Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin
Weekly Newsletter
9/9/2002

New Swimmer Evaluations a Success!!

The New Swimmer evaluations that were held on Sept 3rd and 4th were a complete success. We had a wonderful turnout at both of the evaluation days with approximately 75 new swimmers registering. Everyone had a great time, and are ready to get in the water for the first practice on Sept. 9th and 10th.

The First Practice for Old Members was Exciting

It was really great to meet all of you this past week at practice. I know it can be kind of hard having a brand new coach that you don't know, but everyone did such a excellent job! You all looked really good in the water considering you had been out of it it for awhile. See Everyone at practice on Monday!

STREAM-LINE!!!!!

Streamlining is one of the most fundamental areas in swimming. This is something we will work on every single day, and push really hard for the next few weeks. This is something that we can all do. If we do this every single day in practice then their will be no problem streamlining in meets. Remember think about what you are doing every time you dive off the side and push off the wall. NO SUPERMAN!

Technique for the Week

For the next week or so we will have a focus on freestyle and backstroke. Both of these strokes are similar in that when we swim them we swim from side to side and not on our stomach. This means we have to have a good shoulder roll, a fast kick and we cannot forget to rotate our hips. We will be working on drills that help us rotate our body in the water from side to side, so that both our freestyle and backstroke get faster.

1st Practice for All Minnows, Novas, Wahoos, and Dolphins (old and new members)

Dolphins- Mon. Sept 9th from 5:00-6:30 PM
Wahoos- Mon. Sept 9th from 5:30-6:30 PM
Novas- Tues. Sept 10th from 5:00-6:00 PM
Minnows- Tues. Sept. 10th from 5:00-6:00 PM

Minnows, Novas, Wahoos, and Dolphins Practice Schedule

Practice Group	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
Minnows	OFF	Candler 5:00-6:00	OFF	OFF	Candler 5:00-6:00	Pullen 10:30-11:30 AM
Novas	OFF	Candler 5:00-6:00	OFF	Candler 5:00-6:00	Candler 5:00-6:00	Pullen 10:30-11:30 AM
Wahoos	Candler 5:30-6:30	Candler 5:00-6:00	Candler 5:30-6:30	Candler 5:00-6:00	Candler 5:00-6:00	Pullen 10:30-11:30 AM
Dolphins	Candler 5:00-6:30	Candler 6:00-7:00	Candler 5:00-6:30	Candler 6:00-7:00	Candler 6:00-7:00	Pullen 10:30-noon

New! Saturday Practice is Offered

This year the coaching staff has decided to offer practice on Saturdays at Pullen Aquatic Center. This is a great pool to practice in, and it would really be a nice change for every one throughout the year. Of course, it is not a requirement that you attend Sat. practice, we just thought it would give parents the option of having another practice in a different facility.

Coach Brian's Practice Recommendations

These are my recommendations for how many times per week you should come to practice according to your practice group

Minnows: 2 times per week (if you can only make one that is ok too I understand)
Novas: 2 times per week
Wahoos: 2-3 times per weeK
Dolphins: 3-4 times per week

These are only the minimum amount of times that I recommend. I would love to see each and everyone your smiling faces for as many practices that are offered according to your group.

New! Dryland Excercises

This year the coaching staff has decided to do some dryland excercises with the swimmers this year. There are several reasons for dryland:

1. These excercises are designed to help the kids get stronger, and are directly related to the strokes and drills we will do in the water.
2. The excercises will help accelerate the heart rate, therefore getting the blood flowing and spreading more oxygen throughout the body.
3. Not only will they help make you a stronger swimmer, but we as coaches are looking to build the muscles around the joints to prevent injury in the future
4. Sometimes it is hard for younger kids to swim for an hour in the water, and this will be just a little change of pace.
5. THESE EXCERCISES WILL BE FUN!!!

PLEASE BE SURE TO BRING YOUR DRYLAND CLOTHES TO PRACTICE

What To Bring To Practice

• Swim Suit
• Towell
• Swim Cap- recommended for girls with long hair
• Goggles- these really are a must
• T-Shirt and shorts for dryland excercises
• Running shoes or sneakers for dryland excercises
• Sweats- the air has been a little cold the past week and it may not be a bad idea to bundle up after practice
• WATER BOTTLE- It is really a good idea to bring a water bottle to practice. A lot of you may not know that you do sweat while you are in the water and it can cause dehydration. Dehydration can cause you to get head aches adn make you feel sick and we do not want any of that.
  

Important Dates

Event	Date	Location
1st Day of Practice for All Wahoos and Dolphins (Old and New Members)	Monday, Sept. 9th	Candler Swim Club
1st Day of Practice for Novas and Minnows (Old and New Members)	Tuesday, Sept. 10th	Candler Swim Club
RSA Day- buy your RSA team clothes	Saturday, Sept. 21st	Candler Swim Club

I hope everyone had a great week. I was really excited to meet all the new members and old members at RSA. See you at practice! I can't wait to get started!



Coach Brian