Team Captain Encouraging words
Hey, TVA Families!
Welcome to the 2011 Fall/Winter season! You know what that means: lots of new swimmers, new families, fun meets, and fast swimming! We wrapped up the Summer long course season with some pretty strong showings at the Junior Olympics, Far Westerns, and our first swimmer making it to Junior Nationals (good luck at UC Santa Barbara, Chris Dotson!) and now it’s time to step it up even more. Here’s a little bit of what’s happening this season:
1. Fall swimmers! This year, tons of new families and their kids have signed up for the Tri Valley Aquatics Fall program. Some of the fall swimmers are faces we’ll recognize from past years, and some are brand new. Either way, make sure we give them a warm TVA welcome as the season is starting off!
2. Moving up! Many of you have moved up this season – I know our Silver group is stronger than ever because of all our speedy Age Group Development kids making the jump up. Congratulations to everybody who worked their way up this past season – moving up a group is a big step which means that you’re ready for a whole new level of competition! One thing to remember about moving up is that your new group is supposed to be a lot harder than your last group. If you feel like you’re struggling at practice, don’t worry – you’ll catch up as long as you’re working your hardest!
3. Championship meets! Junior Olympics, Senior Championships, and Sectionals, oh my! Even though winter is the coldest season, it’s still a season to swim fast. Find the link to Pacific Swimming’s time standards at the bottom of the page. Keep in mind that for JOs, the winter meet is restricted to age groups 14 and under and that for Sectionals, you must have at least two qualifying times within the last six months to travel with the team down to Long Beach.
4. New goals! With a new season comes new opportunities to try new events, enter bigger meets, and, of course, swim faster times! You don’t necessarily need to have a specific time goal, but it’s always a good thing to know what you’re shooting for as the season progresses. One great tool to help you set goals and track them is USA Swimming’s brand new DeckPass (find the link at the bottom of this page). Sign up, and Deck Pass automatically locates all of your best times from every meet you’ve ever swam with USA Swimming and puts them all in one spot! Deck Pass also allows you to input your own goals, which you can update at any time. With Deck Pass, you can earn digital badges for doing certain things – whether it’s swimming a new event, a new best time, or swimming on a special date – you just won’t know how to earn a badge until you’ve gotten it. It’s a great way to compete with friends, even the ones who don’t swim your same events…but sign up soon! You’ve got some catching up to do – I already have two badges!
DON’T FORGET: Our first meet is October 8-9th at Alameda Aquatics.
It’s going to be a great season – I hope you’re ready for it, because I sure am! If you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve mentioned here, feel free to find me on the pool deck and ask me any questions – of course, your coaches are always on deck, too, and can answer any questions you might have.
“Swim Hard Swim TVA”
Natalie Tang
TVA Team Captain
LINKS:
USASwimming’s Deck Pass:
http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=2151&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en
Pacific Swimming Time Standards:
http://www.pacswim.org/page/times_standards.shtml
Tri Valley Aquatics Team Website:
