Week 3 - Challenges Ahead

BRING ON THE COMPETITION

Tuesday's meet was a very good start for our season. Despite the loss, the meet gave a good indicator of our fitness, and what areas of technique need special emphasis. I was very pleased with where we are right now, but we have lots of work to do. Christmas Break practices will be great for building on our success and working on our weaknesses.

We had several life time bests, and more than a few event wins by Levi, Johannes and Brad and a couple state cuts by Johannes in the 200 IM and the 100 Fly.

Meet Splits - Click here for splits and results. These show comparisons to lifetime best times. Negative numbers in the right column indicates the amount of time that an athlete has improved in the swim (Diving is actually just the opposite). After our first couple meets, I will only make comparisons to season bests.

CONGRATULATIONS - A huge congratulations to Skyler on his 9th place finish in the 1650 at USA Swimming's Junior Nationals meet in Atlanta. Skyler dropped over 28 seconds in his swim. Though Skyler missed his drive for an olympic trials cut, he had a great swim again in his Time Trial today in his second "mile" swim in two days. Skyler also had great swims in his 500 and 200 free swims earlier in the week.

THIS WEEK
Tuesday, December 15th - Home Meet vs. Otsego. Athletes need to be on deck by 5:20

Exam Week - ALL PRACTICES will be limited to two hours. You are still expected to be at ALL practices and meets. Practices will start 3:30 and we will 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.

Christmas Concert - We have several athletes that will be involved in the big BOC Christmas concert at Zeeland High School. I will try to get out of school as quickly as possible so that we can get in the water by 3:20 and those involved in the concert can be out of the water by 4:20. I would like those that are involved in the concert to figure out car pooling.

UPCOMING PLANS
CHRISTMAS BREAK PRACTICES - We will be practice during most of the Christmas break from 8:00-11:00. Note the special activities we have planned for the break. These are fun team building and bonding activities. I know that a couple of them don't coincide with the diver's schedule very well, but I want to encourage them to be a part of what we have planned.

• December 24 & 25 - NO PRACTICE 
• December 26 - Practice 8:00-10:00 
• December 29 - Jenison Invitational (Details next week) 
• December 31 - Pizza and Bowling following practice. 
• January 1 - NO PRACTICE 
• January 2 - Annual New Years Relays (a fun inter squad competition). 

STAYING HEALTHY
With the season in full swing, exams this week, and Christmas break and the commitments that come with the season right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to bring up the topic of lifestyle habits for healthy athletes. Because it's that time of year

SLEEP - With exams, tests, projects, concerts, Christmas parties, etc., it's that time of year for sleep deprivation. I want to encourage our athletes to get adequate amounts of sleep. While an occasional shortened night due to commitments is normal, athletes need to be especially diligent about prioritizing time during a season in which they have added commitments.

You’d think with all the research on the importance of sleep lately, we would have gotten the message, ... it is good to aim for 8 hours per night, though many need more. The body needs sleep to function properly (or at all!) as organs process and revive during sleep, the endocrine system balances hormone levels, the immune system functions at a higher level and the brain recharges.

News story on sleep research for athletes.

FUEL - It's that time of year when the caloric intake and caloric output is easy to maintain, but it is important to think about the types of calories you're imputing. Though a little indulgence during the holidays is expected, during our normal seasonal routine you need to think about the best fuel for your body.

Here is a great article from USA swimming on proper nutrition for swimmers/athletes. And an article on why soft drinks should be avoided.

COLDS & FLU - It flies from house to house this time of year bringing gifts at every stop. No it is not Santa's sleigh or Christmas presents, it is the cold and flu bug. It is that time of year when colds and flu can wipe you out for 7-10 days if you're not careful.

Here is some general good health habits during cold and flu season.

• Clean your hands. - Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. - Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs, then touches his/her eyes, nose or mouth. 

Below are a couple articles with some ideas about how to help prevent, or at least fight off colds and flu.
Supplements that can help.
Ten ways to avoid cold and flu. Note the section on "Staying warm" and dressing for the weather.
Some additional homeopathic ideas

SWIMMERS EAR - With as much time as swimmers and divers are in and out of the water, it's that time of year for Swimmers Ear - Here is a great link about swimmers ear. Pay special attention to a home formula for drying out ears.

THE VALUE OF TIME

    To realize the value of ONE YEAR,
         ask a student who has failed a grade.

    To realize the value of ONE MONTH,
         ask a mother who gave birth to a pre-mature baby.

    To realize the value of ONE HOUR,
         ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

    To realize the value of ONE MINUTE,
         ask a person who just missed their train.

    To realize the value of ONE SECOND,
         ask a person who just avoided an accident.

    To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND,
          ask an Olympic SILVER medalist.

THE CLOCK IS RUNNING!!! MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY!!!

TAPER BEGINS TODAY! Remember, what you do EACH DAY in the water will determine how well or how poorly you finish the season. EVERYTHING we do is targeted to our final two meets of the year.