Splash News - Gainesville

City of Gainesville
October 2013
Volume 2: Issue 2
Splash News
Competition Season is here!
What an exciting time of the year to be a swimmer! That’s right—Short Course
Season is upon us! This is why many of our swimmers train so hard. The chance to
challenge themselves to swim better. The moment when every single millisecond
counts. The time when pushing yourself to complete that last painful set makes all of
the difference. It all comes down to this...how well will you do? How do you measure
success? Is it dropping time; beating your opponent; swimming better, faster, harder
than you ever have before? Success means different things to each of us. Set goals
for yourself so that you can measure how far you are coming. Challenge yourself to
make each swim the best one yet! This month’s quote sums up what it is like competing as an individual knowing that it all comes down to your own ability to perform.
Swim your best and have a great month!
“When a swimmer steps up on the blocks to compete, he or she is the ultimate master of his or her destiny.
The moment of truth is revealed once the starting gun sounds, a moment when the athlete is in complete
isolation from external help, relying only on strength, intellect and desire. There are no coaches to shorten the distance of the race, no parents to mend bruised egos, and no teammates to make up for a lack of
effort. The distance is constant, the time absolute. No one else can swim the race. From a performance
perspective, swimming is an individual sport. Similarly, during training, nobody else can take a stroke from
the individual. The pain is his or hers alone to embrace and master. However, the sport of swimming has
adopted a training environment that is based on a team structure—a collection of athletes and coaches
working together to optimize individual performances. Consequently, what culminates as the effort of
one athlete begins with effort of many.”
~ Skip Kenney
Stanford Head Coach; International Swimming Hall of Fame Member
Upcoming Meets for October
These are the upcoming meets for the month that SAC
intends on participating in and will be sending a SAC
Coach to attend. These meets are subject to change. As
other meets are announced, this will be updated. Registration forms will be available as each meet releases information. If there is a meet that you would like for your
swimmer to compete in, but it is not listed below, please
contact Meghan Hill for further directions and meet information.
TEAM EVENT
DATE
LOCATION
LAC Invite
11/2-3
Frances Meadows AC
10/18
Info not yet released
11/8-10
Mountain View (Cobb County)
10/25
Info not yet released
Deadline to Register:
RAYS IMX Invite
Deadline to Register:
Monthly Fees
Number of Practices:
In County:
Out of County:
1 Day / Wk per Month
$ 75
$100
2 Days / Wk per Month
$100
$135
3 Days / Wk per Month
$115
$155
4 Days / Wk per Month
$135
$185
Unlimited per Month
$145
$195
10% Sibling Discount; Oldest child pays full amount.
All fees are due on the 1st of each month.
A $15 late fee will be charged for all payments made after the 1st of each month.
Monthly fees are NOT prorated.
Make all payments to the Front Desk for cash, credit & checks.
For phone payments, we accept Visa and MasterCard.
Coaches and staff cannot accept payment on deck.
*** A yearly fee of $68 is due every September for USA Swimming dues.
Happy Birthday!
10/3—Emily Eisenman
10/12—Will Crumpton
10/6—Eli Coan
10/15—Alli Miklos
10/7—Alexis Williams
10/15—Cooper Kiker
10/8—Devin Holitzner
10/26—Aaron Retana
Practice Cancellations:
Due to swim meet rentals in the facility or holidays, practices on
the following days are cancelled:
October 5 (meet)
November 2 & 3 (meet)
November 16 (meet)
November 22 (pm cancelled—meet)
November 23 (meet)
November 28 & 29 (holiday)
December 6 (pm cancelled—meet)
December 24 & 25 (holiday)
December 31 (pm cancelled—holiday)
20 Things Elite Swimmers Do
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer based out of Victoria, BC. In feeding his passion for swimming, he has developed YourSwimBook, a powerful log book and goal setting guide
made specifically for swimmers. Sign up for the YourSwimBook newsletter (free) and get weekly
motivational tips by clicking here.
