Weekly Update: End of the Season

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for a quick swim meet on Saturday. I was a little worried about the weather but it turned out to be a perfect day for a swim meet. See the results here. 

Ribbons from the last two meets have been on backorder. We are hoping to have them tomorrow at practice but if not you can pick them up the following week. Sorry!

On Saturday the APRA meet will be at kino pool. View the meet flyer here for the address, warm up times, and other information. If you have not registered the online registration is now closed. On the flyer it does say that late registration will be from 6:30-7:00 am on Saturday the 25th. It is $45 dollars and it says spots are limited. If you really wanted to go to this meet that is an option. If you are thinking about doing this and your child is 11+ please let me know. I may be able to register your child for you in the morning so you don't have to come to the pool so early, because the 11 and over part of the meet starts at 11:00 am (warm ups 10:00 am). 

The last swim meet of the summer season is the "Summer Championship Swim Meet" at the Southwest Valley YMCA in Litchfield on August 1st. The format will be a little different...9 & 10 yr olds will not be offered 50's in all strokes.  They will also do relays which is always a fun part of a swim meet, however it does require four swimmers of the same gender and same age. The meet is $15 for YMCA Facility Members and $25 for Program/Non Members.

LOCATION: 2919 N. Litchfield Rd  Goodyear, AZ 85395
(Without traffic 57 minutes  / 40.1 miles from Ahwatukee YMCA)

If you are interested in participating please visit the www.quickscores.com/aquadawgs website and register before 12p on Friday (July 24th).

Tomorrow (July 23rd) is the last "official" day of summer swim team. For those who are attending the Summer Championship Meet combined practices will be available next week. These practices will be held at the following times:

Morning Practices (Monday- Thursday)
High School / Advanced  7:00a - 8:30a
Intermediate / Beginner  8:30a - 9:30a

Afternoon Practices (Tuesday & Thursday)
Beginner 4:30p - 5:30p
Intermediate / Advanced 5:30p - 7:00p

Registration for fall season is now open. The season begins August 11 and goes through October 3. Practice times will go back to our Tue/Thurs schedule:

• Beginner: Tue/Thurs 4:30-5:30 pm
• Intermediate: Tue/Thurs 5:30-6:30 pm
• Advanced: Tue/Thurs 6:30-8:00 pm 

Spaces are limited so don't delay! If you have question about what group your swimmer should be in for this season let me know.

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Swim Meet Recap

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for a great meet on Saturday. I saw a lot of swimmers improve times. I also know that I handed out a lot of DQ warning sheets. I was probably the most diligent coach, compared to the other teams, about handing these out to our swimmers. But I felt like the only way to be fair about it was to hand them out to every infraction that I saw. That being said I think our swimmers will remember that and take that into practice and out next meet. If you got a DQ sheet make sure to talk to your swimmers about it. Deb likes to always say..."if you get a DQ slip you get to go to DQ (Dairy Queen) and talk about why you got it!" It seems like a good idea to me and can be something for parents to consider.

If you have any concerns, questions, or comments about the DQ slips please let me know in an email.

The meet results can be found here.

The ribbons will be delayed because we ran out of ribbons but we have ordered more and will get them out as soon as we can.

Also it was a lot of fun to do the relay at the meet. Here is the video footage if you missed it!

YMCA Aquadawg Coaches Relay



This week we have another meet at our YMCA. This will be the last meet for the season at our home pool. The sign up sheet can be found here. Please sign up no later than Thursday July 16th with the correct information. The confusion at meets is generated by people signing up late and with the wrong information. Please help me make my job a little smoother at swim meets! :)

This week swimmers are going to be working with some face paced interval swimming as well as speed.

FYI Coach Emily is out of town this week and next so I will be running High School and Advanced practice on my own and Coach Morgan will be helping me out with intermediate and beginner.

Here is a video that talks about the science of swimming. 


Go Aquadawgs!

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Swim Meet Saturday (Disqualification Trial Run)

Aquadawgs!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

I was on vacation for two weeks so it has been a while since I have posted.

First off, we have a swim meet this Saturday at our Ahwatukee YMCA. Please fill out the meet form by Thursday July 8th and bring the payment to practice. The link for that form can be found here. Gates open at 7:00 am, warm ups at 7:15 am, meet starts at 7:45 am.

