2024 Strawberry Seals Marin Swim League Spring Season Starts Tomorrow!!!

Dear Seals Families:

On behalf of the Strawberry Seals coaching staff, I want to thank you for joining the Seals for our 2024 Marin Swim League (MSL) season. This year the Marin Swim League season will be 18 weeks, starting Monday, February 26, 2024, with our first practice of the season, and culminating on June 29, 2024, at the Marin Swim League Championship meet.

Our goal is to see every swimmer on our team build confidence by learning and refining competitive swimming skills through the process of deliberate practice. Another equally important goal is for our swimmers to forge lasting friendships with their teammates so that they look forward to being at practice.

During the first week of the season, we will focus on assessing and organizing our groups. Practice may be a little chaotic as we identify the best group for each swimmer. As swimmers find their appropriate practice group, the practices will run smoothly as our swimmers advance their competitive swimming skills together.

 

At the Seals We Believe

That our organization exists to provide children with a means to become more confident, fit, and skilled. It also provides a social environment to nurture camaraderie and personal growth. The process of developing skills for competitive swimming is how our organization accomplishes this critically important mission. Our practices, competitions, and social activities are designed to support our mission.

The short-term outcomes of this process are improved technical skills, increased fitness, and faster swimming. The much more important, and long-term outcome is a more confident personality, and an understanding that effort, both physical and mental, consistency in process, and a strong supportive community are the ultimate drivers of positive personal growth.

The Formula:

Attendance + Effort (physical & mental) + Enthusiasm = Positive Outcomes

Some outcomes from this process are easily quantified, such as best times and improved skill sets. Other outcomes are more qualitative, such as an improved physical condition and increased confidence. There is an interdependent relationship between many outcomes, for instance, best times can build confidence or improving skill sets leads to best times.

Practice:

Most of the swimmer’s time with the team takes place at practices, it is essential that practice be the central focus of the swimmer’s experience. Consistent and focused practice is the single most important thing a swimmer can do to improve their swimming skills and physical capacity. I believe that talent is not a fixed characteristic, and that people will expand their perceived potential with focused training.

For new swimmers, the primary focus will be to develop physical coordination and to learn foundational technical elements with consistent repetition of core skill sets. As a swimmer develops, practice will entail more intense physical training.

It is important that faith is placed in the long-term process and that anxieties related to short-term goals do not interfere with that process. There is no short-cut in this process and attempting to circumvent the process will lead to sub-optimal long-term outcomes like ineffective technical habits or worst of all diminished enthusiasm, i.e., “burn-out.” 

Community:

Being a member of the Seals is more than just being part of a swim team; it is being a member of a community. The strength of this community is defined by the contributions of its stakeholders:  the swimmers, families, and coaches. The greater the contributions, the stronger and more meaningful the community becomes. By being a contributing member of the community, swimmers learn the value and joy of being part of a team. Older swimmers, for example, are expected to be role models for younger swimmers by setting good examples of behavior and are encouraged to interact with the younger swimmers. Parents will also have an opportunity to model behavior for their children by being active members of the community through volunteering at swim meets and other team functions.

Please ‘Save the Date’ for these key community events:

• Parent Information Night and Wine Social - Friday March 8th, 6-8PM at Strawberry
• Team Picnic Friday April 19th at Strawberry
• End-of-Season Awards Banquet June 30th at Tam

 

Group Levels & Practice Goals for Weeks One and Two

Strawberry Pool Fundamentals Groups

At Strawberry pool our practices will focus on teaching fundamental skills and techniques required for competence in competitive swimming. Good fundamental skills are the foundation that allows a swimmer to raise the ceiling on their potential and extra time spent to develop these skills has immense value in the long-term. We do not rush this phase of learning because there is no short cut to fine tuning fundamental skills so advancing through levels too quickly inhibits a swimmer’s long-term potential.

Weeks One and Two

Seal Pups will learn about and practice:

• Kicking skills for freestyle, backstroke, and dolphin kick
• Floating
• Low and level side-breathing

Ribbon Seals will learn about and practice:

• How to do proper flutter kick technique for freestyle and backstroke
• Introduction to dolphin kicking (the 5^th stroke)
• Body position and floating
• Freestyle arm-pull and drills

Harbor Seals and Grey Seals Fundamentals groups will learn about and practice:

• Body position and floating
• How to do proper flutter kick technique for freestyle and backstroke
• Introduction to dolphin kicking (the 5^th stroke)
• Freestyle arm-pull and drills
• Proper somersaults for flip-turns

Moving to Intermediate/Advanced Level

Most often, swimmers that graduate from the fundamentals groups will move at the start or mid-point of the season. That said, swimmers who have mastered the skills for the Harbor or Grey Seals Fundamentals groups can move to practice at Tam pool at any point during the season.

 

Tam Pool Intermediate & Advanced Groups

At Tam pool we will start the season with our first two-week block of our 18-week season cycle. For the first 9 weeks will shift to focus on a new stroke every two weeks. It is the goal of the coaching staff to help swimmers develop the skills to feel confident to compete in all four strokes as well as the Individual Medley.

