Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Swim Like A Champion (a real life journal)

Breeze · 12-22-2011, 09:38 AM

War Eagle Invite - 10/21/11

As you can guess by the name this event takes place at the Auburn University pool. A very impressive facility with a TON of Championship banners in the rafters and an impressive list of Olypic swimmers displayed on the wall (including like 18 former alumni that competed in the 2008 games...). This is probably the fastest pool we will swim in all year, so I'm hoping for improvements from the kids in this event.

Bailey - It is my hope that the faster pool combined with some good practices will allow her to get another state cup, probably the 50 back, but unless she gets better on the turn and finish, I'm not sure she can cut that 1+ second she needs. Middle of the pool is fast, but the other parts still need work/confidence.

Bear - Bear has made the switch to the "man suit" for this event. This is his coaches way of describing the briefs (before Bear wore the jammers, which look like bike shorts without the pads, now he wears what I grew up calling a Speedo). He is pumped up and he likes the new suit...hopefully he'll swim well.

Brett - Started working harder at practice...even his coach mentioned it...so maybe it will pay off in improved times. We need to have something good happen here, or Brett might shut down his efforts soon.

Note: All of the events (except the time trials) described above were 2 day events...but like I said, I don't remember the order of events. In this case Auburn reports the official results in the order they were swum. So, You'll see the results in order and I will try to note 1st day vs 2nd day, which I can't remember in the other cases

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Day 1

Girls 10U - 50 Breast
Starts the meet our well, but not quite an improvement but a nice swim regardless...only .3 slower 46.61

Girls 10U - 50 Back
This wasn't a good swim 41.31 - over 1.5 seconds slower than the last couple of time she swam it...

Girls 10U - 100 IM
Bailey's followed up her 3 second improvement from a few weeks earlier with another (almost) 2.5 second drop. She posted an impressive 1:26.94. Unfortunately the state cut is a 1:26.49...so she just missed it. But she is really close here and if she doesn't faid back in her next meet (possible given the level of improvement in the last couple of times she swam it) she should
get this one before the end of the season.

Day 2

Girls 10U - 50 Fly
Improved significantly from the bad 42+ swim a few weeks ago, but not a personal best...40.38. Again not a big deal due to already having her state cut.

Girls 10U - 50 Free
Bailey had reported to us, prior to this event, that she was being put in the front of her line every practice during kick sets because she was passing everyone. Well that hard kicking in practice paid off. Bailey blew away her best time posting a 33.96. That is about a 1.5 second drop, pretty significant in a 50 where you were already posting good times.

Girls 10U - 100 Breast
Bailey improved again in the 100 Breast...dropping her time another 2.4 seconds to a 1:38.28 - And in only her 3rd time swimming the event She gets her state cut. She now has 2...and she's still close on several more.

Bailey's meet was very up and down. Huge improvemens in the 50 Free and IM, plus a state cut in the 100 Breast, but she's still struggling to get her backstroke to down to where it was to start the season, and I'm starting to wonder if she'll be able get her state cut in this stroke at all.

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Day 1

Boys 10U - 50 Breast
Bear swims a 50.73 in the 50 Breast...not a great time, but still a 2 second improvement...and this is his weakest stroke.

Boys 10U - 50 Back
Like the previous meet, Bear improves his 50 back...barely. This time the drop is .11, but still a personal best (42.96)

Boys 10U - 100 IM
Bear's run of moderate improvements is over. In the 100 IM he drops 6.7 seconds to a true personal best of 1:32.08. He has finally bettered that amazing swim from the GRPA meet and he looked strong doing it. The improvement in his Breaststroke is the biggest driver in this time reduction, but I must say that his freestyle in warmups for day 1 and even in the final 25 yards of the 100 yard race looked particularly strong.

Day 2

Boys 10U - 50 Fly
Another improvement. The time drops .4 seconds to a 41.38. Still have about 1.5 seconds more to go in order to earn that cut, and we are running out of meets. We have one in November, but it is a slower pool, we'll be back at Auburn in January, then the last chance meet in February...

Boys 10U - 50 Free
Remember I said Bear's free look particulary strong in warm ups and in the 100 IM, well looks like my observations were right. He cuts almost 3 full seconds on his 50 Free and drops the time to 35.78.

Boys 10U - 100 Free
About that stronger Freestyle...the 50 showed that it had improved...the 100 showed just how much. He dropped 8.3 seconds to a 1:20.60, with a 50 split of 37.63 (faster than his 50 had been coming into this meet).

This was an unbelievable meet for Bear. He was a perfect 6 for 6 in personal bests and is now 15 for 16 on the year. This run is extremely impressive, especially when you consider some of the improvements are significant. I expect this streak will be coming to an end soon, as I can't believe he'll be able to maintain this level of improvement. This does give me hope that he'll be able to earn his state cut - it is still not a given, as he needs to cut a good bit of time on all the strokes other than the 1.5 on the fly, but the fact that he is getting stronger shows that 1.5 may be doable.

