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Breeze · 07-25-2016, 10:43 AM

Long Course Wrap Up

Long course season is now over and the kids are enjoying a well-deserved break. I wanted to take a quick moment to look back on this season, how the kids did, and where the stand heading into short course.

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Bailey

After a terrible short course, which saw her go the entire season without a drop in time in any event until the state championship; she had a very successful long course. I believe getting moved up to the “senior” team and having a larger group of workout partners to pace off of help immensely. During short course she was stuck with only Mary Ann, who doesn’t practice hard (and honestly I don’t think she likes swimming, but she continues to do it so she can be around her friends and away from her parents).

Below is a breakdown of her times:

50 Free : 31.90, (-.36) – A Time – This is an event that Bailey didn’t swim often this season, and not at all tapered. She’s undoubtedly even faster than this shows, but sprint frees are not going to be her forte anyway, so the fact she didn’t get to swim it much is pretty irrelevant at this point in time (when she gets closer to recruiting age it will become an issue as sprint frees are a high point of interest for college coaches)

100 Free : 1:09.09, (-1.23) – A Time – Again another event she didn’t swim often and not at all tapered. However, the improvement here and in the 50 shows she’s starting to get her freestyle figured out. For too long she’s had an inefficiency that was holding her back. This could be big for her moving forward.

200 Free : 2:22.86, (-4.21) – AA Time – I can’t remember the last time Bailey had an AA time in a freestyle event. Another indication she could improve significantly in short course.

400 Free : 5:07.11, (-15,68) – A Time – Most of my comments here would simply be reinforcing what was mentioned above, with one exception. I believe if Bailey’s free continues to improve, this could end up be her sweet spot.

800 Free : 10:41.56, (-7.72) – A Time – Bailey has stated that she really wants to improve in her distance free swims. It’s an interesting reversal. I believe it is because she sees how the distance races enable swimmers to hold pace better in the back half of other events (like her 200 fly for instance).

100 Back : 1:16.63, (-3.4) – A Time – Decent improvement in this one, especially when not tapered and after the poor short course season. She needs to get this stroke going again in order improve her overall swim rating and it could drastically improve her IMs.

200 Back : 2:38.21, (-5.03) – AA Time – This is an event Bailey swam regularly, and it took some time to really start improving, but she put it together late and posted back to back strong swims at the end of the season, good enough to climb to a AA time.

100 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016. If she can get this stroke to a BB time, she will take her IMs to a whole new level…

200 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016

100 Fly : 1:09.73, (-1.94) – AA Time – Interestingly, Bailey only swam this event in two meets this season including state. I was initially surprised when I saw this, but then I remembered the 100 Fly at the travel meet was before the team arrived, then she got sick and missed a meet. The slight improvement isn’t a real surprise given her times are already really strong in this event so it is much harder to move the needle.

200 Fly : 2:32.27, (-7.05) – AA Time – This was a big improvement in a stroke where Bailey is already strong. In fact, she earned a AA time this season and last season she settled for an A Time. She’s really wanting to push this to a AAA next year.

200 IM : 2:41.86, (-5.25) – AA Time - Again managed to climb into the AA range from an A time the previous year. Her improved Breast and Free has a lot to do with this, but she still has some ways to go.

400 IM : 5:38.00, (-6.28) – AA Time – Only swam this event 1 time all season. I think with some more racing she probably would have gotten the state cut. Interested to see what she will do with this event during short course with her improved weaker strokes and better stamina.

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Bear

Bear continued his steady improvement during the long course season. However, like 2015, while he improved, he probably fell short of expectations. His long course swimming isn’t nearly as strong as his short course. Some of that has to do with the good swimmers he picks up when he ages up right before the long course season. Also, I believe that he has a harder time with pacing in the longer pool. I believe he will grow out of this as he gets older and continues to swim, but even if he doesn’t the strong short course is better for recruiting anyway.

50 Free – Did not swim in 2016 – This is a bit disappointing as Bear’s sprints have gotten a good bit better and I am curious how fast he would have gone.

