Star Swimmers of the Week #1

Congrats to these swimmers for their outstanding efforts!

3:30- Charlotte & Camden

4:30- Keely

5:30- Patrick, Jeff & Kennedy

6:30- Sana & Ingelise

ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

ALS ICE BUCKET Aquadawgs from Alisha Farnsworth on Vimeo.

Aquadawg Weekly Update #2 First Swim Meet

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week of swim practice.

This week at practice we worked on backstroke, breaststroke, and starts.

The beginner group worked on backstroke with UP! (chin up/tummy up/toes up), rotation, grabbing the water and pushing it down to their side, and straight-leg kicks. They also worked on breaststroke with gliding, breathing every stroke, and correct timing (pull, breathe, kick, glide!). Finally, they worked on starts with tight streamlines and getting far out with each dive.

The intermediate group worked on backstroke with chin up/tummy up/toes up, rotation, grabbing the water and pushing it down to their side and straight-leg kicks. They also worked on breaststroke with gliding (pressing with their chest), breathing every stroke, and correct timing (pull, breathe (press with hips), kick, glide (press with chest)). Finally, they worked on starts with tight streamlines, underwater kicks, and getting far out with each dive.

The advanced group worked on backstroke with chin up/tummy up/toes up, rotation, grabbing the water and pushing it down to their side and straight-leg kicks. They also worked on breaststroke with gliding (pressing with their chest), breathing every stroke, and correct timing (pull, breathe (press with hips), kick, glide (press with chest)). Finally, they worked on starts a little but more so flip-turns. With the flip-turns they worked on not lifting their head before the turn, pushing off quickly on their back, turning to their side and stomach, and underwater dolphin kicks. The advanced group did have some trouble with lightening at the end of both of the practices, but on Tuesday we did some abs to take up the rest of the time and Thursday we had a meeting about personal times and the swim meet.

As you hopefully know our first swim meet is tomorrow at our YMCA! This will be a wonderful opportunity for our swimmers to get a sense of what a swim meet is like and to compete to beat those 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.

Hope to see you all tomorrow at the meet!

PARENTS, We will need volunteers for timers so come prepared and willing to help. Also there will be a parent’s race for parents who want to cool off and show their kids how awesome they are!

SWIMMERS OF THE WEEK:

These swimmers are working hard in practice by showing respect, being good leaders, showing motivation, taking direction well, and being a good teammate. These swimmers will be recognized at practice on Tuesday.

Thanks!

Coach Alisha 

Aquadawg Weekly Update #1 New Season

Welcome to our new Aquadawg blog I am planning on 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.

I am so excited to be starting off another swim season. Our groups are full—we have even added a 2^nd beginner group! It is a wonderful feeling to be carrying this momentum into our fall season.

As we go into this fall season I have been reading some articles about the mental benefits of swimming. I understand that swimming during the school year can be stressful to balance with young athletes. But I would encourage parents and swimmers to come as much as possible. Swimming is not only good for your body but also your mind. It releases stress and endorphins, which can help you, concentrate better. It also is a lifelong skill to learn to balance school and extra curricular activities.

I wish all of the swimmers a successful year in school as well as a successful swimming season.

This week we had a bit of a rough start with Mother Nature. Our beginner group was lucky enough to get through both practices this week but unfortunately intermediate and advanced were cancelled Tuesday night. Thank you to all the parents for coming to pick up their kids in a timely fashion after the storm hit and for being understanding. There will be no make-up for Tuesdays practice but if the weather continues to be a problem in the coming weeks we may change that.

Besides the weather, 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. This week all of 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.

A reminder our first swim meet is August 23 at the Ahwatukee YMCA, warm ups start at 7:00 am. The form for this meet is linked on the Aquadawgs website homepage. The meet entry form is due to your coach by Thursday the 21^st. I would like ALL of our swimmers to attend this meet if possible. This is a wonderful first meet for those who are new to swimming, as well as our more experienced swimmers. It is a great time to come out swim fast and support your teammates. It would be wonderful to see our team in full force at this first meet.

As I have briefly mentioned to some parents and swimmers, Deb and I want to start recognizing swimmers who are excelling. We are not looking for the fastest or the best swimmer, but someone who is good at taking direction, working hard, a good leader, and a good teammate. This swimmer(s) will be recognized at practice or the swim meet. We will be on the lookout for these outstanding swimmers in the coming weeks.

Any question, concerns or comments email Deb: djrothstein@vosymca.org

Thanks!

Coach Alisha