2013 november newsletter

Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet” November 2013

Upcoming Events: • Pasta Party for Sr. Gulf Champs Dec 3 • Fall Champs— (Hosted by Fleet) Dec 6—8 • Senior Gulf Champs (AGS) Dec 6—8

Fleet Swimming and Fleet FIRST Swim School

Cy Fair Swim Club

Cameron McHugh broke two team records!

Fleet Swimmers a ended the Minnesota Grand Prix November 1416th. Congratula!ons to Cameron McHugh who broke two team records! Cameron posted a !me of 1:58.58 in the 200 Back breaking the 17-18 girls and Open womens records at Fleet.

• Pasta Party for Age Group Champs Dec 10 • Winter Junior Nationals Dec 12-14 • Gulf Age Group Champs (TWST) Dec 13—15 • 8 & Under Gulf Champs (NOCH & TTST) Dec 14

Inside this issue: Coach Andy

2

Holiday Training

2

Coach Maryanne

3

Coach Ambar

3

Coach Morgan

4

Coach David

4

Coach Alex

5

Pink Out

6

Coach Dustin

6

Coah Jack: A Call to Arms As The coaching staff here at Fleet sets up every swim season into three different parts.

The first third of the season is September through early December. The second third is the middle of December until early March. Finally, the last third of the season runs from late March until the end of July.

We always try to find meets that will facilitate the highest meet performance for each athlete on the team. This year is no different as we at Fleet start to make our championship run. The championship tour will start in College Station for Senior Champs and conclude in The Woodlands for Age Group Champs.

As I look around at our program right now I truly believe that it’s our time to take the next step as a swim team. This next step only happens if everybody takes it together. We need you, the families of Fleet, to join us www.FleetSwimming.com

and sign up for the championship meets in December.

Last year at the two recognized LSC championship meets, we finished 17th at Senior Champs and 3rd at Age-Group Champs.

The 17th place finish at Senior Champs is not the representation that we should have as a Silver Medal club. Fleet should always be contending to be in the top 3 at this meet, despite not having our Junior National athletes there.

On the age-group side we finished a close 2nd to First Colony. One of the contributing factors to this margin of victory was they had more relays than we did. If you remember, relays score double, so we will need all hands on deck for our meets.

There is a difference between participating and competing at these meets. The bottom line is that we need 100 percent participation from our families to

compete. If we are competing, then there is a chance of winning. Winning is a contagious thing and has the ability to affect the masses and create a new tradition here at Fleet.

What I witnessed at the end of October makes me believe that our time is coming as a program. We are on the cusp of something special. The average age of our program is 12 years old, so the future is bright here at Fleet. We just need to keep taking care of the soil, so we can have a strong oak tree down the road.

Finally, how do I measure our program? I want to measure the success of Fleet by improvement and sustainability, because anybody can be a flash in a pan. The great John Wooden said “To win, takes talent, but to repeat takes character.” I believe our team has a lot of character, but now we have to position ourselves to have the chance to win.

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Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet”

Coach Andy: Show Up and Stand Up It’s that time of year again, the weather is getting colder and the Holidays are getting closer, but for swimmers there is something even more exciting approaching fast. Yep that’s right Winter Championship swim meets are just around the corner.

We also need the parents to stand up and cheer, make some noise,

It’s very important for each swimmer to swim in a championship swim meet this time of year for several reasons. The swimmers will score points for the team, it helps the coaches see how much rest the swimmers will need for the end of season champs. The swims at this meet will also help the coaches see what we are doing well and what we still need to work on as we prepare for the end of the season meets.

It’s just as important for the parents to show up and stand up. We need our parents to be

“Fleeted” out in team apparel by making sure they are wearing the right shirt on the right day. We also need the parents to stand up and cheer, make some noise, for a Fleet swimmer race, not just for your child.

It’s proven that swimmers race better when there is excitement in the air and people cheering for them to go faster.

There is another team to our north that is very good at this and its part of their team culture. The coaching staff wants to have that parent cheering culture at Fleet as well. Our swimmers will “step to the plate” and perform better with the support, but the only way they know you are there is to show up and stand up and make some noise.

I know this next part is asking a lot, but if you can make it back to finals, even if your swimmer didn’t final, it will do three things. One, it will help our swimmers swim faster and feel the excitement. Two, it will start to build that team culture and support for the team. Finally, it will show your swimmer what it’s like to be at finals and how exciting it is and may help them to work even harder in practice so that next year they might make a final.

