Quick One tonight — (4 points only and a Thank You)

1.       If you ordered a Holiday/Christmas Training Challenge T-shirt, they will be at the front desks of the swim centers by the time PM practices begin today (Thursday).  Be sure to stop by and pick yours up. They turned out great.

 

2.       Speaking of holidays, I was remiss at not mentioning the charity work that our own TAGS 1 group from Cedar Park did. Please read:

“Hi Mike,

After reading your note last night, I wanted to let you know about a service project the TAGS1 kids did for some families at Davis Elementary. They adopted 2 families who otherwise would not have been able to celebrate Christmas. Tracy Jonsson coordinated the effort, and Coach Greg was also involved and participated throughout the project. Please see the note below for more details.”

Jenny Daniels
Interim Principal – Will Davis Elementary
Here’s the note back from the Principal of Davis Elementary (by the way, Jenny is one of our Swim Moms) to another one of our Swim Moms, Tracy Jonsson:

From: Jennifer Daniels/AISD
Date: 01/10/2013 06:19AM
Subject: Thank You!

Thank you so much for thinking of Davis families and coordinating the Christmas service project with the TAGS1 kids. Thank you also for hosting the kids for the wrapping party. It was great to see how excited they were to prepare all the gifts to give to the children. We ended up giving each of the two families more than $125 in HEB gift cards, 4 trays of cookies and other Christmas goodies, and multiple gifts for each of the children. They were so appreciative of the gifts they received, and we couldn’t help but notice that the gifts we brought into each apartment were the only evidence of Christmas for these families. When I told the mother in one family that swimmers wanted to do this for them, it really touched her. She shared that she was a swimmer in high school and had competed at the state level. She went on to say that if she would have worked harder in school, she could’ve been given college scholarships, and would not have ended up in her current situation. It was pretty powerful to hear that. Thanks again for everything!
3.       I had previously mentioned a March 2^nd meet at Belton for the kids who didn’t participate in any of the Championship meets. That meet will not be taking place – they cancelled it. HOWEVER, WE will be hosting our own sanctioned meet on that same day, Saturday, March 2^nd, for any of our swimmers who have times “slower than a B time standard.” This will be an official, USA Swimming meet, with times being recorded into the USA Swimming database. Coach Kristyn is getting the meet set up online over the next few days, we’ll be submitting our application to get an official sanction for it, and it will be at our Bee Cave facility – 1:15PM warm up, 1:45 start time. Great beginner type meet for those with times that are not yet a B time standard for USA Swimming. More details to come.

4.       Mark your calendars – Saturday afternoon/evening – April 27^th, Nitro’s End of Season Get Together/Awards Ceremony/Wrap up. More details to come, but everyone will be invited to come celebrate with us as we look back on the past year of Nitro swimming, acknowledge some milestones, and highlight the special performances/some of the special people that make Nitro, well, Nitro. I will have more info to share as it becomes available, but for now, keep that date clear! Approx time of the event: 5:00-7:30PM.

5.        Thanks for being a part of Nitro Swimming, and we’ll see you at the pool! Don’t forget to pick up your training challenge T-shirt if you ordered one! Coach Mike

Coach’s Note 12/4/2012

Coach’s Note, 12-04-12

We’re already into December – Crazy how fast time is flying! Of course, when it is 78 degrees outside, doesn’t quite feel like December, does it? Anyway – here we go – just a few, please read all…

 

1.       We had a very busy meet weekend this past weekend with three meets: Belton, Addison (City of Richardson Invite), and the Winter Nationals taking place at UT.  I’ve heard that our kids raced hard at every venue, even established a few meet records – like the boys 10 & Under 200 freestyle relay of Zach Bann, Marko Vujosevic, Joseph Hunninghake, and Thomas Shomper up at the COR Invite. The coaches are putting together their meet recaps and when I receive them I will compile and send out some highlights along their thoughts on the meets. I also have a great photo emailed to me from Scout Ratliff’s Mom – that was of Scout alongside Missy Franklin at the Winter Nationals meet! I’ll figure out a way to post it shortly! Missy also autographed Scout’s tshirt and was super nice.

2.       Speaking of meets – we have the UT Jingle Bell Splash taking place this weekend. When we receive the timelines, we will pass that info along to the folks participating.