Please also be aware that we will be running a trail of a disqualification meet. What that means is if swimmers are not abiding by swimming "rules" they will receive a slip from their coach informing them what they did incorrectly. We feel that this will inform swimmers of the rules and prepare them for meets in which disqualification might actually take place. Some rules that we will be watching for are as follows:

• False starts: after the announcer says "take your mark" swimmers must remain still until the starter goes off.
• Flutter kicking on breaststroke and butterfly: swimmers are to do the correct breaststroke kick and keep their legs together in butterfly.
• Turning over on their stomach in backstroke: swimmers are to start on their back and finish on their back during backstroke. 
• Two-hand touches on butterfly and breaststroke: swimmers are to touch every wall with two hands at the same time on butterfly and breaststroke

If you have any concerns about this please let me know in an email prior to the meet. Because this is a trial run we would love feedback. 

Also it has gotten quite hot lately (forecasted temperature of a sunny 81-102) so please bring a source of shade and plenty of water to the meet on Saturday. 

This week swimmers have been working on speed work. This means fast swimming with an adequate amount of rest. At many practices swimmers were timed in order to put emphasis on the importance of times. My hope is that this will transfer into the meet this Saturday.

T-shirts were also handed out at practices this week. If you don't think you got your shirt that you ordered please let you coach know.

Here are some articles for swim meet preparation:

3 Ways to Stay Hydrated This Summer

5 Things You'll Never Hear a Successful Swimmer Say

Go Aquadwgs!
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

FIRST MEET RECAP

Congrats to our Aquadawgs on a great first meet!

You can find the meet results here.

For our next swim meet I would like swimmers to focus on following the correct swimming rules in their races. For example:

• Butterfly: touching with two hands and keeping legs glued together
• Backstroke: staying on their back the entire race especially finishing on their back
• Breaststroke: touching with two hands and having NO flutter kicks
• Overall: not false starting (staying still until the starter goes off), saying good job/shaking hands with competitors and cheering on our team. 

I think these simple fixes will show our knowledge of swimming, bring our team together, and create good habits for the future. 

Our next swim meet is at the Glendale/Peoria YMCA register here. This meet will begin at 12:00 pm. Please register by Wednesday June 17th. 

As some of you may know it is time for my summer vacation. I will be gone from Wednesday June 17th to Saturday June 27th. I will have very limited access to my email so if you have any questions of concerns please email Deb: djrothstein@vosymca.org

Here is an article about goal setting: Four Steps to Effective Goal Setting

And another inspirational article on the "bad days": You Are Defined By the Bad Days

and last but not least some pictures from the swim meet!

Go Aquadawgs!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

New Season

Aquadawgs!

Welcome to our blog!

This is an exciting time as a coach because summer is here and it is the ideal time to be able to focus more attention on getting fast in the pool while staying cool and getting a tan.

Congrats to all the Aquadawgs who participated in the swim meet on May 16th. I saw lots of fast swimming but still some good room for improvement. The meet results can be found here. Ribbons will be handed out during summer season at practice. If for some reason you are not swimming during the summer contact Deb Rothstein: djrothstein@vosymca.org for a time to come pick up your ribbons.

This last week our Aquadawgs went through their first practices for the season.

• The BEGINNER group worked on lane management, basic swimming rules/terms, and freestyle.
• The INTERMEDIATE group worked on lane management, freestyle technique, backstroke technique and dives.
• The ADVANCED and HIGH SCHOOL groups worked on freestyle and backstroke technique as well as some small aerobic sets to get back into working out.

Here is an article about why drills matter! A good one to read after all the drills we did this last week. 

3 Reasons Why Drills Matter

This week at Marshalls (Ray & 48th St) they had speedo vanquisher goggles for $8. These are my favorite goggles and that is the cheapest I have ever seen them. I stocked up with a few pairs and I thought I would put it out there for anyone who is interested. 

Our first swim meet is this week Saturday June 13th at our Ahwatukee YMCA. You can sign up here. Meet entry forms are due no later than Thursday June 11th. 

T-shirt order forms are also do this week (June 11th). You can print the T-shirt form here. This will be the only T-shirt order this season so don't delay. Nothing shows our team spirit better than matching shirts!

Here is some overall information for the season...

Summer Season Dates: June 3-August 1

Morning: Mon-Thurs (Coaches Alisha & Emily)

• High School: 6:00-7:30 am

• Advanced: 7:30-9:00 am

• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00 am

• Beginner: 10:00-11:00 am

Evening: Tue/Thurs (Coaches Trey & Keeley)

• Beginner: 4:00-5:00 pm

• Intermediate: 5:00-6:00 pm

• Advanced: 6:00-7:30 pm

Where to Meet: Swimmers are to meet the coaches on the pool deck 5-10 min before practice begins.
Locker Rooms: For locker room use swimmers are to use the family locker rooms located on the North end of the pool.

Parents: Parents are asked to not interfere with practice and it is preffered that they are only on the pool deck at the beginning and end of practice to pick up their child. 

