Spring Newsletter (Apr 2011)
California Dolphins Swim team
Spring Newsletter
Happy Spring Dolphins! Although it does not really feel like much of a spring yet with all the rain and cold weather we have been experiencing. I sometimes think I may grow some webs between my toes with all the rain! I have a jam packed newsletter for all of you so let’s get right to it…
Junior Olympics-San Ramon Olympic Pool March 18-20
The dolphins sent a contingent of 14 swimmers to this years spring (short Course) Junior Olympic Championships. The weather was, to say the least, lousy. We had cold weather and lots of rain throughout the whole weekend. But our swimmers really did a good job considering how miserable it was.
Sophia Balmaceda swam in 5 events and posted three new best times in the 100 free, 50 Breast and the 100 breast. The 100 breaststroke time was her first ever Far Western standard! Kevin Cui swam in 3 events and posted a new PRT in the 100 Breast. Jessica He swam 3 events. Justin Lam had two swims with best times in both the 100 Back and the 200 Fly. Eric Lee competed in 3 events. Andrew Lou had 6 strong swims. Mars Lu had 6 events and two new best times in the 100 free and 50 Back. Andrew Nguyen had 6 swims and two new best times in the 50 back and 100 breast. Keerthana Raghuraman swam a best time in the 50 Back. Eric Wu had 6 events and new best times in four (100 free/50 Back/100 Back/100 IM). Chris Yu had two swims and a best time in the 200 fly. Suri Yu had 6 events and 2 best times in the 100 fly and 200 IM. Alexander Zhou had 6 events, made finals in 5 of them and posted a new best time in the 500 Free.
Far Western Championships-Morgan Hill Swim Center March 31-April 3
We had eight swimmers at this years Spring Short Course Far Western Championships.
Sophia Balmaceda swam in her first ever Far Westerns in the 50 Breast. Suri Yu had three swims and a new best time in the 50 free. Andrew Nguyen continued his strong season swimming in 7 events and posting 5 new best times including PRT times in the 100 Back. He also made 2 finals in the 50 back and 100 back! Alexander Zhou also had a great meet posting 5 new best times as well as new PRT times in the 50 back, 100 back and 200 IM. He also had final swims in the 50 and 100 Back. Kevin Cui had 3 swims and posted 2 new best times including a new PRT and the 50 Breast. Mars Lu swam in his first Far Western as an 11 year old in the 50 Back. Andrew Lou swam a new best time in the 200 Breast. Chris Yu swam the 50 Free.
New Silver Coach!
It is with great pleasure that I can announce that we have hired a new coach for the silver group. Starting on Monday 11, please welcome Coach Nyles Toguchi to the staff! Nyles brings many years of experience as both a swim coach in Hawaii and a swim instructor in Hawaii and here in California. Please join me in welcoming Coach Nyles to the best coaching staff in Pacific Swimming!
2011 Long Course Meet Schedule
Here is our team Long Course meet schedule for 2011:
May 14-15 Bear Swimming San Pablo CBA+ Long Course
June 11-12 Crow Canyon Sharks San Ramon CBA+ Long Course
June 25-26 Orinda Swimming Moraga CBA+ Long Course
July 7-10 San Jose Swimming San Jose LC Junior Olympics
July 23-24 De Anza Cupertino Saratoga CBA+ Short Course
July 27-31 Terrapins Swimming Concord LC Far Westerns
James Logan Swimming Pool Update
I will know later this afternoon (April 8) if we will be starting at the James Logan Swimming Pool on Monday April 11. I will send out another separate email later this afternoon. If we are not able to start on Monday, we will continue with our current schedule at Kennedy High School.
Once we do finally move in we will swim the following swim schedule:
Elite Group:
Monday through Friday 6:00-8:00 PM
Saturday 7:00-9:00 AM
Platinum Group:
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 6:00-7:30 PM
Saturday 7:00-9:00 AM
Silver Group:
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday 6:00-7:00 PM
Once again I apologize for all the confusion regarding our move. I spoke to the operations people at the New Haven School District this morning and they explained that a new circulation pump had to be installed at the pool this week. The pump is installed and needs to be tested to make sure it all works up to specifications. This testing should be done early this afternoon (April 8) and I will be informed as soon as they know.
Saturday April 9 Practice at Calphin
We will have practice on Saturday April 9 at the Calphin pool for the Elite and Platinum groups.
Elite: 6:30-8:45 AM
Platinum: 7:30-8:45 AM
Know the Scoop on Cereals.
For swimmers, cereal is great just about any time of the day. Competitive athletes are encouraged to choose nutrient dense cereals, which contain more of the right kinds of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals) per serving than their “candy cereal” counterparts. More bang for the buck, so to speak.
Generally speaking, the best cereals are high-carbohydrate (>25 grams/serving), moderate-protein (5-10 grams/serving), low-fat (<5 grams/serving), and moderate-fiber (2-4 grams/serving). Most cereals on the market today, including “candy cereal,” are fortified with vitamins and minerals, such that one serving usually provides 20-100% of a given vitamin or mineral. However, these values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is well below the energy requirements for most competitive swimmers in their teens and twenties.
Consider cereals in three categories: High Nutrient Density, Moderate Nutrient Density, and Low Density (aka “candy cereal”). Athletes looking for a good cereal but not a whole lot of calories, a Moderate Nutrient Density product is best. For those looking for density (i.e. lots more nutrients/calories in a smaller serving), then a High Nutrient Density cereal is the way to go. Swimmers looking for “candy cereal” should be encouraged to save this type of product for weekends and/or limited occasions. The following table offers a non-exhaustive list of cereals in each of the categories mentioned above:
| High Nutrient Density Cereals |
Moderate Nutrient Density Cereals |
Low Nutrient Density (“candy”) Cereals |
| Quaker Toasted Oatmeal |
Cheerios |
Fruit Loops |
And of course, hot oatmeal and granola are always excellent choices. And all dry cereals make a great snack to take on the road. Just toss 1 cup into a plastic storage bag or air-tight container, and off you go. The point is to find a cereal that tastes good and also meets your nutritional needs. With all the products on the market, no swimmer should have any problem doing just that.
Just a Thought or Two:
My belief is my strength
My commitment is my power
My passion is my key
My dreams are my breath
Nobody can stop me
I have no fear of failure and that is my key of success
