ABC's of a Successful New Season

Fun is just as important a component for success in our sport as the elements of  dedication and hard work.  In keeping with a "back-to-school" theme, here is an initial set of ABC’s for sustaining a successful program: 

A stands for ATTENDANCE. 

The simple fact is-- the more you practice and swim in meets, the more effective you will be in the water and the more chances you have for improvement.  Piranha attendance has been very good but I know we can get better. 

B stands for BELIEF.

Believing in your coaches, in the program, and in yourself will allow you to always improve.

Believe that your coaches have a thought-out plan for your training and this will free you up to just swim, race and have fun.  Know that the Piranha program from the Coaches, Board, and Parents are all operating to create an environment of success.  And, above all, believe that you can accomplish everything you set your mind to accomplish.

C stands for CONFIDENCE.

If you are attending practice regularly, and putting the work into your swimming, then there is no reason that you can’t stand up on the block and be confident that you have done the work and are ready to race anyone.

There can be many other ABC’s for our program, but if we focus on these points for our new season, the Piranhas will be a well represented team here in the valley, in Southern California, and across the country.

Thoughts On Meet Preparation

I would like to remind everyone, especially our swimmers, that the goal for meets early in the season is to gain experience racing and learning a little more about specific swimming details that will make you better at the end of the season.  I would like for the team to strive toward a mentality of persistence and tenacity in our events.  Do not get caught up in seed times, the person swimming next to you, or how much time you dropped or added. 

Instead, focus on what you can control which is doing your best at each different phase of the season.   Yes, times are important in the sport of swimming, but not always essential early-on for developing the season-ending meet performances.  I believe in putting “all of our eggs” (hard work) into a basket at the end of the year championship meet.   If you are truly working hard in practice, and also competing as hard as you can in the water, then I have no doubt that the times will come when it matters most.

I want to share with you a great example of this focus, which happened this weekend in the collegiate swimming world.  The Auburn University Men’s swim team lost to their in-state rival Alabama Crimson Tide.  The Auburn men have won the NCAA championship 4 out of the last 6 seasons and have won the SEC championship regularly.  Do you think they are worried about their season now?  Do you think their season is over because they lost an early meet in October by a lower ranked, but rested opponent?  Do you think they swam their lifetime best times in that meet?  Of course not, they are focused on working hard, listening to their coaches and becoming an NCAA championship team once again. 

 They know that throughout the season there will be ups and downs but the ultimate goal and mentality of that team is to press on and achieve their goals at season’s end.  Let’s be that team!  Where through thick and thin, we race our hearts out, improve our technique and race strategies, and ultimately know that the work we put in now, will translate into a great result in weeks to come.   Keep up the good work, persevere through adversity and let’s be that team who will fight to the end and out-work our opponent.

While at the meet, I did get a chance to notice some items we need to have as Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s).  Here are a couple of the meet issues: 

Weather and temperature – can we control that? No, but we can prepare and make sure that we are not exposed to weather that can hinder our performances.  Covering our heads, feet and our bodies is essential and shall be a Piranha rule on the deck. (wet towels do not count)  Let’s cover up!

Warm-ups – we need to make sure that we prepare for our races with proper warm-ups and warm downs.  It is imperative to train our bodies to cope with the exertion of a race and swim out after our races with a measurable distance.  Immediately after your swim, you need to swim out your race with a good distance. For example, if you swam a 100 fast, you will need at least 600 to recover for your next event.  And distance  is at the very least—ideally you will want to loosen down more to make sure all the lactic acid and other chemical buildup from racing hard is flushed through your muscles and they are ready to go for your next high intensity race.   So, as a team, let’s make sure we are doing the right thing when it comes to preparing our bodies in warm-ups and warm downs.

Let’s have a great week of practice, learn something new and apply it to your swims.

Coach Adam

March Updates

Meet Deadline Approaching!

Dear Piranha Families and swimmers,

Swim Meet Sign-Up (Due Tuesday night):  It is time to start getting ready to swim in some early season meets to keep ourselves sharp and competing in our events.  I mentioned last week that there is a meet the weekend of March 18-20 that will be long course and held in Riverside.  I would like to see all group members that are qualified swimmers compete and represent Piranha in this meet.  We will not have another travel meet until May, so attending this meet as a team, is a great opportunity to get some good swims at another facility.  Please go onto the website, log-on and click the “Attend This Event” button and select appropriate events each day.  You can ask your coaches which events they would like to see you swim too.  I look forward to getting onto the pool deck and see some of the new techniques applied that were learned in our Piranha Swim Camp! J

Equipment:  As a reminder, 4 Seasons will be coming to our pool deck on Wednesday to make it convenient for you to purchase the necessary equipment for the groups and purchase a new “Team Suit”.  Each group will have similar equipment and it is never too early to start bringing your own gear. 

Attached please find a price sheet for team suits.

Team Night Out: These monthly events are the last Weds of each month, and have become a fun way for the team to not only get together but also partner with a community business to raise money for the team.  This month we will have our team night out on Weds, March 30^th, at Shakey’s pizza parlour located at:

           999 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262-6707.