Swim Gear: Swimmers in the beginner and intermediate groups are required to have a water bottle, kickboard, fins, goggles, swim cap (girls only), and a black swim suit for meets. Swimmers in the advanced and high school groups are required to have a water bottle, kickboard, fins, pull buoy, goggles,a swim cap (girls only), and a black swim suit for meet . This swim gear is used frequently and very important for all swimmers to have. The best place to buy swim gear is swimoutlet.com/aquadawgsstore. 

Bathroom: Please have your swimmer use the bathroom before practice.

Sunscreen: Please put on sunscreen 10 min before practice. If sunscreen is put on right before jumping in the pool it washes off. 

Swim Meets: quickscores.com/aquadawgs 

• June 13th Ahwatukee YMCA

• June 20th Glendale/Peoria YMCA

• June 27th Ahwatukee YMCA

• July 11th Ahwatukee YMCA

• July 25th APRA Swimmer's Classic

• August 1st Y Champ Meet Southwest Valley YMCA 

Staying Connected:

• Aquadawg Website: information about the swim meets (entry forms and results).  quickscores.com/aquadawgs 

• Aquadawg Blog: weekly updates about whats going on, imformation about swim meets, pictures, and swimming articles. coachalishassplashpad.blogspot.com

• Facebook: facebook.com/ymcaaquadawgs

• Instagram: @ymcaaquadawgs

If you have any questions please let me know!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Last Week of Practice!

Aquadawgs!

It is our last week of our spring season. Our last practices will be Thursday May 14th and Friday May 15th (high school). These last practices will be topped off with a swim meet on Saturday May 16th. Please make sure you sign up for the swim meet the meet form is now available to fill out online. You can find the link here. The meet is at our Ahwatukee YMCA, gates open at 8:00 am, warm ups at 8:15 am, and start at 8:30 am. 

Don't forget to sign up for summer season. 

The summer schedule will be as follows:

Morning Swim Team-- Coach Alisha
(Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs)

• High School 6:00-7:30 am
• Advanced 7:30-9:00 am
• Intermediate 9:00-10:00 am
• Beginner 10:00-11:00 am

Afternoon Swim Team-- Coach Emily

(Tue/Thurs)

• Beginner 4:00-5:00 pm
• Intermediate 5:00-6:00 pm
• Advanced 6:00-7:30 pm

A brief description of each group:

• Beginner: The first exposure to swim team for many swimmers. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 50 yards and know freestyle. Swimmers will learn all of the strokes and work heavily on technique. This group is about teaching we learn the strokes, how to race, and some technical swimming terms. 
• Intermediate: Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 100 yards and have a basic knowledge of all 4 strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle). Swimmers will learn all the strokes and focus on technique at the beginning of the season. Later, swimmers will also be exposed to learning how to workout in the pool focusing heavily on race paced workouts.
• Advanced: Swimmer are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3000 yards each practice. 
• High School: Swimmers must be in high school or going into high school for the 2015-2016 school year. This groups purpose is to prepare swimmers for high school swim team. They will learn technical swimming terms and rules. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3500 yards each practice. 

I have really loved working with the swimmers this season and I hope to see most of them continue into the summer. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update

Aquadwags!

Last week was a hard one for many swimmers. The practices were the hardest practices we have had all season. That being said, almost all of the swimmers handled it wonderfully!

Beginner group worked on stroke review. Tuesday was butterfly and breaststroke and Thursday was freestyle and backstroke.

Intermediate group worked on IM's with a tough set on Tuesday and put in some freestyle yardage on Thursday.

Advanced group did amazing last week! On Tuesday they swam 2 miles (3300 yards) in a freestyle/IM set and on Thursday they swam 2.5 miles (4000 yards) in a freestyle/IM set. That is a ton of yardage in one week! Even when practices were brutal almost every swimmer got out and said "thank you" at the end of practice. I was very proud as a coach.

High School group worked on IM and freestyle sets similar to advanced group swimming 3000-3500 yards each practice.

This week the yardage will decrease and the pace with increase focusing on more race-paced sets.

REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR SUMMER SEASON. GROUPS ARE FILLING UP AND SOME ARE ALREADY FULL!

Here are some fun articles for the week!

15 Ways Swimmers Do It Much Better

8 Michael Phelps Quotes To Get You Fired Up

6 Ways To Take Your Swimming To The Limit

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Swim Meet Recap

Aquadawgs!

Awesome job this weekend at the swim meet! I saw a ton of of best times. I enjoyed watching the swimmers have fun, trust the work that we have put in and RACE. The meet results can be found here. 

Big swimming news was announced last week. Bob Bowman the coach of Michael Phelps and many other world class swimmers has committed to be the head coach of ASU starting in the fall. Phelps will follow Bowman to train here in Arizona for the 2016 Olympics and many other swimmers may follow as well. The ASU program has not been impressive the last few years but having Bowman as a coach will really change Arizona swimming. 