While there isn’t an exact formula for success that can be applied to everyone, there are some typical traits and habits of those who have achieved success in swimming that are universal.
Make 2013/2014 your best year of swimming yet by embracing some of the following habits of elite
swimmers:
1. They Don’t Allow Others to Dictate What They Are Capable Of. There really isn’t much
more discouraging than someone you respect, admire or love telling you that your goal or dream is
out of your reach, not within your abilities, or outside of the scope of your talent. Some people take
this to heart, while others use it as jet fuel to light their motivation.
2. Be About It. Everyone wants to be successful;
everyone talks about how they want to achieve soand-so a time, or qualify for XYZ team. Talking
about it is the easy part. But successful swimmers
don’t stop at wanting or talking about it; they put
words into action. You can say that you want to be
a championship caliber athlete all you want, but are
your actions reflecting this intent?
3. Being Elite Isn’t a Part Time Gig. You can’t be
good and expect to be great. Likewise, you can’t be
great once in a while, or part time. Elite swimmers
show up every day, not when they feel like it, or
when circumstances suit them.
4. The Journey is What Makes You Elite. Setting goals, and chasing them is about so much more
than the final result, time or placing. The journey is what creates the elite swimmer, the final results
are merely a symptom of what a swimmer has become by putting in work every day.
5. Elite Swimmers Have Unshakable Personal Integrity. How often do you commit to something and find that within a few days or weeks your resolve loosens, until the promise you made to
yourself is broken and gone? Having personal integrity means that you not only keep your word and
promises with others, but most importantly that you keep your word with yourself.
6. Embrace the Grind. Sure, it would be great if life came without friction. If things went according
to plan and according to our wishes all of the time. In reality we both know this is not how things go
down. Setbacks, detours and roadblocks will happen, and the choice is whether they are going to be
exercises in character development or the reasons for quitting.
7. Unafraid to Plan. Success isn’t an accident; it’s the result of planning combined with focused
action. Elite swimmers know to get to where they want to go they need to have a road map.
8. Look for Solutions, Not Excuses. While many swimmers will talk about achey muscles, excessive homework, or how they don’t feel up their best, your friendly neighborhood elite swimmer will
find a way to be successful in spite of these same types of challenges.
9. Surround Themselves with Like Minded Athletes. How we perform is a result of the environment and the people we decide to surround ourselves with. Hanging out with naysayers and
toxic people will rub off on us. Similarly, hanging out with athletes who are down to take things
to the next level will only embolden and empower you.
10. Proactive. Elite swimmers take action before need necessitates it. They don’t want for
things to happen to them; they go out and make it happen for themselves. They don’t hope for
success to stumble upon them via luck or good fortune; they actively chase it.
11. Willing to Go the Extra Mile. This can mean that they will come in early, stay after practice for additional ab work/stretching, or step up and do a faster interval even when not prodded
to do so. The adage “first one in, last one out” is highly applicable to elite athletes.
12. Set Higher Standards for Themselves. “Good enough” is not good enough. Don’t confuse
this with perfection; elite swimmers understand the difference between striving for excellence
versus chasing perfection (doesn’t exist!).
13. Possess a Willingness to Accept Constructive Criticism. Feedback from coaches isn’t
taken personally or negatively. Elite swimmers listen to and assess criticism as objectively as
possible.
14. Accept Ownership. Playing the blame game, or sugar-coating a bad swim with lame excuses is a disservice to yourself. Sure it may be an easy band-aid for your ego, but by explaining
your performances away with excuses only means that you lose out on a valuable lesson and
provides conditions for it to happen again down the road.
15. Take Pride in Hard Work. Hard work sounds, well, hard. And in a day and age where we
expect instant results and instant satisfaction, it can be easy to cast aside hard work as something we don’t need to do anymore. Elite swimmers take pride in the fact that they work hard,
that they are willing to do what others won’t.
16. Support Teammates. Whether it is cheering on teammates, helping out the youngsters, or
being a friendly ear when someone is having a rough day, elite swimmers have a strong sense of
compassion for their teammates and for the sport in general.
