heat in PHX this weekend. Actual results to follow at a later date.
TUESDAY, JULY 13 is a MUST attend evening at the J if you are in town. Picture/Meeting/Dinner-Fundraiser NIGHT begins at 5:00. Pictures will be offered by our celebrity photographer who is known simply as “Sam” in his photography circles. Parent Meeting will occur simultaneously with Kiely, Kyra and I - lots of good stuff on the agenda you won’t want to miss. Then it’s off to dinner as a team at Beyond Bread on Campbell, with a portion of your purchase that evening coming back to support the team - so be hungry!
Regional entries are in and we have 23 athletes entered and beginning the meet on Friday, July 16. See last weeks update for meet flyer.
PRACTICE this week is normal, through Friday AM….NO PRACTICE SATURDAY.
NO Afternoon practice for GOLD/PLATINUM
Normal afternoon practices for White, Blue, Silver
SAAA Championships begin on Wednesday, July 21 ….lots of details about this at the meeting on the 13th. If you can’t make the 13th and plan to swim at Championships you should call Kiely this week. (520.360.5338)
STATE Meet entries are due to me by this TUESDAY, JULY 13. However, if you plan to make a NEW QUALIFYING TIME at Regionals and swim that event at States you MUST:
PRINT off the back page of the AG States Meet Flyer (see last weeks update for flyer) and BRING IT with you to the meet.
Fill in the “Arizona Swimming - USA Swimming Entry Card” WHILE YOU ARE AT REGIONALS and HAND IT TO ME BEFORE YOU LEAVE ON SUNDAY. I have until noon on Monday to enter any NEW Times in order to be eligible to swim at States.
Important note on REST and HEALTHY EATING the next couple weeks….NO more sleep-overs, get to bed early each night, limit the junk food and DRINK LOTS. We should hit next weekends Regional Meet and the following weekends State Meet very well rested with a ton of energy. The only way to do that is lots of rest and good eating. The way you prepare outside the pool is as important as in the pool!
I hope you’ve had an enjoyable Father’s Day and you’ve offered a lavish and relaxing day for the Father figure in your household. I spent a few hours on Mt Lemmon today to get a break from the heat. Took a hike with the family and the dog in 75 degrees! What a treat.