3.       The following weekend, there are two more meets on the schedule! One is still open to register if interested. It is our Nitro at the Races meet. Saturday, Dec 15^th. 1:30 warm up, 2:00PM start. This will be held at our Cedar Park location, and we’re going to cap it at 150 swimmers if needed.  Right now there are 57 registered for it. This is a great meet for all Intro to Nitro kiddos, as well as the less “meet experienced” Bronze and less “meet experienced” Silvers and TF. This meet is not an officially sanctioned USA Swimming meet, which means their times will not be official times entered into the USA Swimming times data base. However – this meet is a great opportunity to get up on the blocks in front of spectators, and gain some experience of what it is like to be in a swimming competition. We run these VERY KID FRIENDLY, making sure we keep tears to a minimum, and we generate lots of Smiles Per Hour! (SPH). Typically we can get these meets handled in about 90 minutes or so. If looking for some guidance on events, I’d suggest Intro to Nitro: 25’s of three strokes, and the 100 IM. Bronze, Silver, TF: 50’s of three strokes, and the 100 IM. ***Sign up deadline is tomorrow (Wed) by 11:59PM CST.

4.       Looking ahead – New Year’s Classic at UT – Jan 4^th, 5^th, 6^th –there are minimum time standards required for this meet, so read the meet info please.  This meet will be primarily for Adv Silvers and up, however, with permission, any Silver or Bronze kiddo with time standards met can speak to their coach about attending.  Meet entry deadline is THIS SUNDAY, DEC 9^th, 11:59PM CST.

 

5.       That’s all for now – don’t want to get you too bogged down in details. Thanks for being part of Nitro, and we’ll see you at the pools! Coach Mike.

New meet added for 10&U

New Meet Added for 10 and Unders!
This one is a little out of the ordinary, as it is in the Woodlands, about 2-1/2 hours away, but we were personally invited, the coaches over there are friends of our program, this is very cool meet, and I wanted to share this with you.
The Woodlands (TWST) one of the premiere swim programs not just in Texas, but in the USA, has invited our 10 and Under swimmers to compete in their Halloween meet, Saturday afternoon, Oct 27th, and Sunday morning, Oct 28th.
They will have two pools in operation under one roof, the Conroe ISD High School natatorium, the same venue that has hosted several of our TAGS Championship meets.
One course will host the 8 and Unders, and the other course will host the 9-10 yr olds.
There are no required entry times, there will be several awards, and costumes are also a part of the meet agenda!
If interested, go to our events tab on our team site and read about it. It would mean a hotel night stay, but able to get back at a decent time on Sunday, as the second day session is in the morning.
No pressure to attend, but if you are one of those families up for a little adventure, and wanted to take in a meet off the beaten path, this is a good one.
Meet entries are due by end of day next Wednesday – one week from today.
We will be adding a few more meets once I get a handle on the calendar at a South Texas Meeting this Sunday I will be attending with Tim and Flo.
Thanks for being a part of Nitro Swimming. See you at the pools! Coach Mike

Swimmers of the Week, Olympic Trials Tickets available

6.12.2012

Hi All —

1. There is a family who has (3) all-session passes for the upcomng Olympic Trials in Omaha end of this month. Face value plus the cost of insured shipping. Great deal. If interested, let me know, and I will put you in contact with the ticket owner.

2. Swimmers of the Week:

Swimmers of the Week

Intro to Nitro

Cedar Park:Lucas Barun – The past week was Lucas’s first week in Intro to Nitro but that did not stop him from any challenge we presented. On his first day we worked on flip turns which Lucas took to with ease. On his second day we focused on diving a little bit because of the Nitro at the Races meet on Saturday. Lucas was not only fearless of the deep end or the big red block, but he was also the best diver out of the whole class! I am looking forward to watching Lucas excel from here, keep up the great work Lucas!

Bee Cave:Blythe Rhodes– This last week Blythe has gone above and beyond what was asked of her in regards to sportsmanship. With the new schedule and all the new summer kids joining us as well as combining multiple Intro groups together, Blythe showed herself to be a true leader. She lead by example, by actively listening, introducing herself to everyone in her lane, and consistently working hard. Very good job Blythe!

Bronze

Cedar Park: Jose Aroyo II– Jose has done an excellent job this week in practice, especially during the Long Course practice on Friday. Jose did not believe he could go the entire distance Long Course but he proved to himself he could. Great job Jose!!!

Bee Cave:Nina Velacheri– Nina really engages at practice. Whenever I ask for feedback or check to see if the swimmers know where they are in their set, Nina is always there with an answer. She has focus and I see it in her strokes as she thinks through how to do the drills and exercises we ask of the group. I like seeing that kind of intent, it demonstrates a level of awareness that will help her as she progresses in the sport and in life. Keep up the great work Nina!

