Happy Holidays From Coach Alisha

Last Weekly Update: End of Season Wrap Up, Meet Results & Happy Holidays!

Thanks for an amazing season Aquadawgs!

Good job at the meet on Saturday! I am sorry for the few minor technical difficulties at the start of the meet, but once we got going I think it went smoothly. I was proud of our swimmers, I saw a lot of best times. It is sometimes hard to do this when the weather gets cooler. But the swimmmers were doing a good job of staying warm and swimming FAST. 

Here are the meet results.

Ribbons will be handed out today at practice.

Don't forget to register for next season. I know the holidays get busy but January is right around the corner and spots are limited. Next season will be Jan 12- Mar 7. I have talked to some swimmers already, but if you think your swimmer is ready to move up to the next group please ask me and I will let you know if they are ready. A lot of factors go into my decision to move swimmers up. 

The last practices are TODAY (December 16). There will be NO practice December 18th.

Over winter break there will be some swimming on TV. Besides the olympics, swimming only is aired on TV about twice a year, so mark your calendars! On Sunday December 21st from 3-4pm EST on NBC the FINA short course world championships will be on. I would encourage all Aquadwags to try to watch this if they can.

I have been talking to some swimmers about fins lately. Some swimmers have the scuba type fins that don't really work well for practice. They are not very flexible and cause some swimmers to develop bad kicking habits. 

If your swimmer has this type of fins I would encourage getting a swimming training pair before next season. 

swimoutlet.com has fins for $16.99. I just bought a pair myself. This would make a great christmas gift. 

Find the link here. 

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Reminders

• The last meet of the Season is Saturday December 13th at the Ahwatukee YMCA @ 8:00am (I previously said it was at 7:00 am but that was incorrect)
• Please bring your meet form to me by Thursday December 11th at practice
• You can find the meet form here
• Last practices are Monday December 15th (for the High School Team) and Tuesday December 16th. This practice will be the 12 days of Christmas swim.
• Registration for next season is going on now. Next season will be Jan 12-March 7. Register now to ensure your spot, spaces are limited. 

Weekly Update: End of Season Meet & Info + a fun video

Thanks for another great week Aquadawgs!

This last week we worked on some pacing (best average swimming) and IMs. Beginners also worked on some introductory flip turn work. This week we will be focusing on technique, speed, starts and turns in preparation for our swim meet.

Our last meet of the season is this Saturday, December 13th the Ahwatukee YMCA (7:00 am) Please remember to bring your meet form to me no later than Thursday, December 11th. Please dress WARM (being extra everything, and dress warmer than you think you need to) for the swim meet. Refer to this previous post for more specifics on how to dress for winter meets.

Our last day of practices will be Tuesday December 16th and Wednesday December 17th. We will be doing the 12 days of Christmas swim for our final practice.

Remember to start registering for next season. It may seem far away now, but Christmas break will fly and we will be back in the pool in no time. 

Also don't forget about the holiday gift guide swimming gifts make great Christmas presents. 

Over winter break there will be some swimming on TV. Besides the olympics, swimming only is aired on TV about twice a year, so mark your calendars! On Sunday December 21st from 3-4pm EST on NBC the FINA short course world championships will be on. I would encourage all Aquadwags to try to watch this if they can.

Here is a fun video I saw on Facebook this week. Enjoy!

"When You Say You're a Swimmer" from Chris Shimojima on Vimeo.

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanks for another great week Aquadawgs!

This week I am grateful to have a job where I get to work with awesome swimmers and their families. You guys are the reason I love what I do!

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.

Here is an article on 15 reasons to be thankful for swimming.

This week swimmers swam the TURKEY swim.

T--turns
U--underwater
R--race (turkey race)
K--kick
E--every stroke (IM)
Y--yards/YMCA

It was lots of fun and we burned some calories so we could eat up on Thursday.

Important Info:

• Check out the holiday gift guide for great gift ideas for Aqaudawgs!
• Next swim meet is our next swim meet is Saturday December 13th at 7:00am the Ahwatukee YMCA. Please have your meet forms to me by Thursday December 11th. 
• Our last day of practices will be Tuesday December 16th and Wednesday December 17th. We will be doing the 12 days of Christmas swim for our final practice.
• If swimmers would like, we are thinking about making shirts that say: "I survived the 12 days of Christmas swim". Swimmers would have to pay $10 for these shirts. If you like this idea send me an email (alisha.maxwell@vosymcaa.org) saying you want us to make shirts. If we get enough interest we are going to go through with it, if not we will just do the swim for fun.
• PLEASE remember to dress warm for practice. Sweatshirts, sweatpants, beanies, and warm shoes are encouraged. Being cold after practice is not good. Please dress warm. 