Also, in this meet Bear earned 32 points for SwimAtlanta, as he had several top 10 finishes. In fact, he was in the top 15 point earners in the boys 10 and Under age group (to give you a measuring stick, Bailey earned 4 points). In fact, had I entered Bear in a full slate of events (meaning giving him 2 more swims which was the max for the meet), he would have probably finished in the top 10 and earned a trophy. Regardless, he is very pumped up following this effort. Oh, and the "man suit" is here to stay...

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Day 1

Boys 11/12 - 50 Breast
Brett gets off to a good start in this meet. His time drops about 1.25 seconds to a 43.79. This a big drop in an event that he swims well. I was hoping for an improvement, but this was a bigger one than I would have thought possible at this point.

Boys 11/12 - 50 Back
After almost a full year, Brett has finally improved on his backstroke. The time of 45.41 still isn't good...but he improved and we will take small victories at this point.

Boys 11/12 100 IM
Brett was DQed in this one but not for a technical issue, he swallowed a bunch of water coming into his Breaststroke leg (ironic I know) and he stopped. It's unfortunate, because he was well ahead of his best time on the split with only Breast and Free to swim, he probably posts a personal best. He seems to have handled it well (hard to tell because he internalizes things), but I'm concerned at this point. He was 2 for 2 on personal bests, and this could cause a drop in confidence or simply cause him to lose focus, which could lead to a bad second day.

Day 2

Boys 11/12 - 50 Fly
The first race after the DQ from the day before, is also the event he was DQed in at the previous meet for swimming the wrong stroke. Thankfully, he rebounds strong with a personal best 43.95 - not quite a full second, but close, and a VERY good sign for the day (I Hope).

Boys 11/12 - 50 Free
Marginal improvement on his previous personal best. Posts a 36.32

Boys 11/12 - 100 Breast
With the improvement iinthe 50 breast, I was hoping we'd see one here to, since he's typically stronger in the longer breast events. Sure enough, he improves...but not a little - A LOT - his time drops 4.2 seconds to 1:35.39...

Brett has finally had a strong meet this season. He was a 5 for 6 on personal best and would have been 6 for 6 if not for the flukie instance of swallowing water. He had some big improvements in the 2 strokes he cares the most about and he is very happy with his performance. Thankfully, he seeing some rewards for his hard work in practice.

