January 25, 2009 - January 31, 2009
Practice Changes
Senior Group: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule with ONE exception. On Wednesday afternoon, practice will only run from 3:00-4:00 due to the High School Swim Meet. There WILL be practice on Sunday afternoon for the Senior Group at the normal time.
Junior Group: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week with TWO exceptions. On Wednesday, practice will run from 3:00-4:00 PM due to the HS Swim Meet, and there is no practice on Sunday due to the BASS meet.
Gold & Silver: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week with TWO exceptions. On Wednesday, practice will run from 3:00-4:00 PM due to the HS Swim Meet, and there is no practice on Sunday due to the BASS meet. This is the last HS meet that will affect our practice time.
HS Prep: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week with ONE exception. On Wednesday, practice will run from 3:00-4:00 PM due to the HS Swim Meet. This is the last HS meet that will affect our practice schedule.
Level 1, Level 2, & Bronze: Follow the Normal Practice Schedule all week with TWO exceptions. There will be no practice on Wednesday due to the HS swim meet. Level 2 swimmers affected by the cancellation of Wednesday evening practice may come on Monday evening. Also, there will be NO practice on Saturday morning due to the coaching staff travelling to the BASS meet. There will be practice on Sunday afternoon at the normal time.
Other Upcoming Meets and Special Events
The meet invitation, entries, and updated directions for the BASS meet this coming weekend may be found under the Meets Page of the website. Specific Warm Up times will be posted on the home page of the website by Wednesday evening. Please wear team apparel to this meet. Saturday apparel will be our ORANGE shirt from this season. Sunday apparel will be our GRAY shirt from last season
Hotel information is now available for the A/BB meet in Lynchburg, VA held February 26th - February 28th. The group rate for this hotel will be available until February 3, 2010. Reservations can always be cancelled up until the day before A/BBs, so if you think your child may qualify at BASS or B/C Champs, go ahead and reserve a room.
Meet signups have been posted for B/C Champs and A/BB Champs. The meet invitations will be posted on the website as soon as they are available (hopefully this week). You may wait until the meet invitation is released before signing up, but the signup deadlines for these meets are Friday, February 5th and Friday, February 12th respectively. Refer to the Championship Meet Eligibility Page for guidelines on signing up for championship meets.
Additional Information
Having trouble taking good live action photographs of your child during a swim? Caisy Ho is taking orders for your child(ren)'s next swim event. Caisy will be available at most swim meets that H2okie Aquatics attends, and about $5 goes back to the team when you order pictures. Click to see Sample Photographs and for Information on Ordering.
Virginia Tech Swim Camp registration has opened for their stroke camp, held June 20-24, and their sprint camp, held July 18-21. Both camps will be held at War Memorial. Virginia Tech Swimming and Diving is a huge supporter of H2okie Aquaitcs and one of our Team Sponsors. We encourage our swimmers to attend either Virginia Tech swim camp if they are interested. It is a lot of fun for the kids! Reserve your spot now.
The next two SCRIPS orders will be placed on February 3rd and February 17th. Think about replenshing your stock of gift cards for winter birthdays, Valentine's Day treats and coffee escapes. Please call or email Brenda Whitesell with any questions. Click here for more information about SCRIPS.
Question of the Week
Question of the Week (Submitted By: Amy Brehl): What do the coaches want me to do to help my child do well at a swim meet?
There are a number of things you can do to help your child succeed at a swim meet, and as all parents know, you will have to take many roles at a swim meet:
- Be an Early Bird: Arriving 15 Minutes early for warm ups gives time for the swimmers to find a spot on the deck or gym, change into their suit, go to the bathroom, find which lane warm ups are in, and start warm ups on time.
- Be a Secretary: It is always a good idea to make sure your child knows which events he or she is swimming. Some parents and swimmers write their event names and numbers on their arms.
- Be a Planner: Most 7 or 8 year olds, and some 11 and 12 year olds, lose track of when they should be going up for their event. Although parents should not go behind the blocks with their swimmers, it is a good idea to tell your swimmer 10 or 15 minutes before their event to go and check in with their coach. Send them up with their caps and goggles, and after their races, make sure they have talked to their coach.
- Be a Cheerleader: Different parents prefer to cheer for their children in different ways, but feel free to be as encouraging as you wish during your child's race.
- Be a Gourmet Chef: Okay, you don't have to be a gourmet chef, but bring healthy snacks and food for your child to eat at the meet. They will get hungry, and concessions usually does not have good, healthy food to eat.
- Don't be a Second Coach: Whether your swimmer just went a best time, or added 30 seconds in a 50 and was disqualified, just say Great Job! Stick to encouraging praise for your swimmer. Let the coaches give your child feedback on what to improve. This creates a much healthier swimming environment for your child, especially as they grow older. Your child may make 10 mistakes in a race, but we will only tell him to fix up 1 or 2. We do this because we do not want a swimmer to feel overwhelmed. Swimming is a long process, and we approach it accordingly. Our program is designed to guide swimmers along the way as they develop at their own rate. Pressuring swimmers to make too many changes too fast can backfire and discourage the swimmer. Long term success in swimming takes long term thinking and planning, and that is what our program and coaches are here for.
Have a suggestion for a Question of the Week? Use the form at the bottom of this page to suggest a question such as "Why does my child need to wear a swim cap," "When is my child old enough to shave his legs for a swim meet," or "What are those funny looking doo-hickeys the coaches keep putting on my child during practice?" Please include your name with a question submission.
Still Have Questions?
Use the feedback form below to send your questions. Include your name and email and we will respond to you directly, typically within 24 hours.
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