WEST Weekly 10/23/2018

Hello WEST Families,

Please read thoroughly for our most up to date information for all things WEST related: It’s a hefty one, so stay strong - we can get through it together!

 

Website Update

As many of you have seen, we updated to our new website a couple weeks back. We are still working hard to sort out the few known bumps we have encountered including compatibility with phone / tablet views. As of right now, the best way to view our complete website is on a desktop computer. We also know that News is not showing correctly and the past month (Sept. 13 - October 10) of WEST Weekly’s did NOT transfer over. We will be manually transferring those that are needed as soon as possible, however our email communications are still working perfectly (hence why you are reading this.)

 

Halloween Potluck on October 26th

We will be having a fun-filled Halloween celebration at WEST on October 26th from 6:30-8:00pm for Accelerate, Challenge, Disco, Explorer and PreComp groups.  Swimmers are invited to come play in the pool, with snacks and treats!! Please look below to see what type of food to bring.  Keep in mind, the swimmers will be going in and out of the pool during this time!

 

Last Name

A thru D:  Appetizers

E thru H: Chips & Dips

I thru N:   Fruit

O thru S:  Desserts

T thru Z:  Drinks

 

If you have any questions, please call or email your team mom, or Coach TIm.

 

Pool Closures for this weekend (10/27, 10/28)

WEST will be hosting two Senior Circuit meets this weekend, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. WEST swimmers will be participating in the Saturday meet. No parent volunteers will be needed for the Sunday meet as the competing teams will provide their own. The pool will be CLOSED to lap / open swim, & private lessons Saturday 10/27  2:00 - 6:00pm, and Sunday 10/28 2:00 - 5:30pm.

 

October 27th Senior Circuit & Activity

October 27th is our Senior Circuit #3 Meet with a 2:00pm warmup, 3:00pm start. Please refrain from setting up for the meet until 1:30pm. After the meet, we have a fun activity scheduled for the Senior & Senior Elite swimmers at a local haunted corn maze. The swim meet is scheduled to be done by 5:30pm and we will be gathering in the gym with BISC & Mighty Marlins for a pizza party. After this wraps up, we will head over to Stalkers Farm which opens at 7pm. BISC and Mighty Marlins will also be joining us. We are hoping swimmers are able to provide their own transportation or are able to find their own carpools.

 

Please click on the link below to read more information about the corn maze, to get directions and to buy tickets. There are two options when purchasing your tickets: No Scare or the Double Dare (if you want your experience to be spooky or not).

 

2018 Stalker Farms Haunted Attractions

 

Halloween Night Practice:

Explore & Disco will NOT meet Wednesday October 31st. Enjoy the day off trick or treating! Senior Elite, Senior, Accelerate, Challenge, & PreComp will all meet for practice as normal

 

Officials Clinic Information Reminder & Clarification:

Once again, I wanted to share with you some more important information regarding officiating for swim meets. There will be an AO clinic on Tuesday, Oct 23rd,  (TONIGHT) at the MCCA Office (right next to WEST).  The clinic is 6-9pm.  A quick small clarification about the AO. After the clinic they have a few steps before getting certified:

 

First they have to register with the PNS office as a novice and take/pass the online test. Then they can be a novice for at least 4 sessions and then they have to be observed at another session (that would be the 5th). I've copied the AO info from the PNS officials policy below:

 

Administrative Official (“AO” – Dry side):

A. Must be of at least 18 years of age

B. Attend a training clinic conducted by an approved instructor. Pay $10 clinic fee.

C. Complete and pass the open book online test “Certification – Administrative Official”

D. Complete “apprentice official” registration with PNS Office prior to beginning on deck

“novice” sessions (see**note)

E. Work a minimum of 4 PNS sanctioned and/or approved meet sessions as a “Novice AO”

F. After receiving a recommendation from the meet or training referee that you are ready for

advancement, make arrangements with the clinic instructor or qualified “Observer” to be

observed for certification as an AO.

G. Credentials will be issued through the Officials Tracking System (OTS) once all

requirements are met.

 

**NOTE: This is a 60 day registration only. When (or before) it expires, you must:

I. Send in your non-athlete registration to PNS and the non-athlete fee

II. Complete the background check.

III. Complete the online Athlete Protection Training in order to continue your novice

sessions – or work as a fully certified official.

Please RSVP to Linda Vicik ASAP since the class size is limited.

 

 

 

MORE OFFICIALS CLINIC OPPORTUNITIES!

We will be having another Officials stroke and turn clinic for interested parents on November 11 at the MCCA community room from 10-12.  

 

Please go to the website here for more info:

https://www.teamunify.com/SubTabGeneric.jsp?team=pnws2&_stabid_=49350

 

Please let Dan Limburg ([email protected]) or Aline Bensen ([email protected]) know if you would be interested in becoming an official. Remember, officiating at meets counts as volunteer hours for WEST families.  More information on clinics / becoming an official can be found by clicking this link here.

 

Fall Olympian Clinic Information:

We are very excited to announce a special opportunity just for WEST swimmers. WEST will be hosting two sessions with Professional Confidence Coach, Christen Shefchunas. We will be hosting Coach Christen on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3.

 

Coach Christen has had the opportunity to work with the best in our sport. She has helped Olympians, NCAA student-athletes, as well as, mentoring participants at the LEAD (Leadership,Empowerment & Athletic Development) Sports Summit. Everyone she has worked with has been encouraged to challenge themselves to become more confident and successful in everything they do.

 

Christen has an extensive swimming background. She swam for the University of Tennessee and has coached at Michigan State University, Southern Methodist University, and was the Head Coach at the University of Miami.

 

Her message is life changing, she will challenge you to embrace your greatness. She will guide you to break through mental blocks without being invasive and help you understand how to improve your performance with real life examples.

 

Elizabeth Biesel (3-time USA Olympian and 2016 Team USA Captain) says “Coach Christen is relatable yet informative, and I wouldn’t want to be inspired and guided by anyone but her. I promise you will leave with a newfound confidence and drive to take on the world.”

 

The programming will take place during the below times for specific age groups:

 

Friday Nov 2:

Disco & Explore: 6:00 - 6:30 Clinic, practice after..

Accelerate & Challenge: 6:30 - 7:15 Clinic, practice after.

Saturday Nov 3:

Senior & Senior Elite: 9:00 - 10:30am Clinic,with practice beforehand.  

 

We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Coach Christen!

 

Meet Schedule UPDATE:

Since we are holding our one of our Clinics that weekend, we WILL NOT attend the Bob Miller Sprint / Distance Classic at BISC.

 

Contact Coach Tim or our front office for more information!

Cheers,

-WEST Coaching Staff