Idaho Falls Swim Team

Take the Responsible Sports Survey - help the team

2010-05-10T16:16:00.003-06:00

Over the last few weeks you should have received via email and pool mailbox some information about RESPONSIBLE SPORTS. Please check.

This is an opportunity for the IFST PIRANHAS to earn up to 2500.00 and it is easy. You as parents (your friends and family can help too) go to the website, sign in, take a short quiz (10-15 min.), then attached your name to IFST PIRANHAS.
that's it.

First of June, Responsible Sports determines the winning organizations. The key is to take the quiz and become more aware of what it takes to be a RESPONSIBLE SPORTS ORGANIZATION.

Please find the time to do this. It could be easy money for our club in this time of financial hardship for everyone.

Use the following link:
Take Survey

Detailed steps:
1. Once link loads in browser window, click "Parents" under Step 1: Complete Course & Quiz (about 2/3 down the page in the middle).
2. Click the "Take the Quiz" button at the bottom of the middle column of content.
3. You can't "finish" the quiz until you get all the answers correct (it is a good experience to figure out what the correct answers are! - it took one parent about 5 minutes)
4. Once you get the questions correct, complete your contribution by filling out the "Become a Fan" information.

This website has very useful information, and this helps the team.

Swim Clinic - Fitter & Faster Tour

2010-04-28T19:12:00.000-06:00

Attention Idaho Falls Swim Team Swimmers and Parents-

Get excited, because we are going to be hosting the Fitter & Faster Tour right here at the West Deist Aquatic Center on Friday, July 9, 2010! You definitely don’t want to miss this swimming opportunity of a lifetime! Hosting the event will be Olympic Medalist Gold Medalist and five-time NCAA Champion Misty Hyman, and three-time Olympic Champion and five-time Olympic Medalist, Ian Crocker.

Swimmers will have the chance to Learn from the best, Hear their stories, Hold their medals, and of course RACE the Olympians. We want to have a great showing at the event!

We are receiving a special discount for the event because we are hosting the event! When you register from the link below, enter “piranhas” when prompted for the promo code. The code is valid until May 12th at 10pm, so register soon to make sure you save $10 when you register.

All participants receive a gift bag with a t-shirt from TYR, full-color collector’s program with athlete bios, and samples from great companies like Swim Outlet, Ultra Swim and Chocolate #9! Parents and supporters are also encouraged to attend for free with their swimmer’s participation.

This is a high-energy, fun, upbeat event designed to get you in the pool with the stars of the sport.

Here is a link to the event page

We look forward to seeing you there!

Swim Parents Newsletter - 4/12/2010

2010-04-15T20:53:00.001-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

What is Long Course, What is Short Course?

“One of our pools is 25 yards wide by 50 meters long. Why isn't the pool 25 meters by 50 meters or 25 yards by 50 yards?”

For years the "American Standard Short Course" pool has been a 25 yard pool. Almost all high school pools and most college pools are 25 yards long and most high school and college meets are run as short course meets. USA Swimming Club teams generally swim short course meets from September through March.

The international standard is meters. The Olympics, Pan-American Games, and World Championships are held in 50 meter pools. In this country, most 50 meter pools are outdoors due to the cost of building an indoor 50 meter pool. For that reason our long course season is generally from March through August. As more and more indoor 50 meter pools are being built and as the United States focuses more on international swimming the distinction between the "short course season" and the "long course season" becomes less distinct and more meets are going to the long course standard throughout the year -- with the exception of high school and college swimming which will generally remain short course yards.

At this time (April) many teams are training short course but are preparing to go to long course when the outdoor pool is ready. Some lucky teams are located in a climate and have access to long course pools all year around. And some lucky teams have indoor 50 meter water all year around.

Eventually we all will be at swim meets during the spring and summer that are long course. This will cause some confusion about times. The times will be slower because a 50 meter swim is approximately 5 yards longer than a 50 yard swim. Another factor are turns. There are less turns in long course swimming and generally, turns are faster than swimming -- we can push off the wall faster than we can swim. (Although for some of our swimmers who have not yet mastered a turn, the turning process is slower than swimming!)

Some people attempt to "convert" a short course time to a long course time or visa versa. The conversion factors are not precise due to differences in turns, strokes, and individual's ability to swim the extra distance at speed. Conversions can lead to unrealistic expectations and disappointments, or to a false sense of achievement. For those reasons we do not convert times. We simply say that each swimmer has two sets of best times, one for long course and one for short course.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 4/5/2010

2010-04-15T20:48:00.001-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Weight Training for Age Group Swimmers

By Jack Wilmore, Ph.D.,

Physical Education professor at the University of Texas and Austin.

Generally, youngsters adapt well to the same type of training routine used by the mature athlete. One area of concern, though, is the use of weight training to develop muscular strength and muscular endurance. For many years, young boys and girls were discouraged from using weights for fear that they might injure themselves and prematurely stop their growth processes.

Results of animal studies suggest that heavy resistance exercise leads to stronger, broader, and more compact bone. However, since it is nearly impossible to load these animals to the same extent as youngsters, it has not been practical to design an experiment that accurately defines the risks associated; therefore the potential for injury and structural damage from heavy resistance appears to be extremely low. Still, since the future of the youngsters is at stake, it is appropriated to take a conservative approach until additional studies can be conducted.

Thus, to strength-train a young athlete, a program using low weights and high repetitions would be preferred to one using high weights and low repetitions. One of the safest techniques for strength training in youngsters would be to use the isokinetic concept of matching resistance to the force applied, so that the youngster does not have to contend with actual weights, such as barbells and dumbbells. Cybex, Orthoton, Mini-Gym, and Hydra-Gym are examples of isokinetic equipment.

It has been suggested that since young prepubescent boys have relatively low circulating androgen levels, there is no reason to expect them to benefit from strength training prior to adolescence. Several recent studies have demonstrated that prepubescent boys can not only participate in this form of activity but also can gain substantial increases in strength.

In a study conducted by Sewall and Micheli, prepubescent boys and girls took part in a nine-week progressive resistance strength training program, 25-30 minutes a day, three days a week (J Pediatr Orthop 1986;6:1234-6). They experienced a mean strength increase of 42.9%, compared with a 9.5% increase in a non-training control group.

Weltman and his colleagues followed 16 prepubescent boys (mean age 8.2 years) through a 14-week strength program using isokinetic techniques with hydraulic resistance (Med Sci Sports Exerc 1986;18:S55). Isokinetic strength increased 18-37% in these young boys. Only one injury was recorded causing the boy to miss three training sessions. In the control group of 10 boys six injuries were recorded as the result of activities of daily living. None of the boys had any evidence of damage to bone, or the muscle structure as a result of strength training. Form the results of these studies, one can conclude that young, prepubescent boys and girls can increase strength from using resistance exercise, and that few risks of injury are associated with such exercise. However, it should be noted that in both of these studies, free weights were not used. The resistance was provided by pneumatic (CAM-II), hydraulic (e.g., Hydra-Fitness and Orthotron), or fixed stacked weights (e.g., Universal Gym or Nautilus). The use of free weights provides a much greater potential for serious injury.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 3/22/2010

2010-04-15T20:27:00.001-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Helping Your Young Child Set Goals

Goal setting for young swimmers is an important process that requires interaction of the parent, coach, and athlete. It is important to remember that for young swimmers the goal of goal setting is to learn how to set goals. The progression for learning how to set goals is based upon the age and competitive experience of the swimmer. In this issue we will look at one approach for introducing goals to 8 through 10 year olds.

There are many approaches to goal setting for younger swimmers. The following approach is presented because it is a little different from the "normal" routine of coach‑swimmer interaction and one that I personally find more rewarding for the parent‑coach‑athlete relationship.

With younger, inexperienced swimmers, generally ages 8 ‑ 10, goal setting needs to be carefully guided by adults. The purpose of goal setting with this age is for the young swimmer to learn what a goal is, that to achieve a goal a series of steps toward the goal must be taken, and that some amount of preparation and work is required to meet the goal. These are very powerful lifelong skills.

I think it is very important that children are successful in achieving goals at this stage. For this reason, the coach, who best knows the ability of the swimmer, should suggest goals to the parents who, in turn, guide their young swimmer to set goals well within the possibilities described by the coach. Goals should be objective and based upon time standards or performance standards. In addition, goals need to be short term goals aiming at completion in 4 to 6 weeks. A long term goal is a difficult concept for 8 ‑ 10 year olds.

Billy is a 9 year old who has been on the swim team for 18 months. He has all "B" times except for the 100 IM which he has an unofficial "C" time. He has been disqualified in his three 100 IM races because he has an illegal breaststroke kick. His best friend, neighbor, and swimming rival, John, began swimming at the same time as Billy but has achieved "A" times in the breaststroke and freestyle, several "B" times, and was recently moved to a more advanced group. Billy's ambition is to swim in the same workout group with John. Billy's dad and John's dad are friends and weekend golf rivals. Coincidentally, John's dad regularly beats Billy's dad. Billy's dad's goal is to see Billy beat John.

What should Billy's goals be and who should set them? Billy's goals must not be based upon John. At this point in time John is a more accomplished swimmer. Perhaps he will always be more accomplished for a variety of reasons which will frustrate Billy if Billy's goal is always to beat John. On the other hand, maybe John is temporarily bigger and stronger than Billy. As the boys reach and pass puberty Billy may become the bigger and stronger and more skilled of the two and beating John may not present an adequate challenge.

The coach should suggest several goals for Billy to Billy's parents. These goals are based upon the coaches' assessment of Billy's ability to improve in the next two months. One suggested goal might be for Billy to make an "A" time in the 50 free. Currently, Billy is only 4 tenths of a second from an "A" time. A second goal might be to swim a legal 100 yard IM. The coach has been working on Billy's breaststroke kick several times each week and is confident that Billy will have a legal kick in time for the next swim meet.

Why suggest these goals to the parents? Two reasons: 1) It is a good way for the parents and coach to communicate on the progress and future expectations for the young swimmer, and 2) the most important and most influential people in the young swimmer's life are Mom and Dad. What better source is there in guiding the young swimmer towards setting goals?

How should parents discuss goals with young swimmers? I think the best way is to ask the young swimmer a series of questions designed to bring him to the goals suggested by the coach. A conversation may go something like this:

Parent: "Billy, our team is hosting a meet in six weeks. Do you have any goals for our meet?"

Billy: "What's a goal?"

Parent: "A goal is something you want to do that you have never done before."

Billy: [without hesitation] "I want to swim in John’s group!"

Parent: "Someday I think you will. What does it take to move up to that group?”

Billy: “Coach says I need an A time.”

Parent: "Do you know what your best time is?"

Billy: "No"

Parent: "Coach says you have 32.2 and that's only 4 tenths of a second from an "A" time which is a 31.8. Would you like to make an "A" time?

Billy: "YEA!"

Parent: "Do you know how short 4 tenths of a second is?" [Demonstrates with stop watch.] "Coach says you can knock off those 4 tenths of a second just by streamlining better off the start and turn and by finishing with a long arm and strong kick. What are you going to work on in practice to help you make your goal?"

Billy: "I'm going to work on streamlining and finishing with a long arm and strong kick."

Parent: "Great! I KNOW you're going to make your goal! There is a dual meet with Fairport in three weeks. What do you think you would like to do in the 50 free in that meet?"

Billy: "An "A" time?"

Parent: "Right! Now let's write down your goal."

The next step is for Billy to write down his goal(s) on two pieces of paper. He should write his current best time, his goal, target date, and things he needs to work on in order to accomplish his goal.

His goal statement may look like this:

My Goal: 31.8 "A" time in the 50 free

When: February 17 home meet

Best Time: 32.2

Every day in practice: streamlining and good finishes

Billy should keep one at home in his room where he can look at it every day. Mom and Dad should ask Billy once every week or so how he is doing on his goal. The second copy he takes to swim practice to review with the coach. Then he can keep it in his locker or swim bag and look at it every day before practice.

Of course, it's a wonderful thing if a young swimmer is aware enough of times, both his own and qualifying times, to set his own valid goals in addition to those suggested by the coach. If a swimmer sets a reachable goal it should be accepted by coach and parents. Most young swimmers however need the expert guidance of coach and parents to set obtainable goals. Remember, at this age it is vitally important that swimmers are able to accomplish their goals.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 3/15/2010

2010-03-22T17:29:00.002-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

The Marginally Motivated Swimmer
Guy Edson
ASCA Staff

The other day I was remembering a time when I was a much younger coach and the day I asked a swimmer to leave practice and “not to come back.” In recalling and thinking about this incident I believe there is a message for parents of older, aged 13 and above, lesser committed swimmers.

What was this swimmer doing that was so terrible? Nothing. He was doing nothing; and that was the problem. For whatever reason, he simply decided he wasn’t going to do the set I had prescribed and decided he was going to leave practice.

This 13 year old had a dismal attendance record making just a couple of workouts a week and when he did come there was minimal communication with me. He would arrive seconds before we began the first set and he would immediately leave after the last set. I only saw the mom one time; the dad, never. Quite simply, it appeared that he didn’t want to be there.

I thought about the incident throughout that evening and it was the first thing on my mind when I woke up in the next morning. I hated kicking a swimmer out of practice. I asked myself these questions:

Did I need to permanently dismiss him from the team?

Should I have just let him go without comment at the time or should I have taken the time to find out what was bothering him?

Should I have had a discussion with the parents long before the incident about what my expectations were and to find out what their expectations were?

