BOO! Wilton Dual Meet
8/Under News and Meet Reminders
Just a couple notes for this upcoming week. Friday Blue team will have a Starts clinic after their normal practice from 6:30 until 7:15. We will have regular practice Saturday morning and all swimmers from Red and Blue group are strongly encouraged to participate because it is our only time in the main pool swimming full 25-yard laps.
Sunday is Halloween and to start the day off right we are heading over to Wilton for a good old fashion dual meet. Most people don't know that there are many different types of swim meets. Some meets are called invitationals where multiple teams come to participate. These meets are not always scored and because there are multiple sessions the team vs team aspect of the meet is often lost. The Wilton Halloween meet is a dual meet where only two teams participate in a scored competition. Dual meets are my favorite kind because as the events pass and the competition intensifies I love running around the deck to get swimmers pumped for their next race. Relays are extra important because they are worth double points. As a coach I don't want to stress the result of the meet as much as I want to teach swimmers to be competitive and take pride in swimming for their team.
To promote the team environment the coaching staff asks for swimmers and families to stay till the completion of the meet. I have had parents come to me and ask about church and other Sunday activities. I make it a policy to never stand in between a swimmer and religion but please set aside as much time as possible for your team. Dual meets are the ultimate team building environment. We will be competing against a team that is known for their spirit and pride so we have to bring our A game. Swimmers, Coaches, and Parents should dress up and get ready to go a little crazy. Sunday is a chance for us to prove that the WATER RAT NATION is the premier swim team in the state. And we cant do that without having everyone involved! If you need to leave the meet early please get in touch with me beforehand. If the issue is transportation or another sibling's activities send me an email so I can help find a carpool.
Check in for the meet is 7:40 please plan to arrive by 7:30 in order to find time to park and bring your swimmer to the pool deck. We get in for warm up at 8:00AM and have 40 minutes to get all our swimmer ages 6 - 12 warmed up and ready to race. This is a very chaotic phase of the meet so please make it a point to be on time. The meet should start by 8:45am and should be finished by 1pm with plenty of time for trick or treatin'.
Practices have been going very well and the exceptional attendance of both Red and Blue swimmers has made for some awesome swimming. Strokes are looking good and we are getting into turn work and longer swims currently.
Please send your swimmers to practice with water bottles, socks and shoes. Water Bottles are extremely important especially as we start swimming more then one or two laps at a time. Also have a water bottle or juice waiting for them in the car after practice. Dehydration leads to ornery children. Parents please make sure your swimmers are wearing socks and shoes to practice. No matter how warm it is outside when you drop them off by the time practice is over the temperature has probably dropped significantly. Every day I see 6-9-year-olds walking outside in the cold darkness with bare feet... STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!
Team Gear is available starting tomorrow (Thursday) at the Athletic Shoe Factory located on the Post Road in Westport. Snag your gear so we can all Rock the WRAT RED AND BLUE!!!
Have a great week, see you around the Y!
Coach John
Sunday is Halloween and to start the day off right we are heading over to Wilton for a good old fashion dual meet. Most people don't know that there are many different types of swim meets. Some meets are called invitationals where multiple teams come to participate. These meets are not always scored and because there are multiple sessions the team vs team aspect of the meet is often lost. The Wilton Halloween meet is a dual meet where only two teams participate in a scored competition. Dual meets are my favorite kind because as the events pass and the competition intensifies I love running around the deck to get swimmers pumped for their next race. Relays are extra important because they are worth double points. As a coach I don't want to stress the result of the meet as much as I want to teach swimmers to be competitive and take pride in swimming for their team.
To promote the team environment the coaching staff asks for swimmers and families to stay till the completion of the meet. I have had parents come to me and ask about church and other Sunday activities. I make it a policy to never stand in between a swimmer and religion but please set aside as much time as possible for your team. Dual meets are the ultimate team building environment. We will be competing against a team that is known for their spirit and pride so we have to bring our A game. Swimmers, Coaches, and Parents should dress up and get ready to go a little crazy. Sunday is a chance for us to prove that the WATER RAT NATION is the premier swim team in the state. And we cant do that without having everyone involved! If you need to leave the meet early please get in touch with me beforehand. If the issue is transportation or another sibling's activities send me an email so I can help find a carpool.
Check in for the meet is 7:40 please plan to arrive by 7:30 in order to find time to park and bring your swimmer to the pool deck. We get in for warm up at 8:00AM and have 40 minutes to get all our swimmer ages 6 - 12 warmed up and ready to race. This is a very chaotic phase of the meet so please make it a point to be on time. The meet should start by 8:45am and should be finished by 1pm with plenty of time for trick or treatin'.
Practices have been going very well and the exceptional attendance of both Red and Blue swimmers has made for some awesome swimming. Strokes are looking good and we are getting into turn work and longer swims currently.
Please send your swimmers to practice with water bottles, socks and shoes. Water Bottles are extremely important especially as we start swimming more then one or two laps at a time. Also have a water bottle or juice waiting for them in the car after practice. Dehydration leads to ornery children. Parents please make sure your swimmers are wearing socks and shoes to practice. No matter how warm it is outside when you drop them off by the time practice is over the temperature has probably dropped significantly. Every day I see 6-9-year-olds walking outside in the cold darkness with bare feet... STOP THE MADNESS!!!!!
Team Gear is available starting tomorrow (Thursday) at the Athletic Shoe Factory located on the Post Road in Westport. Snag your gear so we can all Rock the WRAT RED AND BLUE!!!
Have a great week, see you around the Y!
Coach John
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