Registration for the 2015-2016 swim season began in August at our club. Our club has a new head coach and he has made some changes in the structure of the club. As parents we were anxiously waiting to find out what that meant. In mid-August I found that the club was slightly restructured by age instead of named groups. My daughter falls in the 10&U group. I also found out that my daughter had been moved to a new squad called "black." The new squad would meet about 6 days a week. The practices would be longer and the demand would be higher. My daughter was elated. I was not.
We started the short course season on the new squad. These girls swim faster and at higher volume. My daughter wanted to keep up with the girls in the new squad. She started to swim faster and after each practice she was exhausted. I noticed that her technique has started to suffer. Because my daughter wanted to swim at the same speed as others on the new squad she started to move her arms faster. She increased her stroke rate which meant the stroke length decreased. The ultimate goal is to increase one and maintain the other. The new squad also uses different swim aids like snorkels in their training. My daughter cannot figure out how to breath and is constantly lifting her head. It is frustrating to watch my daughter struggle and I just felt totally helpless.
The only way to channel my frustration was to do something for myself. I decided to sign up for Masters Swim in Oregon. I have been an open water freestyle swimmer (in a wet suit) which is totally different than swimming in a pool. I do not know how to do flip turns, butterfly, or breast stroke. I have a lot to learn. Masters Swimming offers so much for adults as their motto is "Encouraging Adults to Swim," They send helpful articles in a newsletter if you sign up. https://www.usms.org/ I read an article about setting goals for the season. I made some goals of my own. My goals are to take lessons to learn how to do flip turns, butterfly and breast stroke. I would also like to swim with the masters swim group at the local community center.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Time Standards
My daughter competed in a total of six swim meets during the
Long Course season from April, 2015 ending on July 31, 2015. I was not informed by the coaches about
championship meets or A and B times when we started nor did I did know to
ask. This is the email that was sent to
the team right before the championship meet in late May 2015. **For the Mt Hood meets in June: all
8&unders will swim in the C meet (6/13-14 Sat&Sun only-indoor
SCY). 9&10 year olds will swim in
the Age Group Meet (6/12-14 Fri thru Sun-outdoor LCM) IF they have 4 or more
qualifying times for the meet (OSI 9 year old B times). When I found out that my daughter did not
make the qualifying B times for the long course championship meet, I quickly
realized that there is something more than just swimming on a team. She was at a "C" meet that was
going on inside in a small pool with a small group of girls while many of her
friends were swimming in the outside pool in the sunshine that was olympic
size, really nice and packed full of people.
Luckily my daughter was with a great group of girls who all had so much
fun teasing the coach, laughing and playing together. At the meets to follow, I started to talk to
other parents and they were discussing A times.
I also heard the term State.
After the long course championships at the beginning of summer a few of
my daughters' teammates were moved into another squad called "Storm." My daughter really wanted to get onto
Storm. I was not that excited about this
idea because I heard that the workouts are six days a week. I told her that she would probably need to
get "A" times to get moved.
Although many of the girls who were moved did not have "A"
times. I'm not exactly sure of the
criteria to get moved to another squad.
I looked up Oregon Swimming and found the 9 year old "A"
times. There is a lot of information to
sort through because much of it does not apply to your child until they are
ready and need it.
Here's what I think I've learned so far:
A common misconception is that the championship meets are
called "state" championships.
These meets are open to registered Oregon Swimming Swimmers and Oregon
Swimming does not only encompass the State of Oregon. Oregon swimming includes SW Washington and
excludes Eastern Oregon counties.
Oregon Swimming hosts several championship meets a year
during short course and long course seasons. During the short course season,
the 10 and Under Championships are usually held the second weekend of February,
open to all swimmers who meet the qualifying standard (during the qualifying
period of February 1 of the previous year until the entry deadline) . During
the Long Course season, Oregon holds the 10 and Under Championships during the
second weekend of July for swimmers who meet the qualifying standard during the
qualifying period July 1 of the previous year until the entry deadline. Oregon swimming publishes a list of time standards
can be found at:
http://www.oregonswimming.org/standards.
If your child has a birthday, than they need to meet the qualifying time
standard for the age that they will be on the day of the championship
meet.
After the "C" meet, I printed out the 9 year old
"A" times for my daughter.
During the summer, the workouts were 90 minutes on Tuesdays in an
outdoor pool. The other workouts were
about an hour instead of the usual 45 minutes.
Because of these extra workouts, and my daughter's determination, she
did get an "A" time in the butterfly.
She ended the long course season in a really positive way.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Swimming Has Its Ups and Downs
I was talking to a parent in the stands tonight and she was telling me that her son is on Olympic Way in the Gold squad. She also said that he really wants to get onto the competitive squad. I know how she feels because I was in her place a year ago with my daughter.
The coaches generally discourage parents from coaching their kids and comparing their kids to other swimmers who are faster. The focus should be on technique. I remember the coach sent out an article in one the weekly newsletters that was about the ups and downs of swimming.