Before I tackle those questions there are a couple of concepts I would like all parents to consider. First, one of the primary duties of the coach is to provide adversity for the athletes. That may sound like an unusual way to describe it but the reality is that a workout is not meant to be easy. It is meant to be a physical and mental challenge. Good coaches throw the challenge out there and then attempt to provide the environment where the athlete’s will to meet the challenge is high. At older ages and upper levels, say 13 and over at sectional and above level, coaches sometimes design entire workouts meant to make the athlete fail – temporarily fail. At lower levels, right down to novice level swimming, swimmers need to be exposed to sets that are difficult, perhaps so difficult that no one can achieve the set. Good coaches use these sets to build a desire in the athletes to achieve higher levels of physical and mental toughness. Good coaches know that being successful requires a combination of challenge and success in the workout environment and that the relative amount of each will change as the swimmer ages.

The second concept has two parts: the coach’s time and effort; and the athlete’s submissiveness – best described as the athlete’s willingness to release themselves to the coach. To whom should the coach give their time and effort? Answer: to those athletes who give themselves to the coach. The coach has limited time and energy and the fairest behavior of the coach is focusing on those who are ready to meet the adversity. Coaches simply do not have time to coddle and convince reluctant swimmers to do work while there are other swimmers willing and ready to go.

Now, back to the questions at hand. Did I need to dismiss him from the team entirely? In this case, Yes. But it should have been discussed with the parent the next day rather than shouted to him across the pool. Why dismiss him from the team? He had a poor history of effort, bad attendance, and it was not worth the team’s time to try change his work ethic. In a case where a swimmer had a history of good effort, and had shown a high degree of coachability – well, this situation wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place.

Should I have let him go without comment at the time? Yes. Running a workout where emotions are high is not the time to get into it with an athlete or the parent. It is better to discuss such things in a different environment at a different time.

Should I have take the time to find out what was bothering him? No. That would have been taking time from those in the water who were doing the work and that is where the coach’s focus needs to be.

Long before the incident should I have had a discussion with the parents about “expectations”? Absolutely Yes. This was a failure on my part – and the parents.

The bottom lines: There are adolescent swimmers who are of marginal ability who come to practice for a variety or reasons. Sometimes it’s friends. That’s a pretty good reason, but there has to be the willingness to work as well.

Sometimes it’s Mom and Dad making the child go to practice. There are good reasons and bad reasons for this. Good reasons include a sincere desire for the child to be involved in a wholesome activity. Bad reasons include a parent’s desire for the child to be a champion swimmer and earn a swimming scholarship when the child doesn’t have that talent.

Whatever the reasons, it is important for parents and swimmers and coaches to discuss their respective expectations with each other. Frankly, sometimes expectations just do not match up with what’s being offered or what is being done. And then it is time to think about moving on to another program or another activity.

Guy Edson is a Level 5 Age Group Coach and has enjoyed 5 years as a part time age group coach, 2 years as a full time age group coach, 8 years as a full time head coach, and 20+ years coaching novice/intermediate swimmers. (In that order.) And, 7 years as high school coach mixed in with the above. He has served as an ASCA staff member since 1988 where his favorite role is helping young coaches with everything from teaching techniques to designing workouts. He also manages ASCA’s Job Service program helping both coaches and employers with a wide range of needs including contract reviews, interviews, and relational and club structural issues.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 3/8/2010

2010-03-22T17:27:00.001-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Training Aids:

Legitimate Tools Or Frivolous Fads?

If you talk to parents of swimmers from other teams, if you read swim publications, or if you watch swimmers during warm ups at swim meets, you will notice a variety of training aids that swimmers lug around. Let's see, there are kick boards in every size and shape imaginable; there are tire tubes; there are paddles -- boy are there paddles!, round ones, rectangular ones, contoured ones, ones with holes, incredibly large ones, ones that cover the forearms, ones that inflate around the whole lower arm, etc, etc.; there are webbed gloves made out of lycra or latex rubber; there are fins - standard department store types, expensive scuba shop types, short stubby ones, monofins, and fins cut in a variety of shapes; there are ankle weights, wrist weights, and even head weights; there are fiberglass rods velcroed to the legs; there are suits with pockets in them; there are plain old sneakers used on kick sets; there are plain old t-shirts; there are plain old, really old, swim suits - two or three or four worn at the same time; there is tubing; there are stretch cords; there are short pull buoys, long pull buoys, and pull buoys that can be filled with water; and on and on and on.

When you notice a 10 year old star swimmer from another team lugging around a training bag with surgical tubing exploding from the torn end of the bag, you ask, "Could this be the reason she always wins?" Do you want to go out and buy surgical tubing for your young swimmer?

Or, between long course and short course season you are contemplating your child's swimming successes and short comings of the past season while you read an ad about a "revolutionary new" buoyancy device. Do you want to equip your child with it in time for the start of the season?

Who invents these things? What things really work and what things are commercial contrivances of questionable value? Can some of these devices do more harm than good? Should your child use some of these devices?

Most training aids are invented by coaches. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of training aids invented by coaches but only a few make it to commercial production. Most coaches do not invent a training aid for the profit potential but rather they are invented for the sake of improving an individual's or team's strength, speed, endurance, and/or technique.

Many coaches would add that training aids can do more than improve strength, endurance, and/or technique. They also add variety to a workout and help motivate swimmers.

What things really work? There are very few published independent studies done on

specific training aids to test their effectiveness in speed, strength, endurance, or technique enhancing qualities. (Actually, I could not find any published independent studies -- but there might be some out there.)

But good coaches do not need studies to know that some things really do work. Most coaches use kickboards. Most coaches use pull buoys. Many coaches, but I'm not sure most coaches, use paddles. Same for fins. Fewer coaches use surgical tubing. Almost all coaches try nearly every training aid at least once but almost no one uses all the training aids all the time.

So what things really work? The answer is: most training aids, whether commercially produced or coach/home made, are effective to some degree when the coach and swimmer properly use them with respect to the developmental age of the swimmer, the psychological needs of the swimmer, the appropriate time during workout, and the appropriate time during the season. The answer also is: no training aid will work if not used properly.

Can some of these devices do more harm than good? The answer is a definite yes. No training aid is safe when improperly used. Most training aids are designed to increase resistance or to increase training speed. Excessive workloads with training aids can lead to overuse syndromes and injuries especially in younger children not physically mature.

Should your child use some of these devices? Who decides IF they should use training aids and if so, which aids to use? Questions like these are the reasons you and your Board of Directors hire a qualified professional coach. The coach makes these decisions based upon his or her experience and coaching education. If your coach is having your child use a training aid and you are concerned that use of that training aid may cause an injury, then speak directly to the coach about the extent and intensity of use for that training aid. If your coach is not using various training aids that you've seen or heard about and you are curious about, then once again speak with the coach.

When speaking with the coach keep these things in mind:

1. Approach the coach after practice or during office hours quietly and sincerely with an attitude of "Could you help me understand...". Many of the communication problems between coach and parent arise from abrupt challenges to coaches judgment calls.

2. Coaches have selected favorite training aids and don't like to be told they should be using additional or different methods. There is more than one way to accomplish a desired training effect and it is the coaches area of responsibility and authority to select that method.

3. There is a limited amount of workout time in the water and a coach must make decisions about the type of training aids to use and the amount of work using training aids. These things must fit in with an overall daily, weekly, and seasonal workout plan.

4. Smart coaches are not quick to jump on the bandwagon when a revolutionary new training device comes along. They want to speak with other coaches, observe its use, perhaps try it themselves, begin using it on a limited trial basis, and evaluate its effectiveness before using it on a regular basis with the whole team.

5. One of the great strengths of American Swimming is in the diversity of approaches coaches use to develop young swimmers. From this diversity comes great new ideas. Your coach may be a future Olympic coach and her use, limited use, or lack of use of a training device is her special approach to training your young swimmer.

6. Many training aids are not designed for young age groupers to use. Coaches like to introduce various training aids in a progression following the swimmer's developmental age and ability to handle greater workloads.

7. Some training aids have a dual purpose, they can be used at low resistance for stroke development, and they can be used at high intensity for speed, strength, and endurance development. A coach may use this type of training aid primarily for skill development with younger ages and gradually use it for more intense work as the swimmer grows.

8. Motivation is a large factor in the use of training aids. If a swimmer gets to use all the "toys" at an early age they will become bored in years to come as they keep using the same "toys". Smart coaches use this as a reason for the gradual introduction of training aids.

These are not easy issues for coaches, athletes, and parents. Questions about "how much", "how hard", and "what type" are part of the sport. Coaches will make decisions based on firsthand experience, information from other coaches, and published reports. Whatever the decisions are, one thing stands out, there are no quick answers and no short cuts. A new super duper revolutionary training aid will not transform your age group swimmer into a superstar. And even if there was such a thing, what would it mean? In age group swimming we want steady growth, a sound aerobic base, excellent stroke development, and an appreciation for the relationship between day to day effort and the realization of goals.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 3/1/2010

2010-03-22T17:16:00.001-06:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

After Your Child Swims the Event

By Guy Edson

Long Time Age Group Coach

What’s the proper process immediately following the conclusion of the swimmer’s event? In this article I am going to talk about the age group swimmer who does not have the same immediate physical need to warm down as a senior swimmer does.

Many coaches want to be the first person to speak with the young swimmer immediately after their event is swum. Why? First, the longer the time between finishing the event and receiving constructive comments, the less the swimmer is going to remember about the swim. Being lead away by a loving and well meaning parent for treats or hugs or high fives from Grandpa, lessen the opportunity for immediate feedback from the coach. Secondly, the coach has critical commentary on the quality of the swim which is vital for the learning process and needs to be the first person to review the swim with the swimmer. If the swimmer hears either overflowing positives, or in some cases, harsh criticism from the parents before he or she visits with the coach it is very possible the swimmer is going to be receiving conflicting messages.

After an event I first ask my swimmers, "How did you like your swim?" I want to hear their feelings first. In some situations, when a swimmer displays excessive anger or crying after a swim I will ask them to warm down first, or to sit quietly in private for a few moments before talking about the swim. In these cases I am wanting them to learn how to manage their feelings and I prefer they not visit with Mom or Dad yet.

After listening to them I proceed to analyze the swim in three basic areas. Was it a best time? A best time is not the only issue but it is important. I make a pretty big deal about best times and I want the swimmers to recognize the importance of always trying for best times. However, I also look at how they swam the race – was it technically correct with proper pace and a good start, good turns, good stroke mechanics and a good finish? Sometimes a best time is tempered by the fact that the swim wasn’t really a “best swim.” I also look at the race. "Winning the race" refers to beating whoever they are close to in the heat. Sometimes it means winning the heat, sometimes it means winning the event, sometimes it means out touching the swimmer in the next lane for seventh place. The sport is a competitive sport and the ability to race is important. If a swimmer is successful at one of the three objectives I tell them they did a good job. If they are successful at two of the three, that's a better job. If they are successful at all three, then they did the best they are capable of at that point in time. I avoid using words like “unbelievable” or “great” preferring to leave them with a sense that they can always improve.

How can the parent respond? First, if the child forgets to go directly to the coach, please give them a quick hug and sent them straight to the coach. Afterwards, I think the most important thing is to simply love your child and provide emotional comfort. Congratulate them. Console them. Ask them how they felt about their swim before you tell them anything. Ask them what the coach said. But please, don’t add a technical critique, leaving that for the coach.

There is no doubt that a healthy parent-coach-athlete relationship is vital to the long term success of the athlete. Stay in touch with the coach, support him or her, and direct your children to the right places at the right times.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 2/22/2010

2010-02-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

My Man Dan…

By Mike McCauley

Head Coach of Premier Aquatics, Houston Area

I drove to the pool that Monday afternoon, and I got a text from one of my swimmers. “I won’t be at practice today…I’m at the hospital…”

And as I come to the end of the season, with all my swimmers in prep mode for their various championship meets, it always gets a little tough. We, coach and athlete, are plagued by the unforeseeable. What’s going to happen?

I always get excited during this period because I know that, in the end…succeed to a certain degree or fail big…my kids will be forced to handle the outcome, no matter what. And how they handle each outcome is what helps to drive their character development and long-term success chances. Maybe they will be arrogant, maybe they will throw a fit…or maybe, just maybe, each of my athletes will use their various experiences as motivation to become better. Become better where? In school, with their parents, in training, in their future jobs…everywhere! If I can get them to solve a riddle that plagues most, then I get to taste a little success as their coach. What’s that riddle you ask? Here it is: How do you turn success, failure, or hard times, into an empowering situation?

Back in my car…naturally I called him right away. No answer. Dang it! What’s happened? I got a text response to my call. “They think I have diabetes.” What?!?! DIABETES?!?! You can imagine all the things that went flying through my head. That’s impossible. It can’t be right. That’s not fair. He was just tearing up last Friday’s workout, shook my hand, told me thanks for the workout, and went home…nothing out of the ordinary there. What’s going to happen?

Now I find it interesting that I asked myself the same question, only now, I suddenly didn’t care about what used to be at the forefront of my mind. Swimming, what? My priorities shifted quickly, a 180-degree turn to say the least. My man Dan…what’s going to happen?

Obviously my role was to relax my swimmers when I drove up to the pool. I was sure they already knew something. So I walked in, gathered up my kids, and told them about their teammate. We had a good workout that day…a tribute to my kids rolling with something unexpected but able to stay focused on the task at hand. They all wanted to help, but understood that there was nothing at the immediate moment to do for him, except complete a good workout.

