Sunday, January 27, 2008

JANUARY 28 ------ FEBRUARY 3

 UPDATES FOR WEEK:   All practices are at normal times this week.  The only exception will be that the pool is closed on Saturday for a meet, and so we will not have our Saturday practice.
 
 Groundhog's Day Saturday, February 2 Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob to predict the weather for the rest of the winter.  Let's hope for an early spring!  By the way did you know that Phil is 22 inches long and weighs 20 pounds.
 
MAKO SNOW QUALIFIER MEET:  The meet is Saturday, February 2nd at Claude Moore Recreation Center.  Warm-up times are as follows:  11 and overs 7:00-7:30 AM, Meet starts at 7:40 AM.  Warm-up times for 10 and unders is 9:30-10:00 AM.  Meet starts at 10:10 AM.
Please know your events prior to arriving at the pool, and make sure you drink plenty of water to keep your energy levels up.  The only cap to be worn during your races is a Mako cap.  No excuses!  Please wear your Mako Team attire while on deck!
 
PRACTICE UPDATE:  We had a good week of practice and as you know we spent a lot of time working on our backstroke.  On Friday we had our first Seals Test and  Seals You all were amazing with your focus and the intensity you had throughout the set.  NICE WORK!  This week we will be going through the breaststroke and putting it together with the backstroke in IM sets on Wednesday and Friday.  Wednesday we will have our last weekly set of 20x25 and they are on the 23 this week and are all at A5.  After this week we drop the number down to 16 for a couple of weeks.
 
WEEKLY TOPIC:  "WHAT YOU THINK CAN MAKE YOU SWIM FASTER"
 
Do you talk to yourself during workouts or in races, or does that little person who lives in your head talk to you?  What is said during these conversations might determine what kind of performance you will have!  Can what you think or say to yourself while you swim in a race change what happens?  All of you AGE-GROUPERS could benefit-and swim faster-by applying a little sports psychology.  Use positive words and affirmations to build a strong self image and achieve swimming success.
 
While you are swimming, If you say a few words that strengthen or build your self-image, you will cancel out some of the negative things that you may face in a workout or race.  Repeating a short, positive phrase or a few power words will help you ignore distractions and outside influences such as: 
  • Minor aches and pains I've Got A Headache 
  • Other swimmers distracting antics
  • How many repeats you still need to complete a set that seems to last forever
  • The  Studying homework you still have left to do
  • The person swimming RIGHT behind me, touching my toes Wiggling Toes  on every stroke
You want to stay away from phrases like, I'm tired, I hurt, I'm hungry (Take care of it), I'm bored, I can't, I'm afraid.  Instead you want to use words or phrases that make you feel strong, secure, powerful, and confident.  Always use words and phrases in the present tense such as  I Am fast,  I Am strong.  Some other power words are GO, SMOOTH, POWER, REACH, STRETCH, NOW, ROLL.
Whatever you do repeat phrases or words that make you feel good.  Repeating them will increase your self-confidence levels, which will increase your ability to push through that wall  Walking Into The Wall in a race or practice, and you will more likely swim faster.
 
 Monkey Wave TOP BANANAS;  AGE GROUP HIGH PERFORMANCE---SARAH CLARK who had an outstanding week of practice leading her lane a lot and focusing in on her strokes.  AGE GROUP 2  JULIE DEMYANOVICH who has worked really hard since starting in DEC.  Julie had a great week of practice.
 
HAVE A GOOD WEEK AND MAKE SURE WE KEEP DRINKING A LOT OF WATER (DON'T SHARE DRINKS), WASH OUR HANDS, AND GET THE PROPER REST!!   WE ARE IN FLU SEASON AND WE DO NOT WANT TO CATCH IT NOW!                               MIKE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new year.
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