Again parents, show up, stand up and cheer for Fleet swimmers as we go out and race fast this championship season.

The kids have worked very hard and are ready to go, so now it’s your turn to show them your support and CHEER!!!!!

for a Fleet swimmer race, not just for your child.

Holiday Training It’s already the middle of November and the championship season is nearly upon us here at Fleet. All of that being said, the most wonderful time of the year follows the championship meets. Those who are new to Fleet and don’t know what I’m referring to, it’s our celebrated Holiday training period. It’s a chance for coaches and athletes to push the envelope with their training during the Holiday season.

We are starting a new tradition to reward those athletes this year. Every swimmer who

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makes all the practices offered in his or her respective training groups will receive a Fleet Holiday training t-shirt.

There are no exceptions; no make-up practices with another group; the swimmer's attendance must be perfect. Our goal is to start a tradition at Fleet that we can build on for years to come.

So join us for this great team build -ing opportunity this year.

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Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet”

Coach Maryanne As we move deeper into the season, where the practices are becoming more difficult and enthusiasm might wane, let me inspire you with a poem written by one of our very own Bronze 2 swimmers, Hillary Tran.

Tran Butterfly Put on your fins.

Keep down your chins.

Do your best fly.

Do it, don’t try.

They’re set on fifty.

Ten seconds from sixty.

not at the pool. That is the beginning of the passion that will grow over time.

The workouts are becoming harder and high-pressure meets are approaching, but it’s important to keep in mind that your child is going to remember the time that they spend with their friends more than their races. They will remember the words that we, as parents and

coaches, said to them before and after their swims more than the time or the event itself.

So as we head into this Championship season, remember that the season is a journey, and nothing of lasting importance hinges on one race or another. Have fun and enjoy watching the fruits of their hard labor!

Swimming is a sport of hard work and dedication. We demand a great deal from even our youngest participants. But I believe that if they can develop a love for the sport when they are young, it will carry them through the hard times when they are older. When I receive notes, pictures and papers that were written at home or at school, I know that the kids are spending time thinking about swimming even when they are

If they can develop a love for the sport when they are young, it will carry them through the hard times when they are older.

Coach Ambar At this time of the season I’m very happy to see the improvement in my 3 groups. My athletes have had good performances in their first meets of the season, and have improved their times and technique. I’m looking forward to seeing more improvement over the season.

I want to encourage all swimmers in my groups to attend the meets, especially the Champs Meets. Champs www.FleetSwimming.com

Meets are a big part of our season. We plan and work toward these meets, focusing on getting better throughout the season. Our goal is to peak and swim our fastest at the Champs Meets.

we are in the season and what adjustments we need to make.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity for your swimmer to see how much they have accomplished so far in the Short Course Season.

Swimmers will have the opportunity to attend 3 Champs Meet during the season. So keep the December, February/ March, and July Champs Meets in mind. Our first Champs meet is in December.

It is a good meet to see where

All three groups at Bleyl are doing a great job, and I really enjoy coaching every swimmer in my group. We are training harder but continue to work on technique and kicking. Attendance is good! Let’s keep it up during the holiday season!

Have a great month everyone, and let’s keep working hard!

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Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet”

Coach Morgan

FLEET outing at Dewberry Farm

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the

It’s the most exciting time of the year, or the second most exciting time of the year: mid season Championship meets!

Coaches plan their entire year around mid-season championship meets and end-of the season championship meets, from the selection of other monthly meets to each and every set given throughout the entire year. I think it’s important for coaches and swimmers to tap into the excitement that December meets, but at the same time continue to stay focused and take care of the small and big things leading up to the meet. That includes eating right; make sure you’re filling your body with the proper nutrients. Sleep well and sleep right, it’s crucial your body is getting enough rest so waking up for morning sessions will not be a shock to your body. Relax,

it’s time to trust the work you have done thus far in the season. Drink up; you need to stay hydrated before, during, and after the meet. Take care of business.

Embrace the excitement! Your coaches and teammates are going to be excited before and during the meet use that excitement to motivate you and ADD TO THE TEAM SPIRIT!

It’s extremely important to do all the big and small things in practice before the December meets.

That includes doing what is expected from you on everything from warm-ups and warm-downs to practicing starts and turns to swimming fast when you need to swim fast. You may find yourself with extra energy during practice, don’t let that turn into a distraction to you or your teammates. Hydration is one the keys to swim successfully during a three-day prelim and final meet.