Last week swimmer prepared for our meet working on stroke technique, flip-turns/open turns, dives, and speed.

This week will start off with longer easier practices putting in some yardage and we will work some harder practices to prepare for our final meet. 

Our final meet is May 16th. This is the last day of spring season.  

Don't forget to sign up for summer season. 

The summer schedule will be as follows:

Morning Swim Team-- Coach Alisha
(Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs)

• High School 6:00-7:30 am
• Advanced 7:30-9:00 am
• Intermediate 9:00-10:00 am
• Beginner 10:00-11:00 am

Afternoon Swim Team-- Coach Emily

(Tue/Thurs)

• Beginner 4:00-5:00 pm
• Intermediate 5:00-6:00 pm
• Advanced 6:00-7:30 pm

A brief description of each group:

• Beginner: The first exposure to swim team for many swimmers. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 50 yards and know freestyle. Swimmers will learn all of the strokes and work heavily on technique. This group is about teaching we learn the strokes, how to race, and some technical swimming terms. 
• Intermediate: Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 100 yards and have a basic knowledge of all 4 strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle). Swimmers will learn all the strokes and focus on technique at the beginning of the season. Later, swimmers will also be exposed to learning how to workout in the pool focusing heavily on race paced workouts.
• Advanced: Swimmer are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3000 yards each practice. 
• High School: Swimmers must be in high school or going into high school for the 2015-2016 school year. This groups purpose is to prepare swimmers for high school swim team. They will learn technical swimming terms and rules. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3500 yards each practice. 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

MEET FORMS DUE TODAY!

Aquadawgs!

Don't forget that meet forms are due today! You can print out the meet form here. Please bring it to practice filled out.

We have been working extremely hard and I am expecting this to be a big meet for improvement, especially for the older groups. Please try your hardest to be at the meet. It is a great time to see progress and have fun! Our last meet was only 1 hour long and I promise to keep this one short as well. Come ready to swim FAST!

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Arena Pro Series Information/ Swim Meet Form

Aquadawgs!

Thanks for another great week.

This weekend the Area Pro Series is going on in Mesa (Skyline Pool). This meet is full of Olympic swimmers. I desperately tried to get some tickets but they sold out fast. The meet is being streamed online here:

*I couldn't get a link to work for some reason...but just search Arena Pro Series Mesa and click on usaswimming.org link.

Prelims are at 9:00 am everyday and finals at 6:00 pm everyday. Tune in at those times to watch some fast swimming! (If you watch prelims there are swimmers as young at 14 years old!) The events are as follows:

Thursday Prelims: Start at 9:00 am (predicted timeline)

• 200 Free (W)---9:00 am
• 200 Free (M)---9:19 am
• 100 Breast (W)---9:45 am
• 100 Breast (M)---9:57 am
• 100 Fly (W)---10:06 am
• 100 Fly (M)---10:16 am 
• 400 IM (W)---10:31 am
• 400 IM (M)---11:03 am

Thursday Finals: Start at 6:00 pm

• 200 Free (W)
• 200 Free (M)
• 100 Breast (W)
• 100 Breast (M)
• 100 Fly (W)
• 100 Fly (M)
• 400 IM (W)
• 400 IM (M)

Friday Prelims: Start at 9:00 am (predicted timeline)

• 200 Fly (W)---9:00 am
• 200 Fly (M)---9:13 am
• 50 Free (W)---9:28 am
• 50 Free (M)---9:36 am
• 100 Back (W)---9:46 am
• 100 Back (M)---9:58 am
• 200 Breast (W)---10:12 am
• 200 Breast (M)---10:34 am
• 400 Free (W)---10:53 am
• 400 Free (M)---11:22 am

Friday Finals: Start at 6:00 pm

• 200 Fly (W)
• 200 Fly (M)
• 50 Free (W)
• 50 Free (M)
• 100 Back (W)
• 100 Back (M)
• 200 Breast (W)
• 200 Breast (M)
• 400 Free (W)
• 400 Free (M)

Saturday Prelims: Start at 9:00 am (predicted timeline)

• 200 IM (W)---9:00 am
• 200 IM (M)---9:24 am
• 200 Back (W)---9:48 am
• 200 Back (M)---10:03 am
• 100 Free (W)---10:20 am
• 100 Free (M)---10:34 am
• 800 Free (W)---11:00 am
• 1500 Free (M)---

Saturday Finals: Start 6:00 pm

• 200 IM (W)
• 200 IM (M)
• 200 Back (W)
• 200 Back (M)
• 100 Free (W)
• 100 Free (M)
• 800 Free (W)
• 1500 Free (M)

I will be watching! I hope some of my swimmers will be too!

