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Parent Informational Meeting!
November 19, 2007 - 06:15 PM --
Parents met for an informational meeting Monday after practice (around 6:15) at the middle school cafeteria. The coaches provided an update on the season schedule and also answered questions. Janet Berardelli organized the sign-ups for Pasta Parties, and the Senior parents set up various other Committees. We'll post all this information once it's ready.
The girls team members have completed a Swim Team Contract, a statement of commitment for themselves and their team. Also the girls have a Goals Worksheet outlining their individual plans for the season.
Some schedule notes from Matt. Boys Practice this week is Tuesday 1130 - 230, Wednesday 12-3, Thanksgiving Thursday 10-12, Friday 8-12, Saturday 10-12. Trojan Trials are scheduled this week, and captains will likely be chosen later this week or next week.
Over Winter Holiday break, Boys practice will be Monday through Saturday 8-12, except December 25 and January 1. Also there will be practice after Boys home meets, which usually are completed by 430pm. Final note - all athletes are expected to ride together as a team on bus trips to and returning from away meets.
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Become a team sponsor
Thank you to our first sponsors - the Wieland, Rodgers, Cakouros, Beyer and Oruch families!
Want to get your company message out? Or show your family support? Become a Wissahickon Swim Team sponsor today. Contact Doug Krause for details.
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Concerns about pool ventilation and pool use
January 13, 2009 --
We parents and coaches are all too aware of the
problems our swimmers are having with our pool, resulting in their coughing,
difficulty breathing, iritated eyes, etc. Melinda Wolff recently documented this
situation, along with other issues related to the maintenance and use of
the pool, in an effort to have the issues addressed. Briefly stated, the issues
are:
- Pool/air quality and maintenance: what is the
source of the problem, whose responsibility is it to fix and
maintain?
- Availability of the pool to the swim teams
vs. other users (MS after-school program, YMCA
meets)
- Limited accessibility of the pool to the
community (currently, too expensive and too few hours )
- Support for Wissahickon aquatics programs - YMCA is building a new pool. What happens in the coming year? Y management of the pool has not been supportive of our
swim and water polo programs - both aquatic and high school level. Limited access to the district's pool by the
community certainly does not encourage student involvement in water
sports. The Y has primary interest in building their own programs.
Melinda Wolff and Doug Krause will be meeting next week with Wade Coleman,
WSD's new Business Administrator (who came from UD). Our hope is that the
needs and interests of the various groups using the pool - YMCA, WCAC, the
Middle School, and the HS aquatics teams - will be assessed and clearly
defined. Of primary importance is resolving the pool and air quality
problem, and we're already making progress in the steps necessary to define and
solve it.
We will keep you posted on these issues.
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Awards display cases update
In these times of "change, we’ve been inspired to update our Wissahickon water polo players and swimmers awards displays. Many of you have earned All-State and All American team selections, so we will be collecting copies (supplied by you) of the awards, along with your picture, to be displayed in the cases outside of the locker rooms. We have pictures of the boys polo and swimmers from the past two years. Girls and boys from previous years need to supply their own photo (email to cherylnagelberg@comcast.net).
Please let us know if you, your child, or any alumni, has an award to be displayed. We will be doing this ASAP. Thank you.
Cheryl Nagelberg & Kathy Johnson
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Pool air conditions and pool use concerns
Melinda Wolff met with WSD’s new Business Administrator, Wade Coleman, on 1/21/09. Summary of our discussion:
Pool/air conditions. WSD is getting info and bids on a UV system. See http://www.vce.org/chloraminearticles.html for information on this system. UD just installed one at its Maple Manor/bubble pool and GA has been using such system for several years; at both pools, the problems similar to ours has been eliminated. This does not mean WSD is going to purchase and install this system; it just means they are actively looking into it as a potential solution to our pool/air quality problems.
