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Breeze · 07-03-2013, 03:30 PM

Stu Hixon Meet @ Mt View Aquatic Center – FINALS

The finals started about an hour after the prelims finished, but because both boys qualified in the Breast, which were the last races of the event, we had closer to two hours in between. We really struggled to keep the kids rested, and to get them refueled. We’ve had issues not swimming as well in finals because of fatigue due to exertion or not eating well…so we wanted to try and change that.

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Bear

50 Breast – Seed Time 53.58, Prelim Time 52.07 : Bear wasn’t thrilled about having to swim this. He was saying things like, just because I made it doesn’t mean I like it, but we explained that he didn’t scratch (and actually he didn’t scratch because it didn’t dawn on us that he needed to, we didn’t think he was anywhere close to making this race), which means that if he elected not to swim that he would be taking the place of another kid that did want to race in the event. After that he shut up and set his mind to racing. Bear looked even better to me in this race than in the prelims, and the times proved my assessment was accurate as he posted another personal best of 51.18…in all dropping 2.4 seconds from the seed time earlier in the day…

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Brett

200 Breast – Seed time 3:24.17, Prelim Time 3:19.36 – Secretly I think Brett was hoping one of the top 3 kids would elect not to come back to the finals, so he could fight for a spot in the top 3 and a medal with the kid that out-touched him at the wall, but everyone that beat him agreed to swim finals. The race started and Brett was positioned this time next to the kid that finished third in prelims. He was faster than Brett but not nearly as fast as the first two, and Brett, like in prelims was working extremely hard to keep up with him. In this case he never seemed to completely lose contact either. He stayed within about 2 body lengths the entire way. In fact, with about 150 to go , Brett was only a body length back, but then the swimmer to his inside started to pick up the pace. As it turns out Brett did beat the kid that out touched him in prelims – and he beat him by about 10 seconds. He also posted another personal best and another huge drop in time, this time finishing at 3:14.57.

Brett was so tired at the conclusion of this race, he could barely lift himself up and out of the pool. This is the most effort I’ve ever seen him give in a race, and obviously it’s the most tired he’s ever been as well. But he felt great about this swim, and in put him in striking distance of a 13 year old cut in this event…

07-03-2013, 03:30 PM	#322
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	Stu Hixon Meet @ Mt View Aquatic Center – FINALS The finals started about an hour after the prelims finished, but because both boys qualified in the Breast, which were the last races of the event, we had closer to two hours in between. We really struggled to keep the kids rested, and to get them refueled. We’ve had issues not swimming as well in finals because of fatigue due to exertion or not eating well…so we wanted to try and change that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bear *50 Breast – Seed Time 53.58, Prelim Time 52.07* : Bear wasn’t thrilled about having to swim this. He was saying things like, just because I made it doesn’t mean I like it, but we explained that he didn’t scratch (and actually he didn’t scratch because it didn’t dawn on us that he needed to, we didn’t think he was anywhere close to making this race), which means that if he elected not to swim that he would be taking the place of another kid that did want to race in the event. After that he shut up and set his mind to racing. Bear looked even better to me in this race than in the prelims, and the times proved my assessment was accurate as he posted another personal best of 51.18…in all dropping 2.4 seconds from the seed time earlier in the day… -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brett *200 Breast – Seed time 3:24.17, Prelim Time 3:19.36* – Secretly I think Brett was hoping one of the top 3 kids would elect not to come back to the finals, so he could fight for a spot in the top 3 and a medal with the kid that out-touched him at the wall, but everyone that beat him agreed to swim finals. The race started and Brett was positioned this time next to the kid that finished third in prelims. He was faster than Brett but not nearly as fast as the first two, and Brett, like in prelims was working extremely hard to keep up with him. In this case he never seemed to completely lose contact either. He stayed within about 2 body lengths the entire way. In fact, with about 150 to go , Brett was only a body length back, but then the swimmer to his inside started to pick up the pace. As it turns out Brett did beat the kid that out touched him in prelims – and he beat him by about 10 seconds. He also posted another personal best and another huge drop in time, this time finishing at 3:14.57. Brett was so tired at the conclusion of this race, he could barely lift himself up and out of the pool. This is the most effort I’ve ever seen him give in a race, and obviously it’s the most tired he’s ever been as well. But he felt great about this swim, and in put him in striking distance of a 13 year old cut in this event… Last edited by Breeze : 07-03-2013 at 03:30 PM.