Conference Week: 2.19 to 2.24

LET'S DO THIS
It's that time of year when the days and weeks of tremendously hard work comes to its fruition. Where our theme PRESS ON, pays off. This week of conference is, perhaps, my favorite week of the season. I love watching the enthusiasm of ALL of the athletes as they see the final fruits of their labor for the season. We will obviously be missing one of those athletes this week, but the anticipation of what our team may be able to accomplish individually and as a group is almost impossible to wait for. But we have to get through this week before we can get in and perform.

Below are lots of details of the week. Please check them out carefully.

CONFERENCE WEEK
Practice Times
Monday - No School Practice 8:00-10:30
Conference athletes (those not qualified as individuals for state) will be done closer to 10:00

Tuesday - Normal practice time.
Conference athletes (those not qualified as individuals for state) will be done around 5:30

Wednesday - Haircut Day after practice.

• We will do our haircuts at the pool in the locker room. 
• This is totally optional. 
• Some extra clippers would be helpful 
• We should be able to finish this up by 6:30. 

Thursday - VERY IMPORTANT SCHEDULING INFO.
  3:00 - Divers begin practice at or before 3:00 please be prompt.
  3:15 - All swimmers should be at the pool at the normal time and in the water at or before 3:30.
  4:45 Conference swimmers will be done with practice and should work on homework in the pool lobby.
  5:30 - State swimmers will be done.
  6:00 - Pasta will be at the middle school.
  6:30 - Shave down in the middle school locker room.
  7:30ish - Out of the school and home.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SHAVE DOWN - Shaving is required for ALL SWIMMERS. The shave down is as much about a psychological boost as it is about removing hair. The feel that a swimmer gains from shaving (caused by the removal of a small layer of skin) gives a psychological boost that is hard to explain. Arms, legs, and chest and back should all be shaved.

• Here is a short article on the benefits of shaving and the ways parents can help.
• Here is a great article about the do's and don'ts with helpful hints for the shave down.

Conference Meet @ Zeeland February 23 & 24
Prelims on Friday, February 23

• DIVERS 
• Divers will be dismissed after 3rd Period (10:55) 
• The Kitchen will have snack bags with a small sandwich, etc.. 
• Divers should be on deck in Zeeland by 11:50 
• Diving warm-ups begin at 12:00 p.m. 
• Stands Open 1:30 
• Diving Preliminaries and Semi-Finals begin at 2:00 p.m. 
• SWIMMERS 
• Swimmers will be dismissed after 7th Period (1:55) 
• The Kitchen will have snack bags with a small sandwich, etc.. 
• Swimmers will meet at The Well to eat and make sure everyone has a ride 
• Swimming warm-ups 3:00 p.m. 
• Stands Open 3:30 
• Swimming Preliminaries begin 5:00 p.m. 

Finals on Saturday, February 24

• Swimmers and divers should be on deck by 10:15 
• Swimming & Diving warm-ups 10:00 a.m. We will start at 10:30, but I'll be there by 10:00 for anyone who wants more time. 
• Stands Open 10:30 
• FINALS BEGIN (Swimming & Diving) 12:00 p.m. 
• Pizza at the HS Cafeteria following the meet. 

LOOKING AHEAD
Second Chance Meet Hosted by Holland - Tuesday, February 27 6:30
This meet will be hosted at the Holland Aquatic Center by Holland High School.

• Final Meet for those not making State cuts. 
• This is a great opportunity for athletes to swim events that they didn't get a chance to swim at the Conference meet. 
• I need to know what events you want to swim by Sunday evening (Feb 25th).