The next morning, I drove down to Texas Children’s Hospital. On the way down, I called a dear friend of mine, one that could give me some good information on diabetes, then another for directions. I finally found my swimmer lying in a hospital bed on the 14th floor…room 1435.

When I walked in, Sudoku book and a goofy pen in hand, I had a plan for my man Dan: Laugh, talk shop, and then show him that the lessons he learned through swimming were being tested right here, right now.

I was fortunate enough to sit with his parents and listen as doctors and dieticians delivered a barrage of information. We all asked questions, trying to wrap our minds around the depth of this unfair diagnosis. Unfair. That’s what it was. If I could, I would have reached into his body and ripped it out…everyone was thinking the same thing.

We talked about the Olympic swimmer Gary Hall, Jr., and how he has diabetes. We looked through the Regional psych sheet, and talked about Sectionals. We discussed the lessons of swimming applicable to this scenario. And then I tried not to look while he gave himself his first injection.

And yet, through all of this, he was calm, not panicked. What? Could this be right? I watched a little more. He’s rocked that’s for sure, but he was unbelievably calm. My mind did a back flip! Are you kidding me? Here he is, learning how to cope with an unexpected, life-long disease…yet he’s not crying, he’s not shouting, he’s not blaming anyone, he’s not arguing; He wasn’t looking for a way out; he was looking for a way through!

I smiled all the way home from the hospital. What a remarkable young man! Put through an emotional gauntlet and still, he did not back down. My man Dan…he solved the riddle! Right there in that hospital room, under the most unlikely of circumstances, he solved it. What’s going to happen? I think I know…and so does he.

2nd Trimester Fundraiser

2010-02-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

We are set to kick-off our 2nd Trimester Fund Raiser! We have partnered up with the Flying J Excellence in Education Program. We will be selling Flying J Rechargeable Cash Rewards Cards to our family, friends and neighbors! Fuel is something we all purchase on a regular basis. This is a fund-raiser that everyone benefits from! We are very excited for this opportunity and we know you will be too!

Your friends, family and neighbors can purchase cards valued at $20, $30, $50 or $100. These pre-loaded cards can be used to purchase any meal at Flying J restaurants, merchandise in the convenience stores and any of Flying J's fuel.

What will you earn? For every $20 card you sell, $4.00 will be credited towards your family commitment fee. Sell any amount over $20.00 (up to $100.00) and you will be credited another 15%. For example, sell a card valued at $30 you will be credited $5.50 or $50 earns you $8.50 and $100 earns you $16.

What do your friends, family and neighbors get out of this? They will receive a Flying J Rechargeable Cash Rewards Card for the value of their purchase. And, as a bonus, those purchasing the card from you will receive a $5 gift card to be used in any Flying J restaurant. They can continue to use their Rewards Card to receive fuel discounts and Flying J coupons.

Are there any additional rewards for you? Participating swimmers will receive a Flying J All-In-One gift card preloaded with $1.00 for every valid email address collected. Also, the three participants who collect the most appilcations/purchases will receive an additional amount loaded on a Flying J All-In-One gift card from Flying J as follows: 1st place - $50, 2nd place - $30 and 3rd place - $20.

How does it work? You sell the card, fill out the information on the provided Flying J application card and collect the funds. We send the information and funds on to Flying J. Flying J sends the pre-loaded Rewards Cards and bonus $5 gift card to your friends' and families' mailing addresses within 7-10 days of the fundraising closing date.

We will be kicking off our fundraiser on Tuesday, February 23rd. Those wishing to participate, pick up your packets that day at the pool between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. If you absolutely cannot pick them up during that time, please contact Shauna Hill (529-2676) to make other arrangements. All packets must be completed, funds collected and NO LATER THAN Friday, March 5th. As this is not a great deal of time, we suggest making a list now of those you want to contact so you can hit the ground running!

After reading the details, we hope you are as excited for this fundraising opportunity as we are!!!

Swim Parents Newsletter - 2/8/2010

2010-02-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Developing Swimmers Progressively

We develop our swimmers progressively with great patience. Winning is not an issue with our younger age groups. We want swimmers to be their best in their later teen and college age years. We spend the majority of time with our youngest swimmers developing technique, some time developing endurance, and very little time developing speed. As swimmers become older and more skilled we increase the amount of endurance work, continue to develop technique, and introduce “race preparation.” Racing preparation means learning how to race more than it means high volumes of quality speed work. At older ages and higher levels of skill the emphasis is on racing speed and competition while continuing to build long term endurance and continuing to refine technique and race strategy.

On the mental side we want the swimmers to learn to take responsibility for their own performance and to learn the importance and the thrill of meeting challenges straight forward. We also teach swimmers to; learn to read a pace clock and understand time relationships; learn about setting goals and the relationship between work and achieving goals; learn that everyone on the team contributes to each other's performance; and learn a sense of control in pacing swims, sets, and practices. Control allows for the highest levels of work without counterproductive out of control struggling. We feel this learned sense of control is applicable to other areas of life as well.

Latest Swim Meet Results: Twin Falls, Jackson, Bridgerland

2010-02-07T20:15:00.001-07:00

IFST Piranha’s have traveled in all directions over the past 3 weeks to take on the competition from 3 different states. Multiple standout swimmers have emerged putting in top performances at all age group levels. Most recently at the 2010 Sweetheart of the Tetons meet held in Jackson Wyoming Jan 31-Feb 1st, Halle Hess,11, Ben Hounshel, 8, and Kevin Miller, 16, all posted at least one first place finish (Hess had 6 of 8 first place finishes and three personal best times, Hounshel had two first place finishes and 6 top three finishes, and Miller matched his personal best time in the 1650 “mile” for first place among all age groups including Masters) in their respective age groups while Jessica Henderson, 9, finished with 7 personal best times and six of eight top three finishes.

Four hundred miles away in Bridgerland, Utah, Piranha’s Camile Andrus, 10, put on her own swim clinic with 4 of 7 first place showings, three additional second place finishes, plus seven of seven personal best times. Tori Yarnell, 17, posted three first place finishes, five top two postings and three personal best times while Blake Krupa, 12, posted an “A” time first place finish in his 100 yard backstroke and a total of six top 3 finishes.

One week earlier at the 2010 Igloo Pentahalon Jade Irick, 12 and Johanna “Joey” Miller, 6, dominated the competition in their respective age groups. Irick, stroked to four first place finishes, two”AA” and three personal best times. Miller sprinted to four first place finishes, one second place, five “BB” and two personal best times. Not to be outdone by the girls, Chaney Boyle,15, took first place in his 100 breaststroke and four top three finishes, Ethan Bruemmer, 8, had four top two finishes including first in his 25 free, and Joe Davis, 14, posted a first place finish in his 100 butterfly and four personal bet times while his sister Ashley Davis, 12, posted a first place “AA” time of 35.92 secs in her 50 breaststroke, a personal best improvement of 1.39 secs.

Over all three meets, the IFST Piranhas posted over 50% of their events swum as new personal best times.

Additional top performances at all 3 meet:
Ricky Henderson, 5, second place in his 100 yard backstroke.
Em Hill, 10, five top three finishes, a pair of second places in her 100 fly and 200 free.
Ricky Swearingen, 18, six top three finishes including two second places in his 200 fly and 400IM.
David Hill, 8, a pair of second place finishes in his 50 fly and 100 free.
Lucy Bruemmer, 10, third place “A” time of 36.04 secs in her 50 fly, a personal best.
Rachel Lenderink, 13, third place in her 200 fly and seven personal best times.
Noah Hounshel, 9, a pair of third places in his 50-100 yard breaststroke events.
Jesse Irick, 16, third in her 100 yard butterfly.
Randi Yarnell, 13, third in her 100 free and four personal best times.
Ali Roberts, 14, fourth place in her 1650 “mile” among all age divisions.
Kayla Stanley, 11, hat trick of fourth places in her 50 free, 50 back and 100 IM.
Jacob Smith, 12, six top five finishes including fourth in his 50 breaststroke and five personal best times.
Josie Havlovick, 7, a pair of fourth places in her 25 breast and 100 IM.
Victoria Hounshel, 5, fifth in her 100 yard free.
Caralee Brasher, 9, twenty sixth in her 50 fly.
Jordan Andrew, 10, eighth place in her 50 yard backstroke.
Danny Caliva, 15, eighth place in his 100 fly.
Colbie Youngberg, 13, a hat trick of ninth places in his 100 breast, 100 backstroke, and 200 IM events, plus 3 personal best times.

Carson Cooper, 12, a pair of ninth places in 50 fly and 100 IM.
Madison Molina, 14, twelfth in her 200 IM.
Krista Stanley, 15, twelfth in her 100 backstroke.
Lyndsie Smith, 16, a pair of thirteenth places in her 100 back and 100 breaststroke events and three personal best times.
Lincoln Cook, 7, nineteenth in his 25 free.
Macey Honeycutt, 10, finished twenty-seventh overall in her 50 yard breaststroke.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 2/1/2010

2010-02-02T22:09:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

TRAINING VERSUS LEARNING

By john Leonard

Last week I was speaking to a young coach who had just taken a new job.

His specific problem was that the coach that was there before he was, had everyone “training hard” and had done a great job of selling that concept. Everyone from 8 and unders to seniors was pounding the yardage daily.

The new coach wanted to spend 6 weeks or so concentrating on skills development, because in the first few days on the job, he noticed that many of the swimmers were deficient in the types of stroke, turn and start skills that would support them as they aged into older swimmers in the program.

He’d laid out that plan to his parent group, including cutting back practices from 2 and one half hours per day to just 90 minutes for the older swimmers and 60 minutes for the middle groups and 45 minutes for the youngest swimmers. This, consistent with today’s best advice to dedicate oneself to “purposeful practice” of new skills if you hoped for optimum learning….shorter periods of intense concentration, with little to interfere with the concentration process.

He immediately faced rebellion.

Moms and a few Dads, called him to complain that important swim meets were coming up and their little darling needed to “train” in order to be successful. Interestingly, more than 70% of the calls came from the parents of younger children. The coach asked my advice on how to educate the parents on this issue.

Here’s my answer.

“Long practices, with high training volumes will make all swimmers VERY good at what they are doing. Repetition builds habit. Habit stands up beautifully under the pressure of competition…when in fact, nothing else does….as the pain of competition effort removes all traces of thought from the brain…..it becomes habit that the swimmer relies upon to get him home to the finish.

“Unfortunately, if they are practicing poor technique, that will be learned and habituated, just as well as good technique. And poor technique makes you biomechanically inefficient at the time of greatest stress. Hence you struggle more, go slower and your stroke collapses at the end of races.

“This makes swimming a technique limited sport. Your child will be severely limited by the degree with which they can perform the strokes with good habits, instead of poor habits.

“Lots of training with poor habits will make a very poor swimmer. A little training with good habits, will result in a good swimmer and one that is “unlimited” in their future.

“Which one do you want for your child?

HINT: Get the strokes right FIRST instead of purposefully practicing mistakes.

All the Best for Great Swimming Experiences!

John Leonard

Swim Parents Newsletter - 1/18/2010

2010-01-28T21:29:00.001-07:00

Two things this month: The article below on watching your child at swimming practice; and afterwards, an invitation to complete a survey for the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in partnership with Discovery Education. ASCA encourages participation in this survery.

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Watching Your Child at Swim Lessons or Swim Practice

By Guy Edson

For many years I watched my daughter swim under the direction of other coaches. I have also watched her at basketball practice and games, and dance, and figure skating. I know the joy of watching her in these activities. I also know and understand the overwhelming desire to direct, correct, encourage, and sometimes scold her at practice. But these are not proper parental behaviors once I have released her into the care of a coach or teacher. As a parent, I am not to interfere with the practice or attempt to talk to my child during the practice session.

At swim practice coaches want the children’s attention focused on the coach and the tasks at hand. Occasionally children miss an instruction, or have a goggle problem, or are involved in some other distraction, or are simply playing and having fun – which are all normal behaviors for young children. Coaches view these little difficulties as opportunities for the children to develop good listening skills, ability to reason, and self discipline. Sometimes we allow failure on purpose -- a missed instruction leaving the child confused often results in the child learning to pay better attention the next time. We endeavor to provide an environment for the children to develop these skills. A well-intentioned and over-enthusiastic mom or dad sometimes has difficulty allowing their child to miss something and wants to interfere. It’s understandable.

We know it is common in many other youth sports for parents to stand at the sidelines and shout instructions or encouragements and sometimes admonishments to their children. However, at swim practice coaches ask parents not to signal them to swim faster, or to tell them to try a certain technique, or to offer to fix a goggle problem, or to move away from some other “menacing” swimmer, or even to remind them to listen to the coach. In fact, just as you would never interrupt a school classroom to talk your child, you should not interrupt a swim practice by attempting to communicate directly with your child.

What’s wrong with encouraging your child during practice? There are two issues. First we want your child to focus on the coach and to learn the skill for their personal satisfaction rather than learning it to please their parents. Secondly, parental encouragement often gets translated into a command to swim faster and swimming faster may be the exact opposite of what the coach is trying to accomplish. In most stroke skill development practices we first slow the swimmers down so that they can think through the stroke motions. Save encouragements and praise for after the practice session! This is the time when you have your child’s full attention to tell them how proud you are of them.

