Week 12 and the Week Ahead

Growth  -  Resilience  -  Intensity  -  Tenacity

This Team Is Built On It

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

At the beginning of the season I told our team that "taper begins today." The idea is that the hard work that athletes put in every day, is what makes the taper at the end of the season really work. This week, it begins. For most athletes in this team will begin the actual tapering process to prep them for our conference meet.

Taper is that time of the year when workouts change. Yardage decreases while intensity and speed increase with the intent of preparing and "resting" the body for the championship portion of the season. If you want a little more detail about taper, here is a nice little article that explains it well.  Swimmers who choose to should have tights to wear at practice beginning Wednesday the 15th. I suggest tights that are nylon and footless (hemmed at the ankle), not heavy "winter" tights. 

I'm proud of the work this group has done this season. Their GRIT has been evident throughout the entire season in a multitude of ways and I know that this championship portion will be no different.

THE "SANDY" 

Our winner of the gritty performance of the meet from Tuesday's meet goes to Seth Windemuller. Seth has been working so hard this season and the results were evident Tuesday night. Seth's 500 free was his first this season and no one expected him to finish within striking distance of a state cut.

SWIM CAP ORDER - I've put together another silicone swim cap order. You can order them on this form. They are still $15 each. These are the white caps. I also have Maroon silicone available. Email me if you want one of those.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

MEETS

Tuesday, Feb. 14 Home Meet v Mona Shores (Senior Night)

        - Swimmers & Divers should be on deck by 5:15        

        - Warm ups @ 5:30

        - Meet Begins @ 6:30

          Senior Parents please be on deck by 6:15 for our senior recognition

PRACTICE TIMES - Note the early practices this week due to the GLIAC Championships
    Monday: Normal Practice 3:20-5:30
    Wednesday thru Friday: 5:30am - 7:30am (Due to HAC hosting the GLIAC Championship)
    Saturday: 10:00 - 12:00 at Hamilton

A LOOK AHEAD

Pasta Night

To give our athletes the fuel they need for our conference prelims, we will have a pasta meal after our practice on February 23 at Rose Park School. Parents should watch for an email looking for meal help and donations.

Conference Meet
AT Hamilton Middle School February 24 and 25. Divers

PRELIMS - Friday, February 24
- Diving Preliminaries and Semi-Finals 2:00 p.m.
- Swimming Preliminaries begin 5:00 p.m.

FINALS - Saturday, February 25
- Finals Begin (Swimming & Diving) 12:00 p.m.

FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD
Second Chance Meet Hosted by Holland - Tuesday, February 28 at 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 26th).

SAVE THE DATE End of the season banquet will be held at the HS Cafeteria on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30. More info will come in the next couple weeks.

AQUAMAN CHALLENGE

Yesterday we finished our second Aquaman Challenge of the season. It requires the swimmers to complete every individual event minus the 500. They swim these back to back with some short recovery swims mixed in. It's a great lactic set and a great way to test fitness. Here you can see results and compare to the first one of the season.