PRACTICES THIS WEEK: Thanksgiving

There will be no practices THURSDAY the 27th and FRIDAY the 28th due to Thanksgiving. I hope all swimmers will have a wonderful holiday and enjoy time with family. I hope to see all of my swimmers the following week to work off all that pie. :)

I am grateful for all my Aquadawgs!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Aquadawg Holiday Gift Guide!

Kids are making their holiday lists and what a better gift to give than SWIM GEAR!

I have had many of my swimmers and parents ask me about swim gear for holiday presents. What to buy, where to buy it from and other questions.

So as a result I have decided to make a Aquadwag Holiday Gift Guide.

This is simply a list of what I think are the best swimmer gifts.

As always, the best place to get swim gear is swimoutlet.com. They have the widest selection and best prices.

If you don not want to shop online and are looking for a store to go to the best one is Ski Pro: 1924 W Rio Salado Parkway Mesa, AZ 85201. This Ski Pro carries most of the team gear for the big teams in the valley so they tend to carry the most swim gear all year round.

Female Swimsuits:

• Best Brands: Speedo and Nike.
• Polyester: If you want a suit that will last...look for a polyester suit. Polyester suits have little stretch so some kids find them a little uncomfortable but they last way better. I have had some of my polyester suits for over 5 years and they are still perfectly wearable.
• Grab Bags: If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to a brand name suit grab bags on swimoutlet.com are a wonderful option. When you buy a grab bag you don't get to pick the specific suit you want. You pick a size and they send you a random suit of that brand (some of the grab bags are specific cuts of swim suits and will just be a random print). If you child is not picky this is they way to go. You usually get a really good deal on an otherwise expensive suit. But as a caution these swim suits are FINAL SALE. 
• Sizing... in the swimming culture swimmers wear their suits small. I find that some of our Aquadawgs are buying suits way too big. Consider going to Ski Pro trying on suits and then maybe buying one online. You want it to be tight but not uncomfortable. For point of reference I typically wear a 28. 
• Some of my favorites (women sizes):
• The most popular swim suit style: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/nike-swim-cut-out-tank-swimsuit-grab-bag-8114452/?color=
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/nike-swim-vibration-cut-out-tank-8114709/?color=9325
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-endurance-+-razor-dot-free-back-training-swimsuit-8114569/?color=11933
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/nike-swim-electric-rio-cut-out-tank-8114699/?color=43178
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-endurance-+-water-grid-touch-back-training-swimsuit-8114566/?color=212
• This one has a tie back which is helpful for some sizing issues: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-pop-vibration-tie-back-one-piece-swimsuit-8114591/?color=9325
• Jolyn: Jolyn suits are all the rage with swimmers right now. They are a name brand suit that is a little more fashionable and everyday cute. They were the first place to offer tie backs. http://www.jolynclothing.com/
• My favorite: https://secure.ultracart.com/catalog/JOLYN/LGT.html
• Some suggestions (girl sizes):
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-deflection-super-pro-swimsuit-47558/?color=212
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-youth-endurance-+-razor-dot-flyback-training-swimsuit-8114570/?color=210

Male Swim Suits:

• I do not know as much about male suit but I believe...most of the same things apply 
• I would go with the jammer style. It is the knee length style. 
• Some suggestions (man sizes):
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-spiral-curve-jammer-7535489/?color=9605
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-male-solid-endurance-jammer-7886/?color=9325
• Some suggestions (boy sizes):
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-male-solid-endurance-jammer-7886/?color=9325
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-deflection-jammer-47559/?color=210

Swim Backpacks:

• This is probably one of the coolest gifts.
• These bags are perfect for practice and look very cool
• This is the iconic swimmer bag: 
• Larger Version: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-large-35l-teamster-backpack-7535469/?color=41007
• Smaller Version: http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-medium-25l-teamster-backpack-7535470/?color=41080
• They come in a ton of fun colors and are great backpacks

