Michiana Marlins Weekly Announcements for Week of 12/29-01/04

John VanDriessche

Dear Marlin Families,

Practice Schedule

Penn High School

Splash 1 & 2: Monday & Thursday 10:00-11:30 AM

Splash 3: Monday 10:00-11:30 AM, Tuesday, Wednesday 11:00-1:00, & Thursday 10:00-11:30 AM,

Fins Flex: Monday 9:30-11:30 AM, Tuesday, Wednesday 11:00-1:00 and Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM

Fins Compete: Monday 9:30-11:30 AM, Tuesday, Wednesday 11:00-1:00 and Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM

Elite: Next scheduled practice after high school season.

New Prairie High School

Splash: Tuesday & Thursday 10:00-11:30 AM CST

Fins: Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday 10:00 AM-12:00 PM CST

Elite: Next scheduled practice after high school season.

Knollwood CC

Splash 1 and 2:

Monday 4:30-5:30 or 5:30-6:30

Thursday 3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30

Practice Notes:

New Prairie families continue to use door N18 to enter the building. Penn families use door D. If you arrive at Penn and the gallery door is locked, please feel free to get my attention on deck to let me know.

No practice on Wednesday at NP and no practice at Penn on Friday due to the IA meet.

Here is the link for this week’s Fins practices. Please share these with your athletes.

IA Tim Welsh Invite/Elkhart Aquatic Center/Jan.3-5

Here is our entry as of 12/18. I will be on deck for all sessions. If you are running late or unable to make it please call or text.

Here are the pertinent times for this weekend’s meet

Friday (Events #1-#10)

Deck access begins at 3:30-our athletes should be on deck by 3:45

Warm-up 4:00-4:50

Meet starts 5:00

Saturday and Sunday 11 & over Prelims

Doors open 6:40–our athletes should be on deck by 6:45

Warm-up 7:00-7:50

Meet Starts 8:00

Saturday and Sunday 10 & Under

Deck access begins at 11:30–our athletes should be at the doors by 11:30

Warm-ups 11:45-12:30

Meet starts 12:40

Saturday Finals

Deck access begins 4:15-our athletes should be on deck by 4:30

Warm-up 4:30-5:15

Meet starts 5:30

Sunday Finals

Deck access begins 4:00-our athletes should be on deck by 4:15

Warm-up 4:15-5:00

Meet Starts 5:15

Coaches Corner

I received an email last week inquiring about my perspective on mid-season tapers and championship relay selection. The first question is relatively straightforward, while the second involves a number of variables.

The fall/winter season is considerably longer than the spring/summer, and many clubs across the country incorporate a rest period during December or early January. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as providing a break from the routine, giving swimmers an opportunity to make cuts, or simply due to limited pool availability during the holiday season.

Regarding the taper question, there are several directions this could take. However, it’s important to note that we do not taper our 10 and under swimmers. While we do modify our practices somewhat between the week prior to our last regular season meet and the championship meets, it is not what would traditionally be considered a taper. The focus for this age group will always remain on instruction and fun, and I don’t believe either of these aspects should ever be compromised.

I don’t have a strong stance on the debate between mid-season tapers versus waiting until the championship season to rest. The only time I’ve rested a club team mid-season was over 20 years ago, and it was due to limited pool time over the break. I felt it was the best option for the team that particular season.

At this point, I don’t think a mid-season taper would be effective for our club, but that doesn’t mean it’s off the table for the future. If the coaching staff and I ever determine that a mid-season taper would be beneficial for our swimmers, we will certainly consider it. Upon reviewing my response, I realize it may come across as somewhat non-committal, but my philosophy on this is more nuanced. I believe it would be better discussed in conversation, as written words can often be misinterpreted in tone. So, if anyone would like to hear more on this stop by at the end of any practice.

As always, I tend to be a bit wordy in these posts, so I’ll address the relay question in next week’s email.

CON IMXtreme Invite/Concord High School/Jan 24-26

The meet info for this meet is not yet available. The meet commitment section of our website will remain open until it is posted. If you know you are going, please do not wait to commit. Also, please note our goal for this meet is that our swimmers receive an IMX score (or an IMR score for our 8 and under swimmers). Here is a link to the USA Swimming website that explains what the IMX meet format is.

USA Memberships

We will need all of our athletes that have not done so already, to renew their USA Swimming memberships. Here is the link. From my experience with my own athletes just purchasing the membership will initiate the transfer process.

If you qualify for the Outreach Program email me and I will send you the link you will need to use for registrations.

If you have any questions about any registration issues you can reach out to me or our team/business manager Kelly Laneman ([email protected])

Fall and Winter Meet Schedule/Dates of Meet/Location/Deadline to commit

This is our tentative meet schedule for the fall and winter. We may add meets if we find ones that fit our club’s needs. There will be two different dates listed with each meet The first date listed is the day(s) of the meet and the second date is the deadline to commit.

Swimmers wanting to compete will need to commit to those meets. The deadlines will be based on deadlines that were set in previous years. They may change once the meet hosts posts the meet information. When committing to multiple day meets, if the option to select the days you want is not available, leave a message in the notes section stating the specific days you would like to attend.

Some meets will be marked with an * and those will require swimmers to meet minimum time standards. You can view all pool locations on our website under the "Pools" tab.

DUNE Sweater Weather Swim Spectacular/Our Results

CON Skypoint Transit Invite/Our Results

GSI Goshen Rays Veterans Day Meet/Our Results

ELK Rudolph Romp/Elkhart Aquatic Center/Our Results

IA Tim Welsh Invite/Elkhart Aquatic Center/Jan. 3-5/Our Entry

CON IMXtreme Invite/Concord High School/Jan. 24-26/Soon-???

IA Jr. Superstar Invitational/Rolfs Aquatic Center/Feb. 15&16/Jan.12

CON Leisure Pools Last Chance Showdown/Concord HS/Feb. 28-Mar. 2/Jan.19

*IN Swimming Divisional Championships/TBD/Mar. 7-9/Feb.23

*IN Swimming Senior State/TBD/Mar. 13-16/Feb.23

*IN Swimming Age Group State/TBD/Mar. 21-23/Feb. 23

*USA Swimming Speedo Sectionals/IU Natatorium Indy/Mar. 27-30/Feb.23