January 2014 - Peddie Aquatic Center

Peddie Aquatics
January Newsletter
Inside this issue:
200 Free Race
Strategy
2
Y is for Young
Athletes
3
Swimmers of the
Month
4
Junior 2 Annual
Toy Drive
5
College Swimmers home for
the Holidays
6
Parting Shots
7
New Year and Fast Swimming
2014 has kicked off and we are through the
mid-way point of our winter season. Our
team performed exceptionally well in December at the RMSC travel meet and at the
OCY Strong Kids Invite. The success of our
program has been due to hard working
swimmers and coaches that realize there is
always room for improvement.
Now that we have hit January, it is time to
improve once again. The final stretch of the
winter season leading into our championship
season in March is one of the most crucial
phases of any seasonal plan. This is the time
when racing matters most and consistency
of training will help deliver the results that
all athletes are looking for at the end of the
season.
tune their strokes, starts and turns. I will
also be holding some Saturday morning coffee sessions again to talk with parents about
the end of the season and answer any questions.
A special thank you must go out to the team
parents that helped organize and facilitate
all the events that happened in December to
bring our team closer together. From group
functions to our team holiday pool party,
many thanks from the coaching staff for all
that you have done for Peddie Aquatics this
past month!!! Here’s to a great new year and
a bright future for all Peddie families!
- Coach Greg
We will continue to offer Sunday clinics in
January and February to help swimmers fine
Upcoming Meets
Princeton Invitational
OCY Distance Meet
Treasure Chest Mini Meet
January 18th - 19th
January 26th
February 2nd
Meet Type: Open Meet, no time
standards
Meet Type: Open Meet, no time
standards
Meet Type : Mini
Who Attends: All 9/overs
Who Attends: All 9/overs who
want to swim the 1000 or 1650
free
Location: Princeton University
DeNunzio Pool
Location: Ocean County YMCA
Who Attends: Mini Falcons & 8/
under Falcons
Location: Fort Dix, NJ
200m Freestyle Race Strategy
By Russell Mark // National Team High Performance Consultant
The 200 free is the true ultimate middle-distance event – it requires both good distance per cycle
and speed. You start the race with controlled speed and good stroke length. As the race progresses your muscles will fatigue and the distance per cycle will not be as long as when you’re
fresh. Therefore, you must increase the tempo to achieve optimal speed later in the race.
This is reflected in the top 16 men and women used in
this analysis. The tempo speeds up from the 2nd 50 to
the 4th 50.
When increasing tempo, consider driving it from the
kick speed. It is important not to get short and choppy
with the stroke, but reduce glide time (i.e. the arm extension) or shorten the back-end of the stroke (finish).
An aggressive arm entry in the forward direction, into a
good catch is critical for the 200m free.
The splits of elite 200m freestyles can also be used to guide/evaluate your race execution. Obviously, the 2nd 50 will be slower than the 1st 50 because of the start and low fatigue. The 3rd 50 is
generally slightly slower than the 2nd 50. The 4th 50 is
faster or the same as the 3rd 50. (The 4th 50 should be
faster though because it ends with a hand touch,
whereas the 3rd 50 ends with a foot touch.)
Race strategy will vary by the individual, but these
tempo and split trends are very good representations of
a generally successful way to execute a 200m free.
These are the 16 men and 16 women’s races used in
this analysis, many of which implement this exact race
strategy.
Page 2
Y IS FOR YOUNG ATHLETES
BY AIMEE C. KIMBALL, PHD
Swimming is a lifelong sport. Many people learn to swim as a toddler and continue through the days when
their knees can no longer handle pounding the pavement. While many people swim just for fun in the summer months or on trips to the beach, many choose to dedicate themselves to swimming competitively. This
article addresses some tips for young athletes who want to be successful in competitive swimming.
Train Hard
You’ll hear it from your coaches: the harder you work, the easier competition is. Training hard not only prepares your body for “easy” success, but preparation also lays the foundation for confidence.
Don’t just go through the motions at practice. Focus on getting better, faster and stronger with every lap.
It's your choice. You can just show up and exert minimum effort, or you can be physically and mentally present and train like you want to be a champion.
Be Coachable
You'll experience many coaching styles in your swimming career, some you will love and some you will not.
Regardless of your personal opinion, keep an open mind. Your coach is in this role because he is passionate
about the same sport as you and wants to help you improve. If you write him off because he teaches you
something different than a previous coach or because he doesn't communicate the way you'd like, you may
be passing up an opportunity to further develop. Over time you will learn what works for you and what
doesn't. Eventually you will get to a point where you feel comfortable talking to your coach about your
training. If you disagree with your coach, engage in a discussion and allow him to educate you on his philosophy and the science behind his training methods. Being open to new ways of training and alterations in technique is the only way you will improve as a swimmer.
