2023 Zone 2 Winter Championship Meet

Coach Chen:

The entire Elite group participated in the Zone 2 Championship Meet.  January was a month for Elite swimmers to push their limits on mid-distance & hard-intensity sets at practice.  All swimmers went to the meet with no rest, or tech suits & still finished well in their current condition.  No best times or highlights for individual events, as there were common mistakes made on turns at the Orinda Pool.  Elite Group did not prepare well, & many swimmers missed walls or had bad turns during their events.  They will have to learn the lesson from this meet & will need to prepare better for future USA Swimming- Short Course Meets, & High School Meets.  However, the Boys 15-18 Relay Teams did well at the meet, with both top finishes.  Also, Edward Huang achieved the 17-18 high point swimmer.

Coach Anna:

Swimmers did a great job in their individual & relay events during Zone 2 Championships.  CDST had many Age Group Swimmers working very hard to get best times, & it paid off.  Split times showed that swimmers are becoming more consistent & able to hold race pace more efficiently.  Swimmers also showed improvements on how they warm up, & improved at getting feedback from Coaches.  There is still room for improvements on how swimmers cool down after races, & prepare for the next competition.   Coaches were pleased to see our Team well represented in both 200 Medley & Free Relays, & proud that CDST earned 1st Place in the Middle Division at Zone 2 Champs.  Keep up the hard work Gold & Senior Swimmers!

Coach Ian:

Hello Parents and Swimmers,

    The success we accomplished at the Zone 2 Championships was a team effort & the product of time, determination, & most of all, the belief that we can be better.  The energy was phenomenal.  Being a part of that & sharing these achievements with you will help our goals as a team move forward in a positive direction.  With each success, we must reflect on how reaching our personal record, or having a faster split time in a relay made us feel.  Understanding that practice, no matter the difficulty, should teach us that our struggles will prepare us for any race or obstacle.

    Being motivated at each practice, focusing on your goal times, & being present will encourage teammates to further their own goals, thus, opening the doors of success.  Winning the FIRST place is a great accomplishment for CDST and having so many swimmers qualified for the ALL-STAR meet is amazing!  I cannot wait to accompany our accomplished swimmers at this meet to defend the Zone 2’s 2022 title.  We will continue to push toward our team goals of reaching our Junior Olympic & Far Western times.  I am happy so many swimmers had great races over the course of the Zone 2 Championships.  Keep up the hard work & remember, “The greatest achievement is to outperform yourself.”

There were many great races, keep up the energy!  I want to congratulate:

Phillip for 100 Free 57.66 & breaking a minute!

Andy for 100 Free 1:08.85,  50 Free 31.59 & Qualifying for the 2023 Spring Age Group Champs, & The 2023 All Star Meet. 

Dhivashree for 50 Free 30.97, 100 Free 1:05.37, 200 Free 2:3212, 50 Back 34.07, 50 Breast 38.96, 50 Fly 33.00, 100 IM 1:15.79 & Qualifying for the 2023 Spring Age Group Champs & The 2023 All Star meet.

Coach Felice:

The biggest highlight of Zone Two Championships for our Gold & Silver swimmers was watching them dominate the pool with their outstanding performances & great sportsmanship.  Despite the challenging weather that was experienced that weekend, our swimmers were still able to push through & have multiple great races.  Many gained new individual personal bests, as well as great final standings in their races.  Some swimmers did not receive the times they wanted, but they still showed large improvements in racing & stroke techniques.  Another exciting aspect as well is that disqualification slips were kept to a minimum & swimmers are talking more to their coaches before & after races for tips, advice, & post-race feedback.  Keep up the good work Gold & Silver!  I am excited to watch us continue to improve & grow.