At the swim meets to follow in long course, I cheered as loud as I could for my daughter so that she knew how proud I am of her. (More on parent ettiquette later...).
On July 14, 2015, we received an email from the coach that "Cadence got an A time in the 50 fly. and Cadence had 100% best times. I am so proud of my daughter's hard work. She isn't always going to get a ribbon or place in the top. She isn't fast in all the strokes. I will continue to support her and follow her lead. The kids on her swim team are some of the hardest working kids I know. They swim five days a week. Their dedication is remarkable.
- Proud Swim Mom
The coaches generally discourage parents from coaching their kids and comparing their kids to other swimmers who are faster. The focus should be on technique. I remember the coach sent out an article in one the weekly newsletters that was about the ups and downs of swimming.
"MY TIP OF THE WEEK IS TO SLOW DOWN, LET GO AND ENJOY THE PROCESS...
Don’t compare your swimmer with teammates or competitors. They make progress in separate events and they grow and mature at different times. Why on earth compare your swimmer’s 50 free to her teammates and wonder why your swimmer isn’t as fast? It’s okay for your child to be competitive and push themselves by racing teammates — but parents — stay out of it!" http://swimswam.com/one-tip-swim-parents-enjoy-process/
When my daughter was moved to the competitive squad Thunder, my response was to put away old ribbons that my daughter had received. I wanted to be a good parent and direct her focus to technique and support my daughter through the ups and downs. I boxed up all the ribbons. My daughter's response was to tell me "Mom, you aren't proud of me." I explained that I am proud of her even if she doesn't get ribbons. She insisted that I hang all of her ribbons on the wall so that she can see them because she is proud of her hard work. I wasn't even sure how to hang swim ribbons and I put them in frames. At the swim meets to follow in long course, I cheered as loud as I could for my daughter so that she knew how proud I am of her. (More on parent ettiquette later...).
On July 14, 2015, we received an email from the coach that "Cadence got an A time in the 50 fly. and Cadence had 100% best times. I am so proud of my daughter's hard work. She isn't always going to get a ribbon or place in the top. She isn't fast in all the strokes. I will continue to support her and follow her lead. The kids on her swim team are some of the hardest working kids I know. They swim five days a week. Their dedication is remarkable.
- Proud Swim Mom
old CYO ribbons
The "wall of ribbons"
Thursday, October 8, 2015
2015 Long Course Season
My daughter was brought onto the competitive swimming squad in April 2015. This is considered long course season. I, of course, had no idea there was any type of distinction between swim races (25 meter vs. 50 meter). Usually the pool is set up with 25 meters during practices and that is the distance that my daughter was racing at CYO. During long course season the pools are set up with a 50 meter length of the swimming pool. This is long course. The Olympic Games and the World Championships are held in 50 meter pools. This distance can be challenging for any eight year old. There are less turns and the time used in gliding off the wall after a turn takes less effort compared to stroking. Swimming 50 meters takes longer than in short course. Since the team never practiced a 50 meter swim prior to the first race, the first meet was going to be about trying to get used to racing at that distance.
These were the results:
| Cadence | 50 Free | 5 | 8 9 | 5/3/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope | ||||
| Cadence | 50 Back | 7 | 8 9 | 5/3/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope | ||||
| Cadence | 100 Breast | 45 | 8 9 | 5/3/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope | ||||
| Cadence | 50 Breast | 5 | 8 9 | 5/2/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope | ||||
| Cadence | 50 Fly | 3 | 8 9 | 5/2/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope | ||||
| Cadence | 100 Free | 44 | 8 9 | 5/2/15 | 2015 OR Thunderbolt Spring Ope |
After this race I found out that this was the only opportunity to qualify for the Long Course Championships. Swimmers needed 4 "B" qualifying times from the Oregon Swimming time standards. My daughter did not get 4 "B" times. This was my first introduction to time standards.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Swim-Mom: How it All Started
When my daughter was 1 year old I would take her to the pool at the Community Center in Bend Oregon. We used to go weekdays until she was about two years old. There was a duck slide and fun water fountains for the young kids to play with in the "Duckie Pool." She loved it! I was training for the Boise half ironman at the time and we were at the gym alot with 11 workouts a week.
When my daughter turned two, we moved to Portland Oregon and immediately joined the Bethany Athletic Club because they had a great pool for young kids. All summer long we would play at the pool weekdays when dad was at work. When my daughter was two and a half she started private swim lessons with a sweet teacher and swim instructor named Abi. For a year or so my daughter learned to dive and swim freestyle. Abi was so sweet and a perfect match for my daughter at her age. I used to work out with a trainer named Jim and the triathlon club there.
When my daughter was four years old we moved into a new house that had a neighborhood pool. My daughter would swim every day in the summer. She was really good at diving and pool games. We no longer needed to belong to the gym for the pool.