17. Make the Best of What They Have. Heaps of Olympians have come up through the ranks
having trained in dark, dungy 25 yard pools. They know that all they need is a lane and a bathing suit and they are good to go. Conditions and your environment will never be perfectly ideal;
the key is to maximize the resources you do have.
18. They Don’t Complain. They recognize that complaining doesn’t bring them closer to their
goals. Getting bitter and dwelling on complaints and perceived unfairness only develops a negative and ineffective state of mind.
19. They Know They Deserve Success – Just Like Anyone Else. Most gaze star-struck at
top-level swimmers and think of all the reasons that they will never be at that level. Elite swimmers look up and think of all the reasons why they will and deserve to be at that level.
20. Refuse to Wait. Sure, you could fully dedicate yourself to your swimming when you feel up
to it. Or when you get that new suit. Or when your team gets a new pool. But at that point there
will be a new excuse to delay action. Elite swimmers refuse to wait another moment to chase
their goals and dreams. They recognize that starting tomorrow is a day too late.
Team Try Outs—
Held every Friday from 3-4pm or by appointment.
Practice Times:
Juniors
Seniors
Nationals
M-F: 4-5pm (Pool)
M/W/F: 5-6pm (Pool)
M/W/F: 6-7:30am (Pool)
SAT: 8-9am (Land)
9-10am (Pool)
T/T: 5-6:30pm (Pool)
6:30-7pm (Land)
M/W/F: 6-7:45pm (Pool)
T/T: 5-6:30pm (Land)
SAT: 8-9am (Pool)
Rookies
9-10am (Land)
M-F: 4-5pm (Pool)
6:30-7:45pm (Pool)
SAT: 10am-11:30am
(Pool)
11:30am-1pm (Land)
Home School—Any level:
M/W/F from 8am-9am.
Reminder:
T/T/F from 3pm-4pm.
For optimum training, please respect
each group’s timeframe and only
practice during the time appropriate
for your age and skill level.
Masters (18+ ONLY):
M/W/F: 6-7:30am (Pool)
T/T: 12-1pm (Pool)
Swim Team Uniform Requirement:
For any swim meet that you are representing SAC, you are
REQUIRED to wear at least the SAC Swim Cap. You are strongly
encouraged to wear SAC swimsuits.
Swimmers must purchase their own equipment to include: fins, goggles, kickboard, pull buoy and snorkel. SAC has a very limited supply of equipment that we
utilize for swimmers who are trying out the team and are new to swimming. If
your swimmer has committed to the team, then it is now time to purchase their
own equipment for their individual usage.
Official Outfitter of Splash Aquatic Club:
Speedo® through Swim and Tri
877-SWIM-TRI
www.swimandtri.com
Team Code: SplashGA
Online: Go to Team Portal
SAC team members receive a 20% discount on Speedo® products when
you order through Swim and Tri.
Available at the Front Desk:
SAC Team Swim Caps—$15
SAC White t-shirts—$8
SAC Black t-shirts—$15 (in on 10/4)
More options coming soon!
The following PT positions:
Lifeguards (must be 15)
Water Safety Instructors
Assistant Swim Coach
Managers on Duty
Apply at the Front Desk.
MANY SWIMMERS ASK, “WHAT IS THE SECRET TO
SUCCESS?” I CAN TELL YOU WHAT IT IS…
WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN’T SWIM ANY FASTER, HOLD YOUR BREATH ANY LONGER, KICK ANY
HARDER,
YOU MUST KEEP GOING.
GREATNESS IS ONLY MILLISECONDS AWAY; BUT
YOU HAVE TO GIVE 100%. YOU CAN’T SLACK OFF
HALFWAY THROUGH THE RACE BECAUSE YOU
THINK NEGATIVELY. YOU MUST MAINTAIN A 100%
EFFORT FOR THE ENTIRE RACE.
THIS IS THE SECRET TO SUCCESS.
~Unknown