Update 4/14/24

Neil Romney

Update 4/14/24

“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”

--Seneca

If you have not already registered for a goalsetting meeting, there are still slots available on Sign-Up Genius:   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4BABAC28A7FDCF8-49008669-lake

The goalsetting worksheet and instructional page are available on the home page under the Swimmer Info tab and Goalsetting subtab.

 

Practice Schedule, 4/8-4/12

Kaijus/Nessies/Godzillas

  • M-Th: 4-6 pm
  • Fri/Sat: no practice--Bozeman meet

 

Gremlins

  • M-Th: 4-4:45 pm
  • Fri/Sat: no practice--Bozeman meet

 

 

Long Course Meet Schedule

Meet

Dates

Registration Closes

Notes

Bozeman

4/20-4/21

Fri 4/5

Only indoor LCM meet

Lewiston, ID

5/17-5/19

Fri 4/26

Race against other LSCs

Missoula

6/20-6/23

Fri 5/31

Close w/ good comp

Helena

7/5-7/7

Fri 6/14

Last chance to qualify

Sr. Sectionals (Gresham)

7/11-7/14

Mon 6/24

Qualifiers only

State (Missoula)

7/18-7/21

Mon 7/8

Qualifiers only--BB times

Senior Zones (Clovis)

7/29-8/2

Apply with MT Swimming

Girls—AA times/Boys--A

AG Zones (Boise)

8/6-8/9

Apply with MT Swimming

AAA times

 

Meet notes:

  1. Bozeman warm-up times will be emailed as soon as assigned by the meet host
  2. The Bozeman, Lewistown, and Helena meets require significant drives. We encourage attendance, your family's schedule and budget permitting.
  3. Meet information and event files for June and July meets will be uploaded when available.

 

Kaijus/Nessies and Godzillas--Goal-Set Cycle 1 Highlights

 

2000 im (done as 10 x 2 im continuous), 4/9/24, (elapsed time or distance completed in 40 minutes):

 

Top 3 Kaiju/Nessies

  • Hayden Ricks—33.02
  • Grace Olson—35.39
  • Hannah Harriman—37.09

 

Top 3 Godzillas

  • Thomas Kinnick—37.20
  • Sara Dumouchel—40.10
  • Macy Montgomery—1790y

 

Also completing this set grueling set were Annie Kleinmeyer, Avery Harriman, Isaac Kinnick, Briggs DeLaney, Gavin Moore, Finn Murphy, Cora Dumouchel, Joseph Kinnick, Shay Morin.

 

 

40 minutes of critical velocity freestyle (# of 100s completed on the fastest possible interval:

 

Top 4 Kaiju/Nessies

  • Hannah--24 @ 1.40
  • Grace--24 @ 1.40
  • Annie--21 @ 1.50
  • Sara—21 @ 50

 

Top 4 Godzillas

  • Sara--21 @ 1.50
  • Cora--20 @ 2.00
  • Macy--18 @ 2.00
  • Avery—17 @ 2.15

 

 

Lake Monster Donations Sought for Pool and Dryland Equipment

We could use a wide range of equipment from medicine balls and weighted jump ropes to tempo trainers, swim sox, and sprint-assisted and -resisted bungee cords. Lake Monster families who would like to donate for such purchases may write a check made out to MVA, noting on the “For” line that the donation is for the Lake Monster equipment fund, and give that check to the front-desk attendant. We have asked the MVA BOD for funds for these items but their acquisition will be speedier and more complete with swim-family assistance. Any size donation will be appreciated.

 

The Importance of Grit and a Growth Mindset

In recent years, excellent books have been published on the psychological attributes of grit (see Angela Duckworth’s Grit) and the growth mindset (see Carol Dweck’s Mindset). These two advantageous traits are related and complementary. Grit is persistence, the will to overcome challenge and push through adversity; a growth mindset is the conviction that skills, knowledge, proficiency at any task all improve with deliberate effort (as contrasted with a fixed mindset, which holds that talent, intelligence, aptitude are largely innate, not acquired, rendering the learning process a futile endeavor destined to culminate in frustration).

 

Grit strengthens a growth mindset because it equips the student to persevere long enough to realize improvement, and the growth mindset facilitates grit because learners believe that the learning task will yield improvement in their chosen discipline and are thus more likely to stick with it.

 

Because it is conducted in an unnatural medium for humans and every effective movement must be learned, swimming rewards, in fact, requires, both grit and the growth mindset to develop high levels of proficiency and enjoy long-term satisfaction in the sport.

 

Fortunately, because swimming involves non-innate skills and occurs in a dense fluid medium, it offers an almost limitless potential for improvement, promising possibilities that can fuel the dedicated athlete’s pursuit of excellence for many years. Skills (drag reduction and propulsive efficiency), physical capacities (strength, stamina, power, mobility, stability), and psychological habits (positive self-talk, intentional attention, short- and long-term goalsetting) are all rich areas for growth.

 

Grit and a growth mindset help athletes embrace the physical and psychological rigor inherent in a well-designed swim practice by viewing those challenges not as ordeals to be endured or avoided but rather as opportunities to be welcomed in their pursuit of becoming ever better learners and more skilled athletes.  

 

Meet Standards and Motivational Times

All motivational standards and meet-qualifying times can be found on home page’s Time Standards tab:  https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/mtlm/page/time-standards