Poseidon Swimming - Mid Season Thoughts / December meet review

December meet review

Now that our short course mid season competitions are behind us and the holiday season charging up to full swing we should take time to evaluate our performances and reevaluate season goals.

At both competitions we had as always a mixed bag of results ranging from a state record performance to the not so spectacular. Considering that we did not taper for the meets I am very pleased with our level of fitness and we now the advantage is ours to get right back into training.

For those that were successful I believe several common elements are inherent. Most importantly these individuals just went out and raced without regard to fatigue or a runny nose or anything else. Thing are rarely perfect in the swimming world so one must prepare for the unexpected. Race toughness replaces all else at the moment the horn sounds. Will vs. Skill - the FIGHT in the dog - a willingness to just GO FOR IT when things are not perfect was certainly evident. Consistent practice attendance - yes some were successful without the attendance - refer to the fight in the dog - however the majority trained for fast swimming. Warm up / warm down procedures - race preparation is different for everyone and those that went out and took care of business faired the best over the weekend.

I also would like to address our team spirit. OUTSTANDING! You all stepped up to a higher place with each passing session and for that I am extremely proud of all. The positive vibe is contagious. I can assure you that those in the water noticed the support and were motivated by it. Way to go POSEIDON!

What now?
STRONGER - HIGHER - FASTER - a great concept eh? Now is the time to step it up in the training pool. Aim for higher goals in your training, push yourself to become stronger each and every day, never back down on a repeat or do less than your best with respect to technique.

I expect now exams are over you all will be willing to make up for the lost training time that most of you spent making up for the lack of study time over the semester. Successful athletes must be successful students so please study more along the way so that you do not have to miss so much practice for your exams. We did not drop the yardage prior to our meet so it would be a shame to lose this benefit by missing practice!

Over the next few weeks we will be working steadily to the top of our seasonal yardage mountain then down to the championship meets! For those that are competing on high school teams please attend AM sessions on the days of your meets. It is critical that you attend as many sessions as possible over the next 8 weeks. If traveling out of town for the holidays it is your obligation to train with a team at your location. I will be happy to contact teams or email workouts. It is inevitable that we will have a percentage of our athletes make this mistake; do not let it be you.
As you have witnessed our training times are dropping and some of your comfortable training times are gone. I believe in each and every one of you. I know that together we can accomplish some remarkable things this year. Stand together, train faster together and push each other to greater heights.

I look forward to the possibilities.

TED