Swim Parkas:

• These coats are great for colder weather on the pool deck
• When it gets cold you can usually see me wearing mine at practice.
• I would suggest maybe getting a size up. I like mine big and comfy. Mine is an adult large.
• On many of the parkas you can also get your name embroidered which is cool.
• Some Suggestions:
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/sporti-comfort-fleece-lined-swim-parka-8117648/?color=9343
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/nike-swim-parka-youth-13288/?color=9287
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/sporti-solid-swim-parka-youth-21595/?color=10904
• http://www.swimoutlet.com/p/custom-swim-parka-1407/

Also...don't forget AQUADAWG hoodies and gear are also available and make a great gift. 

Aquadawg Apparel Online Ordering Instructions

• Please go to  www.gamezoneapparel.com
•  Select the Aquadawgs button on the left side
• Enter the password- ymca
• Select the item you want. Select the size and color and add to your cart. If you want to continue shopping press the yellow button at the bottom right. Once you have completed your selections, please press the yellow check out button to continue.
• Fill out the shipping and billing information completely.
• Check the privacy policy box and submit.
• If your order is correct you will need to read and accept the return policy. Then please click the PAYPAL button at the bottom of the page.
• PayPal is a service used to collect payments. You DO NOT need to be a member of PayPal or register with PayPal to complete your purchase.
• On the PayPal screen click the PayPal button.
• If do not wish to pay with a PayPal account click the pay with Debit or Credit card tab under the login button.
• Enter your information and submit.
• Review your information and click Pay Now.
• You will be sent a receipt from Game Zone Apparel and PayPal. If you do not receive an email confirmation From Both your purchase is not complete.  Please contact GZA at 480-275-7675.

ALL ORDERS WILL BE PLACED ON THE DAY AFTER CLOSING.  ALL ORDERS WILL BE DELIVERED TO YMCA WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF THE CLOSING DATE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have any more questions about holiday gifts for swimmers feel free to email me.

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Body Position & Being a Parent to a Swimmer

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week.

I was surprised with the birthday gift I received from many of the swimmers on Thursday. Thanks to Deb and all the swimmers and families who participated in this and wished me a happy birthday. I felt very loved and it put a smile on my face the whole night.

This week all of the groups spend Tuesday working on effective streamlines and proper body position. Body position is essential to swimming fast. If swimmers stay nice and tall then when they rotate their stroke and kick are effective. But as soon their body loses tension and starts wiggling side to side the effectiveness of their stroke goes down drastically. My goal is to make swimming as efficient and therefore as easy as possible. We do not want to work harder than we have to.

Here is an article with more information on improving your body position: 3 Steps to Better Body Position

This article about how to be a good parent, athlete, and coach was shared with me this week. It tells some of the worst things that all of us do and gives a list on something better to do. It is a very good article. Beneficial for all to read: Ten Ways for the Swim Parent To Sabotage Their Childs Swimming Career

SAVE THE DATE our next swim meet is Saturday December 13th at 7:00am the Ahwatukee YMCA. Please have your meet forms to me by Thursday December 11th. 

There will be NO PRACTICE Thursday November 27th and Friday November 28th due to Thanksgiving. 

Swimmers get ready for the TURKEY swim next week. I can't wait!

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Creating Good Habits

Aquadwags!

Thanks for another great week.

Last week we increased the intensity and worked heavily on IMs. The beginner group had some fun with relays. The intermediate worked on swimming faster for longer distances. The advanced and high school groups worked on some breath control, race plans for IMs and speed. 

Lately, I have had talks with many of our swimmers about making changes to their technique and breaking those bad habits that many of us develop. Breaking habits can be a long process. It is important that our swimmers stay persistent when trying to improve their technique. I can personally give them tips at practice but unless they continually put them into action they will not improve. As I have told many swimmers the most important time to think about technique is warm up. Warm up is an important time because there is no time or speed pressure. It is meant to be nice, easy and long. I believe warm up is the time that those bad habits can be changed. Read this article about the time it takes to develop good swimming habits: How Long Does it Take To Create Good Swimming Habits?