What’s wrong with shouting or signaling instructions to your children? When I watched my old daughter play in a basketball league I felt an overwhelming desire to shout instructions to my child and so I understand the feelings that most parents have. But those instructions might be different from the coach’s instructions and then you end up with a confused child. Sometimes you might think the child did not hear the coach’s instruction and you want to help. Most of us do not want to see our own kids make a mistake. The fact is that children miss instructions all the time. Part of the learning process is learning how to listen to instructions. When children learn to rely on a backup they will have more difficulty learning how to listen better the first time.

As parents, many of us want our children protected from discomfort and adversity and we will attempt to create or place them in an environment free from distress. So, what’s wrong with helping your child fix their goggles during practice time? Quite simply, we want to encourage the children to become self-reliant and learn to take care of and be responsible for themselves and their own equipment. Swimming practice is a terrific place to learn these life skills. Yes, even beginning at age 6 or 7.

If you need to speak to your child regarding a family issue or a transportation issue or to take your child from practice early you are certainly welcome to do so but please approach the coach directly with your request and we will immediately get your child out of the water. If you need to speak to the coach for other reasons please wait until the end of practice.

Thanks for bringing your children to swim practice. Every swim coach I know coaches each child with care for their safety and concern for their social, physical, learning skills, and life skills development.

Dear USA Swimming Member,

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in partnership with Discovery Education has requested our sport’s participation in a research project. Your thoughts and views are critical to this study.

The aim of this USADA project is to enhance their education program by conducting comprehensive research that determines society’s view on the impact of sport. A key objective of this research will be to capture sport’s impact in particular on youth participation and activities, and youth attitudes and values.

Please be assured that all answers provided to us are to be used for research purposes only. The survey also consists of questions that you and your child (between the ages of 8-12) can answer together. If you are a parent of a child under 13, you will need to provide consent for your child to participate in the survey by selecting the appropriate response within the survey. If your child is age 13-17 they can answer questions either with you or independently. If your child is not available at the time you take the survey, you can log back in at a later time to complete those questions and pick up where you left off. Please do not complete the survey on your child’s behalf. All responses will be anonymous (there will be no data that will identify you or your child personally or link you to your responses) and will be used only in combination with other responses we receive.

Your participation is completely voluntary so if you don’t want to participate, you certainly don’t have to. Should you choose to participate, there is an opportunity to register in a $5 Sports Authority gift card sweepstakes as a thank you. If you would like to be included in that drawing, then you will be asked to provide your e-mail address at the end of the survey. Note that this does not affect the anonymous nature of the survey in any way. To begin the survey, please click on the link below. If this does not work, please cut and paste the address into your web browser.

We think that this data will prove to be meaningful and insightful and we hope that you will want to participate! We know that there will be great interest in responding to this study, and we can accommodate a good number of submissions; however, keep in mind that there will be a point at which the survey must conclude due to the number reached. It will be important to respond as quickly as possible to ensure your opportunity to participate. A message will be provided immediately upon opening the survey if it has closed. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact comments@imoderate.com.

All research on human volunteers is reviewed by a committee that works to protect your rights and welfare. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research subject, or if you would like to obtain information or offer input, you may contact the Institutional Review Board at 919-966-3113 or by email to IRB_subjects@unc.edu.

We encourage you to take the time to complete this important survey and show your support for the integrity of your sport, and our collective support of USADA. Thank you for your time.

http://survey.confirmit.com/wix/p1076189338.aspx?SAM=3

Swim Parents Newsletter - 1/11/2010

2010-01-17T21:08:00.001-07:00

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Learning To Prepare For The Best

John Leonard

As I write this in early January in Fort Lauderdale, the air temperature is a “balmy” 42 degrees….well, balmy if you’re from Green Bay, Wisconsin, maybe. Here in South Florida, that’s a cold wave. We swim outside, and the water temperature is 75 degrees…..the heaters can’t keep up when the air is this cold. The wind chill factor, according to Channel 7, is…well, we don’t want to know the wind chill with a nice brisk 20 mile an hour wind coming off the Everglades.

My phone rings at 5 AM and a small voice on the other end asks plaintively, “Do we really have swim practice, Coach John?” Yes, we really do.

WHY? Is the next question, which I wrestle with myself on the 15 minute drive to the pool….why put teenagers in the water on this cold and nasty morning when both they and I would prefer to stay snuggled in at home for another hour or hour and a half.

Now, I KNOW why, but can I express it to my swimmers? Yes, I’ll try. Everyone, on the day after the high school state meet, vows that “next year” they will A) make a final, B) Make the meet C) win an event or D) write in your own goal here.

It’s easy to vow to do something the day after, when you are excited, full of the promise of life and get up and go. It’s a lot harder to REMEMBER what you wanted to do in early January when it’s 5 AM and cold outside. Then it’s a lot harder and a lot easier to rationalize, “it’s just one workout”.

The problem is, when teenagers begin to learn to rationalize, they get really good at it really fast, and pretty soon, the ACTION required to fulfill the commitments to those goals/dreams, falls prey to the rationalization. And after you rationalize the decision you want to make the first time, it’s so much easier to do it the next time, and the time after that, and pretty soon, the goal is just a dream, because you’re rationalizing yourself into thinking, “I’d like to do that if everything could be perfect for me, and it would never be cold in the morning, or no social events would ever conflict with practice, and time with my friends always went the way I want it to.“

But things never go perfectly. The ONLY thing you can successfully predict is that obstacles to your goal WILL come up, and little or nothing will go smoothly. And that consistency in preparation is the only way to raise the percentages of the chance you will reach your goal.

Read that again….”raise the percentages of the chance…” Not a guarantee. If it’s a good goal, there are no guarantees, EXCEPT that if you don’t prepare correctly, according to the plan, you won’t raise your chance of success, you’ll lower it.

So why go to practice at 5 AM in the cold? Because it’s part of the plan, and it raises your chance of success. But most of all, because you have told yourself that you will commit to doing it. And if you let yourself down, who won’t you let down? Prepare for a chance for success. And feel really good about doing that.

Because not very many people do.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 1/4/2010

2010-01-07T09:31:00.001-07:00

News For
SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Gain Weight To Gain Strength

By Keith B. Wheeler, Ph.D.

And Angeline M. Cameron

Should young (9 to 11 years old) male swimmers try to gain weight to gain strength? If so, what is the best way?

No, young male swimmers in this age range should not be too concerned with increasing their muscle mass to increase strength. Until they reach puberty, usually between 12 and 15 years of age, young men cannot increase their muscle mass rapidly because of the lack of the male hormone testosterone. However, studies have shown that with the appropriate weight-training program prepubescent boys can significantly increase their strength, despite the lack of muscle growth. The primary reason for this is that strength is regulated by factors other than muscle size -- namely, various neurological controls that are influenced by weight training.

For more detailed information on this subject, write to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Box 81418, Lincoln, NE, 68501, and ask for the position paper titled "Prepubescent Strength Training." This paper discusses benefits and risks of strength training and gives guidelines for a good program.

Additionally, ASCA sells a book written by two very well respected sports physiologists and published by Human Kinetics entitled “Strength Training For Young Athletes.” This book directly address the concerns of parents and coaches regarding strength training for young athletes, dispels the myths, and offers correct advice for properly administering a dryland training program. The book is available here: https://www.swimmingcoach.org/ecom/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=20

Swim Parents Newsletter - 12/28/09

2010-01-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

What Motivates The Coach?

It's obvious that it's the coaches job to motivate the swimmers, but the question has come up as to who or what motivates the coach on a daily basis? We asked Coach Steve Bultman, ASCA Level 5, what motivates him. His answer:

"One of our problems has been that lots of good coaches have left the sport for various reasons and loss of motivation is a big part of that. I've found motivation in various places. First, I think the swimmers, above all, motivate the coach. One of the neatest things about our job is working with outstanding young individuals to help them reach their goals. When you have that kind of relationship, it's highly rewarding.

"The performance of the team also motivates the coach. There are days where you just have a great practice and everything goes well, and it's a great feeling.

"Other things also help keep a coach happy and involved with swimming. Parents who really believe in what you're doing and pitch in and help out where they're needed definitely make the job go better. I've also found that going to the ASCA Clinic gets your batteries charged and fills you with energy and ideas.

Another way to motive your coach is to give him or her a chance to be an "explorer"; a chance to maintain or improve their creative ability. Roger Von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants spoke at the ASCA World Clinic in 1987. He said:

"I believe that in order to create anything, whether it’s an idea for a new swimming project, or a new business, or a new recipe for chicken, or a new fund raising idea, you have to have the materials in which to create. That means having facts, information, concepts, knowledge, experiences. Now, I find that a lot of people tend to look for information only in their own area. I do a lot of work with computer companies and I find computer people spending most of their time talking to other computer people. I work with bankers and they spend most of their time talking with other financial people.

"I would imagine there is some of the same thing in the swimming community. That's fine initially. Talk to your colleagues and peers, that is what this clinic is all about. Early on, I also encourage you to do this: put on the hat of the explorer and get outside your box. Venture off the beaten path and look for ideas in other fields, other sports, and other industries. Again and again, I've seen people poke around in outside areas, find something and bring it back to their own sport, give it a twist, and come up with something highly innovative.

Too often we expect coaches to be coaches 24 hours a day. Not only should we allow them time to be explorers, we should actively encourage them to seek activities, hobbies, and professional seminars to help them be better coaches. (Why not send your coach to a sales seminar?)

In addition to encouraging and financially supporting coaches to attend seminars, coaches appreciate and are motivated by the Board of Director’s respect for their well being. Due to competitive schedules and over lapping seasons coaches often go weeks and sometimes months without a single day off and some coaches rarely take vacations. This week after seeing University of Florida’s highly successful football coach Urban Meyer step aside from his duties as head coach to attend to personal health and wellness issues is a reminder that our coaches need time to renew, re-energize, relax, and recreate. There is an excellent column by USA Today’s Mike Lopresti in today’s newspaper regarding Meyer. You can read that article here:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/lopresti/2009-12-27-meyer_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Swim Parent Newsletter - 12/15

2009-12-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Two A Day Swim Practices

When Should the Athlete Start?

By Paul Blair*, ASCA Level 5

Little Rock Racquet Club

When looking at the possibility of beginning two a day workouts for an athlete it is important to consider three things:

1. Age

2. What events the athlete is training for

3. The goals of the athlete

Over the years some of the top sprinters in the world have not begun swimming until their mid-teens. With this in mind, two a day practices with some sprint athletes must be handled with great planning and understanding. Young sprinters can be overwhelmed with the workload of two a day practices and may be chased out of our sport.

On the other hand, distance swimmers who are interested in competing as distance swimmers must start two a day practices as soon as the individual athlete is ready. The age of 12 for males and maybe younger for some females is our guideline. Distance swimmers must develop a base level of aerobic conditioning which requires years of training. Distance swimming and training is an art just like sprinting.

The goals of the athlete are also important in determining the age to start two a day practices. Normally, swimmers who have the ability to swim fast want to begin two a day training sessions early on in their career.

Over the years, I have tried different combinations of two a day training. During the school year I have found the following schedule to be successful:

- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 5:00 am to 7:00 am.

- Saturday from 9 - 11 am.

- Afternoon workouts on Monday through Friday from 4 - 6 pm.

This schedule allows us to train at our maximum four days a week and rest the other three days a week.

The best two a day practice schedule is the one that enhances the development of the athlete.

The athlete needs to have fun and needs to want to achieve success.

This article is reprinted from the ASCA archives. Coach Blair passed on in 2006. He was recognized as one of the great sprint coaches and a great team builder. He developed John Hargis to an Olympic gold medal and his Arkansas Dolphins swim team won the men’s national team title in 1989.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 12/8/09

2009-12-11T18:39:00.001-07:00

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Fast Food Breakfast Choices

Warm-ups for the morning session start at 7:00 am, your two children need a breakfast, you're in a strange town, and the only place you can find for breakfast is one of the fast food places. What to do?

The most important thing to do is avoid fats for two reasons: 1) Fats have an immediate and dramatic effect on the ability of the circulatory system to carry nutrients, especially oxygen, to muscle cells. For young people about to participate in a swimming meet this is a definite handicap. And 2) As part of developing lifetime habits for long term health, people of all ages should keep their daily fat intake to less than 30 percent of the total calories consumed.

The Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter offers these tips:*

You don't always have to nix nutrition for speed and convenience. Fast foods may not make ideal meals, but some do offer healthful carbohydrate and only moderate amounts of fat. You also can downplay fat excesses by sorting out subtle differences among items. Consider these points the next time you're grabbing breakfast on the run:

Keep it simple -- The fewer ingredients you order in breakfast sandwiches, the lower the fat, sodium and calories. Hold the sausage and bacon.

Order it "drier that a biscuit" -- The English muffin is the lowest-fat breakfast food on most quick-service menus. Order it dry and substitute jelly for the butter; this virtually eliminates fat. When other ingredients are equal, a sandwich made on an English muffin is lower in fat than one on a biscuit. Croissant sandwiches are highest in fat. "Croissant" may sound light and airy, but it contains twice the fat of a biscuit and six times the fat of an English muffin.

Choose "cakes" instead of eggs --Pancakes, even with a little butter, offer more energizing carbohydrate and less fat and cholesterol than egg dishes.

Below are three of the lowest-fat breakfast options found by the Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter: These meals supply 20 to 30 percent of daily protein for the average adult, about 25 percent of daily calories for the average women, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C, and, in one example, calcium.

1. McDonald's Hotcakes with butter and syrup, orange juice,coffee: 493 calories,16% of calories from fat.

2. McDonald's English muffin with butter, orange juice, low-fat milk: 384 calories, 23 % of calories from fat.

3. Jack in the Box Breakfast Jack (egg, ham and cheese on a hamburger bun), orange juice, coffee: 387 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat.