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12-22-2011, 09:38 AM	#17
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	War Eagle Invite - 10/21/11 As you can guess by the name this event takes place at the Auburn University pool. A very impressive facility with a TON of Championship banners in the rafters and an impressive list of Olypic swimmers displayed on the wall (including like 18 former alumni that competed in the 2008 games...). This is probably the fastest pool we will swim in all year, so I'm hoping for improvements from the kids in this event. Bailey - It is my hope that the faster pool combined with some good practices will allow her to get another state cup, probably the 50 back, but unless she gets better on the turn and finish, I'm not sure she can cut that 1+ second she needs. Middle of the pool is fast, but the other parts still need work/confidence. Bear - Bear has made the switch to the "man suit" for this event. This is his coaches way of describing the briefs (before Bear wore the jammers, which look like bike shorts without the pads, now he wears what I grew up calling a Speedo). He is pumped up and he likes the new suit...hopefully he'll swim well. Brett - Started working harder at practice...even his coach mentioned it...so maybe it will pay off in improved times. We need to have something good happen here, or Brett might shut down his efforts soon. Note: All of the events (except the time trials) described above were 2 day events...but like I said, I don't remember the order of events. In this case Auburn reports the official results in the order they were swum. So, You'll see the results in order and I will try to note 1st day vs 2nd day, which I can't remember in the other cases ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Day 1* Girls 10U - 50 Breast Starts the meet our well, but not quite an improvement but a nice swim regardless...only .3 slower 46.61 Girls 10U - 50 Back This wasn't a good swim 41.31 - over 1.5 seconds slower than the last couple of time she swam it... Girls 10U - 100 IM Bailey's followed up her 3 second improvement from a few weeks earlier with another (almost) 2.5 second drop. She posted an impressive 1:26.94. Unfortunately the state cut is a 1:26.49...so she just missed it. But she is really close here and if she doesn't faid back in her next meet (possible given the level of improvement in the last couple of times she swam it) she should get this one before the end of the season. *Day 2* Girls 10U - 50 Fly Improved significantly from the bad 42+ swim a few weeks ago, but not a personal best...40.38. Again not a big deal due to already having her state cut. Girls 10U - 50 Free Bailey had reported to us, prior to this event, that she was being put in the front of her line every practice during kick sets because she was passing everyone. Well that hard kicking in practice paid off. Bailey blew away her best time posting a 33.96. That is about a 1.5 second drop, pretty significant in a 50 where you were already posting good times. Girls 10U - 100 Breast Bailey improved again in the 100 Breast...dropping her time another 2.4 seconds to a 1:38.28 - And in only her 3rd time swimming the event *She gets her state cut. She now has 2...and she's still close on several more. Bailey's meet was very up and down. Huge improvemens in the 50 Free and IM, plus a state cut in the 100 Breast, but she's still struggling to get her backstroke to down to where it was to start the season, and I'm starting to wonder if she'll be able get her state cut in this stroke at all. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 1* Boys 10U - 50 Breast Bear swims a 50.73 in the 50 Breast...not a great time, but still a 2 second improvement...and this is his weakest stroke. Boys 10U - 50 Back Like the previous meet, Bear improves his 50 back...barely. This time the drop is .11, but still a personal best (42.96) Boys 10U - 100 IM Bear's run of moderate improvements is over. In the 100 IM he drops 6.7 seconds to a true personal best of 1:32.08. He has finally bettered that amazing swim from the GRPA meet and he looked strong doing it. The improvement in his Breaststroke is the biggest driver in this time reduction, but I must say that his freestyle in warmups for day 1 and even in the final 25 yards of the 100 yard race looked particularly strong. *Day 2* Boys 10U - 50 Fly Another improvement. The time drops .4 seconds to a 41.38. Still have about 1.5 seconds more to go in order to earn that cut, and we are running out of meets. We have one in November, but it is a slower pool, we'll be back at Auburn in January, then the last chance meet in February... Boys 10U - 50 Free Remember I said Bear's free look particulary strong in warm ups and in the 100 IM, well looks like my observations were right. He cuts almost 3 full seconds on his 50 Free and drops the time to 35.78. Boys 10U - 100 Free About that stronger Freestyle...the 50 showed that it had improved...the 100 showed just how much. He dropped 8.3 seconds to a 1:20.60, with a 50 split of 37.63 (faster than his 50 had been coming into this meet). This was an unbelievable meet for Bear. He was a perfect 6 for 6 in personal bests and is now 15 for 16 on the year. This run is extremely impressive, especially when you consider some of the improvements are significant. I expect this streak will be coming to an end soon, as I can't believe he'll be able to maintain this level of improvement. This does give me hope that he'll be able to earn his state cut - it is still not a given, as he needs to cut a good bit of time on all the strokes other than the 1.5 on the fly, but the fact that he is getting stronger shows that 1.5 may be doable. Also, in this meet Bear earned 32 points for SwimAtlanta, as he had several top 10 finishes. In fact, he was in the top 15 point earners in the boys 10 and Under age group (to give you a measuring stick, Bailey earned 4 points). In fact, had I entered Bear in a full slate of events (meaning giving him 2 more swims which was the max for the meet), he would have probably finished in the top 10 and earned a trophy. Regardless, he is very pumped up following this effort. Oh, and the "man suit" is here to stay... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Day 1* Boys 11/12 - 50 Breast Brett gets off to a good start in this meet. His time drops about 1.25 seconds to a 43.79. This a big drop in an event that he swims well. I was hoping for an improvement, but this was a bigger one than I would have thought possible at this point. Boys 11/12 - 50 Back After almost a full year, Brett has finally improved on his backstroke. The time of 45.41 still isn't good...but he improved and we will take small victories at this point. Boys 11/12 100 IM Brett was DQed in this one but not for a technical issue, he swallowed a bunch of water coming into his Breaststroke leg (ironic I know) and he stopped. It's unfortunate, because he was well ahead of his best time on the split with only Breast and Free to swim, he probably posts a personal best. He seems to have handled it well (hard to tell because he internalizes things), but I'm concerned at this point. He was 2 for 2 on personal bests, and this could cause a drop in confidence or simply cause him to lose focus, which could lead to a bad second day. *Day 2* Boys 11/12 - 50 Fly The first race after the DQ from the day before, is also the event he was DQed in at the previous meet for swimming the wrong stroke. Thankfully, he rebounds strong with a personal best 43.95 - not quite a full second, but close, and a VERY good sign for the day (I Hope). Boys 11/12 - 50 Free Marginal improvement on his previous personal best. Posts a 36.32 Boys 11/12 - 100 Breast With the improvement iinthe 50 breast, I was hoping we'd see one here to, since he's typically stronger in the longer breast events. Sure enough, he improves...but not a little - A LOT - his time drops 4.2 seconds to 1:35.39... Brett has finally had a strong meet this season. He was a 5 for 6 on personal best and would have been 6 for 6 if not for the flukie instance of swallowing water. He had some big improvements in the 2 strokes he cares the most about and he is very happy with his performance. Thankfully, he seeing some rewards for his hard work in practice. ----------------------------------------------------- Last edited by Breeze : 09-26-2018 at 08:26 AM.