An advanced swimmer this week showed me this picture. It is her goals modeled after the chart I made as an example (see post here). I love to see swimmers pay attention and apply the things they are learning. I would love to see other Aquadawg goals! Feel free to email or show me pictures: alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

SAVE THE DATE our next swim meet is Saturday December 13th at 7:00am the Ahwatukee YMCA. Please have your meet forms to me by Thursday December 11th. 

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Meet Recap (PICTURES), Staying Warm, & Coach Alisha's Email

Thanks for a great week last week Aquadawgs!

Last week the swimmers worked on some starts, turns and fast swimming in preparation for our swim meet.

I was very impressed with all of the swimmers who went to the swim meet. I held the swimmers responsible for knowing warm up before the swim meet and I think that helped warm up go very smoothly. I also saw a lot of good racing happening especially in our older age groups. It always helps us push ourselves if we have someone to race. I also saw a lot of swimmers drop times and also inform me that they dropped times. Focusing on our times is a wonderful habit we are developing as individuals and as a team.

MEET RESULTS

A few things to improve on for the next meet are swimmers need to come more prepared for the weather, especially the little ones. I saw too many cold swimmers. It is a good idea to bring a sweat shirts, sweat pants, several towels and shoes to the swim meet. Also kids love hot chocolate in a thermos after getting out of the pool.

For the next swim meet I would prefer that swimmers walk up to their race with a towel or sweatshirt and shoes. They should take them off before their race and leave them on the timers chair. Then after the race they can pick them up and put them on. For those swimming 25's wear a towel or sweatshirt and shoes to the starting end of the pool and have your parents meet you at the finish with a warm dry towel. And then you can go get your stuff you left at the start.

Lets please stay warm.

And please prepare for the weather at practice the same way with sweatshirts, sweatpants, shoes, and warm dry towels.

Reminders & Important Information:

• Tuesday there is practice even though it is Veterans Day
• Coach Alisha has a YMCA email! If you have her personal email please start using this one for all YMCA related questions: alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org
• Please get your ribbons from the meet at practice
• Follow our Aquadawg Instagram @ymcaaquadawgs

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

Finish ALL the Way

Last night in advanced practice I referred to this olympic race when talking to the swimmers about not slowing down and finishing all the way to the wall. Watch as Bolt celebrates before he even finishes the race. Yes...he won a gold medal and set a new world record but one has to wonder how much faster he could have been if he finished all the way (you can hear the announcer wonder this same thing in the video). Even if your winning, it is always about the clock. We need to make sure when we swim we are always shooting for the best time and finishing all the way to the wall.

Bolts 100m dash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-urnlaJpOA

Weekly Update: First Swim Meet

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.

This week the groups experienced more challenging sets. For some swimmers it was a tough week but I saw a lot of good efforts at practice. We also had some fun at the end of the week with the pumpkin swim.

This week the temperatures are really starting to cool off. The pool is heated but please have the swimmers bring something warm to put on after practice.  

This Saturday (November 8th) is our first swim meet! It is at 7 am at our YMCA. Typically these meets are short and usually done by 10 am or earlier. If you are planning on attending the swim meet please turn in the meet form and $10 to me (Coach Alisha) by Thursday November 6th. The meet form can be found on the Aquadawg website, on the top bar of this blog, or here. I look forward to seeing all the swimmers race and show off what they have been working on.

PARENTS, We will need volunteers for timers so come prepared and willing to help. 

At swim meets swimmers are always trying to work on beating our personal times. Personal times or personal records (sometimes referred to as PR’s) are the fastest times a swimmer has ever gone in each race. These times should be kept track of somehow. I suggest writing them down in a swimming notebook or posting them up on the fridge. My older swimmers should have these times memorized. This way when I say let do a 50 sprint at practice, swimmers know an approximate goal of how fast they should be going. Written down times should also be accompanied with written down goals. Swimmers’ goals should always be to improve their times or get faster.

For example:

Event	Best Time	Time Goal	Technique Goal
50 Butterfly	38.67	36.99	Arms out of the water Two-hand-touch Keep feet together
50 Backstroke	35.23	34.00	Flip-turn Tight streamline Underwater dolphin kicks
50 Breaststroke	40.20	39.99	Tempo Gliding Two-hand touch
50 Freestyle	31.03	Break 30 seconds (29.99)	Good start Flip-turn Don’t breathe from flags to wall

At swim meets the swimmers in the lanes next to you are there to push you. Beating each other should not mean much unless you beat your personal time. And then you should actually thank the people next to you for pushing you to accomplish this personal goal. By putting the focus on the times and not the place swimming becomes a very individualized sport.

