As Championship Week begins, I have a tendency to feel a combination of relief that I/we made it through another season, excitement about the meet to come to see the end result of a season of hard work, grief for the opportunities I missed to positively impact an athlete and for the time we will not be together, and amazement that the season is already over.
In any case, the tremendous work that this team has been doing all season long culminates in one of these last two meets, and for many that meet is this weeks Conference Championship. The beauty of swimming and diving, is that improvement is so easily seen in times and scores. All swimmers, no matter their ability level, share one common goal - to have their fastest swims (and for divers, best dives) at their final championship meet, no matter if that championship is an age group conference meet, a state championship, a national championship, or the Olympics. All of the meets before these championship meets are merely measuring sticks of the progress that is being made.
I can't wait to see the hard work that these guys have put in pay off this week and at State.
CONFERENCE WEEK
Practice Times
- Monday & Tuesday - Normal practice time. Conference athletes done around 5:30
- Wednesday, February 20 - Haircut Day after practice. We will leave from practice and head to Coach Klaasen's house.
- Judy is a hairstylist with her own salon in the house. She can do a wacky design or just a nice short cut, which ever you prefer.
- Make sure that your son has a $5 bill for the haircut and another $3-$5 for pizza.
- We will plan on being at the Klaasen's about 6:15.
- Thursday, February 20th - VERY IMPORTANT SCHEDULING INFO.
- I need to help cover a Holland Middle School meet at the Aquatic Center while our middle school is on the road. So, we will have a little later practice from 5:00 to 6:30.
- Athletes should stay at the High School to work on homework, etc. until 4:00
- At 4:00 athletes can go to the pool with clippers etc. to clip any long hair. Unfortunately, due to a change in facility policy, swimmers are no longer allowed to shave down at the facility. Shaved down MUST be done at home.
- At 5:00 State Swimmers and divers will begin practice with Conference swimmers joining them at around 5:20.
- Practice will be done by 6:30
- Pasta will be at the Faith Church Fellowship Room
Here is a great article about the do's and don'ts with helpful hints for the shave down.
- Friday, Feb 21 - Swimming Prelims at HAC
- Swimmers and Divers will be dismissed following 7th hour (Luke and Zach will have to stay through the end of the day for ACT's).
- Athletes are invited to the Lonergan's for a pre meet meal.
- The team will depart for the pool at 3:15
- Drag suits and tights should be with them for part of warm up.
- Competition starts at 5:00pm
- Prelims should wrap up around 7:30 or 8:00
- Saturday, Feb 22 - Swimming and Diving Finals at the Aquatic Center
- Athletes should be on deck at HAC by 10:10
- Drag suits and tights should be with them for part of warm up.
- The post practice snack box and water bottles will be with us to help during the meet.
- Competition starts at 12:00pm
- Tuesday, February 25th - Second Shave meet at Zeeland West
- This meet is an extra meet available to all of our athletes.
- Swimmers can choose to swim an event that they did not get to swim at conference or to try to get a time in a normal event faster.
- I need to be told of your intent by Sunday, February 23.
State Information will be in next weeks blog entry, but the meet starts at noon both Friday, March 7th and Saturday, March 8th right here at our home pool.
Save the Date - Monday, March 17 @ 6:30pm for the Swimming & Diving Banquet.
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