This week swimmers worked hard!

• Beginner group worked on learning swimming rules on Tuesday with a group trivia game. They also worked on flip-turns Thursday.
• Intimidate group worked on swimming fast (all strokes), dives, and flip turns.
• Advanced group worked on some fast paced interval training on Tuesday (swimming 3300 yards or 2 miles!) and flip turns on Thursday. 

Our next swim meet is SATURDAY APRIL 25th at the Ahwatukee/Foothills YMCA. Gates open at 8:00 am meet starts at 8:30 am. 

The meet form is due THURSDAY APRIL 23rd to Coach Alisha. Find and print the meet form here. 

Thanks!

Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Summer Sign Ups

Aquadawgs!

Summer swim team sign ups are going on NOW!

Summer spots fill up super fast, so don't delay. Every summer we are usually at max capacity for most of our groups. Please contact the front desk to sign up. Also for any sign up questions please contact Deb Rothstein: djrothstein@vosymca.org.

The summer schedule will be as follows:

Morning Swim Team-- Coach Alisha
(Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs)

• High School 6:00-7:30 am
• Advanced 7:30-9:00 am
• Intermediate 9:00-10:00 am
• Beginner 10:00-11:00 am

Afternoon Swim Team-- Coach Emily

(Tue/Thurs)

• Beginner 4:00-5:00 pm
• Intermediate 5:00-6:00 pm
• Advanced 6:00-7:30 pm

A brief description of each group:

• Beginner: The first exposure to swim team for many swimmers. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 50 yards and know freestyle. Swimmers will learn all of the strokes and work heavily on technique. This group is about teaching we learn the strokes, how to race, and some technical swimming terms. 
• Intermediate: Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 100 yards and have a basic knowledge of all 4 strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle). Swimmers will learn all the strokes and focus on technique at the beginning of the season. Later, swimmers will also be exposed to learning how to workout in the pool focusing heavily on race paced workouts.
• Advanced: Swimmer are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3000 yards each practice. 
• High School: Swimmers must be in high school or going into high school for the 2015-2016 school year. This groups purpose is to prepare swimmers for high school swim team. They will learn technical swimming terms and rules. Swimmers are expected to be able to swim 200 yards and have an understanding of all the strokes. Technique will be mixed into harder workouts focusing on building strength and developing race strategy (smart swimming). Swimmers in this group will be challenged and pushed. Typically this group swims 2000-3500 yards each practice. 

As sign ups are going on now, please talk to me if you are unsure about which group your child should be in. (Email: alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org)

SWIM MEET DATES: mark your calendars! 

• April 25th
• May 16th 

This last week swimmers have been working hard!

• Beginner group worked on controlling speed up to race pace and butterfly. 
• Intermediate group worked on flip turns, race paced freestyle, and IMs.
• Advanced group hit 3000 yards Thursday and has been working very hard will fast paced workouts. 
• High School group has been working very hard with fast paced workouts. 

Here is a cool article on SwimSwam about how to swim faster!

http://swimswam.com/how-to-swim-faster/

Also here is an article about 5 important things in a good coach/athlete relationship.

http://swimswam.com/5-important-things-in-a-good-coach-to-athlete-relationship/

Looking forward to our next swim meet, summer season, and fast swimming!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Swim Meet Review/ Upcoming Dates

Aquadwags!

I wrote a post right after the swim meet and I just realized it never got posted to the blog! Sorry about that! So I will do a quick recap...

Thank you to everyone who helped with our last swim meet. We got it done really quick (that was our goal) and I saw lots of improvements with our swimmers. Going forward at our next meet I would like our swimmers to work on fixing small technical issues (flip turns, dives, streamlines) as well as implementing some race strategy. I also want my swimmers to remember that swim meets are FUN. It is fun to race our teammates and try to improve our times.

You can find the meet results here.

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

Lately, all of the groups have experienced some increased yardage to their practices.

The beginner group has been working on technique for all the strokes, speed work, and dives.

The intermediate group has been working on IM's, flip turns, and dives.

The advanced and high school groups have been working on race speed and stroke work.

In the next week we will continue to work on some of the same things but as the meet gets closer we will focus more on race strategy and technical issues.

Mark your calendars for the next two swim meets...

SWIM MEET DATES:

• APRIL 25th
• MAY 16th

These two meets will be at our Ahwatukee/Foothills YMCA.

Please stay in touch with the Aquadawgs this season!

1. Follow this blog! At the bottom of this webpage there is a entry bar where you can put your email. If you enter your email, every time I post something new it will notify you. 
2. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ymcaaquadawgs. 
3. Follow us on Instagram @ymcaaquadawgs
4. Feel free to email Coach Alisha: alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org. 

