“HOT Off THE BLOCKS”

Rockingham Area Youth Swim

 

January 2005

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005!
 
 


   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

Please note that the New Hampshire State Meet time and location has change to the following:

March 11 – 13, 2005

@

 UNH Pool Durham, NH

 

***

 

The RAYS have two meets scheduled for January.

The home meet on January 22nd is the last home meet for the team.

If you haven’t met the requirements to swim at the NHSA Champs this will be your last

opportunity.  The NHSA Championship meet is a exciting and fun meet for the

team as a whole.  Last year the RAYS placed 2nd overall, which was quite an accomplishment

considering the high level of competition.  You will receive an e-mail in the next week or so

informing everyone as to their status on the meet requirements. 

(Swimmers must swim in three NHSA sanctioned meets to be eligible to swim at NHSA State Champs in March

High School swimmers need to swim in just two meets). 

January 8 & 9

USS Meet at UNH

 

January 22 (Saturday)

Home vs. FINS and NCN

7:30 a.m. Warm-up

 

 

 

  This month’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Luke Wagner, a 2003 Pan American Games silver medalist. Wagner offers some advice on drag suits.

Wagner’s Tip:


A lot of people have different opinions on which type of suit you should wear during practice, and it’s pretty much impossible to say who’s right and who’s wrong.

Personally, I always wear a drag suit in practice and save the brief suit for meets during the season. I think there are a few benefits to drag suits. First, it helps (just a little) increase your strength and endurance because you have to work a little harder to move through the water; second, it helps me feel like I’m swimming faster when I finally take the drag suit off at meets; and last, it’s just more comfortable for me.

If you decide to wear a drag suit, it’s important to make sure it’s not too big. If there is too much drag, you’ll have to change your technique to pull the suit through the water, and you won’t be able to kick right. You also might want to think about wearing the brief suit when you get closer to meets, just so you’re used to it.

At the same time, there are some benefits to wearing the normal brief suit. A lot of breaststrokers wear them because a drag suit sometimes inhibits the range of motion in your kick. If you’re a breaststroker, you should just experiment for yourself. A lot of non-breaststrokers wear them too, just because they don’t really think there is much benefit from the increased drag, and it is more natural to wear a brief suit.

 


NUTRITION 101 – THE EIGHT LESSONS

Lesson 5 - Know the Scoop on Cereals.

For swimmers, cereal is great just about any time of the day. Competitive athletes are encouraged to choose nutrient dense cereals, which contain more of the right kinds of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, and minerals) per serving than their “candy cereal” counterparts. More bang for the buck, so to speak.

Generally speaking, the best cereals are high-carbohydrate (>25 grams/serving), moderate-protein (5-10 grams/serving), low-fat (<5 grams/serving), and moderate-fiber (2-4 grams/serving). Most cereals on the market today, including “candy cereal,” are fortified with vitamins and minerals, such that one serving usually provides 20-100% of a given vitamin or mineral. However, these values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is well below the energy requirements for most competitive swimmers in their teens and twenties.

Consider cereals in three categories: High Nutrient Density, Moderate Nutrient Density, and Low Density (aka “candy cereal”). Athletes looking for a good cereal but not a whole lot of calories, a Moderate Nutrient Density product is best. For those looking for density (i.e. lots more nutrients/calories in a smaller serving), then a High Nutrient Density cereal is the way to go. Swimmers looking for “candy cereal” should be encouraged to save this type of product for weekends and/or limited occasions. The following table offers a non-exhaustive list of cereals in each of the categories mentioned above:

High Nutrient Density Cereals
>30 grams carb
>4 grams protein
<40% of carbohydrate is sugar

Moderate Nutrient Density Cereals
20-30 grams carbohydrate
2-4 grams protein
<40% of carbohydrate is sugar

Low Nutrient Density (“candy”) Cereals
>40% of carbohydrate is sugar

Quaker Toasted Oatmeal
Raisin Bran
Smart Start
Blueberry Morning
Basic Four
Wheaties Energy Crunch
Raisin Nut Bran
Honey Nut Shredded Wheat

Cheerios
Team Cheerios
Rice Crispies
Corn Flakes
Special K
Total

Fruit Loops
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Captain Crunch
Cocoa Puffs
Fruitie Pebbles
Frosted Flakes


And of course, hot oatmeal and granola are always excellent choices. And all dry cereals make a great snack to take on the road. Just toss 1 cup into a plastic storage bag or air-tight container, and off you go. The point is to find a cereal that tastes good and also meets your nutritional needs. With all the products on the market, no swimmer should have any problem doing just that.

 

FAQ

 

   Some days my child likes to just play with his friends. Should I force him to go to practice?


  You should not force your child; you want his participation to be his decision. Reinforce the choices and decisions he has made to start swimming. For example, your son chose to go to practice on Tuesday and Thursdays, on other days he has the freedom to do other activities. As a parent, explain your expectation that he fulfill the commitment he made by joining the team. You don't want to force your child into a sport that he does not enjoy, yet you want your child to be involved in a 'lifetime sport', to learn about making and keeping a commitment and to interact with peers So, what are you to do?

Instead of allowing your child to make a daily decision about going to practice, allow him to decide whether or not he wants to swim for the season. Once the decision is made to swim, he is making a commitment to the team and needs to follow through on it by attending practice on a regular basis. A haphazard schedule is detrimental to the swimmer’s overall development.

Interestingly, when asked to reflect on the role of their parents in their swimming, athletes from the World Championship team talked about being pushed to swim by their parents on a weekly basis but knowing they could quit if they stopped having fun with swimming.

 

Preventing Swimmer's Ear

 American Swimming Magazine

You don’t have to be a swimmer to get swimmer’s ear. Athletes who frequently get water or perspiration in their ears are susceptible to the condition.

Staying in a pool too long can reduce the acid level of the ear wax, which is there to help resist infections.

Swimmer’s ear (otitis extema) is actually one of several names that refer to an infection of the outer ear. It can be caused by a fungus, but is more commonly associated with bacteria that is brought into the ear with water. If the water then runs out, the ear and the bacteria dry up. But when some of the water remains trapped in the ear canal and the skin gets soggy, the bacteria are in a perfect environment to grow into a problem.

SYMPTOMS

The first symptoms are a feeling that the ear is blocked, muffled hearing, and an itch. Later, the canal can become swollen and painful, and a watery discharge accumulates in the area. If the ear gets to the point of being tender to the touch, it’s time to get to a doctor.

PREVENTION

There are several ways to prevent swimmer’s ear from ever occurring. Here is a summary of preventive methods:

  • Don’t swim in dirty water.
  • Wear earplugs while swimming.
  • After a swim, tilt and shake your head to allow the water to drain.
  • Dry your ears with a clean cloth after showering and with a hair dryer set at low speed, held about 12" from your ear.
  • Use one dropper of commercial eardrops, isopropyl alcohol, or white vinegar in your ear after swimming or showering. Wiggle your ear to let the solution get to the bottom, then let the fluid drain out. Drops should not be used by people with tubes in their ears or perforations in their eardrums.
  • Some experts suggest that you use a dropper of mineral oil, baby oil, or lanolin to create a protective coating before you exercise. Get advice from a physician or trainer before using this method.
  • If you wear a hearing aid, remove it frequently to allow your ear to dry.
  • Avoid excessive cleaning that removes all of the protective wax naturally present in the ear canal.

 

 

 

Newsletter compiled by Janine Bacigalupo

jlb1979@adelphia.net