Hello, Fall Conditioning Swimmers and Families!

I hope all are doing well ! :)

Week in Review:

Monday afternoon practice was cancelled, but other than that the week went very smoothly-- with beautiful weather and clean air! Yay! We finished up our backstroke work and started work on breaststroke. Our 8U worked VERY hard, with many learning breaststroke for the very first time during their practices this past week. All groups worked on breastroke glides and kicks (making sure their toes were flexed NOT pointed, working their “up, out, together” motion of the kick, etc.). They also worked hard on their arm motions, making sure they focused on throwing their momentum forward in the “shoot” part of their arm motions rather than the “scoop.” The older swimmers also worked on breaststroke turns and pull downs.

Swimmers of the Week:

Below are the Swimmers of the Week that have been chosen for their hard work the past two weeks of practices.

Name: Nico Ogawa

How long have you been swimming? 5 years

Favorite stroke? Butterfly

What do you like most about swimming? I like the water, racing, and hanging out with my teammates.

Favorite vacation? Oxford

“It’s very apparent Nico has a passion for the sport of swimming. He is both dedicated and self-disciplined, two very important components in becoming a successful swimmer! Keep up the good work!” -Coach Caleb

Name: Noah Kunder

Age: 10

What do you like most about swimming? Being in the water.

Favorite stroke? Freestyle and Breastroke

Favorite vacation? Not sure-- likes Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Tahoe.

Favorite food? “I have no clue!”

“Noah is a swimmer that the coaches can always count on. Not only is he always listening, asking questions, and working hard, but also encouraging and inspiring others to do the same!” -Coach Malia

Name: Brooke Andrikopoulos

Age: 7

What do you love about swimming? Having fun.

Favorite stroke? Butterfly, “because it’s also my dad’s favorite!”

Favorite vacation? Tahoe

Favorite food? Doesn’t know, but really likes Spaghetti!

“Brooke is respectful, diligent, and hard-working. She is the youngest swimmer in her workout group but she is never daunted by that, in fact, she never shrinks from a challenge! Brooke is one of those swimmers who has an enthusiasm for learning, and that’s the best thing a coach can hope for!” -Coach Tjasa

Notes About Air Quality:

We will continue to assess the air quality day-by-day, considering each day whether it is safe to hold swim practice and, if not, canceling. The coaches will make our final call by 2 pm; If we deem it unsafe, parents will receive an email notification via Swimtopia canceling swim practices for the day. If it is safe, there will be no email sent out. In other words, the assumption will always be that practice is happening unless we cancel via email! We use many different air quality online measuring tools-- AirNow.gov and Purple Air most of all. If we see that the air quality has surpassed 150 (marked “unhealthy for all groups”) we will cancel practice. We will also cancel if the forecast shows the AQI surpassing 150 during the afternoon swim practice times. The pool will remain open unless the AQI reaches 190-200. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at [email protected], or Coach Caleb at [email protected] .

Practice Schedule/Lane Assignments:

Please find our fall conditioning practice schedule and lane assignments here .

Practice Structure:

This upcoming week, we will start our backstroke focussed practices. Here’s what you’ll need to bring to practice:

• Mask (make sure to always wear a mask on deck and to remember to walk one-way around the pool!)
• towel/flip-flops/clothes
• Goggles
• Cap (optional, but encouraged)
• Water Bottle (pre-filled, this is especially important due to the poor air quality) we’ve noticed that the majority of swimmers have not been bringing water to practice, this is essential! Imagine going to soccer practice, in this air quality, and forgetting water! Please make sure that your swimmers bring a pre-filled water bottle to practice.
• Kickboard (we can provide kickboards that we sanitize between groups, but it is recommended that you bring your own)
• Fins (optional, but encouraged)

Gear:

If you want to buy gear for the upcoming season, check out the Greenmeadow team store on Swimoutlet.com for everything from t-shirts to goggles to kickboards and fins.

Contacts:

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of the coaches:

Coach Tjasa Kmetec [email protected]

Coach Caleb Fenner [email protected]

Coach Malia Jefferson [email protected]

Thank you, everyone!

Coaches Tjasa Kmetec, Caleb Fenner, Malia Jefferson