Some of my advanced swimmers have had some questions about backstroke starts. Here is a video that goes through how to do a proper backstroke start.

http://swimswam.com/how-to-do-a-perfect-backstroke-start-video/

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: New Season (Drill Videos)

Aquadawgs,

Thanks for another great week of swim practice!

First off, I would like to apologize for the craziness in beginner group on Tuesday. With new seasons you never know how the dynamic of your groups are going to change. On Tuesday we had 20 swimmers in beginner group with all different types of skill levels, it was a bit overwhelming. But after also seeing my intermediate group on Tuesday, I decided that would be a good place for a few of the more advanced beginners. When I move kids groups it not only depends on skill level and age but also sometimes the dynamic of the group. So after talking to parents, I moved a group of beginner kids up to the intermediate group. This helped a ton on Thursday evening out the groups. I believe now that everyone is in the right place. Please let me know if you have any other questions on this.

This week all of the groups worked on stroke technique for freestyle and backstroke.

Here a video of backstroke olympian Matt Grevers demonstrating double arm backstroke, a drill that all my swimmers worked on this week.


Matt Grevers Double Arm Backstroke from Fitter & Faster Swim Tour on Vimeo.

Here is another video demonstration of the "shark drill" that I worked on with my advanced swimmers.


Sharks Drill by Chloe Sutton from Fitter & Faster Swim Tour on Vimeo.

It is helpful to watch these professionals do the drills we work on so that swimmers can see it done perfectly. Also it helps swimmers know that I am not just making these up!

We have a swim meet coming up this Saturday (March 28th)! Please print the entry form off and bring it to me by Thursday (March 26th). The entry form can be found on the Aquadawg website or or here. The swim meet will be at our Ahwatukee/Foothills YMCA.

The dates for our swim meets this season are:

• March 28th
• April 25th
• May 16th 

All of the swim meets will be located at our Ahwatukee/Foothills YMCA.

Please stay in touch with the Aquadawgs this season!

1. Follow this blog! At the bottom of this webpage there is a entry bar where you can put your email. If you enter your email, every time I post something new it will notify you. 
2. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ymcaaquadawgs. 
3. Follow us on Instagram @ymcaaquadawgs
4. Feel free to email Coach Alisha: alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org. My email is now working and I will be checking it frequently.

Lastly, the women's NCAA DI Championships finished up this last week (Missy Franklin put on quite a performance) watch some of the highlight videos (link below).

http://www.ncaa.com/video/swimming-women/2015-03-21/di-womens-swimming-diving-california

Also previous swimmer for Desert Vista, Katie Olsen, who now swims for Stanford, was a part of the 400 Medley Relay team (breaststroker) that won and broke the American record at the NCAA DI Championships. Here is a video of the incredible finish.

http://www.gostanford.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3832000

The men's NCAA DI Championship will start this week feel free to watch online or on TV on ESPN3 Friday and Saturday.

Thanks!

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

NEW SEASON: FAQ's

1. Where do I meet for swim practice?
• Swimmers are to meet me (Coach Alisha) on the pool deck 5-10 min before their practice starts. Parents are welcome to walk their children out and stay with them till practice begins. 
2. Are parents allowed to watch practice?
• Once practice begins parents are asked to please leave the pool deck. I do allow parents on the deck 5 min before practice starts and 5 min before practice ends, so that parents can drop off/ pick up their children. The pool decks get crowded and the lifeguards are responsible for the people in the pool and on the deck. It is also sometimes distracting to swimmers if they can see their parents. If there are special conditions or if you are uncomfortable with this please talk to me. 
3. When are swim meets?
• Our swim meets for this season will be March 28th, April 25th, and May 16th. Mark your calendars! All swim meets will be held at our YMCA.
4. What is the required swim gear and where do I buy it?
• Swimmers in the beginner and intermediate groups are required to have a kickboard, fins, goggles, and swim cap (girls only). Swimmers in the advanced and high school groups are required to have a kickboard, fins, pull buoy, goggles, and a swim cap (girls only). This swim gear is used frequently and very important for all swimmers to have. The best place to buy swim gear is swimoutlet.com. If you do not prefer online, kickboards, googles, and caps are usually fine to buy at a general sporting goods store. But good fins are hard to find in a sporting goods store and if you do find them they are usually overpriced. I would recommend buying these fins here or another pair like these. Those fins are a good price and they work great for practice. Please try to avoid buying the scuba like fins they do not work well for practice. If you have any more questions or concerns about fins please ask me. 
5. What bathrooms/locker rooms should my swimmer use?
• I would recommend that swimmers use the family locker rooms located at the north end of the pool deck. These locker rooms provide private bathrooms with showers and also private changing rooms. Sometimes in the men's/women's locker rooms adults are less conservative about dressing and undressing and this makes some children uncomfortable. 
6. Is the pool heated?
• Yes the pool is heated. It is always kept at ~80 degrees. 