Improved times always are successes no matter what place the swimmer came in.

At most swim meets the times will be posted and/or given to the swimmer. But just in case, it is always good practice for a swimmer to ask the timer after they finish what their time was. After the swimmer receives their time they should write it down and compare to previous meets.
I believe that if swimmers and parents encourage the goal of improving times, swimmers will feel successful and gain a sense of personal pride for their accomplishments. I also believe that this helps strengthen our team because swimmers are working toward personal goals and not beating each other. We are a team and we always should want our teammates to do well.

For more info and inspiration about swimming fast see these previous posts:

• Watch these four videos
• Info on how swim meets work

Weekly Update: High School Swim Team/Candy

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week.

This week all the groups worked on breaststroke and butterfly. The intermediate and advanced groups also put everything together in a 100 IM.

Thank you again to everyone who brought candy to donate to the YMCA trunk or treat. The winners of the raffle have been posted on the blog and will be notified by email with more information about how to set up the private lessons.

We have now decided to open up a high school swim team group. This group will be available to high school aged swimmers only. This group will partner with the other Aquadawg groups and the high school swimmers will be able to participate in those swim meets. The goals of this group are to help swimmers stay in swim shape all year round and prepare them for high school swim season. The practice times will be (Nov 3- Dec 19) MON/WED/FRI 5:00-6:30 pm at the Ahwatukee YMCA. It is $72 for facility members and $97 for program members. Swimmers who are moving up from advanced to the high school team will be charged an additional $21 for facility members and $29 for program members. If you are interested in this group (even if you are just moving from advanced to high school) please email Deb: djrothstein@vosymca.org

Please spread the word about this team if you know anyone that would like to join. If we can get this group running it will be a huge step for our team and provide a future for the swimmers who will be in high school in a few years.

Our first swim meet is November 8th at 7:00 am. The form has now been posted. You can get it on the top bar of this blog or on the Aquadawg webpage here. The form is due to me by November 6th. Swimmers are only allowed to swim up to 4 events. Please put those dates on your calendar and get the form to me ASAP.

Thanks

Coach Alisha

Candy Raffle Winners

I was very impressed by the amount of participation we had in the candy donations. At the end of practice I couldn't even lift the bucket! Thanks so much to everyone who brought candy and supported the YMCA trunk or treat.

As many of you know the prize for winning the raffle is a free 30 min private lesson with me (Coach Alisha). The winners will be emailed with more information about how to set up the private lesson.

And the winners are...

Beginner: Aidan Martin, Keely Tague

Intermediate: Jeff Rudolph, Bianca Tuegel

Advanced: Isabella Romano, Molly Sutherland

Candy Reminder

Our YMCA is having a trunk or treat and is accepting candy donations. The Aquadwags have decided to support this by having a raffle for a FREE private lesson with coach Alisha when you bring a bag of candy to practice on THURSDAY the October 23. Each group will have a raffle so a swimmer in each group will win a private lesson. This is a fun way to support our YMCA and possibly win a private lesson!

High School Dual Meet Wednesday

Aquadawgs!

As many of you know I love to attend the local high school swim meets. I swam for DV myself so usually that is who I am found cheering for. I also believe that it a very good idea for young swimmers to attend these meets. It gives swimmers an idea of what they are potentially working towards. It also shows off some great swimming/racing technique and support for our local community. DV's last dual meet is WEDNESDAY (tomorrow) from 4-6pm at the Nozomi Aquatic Center. I am usually in attendance at these meets and if my schedule allows I will be there (it's a busy week). But I encourage all swimmers to go if possible. This will be the last opportunity to see the high schoolers swim in a dual meet this season.

Nozomi Aquatic Center: 250 S Kyrene Rd. Chandler, AZ 85226

Aquadawg Weekly Update: Fall/Winter Season

Welcome to our Aquadawg blog!

I will be posting weekly updates for the Aquadawgs and their families. These updates will include a recap on the week, things for parents and swimmers to think about, reminders about upcoming meets and events, and any other information I find might be helpful to you. If you are curious feel free to browse the blog and read some of the posts from last season.