100 Free : 1:01.54, (-1.79) – AA Time - Only swam with twice and never with a taper. Did climb into the AA time range, which he didn’t do last season. He needs to continue to improve in the sprint frees, not just for recruiting purposes, but because the improved speed does translate to the distance swims. Right now he’s competing with and even beating swimmers who’s 100 free time is 4 and 5 seconds faster than his. He needs to close that gap some and not rely entirely on effort and stamina.

200 Free : 2:11.80, (-6.45) – AA Time - This is a big drop in an event where Bear was already strong. His swim at state was very good and he is excited about where this might lead in short course.

400 Free : 4:32.74, (-11.30) – AAA Time – An all-star time for Bear in this one, and it comes in an event that he didn’t improve on at all during the season. He came into state with his personal best as his state swim in 2015, then managed to drop all of that time.

800 Free : 9:21.86, (-43.51) – AAA Time – A huge drop in this one, and it was a non-tapered drop (the 800 isn’t swum at the state meet). Another all-star time for Bear, and this one was a big morale booster, as he had struggled a bit before this swim. Also bodes well for his distance swims in short course.

1500 Free : 17:45.75, (-56.82) – AAA Time – A third all-star time, and a good, albeit a bit disappointing swim for Bear. Hard to believe he can be disappointed with a AAA time, but if it motivates him to work harder heading into short course (which is typically what happens), then good. This could really propel him to have a big distance portion of state and sectionals next season.

100 Back : 1:17.21, (-2.28) – BB Time – An area where Bear really needs to improve. He’s become far too stiff in this event for some reason. He needs to relax and go. Started to see a bit of an improvement in this during the IMs at State, but he has some work to do. If he can get this to an A time, his IMs will improve dramatically. I’d like to see him earn a state cut in this, and his underwaters might drive that, but he will have to learn how to manage his oxygen better. Right now when he stretches his underwaters he faids in the back half. If he gets that ironed out this will drop a bunch in short course.

200 Back : 2:38.08, (+1.33) – BB Time – This seems odd, Bear adding time over the entire season. But Bear only swam this event 1 time, in Pensacola during the travel meet. I’m not sure why he didn’t swim it more, but the lack of improvement here is understandable.

100 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016 – His breast is improving, will be interested to see what his times are if he gets to swim it in short course

200 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016

100 Fly : 1:10.78, (-3.55) – BB Time – This one is a bit disappointing. Bear needs to get his sprint fly up to at least an A time. He’s capable of an A time, not sure he has the stroke to drop to AA, especially in long course. He should really push to try and get a AA during short course…with strong walls he might be able to pull it off.

200 Fly : 2:25.62, (-8.83) – AA Time – If you ever wanted a perfect illustration of Bear’s stamina and drive, look no further than this. His 100 Fly time is a BB rating, his 200 Fly time is a AA. That has everything to do with heart and work ethic. His sprints in fly aren’t strong, but his effort is relentless. Improved 100 could lead to huge drops in the 200 during short course.

200 IM : 2:28.87, (-6.67) – AA Time – Improved breast helped Bear climb into the AA time range in this one. If that Breast continues to improve his time in short course could be very strong.

400 IM : 5:08.43, (-20.19) – AAA Time – A fourth all-star time and a big improvement from last year’s A time. This big drop again it can be highly attributed to his improved Breast…another even that looks to be a strong one in 2016/17 short course.

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Brett

Now a totally different review, as Brett didn’t even finish the long course season. He was really excited about swimming long course, as he’s usually better in the longer pool. But the season started off poorly with his sickness at the travel meet that he was unable to shake. It drained him badly as he eventually lost 15 lbs., and he’s still struggling to get that weight back. Then he had shoulder issues which shut him down the rest of the season. However, I must admit that I’m very proud of Brett. Once his season was basically over when he started physical therapy, it would have been easy for him to simply sleep in each morning and skip practice with the mindset of “my season is over anyway”. But that isn’t what he did – he went to practice almost every day, and just kicked, and kicked, and kicked. Hopefully, Brett used this problem as an opportunity to improve his kick technique, which if he did, it could carry over to an improved short course season.

Brett is still struggling with pain in the shoulder despite physical therapy twice a week for several weeks now. Hopefully, he gets it ironed out soon, so he’ll be prepared when the new season kicks off.