Technique and Fitness

Cedar Park:Victoria Caldera & Mukund Pasapuleti – Victoria really worked on her IM kicking this week. Her head and body position were spot on, and her freestyle kick was nothing but white water. Mukund is stepping up his game. We’ve seen him nailing the little things. Flip-turns, pullouts, backstroke turns, open turns and streamlines. Great job you two, thanks for being a part of NITRO, and we’ll see you at the pool.

Bee Cave:August Robinson– August has been with us at Nitro over the past several months. In that time she took a hiatus, no matter how long the break August continues to show her good work ethic. She has conquered every set I lay in front of her. Her freestyle looks the same whether it’s a 25 or 400. Keep up the great work August!

Silver

Cedar Park:Bryce Flynn– Bryce has done a great job over the last week ending with a stellar Saturday from practice all the way through a swim meet. He is always asking what he can do better, and always super excited for practice to begin, and helps his fellow swimmers daily. He has a great attitude towards his swimming, and is starting to really get a hold of his swimming, and make it better. Great job Bryce, keep it up!

Bee Cave:Jack Bieter– Jack is a newer addition to Silver and is fitting in exceptionally well. Jack works very hard every day & wants to learn at each practice. His drive & determination are very clear every day he shows up. Keep up the great work Jack!

Advanced Silver

Cedar Park:Jonathan Tran– He’s absolutely stepped his training up to the next level, and all of the coaches are excited to see it. Great job, Jonathan!

Bee Cave:Kathryn Rorer– Kathryn is a good listener and shows me how much she wants to be here every time we practice. She makes a real effort to implement the changes to her strokes that the coaches suggest without getting frustrated or discouraged. Rather she sees it as an opportunity to get better and we love seeing that! Also, an honorable mention this week is Ted Beiter. Ted has been gone for a month or so, however, it is great having him back and be one of the leaders the group. Kathryn and Ted: keep up the great work!

Gold

Cedar Park: Anthony Luo– Anthony has worked extremely hard all of last week, he is by far the quietest leader we have, he leads by example on a daily basis. Great job Anthony, keep it up!

Bee Cave:Jessie Edmundson – As a new addition to Gold, Jessie has embraced the change of groups & is working very hard. She is a tremendous athlete all around, and is always encouraging her teammates. Her glowing personality is infectious to others! Great job Jessie!

Thanks for being a part of Nitro Swimming. Coach Mike.

Coach Mike karaokes “Sweet Caroline”

Coach Mike serenades the hard working Nitro kids before a race.

First meets of the season

Coach’s Note 10-14-10    Meets this weekend…and general meet guidelines

Good ideas:

a)Avoid greasy foods day of competition. Better yet, avoid greasy foods as much as possible !  Rule of thumb: If you can wash off your plate with cold water, good choice. If it takes warm or hot water to do the job, not so good.

b) Pack swim bag night before. Start with the most important items first: plain black Speedo suit—you can get a Nitro logo put on your suit for about $7 or so at Lane 4 at the end of Toro Grande/1431 — if you don’t have the logo yet, not to worry, you can do it after the meet during the following week; two pair of goggles – tightened for meet swims, Nitro swim cap (if you wear a cap); two towels, Nitro t-shirt, sweatshirt or warm ups, or and/or Nitro Speedo black parka (also available from Lane 4); some healthy snacks, drinks. That’s about it.

c) Plan on arriving stress free at least 15 minutes prior to the assigned start of our warm up period. Relax during the drive to the meet, keep things calm, at ease. The less stress the better during that time.

d) Once at the destination, we prefer that the kids all sit together in our assigned area. For the Temple meet, our assigned area will be the upstairs balcony bleachers – with our Nitro parents. This is unusual, as typically the swimmers are separated from the parents at most meets.

e) When a swimmer is finished with their events, the swimmer is allowed to leave the meet – but be sure to have them check in with their coach to let them know.

f) There will be some great efforts, and there will be some not-so-great. All part of the process of growth in this sport. A best time doesn’t necessarily mean it was a good swim, and conversely, not getting a best time doesn’t necessarily mean that it was a bad swim. We work on a lot of things during our practices, and we as coaches hope that the items we work on in practice become good habits, and that we see a good habit or two appear during the meets. We get the kids back to practice for a few weeks, and we hope that two or three more good habits show up at the next meet, etc. This is an ongoing process, and some kids take a little longer to demonstrate the habits than some others. Not a big deal, part of the process.

g) Parents — Be an Ambassador for Youth Sports, try to be the model of how to parent a young athlete,  and play the role of Grandparent when it comes to swim meets, and be filled with joy to watch your son or daughter participate in something as great as this sport. Remember that your main roles when it comes to sports are to encourage and support – Unconditionally.