Some general information about practices...

•  Practice Times

• Beginner Tue/Thurs 4:30-5:30 pm

• Intermediate Tue/Thurs 5:30-6:30 pm

• Advanced Tue/Thurs 6:30-8:00 pm

• Locker Rooms: Please have children (especially the beginner and intermediate swimmers) use the family locker rooms. These locker rooms offer private dressing areas and showers unlike the adult locker rooms. 

• Equipment: fins, goggles, kickboard, swim cap (girls only), mostly black swim suit for swim meets, and pull buoy (advanced only)

• Parents are not allowed on the pool deck during practice. This is due to our lifeguard ratio. The lifeguards are responsible for watching the people on the deck as well as the swimmers in the pool. I will allow parents on the deck 5 min at the start and end of practice to drop off and pick up their swimmers.

• Swimmers please remember to go to the bathroom BEFORE practice.

• ALL of the forms and the results for the swim meets will be posted on the Aquadawg website. Bookmark that page it is important to be able to access it. 

• Any questions, concerns or comments email Deb: djrothstein@vosymca.org. Deb will forward emails to me as necessary and I will respond. 

• Follow this blog by email! Scroll down to the very bottom of the page you see "follow by email". If you enter in your email and click "submit" your email will be notified every time I post something new on the blog. This is very useful and the best way to stay up to date on information.

• Follow the Aquadawgs on Instagram @ymcaaquadwags. Feel free to tag us in any of your Aquadawg photos.

I am so excited to be starting off another swim season. All of the groups are almost full! It is a wonderful feeling to be carrying this momentum into our fall/winter season.

I would like to let all parents and swimmers know that I will not be at practice on THURSDAY. I have an out of town funeral to attend so just know it is not normal for me to miss a practice. I believe that Coach Deb will be filling in for me, so all of the swimmers will be in good hands. 

The swimmers are off to a great start. All of my groups are full of motivated swimmers who act like they want to be there. On Tuesday, the groups worked on freestyle. The beginner group worked heavily on streamlines, blowing bubbles, rotating from side to side, and alternating side breathing every three strokes. The intermediate group worked on streamlines, rotating from side to side, alternating breathing every three strokes, and keeping their elbows high. The advanced group worked on rotating from side to side, alternating breathing every three strokes, high elbows, good body position, and learning how to incorporate good technique with speed. Next week, I look forward to working on some of the other strokes with the groups as well as dives and possibly turns with my older groups.

Our first swim meet is November 8th at the Ahwatukee YMCA, warm ups start at 7:00 am. The form for this meet will be linked on the Aquadawg website. The meet entry form is due to me by Thursday the 6th. Please mark those date on your calendar!

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

Star Swimmers of The Week #6

Congrats to these swimmers on their outstanding efforts!

3:30- Abby, Elena & Xiaofan
4:30- Logan & Lindsey
5:30- Vaughn
6:30- John, Leah B & Leah W

Reminders

• High School Swim Meet today (DV vs. Hamilton). Nozomi Aquatic Center from 4-6pm. Coach Alisha will be there. Come watch the high schoolers swim and hang out with Coach Alisha.

Nozomi Aquatic Center: 250 S Kyrene Rd. Chandler, AZ 85226

• MEET FORM! Print out and bring to practice by THURSDAY.
• Sign ups. This is our last week of the season make sure you sign up for next season (October 14-December 21). 

Weekly Update #7: Season Wrap Up

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week of practice! We are nearing the end of our season...can you believe this is our last week of practice!

As we come to the conclusion of our season don't forget:

1. SIGN UPS: sign ups for our next season (October 14-December 21) are going on NOW! There are limited spots so sign up ASAP...and I promise THE POOL IS HEATED! :)
2. SWIM MEET: October 4th is our final meet of the season. Bring your meet form to me (Coach Alisha) by Thursdays practice. Remember you can only swim 4 events. 

This last week at practice was probably our toughest one yet. I really pushed a lot of our swimmers this week. During this week I was looking out for swimmers who were excelling as I pushed them. I also introduced swimmers to stuff they might learn in the group above them to see how they handled it. I did this because I wanted to see what swimmers might be ready to move up a group. This last week gave me a great feel for where all our swimmers are at. Feel free to ask me if your child should stay in the same group or move up for next season. But do keep in mind, swim team is not swim lessons. Children are expected to be in the same group for multiple seasons and possibly a few years. That is normal. Moving up usually happens with not only improvement but also age. 