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*Reprinted from Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter with permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 11/30

2009-12-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities

Coping With Adversity is the Key
Dr. Scoresby, Ph.D

Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, “Press on” has evolved and always will solve the problems of the human race. -Calvin Coolidge

Some parents think they can make sure their child has good self-esteem if they can shelter or protect her from trials, frustration, uncertainties and setbacks. The opposite is true. Their continual attempts to make their child happy and to protect her from every potential unpleasantness will most likely undermine her self-esteem. Allowing your child room to grow, make mistakes, deal with defeat and overcome problems is essential in the development of healthy self-esteem. You cannot bestow self-esteem, but you can help your child develop it by:

Helping your child set goals
Encouraging your child to challenge himself and improve his talents
Giving your child chores and responsibilities appropriate to his age and ability
Teaching your child that he is responsible for his own happiness and accomplishments
Providing academic and psychological support

By allowing your child a controlled amount of frustration, you’re showing confidence in her. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should leave her to deal with a hopeless situation alone. There are certainly times she will need your assistance. You can continue to be concerned and involved while encouraging independence.

Strategies to Promote Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem
In School
If you believe your child lacks self-esteem and/or self-confidence because of problems he is having at school, talk to his teacher. If he is having difficulty academically, perhaps the teacher can suggest ways to give him opportunities to improve his self-confidence. For example, he could be encouraged to work on projects that will utilize his talents. School achievement is very important in the development of self-confidence.

At Home
1. Create and environment in your home that encourages the development of self-esteem. According to Dr. Ida Greene, an expert on developing self-esteem, the ingredients of such a home are:

Express love
Encourage goal-setting
Communicate honestly
Encourage independence
Define your family’s values
Create security and stability
Establish reasonable standards
Be consistent in your discipline
Create opportunities for success
Express faith in your child’s abilities
Praise your child’s accomplishments
Require age-appropriate responsibility
Provide emotional and academic support

If these ingredients are present in your home, your child will feel more secure, will like and respect herself, and will consider herself to be worthwhile and competent.

2. If your child’s poor self-esteem is chronic, she is probably suffering from emotional problems. The reasons for these problems need to be examined in counseling or psychotherapy. According to Greene, “Serious self-esteem deficits will not disappear of their own accord. The child who dislikes herself and feels “bad” will most likely continue to feel this way throughout her life unless she receives help from a mental health professional.” Academic success will not provide her much enjoyment or satisfaction. If you get help for her before her bad feelings become permanent you will give her a brighter future.

----------------------

Dr. Scoresby holds a Ph.D from the University of Minnesota in Counseling Psychology and is the author of many books, including Teaching Moral Development, Focus on the Children and Something Greater than Ourselves: The Exercise of Extraordinary Leadership. He is the director of Knowledge Gain Accelerated Learning Center and president of A. Lynn Scoresby & Associates, a leadership development firm

Swim Parents Newsletter - 11/23/09

2009-11-29T13:59:00.001-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Eating on the Road

By Linda Houtkooper, Ph.D., R.D. Linda is a Food Nutrition Specialist at the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Arizona. She was once the author of a question/answer column in Swimming World magazine and she gave a presentation on nutrition at the ASCA World Clinic.

What should swimmers eat when swim meet or vacation takes them on the road? Should the foods for best performance be sacrificed for popular, convenient, fatty foods or is there something else they can eat?

Swimming success depends on ability, top-notch training, coaching, and good nutrition. Proper nutrition for swimmers includes foods that provide all essential nutrients in the proper amounts for good health and performance.

Nutrition-conscious swimmers know that they need high carbohydrate, low fat foods to perform their best. The best diet for training and performance is the VIM diet.

V= Variety of wholesome foods that provide the proper amount of nutrients to maintain desirable levels of body water, lean body mass, and fat. These foods will also maintain good health.

I= Eat foods that are individualized. Foods should reflect personal like. They should also make it possible to follow religious food preferences. Avoid foods that cause allergic reactions, and those the body can’t tolerate. Only use nutritional supplements recommended by your doctor or registered dietician.

M= Eat moderate amounts of foods that are high in fat, sugar, or sodium.

Use the suggestions below to maintain your top-notch VIM diet “on the road.”

Breakfast

Order pancakes, French toast, muffins, toast, or cereal, and fruit or fruit juices. These foods are all higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat than the traditional egg and bacon breakfasts. Request that toast, pancakes, or muffins be served without butter or margarine. Use syrup or jam to keep carbohydrate high and fat to a low. Choose low fat dairy products, milk, hot chocolate, etc. Fresh fruit may be expensive or difficult to find. Carry fresh and/or dried fruits with you. Cold cereal can be a good breakfast or snack; carry boxes in the car or on the bus. Keep milk in a cooler or purchase it at convenience stores.

Lunch

Remember that most of the fat in sandwiches is found in the spread. Prepare or order your sandwiches without the “mayo,” “special sauce,” or butter. Use ketchup or mustard instead. Peanut butter and jelly is a favorite and easy to make, but remember that peanut butter is high in fat. Use whole grain bread and spread more jelly, while using a small amount of peanut butter. Avoid all fried foods at fast food places. Salad bars can be lifesavers, but watch the dressings, olives, fried croutons, nuts, and seeds; or you could end up with more fat than any super burger could hope to hold! Use low fat luncheon meats such as skinless poultry and lean meats. Low fat bologna can be found in the stores, but read labels carefully. Baked potatoes should be ordered with butter and sauces “on the side.” Add just enough to moisten the carbohydrate-rich potato. Soups and crackers can be good low fat meals; avoid cream soups. Fruit juices and low fat milk are more nutritious choices than soda pop.

Dinner

Go to restaurants that offer high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta, baked potatoes, rice, breads, vegetables, salad bars, and fruits. Eat thick crust pizzas with low fat toppings such as green peppers, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, and onions. Avoid fatty meats, extra cheese, and olives. Eat breads without butter or margarine. Use jelly instead. Ask for salads with dressing “on the side” so you can add minimal amounts yourself.

Snacks

Eat whole grain bread, muffins, fruit, fruit breads, low fat crackers, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, oatmeal raisin cookies, fig bars, animal crackers, fruit juice, breakfast cereal, canned meal replacements, and dried and fresh fruits.

Swim Parents Newsletter - 11/10/09

2009-11-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Competition and Children

Here are some thoughts on competition and children from Rainer Martens, founder of modern sports psychology. Martens, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, founded the American Coaching Effectiveness Program, and is one of the leading authorities on children in sports.

The Early Years

According to Martens: “Competitive sports evolve out of the process of social evaluation.” Children begin competing with each other from a very young age, but focus mainly on their own efforts. Each can happily claim to have “won,” simply meaning they have done something well and are satisfied. These games are very healthy growth experiences because there are no “losers.” At 5 and 6 years of age they begin to compare their efforts with others. In other words, they learn to keep score. Martens says this process of competing and comparing is part of what helps kids “find out what they can and should be.”

Problems emerge when winner/loser comparisons overshadow the importance of competing with oneself to do things better than they have been done before. At this point, competition stops building character and confidence and begins to tear it down.

Can Competitiveness Be Taught?

All coaches are familiar with the idea that some youngsters thrive on competition, while others shrink from it, but Martens thinks that in the right environment, children can learn competitiveness by being taught to concentrate on mastering specific techniques. This not only improves the mechanical aspects of performance, but is also the best way to reduce competitive stress. “If people focus on mastering specific acts they can learn to control their performance.” On the other hand, the thing over which a young swimmer has the least control – how fast competitors swim – is the greatest source of anxiety in competition.

Martens advice to coaches and parents of young athletes is to concentrate on how to improve performance rather than on what happens if the child wins or loses. “Focusing on smaller, more solvable technical challenges increases physical efficiency, and reduces anxiety and stress,” Martens says. “This increased the number of potential winners because skill instead of the final score has become the immediate objective.”

Every Child Is A Winner

In this scenario, an age group swimmer’s final instructions before a race would focus on successfully doing something he or she previously had difficulty with – keeping the hips up on the last half of a butterfly race; or pressing through to the hips in the freestyle stroke -- rather than on “beating that kid in lane 5.” After the race, the child could then be congratulated on his or her technique improvement, no matter where he or she placed. In this way, a race with 30 contestants could potentially yield 30 winners rather than 1 winner and 29 “losers.” This gives life to the credo “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts.”

Martens thinks the competitive climate for youth athletics is steadily improving as more youth coaches learn to teach mastery of sports skills, and understand why it is advantageous to do so. “At the recreational level there is more and better, more useful and pleasant competition going on than ever before.”

Latest addition of the Swim Parents Newsletter

2009-11-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

News For

SWIM PARENTS

Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200

Fort Lauderdale FL 33309

___________________________________________________________________

Competition and Children

Here are some thoughts on competition and children from Rainer Martens, founder of modern sports psychology. Martens, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, founded the American Coaching Effectiveness Program, and is one of the leading authorities on children in sports.

The Early Years

According to Martens: “Competitive sports evolve out of the process of social evaluation.” Children begin competing with each other from a very young age, but focus mainly on their own efforts. Each can happily claim to have “won,” simply meaning they have done something well and are satisfied. These games are very healthy growth experiences because there are no “losers.” At 5 and 6 years of age they begin to compare their efforts with others. In other words, they learn to keep score. Martens says this process of competing and comparing is part of what helps kids “find out what they can and should be.”

Problems emerge when winner/loser comparisons overshadow the importance of competing with oneself to do things better than they have been done before. At this point, competition stops building character and confidence and begins to tear it down.

Can Competitiveness Be Taught?

All coaches are familiar with the idea that some youngsters thrive on competition, while others shrink from it, but Martens thinks that in the right environment, children can learn competitiveness by being taught to concentrate on mastering specific techniques. This not only improves the mechanical aspects of performance, but is also the best way to reduce competitive stress. “If people focus on mastering specific acts they can learn to control their performance.” On the other hand, the thing over which a young swimmer has the least control – how fast competitors swim – is the greatest source of anxiety in competition.

Martens advice to coaches and parents of young athletes is to concentrate on how to improve performance rather than on what happens if the child wins or loses. “Focusing on smaller, more solvable technical challenges increases physical efficiency, and reduces anxiety and stress,” Martens says. “This increased the number of potential winners because skill instead of the final score has become the immediate objective.”

Every Child Is A Winner

In this scenario, an age group swimmer’s final instructions before a race would focus on successfully doing something he or she previously had difficulty with – keeping the hips up on the last half of a butterfly race; or pressing through to the hips in the freestyle stroke -- rather than on “beating that kid in lane 5.” After the race, the child could then be congratulated on his or her technique improvement, no matter where he or she placed. In this way, a race with 30 contestants could potentially yield 30 winners rather than 1 winner and 29 “losers.” This gives life to the credo “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that counts.”

Martens thinks the competitive climate for youth athletics is steadily improving as more youth coaches learn to teach mastery of sports skills, and understand why it is advantageous to do so. “At the recreational level there is more and better, more useful and pleasant competition going on than ever before.”

Albertson's Community Partners Card

2009-10-06T21:44:00.000-06:00

A great way to meet your family commitment requirement and help the team!

If your family would like to save it’s Albertsons receipts for credit toward your family commitment fee, please follow these simple instructions:
1. First, you need to connect your preferred customer number to the Idaho Falls Swim Club as a community partner. The Idaho Falls Swim Club is partner number 49000100252.
2. Then save your original receipts. I have found it easy to use one envelope in our household that is marked “Community Partners.” (in order to keep your original receipts for you financial books, you may make a readable photocopy)
3. Staple your receipts together in the top left corner.
4. Circle the subtotal on your receipt.
5. Attach a piece of paper with:
• The total of your subtotals (you don’t need to list your subtotals)
• That total multiplied by .02 (2%)
• Your family name printed
6. Put everything in a sealed envelope and slide it through the team mail slot at the Aquatic Center
Prepared receipts can be turned in every month or quarterly, but please do not turn in fewer than 10 receipts that you have collected. Your next printed team statement will show your family’s Albertsons Community Partners credit if your receipts were received in time, if not they will appear on the next statement.

Thank you for your continued support and for shopping at Albertsons.