The mid-championship meets provide swimmers with a lot of opportunities. To maximize these opportunities to the fullest, swimmers most take care of the little and big things in the weeks leading up to the meet. Personally, my excitement is building as these mid-seasons championship meets approach! I’m looking forward to seeing Fleet swimmers dominate in all of our December Championship meets.

Go Fleet!

story here.”

Coach David: Championship Foundations

Coach Jack, sporting a pig snout, gives his best hog call before the pig races at Dewberry Farm

As we come into the winter championship season of swimming we can look back at the foundations of swimming and the path that all swimmers take to become great. Of course it takes commitment, dedication, and hard work but it also goes down to the fundamentals of swimming that are taught as young as six months of age. Concepts as breath control, balance, alignment, floating, sculling, and being relaxed in the water are just some of the many vital technical aspects of swimming that Fleet First teaches these

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young kids that walk through our doors. Learning these concepts at an early age in a swimmer’s life will benefit them greatly through out their swimming career because it allows them to move on to advanced stroke work while at the same time having the knowledge of the foundations of swimming.

Over the past two months here at Fleet First I am very proud to have been a part of this system that teaches the foundations of swimming. I have witnessed

not only young swimmers accomplishments such as going underwater for the first time or figuring out how to swim by themselves, but a handful of swimmers that have moved up from Fleet First over to the competitive side of Fleet Swimming. These swimmers are taking the foundation skills that they have learned from Fleet First and applying them to the competitive side while adding more advanced technique to allow them to become the championship swimmer that this coaching staff strives for.

Remember that every great swimmer started with the foundations to become a champion.

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Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet”

Coach Alex As we approach the first of our championship meets for the 2013 short course season, it is important that we take time to reflect on what the season has shown us thus far. Our short course season can be divided into several fluctuating elements, some more exhilarating (and some more mundane) than others, but one category that we as coaches strive to maintain consistency in is team unity. The championship season is a time for all athletes, parents, and coaches to unite together in a cause that’s emphasis is far greater than that of the individuals. I have always felt strongly that it is a tremendous honor and a great privilege to be called on to represent something greater than yourself, and this December Fleet will call on our young athletes to represent a championship caliber club, while demanding from them the excel-

lence required of a champion.

The championship season is what we train for, and in the words of NFL coaching great Herm Edwards, “We play to win the game.”

We train all year long, and we train hard. Many ball sport athletes would marvel at the amount of hours that are put in each week, and at the intensity that those hours encompass.

We spend hours in the dryland room, and twice that time in the water. We train in the heat and the cold, in the sun and in the rain, in the bitter wind and the muggy humidity. We talk about goals, paces and splits, and while a holiday provides others with a day off, for the swimmer it means an opportunity to practice twice. As swimmers and coaches, we do these things to provide ourselves with the greatest opportunity to swim at our optimum level of performance at our championship meets, and this December is no different. Remember, though, that while you have put in the training hours and have gotten

stronger as the season has progressed, it is crucial to take care of yourself during your meet. Eating well throughout your meet, keeping your body warm with proper clothing, and spending adequate time in the warm up / warm down pool are just as critical in the path to success as the training that precedes it.

As each of you prepares to embark upon your championship meet, I would like you to remember a few things. Champions are not only measured by the amount and the color of the medals won, but how they conduct themselves in the competitive arena. Remember that it is a privilege to represent your club and teammates, and to be supportive of those around you.

By wearing the Fleet colors you take on a great responsibility to yourself, your teammates and your coaches and you commit yourself to a tradition of excellence. And finally, please remember to take care of yourself, and to bring your season full circle by swimming fast. Go Fleet!

Cameron McHugh and Austin VanOverdam sign the letter of intent to the University of Arizona!!

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Champions are not only measured by the amount and the color of the medals won, but how they conduct themselves in the competitive arena.

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Cy Fair Swim Club “Home of the Fleet”

“Pink Out” Fundraiser I would like to thank the Fleet family for making a difference in our community. By purchasing “Pink Out “shirts, we were able to provide CanCare with a check of $1,638.25.

Your commitment to helping CanCare in our community was sincerely appreciated. The goal of Fleet is to continue to make a difference in our community. We will continue to grow and see improvements in this cause next year.

- Coach Jack

Coach Maddan, Nancy Tucker, President and CEO of CanCare, Inc. (she is also a 22-year thyroid cancer survivor), and Coach Andy Korda.