Beginner group worked on Backstroke and introductory flip turn work.

Intermediate group worked on IMs and did some harder more challenging sets with intervals.

Advanced group did some intense freestyle workouts. A special shout out to this group, they endured some of the most challenging workouts I have ever written for the Aquadawgs. They handled it well and felt very accomplished, tired, hungry and sore after...as they should have. GREAT JOB to this group I was very impressed. 

Also thanks to Ingelise & Katie for attending the high school swim meet this week. It was fun to watch the high school swimmers and talk about swimming. 

Here are some pictures from the high school meet this week to show just how much fun we had. (Most of these pictures were posted on Instagram follow us @ymcaaquadwags)

There is another DV meet on Wednesday against Hamilton. It is at the Nozomi Aquatic Center from 4-6pm.

Lastly, here is an article Coach Deb posted on my Facebook this week. It is a good read especially going into our final meet! Read it here. 

Coach Alisha 

Star Swimmers of The Week #5

Congrats to these swimmers on their outstanding efforts!

3:30- Grant & Michael
4:30- Eleni
5:30- Maggie & Eddie
6:30- Alyssa & Kinsey

FISH BOWL!

The Fish Bowl is tomorrow. For those of you that don't know what the Fish Bowl is...our two Ahwatukee high schools (Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista) are competing in their dual swim meet. The swim meet is at the Nozomi Aquatic Center from 4-6pm. I encourage all Aquadawgs to try to attend the meet. We have some (past and present) Aquadwags that swim for the high school teams so it is good to show our support to them. Also, it is a community event and it is good practice to get exposure to all levels of swimming. Coach Alisha will probably be there.

Nozomi Aquatic Center: 250 S Kyrene Rd. Chandler, AZ 85226

YMCA Video

I made a video that shows different people and activities at our YMCA for a staff meeting. Since I made the video many of our swimmers make appearances. I thought I would share so everyone could check it out.

Happy-YMCA

Star Swimmers of the Week #4

Congrats to these swimmers for their outstanding efforts!

3:30- Connor & Kaidon
4:30- Emily & Eva
5:30- Julia & Ta'ani 
6:30- Amelia & Mckenzi

Weekly Update #6 Why You Should Sign Up For Another Swim Season

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week of practice. After watching the swim meet and noticing some technical things that needed work, I decided to tone things down this week and really work on technique. The groups worked specifically on the following:

Beginner:

• Backstroke: 
• finishing on our back
• chin up, tummy up, toes up
• straight leg kicks
• Butterfly:
• using their whole body for the dolphin kick
• arms reaching up and over the water
• two hand touches

Intermediate:

• Butterfly:
• arms reaching up and over the water
• two hand touches
• Backstroke:
• rotating
• chin up, tummy up, toes up
• straight leg kicks
• flip-turns
• Breaststroke:
• glide!
• correct timing: pull, breathe, kick, glide
• hips up
• two hand touches
• Freestyle:
• Breathe every 3 strokes
• big kicks
• flip-turns
• IM:
• no flip turns

Advanced:

• Butterfly:
• arms reaching up and over the water
• two hand touches
• Backstroke:
• rotating
• chin up, tummy up, toes up
• straight leg kicks (no knees)
• flip-turns
• Breaststroke:
• glide!
• correct timing: pull, breathe, kick, glide
• hips up
• two hand touches
• pull outs
• Freestyle:
• Breathe every 3 strokes
• flip-turns
• IM:
• no flip turns
• Race Plan:
• Butterfly- good intensity, fast pace
• Backstroke- steady intensity, focus on the kicks
• Breaststroke- increase intensity, push hard
• Freestyle- all out, everything you have left
• Racing Technique:
• fast turnover
• big kicks
• plan only to take only a FEW breaths
• DO NOT breathe out of turn or start
• RACE!

This is a brief list so that hopefully parents can encourage these same things at swim meets and/or swimming on your own. Next week we will increase our intensity again.

As many of you know, there are 2 weeks left of our current season. Sign ups for next season are going on now! Next season is October 14-December 21. Sign up ASAP because spaces are limited. And if you are even a little hesitant to sign up... here is a list of why you should sign up for another swim season.