Also a couple reminders...

• Please use the bathroom before practice. I understand that the little ones sometimes forget but I have also seen many swimmers use this as an excuse to get out of a hard practice. Because of this I get more strict as my swimmers get older. Almost none of my advanced/ high school swimmers should be getting out of practice to go to the bathroom. I understand there are emergencies and that is okay but I will not be regularly permitting multiple swimmers in those groups to go to the bathroom during practice.
• Please bring a water bottle. 

Currently my YMCA email is not working...I am working with YMCA tech support to get it fixed. So if you have any questions please email Deb at: djrothstein@vosymca.org. If I need to see the email she will forward it to my personal email. If you have emailed me over break I am sorry for not responding!

Thanks!

Coach Alisha 

Weekly Update: End of the Season Wrap Up

Thanks for another great week Aquadwags and another awesome season.

This is our last week of practice for this season. There will be no practices March 9-13. 

I was very proud of our swimmers this weekend at the meet. I saw lots of swimmers drop time and improve their overall technique.

I am sorry that the awards didn't get presented at the meet on Saturday. We have been trying a few new things with out computer system to hopefully make it easier for our summer season. Awards were handed out at practice on Tuesday and if you were not there I will have the awards again today.

Don't forget to register for next season March 16- May 16. Spots are limited. 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. 

As the season comes to a close I have picked my favorite Aquadwag photos from this season. I was very impressed by the creative effort many of the swimmers gave with their photos. I am exicited to continue giving out the Aquadawg next season and see more creative photos.

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Upcoming Swim Meet

Thanks Aquadawgs for another great week!

This week...

...Beginner group worked on kicking, IMs, and did some relays.

...Intermediate group worked on kicking and flip turns.

...Advanced group worked on kicking and tried to beat the results of their previous challenge set.

...High School group worked on kicking, tried to beat the results of their previous challenge set, and worked on freestyle pacing/endurance mixed with IM active recovery. 

Next week... we will be getting ready for our only swim meet of this season. Because it is our only swim meet (the last one was cancelled) I expect that our swimmers will be ready to swim fast and drop times. We will be working on "fine-tuning" next week: technique, turns, and starts, as well as speed. 

The swim meet is next Saturday February 28th. It is at our YMCA (Ahwatukee-Foothills). Gates open at 8 am, warm ups start at 8:15 am, and the meet starts at 8:30 am. The form can be found here. Please print out this form and bring it to practice no later than Thursday February 26th. 

I look forward to seeing all our Aquadawgs swim FAST.

Don't forget to register for next season Starting March 16- May 9. I have had a lot of new interest so I think some of the groups might fill up fast. Don't wait! Spots are limited.

I have been having some trouble lately with using fins with many of my swimmers. Fins are a required piece of equipment for practice. I write many practices where swimmers use fins they are a wonderful training tool. But lately many swimmers are preferring not to use their fins. This is usually because swimmers don't have fins that fit, or they do not have the proper kind of fins for practice and they hurt their feet. As a coach this is a little frustrating. I cannot write two practices one for people who want to use their fins and one for those who don't. I would strongly urge parents to ask your swimmers how their fins feel. If they are too small or the wrong kind please replace them with something they actually will use. Below are some visual examples of good vs. bad fins. 

These scuba type fins don't work well for practice. They are not very flexible and cause some swimmers to develop bad kicking habits. I have never had a single swimmer enjoy wearing this fins. DO NOT BUY. 

These are the best type of fins for swimmers. They are meant for training and are very flexible and light. They are easy to use, comfortable and fit well. I rarely have a problem with swimmers who have this kind of fins. These fins are not typically sold in sporting goods stores and if they are, they are usually overpriced. 

swimoutlet.com has these fins for $16.99. Find the link here. 

Finally here are some Aquadawg pictures from this week.

Aspen from beginner group had the Aquadawg help her watch her little brother.

Kira from intermediate group took the Aquadawg on her worldwide travels. 

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Happy Valentines Day

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

This week swimmers worked on some more intense workouts.

Beginner group focused on breaststroke technique, dives and played a fun game for valentines day.

Intermediate group worked on IMs, speed, and played a fun game for valentines day.

Advanced group swam a challenge set on Tuesday and played Valentines swimming trivia on Thursday.

High School swam a challenge set on Monday and did a kick circuit Wednesday.

Overall, the weather was beautiful this week and I am starting to feel Summer season getting closer and closer.