Title IX complaint brings improvements

2009-09-26T18:29:00.000-06:00

(This article is repeated from http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_13328825)
By Douglas Morino, Staff Writer

Less than a year after a complaint was brought to Torrance Unified officials alleging sex discrimination and a lack of opportunities for female athletes at West High School, upgrades are nearly complete at athletic facilities for girls on campus.
"We weren't getting the resources we needed," said 17-year-old Aletha Vassilakis, the four-year varsity softball player who initiated the complaint.
After notice of 20 possible Title IX violations in November 2008, the district quickly moved to improve facilities for the softball program, said Vicki Barker, legal director of the California Woman's Law Center, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles.
"There was a stark difference in the facilities," said Barker, who represented Aletha and her parents in the case. "We weren't interested in reducing the number of opportunities for boys, we just wanted to increase the number of opportunities for girls."
Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972, calls for equal participation opportunities for girls and boys in educational, athletic and extracurricular activities at public schools.
A major point of contention on the Torrance campus was the quality of the softball fields. According to the complaint, the outfield used by the junior varsity softball team was also used by boys sports teams for practice. Additionally, the field lacked infield dirt, making base running dangerous, Vassilakis said.
"There were a couple injuries, mostly twisted ankles," she said. "And (the boys' sports teams) would literally run practice right through our games."
The group also claimed softball teams didn't receive the same fundraising opportunities as the baseball squads, regular field maintenance wasn't being performed on the junior varsity softball field, and scheduling conflicts favored boys sports programs, leaving the girls little time to use locker rooms, weight training equipment and batting cages.
Aletha said that when the complaint was first brought to school officials her family received angry e-mails from parents.
"Kids my age were raised in the Title IX era, so we expected it to be this way," Aletha said. "Some of the parents weren't as comfortable by it; they thought it would affect boys sports."
The case was resolved before it went to court and a settlement between Aletha, her parents and Torrance Unified was reached in July. Under the agreement, the district covered the lawyer costs, totaling just more than $40,000. Most of the construction work, including a new field, electronic score board and spectator bleachers will be completed by the start of the 2010 softball season next spring.
Other improvements for the program include a new team room and a new batting cage for the teams. Additionally, the girls' uniforms will be the same quality as the boys' next season. Potential softball coaches will also go through the same interview process the district uses when hiring baseball coaches for the boys teams.
"The willingness of all parties to work together is resulting in funds being used efficiently to bring girls softball facilities up to parity with boys baseball facilities," Deputy Superintendent Don Stabler said in a statement.
All said, the district spent about $44,000 to improve the facilities.
"The initial impression the girls were given was that baseball was a serious boys sport and softball was kind of the fun thing girls did," Barker said. "Girls need great sports experiences, and to do that they to be in a situation were their sports are valued.
"I think that was the message the school was trying to send by settling this case."
Once the issue was resolved, Aletha said support from parents and other athletes was overwhelming.
"Once girls teams began getting recognized more, the boys teams started supporting us," she said. "They'd come to our games and cheer us on."
Aletha, a catcher, graduated in May and will continue her softball career at the University of California, San Diego.
"They have some of the nicest facilities I've ever seen," she said.

Summer Champs 2009 Results

2009-08-07T15:15:00.000-06:00

The Idaho Falls “Piranhas” Swim Team finished second behind the Boise Y Swim Team at the Snake River Summer Championships held in Boise, Idaho July 31st-Aug 2nd. Not only did they capture second in team points with less than half the swimmers of the champions, the Piranha Boys 15-19 year old 200 meter free and medley relays and the Girls 15-19 year old 200 meter medley relay won gold medals in finishes reminiscent of recent USA Olympic Swim Team relay exploits.

“Summer Champs” was Team Captain Cidnee Maggart’s first swim meet as a Piranha in the 8 and under division years ago and it was her last meet as a Piranha 18 year old. Maggart leaves her teammates behind to swim for the University of Nebraska at Kearny on a full-ride swimming and academic scholarship. Cidnee Maggart, posted four top three finishes including first in her 400-800 meter events, four “A” times, and four personal best times.

Snake River Swimming awarded its annual Academic Excellence awards at “Summer Champs” to each 9-12th grade swimmer who maintains a GPA of 3.5 all year long. Piranhas maintained their tradition of 100%, or 15 of 15 of their “senior” swimmers receiving this award.

Piranha top performances:
Tori Yarnell, 17, six top three finishes including first place in her 50-100 meter free events, four “AA” races and and eight personal best times.
Blake Krupa, 11, ten top two finishes including first in his 50 meter fly, seven “A” times, and five personal best times.
Joe Davis, 13, six top three finishes including first place in the Boys 13-14 year old 200 meter fly, nine personal best times and seven “BB” times.
Jade Irick, 12, eight top three finishes, including second in her 100 meter fly, two “AA” times (50 meter free and fly), and seven personal best times.
Halle Hess, 11, seven top four finishes including second in the Girls 11-12 year old 50 meter backstroke, three “A” times, and ten personal best times.

Jordan Andrew, 10, three top ten finishes and four “B” times.
Camille Andrus, 10, three top four finishes, six “BB” times and two personal bet times.
Joe Beller, 11, three top eight finishes including seventh in his 50 meter free, and three personal best times.
Chaney Boyle, 15, seven top eight finishes including fourth in his 100 meter breast, two “A” times in his 200IM and 100 meter free and nine personal best times.
Carson Cooper, 12, five top eight finishes including a pair of seventh places in his 50 meter breast and 100m back.
Ashley Davis, 11, a pair of fourth places in her 50-100 meter breaststroke events, six “BB” times, eight personal bests including a 22 sec improvement in her 200 meter IM.
Jesse Irick, 15, four top four finishes including third in her 50 meter fly, and five “BB” times.
Hannah Johnson, 14, three top nine finishes including fourth in her her 200 meter breastroke, seven “BB” times and seen personal best times including a 20 sec improvement in her 100 meter free.
Jacob Johnson, 9, fourth place in the Boys 9-10 year old division, and two personal best times with an average 5 sec improvement.
Ashyln Krupa, seven top four finishes including third in her 100-200 meter fly and 400 meter IM, eleven “BB” swims, plus six personal best times.
Joey Miller, 6, eleventh in the Girls 8 and under division in her 50 meter free, twelfth in her 50 meter breaststroke, and two “BB” times (38.91 secs in her 50 meter free, 1.05.20 secs in 50 meter breaststroke).
Kevin Miller, 15, three top four finishes, two “A” times in his 400-800 meter free events, and eight personal best times.
Matt Miller, 17, six top three finishes including first in his 100 meter free event.
Mikey Miller, 9, tenth place in his 50 meter free with an amazing 11.53 sec improvement.
Madison Molina, 13, in her first long course meters championship, Madison posted three personal best times including a “B” time in her 50 meter freestyle event.
Andrea Perttula, 9, recently aged group up and immediately posted four top six finishes, three “BB,” and four personal best times.
Ethan Perttula, 7, four top six finishes including second in his 100 meter free in the Boys 8 and under divison, two “BB,” and two personal best times.
Lauren Perttula, 12, six top seven finishes including fifth in her 50-100 meter fly events, seven “BB,” and eight personal best times.
Anna Rickabaugh, 7, eighth in her 50 meter fly and one “BB” time of 1:05.09 secs in her 50 meter backstroke.
Emilee Rickabaugh, 9, thirteen in her 50 meter fly and two personal best times with an average 5.5 sec improvement.
Ali Roberts, 13, fourth in her 1500 meter “mile” and ninth in her 400 meter free events, one “BB,” and four personal best times.
Clayn Smith, 13, fifth in his 50 meter breaststroke, one “B” time in his 50 meter free, plus four personal best times with an average 7.5 sec improvement in each event.
Dallin Smith, 9, twelfth in his 50 meter back and fifteenth in his 50 meter free events.
Jacob Smith, 12, finaled in all six of his events, six top five finishes, eleven “B,” and eleven personal best times.
Luke Smith, 6, finished eleventh and twelfth in his 50 meter free and backstroke events within the Boys 8 and under division plus set one new personal bet time.
Lyndsie Smith,15, finaled in her first long course meter championship in the 50 meter breaststroke good enough for eighth place and posted three personal best times.
Kayla Stanley, 11, sixth place in her 100 meter fly and posted a “BB” time in her 100 meter free, six other “B’ times, plus four personal bests.
Krista Stanley, 14, ninth in her 50 meter fly, a “B” time in her 50 meter free, plus six personal best times.
Ricky Swearingen, 17, six top five finishes including second in his 200 meter fly, eleven “BB” times and twelve for twelve personal best time events.
Sydney Tarcy, 15, seventh in her 100 meter fly crushing her previous best time by 13.33 secs, ninth in her 50-100 meter free events, four “BB” times and five personal best times.

28th Annual Firecracker Classic June 26th-28th

2009-07-08T17:01:00.000-06:00

Fifteen Idaho Falls Swim Team Piranhas headed north to take on the competition stretching from California, Montana, Edmonton Canada, Idaho and Utah at the 28th Annual Firecracker Classic in Missoula, MT June 26-28th.

The highlight reel for this meet would certainly include the Men’s 17 and older 50m free event where Piranha’s Matt Miller, 17, was out touched by .01 secs by five-time Olympic Medalist (1992) David Berkoff for the pool record. Miller finished the meet with nine top three finishes, including first in the 50m fly, and three personal best times.

Other Piranha highlights included:

Ashley Davis, 11, first place in her 200m breaststroke with an “A” time of 3:23.10, and six personal best times.
Joseph Davis, 13, first place in his 200m fly, five “BB” times and six personal best times.
Kevin Miller, 15, first place in his 1500m free, five top three finishes, and two “A” times.
Jade Irick, 12, second place in her 200m fly and third in her 400m IM, five “BB” times, and four new personal best times
Lauren Perttula, 11, fourth place in her 400m IM and eighth place in what Coach Thompson called was the perfect 100m butterfly event in a time of 1:30.06 secs (“BB”). Jesse Irick,15, third place in her 50 fly, six top ten finishes, and four “BB” times.
Rachel Lenderink, 12, fourth place in her 400m free, fifth in her 400m IM and 9 for 9 personal best times including 32.54 secs off her previous 400m free.
Jacob Havlovick,17, sixth in his 400m free, two “B” times in his 100 free and 100m back.
Ethan Perttula; 7, seven top nine finishes, including fifth in his 100m back and seven personal best times.
Tori Yarnell, 17, seven top seven finishes, including three fourth places in her 50-100m free and50m backstroke events, two “A” times, five “BB” times, and two personal bests.
Andrea Perttula, 9, ninth in her 100 fly, two “BB” times, and five personal best times averaging 15 second improvements in each event.
Josie Havlovick, 7, two “BB” times in her 50m free (13th place) and 50m backstroke.
Joey Miller, 6, eighteenth in her 100m breast and a “BB” time personal best in her 50m breast.
Jessica Henderson, 9, a pair of twenty-sixth places (50m fly and 100m back) in a field as deep as 105 swimmers.

Results from 2009 Utah CHAT Invitational and Non-Qualifier

2009-07-08T16:37:00.000-06:00

Besides the wind and the rain, fifteen Idaho Falls Piranha Swim Team members took on some of the best competition in the region at the 2009 Utah CHAT Invitational and Non-Qualifier meets June 18029th in Cottonwood Heights Utah.

Top Piranha performances include:
Blake Krupa, 11, dominated the boys 11-12 year old division with six top three finishes, four second places in his 50-100m fly and 100m breast events, three “A” times, nine “BB” times, three personal best times and he made finals in all eight events.
Jacob Smith, 12, three top three finishes including second in his 200m IM, three “B” times and four personal best times.
Camille Andrus, 9, stroked to a pair of ninth places, nine “BB” times, made finals in six events and had ten new personal best times averaging 8 secs improvement in each race.
Kevin Miller, 15, fifth in his 800m free event and seventh in his 1500m “mile.”
Dallin Smith, 9, sixth in his 200m IM, eighth in his 100m back and three personal bests.
Jade Irick, 12, nine top nine finishes including four sixth palce finishes, three “A” times, nine “BB” times, and an incredible nine new personal best times with an average of 3 second improvements.
Ashlyn Krupa, 15, pair of eighth places in her prelims and final 200m breaststroke events, ten “BB” times, and made finals in a total of six events.
Ricky Swearingen, 17, ninth in his 800m free, finaled in his 400m IM and three personal best times.
Halle Hess, 11, stroked to a pair of eleventh places in her 100m fly and 200m free events, posted six “BB” times in her new age group and set two new personal best times.
Jesse Irick, 15, eleventh in her 200m fly and one “BB” time.
Luke Smith, 6, eleventh in his 50m breast and fifteen in his 100m free with a personal best improvement of 8.86 secs.
Tori Yarnell, 17, sprinted to 30.47 in her 50m free and a “BB” personal best in her 100m backstroke.
Lyndsie Smith, 15, sixth in her 200m back, tenth in her 100m backstroke events and six personal best times.
Elizabeth Cutler, 14, twelfth in her 100m fly, fourteenth in her 200m breast and three personal best times.

Meet Results from the Boise Spring Fling

2009-06-01T18:50:00.001-06:00

2009 Boise Spring Fling

Twenty-eight IFST piranhas took on the competition in Boise May 15-17th and parents and onlookers’ left feeling like they had witnessed some spectacular feats. One for the memory books came from Tim Wayland, 16, who beat a top 20 nationally ranked breaststroker handedly in his 200m meter breaststroke crushing his previous best time by -35.44 seconds plus seven personal best times, or Halle Hess, 10, sweeping 5 out of 6 events in the girls 9-10 year old age group for fist place with six personal best times, or Andrea Pertulla, 8, with two first place sprints in her 50-100m free events among five personal best times, or Matt Miller’s, 17, two first place swims in his 200m free and 200m IM events plus his own six personal best times.

Blake Krupa, 11, posted four second place finishes out of six events plus six personal best times. Lexie Tew, 17, stroked to second place in her 400m IM (5:46.32 secs.) with a personal best time improvement of -28.56 secs. Jodee Whittier, 14, finished in second place in her 100m meter breaststroke with a time of 1:21.91 seconds (a personal best time improvement of -5.13 secs).

Joe Davis, 13, posted a pair of thirds in his 1500 meter and 100m fly (1:21.02 secs.: -13.20 sec improvement). Jade Irick,11, finished third in her 400m freestyle (5:49.69 secs: -50.26 sec improvement). Ashlyn Krupa, 15, stroked to third in the girls 15 & over 400m IM with a personal best time of 5:56.73 secs. Kevin Miller, 15, finished third in his 1500m “mile” with a personal best time of 18:39.82 secs (-35.48 secs improvement). Ricky Swearingen, 17, posted third place in his 200m fly with a new personal best time from an -18.91 sec improvement.

