USC Swimmers of the Month

USC introduced the Swimmer of the Month recognition award last year with resounding success.
An outline of the program can be found below, along with the monthly winners. Congratulations swimmers!

2021 - 2021 Season

MARCH 2022

NOVICE

ORANGE

WHITE

GREEN

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2020 - 2021 Season

March

Novice - Maithiri Ravin

Maithiri is a very dedicated and hardworking swimmer. We see her put in her best effort at every practice and dryland and she is always willing to better her strokes and technique wherever possible. Maithiri always applies our suggestions and corrections to her strokes as soon as she can and she continues to show improvement at every practice. She has also continued at every practice to work on her breaststroke and is constantly asking questions on how to make it better! She is a fantastic swimmer and has come so far with her swimming abilities. She is a pleasure to coach!

Orange/Orange Plus - Heath Barry

The swimmer that deserves recognition this month is Heath Barry. Through the lockdown, Heath was definitely keeping busy and active outdoors with his swimmer siblings, participating in the Orange lockdown workouts and healthy bingo activities. Heath is new to USC this year, and has fit in seamlessly, working hard to learn drills and technique, and pushing his lane mates with some friendly speed competitions. Heath isn't afraid to ask for clarification when needed, which is super important when embarking on a new sport. He is ready to go every practice, participates fully in dryland and is one of the first to get in the water. Heath is able to use the pace clock, and is always ready to take on a faster pace time with less rest - willing to push himself beyond his comfort zone. Standing on deck, it's always rewarding to watch our USC swimmers enjoy themselves, be proud of themselves after a hard set, or even find success in learning a new skill. Congratulations Heath!

White/Green - A Tie! - Robin & Lukas Vadeika

A tie! Robin & Lukas Vadeika are 2 of our senior swimmers who have been with the club for 8 & 10 years. During the recent lockdown, these 2 were instrumental in getting the video call sessions up and running each week. From accessing the zoom link, to providing the playlist, to demo-ing exercises & stretches, providing comic relief & plenty of sibling rivalry along the way. They also helped with the explanatory video clips by starring in and recording them. All of this was tremendously appreciated and remote training ‘take 2’ would not have gone nearly so well without their assistance. Thank you !. They also adjusted and adapted to the virtual training very quickly and have reaped the benefits of this both physically and psychologically with very good early adaptation to the pool.

Back in the pool, these 2 always have near perfect attendance. Lukas, as a National level multi-sport athlete, rarely missing a swim and if he does it’s to bike or run. Robin loves to push herself very hard on any given set, and often takes the time to work on her turns if we happen to finish practice early. Lukas always brings a sense of humor with him to practice and can be seen smiling, even on his breath while swimming repeats! Any time we need to know how many we have done, what interval to leave on or the total volume of the practice, he is quickly able to tell us. Both these swimmers are always happy to help their peers by way of a demonstration, kind words of encouragement or a knowing smile. Robin has been managing the Instagram page for the last little while, working on keeping us all connected through this challenging season. These swimmers are always ready to ‘go’. They exude passion & enthusiasm for swimming and it can be seen with every stroke that they take. Keep up the amazing work Robin & Lukas!

2020- 2021 Season

DECEMBER

Novice - Ethan Walmsley Orange/Orange Plus - Ava Milenov White/Green - Hannah Hoog

November

Novice - Grace Williams Orange/Orange + - Charlotte Rourke Green/White - Rachel Wang

October

Novice - John Doner Orange & Orange+ - Ethan Sneath Green/White - Evan Sabourin

USC Swimmer of the Month

Each month, starting in October, a swimmer will be chosen from the training groups as the “Swimmer of the Month.” This is based on good sportsmanship, being an outstanding teammate, performance in practice and at meets, and is designed to recognize excellent behaviors and improvements. Each swimmer will receive a special swimmer of the month certificate!

One swimmer from Green & White combined, One swimmer from Orange Plus & Orange combined, and One swimmer from Novice.

Behavior and Attitude
Behavior, positive attitude and good manners in all areas of swimming program.

Effort
Demonstrates a resilient, consistent, hard-work ethic both in and out of the pool.

Attendance
Attends as many sessions as coaching staff set out.

Learning
Demonstrates excellent listening skills and the ability to improve on skill development.

Organization
Demonstrates independence in all areas - Arrives on time, has all equipment ready, knows Personal Best (PB) times, comes prepared to do their best.

Performance
Applies skills and technique acquired/developed during practice sessions into competitive racing/race plan - body position, streamlines off all walls, breath control, race pace….

Team Work
Demonstrates excellent team work by helping all team members in all areas.

X-Factor
All of the above and a little something extra!