Don't forget to register for next season Starting March 16- May 9. I have had a lot of new interest so I think some of the groups might fill up fast. Don't wait! Spots are limited.

Here is a article that many of our swimmers might identify with this week. It describes the mental stages swimmers go through during a hard practice.

The 11 Mental Stages Swimmers Go Through During a Tough Workout

Finally here are some Aquadawg pictures from this week:

Aubrey from Intermediate group put the Aquadawg through a tough training session.

Bailey from Advanced group showed the Aquadawg what a day in her life looks like. They went longboarding, played at the park, ate a donut, and did some reading.  

Coach Alisha
alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org

Weekly Update: Cancelled Swim Meet, Times From Practice Meet & FACEBOOK

Unfortunately our swim meet on Saturday was cancelled due to lack of enrollment.

I knew some of the swimmers were disappointed, so I decided that for Tuesday's practice we would have a pretend swim meet. This went really well and I think all of our swimmers had fun. Many of my older swimmers were focused on dropping time which I was really proud. Below I have posted the times from our pretend meet yesterday. Our next swim meet will be February 28th, please mark your calendars!

Beginner Group	25 Free	25 Fly	25 Back	25 Breast
Michael	31.11	44.58	41.04	49.16
Cathy	47.25	53.96	52.14	49.16
Lekha	37.83	52.32	43.34	50.54
Kaidon	28.14	30.86	32.80	30.91
Derek	36.39	49.94	46.16	43.16
Nasir	29.27	42.22	56.65	40.52
Aspen	28.11	53.61	34.29	47.56
Eliana	21.57	30.45	31.71	37.76
Lucy	29.03	32.12	33.42	41.09
Emily	18.58	23.17	25.14	32.05
Eva	28.38	30.39	31.34	36.46

Intermediate Group	50 Free	50 Back	50 Fly	50 Breast
Eddie	1:04.16	1:06.74	1:25.35	1:29.08
Jyles	45.56	1:01.24	1:04.58	1:06.06
Kenneth	56.27	1:10.11	1:24.64	1:00.96
Vaughn	1:03.21	1:16.89	1:16.88	1:13.50
Jeff	55.16	1:01.67	1:08.92	1:12.18
Kira	1:13.96	1:19.79	1:21.86	1:19.50
Korey	1:00.24	1:04.99	1:17.11	1:16.80
Charlotte	1:07.65	1:17.92	1:20.05	1:19.59
Aubrey	37.96	46.03	47.45	56.65

Advanced Group	50 Free	100 Free	50 Back	50 Fly	100 IM	50 Breast
Kinsey	37.96		43.89	47.45		56.65
Patrick	38.46		53.74		2:04.13	1:00.22
Bella	44.53		55.91		2:01.08	56.48
Grace	38.43		52.18		1:52.77	1:03.71
Ta’ani	47.34		55.40		2:06.10	1:08.58
Lauren	44.24		57.59	1:04.09		1:01.56
Ingelise	39.16		51.02		1:49.08	54.27
Katie		(40) 1:23.39		48.25	1:39.15	50.61
Bailey		(38) 1:19.05	40.27	42.37		49.87
Heidi	49.65	(54) 1:59.39	57.33			1:06.58
Amelia	38.39		42.81		1:41.81	53.61
Leah	37.38		42.81		1:46.40
Brenna		(46) 1:44.97			2:06.75	1:01.58

(indicates splits at the 50)

Also last week we experienced some rain. Some parents were wondering if practice would be cancelled. Pool closure is the only reason practice will be cancelled and this is up to the discretion of the aquatics director and the lifeguards. But as general information, I would like to inform you of the weather conditions that generally cause the pool to close.

1. Heavy Wind (dust storm) or Rain: When the lifeguards loose visibility of the bottom of the pool due to rain the pool has to close. 
2. Thunder and Lightening: Anytime lightening is seen the pool must close for 30 min and be clear of lightening for 30 min before the pool can reopen. 

Registration for next season is now open. The season runs March 16-May 9. The closer we get to summer the fuller our swim team groups get so don't wait to register. Spots are limited. If you think your child should move up to the next group or want to know if they are in the right place, please ask me. I usually let swimmers know around this time where they should be next season.

Also like our new FACEBOOK PAGE (YMCA Aquadawgs). I will post links to the blog posts, reminders, and photos. 

Here are some Aquadawg pictures from this last week. 

Kinsey from the advanced group took the Aquadawg swimming in her pool.

 Ingelise from the advanced group spotted the Aquadawg sunbathing in her backyard. 

 Korey from the intermediate group took the Aquadawg for a ride on his scooter.

Coach Alisha

alisha.maxwell@vosymca.org