Attention coaches and parents and swimmers. Mr. Coleman requested that you email him (and not Ms. Fields or Mr. Meier) if/when you experience any problems with breathing or irritations of throat, lung, eyes etc. as a result of swimming, coaching, working, or just watching in our pool area . Mr. Coleman will assume there are NO more problems unless he hears directly from you otherwise.
Availability and accessibility of pool, to the various users of the pool (ie, high school aquatics teams, WMS students, WCAC, YMCA, and residents of the WSD community). Mr. Coleman will be meeting with the other users of the pool to discuss this. Ultimately, he’d like to create a grid which clearly shows who is using pool and when, with the high school programs receiving preference of times. We discussed the need to improve and increase the accessibility and availability of the pool to the community as one more way to promote aquatics programs. We also discussed the relationships between the various user groups of the pool, the history of our aquatics programs, and just about everything related to the pool and our swimming/polo programs and equipment and supplies and so on and so on. Mr. Coleman is proactive and desires to resolve the issues. Please communicate with him by email.
Ongoing, numerous discussions with administration on such topics as:
- Record board - a budget item for next year for the high school swim team, has NOT been approved yet. Budget review is at end of school year.
- Timing system. Process and tools for getting the times and splits from the electronic system is in progress. Documenting the procedures for setting up and breaking down the timing system, as well as for maintaining the appropriate levels of pool chemicals and air temperature: I’ve been stressing the need for this.
If you want to peruse my documentation on pool-related issues, let me know and I will share those correspondences with you.
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Pasta Party is big hit! See you Thursday!
We're not sure what the team enjoys more - swimming or eating! The Pasta Parties are a big hit. Thanks to all the parents who help make this a special event for the team.
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The science of taper
January 10, 2007 --
With our suburban championship meet only 5 weeks away we REALLY need to focus on taking care of our bodies so that we can get the most out of our taper. If you don't know what it means to taper, and have other miscellaneous questions about the sport check out the website below for the FAQ's.
USA Swimming website - Training for Older Swimmers
Nutrition
A vital part of quality training is nutrition! Below is a link to a website with LOADS of information on nutrition specifically for swimmers. It helps you to analyze your diet, determine how much you should be eating, and when you should be eating, as well as providing a number of other helpful tips. Also, keep in mind that once taper starts (our daily workouts become much easier) you need to curb your food consumption! You are not burning the same amount of calories at this point and you will gain weight! This is not good for taper.
USA Swimming - Nutrition for Swimmers
Drag
Tapering, in general, is a gradual reduction in our work load. Physically you are expending less energy, and psychologically you are experiencing less mental fatigue. Through this process both you mind and your body begins to recover from all of the tough training we have put in up until this point. Although part of tapering is physical recovery, an even larger part of taper is mental preparation for the big meet. Mentally, you become more and more excited as your body recovers, and practices get easier because naturally and truthfully you are getting stronger. Throughout the season you have developed a general "feel" for the water while you are swimming. During taper your muscles are finally given the opportunity to rebuild themselves making you physically stronger than you were at the beginning of the season and your "feel" for the water changes. In order to build the mental excitement, swimmers are often instructed to save this new "feel" for the water until warm up of the big meet. In order do this, swimmers must stop shaving, start wearing stockings (cut the feet out) and double up on suits to practice. On the night before the meet swimmers are finally allowed to shave (arms, legs and back), and in the pool the next day they will notice an incredibly frictionless feel as they swim through the water. Mentally this lets them know that their preparation is complete. Not only are their bodies fully recovered and strong, but they are swimming with the least resistance possible. The combination of these two physically and mentally leads to season best times and qualifications for more competitive meets.
Body maintenance
Everybody is sore at this time of year! In order to prevent injury and take care of your sore muscles it is vital that you ice after practice (20 minute intervals per shoulder) and take anti-inflammatories. Advil was and still is a personal favorite of mine, but they all pretty much work the same. Finally, you MUST stretch! Not only does this help to prevent injuries before practice, but it has been statistically shown that flexibility increase the quality of athletic performance.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! See you on the deck!
Coach Falatek
Coach Eskate
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