Understand Growth and Development
During the middle school and high school years, your body will go through incredible changes. Understand
that these changes will often positively impact your speed, but there are times during the growth process
where you may get slower or become less efficient.
While you are in the midst of your growth spurt, you may see your times improve significantly. When this
growth period is over, you may not drop time at the rate you were. Don't let this impact your confidence.
You may be in a phase where improvement has more to do with your body than your training. Also, keep in
mind that others may hit their growth spurts after you, so someone you used to beat easily may now be able
to keep up. Don't assume your hard work isn't paying off. Others may just be catching up to you in the development process.
Find Balance
Swimming is an exhausting sport. You train before and after school and exert more energy before 7 a.m.
than some athletes do all week. While it is a very time-consuming sport, it is important to have a life outside
of swimming. Try other sports, be in student council, take piano lessons. Find other activities that you enjoy
so swimming doesn't consume you. Because swimming is often year-round and starts at a young age, balance is key to avoiding burnout and continuing to enjoy the sport for years to come.
(continued on page 5)
Page 3
Mini Falcon
Falcon
Name: Bergen Wilhelm
Name: Manya Sood
Bergen has been a wonderful addition to the Mini Falcons. He has improved tremendously and is a great listener and role model for the group. He has been a
pleasure to coach and we are looking forward to many
seasons of swimming with Bergen. Bergen just turned 6
on Dec. 26. He loves going to the beach with his family
for vacations. Bergen also plays flag football, wrestles
and plays baseball. During practice he enjoys jumping in,
swimming freestyle and winning medals.
Manya has brought a great attitude and work ethic to
every practice she has been apart of this month. She has
improved considerably and the coaches are all very
proud of her. That coupled with fantastic practice attendance not just for this month but the entire season has
made her a great candidate for swimmer of the month.
Swimmer of the Month
Junior 1
Junior 2
Name: Jenna Mao
Name: Allie McDaid
Congratulations to Jenna Mao, the J1 swimmer of the
month. Jenna has a 96% attendance record for the season thus far. She is a hard worker and really focuses on
improving her technique in every practice. We are very
impressed with her improvement so far this season.
Jenna started swimming in the Peddie lesson program
at age 3 and joined the team as a Mini Falcon at age 6.
Her favorite stroke is backstroke and her favorite thing
about swimming is doing flip turns! When Jenna is not in
the pool she enjoys reading, playing lacrosse and bothering her big brothers! And, when she grows up she would
like to be a marine biologist. Keep up the great work,
Jenna!
December's Junior 2 Swimmer of the Month is Allie
McDaid. At over 90% attendance, and making all the
practices over the holiday break, Allie has been focused
and working hard. At the Strong Kids Invite, Allie not
only had a great meet, but she won 13-14 100 and 200
Breaststrokes despite only being 13! Her 2nd half of the
season is poised to be even better as she commits to
improving her stroke technique, turns, and ups her
training to the next level. Great job Allie!
(continued from page 3)
Address All Components
Swimming requires a commitment in and out of the pool. Mental training, healthy eating, stretching, and dry
land conditioning are all important factors in long-term swimming success. When you address everything that
impacts you in the water you will be more prepared, more confident, and better able to handle the rigors of
swimming at a competitive level. Obviously I am biased, but I truly believe the mind has a tremendous impact
on success. Your work ethic in practice, your ability to push through pain, your confidence at meets, and your
ability to control anxiety are just some of the mental components of swimming. The earlier you start addressing
your mental game, the more likely you are to have what it takes to transition to higher levels of competition and
to make the most of your physical ability.
Summary
There are lots of things to consider when choosing to be a competitive swimmer. Overall, if you love the sport,
are willing to work hard at it, and focus on continuing to improve, you can have a long and successful swimming
career.
Make it great!
Dr. Aimee
Junior 2 Annual Toy Drive !!!
The Junior 2 A and B group got together over the
holidays and donated toys to the Bristol Meyer
Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson
in New Brunswick. Thanks to Deirdre Misiura,
Megan Peterson, and Karen Klag for organizing this
great event!
Over the winter break, several college swimmers came back to train with the Varsity,
Senior Performance, and Senior squads at Peddie Aquatics. A few guest swimmers
stopped by as well making it an amazing group for training. Below is a photo of our
college swimmers with our seniors on the team who will be heading off to numerous
schools next fall.
Cookies from the team Holiday Party
Swimmers getting ready for finals at the OCY December Meet