This Week At NTN

Jason Roberts

Below is information for this week at NTN. Please read over the information as it contains important information.

Parent Club Fee will be charged on October 1st
This once yearly fee strictly supports the NTN as described below.
The Club Fee dues support the organization that helps to ensure swimmers have a great all-around athlete experience. The club organizes swim meets, supports the coaching staff, hosts team activities such as the annual banquet, short and long course season parties, social activities, giveaways, team gifts, fundraisers, and much more. 

*2025-2026 Club Fee –(August - February) 
$200 per family with 1 swimmer, $250 per family with 2 swimmers, and $300 per family with 3 or more swimmers. This fee is nonrefundable

Equipment At Practice & Equipment bags
Coaches are seeing that some swimmers are not coming to practice with their equipment. The equipment is required and is vital to our swimmers’ training. Please make sure you get your swimmers’ equipment. – Click Here for Equipment List . To order equipment go to Extreme Swim
We want all swimmers using equipment bags to put their equipment in. We have a lot of equipment left on pool deck each day and our lost and found is overflowing.

Water Bottles Are Required
Many swimmers are showing up to practice without water bottles. Please have your swimmers’ water bottles marked with their name.


Cancelled Practices
Many of you know during the fall we have multiple water polo tournaments and swim meets that affect our practice schedule. Below are the dates for September. We appreciate everybody’s patience and understanding as we work through the water polo season.                           
Sept 30th – Water Polo
Oct. 04th - LAC Meet 
Oct. 11th    
Oct. 18th    
Oct. 25th   
October 31st - Halloween

Swimmers Shirts   
Most of the shirts were picked up on Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you to all who picked up the shirts. If your swimmer did not pick up their shirts, we will hand them out to them at practice. We were short of some of the youth sizes and we are working on getting those shirts ordered and delivered. Thanks for your patience.

What Simple Snacks Would A Sport Dietitian Pack?

Snacks for athletes should be simple, but it's easy to feel overwhelmed by options and opinions of what your athlete "should" have. In fact, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD, the Director of Nutrition for the NWSL team, KC Current, often sees caregivers overcomplicating their athlete's snacks, either making or purchasing snack options that are far more complex and/or expensive than they need to be.

Here, she's explaining that simple snacks typically make for the happiest, healthiest athletes.

"Most of the dietitians I've interacted with at every level of sport are just shopping at the grocery store for snacks for their athletes, even with Olympians and professional teams," Miezin says. “Snacks do not have to be fancy or expensive to do the job."

Sample Snacks for Athletes Before and During Exercise"
Athletes need quick fuel in the form of simple, easy to digest carbohydrates before and during exercise, explains Miezin. This is where those processed or ultra-processed snacks that are often thought of as ‘unhealthy’ can actually support athletes to perform at their best. "Around practice or competition is when processed snacks may actually be the better choice for an athlete," she says. “If the athlete is having a snack right before or during practice, the purpose of that is to help them get energized for training. Because processed snacks are often easy to eat and digest, they are a great way to support performance as a quick source of energy that is easy on the stomach."

Yes, there are plenty of sport-specific snacks marketed towards athletes—gels, chews, drink mixes, and bars—but for most young athletes, especially those playing team sports that offer some breaks, there is no need to pay a premium for pricier sport-specific foods (a runner or cyclist might benefit more from some of those sport-specific snacks).

Here are a few easy options for pre-workout or in-training snacks:

  • Apple sauce packets - Look for squeeze applesauce packets, especially if your athlete is going to be snacking on the go.
  • Crackers or pretzels - Any type of pretzel or cracker made from grains like wheat will provide quick simple carbohydrates for your athlete, says Miezin.
  • Fruit snacks - Fruit snack packets are the cheaper version of sports-specific chews and gummies and they are just as effective, says Miezin. They're great for your athlete to keep in their locker or gym bag, since they're shelf-stable, travel well, and provide quick energy in the form of simple carbohydrates. Plus, they're easy to eat and not messy!

Sample Snacks for Athletes After Exercise/Anytime

"After practice or anytime unrelated to exercise timing, a good rule of thumb is to have protein and carbohydrates together," says Miezin. "That's a great opportunity for your athlete to take in both of those key macronutrients to help them meet their overall daily needs. It also helps with post-workout recovery because the protein is going to be useful for muscle repair and satisfaction, and the carbohydrate is helping the muscles refuel while also providing overall energy to the brain."

Here are a few easy options for post-workout or anytime snacks:

  • Yogurt (protein) with fruit and granola (carbohydrate)
  • Cheese slices or a cheese stick (protein) with crackers (carbohydrates)
  • Jerky (protein) and pretzels (carbohydrates)
  • Nut butter (protein) and a banana, apple or toast (carbohydrates)
  • Roasted edamame (protein) and a piece of fruit (carbohydrates)

Note: If this snack is post-workout, opt for a higher-calorie carbohydrate like crackers, cereal, or toast in addition to or instead of a lighter piece of fruit or a vegetable since your athlete will need more calories to better recover.

Takeaway
Snacking doesn't need to be complicated. Before and during practice, athletes should have simple carbohydrates like applesauce, crackers, pretzels, or fruit snacks. After practice or any other time, snacks should still include carbohydrates but should also have protein in order to improve muscle recovery and increase satiety.

 

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your coaches: