SWAT, Update, Championship Meets! Practice Changes this week
Hello SWAT,
We have some big meets ahead of us these next few weeks. Junior National Swimmers Ryan Foote and Evonne Stehr begin competition at the USA Swimming Junior Nationals on Thursday in Austin, TX. Junior Nationals is the fastest 18 and Under meet in the country, wish them well.
79 swimmers entered in the Winter Invite
Get Ready to Have Fun! We are very excited to host the first Prelims/Finals December Championship meet in the IES for 14 and Under Swimmers. This is an excellent opportunity for our younger swimmers to learn the National Schedule and get used to resting and racing in December. Swimmers in all training groups have shown tremendous improvement throughout the course of the season. This is a great way to end 2018 before we redirect our focus to our February and March Championship Meets
Next week 21 swimmers traveling to Federal Way Washington for the 2018 Wa Sr State Meet
The fastest swimmers in all of Washington will be at this meet to represent their clubs teams and race to see who is at the top of state. Wa has a very long history of producing swimmers capable of competing nationally and at the Olympic level. This meet is an excellent chance for SWAT to test ourselves against the west side of the state and represent Spokane. We look to improve last year’s overall 8th place team finish.
Our swimmers have put a lot of time into the water these last few months getting ready for these competitions and we have some high goals set individually and as a team. At this point in the game the swimmers are already placing a lot of pressure on themselves regarding their own performance and have invested a lot of time preparing to swim fast. The best thing we can do right now as parents and coaches is to eliminate as much stress on the athletes as possible. Removing outside sources of stress such as school work or added pressure to perform from parents and coaches can work against the swimmer as they focus on their competition.
Swimmers need to make sure they complete all their school work ahead of time and let their teachers know they are leaving town for competition. When teachers know ahead of time that they are athletes and leaving town for a major competition they are more likely to work with them and give them their work ahead of time. At home parents can help by maintaining a positive atmosphere and removing all expectations of performance. Keeping things simple and just making sure the athletes are comfortable well fed and getting plenty of rest. Reassuring the athletes that they have put in the time and the work to perform should be the focus of any swimming related conversation. Managing emotion is one of the most challenging parts of a taper. If an athlete allows negative commentary to dominate their inner monologue it will be difficult for them to stay positive and confident in what they are about to do. The fear of not knowing the outcome or second guessing themselves can lead to a downward spiral emotionally and ultimately impact performance. Make sure everything stays positive and remind the athletes to focus on the process not the outcome. We can’t predict what is going to happen or how the performance is going to be, so don’t try. Instead focus on the only thing you can control, that is the process required for optimal performance.
Guidelines for Tapering
The end of the season is here. The hard work is behind us and now it’s time to reap the rewards. All of us have heard the statement “Training is %99 physical and Racing is %99 mental”. The reason we have all heard this before, is because it’s true. There are many athletes out there that have trained their bodies to be a World Class Athlete, however the Psychological skills necessary to compete at that level have been lost or ignored along the way.
Athletes Can and often times DO Sabotage their own performances because of their lack of mental preparation.
Here are some simple guidelines for our athletes focus on and ready themselves psychologically to race:
What you put into your mind is just as important as what you put into your body. Fueling the mind with positive “Can Do” thoughts is like maintaining a healthy diet, it fuels it for performance.
- Eliminate negative talk and/or negative self-talk. Many of us do not talk positively to ourselves. If someone else talked to you the way you talked to yourself, would you like them?
Eliminate the words “Can’t” and “Impossible” from your vocabulary. Catch yourself when you are about to say either of these words, go back to the beginning of your statement and start over. You will be surprised how often you use these two words.
- Reinforcing confidence is and positivity is extremely important when getting ready to race. Stay away from Negative people and surround yourself with like-minded goal oriented people. You will feed off of each other’s positive energy. “A smile is contagious” and it releases endorphins!
- Visualize your swims. Swim the entire meet in your mind before you get to the pool. The only thing you can control is yourself. Picture your lane, your block, your water. Visualize every stroke and every turn during your race. Visualize your finish and your end result. Know what is going to happen before you make it happen.
- Don’t over think things, keep it simple. Look at the work you have put into it this season. You have committed yourself to achieving your goal and worked hard for it. Just let it happen.
To Keep your mind occupied and help prevent over thinking and performance anxiety, focus on the little things that can make a big difference. Such as your diet, time management, and resting.
- Diet: Fuel your body the right way. You don’t put diesel in an unleaded.
When thinking about your diet or eating healthy, keep it simple. Many people are looking for some complicated plan when it comes to their diet. A complicated diet will be less likely to follow and less likely to be habit forming. We all know what good fuel for our bodies is. Stay away from Fried and Greasy foods, ex: Fried Chicken, French Fries). Stay away from unnatural sugars candy, ice cream, and most importantly Soda or Carbonated drinks. Stay away from your starches and empty calories, Any kind of potato chips, and candy bars.
Diet Do’s:
Carbo Load!Carbohydrates fuel your energy stores to give your body the energy necessary to give %100 effort. Good sources of Carbohydrates are Pancakes, Pastas, Fresh Fruit.
Protein!Protein will help your body recover and rebuild your muscle after months of hard training. Good sources of protein are, Eggs, Potatoes (not fried), and protein bars or shakes.
Eat your Antioxidantsie: fruits and vegetables! Natural Sugars, Natural Carbs, Antioxidants Reduce your free radicals which cause cell damage. Great sources of antioxidants are, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
Drink a lot of water:Water will always be better than a sports drink. Many sports drinks have too much sugar to be productive. Stick with water, water hydrates but also flushes out your system. It will help unclog all the junk we’ve consumed in the past. Notice when you drink a lot of water you need to use the restroom often. If you are getting your body moving quick internally, it will move quick externally!
- Manage Your Time:
Get your studies done ahead of time. Know what assignments will be due and when so you can get them done early. You don’t want to worry about schoolwork when you’re at a competition. Remove yourself from stress so you can relax.
- Rest:
When athletes begin resting for their primary competition they will feel a surge of energy. Staying off your feet and harnessing that energy only to release it at the Meet will pay off. Get to sleep Early. Sleep Recovery is one of the best ways to manage a taper.
Still Only Half Way
Remember; although these meets are a major focus of the season, we are still only at the half way mark of the 2018-2019 short course season. Stay focused on the long game. Our end of the season championship meets are only 12-14 weeks away in February and March at Junior Champs, IES Champs, Sectionals and Regionals.
There are practice changes this week due to the Winter Champs Meet on Friday
EWU:
Ripples, Bronze, Silver, and Gold Practices are canceled at EWU on Friday. EWU Senior Swimmers still have regularly scheduled practice 3:30-5:30pm.
Whitworth:
Ripples, Wave Ridders, Bronze, and Silver Practices are canceled Friday for the meet. All Gold swimmers not competing have regularly scheduled practice at the Fitness Center 4:30-6pm and all Senior swimmers not competing also have Friday practice at the Fitness Center from 4:30-6pm.
Gold and Senior Swimmers not competing this weekend have practice on Saturday and Sunday from 12-1pm at Whitworth in between meet sessions.