07-25-2016, 10:43 AM	#792
Breeze Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Northern Suburbs of ATL	Long Course Wrap Up Long course season is now over and the kids are enjoying a well-deserved break. I wanted to take a quick moment to look back on this season, how the kids did, and where the stand heading into short course. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bailey After a terrible short course, which saw her go the entire season without a drop in time in any event until the state championship; she had a very successful long course. I believe getting moved up to the “senior” team and having a larger group of workout partners to pace off of help immensely. During short course she was stuck with only Mary Ann, who doesn’t practice hard (and honestly I don’t think she likes swimming, but she continues to do it so she can be around her friends and away from her parents). Below is a breakdown of her times: *50 Free : 31.90, (-.36) – A Time –* This is an event that Bailey didn’t swim often this season, and not at all tapered. She’s undoubtedly even faster than this shows, but sprint frees are not going to be her forte anyway, so the fact she didn’t get to swim it much is pretty irrelevant at this point in time (when she gets closer to recruiting age it will become an issue as sprint frees are a high point of interest for college coaches) *100 Free : 1:09.09, (-1.23) – A Time –* Again another event she didn’t swim often and not at all tapered. However, the improvement here and in the 50 shows she’s starting to get her freestyle figured out. For too long she’s had an inefficiency that was holding her back. This could be big for her moving forward. *200 Free : 2:22.86, (-4.21) – AA Time –* I can’t remember the last time Bailey had an AA time in a freestyle event. Another indication she could improve significantly in short course. *400 Free : 5:07.11, (-15,68) – A Time –* Most of my comments here would simply be reinforcing what was mentioned above, with one exception. I believe if Bailey’s free continues to improve, this could end up be her sweet spot. *800 Free : 10:41.56, (-7.72) – A Time –* Bailey has stated that she really wants to improve in her distance free swims. It’s an interesting reversal. I believe it is because she sees how the distance races enable swimmers to hold pace better in the back half of other events (like her 200 fly for instance). *100 Back : 1:16.63, (-3.4) – A Time –* Decent improvement in this one, especially when not tapered and after the poor short course season. She needs to get this stroke going again in order improve her overall swim rating and it could drastically improve her IMs. *200 Back : 2:38.21, (-5.03) – AA Time –* This is an event Bailey swam regularly, and it took some time to really start improving, but she put it together late and posted back to back strong swims at the end of the season, good enough to climb to a AA time. *100 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016.* If she can get this stroke to a BB time, she will take her IMs to a whole new level… *200 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016* *100 Fly : 1:09.73, (-1.94) – AA Time –* Interestingly, Bailey only swam this event in two meets this season including state. I was initially surprised when I saw this, but then I remembered the 100 Fly at the travel meet was before the team arrived, then she got sick and missed a meet. The slight improvement isn’t a real surprise given her times are already really strong in this event so it is much harder to move the needle. *200 Fly : 2:32.27, (-7.05) – AA Time –* This was a big improvement in a stroke where Bailey is already strong. In fact, she earned a AA time this season and last season she settled for an A Time. She’s really wanting to push this to a AAA next year. *200 IM : 2:41.86, (-5.25) – AA Time -* Again managed to climb into the AA range from an A time the previous year. Her improved Breast and Free has a lot to do with this, but she still has some ways to go. *400 IM : 5:38.00, (-6.28) – AA Time –* Only swam this event 1 time all season. I think with some more racing she probably would have gotten the state cut. Interested to see what she will do with this event during short course with her improved weaker strokes and better stamina. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bear Bear continued his steady improvement during the long course season. However, like 2015, while he improved, he probably fell short of expectations. His long course swimming isn’t nearly as strong as his short course. Some of that has to do with the good swimmers he picks up when he ages up right before the long course season. Also, I believe that he has a harder time with pacing in the longer pool. I believe he will grow out of this as he gets older and continues to swim, but even if he doesn’t the strong short course is better for recruiting anyway. *50 Free – Did not swim in 2016 –* This is a bit disappointing as Bear’s sprints have gotten a good bit better and I am curious how fast he would have gone. *100 Free : 1:01.54, (-1.79) – AA