“HOT Off THE BLOCKS” Rockingham Area Youth Swim   OCTOBER 2004

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The RAYS coaches communicate with their swimmers by e-mail.  It is essential that you check your e-mail on a regular basis for changes to practice schedules,

fees due to RAYS for meets, etc.   It is important to note that swim meets are never canceled for any reason, including weather. 

If your child has signed up to swim a meet be sure to check the website and/or e-mail for any last minute changes to warm up or start times.

 

The Rays have 3 meets scheduled for the month of October.

 

Inter-squad Time Trial             October 9^th       7:30 AM Warm-up

RAYS vs. RCC Blue                  October 16^th      7:30 AM Warm-up

RAYS vs. NCAC                        October 23^rd      Warm-up Time TBA

 

The inter-squad time trial will be a Pentathlon style meet. 

9 and older swimmers can swim 50 yds. of each stroke and a 100 IM.

8 and unders will swim 25 yds. of each stroke and a 100 IM. 
Nothing is mandatory so if your child doesn’t want to swim a particular event that’s fine.

Please sign up for this meet on the web site.

 

If this is your first year with us or you’ve been swimming with the RAYS since the beginning one way to get more involved with the team is to participate by becoming a Volunteer Official.

Officials are present at all competitions to enforce the technical rules of swimming so the competition is fair and equitable. Officials attend clinics, pass a written test and work meets before being certified.

All parents are encouraged to get involved with some form of volunteering and this is one option that you will find very rewarding.

There is an official’s class scheduled in Dover on Saturday, October 16^th.  Details on the NE swim web site.

If you have any questions about the program please contact Bridget Flinn at BLFF320@aol.com

 

 

         

Congratulations to Mark Bacigalupo, Rachel Flinn and Andrew Kalil. 

All three swimmers have made the New England Swim List of the Top Ten Swimmers for the

2003-2004 Short Course/Long Course season in their Age Groups.

 All the times from all the sanctioned NE (and other USA meets) go into the SWIMS system.  NE Swim then gets a list of the fastest ten swims in each event, each age group.  Those are the top ten swimmers. 

 

 

Further Congratulations to the following swimmers for their accomplishments during the 2004 Long Course Season.

 

12 and under Age groups at Harvard

Mandy Avella (10) 4 events, 4 personal bests

Alexa Mack (10)  2 events

Shelby McKenney (10) 1 event, 1 personal best

Rebecca McDougal (10)

Rachel Flinn (12)  9 events, 8 personal bests, 8 medals, 7th place overall plaque

 

Eastern Zones @ Buffalo representing Team New England

Rachel Flinn   5 events, 3 relays

 

New England Open @ Brown University

Ben Clark  3 events, 3 personal bests

Andrew Willbrant, 9 events, 9 personal bests, made finals for 100 Back

 

Meet Etiquette

• Arrive on time.  Get to a meet early enough to settle down into a ‘spot’ with your team and be ready with your cap and goggles on when the warm-up session starts.  Meet warm-ups are often short and crowded, so it’s important to be on time.
• Be prepared.  It is best to know what events you are swimming BEFORE warm-up.  This way, you can practice the appropriate starts, turns and sprints in the warm-up.  Also, make sure that you have everything you need – towels, swimsuit, water bottle, cap and goggles
• Sit with your teammates and cheer.  Swim meets are the best time to get to know your teammates and build team spirit.  It is also easier for your coach and teammates (relay members) to find you if they need you. 
• Stay positive.  If you have a bad swim, or you don’t want to swim the events you’re entered in, get over it and just do your best.  In her Road to Athens Journal, recently published on USA Swimming’s web site, Mary DeScenza writes, “Sometimes your coach puts you in an event you do not like. You just have to do your best and not complain.”
• Bring plenty of drinks and snacks.   Know how much water you will need (about 8 ounces per event) and be prepared.  Bring light snacks to munch on, such as fruit, goldfish or string cheese.  You don’t want to be buying Skittles from the concession stand. 
• Realize that relays are just as important as your individual events (if not more so).  Give it your all and help pump up your teammates (no matter which relay you’re on).  Swim in the relay order your coach gave you, and HAVE FUN!  Also, stay and cheer on your team until your last teammate is out of the water.
• Talk to your coach and cool down after every event.  Make sure that you see your coach after each event to get input on your race.  And if you have time, cool down between events until your heart rate is below 100.  Cooling down will make a huge difference in your body’s ability to recover for future races.
• Respect the meet officials.  Remember that these are volunteers who want to see you get the most out of swimming.  Go so far as to thank the person who DQ’d you for helping you to improve. 
• Clean up ALL of your mess.  It is important to leave your area just as you found it.  Throw away your empty bottles and Power Bar wrappers.  If your teammates left a mess, go ahead and pick it up.  That’s what teammates are for!