1. The pool is HEATED
2. Year long tan
3. Coach Alisha will be there
4. Nothing feels better when its cold outside than jumping into a warm pool
5. Swimming is a year round sport
6. Stay friends with your teammates
7. Stay in shape
8. Be able to eat whatever you want during the holidays
9. The TURKEY swim (find out what this is when Thanksgiving gets closer)
10. Swim Meets! (More ribbons, trophies, and high points)
11. Parkas
12. Aquadawg Hoodies!
13. Learn how to balance school and extra curricular 
14. Keep your swimming technique strong
15. To get FASTER
16. Competition
17. Achieve your goals
18. It is great cross training for other sports
19. More blog posts and swim tips
20. Swimming is the best sport!

I hope to see lots of our swimmers continuing on!

Coach Alisha

Swim Meet Recap: How Meets Work, A Note on Resiliency and Reminders

Thanks for everyone who came to the swim meet on Saturday. To be honest, everything seemed to be a little off on Saturday. There was a few glitches with our computer system, a lot of swimmers not ready for their races and some errors with the high point awards. So in an effort to try to fix this for the next swim meet I would like to go over some information about the meets and how they work.

1. ENTRY FORMS: Meet entry forms are found online. They need to be printed off at home and turned in. You can get them on the Aquadawg Website or on this blog-- either on the top bar or on a meet reminder blog post. Entry forms are always due to me the Thursday before the meet. If swimmers do not fill out an entry form they will not be entered in the meet. 
2. HOW MANY EVENTS: Swimmers are allowed to swim up to four events. There are five events possible for each swimmer to swim but they are only allowed to swim up to four. If swimmers email Deb asking to be in the meet because they forgot to turn in their form they are automatically entered in all five events. If this happens, swimmers will have to pick four events out of those five to swim at the meet.
3. WHEN TO BE READY FOR YOUR RACE: At the meet each swimmer is assigned a heat and lane for each event. The heat and lane assignments are posted on the WEST side wall by the kiddie pool. Swimmers need to be at the starting side of the pool the event before their race. It is helpful it parents are aware and help get their kids to the starting side on time. Our meets run much faster if we do not have to wait for kids because they are not ready. 
4. HIGH-POINT: High point and runner up high point are given to the top two swimmers that score the most points in the meet. After the swimmers swim their races their times are split into girls and boys and places are assigned for each age group based on times. 1st place receives 20 points 2nd-18 points 3rd-16 points 4th-15 points and so on...After the meet all the point totals are added up for each swimmer. The top two swimmers with the most points receive high point. It is hard for swimmers to receive high point if they do not swim all four events. 
5. QUESTIONS: As always, if you have any questions please EMAIL Deb: djrothstein@vosymca.org. This is the best way to reach her. If you ask the front desk swim team specific questions it is likely they will not know the answer.

To the swimmers who didn't improve time, had a rough meet, or just want some good post meet reading I would suggest this article:

R is for Resiliency

It has some valuable information on getting through those rough mental moments. Also if you are feeling negative about how the meet went, please let me know at practice and we can talk about what we can do to improve this experience.

Although the swim meet wasn't perfect, there was some very positive things I did notice. I saw many swimmers being aware of their times as well as implementing things we learned in practice in their races. This made me so proud and excited to continue working in practice and getting ready for our next meet. Go Aquadawgs!

TO SEE THE MEET RESULTS CLICK HERE.

REMINDERS:

• REGISTRATION FOR OUR NEXT SEASON IS GOING ON NOW! Swimming is a year round sport! The pool is heated! I would love to keep the momentum we have going so please sign up to continue. Our next season is October 14-December 21. This season all our groups are full and we expect a big group to continue so sign up ASAP spaces are limited. 
• NEXT SWIM MEET is OCTOBER 4th! Meet entires are due Thursday October 2nd at practice. It is our last swim meet of the season. 
• Follow the Aquadawgs on Instagram @ymcaaquadawgs

Star Swimmers of the Week #3

Congrats to these swimmers for their outstanding efforts!

3:30- Jeremy & Marlea

4:30- Jackson, Lucy & Adian

5:30- Grace & Chelsea

6:30- Xavier, Macyn, Katie & Danielle (not pictured)