New Years Stretch Recap

What a wild weekend in Rocky River. Did anyone else notice the similarities between the Rocky River pool and our very own Woodbury Pool? Did it take you 20 minutes to find a parking spot too? Did you notice what a great job the Sharks did getting to their lanes even without a Clerk of Course? And… last but not least… do we have to swim that 100 free?! (Note: The answer is YES!)

Some other notes: the girls impressed the coaches (as well as a number of other coaches and parents) with their loud cheer on Saturday afternoon, the boys impressed the coaches with their willingness to try their flip turns, the girls did not have a single DQ in backstroke events, and the boys had a number of top finishers in their events. All in all there was a lot of fun, many improved times, and great swimming. The coaches did notice that swimmers need to continue to work on swimming legally in relays.

Speaking of top finishers, let me take this opportunity to highlight the Youth Shark Handbook. This quote is taken from a section titled Youth Shark Philosophy of Competition. I think it is particularly useful for those wondering about what the coaches think about awards and “finishing first” at meets.

“The Shaker Sharks Youth Program emphasizes competition with oneself. Swim meets are learning experiences. Winning ribbons, medals, or trophies is not the main goal. Even if a swimmer finishes first, but has swum poorly in comparison to his/her own past performances, he/she is encouraged to do better. The individual swimmer’s improvement is the primary objective.”

Keep working hard and listening at practice. Championships are not very far away!!!