For the first two weeks of practice, we will focus on:

• Freestyle technique
• Underwater dolphin kick (the 5^th stroke)
• Freestyle edge skills (breakouts, turns, and finishes)

Harbor Seals Intermediate and Advance will also:

• Review basic intervals and set patterns.

Grey Seals Intermediate and Advanced will be:

• Learning a new pattern of sets each week. Within each week the set structure will be similar day to day, but the contents of sets will change. This repetition reduces the amount of time required to explain sets, allowing coaches and swimmers to focus more attention on the technical aspects of swimming during practice.

 

AM Practices at Strawberry Now Open To All Leopard Seals and Grey Seals (Intermediate and Advanced)

All swimmers registered for the Leopard Seals and Grey Seals (Intermediate and Advanced) groups have the option of attending Tuesday/Thursday AM practices at Strawberry Pool. AM practices focus on skills and technique development as the warm water at Strawberry pools makes it easier for swimmers to listen to stroke instructions.

 

Volunteer Requirements

 

Spring Competition

Marin Swim League

The Seals has been serving southern Marin as a member organization of the Marin Swim League (MSL) for over 60 years. The MSL is a recreational spring swimming league and swim meets are low-pressure and are open to swimmers of ALL ages and abilities. There are 10 swim teams within the MSL spread throughout Marin County.

During the MSL season there is a Time Trials Meet, 7 Dual Meets, an All-Star meet, and the League Championships.

• The Time Trials on April 20th is a non-competitive meet with only the Seals attending to establish baseline times for our first few dual meets and is open to all Seals swimmers. We encourage ALL swimmers (even as young as 5) to attend this meet.
• Dual meets (meets held between two teams, running from April 27th through June 22nd) are open to all swimmers.
• The League Championships on June 29th requires participation in at least 2 dual meets to qualify to participate.
• The All-Star meet on June 15th is the only MSL meet with a qualifying time standards.

MSL competitions focus on sprint events, mostly 50-yard races for swimmers aged nine and older and 25-yard races for swimmers younger than nine years old.  

Please find our meet dates and locations at our Meet Schedule Page

Register for meets when entries open at our Events Page

Visit the MSL Website at Marinswimleague.org

 

Saturday/Sunday Skills Clinics & Private Lesson

Skills Clinics

During the season, the Seals will host optional weekend clinics that will have low swimmer to coach ratios to enhance the learning environment and to help accelerate the development of competitive swimming techniques, skills, and capacities.

• Fundamental Skills: There will be optional Saturday fundamentals skills clinics offered at Strawberry and Tam pool on weekends.
• Stroke Development: For Fundamentals, Intermediate, and Advanced groups there will be weekend clinics to develop more advanced stroke and edge skill technique as well as starts and dives.
• Circuit Training: For Intermediate and Advanced groups there will be weekend circuit training clinics. These clinics will feature special equipment and rotating skills stations.

Private Lessons

Private lessons are a helpful supplement to practice; giving swimmers an opportunity to work on skills specific to their goals in a one-on-one environment. Private lessons are available year-round and are arranged directly with the instructor. Contact information can be found on our website under the coaches tab.

 

Helpful Tips for New Seals Families

The first season on a swim team can feel overwhelming. A few tips can help make the season easier to manage, more productive for your swimmer, and more fun for the whole family.

• Check Events, Meet Schedule, and News Pages Weekly
  • Events Page – Please note that events can be sorted by type.
  • Meet Schedule – Meet dates, locations, heat sheets, results, and scores.
  • News Page – All current and archived Seals News
• Introduction to Meets: Start low key – just come and watch part of a home meet. When your swimmer is ready swim in a meet, start with one to two races – free and back for most swimmers. If your swimmer is reluctant – that’s ok, keep it mellow and let your swimmer decide when they are ready. Anxiety about competing may seem irrational but it is never invalid.
• Why Compete: Training and Fitness have much in common, but a key distinction is that training is specific to competition while fitness is more general. While part of our mission is to promote fitness, we also want to promote a positive spirit of competition. Swimmers learn skills specific to competition at practice. Motivation to continue learning and refining skills is increased by competitions because competitions give context for why we practice and improve skills.
• Arriving Early for Practice: We get the most utility from practice when our swimmers show up on time and ready for practice. Swimmers should try to arrive 5-10 minutes before the practice start time. It is also helpful when swimmers come in their swimsuits, rather than changing at the pool. Arriving early also gives swimmers the opportunity to meet and chat with teammates when is an essential activity for team building.
• Wearing a Cap at Practice: while younger swimmers may be reluctant to wear a cap at practice, it helps with optimal skills development. Hair in a swimmer’s face during practice promotes a misaligned head position which impacts every movement when swimming. If your swimmer’s hair is past their eyes, please encourage them to wear a cap.