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Sunday, July 20th 2008
| AG Blast #6 |
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News and Notes: Practice change for Thanksgiving week. Monday and Tuesday practices are normal. Wednesday is different than the schedule handed out: Advanced 2-4PM, Varsity 4-5:30PM (if you need to get on the road earlier than your group’s time, please let Mark know). No practice on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day). Friday Practice 2:30-4:30PM (the infamous 300 game…guaranteed new title champ this year). Saturday practice normal (9-11:15AM). Remember, if you are leaving town, use that opportunity to swim with another club. If there is not another club within comfortable driving distance, please take a holiday practice packet. DON’T COME BACK TO PRACTICE ON MONDAY FEELING LIKE A STUFFED Sign-ups for the NOVA B/C will not be sent until Friday, 11/23. Any swimmers with any B or C (or no times) should swim those events at this meet. You can also qualify for the other December meets at this meet. Sign-ups for the SEVA 12&Y BB+ meet are due by Monday 11/19. Please let the coaches know of ANY sessions that you do not plan to attend. Be as proactive as possible. Sign-ups for the PSDN 13&O BB+ Holiday Classic are due by Friday 11/30. All 13&O swimmers with BB times should compete. Again, let the coaches know of ANY sessions that you may be missing. Topic of the Week: Fear! Everyone has a fear of something. Often, in this sport, it is this fear that causes hesitations and doubts that swimmers can actually perform to the best of their abilities. It is important to remember that when this fear jumps between a swimmer and his or her goals, that it means that the swimmer is REALLY close, they just need to conquer the fear to get what they truly desire. To conquer this fear, a swimmer, must first be honest. The swimmer needs to identify what the fear actually is: failure, parent/coach/teammate disappointment, pain, losing, winning (yes, it happens more than you think), etc. Whatever it is…is must be sought out and identified. Next, a swimmer must embrace this fear. The swimmer must KNOW that this fear is a good thing. It is necessary to make the jump to the next level. The adrenaline needs to rush, the hands need to shake a little bit, the heart needs to pound in the ears. This all means that SOMETHING IS HAPPENING (if something wasn’t happening, it means that nothing would be happening…no one wants nothing to happen). Finally, the fear must be conquered. Once, a swimmer has identified the fear and brought feelings of enjoyment to that fear, he or she is now able to beat the heck out of it. It is no longer a fear, it’s merely a funny little feeling that tells you that you care. It is important to keep great positive self-talk and loose muscles in slaying the fear. The body is able, but the mind must do all the fighting. Stay in control. Don’t let the fear control you! Identify your fears today. A good way to practice beating up your fears is PRACTICE! Constantly seek opportunities to beat these fears. You will win in the end! Coach Mark ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
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