I started teaching yoga at SHARC in Hillsboro when my daughter started Kindergarten. She also had private swim lessons at SHARC in the summers. SHARC is a great pool for swim lessons because of the several large pools, diving board and fun slide. She learned to dive and swim freestyle for longer distances.
We decided to move our daughter to a private school in first grade. The PE classes included swim lessons in the Spring.
Dad volunteering at swim lessons
I asked her PE teacher, who was also the swim coach, if my daughter would be able to join their swim team. He said yes and my daughter started swimming for CYO when she was six. She loved competing. She loved being part of a team and representing her school in a sport.
After her first year of CYO swimming (non USA swimming sanctioned events) my daughter wanted to get better. Her coach had mentioned that she could join THPRD Thunderbolts and get better over the spring and summer if she wanted to. We went to Thunderbolts and tried out in March 2014. They placed her in the non-competitive squad called Olympic Way. She needed to learn the breast stroke and the butterfly stroke. She started on a squad called "Silver." Once she learned the breast stroke and the butterfly she moved to "Gold." We could only commit to two days a week for the Olympic Way because we had a conflict with another class on Fridays. On Fridays the Olympic Way squad would meet for races. My daughter missed all those races.
Eventually my daughter wanted to get onto the competitive squad of THPRD swim team called "Thunder." Many of her friends were moved from Gold to the competitive squad Thunder in the fall and she was not chosen to be moved with them. She felt really discouraged about that. She missed her friends terribly and she felt like she wasn't good enough for the team. My daughter continued to swim proudly for her school for third grade on CYO and was really enjoying competing and having fun on the CYO team. Not getting onto Thunder was really nagging at her. She started to lose interest in Olympic Way.
In the Spring of 2014 an email was sent out by the coach of the Thunderbolts notifying the parents that they planned on moving a large group of kids into Thunder - the competitive squad. My daughter asked me to send an email to the coach and tell him that she was interested in getting on a competitive team in the Spring.
Here it is:
Coach:
My daughter was prepared to try out and join another team although the Thunderbolts was her first choice. She researched other swim teams in the area and who the coaches were and what the other teams had to offer in terms of practices and pools.
It was so exciting for her to find out that she was moved to Thunder in April 2015. I officially became a swim mom!
This is my blog....
When my daughter turned two, we moved to Portland Oregon and immediately joined the Bethany Athletic Club because they had a great pool for young kids. All summer long we would play at the pool weekdays when dad was at work. When my daughter was two and a half she started private swim lessons with a sweet teacher and swim instructor named Abi. For a year or so my daughter learned to dive and swim freestyle. Abi was so sweet and a perfect match for my daughter at her age. I used to work out with a trainer named Jim and the triathlon club there.
When my daughter was four years old we moved into a new house that had a neighborhood pool. My daughter would swim every day in the summer. She was really good at diving and pool games. We no longer needed to belong to the gym for the pool.
We decided to move our daughter to a private school in first grade. The PE classes included swim lessons in the Spring.
Dad volunteering at swim lessonsI asked her PE teacher, who was also the swim coach, if my daughter would be able to join their swim team. He said yes and my daughter started swimming for CYO when she was six. She loved competing. She loved being part of a team and representing her school in a sport.
Eventually my daughter wanted to get onto the competitive squad of THPRD swim team called "Thunder." Many of her friends were moved from Gold to the competitive squad Thunder in the fall and she was not chosen to be moved with them. She felt really discouraged about that. She missed her friends terribly and she felt like she wasn't good enough for the team. My daughter continued to swim proudly for her school for third grade on CYO and was really enjoying competing and having fun on the CYO team. Not getting onto Thunder was really nagging at her. She started to lose interest in Olympic Way.
In the Spring of 2014 an email was sent out by the coach of the Thunderbolts notifying the parents that they planned on moving a large group of kids into Thunder - the competitive squad. My daughter asked me to send an email to the coach and tell him that she was interested in getting on a competitive team in the Spring.
Here it is:
Coach:
I read the newsletter. I relayed that information to my daughter Cadence. She has been getting the flu on and off these past couple of months. We took a couple of weeks off to stay out of the water and rest. Cadence wanted me to tell you that her goal is to be on a competitive swim team this spring. Her schedule will open up - especially Saturday's starting next week. She said that she is prepared to swim 5 days a week. She will be there on Friday and over the next few weeks to do her best and hopes that she will be considered for Thunderbolts team.
My daughter has always loved swimming. In first grade she join her schools' cyo swim team. She loved practicing with her team and competing. She wanted to get better and so she joined Olympic Way one year ago. She has improved alot thanks to the Olympic Way coaches. She has her own goals and she works hard for them.
Thank you
Gabrielle Johnston
My daughter was prepared to try out and join another team although the Thunderbolts was her first choice. She researched other swim teams in the area and who the coaches were and what the other teams had to offer in terms of practices and pools.
It was so exciting for her to find out that she was moved to Thunder in April 2015. I officially became a swim mom!
This is my blog....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)