Additional top Piranha performances:
Cidnee Maggart, 17, fourth places in her 50-100 fly and 1500m free, plus five best times.
Jesse Irick, 15, fourth in her 200m fly with a -5.76 secs improvement.
Ethan Pertulla, 7, fourth in his 100m free with a -18.29 sec improvement in his best time.
Lara Shropshire, 17, fourth in her 800m free and an -5.27 secs in her 200m breaststroke.
Tori Yarnell, 16, fifth in her 50m free and six personal best times.
Camille Andrus, 9, fifth in her 200m free and three personal best times.
TeArra Pahis, 15, sixth in her 200m backstroke and three personal best times.
Sydney Tracy, 15, sixth in her 1500m “mile” and four personal best times.
Ashley Davis, 11, sixth in her 50m breast and six personal best times.
Kayla Stanley,11, seventh in her 100m fly plus six personal best times.
Joe Beller, 10, eighth in his 100m back, six personal best times.
Lauren Pertulla, 11, eighth place in her 400m free and six new personal best times.
Maria Aquino, 6, three personal best times.
Joey Miller, 6, 17th in the girls 6-8 year old division 50m breast and 50m fly.

Matt Miller Swims at the USA Western Senior Sectionals

2009-04-09T18:58:00.001-06:00

Idaho Falls Piranha Swim Team member Matt Miller finished his 2009 short coarse swim season where he left off last November at the Idaho High School State Swim Championships by posting two personal best times at the 2009 USA Western Senior Sectionals swim meet in Federal Way Washington Marth 11th-15th. Approximately 1500 swimmers from 13 states, including Olympic swimmers Margaret Holtzer and Megan Quann, converged on King County Aquatic Center where numerous meet records fell and a few American records barely survived.

Despite a 3 month absents from the water playing basketball for the Skyline Grizzlies and only 12 practices since returning, Miller post a “AAA” 47.94 sec finish in his 100 free on the second night of competition; just 0.3 secs off his silver medal swim time at the Idaho State High Championship meet. Miller crushed his previous personal best 200 yard freestyle time by over 4 secs sprinting to an “AAA” time of 1:47.43 secs. in Friday nights competition. And on Saturday, Miller continued his impressive run by shaving 2 seconds of his previous personal best in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 57.67 secs and jumping 60 positions from his pre-seeded event spot.

Miller was pre-seeded 10th out of a field of 157 swimmers age 13-29 in the 50 yard freestyle with his Idaho State High School swim record time of 21.27 secs on the last day of competition. Miller struggled to swim on Sunday after suffering from food poisoning symptoms, but was still able to post a preliminary time of 21.71 secs and make it to finals sprinting to a time of 21.80 secs. Miller stated “I was feeling great all week and swimming well, I really thought I had a shot at least at a top three.” Miller will have plenty of opportunities to improve his times as the long coarse season gets underway culminating in his appearance at Junior Nationals in August of this year.

FINIS Learn-to-Swim Snorkel

2009-04-01T05:22:00.001-06:00

An opportunity from FINIS Snorkels:

I’m very excited to inform you that the new FINIS Learn-to-Swim Snorkel is now in stock. Many of you know that the Swimmer’s Snorkel is the best tool on the market for helping a person of any ability swim better. In fact, many of the best coaches and fastest swimmers in the world use the snorkel every day, every practice, and they are trying to perfect their near perfect strokes. The swimmers who really need a snorkel are people who are not comfortable in the water, and especially those not comfortable breathing……..like little kids!! This snorkel has a much smaller mouth piece, it’s shorter in length, and has a wider tube for easier breathing. It also comes with a super soft neoprene head strap, for easy, gentle attachment.

To celebrate the release of this great teaching tool, ASCA is offering a special to it’s members. For the month of March only you can have the $30 Learn-to-Swim snorkel for under $20. Go to the new FINIS website, www.finisinc.com and use the promotion code ascamarch and your order will be processed with a 35% discount. If you have specific questions about the snorkel, contact FINIS Vice President Tim Elson at telson@finisinc.com or call him direct at (925) 273-0974. You can also view the 5 minute video, How to Use a Swimmer’s Snorkel, created by Glenn Mills of GoSwim at http://www.vimeo.com/2456767

in high definition.

Cookie Dough Fundraiser

2009-02-08T21:57:00.001-07:00

Have you checked your family folder at the pool lately?

The IFST Fundraising Committee has decided to sell frozen cookie dough from ABC Fundraising for our second fundraiser of this swimming year. The frozen cookie dough comes in 2.7 pound tubs and there are nine varieties to choose from.

Piranha swimmers will have until February 13 to collect orders. Some of the dough varieties sell for $12 a tub, others for $14 a tub. Try selling to teachers, doctors, friends, neighbors, and relatives! (And get more order forms if you need them).

Order forms AND MONEY must be turned in by February 13.

The tubs of frozen cookie dough will be delivered two weeks later (we will tell you exactly where and when once we have made the arrangements).

The more we sell, the greater our profit will be. If each swimmer on the team sells ten tubs (at $12 a tub), we would earn 49%. If each swimmer sells more than that, we could earn up to 54% profit! The more we sell, the more we will earn!

Participation is optional for those swimmers who are interested in fundraising to meet their Family Commitment Fee.

2008 Winter Sprint Results

2009-01-20T17:53:00.001-07:00

As the tempretures kept falling in December, the Idaho Falls Piranha Swim Team was heating things up at three different meets in three states. Top Piranha honors at the 2008 STP Winter Sprint Invitation went to Chaney Boyle, Blake Krupa, Jodee Whittier and Colbie Youngberg. Boyle,14, sprinted to five top three events including first place in his 200 yard IM with an "A" time of 2:20.10 secs. Krupa, 11, stroked to five top four finishes, including first in the 50 breast ("BB time") and second in the mixed 11-18 year old 200 butterfly. Whittier,14, posted five top four finishes, including first in the 100 breaststroke with a "AA" time of 1:12.13 secs and first in the mixed 11-18 year old 200 fly. Youngberg, 12, sprinted to four top three finishes including a hat trick of first place "BB" times in his 50 &100 free and 100 backstroke events.

Additional top performances at the Winter Sprint in their respective age groups included:
Shaylee Liddle,8, four "BB" times in five top five finishes including second in her 100 IM and five personal best times.
Caralee Brasher, 8, second in her 25 fly with a "BB" time of 26.19 secs and two new personal best times.
Jacob Smith, 11, second in his 50 breast with a "B" time of 43.79 secs.
Jade Miller, 12, four "BB" top five performances including second in her 100 free and third in her 50 fly.
Preston Howell, 9, five top five finishes including third in his 50 breast and demolishing his previous 100 free time by 20.83 secs.
Dallin Smth, 8, pair of "BB" fourth place finishes in his 25 back and breaststroke events.
Josie Havlovick, 6, fourth in her 25 breast with a time of 34.69 secs.
Carson Cooper, 11, fourth in his 100 back a new personal bet in his 100 free.
Jessica Henderson, 8, fourth in her 25 free and a "BB" time of 1:00.53 secs in her 25 back.
Ali Roberts, 13, fourth in her 100 breast, three "B" events and 2 personal best times.
Joe Beller, 10, fifth in his 50 breast with a 5.51 sec improvment in his previous best time.
Noah Hounshel, 7, fifth in his 25 back with a "BB" time of 27.07 secs.
Ryan Hentzen, 9, fifth in his 100 free and two new personal best times.
Brynlee Howell, 7, sixth in her 25 free and three new personal best times.
Anna Rickabaugh,6, sixth in her 25 free and two new personal best times.
Joey Miller, 5, sixth in the girls 8 and under 25 breast with time of 38.62 secs.
Emerson Watkins, 7, sixth in his 25 free and a pair of sevenths in his 25 back and 50 free.
Jackson Hentzen, 10, seventh in his 100 free with a improvement of 2.83 secs in his personal best time.
Emilee Rickabaugh, 8, seventh in her 25 free with a personal best time improvement of 7.45 secs.
Kendal Black, 10, eighth place in his 50 back with an improvement of 9.88 secs in his previous best time.
Nolan Black, 13, eighth in his 100 back and two new personal best times.
Kade McAffee, 7, eighth in his 25 free and ninth in his 50 free events.
Clayn Smith, 13, eighth in his 200 IM and two personal best times.
Callie Youngberg, 11, hat trick of ninth places in her 50 fly and 50 breast and 100 back.
Andrew Jordon,9, ninth place "B" time of 46.63 secs in her 50 back and two personal best times.
Danielle Skinner, 8, ninth in her 50 free and three perosnal best times.
Isabelle Cho, 9, ninth in her 50 free and thirteenth in her 100 free.
Luke Smth, 5, eleventh in his 25 free and two new personal best times.
Tayla Liddle, 5, twelfth in her 25 backstroke with a new personal best of 29.09 secs.
Ben Hounshel, 6, fifteenth in his 25 free with a time of 40.04 secs.
Emily Skinner, fifteenth in her 25 free and three peronal best times.
Ashley O'Quinn, 8, eightteenth inher 25 back and 25 free events.
Victoria Hounshel, 4, twentieth in the girls 8 and under 25 free and she crushed
her previous 25 back best time by 12.76 secs.
Lyndsie Smith, 15, pair of seventh place finishes in her 100 back and 200 IM events while crushing her previous 200 back by 25.28 secs.

The IFST Piranha Smith Clan headed to Kearns Utah during the Christmas break and attended the 43rd Annual Kearns Holiday Open as well. Top performances included:
Lyndsie Smith, seven top three events including three first place finishes in her 100 free,100 breast and 50 free along with five personal best times.
Clayn Smith; eighth in his 100 back with a 5.09 sec best time improvement.
Jacob Smith, six top nine perfrmances including third in his 100 breast and six personal best times.
Dallin Smith; six top three performances including a pair of first places in his 100 IM and 50 breast.
Luke Smith, 5, pair of sixth place finishes in the boys 8 and under division in his 50 back and 100 free.

Lucy and Ethan Bruemmer showed off their talents at the Winter Blast in Pottstown, Pennsylvania during their Christmas break. Ethan, 6, took second in his 25 free and backstroke events racking up three new personal best times for the meet. Lucy,9, broke the 40 sec mark in her 50 butterfly good for 4th place and a new persoanl best time as well as 4th in her 50 freestyle with a field of sixty-five 9 year old girl swimmers.

Boise Thanksgiving Invitational Results

2008-11-30T15:54:00.003-07:00

The following are results for the Piranhas. The overall results are published on Snake River Swimming, but the format is not readable.

2008 Boise Thanksgiving Invitational

The 40th annual Boise Thanksgiving Invitational was held November 21st-23rd, attended by five hundred twenty-six swimmers from six states and 20 teams including the women’s Boise State University swim team. Thirty IFST Piranhas made the trip and returned home with 120 new personal best times including 33 top three individual finishes.

Tim Wayland, 16, takes Piranha top honors with three first place finishes in his “AA” 100 & 200 yard breaststroke events plus first in his 200 fly as well as six personal best times.

Weekend highlights included the much anticipated showdown between two newly crowned High School State Champions with Piranha’s Matt Miller, 16, finishing first in the Boys 15 and over 50 yard freestyle in a “AAAA” time of 21.84 secs. Miller finished the weekend with six top three finishes and four personal best times.

Ashley Davis, 10, posted two first place finishes in her “AA” 39.20 secs 50 breast and “AAA” 1:24.33 secs 100 breaststroke events plus eight personal best times.

Ashlyn Krupa, 14, finished first in her 50 fly and set a “AA” time of 27.36 secs in her 50 free plus two personal best times.

Fighting the flu, Tori Yarnell, 16, sprinted to a pair of "AA" times in her 50 free (26.27 secs) and 100 free (57.16 secs).

Joe Davis, 12, posted four “A” times including first in his 50 fly and a hat trick of thirds in his 100 breast, 200 free and 500 free plus 10 personal best times (eight top three finishes).

Blake Krupa, 11, stroked to a three second place finishes in his 50 & 100 back and 100 fly events, three ‘A” times, and seven personal best times.

Kayla Stanley, 10, sprinted to a second place finish in her 50 free with a “AA” time of 30.50 secs, qualifying her for Age Group Sectionals, nine top eight finishes and nine personal best times.

Elizabeth Johns, 17, swan the distance in “A” time fashion in her 200 free and 1000 free events, including a second place finish in the latter.

Jodee Whittier, 14, stroked to a third place “AAA” 1:11.11 sec time in her 100 breast, “AA” time in her 50 free (27.46 secs) and an “A” time of 1:05.26 secs in her 100 fly (4th).

