For the sixth time in program history and for the fifth consecutive year CWAC has earned a silver medal in the USA Swimming Club Excellence Program as one of the 100 best teams in the country (#67). Now in its 26th year, the program recognizes USA Swimming member clubs for their commitment to athlete performance and excellence. The primary objectives of the program are to recognize and promote: The development of strong, well-rounded age group and senior swimming programs that produce elite 18-and-under athletes. Resources to motivate and assist USA...

What makes an athlete elite? I haven’t met an athlete yet that doesn’t want to be at the top of their game, the tip of the spear, the best of the best. So, how do you get there? There are many components to success in sport. We are all familiar with attributes like hard work, determination, commitment, dedication and focus. But what else could help take your performance to another level? The elite athlete is always seeking new ways to perfect and grow in sport and improve his/her performance. After...

In the tenth edition of the Howloween meet the Wolfpack came out on top. It was a great first home meet of the season and the swimmers did a nice job racing and know what they need to work on moving forward. Thank you to all of our parents for helping make meet run so smoothly and a huge shout out to the Weffer family for their help in organizing all of the towels and team shirts. The strength of the Wolf is in the Pack! Grant Robinson set a...

How Much Sleep Do Swimmers Need? Swimmers push themselves hard in the pool. They try to make healthy life decisions when it comes hydration and nutrition. But where many begin to cut corners is on their sleep. Not getting enough sleep goes beyond just doing the occasional head-bob-and-jerk in class or in public. Or feeling a little groggy and yawning repeatedly while coach writes up a workout on the whiteboard. At the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory Cheri Mah has been tracking and studying the sleeping habits of...

Pre-Competition Nutrition for Swimmers The night before a swim meet, pair lean protein with low–moderate GI carbs to top off glycogen and support recovery without gut drama—think salmon or chicken with sweet potato and veggies, whole-grain pasta with turkey meatballs, or a brown-rice/quinoa bowl with tofu and roasted veg. On race morning, eat a light, familiar breakfast 2–3 hours before warm-ups (oatmeal + banana + a little nut butter, or eggs + whole-grain toast), then graze every 60–90 minutes between events with easy options—half a bagel with honey, a small...

1. THE UNDERWATER DOLPHIN KICK AND BREAKOUT CAN MAKE UP AS MUCH AS 60% OF YOUR RACE. You don’t need to be a space scientist to understand how vital your push offs and breakouts are in a short course format, whether it is meters or yards. When you consider that in a short course race up to 60% of your race can be done performing UDK it becomes apparent many races are being won off the walls and under the water. 2. YOUR BREAKOUTS ARE THE MOMENTS YOU ARE GOING...

CWAC swimmer Claire Wood has committed to swim at Holy Cross next year. Claire is the fourth member of the class of 2026 to commit to swim next year - click here for the list. Congrats Claire and go Crusaders!

Congrats to the 200 CWAC swimmers that helped lead the team to a second place finish in the opening meet of the year in Highland Park. It was a great chance for some early season racing against some of the top teams in the state. Click here for results New State Cuts: Quinn Bartels (1); Ryan Bezsaly (2); Tavion Brown (1); Magdalena Calahorrano (1); Benjamin Eggleston (1); Xingyu Gai (2); Jonathan Li (1); Jake Moldovan (2); Grant Robinson (2); Avni Sudarshan (3); Addison Sydel (1); Shima Uto (2) New Regional...

A lot of awesome stuff happens on the way to swimming excellence, whatever that means for you in your own particular case. Overcoming failures and setbacks, learning how to plan to accomplish something big, managing your thoughts and self-talk and more all happen when you master the pool and your mental training. But there is one other thing that happens along the way that doesn’t really get much attention. And it’s something insanely critical to performance, and yet, we don’t really stop to think about it. (We’re too busy focused...

In a recent story, someone commented, “When and what should swimmers eat during meets?” I discussed this question with several swim moms from a variety of backgrounds, including two nurses, former swimmers, athletes, a dietitian and parents of Olympians, to find out their advice about nutrition at meets. Although none of them claim to be experts, they have years of experience and have learned what things do and do not work for their kids. They provided five practical tips and a list of foods their swimmers eat at meets. ONE...