WEEK AHEAD: All of our practices for this coming week will be held as scheduled. The only change will be Saturday when we will NOT swim due to both a college meet and the swim and rock meet at Oakmarr.
HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN: As you begin your high school swimming, "THE GROUP" would like to wish you a lot of luck this week as you go through your tryouts. DO NOT make this bigger than it is, just go in and do the things that you have been taught and practiced over and over and each of you will do great. If I can give you one piece of advice for the week it is this, FORGET ABOUT YOUR TIMES AND JUST GO OUT AND RACE AND HAVE FUN DOING IT!
SWIM AND ROCK MEET INFORMATION: Here is the information that you all will need for the weekend.
WARM UP TIMES (ALL SESSIONS)
11 AND OVER PRELIMS 6:30-7:50 MEET STARTS 8:00
9 --- 10 TIMED FINALS 1:15 1:50 MEET STARTS 2:00
11 AND OVER FINALS 5:00 ----5:50 MEET STARTS 6:00 (FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ONLY)
This meet is a trial and finals meet for the 11 and overs on Friday and Saturday only The top 8 swimmers in the 11 and 12 Prelims will advance to finals in the evening. The top 16 13 --14 and 15 ---18 from prelims will advance to finals in the evening. EVERYONE FROM OUR GROUP WHO MAKES FINALS IS EXPECTED TO SWIM. NO EXCUSES ! THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO SCRATCH IS IF "I" 
AGREE TO IT, AND THAT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN SO DON'T ASK! If you make finals and fail to show up the rule states that you will be scratched from the rest of the meet. The coaches will not be able to help you. You need to find out before you leave the pool in the morning. If you get scratched into finals I will try to contact you (there is no penalty in this event).
AGREE TO IT, AND THAT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN SO DON'T ASK! If you make finals and fail to show up the rule states that you will be scratched from the rest of the meet. The coaches will not be able to help you. You need to find out before you leave the pool in the morning. If you get scratched into finals I will try to contact you (there is no penalty in this event).POSITIVE CHECK IN: All events 200 and longer must be positive check in. Find the table (normally by the steps in the deep end by boards). This is your responsibility not the coaches. Do this as you enter the pool before warm up begins. If you do not check in you will be scratched from that event (NO EXCEPTIONS). If you check in and fail to swim you will be scratched from your next event!
OTHER ITEMS:
- NO DECK CHAIRS (LEAVE THEM AT HOME)
- NO FOOD OR CONCESSIONS WILL BE SOLD (BE PREPARED)
- TRASH INSTEAD OF JUST THROWING YOUR TRASH ON THE GROUND GET UP AND FIND A
TRASH CAN. (If this becomes a problem they will ban all food on the deck; it's up to YOU. I will be very upset if our team area looks like a trash pit. It's a reflection on you, myself and the MAKO team. Have a little pride!
PARENTS: As a team we have to provide at least 5 timers at each session. Please help us out here, and it would be nice to see different faces each session, so let's spread out the work.
As a group this meet will give us an idea of where we are in our training as we enter into are first championship meets in December. I challenge each and every one of you to show up and race. Notice I did not say swim, there is a difference! I challenge each of you to WIN YOUR HEAT, NO EXCUSES! The first step in this process is to focus on what you are doing in the present moment. We need to forget the past, things that are now out of our control. The past is just that, the past and this weekend the most important thing will be what you do when the moment to race is facing you 
. You must now decide whether you are going to get to the other side 
or is that wall going to BEAT you! That wall will beat you if you are not prepared, and this involves a lot of different things. The first thing is that the plan starts today, do not put off your school work till the last moment as this will increase your stress level. Get the work done now so that it is not on your mind next weekend! Look at your diets for the weekend and make sure that we are putting the right fuel in our bodies so that we will be in a good position to race. Look at your sleeping habits and make sure we are getting the proper rest this weekend. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE all week. Don't forget if you want to do well it is a process that begins long before the race, and these are a few areas where swimmers make that BIG MISTAKE. Sure they think they are in great shape and they are for 1 race out of 3 for a day, or maybe they are prepared for 1 good day out of 2. We need to learn to go the distance and it takes some effort on your part away from the pool. You are preparing for a 3 day "TRIALS AND FINALS MEET" where some of you may end up having 15 races before the weekend is over on Sunday night. This is why we need to swim so much, for meets like this. All athletes go through this and that is why there are training camps for professionals, so that they can do well all season and not just the first few games.Our goal for this is to win heats and if you do that chances are pretty good that you will drop time. Don't forget that the meet sheet tells you what should happen, but I seldom see a meet unfold like it should. If you are in lane 4 and 5 you are suppose to win the heat, but you have to do your part and race. If you are in those 2 lanes and you come off that first wall in 5th or lower there is a pretty good chance that you have dug a hole for yourself that you will not be able to get out of.
I want each of you to write the 3 most negative things you think about at a meet on a piece of paper, put them in a sealed envelope with your name on it and bring it to me this week. I will take care of these for you this weekend and you are not allowed to think about them even for a moment, and if you catch yourself doing it change your surrounding immediately. This is a pledge you and I will keep as soon as I get your envelope..
I am looking forward to a great weekend and a lot of FAST swimming from all of you. Take care of your bodies and get the school work done early in the week. PUT YOURSELF IN THE BEST POSSIBLE POSITION THAT YOU CAN TO GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
MIKE