 

Advice for Competing at those Big Meets

This  week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Olympic gold medalist Josh Davis, who offers some advice for swimmers on what to do at those big meets.

Davis' Tip:
“Always have fun,” Davis said. “But don’t forget the little things like sipping water, eating right, warming up, warming down and doing some light stretching in between events.

“It’s a lot to think about, but have fun at the same time. Can you do all that? Yeah, you can. It just takes a little practice and focus.

That way you can have the full experience – cheer your teammates on, have fun and swim fast.”

 

FAQ

What should my child eat before practice?  At meets?

The best pre-practice or pre-meet meal should contain primarily carbohydrates.  Carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta, breads and cereal are easily digested and absorbed. 

Rule of thumb: 0.5 - 2.0 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight one to four hours prior to exercise.

Meals that provide 100 grams of carbohydrates

• 1 bagel with peanut butter and 2/3 cup of raisins
• 1 cup of low-fat yogurt, 1 banana and 1 cup of orange juice
• 1 turkey sandwich with 1 cup of applesauce
• 2 cups of spaghetti with meat sauce and 1 piece of garlic bread
• 8 oz. of skim milk, 1 apple, 1 orange, 2 slices of bread and 3 pancakes

 

Nutrition 101 - The Eight Lessons

 

Lesson 2 - Eat Colorful Foods

What are the first three foods that come to mind when we say “carbohydrate?”

   1    Pasta

2    Rice
    3    Bread

Each of these is excellent. But what do they have in common? They’re all white!

One of the most overlooked sources of carbohydrate is fruit. Yes, FRUIT. Fresh, canned, frozen, dried or juiced. No matter how you look at it, fruit is an excellent source of carbohydrate. Not only does fruit provide carbohydrate in the form of natural sugars (versus refined sugar), the bright colors of fruits indicate that they are also excellent sources of vitamins and minerals, including a sub-group called anti-oxidants.

You might recall that exercise is the stimulus that leads to training adaptations.

And that adaptations to training occur ONLY is you give the body the right kinds of fuels during periods of rest.

Well, one of the side effects of exercise is the generation of “free radicals.” Free radicals are molecules that can actually cause damage to muscle tissue above and beyond the damage caused by exercise. The damage caused by exercise is normal. It serves as part of the stimulus for training adaptation to take place. But damage caused by free radicals is NOT a desired part of the training process. Damage caused by free radicals (aka “scavengers”) circulating in the bloodstream after workout can continue well into the recovery period.

This is when the body is supposed to be adapting!

Anti-oxidants “absorb” free radicals, neutralizing their effect in the body before their damage to muscle tissue can amount to much. A diet consistently rich in fruits (and other colorful foods, such as VEGETABLES) is apt to keep the body consistently supplied with anti-oxidants, which will assist the body in keeping free radical formation to a minimum. This a good reason to eat lots of colorful foods during the recovery time between workouts.

Colorful foods include, but are not limited to. . .

Apples, Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Oranges, Kiwi, Watermelon, Raspberries, Grapes, Mango,

Papaya, Apricots, Red peppers, Broccoli, Corn, Squash, Carrots, Peas, Green beans, Tomatoes

Look for Lesson Three in the November Issue.

 

Advice for Swim Parents

 

Let the Coach Coach!

The best way to help your child achieve goals and reduce the natural fear of failure is through positive reinforcement. No one likes to make a mistake. If your child does make one, remember that this is a learning experience. You and your child should learn to treat success and failure as learning experiences and not life changing situations. Encourage your child's efforts and point out the positive things. The coach is the one you have assigned to judge a swimmer's performance and technique. Your role is to provide love and support regardless of outcome.

 

 

 

 

USS Swim.org website

 

Newsletter compiled by Janine Bacigalupo

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