Individual top Piranha performances included:

Halle Hess, 10, “AA” third place time of 34.66 secs in her 50 back event.
Kevin Miller, 15, pair of third places in his 200 fly and 1000 free (“A” time of 11:05.16), crushing both previous best times by greater than 32 secs.
Jade Miller, 12, “AA” time of 28.29 secs in her 50 split of the 200 free relay and five other “A” times in her individual events including third in her 100 free.
Ethan Bruemmer, 7, six “BB” times including seventh place in his 25 back.
Ricky Swearingen, 17, pair of 8th places in 200 breast and 400 IM and four “BB” times.
Camille Andrus, 9, sprinted to a “BB” time of 1:19.97 secs in her 100 free.
Lucy Bruemmer, 9, two “BB” times in her 50 free and 50 fly events.
Dallin Smith, 8, two “BB” times in his 25 breast and 25 fly (11th place).
Ali Roberts, 13, “BB” time of 36.48 secs in her 50 back split of the 200 medley relay, nine personal best times, and crushed her previous 200 breast by 32.63 secs.
Josie Havlovick, 6, posted a “BB” time of 58.30 secs in her 50 back event and four personal best times.
Krista Stanley, 14, two “B” times in her 50 & 100 free, and crushed her 500 free by 28.57 secs.
Clayn Smith, 13, 11th place in his 500 free; demolishing his previous best time by 81.11 secs.
Lyndsie Smith, 15, 14th in her 100 fly and crushed her previous 500 free by 43.65 secs.
Jacob Smith, 11, pair of 16th finishes in his 500 free (3.33 sec improvement) and 200 IM.
Jessica Peretti, 13, four new personal best times with an average 3.00 sec improvement.
Crista Buck, 10 demolished her previous 50 breast time by taking off an amazing 37.95 secs.
Em Hill, 9, two personal best times including demolishing her previous 50 breast time by 13.20 secs.
Ashley O’Quinn, 8, four new personal best times in her 25 and 50 free and back events.
Kristina Peretti, 10, crushed her previous 100 free time by 20.62 secs.
Amber O‘Quinn, 12, two new personal best times with greater than 10 sec improvements in her 100 free and back events.

Have more pictures? I'd like to start a photo album section on the website.

Spook Splash Team Results

2008-11-02T21:11:00.003-07:00

The following article will appear (or has appeared!) in the Post Register. The overall meet results can be viewed at Snake River Swimming.

15th Annual IFST Spook Splash Host’s Record Numbers

Two hundred ninety-four swimmers from 14 teams and 4 states converged in Idaho Falls to take on the local Piranha talent at the 15th Annual IFST Spook Splash held October 24-25th 2008. Piranhas proved the worthy opponent with over 33% of the hundred strong Piranha swimmers taking top honors (1st -3rd place) in this total individual high point meet as well as posting 37 individual event first place finishes.

Individual top event performances are as follows in their respective age groups:
Santiago Alvarez-Chamlati, 8, fourth in his 25 yard breaststroke: 30.56 secs “BB”.
Jordan Andrew, 9, sixth in her 50 yard freestyle: 40.02 secs.
Camille Andrus, 9, five “B” and “BB” top three finishes, including first in her 50 breast.
Maria Aquino, 5, eighth in her 50 free: 1:29.99 secs.
Kendal Black, 10, seventh in his 50 free: 49.58 secs.
Nolan Black, 13, three top four finishes including second in his 100 back: 1:31.85 secs.
Chnaey Boyle, 14, four “BB” top two finishes including first in his 100 back:1:06.57 secs
Cara;ee Brasher, 7, three top four finishes including first in her 25 free: 28.10 secs.
Ethan Bruemmer, 7, three “BB” first place finishes: a new meet record in his 25 free: 20.24 secs.
Lucy Bruemmer, 9, pair of “B” fourth place finishes in her 200 free and 100 IM.
Crista Buck, 10, ninth in hr 200 free: 3:34.77 secs.
Isabella Cho, 9, twelfth in her 50 back: 1:04.15 secs.
Elizabeth Cutler, 13, first place in her debut at the 500 yard free: 8:02.63 secs.
Ashley Davis,10, first in her 50 breast setting an “A” time of 40.91 secs.
Joseph Davis, 12, five first place finishes, two “A” times and four personal best times.
Michael Hammon, 9, fifth in his 50 free: 53.09 secs.
Brandon Handy, 14, third in his 100 back: 1:30.86 secs, and five new personal best times.
Josie Havlovick, 6, second and a “BB” time in her 25 yard back: 27.31 secs.
Jessica Henderson, 8, fourth in her “BB” 25 back: 26.88 secs.
Halle Hess, 10, five top four “A” finishes; and one “AA” time in her 50 back: 36.26 secs.
Corey Hodder, 7, first in his 25 fly: “BB” time of 29.86 secs.
MaKayla Horlacher, 8, fifth in her 25 back: 29.41 secs.
Jade Irick, 11, two first place finishes in 50 fly and 500 free and four “BB” times.
Jesse Irick, 15, three first place finishes in 100 fly, breast, and back, three “BB” times.
Hannah Johnson, 13, three second place finishes in 200 free and 200 IM, two “BB” times
Jacob Johnson, 8, pair of fourth places in his 100 IM an 25 fly, three “BB” times.
Garrett Kondel. 8, pair f seventh places, a “BB” time of 30.82 secs in his 25 back.
Luci Lenderink, 9, third in 50 fly, and a “B” time in 100 free 1:31.54 secs.
Rachel Lenderink, 12, hat-trick of fifth places, two “BB” times (100 & 500 free).
Wyatt Lenderink, 7, five top three “BB” finishes, first in his 50 free: 49.70 secs.
Shaylee Liddle, 8, fourth in her 25 fly, three “BB” and 3 new personal best times.
Tayla Liddle, 5, ninth in her 25 free: 33.73 secs.
Nathan Lowe, 13, five top three fnishes, first in his 100 back: 1:25.78 secs.
Katelynn McCartney, 11, ninth in her 200 free: 4:15.94 secs.
Jade Miller, 12, four third place finishes, four “BB” and one “A” time in her 100 IM.
Joey Miller, 5, pair of fourth place finishes in her 25 fly and 50 free.
Kevin Miller, 15, pair of first place finishes; “A” 500 yard free: 5:22.99 secs.
Matt Miller, 16, two first place finishes, two “AAA” times, and two personal best times.
TeArra Pahis, 14, third in her 100 fly: 1:30.45 secs, and five “B” times.
Jessica Peretti, 13, pair of sixth place finishes in her 50 free (33.84 secs) and 100 back.
Andrea Perttula, 8, five top two finishes, five “BB” and four new personal best times.
Ethan Perttula, 6, second in his 50 free and two “BB” and two new personal best times.
Lauren Perttula, 10, pair of third place finishes (100 IM “A” time), and four “BB” times.
Anna Rickabaugh, 6, seventh in her 50 free: 1:23.78 secs.
Emilee Rickabaugh, 10, fifth in her 25 fly (38.13 secs) and one new personal best time.
Ali Roberts, 13, fourth in her 100 free, two “B” times in her 50 & 100 free events.
Clayn Smith, 13, pair of place finishes, five personal bests avg. 19 sec improvement.
Dallin Smith, 8, fifth in his 25 fly “BB” time of :30.53 secs.
Jacob Smith, 11, pair of fourth place finishes and five personal best times.
Luke Smith, 5, tenth in his 50 free and four personal best times.
Lyndsie Smith, 15, four third place events, and five personal best times.
Aaron Solle, 12, pair of fourth place finishes (50 free 41.33 secs).
Kayla Stanley, 10, pair of second place finishes, including an “A” time in her 50 free
Krista Stanley, 13, first in her 100 fly and five personal best times.
Ricky Swearingen, 17, three “BB” top two finishes, 25.87 secs in his 50 free.
Stephanie Thorne, 9, eighth place in her 200 free, 16 sec improvement in her 100 free.
Sydney Tracy, 14, third in her 500 free, and an “A” time of 28.43 in her 50 free.
Emerson Watkins, 7, first in his 25 breaststroke with a “BB” time of 29.97 secs.
Tim Wayland, 15, three first place “A” times in his 100 free, 100 breast, and 200 IM.
Jodee Whittier, 14, three second place finishes, 100 breast and 100 free “AA” times.
Jessica Wild, 17, first place in her 100 fly and a “BB” 29.70 secs in her 50 free.
Pauline Wild, 12, eleventh in her 50 back and four personal best times.
Callie Youngberg, 10, fifth in her 50 back, three “BB” and five new personal best times.
Colbe Youngberg, 12, five top three finishes including first in his 50 back and an “A” time in his lead off leg of the 400 free relay.

Swimmers making their competitive swimming debuts and top performances:
Sofia Alvarz-Chamlati, 6, thirteenth in her 25 freestyle: 37.67 secs.
Joe Beller, 10, fourth in his 50 yard breaststroke: 1:13.79 secs.
Carson Cooper, 11, pair of fourths in his 50 back (47.37 secs) and 200 free.
Nykell Hancock, 8, sixth in her 25 back: 30.78 secs.
Melissa Handy, 9, fourteenth in her 50 back: 1:06.07 secs.
Em Hill, 9, sixth in her 50 back: 53.24 secs.
Ben Hounshel, 6, tenth in his 25 free: 36.12 secs.
Noah Hounshel 7, third in his 25 back with a “BB” time of 25.59 secs.
Victoria Hounshel, 4, fifteenth in her 25 yard back: 1:07.10 secs.
Dalton Houston, 14, hat-trick of second place finishes; 28.90 secs “B” time in 50 free.
Jasmine Jean-Baptiste, 7, fifth in her 50 free: 1:12.67 secs.
Shayna Koller, 12, fourteenth in her 100 free: 1:24.66 secs.
Abby Lehto, 10, eighth in her 50 back: 58.39 secs.
Mickey Miller, 8, fifth in his 25 free (22.67 secs) and two “BB” times.
Cassidy Nelson, 9, seventh in her 50 back: 55.68 secs.
Mikayla Ogden, 12, eighteenth in her 50 back: 59.87 secs.
Seth Ogden, 10 sixth in his 50 back:1:05.87 secs.
Benson Packer, 8, four “BB” top five finishes, including third in his 25 free: 20.56 secs.
Jace Packer,13, three top five finishes, including his first in his 200 free: 3:48.69 secs.
Sam Packer, 6, ninth in his 50 free: 1:25.19 secs.
Heath Springman, 6, pair of seventh place finishes in his 25 free and 25 back.
Jadyn Parkinson, 9, ninth in her 200 free: 6:28.13 secs.
Sara Ricks, 10, sixth in her 50 back: 51.79 secs.
John Turcotte, 10, fifth in his 50 breaststroke: 1:16.79 secs.
Erik Waite, 6, sixteenth in his 25 free: 59.82 secs.
Bertolt Whipple, 11, third in his 200 free and sixth in his 50 back.
Randi Yarnell, 11, fourth in her 50 fly:37.84 secs, five top ten finishes.
Abbie Youngberg, 8, third in her 25 back: “BB” time of 25.30 secs.
Anson Youngberg, 7, sixth place “BB” time of 29.48 secs in his 25 back.

Albertson's Community Partners Program

2008-10-24T22:19:00.003-06:00

Want a great idea for how to raise funds for your family commitment fee? Albertson's donates 2% of all purchases made in their community partner program! If you shop for groceries at Albertson's anyway, consider this easy approach.

If you have an Albertson's Preferred Savings Card, here's how to sign up to send donations to the Idaho Falls Swim Team:

1. Log onto www.albertsons.com
2. Clock on "In the Community" along the bottom of the website
3. Clock on "Community Partners" on the right side of your next screen
4. Then follow the link for "Shoppers to login or register your preferred savings card"
5. On the next screen, provide the number on the back of your Preferred Savings Card and your home telephone number
6. Click on "My Account"
7. Then you can add a partner. Our account is under the "Idaho Falls Swim Club" and our number is 49000100252
8. If you have more than one organization, you can modify your allocations

If you don't yet have an Albertson's Preferred Savings Card, then the first step is to go to the local store and ask them to sign you up. Then follow the directions above.

Spook Splash

2008-10-22T22:39:00.000-06:00

(From Wendy Lowe)
Spook Splash is just two days away! I hope your swimmers are ready to have a great meet!

There will be just under 300 swimmers in the water - and we are hosting teams from Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Blackfoot, Sun Valley, Lava Hot Springs, Elko (Nevada), Logan (Utah), and Jackson Hole (Wyoming). Please help us in making our guests feel welcome!

Please note:

1. One of the swimmers who will be joining us has a severe allergy to oranges, bananas, and nuts. Please avoid bringing any of those items to the pool this weekend so that this swimmer will be able compete.

2. As hosts of the meet, we will need all the help we can get - so please - if you haven't signed up to help yet, just come on to the pool and we will put you to work.

Meeting with Bill Krumm

2008-10-15T18:17:00.001-06:00

We hope you will be able to join us on Thursday evening, October 16 between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express on Channing Way . We will have a very special opportunity to talk with Bill Krumm. Bringing nearly 30 years experience in the sport, Bill Krumm is a Sport Development Consultant for the Western Zone of USA Swimming. He is coming to Idaho this week to deliver a Club Leadership and Business Management School for representatives of all Snake River Swimming teams. He has generously offered to meet with our parents on team on Thursday evening. Bring all your questions about competitive swimming and how to be a good sport-parent. We want to show him what a great team we have!

(This information provided by Wendy Lowe, IFST Board of Directors)

Welcome to the New Website!

2008-10-14T20:44:00.002-06:00

In redoing the Piranhas website, one of the main goals is to keep the information as up-to-date as possible. In order to achieve this, we have added some interactive portions to the website - such as this blog. Blogs make it easy for authorized users to post information quickly, and allow for the community at large to post comments.

As we gauge the interest in this type of feature, we can expand the authorized users to include anyone associated with the team who wishes to contribute. Note that right now this blog is publicly viewable. Blog postings can include pictures - and this can be a really fun feature. However, we must be aware of internet safety and refrain from posting names along with pictures. We can also make this portion of the site viewable to team members and families only. Again, these things will develop over time as we receive feedback.

Please feel free to post your comments here.

Thanks,
Heather Bruemmer