Upcoming Meets and This Week's Notes: Jan. 12 - Jan. 17

What a great week! What a great meet!  We had so many great swims and great performances on the board today that I can't list them all. However there are a few worth noting.

• Lifetime bests  for 11 dives for BG and Marten on the boards and Brad was bumping up against his best from State last year.
• 400 Free relay made a state qualifying times (Brandon, Curtis, Peter, Skyler).
• Several new letter times by Steven, Curtis, Peter, Brandon and Bryce.
• A few swimmers knocking on the door of individual state cuts.
• A host of lifetime bests.
• Skyler as an event winner.
• Levi and Ross both on deck. We are hoping that both of them have the health to return in the days to come.

A "great meet" is an understatement.

Meets like these are so great for me as a coach. I am as excited for Logan leading off his first relay as I am for Skyler and I'm as excited to see the great swims by Grayson, Jake, Jack, Matthew and others  all getting lifetime bests as I am for that relay qualifying team. I'm VERY PROUD of these boys.

You can see all of the splits here. Remember that Negative numbers in the right column indicate the amount of time that an athlete has improved in the swim (Diving is actually just the opposite). 

Besides the guys performing well, our parents and other helpers were amazing as well. A huge THANK YOU!! goes out to everyone who helped out today. This meet has become one of the premiere invitationals in the state thanks in large part to the people who work so diligently at it. THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!!  THANK YOU!!!

Here we are at the midpoint of the season and really only have three meets under our belts. Despite the limited number of meets, we are having some really good performances. 

Here are top times to date:

  - With Relay Splits (Relay splits indicated by an "N")

  - No Relay Splits (These are flat start and relay leadoff "L" times)

SWIMMERS As you look at the splits remember that your first 50 of your 100 should be about 1 second slower than your best 50 (1.5 - 2 seconds slower for the first 50 of your 200). One of the biggest mental hurdles to overcome is the fear of going out too fast. You have to go out fast in order to make those goal times.

THIS WEEK'S PRACTICE & MEET NOTES: Jan. 12 - Jan. 17

Exam Week

With exams this week, we are limited to two hours each day. You are still expected to be at ALL practices and meets. We will limit dryland in our practices for the week. Practices will run from 3:30 and be done promptly at 5:30 for the swimmers.  

During exams your school days are shorter, so use that time off as study time. Study efficiently without the some of the media distractions that some of you often study with. Here is a great article about studying and multitasking that should make you think about how you study. I've highlighted a few things so you don't have to read the whole article.

The time in the pool is a great break from the books and the extra exercise will help your brain think clearer. This isn't the multitasking talked about in the article. In fact research shows that physical exercise is vital to helping you study and cope with the stress of things like exams. Read the first and last section of this.

Tuesday's meet is home against Grand Rapids Christian. Boys should be on deck by 5:20. Expect to see guys swimming some different events for this meet.  For the sake of exams, we will try to limit exhibition heats.

Friday - Pizza & Movie Night! Let's celebrate the end of exams and a successful half season with a little food and a good movie. We will meet at Coach's house (319 W 31st Street) following practice. We'll hold off on pizza for a little bit so divers can join us. Parents should plan on picking their son up from Coach's house at 9:00. $5 should cover pizza and drinks.

Monday, January 19 - Athletes have the day off from school. Stay tuned for practice details, but I would expect the practice to be in the morning and probably similar to Christmas break.

Looking Ahead

Hair Bleaching – Saturday, January 31 is the tentative date for this tradition. As we get closer to the end of the season, hair has become very chlorine damaged and is ready to be cut short for the championship meets. In the mean time, we have some fun with it.  It is a year end team bonding tradition. 

This is never required but is more fun when most or all of the team participates.  I will have a parent release form to make sure that your son is doing this willingly.

We will be doing this in the locker rooms following the team breakfast on that Saturday. Figure $7-$10 for the people doing the bleaching to help cover supplies.

IF YOU ARE A SWIMMER AND READ THUS WHOLE POST, AND BE  THE FIRST TO STOP ME BEFORE PRACTICE FOR A "QUIZ" AND A PRIZE.