Coach Dustin: How to be great: Step One—Conquer the LSC We need everyone to step up and bring their “A” game to these champs meets.

Fleet has seen many changes over the past year and a half.

Of the more notable, is the number of new coaches that have been brought on board.

The coaching staff is a group of very competitive people, and one of the biggest reasons we all chose to coach here at Fleet is because of the huge amount of potential this team has. Almost a year ago, when we first sat down and shared our thoughts, we realized that we all shared the same collective vision, and that is to become one of the best teams in the nation. As it currently stands, we are one of the top 50 teams. This is a big improvement from where we stood a year ago, which was barely in the top 100. But while the Fleet Family has seen a lot of growth and improvement over the past 12 months,

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in the eye of the coaches, we have only just begun.

In order to reach our goal, and make our vision of national greatness a reality, we must first conquer our local competitors. In a few weeks Fleet swimmers will be competing in our December Champs Meets. These are LSC (Local Swim Committee) Championship Meets, comprised of the best swimmers in the Houston area. Winning the Gulf Champs Meets, at the Age Group and Senior levels, is our first step towards reaching our team’s full potential. This is a feat that cannot be achieved by a few individuals, but it will indeed take the effort of all involved. In most cases, the Champs Meets score 16 deep, which provides lots of opportunity for Fleet swimmers of different levels to contribute towards our team’s success. Relay points are dou-

ble that of individual points, which makes them that much more important. Fleet’s depth will indeed be one of our advantages.

We need everyone to step up and bring their “A” game to these champs meets. This won’t happen if only a select few decide to show up. We need everyone, across all ages and groups, to show up and annihilate. So put your war paint on, get excited, and show the rest of the LSC the type of Team that Fleet is becoming.

Dewberry Farm www.FleetFirstSwimSchool.com

CyZ Fair Swim Club

Mission Statement

Street Address 14654 Spring Cypress Rd. Cypress, TX 77429

To provide members and residents of the NW Houston area with the best quality swim programs that develop the physical, athle c and personal poten al for all ages and levels.

This is accomplished through the following principles:

Mailing Address

• Provide an environment where swimmers of all ages can reach their desired poten al based on a philosophy of “longer range development”.

Phone: 281-376-2372 Fax: 281-251-6160

• To teach all of our members the value, rewards and poten al that aqua c ac vi es provide.

“Home of the Fleet”

• To provide a safe aqua c environment for members of the team and the community.

• Provide coaches who are good role models for the purpose of goal se%ng, mo va on, a%tude, enthusiasm, morals and maturity.

• Provide an environment where coaches and athletes may establish realis c goals and objec ves and measure their progress against established standards as benchmarks for improvement.

• Provide a link to the local community that improves the value of both to their members.

• Con nued growth of the membership and as well as facili es for training and development.

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Coaching Staff Jack Maddan, Head Coach & National Group Coach coachjack@fleetswimming.com Andrew Korda, Head Age Group —Gold and Junior Coach coachandy@fleetswimming.com Alex Rayner, Senior Coach —National Prep and Senior 2 coachalex@fleetswimming.com Dustin Myers, Asst. Coach —National, Silver 2, and Dryland Coordinator coachdustin@fleetswimming.com Matt Hone, Head Developmental Coach —Copper and Homeschool coachmatt@fleetswimming.com Maryanne Svoboda, Head Site Coach, Arnold —Bronze 2 and Silver 2 coachmaryanne@fleetswimming.com Morgan Cordle, Head Site Coach, Spillane —Senior 1 and Bronze 1 coachmorgan@fleetswimming.com

Ambar Fernandez, Head Site Coach, Blyel —Junior, Bronze 1 & 2 coachambar@fleetswimming.com Jeff Carder, Asst. Coach —Copper, Homeschool and Competitive Prep coachjeff@fleetswimming.com Carl Johnson, Asst. Coach —Fleet Boys/Girls coachcarl@fleetswimming.com Amy Hayes, Head Masters Coach coachamy@fleetswimming.com Dana Jacob, Masters Coach & Asst. Coach coachdana@fleetswimming.com Caycee Marleet, Assistant Coach coachcaycee@fleetswimming.com Dave Pfeiff, Swim School Director director@fleetswimming.com

Submit ar cles and photos by the 25th of the month to Fleet Communica ons Coordinator toddhdavis@gmail.com for considera on in the next month’s newsle0er.