Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin
Weekly Newsletter
9/16/2002

Great First Week of Practice

RSA, we have really gotten off to a great start this past week at practice. I hope everyone is having a great time, because I sure am. It is really great getting to know everyone. I am sure we will really become more and more acquainted as the weeks go by. I like the focus that I am seeing in practice for the first week. Keep up the good work!

Saturday Practice for Sept. 14th

There will be practice Saturday, Sept 14th for Minnows, Nova, Wahoos, and Dolphins at Pullen. Minnows, Novas, and Wahoos practice from 10:30 AM- 11:30 AM. Dolphins practice from 10:30 AM- noon. Hope to see you there!

Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin Parent Meeting

There will be a parent meeting for all Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin parents on Thursday, September 19th at 6:00 PM. Topics will include: meet and practice schedules, up coming events, and answer any parent questions. All parents are encouraged to attend.

RSA Day!

Next Saturday, September 21st is the yearly RSA Day. From 9:30 AM-12:30 PM, all RSA members can come and purchase your team gear. A representative from Augusta Swim Supply will be on hand to take all of your orders. You can purchase RSA merchandise such as caps, T-Shirts, fins (which is something everyone in the Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin group must have you do not have them already), water bottles, team suits, and much more.

Please Note RSA Day Practice Schedule Change: On Saturday Sept. 21st all Minnows, Novas, Wahoos, and Dolphins will practice at Candler Swim Club. From 9:30-10:30 AM you may come to purchase your RSA merchandise, and we will have a fun practice at 10:30 AM. Dolphins practice from 10:30-noon, while Minnows, Novas, and Wahoos practice from 10:30 AM-11:30 AM.


REMINDER: BRING YOUR DRYLAND CLOTHES TO PRACTICE!

Make sure that every one brings there dryland clothes to practice! You need to have a pair of tennis shoes, socks, shorts, and a tee shirt. Where this over your swim suit so that we can get right in the pool after dryland exercises.

Folders

Each swimmer will be given a folder with their name on it. These folders will be kept at the pool, and they will receive information about meets and upcoming events. Please make sure that the folders are checked every day. They will be set- up sometime next week for the kids to check.

First Meet of the Season

The first meet of the season will be the WAVE meet in Wilmington, NC on Oct. 12th and 13th. There will be information posted on the bulletin board on Monday, Sept 16th. We will also discuss meet information at the parent meeting on Thurs., Sept. 19th.

STREAM-LINE!!!!! Keep working on it every day!

Streamlining is one of the most fundamental techniques in swimming. This is something we will work on every single day, and push really hard for the next few weeks. It is something that we can all do in practice. 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 or push off the wall. NO SUPERMAN!

Technique for the Week

Dolphins
This past week we have had a focus on freestyle and backstroke. The Dolphin age group has done an excellent job on freestyle, and are ready to move on to backstroke. Shoulder roll and hip rotation are just as important in backstroke. We will work on drills that will get us rolling from side to side, and work on arm, and body placement in the water. I tell the dolphins every single day that we need to think when we are working on drills. I am seeing a lot of you racing when you are trying to complete your drills, and that is taking away from your concentration. Drills are designed to be slow so you can think about what you are doing in the water. The attendance this week has been phenomenal. Keep up the good work! Dolphins!

Wahoos
Great job this week in practice! This week we will finish up freestyle and begin backstroke. Shoulder roll and hip rotation are just as important in this stroke. We will work on drills that will get us rolling from side to side, and work on arm, and body placement in the water. I hope everyone is having a good time.

Novas and Minnows

I have seen some really great swimming this week from both of these groups. I hope that everyone is having a lot of fun. I told everyone at our first practice to please let me know if you are having trouble with a certain drill or stroke so I Coach Meghan and I can explain it better. It is important that you all understand the drills. We will continue to work on freestyle this week, especially breathing to the side. Remember we have to roll our shoulder and keep our ear in the water to get a breath.


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

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 every one of your smiling faces for as many practices that are offered according to your group.

What To Bring To Practice

• Swim Suit
• Towel
• Swim Cap- recommended for girls with long hair
• Goggles- these really are a must
• T-Shirt and shorts for dryland exercises
• Running shoes or sneakers for dryland exercises
• 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 and make you feel sick and we do not want any of that.
  

Important Dates

Event	Date	Location
Minnow, Nova, Wahoo, and Dolphin Parent Meeting	Thursday, Sept. 19th @ 6:00 PM	Candler Swim Club
RSA Day- buy your RSA team clothes	Saturday, Sept. 21st 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM	Candler Swim Club
Bubble Up	Saturday, October 5th	Candler Swim Club

Great job this week in practice. Keep up the hard work!



Coach Brian