 DECEMBER 22 TO January 4: Practice Monday (22) and Tuesday (23) are at normal times. Wednesday (24), Friday (26), Saturday (27), Monday (29), Tuesday (30), and Wednesday (31) practice is from 8:00 to 9:30 AM. Normal practice resumes on Monday, January 5, 2009.I hope all of you have a Happy Holiday season, enjoy the time off from school, and don't forget that you should still get some exercise over the vacation. We have 6 practices planned over the period, and you should make at least 3 this week and 3 next week. You will put yourself in a better position to succeed by attending as many practices as you can during this time.  KNOW FACTS: Did you know that Benjamin Franklin invented swim fins? Did you know that elephants are capable of swimming 20 miles a day using their trunks as natural snorkels? MOVING FORWARD: What can WE do better in the next couple of months to bring us for MORE IMPROVEMENT during our championship season.  When you answer that question I want you to take a good look at yourself and your intensity level during practice. Does that level match the level that you are looking for in a meet, or does it fall short? Do you approach each turn the way you would during a meet? Do you finish each set and repeat during practice the way you want to finish off your races in a meet? So often we swim meet or try to with an intensity that I have never seen before at practice, or using a technique that is not practiced! Just think of what results might look like and what the possibilities could be if we could answer YES to those questions every day in practice. Not practicing the right technique or racing in practice will hurt your energy level during a race or races over a long meet. How do WE reverse this result? WE practice with a high effort level and intensity and this is on every set regardless if it's a swim, drill or kick set. Everything becomes a competition; who has the best turns, drills, technique, or who holds time on every repeat and am I giving 100% effort like I want to in a meet. |
"TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS "(SWIMMING STYLE"
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, AND ALL THROUGH THE POOL
THE PUMPS WERE WHIRRING; THEY NEVER DO STOP.
THE POWER WAS ON AND THE TEMPERATURE RIGHT.
IN HOPES THAT THE SWIMMERS WOULD BE BACK THAT NIGHT.
THE POOL SYSTEM WAS READY, THE MEET WAS PROGRAMMED,
AND THE NAMES WERE ALL LOADED, THE SCOREBOARD ALL RED, WHITE, AND GREEN.
WHEN OUT IN THE HALLWAY THERE AROSE SUCH A CLATTER.
THE COACH RAN TO SEE WHAT WAS THE MATTER.
AWAY TO THE HALLWAY HE FLEW LIKE A FLASH, FORGETTING HIS KEY IN HIS CURIOUS DASH.
HE STOOD IN THE HALLWAY AND LOOKED ALL ABOUT.
WHEN THE DOOR SLAMMED BEHIND, AND HE WAS LOOKED OUT.
THEN, ON THE POOL DECK WHAT SHOULD APPEAR,
BUT A MINIATURE SLEIGH AND EIGHT TINY REINDEER;
AND A LITTLE OLD MAN, WHO SAID WITH A PAUSE "MY NAME IS SANTA....THE LAST NAME IS CLAUS."
THE MEET MANAGER STARTLED, CONFUSED BY THE NAME, AND AS SHE TYPED SHE HEARD THE OLD FELLOW EXCLAIM:
"THIS IS DASHER AND DANCER AND PRANCER AND VIXEN.
AND COMET AND CUPID AND DONNER AND BLITZEN."
WITH ALL THESE NAMES, SHE WAS PUZZLED ANEW;
MEET MANAGER HUMMED AND A MAIN CIRCUIT BLEW.
IT SEARCHED IT'S MEMORY CORE, TRYING TO THINK, UNTIL THE PRINTER WENT ON THE BLINK.
UNABLE TO DO HER JOB.
THE MEET MANAGER SAID IN A VOICE THAT WAS ALMOST A SOB:
"YOUR EYES -HOW THEY TWINKLE-YOUR DIMPLES SO MERRY,
YOUR CHEEKS SO LIKE ROSES, YOUR NOSE LIKE A CHERRY.
YOUR SMILE-ALL THESE THINGS, I'VE GROWN TO KNOW, AND AT DATA-RECALL, I, AM MORE THAN SO-SO;
BUT YOUR NAME AND SWIMMER ID ARE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.
YOU'VE A JOLLY OLD FACE AND A LITTLE ROUND BELLY, THAT SHAKES WHEN YOU LAUGH LIKE A BOWL FULL OF JELLY;
I CAN SEE YOU, BUT STILL I INSIST, SINCE YOU'RE NOT IN THE PROGRAM, YOU CANNOT SWIM.
OLD SANTA JUST CHUCKLED A MERRY "HO, HO", AND SAT DOWN TO TYPE OUT A QUICK WORD OR SO.
THE KEYBOARD CLACK-CLATTERED, ITS SOUND SHARP AND CLEAN,
AS SANTA FED THIS"DATA" TO THE MACHINE:
"KIDS EVERYWHERE KNOW ME: I COME EVERY YEAR;
THE PRESENTS I BRING ADD TO EVERYONE'S CHEER;
BUT YOU WON'T GET ANYTHING-THAT'S PLAIN TO SEE;
TOO BAD YOUR COACH FORGOT TO ENTER MY NAME."
THEN HE FACED THE MEET MANAGER AND SAID WITH A SHRUG,
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AS HE DELETED THE PROGRAM!
MIKE