Time -* Only swam with twice and never with a taper. Did climb into the AA time range, which he didn’t do last season. He needs to continue to improve in the sprint frees, not just for recruiting purposes, but because the improved speed does translate to the distance swims. Right now he’s competing with and even beating swimmers who’s 100 free time is 4 and 5 seconds faster than his. He needs to close that gap some and not rely entirely on effort and stamina. *200 Free : 2:11.80, (-6.45) – AA Time -* This is a big drop in an event where Bear was already strong. His swim at state was very good and he is excited about where this might lead in short course. *400 Free : 4:32.74, (-11.30) – AAA Time –* An all-star time for Bear in this one, and it comes in an event that he didn’t improve on at all during the season. He came into state with his personal best as his state swim in 2015, then managed to drop all of that time. *800 Free : 9:21.86, (-43.51) – AAA Time –* A huge drop in this one, and it was a non-tapered drop (the 800 isn’t swum at the state meet). Another all-star time for Bear, and this one was a big morale booster, as he had struggled a bit before this swim. Also bodes well for his distance swims in short course. *1500 Free : 17:45.75, (-56.82) – AAA Time –* A third all-star time, and a good, albeit a bit disappointing swim for Bear. Hard to believe he can be disappointed with a AAA time, but if it motivates him to work harder heading into short course (which is typically what happens), then good. This could really propel him to have a big distance portion of state and sectionals next season. *100 Back : 1:17.21, (-2.28) – BB Time –* An area where Bear really needs to improve. He’s become far too stiff in this event for some reason. He needs to relax and go. Started to see a bit of an improvement in this during the IMs at State, but he has some work to do. If he can get this to an A time, his IMs will improve dramatically. I’d like to see him earn a state cut in this, and his underwaters might drive that, but he will have to learn how to manage his oxygen better. Right now when he stretches his underwaters he faids in the back half. If he gets that ironed out this will drop a bunch in short course. *200 Back : 2:38.08, (+1.33) – BB Time –* This seems odd, Bear adding time over the entire season. But Bear only swam this event 1 time, in Pensacola during the travel meet. I’m not sure why he didn’t swim it more, but the lack of improvement here is understandable. *100 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016 –* His breast is improving, will be interested to see what his times are if he gets to swim it in short course *200 Breast – Did Not Swim in 2016* *100 Fly : 1:10.78, (-3.55) – BB Time –* This one is a bit disappointing. Bear needs to get his sprint fly up to at least an A time. He’s capable of an A time, not sure he has the stroke to drop to AA, especially in long course. He should really push to try and get a AA during short course…with strong walls he might be able to pull it off. *200 Fly : 2:25.62, (-8.83) – AA Time –* If you ever wanted a perfect illustration of Bear’s stamina and drive, look no further than this. His 100 Fly time is a BB rating, his 200 Fly time is a AA. That has everything to do with heart and work ethic. His sprints in fly aren’t strong, but his effort is relentless. Improved 100 could lead to huge drops in the 200 during short course. *200 IM : 2:28.87, (-6.67) – AA Time –* Improved breast helped Bear climb into the AA time range in this one. If that Breast continues to improve his time in short course could be very strong. *400 IM : 5:08.43, (-20.19) – AAA Time –* A fourth all-star time and a big improvement from last year’s A time. This big drop again it can be highly attributed to his improved Breast…another even that looks to be a strong one in 2016/17 short course. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brett Now a totally different review, as Brett didn’t even finish the long course season. He was really excited about swimming long course, as he’s usually better in the longer pool. But the season started off poorly with his sickness at the travel meet that he was unable to shake. It drained him badly as he eventually lost 15 lbs., and he’s still struggling to get that weight back. Then he had shoulder issues which shut him down the rest of the season. However, I must admit that I’m very proud of Brett. Once his season was basically over when he started physical therapy, it would have been easy for him to simply sleep in each morning and skip practice with the mindset of “my season is over anyway”. But that isn’t what he did – he went to practice almost every day, and just kicked, and kicked, and kicked. Hopefully, Brett used this problem as an opportunity to improve his kick technique, which if he did, it could carry over to an improved short course season. Brett is still struggling with pain in the shoulder despite physical therapy twice a week for several weeks now. Hopefully, he gets it ironed out soon, so he’ll be prepared when the new season kicks off.