Below is a compilation of all the e-newsletters for the YMCA of Marquette County Swim Team starting with the most recent and going back to 8/20/2011

 

Weekly News sent 05/04/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Just a reminder that registration for our spring programs is now open.  For details, please click here.

 

Enrollment is limited and there are only 4 openings left in the spring training and 3 for the youth stroke clinics.

 

Also, a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped with the Econo Foods fundraiser and special thanks to Teri Haynes, Kristin Marchiol and Connie Vanderschaaf who helped tally all the receipts.  We collected approximately $620 in tips and $580 in receipts.

 

Please start saving your receipts again.  As you can see, these make a huge difference.

 

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Weekly News sent 05/04/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Below are links and deadlines for three of our summer meets.  Each link has detailed info about the meet.  I’ve reverted back to our former online entry system which seemed to be much more popular with families.

 

I’m still waiting for info on the Menominee event.

 

·  Entry form for the Green Bay Friday Night 50s is here. Entry deadline is June 2. Meet date is June 15.

·  Entry form for the Fox Cities Classic is here. Entry deadline is June 5. Meet date is June 23-24.

·  Entry form for the Appleton Bird Bath is here. Entry deadline is June 16. Meet date is July 6-7-8.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

 

Weekly News sent 04/28/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

A huge thanks to everyone who helped at the banquet Thursday.  For those who didn’t get to see the slideshow it is now online at:

 

http://youtu.be/va4C5uX7QyM

 

Enjoy!

 

Weekly News sent 04/13/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We’ve been invited to a second outdoor long course meet (50-meter pool) this summer—the Fox Cities Summer Classic.  It is June 23-24.  I’ve attached the meet info for anyone who is interested.  Bird Bath info attached as well.

 

Also, the Menominee Summer fun meet has been changed from July 24 to June 30.

 

Currently our summer schedule will be:

 

June 16 – Green Bay Friday Night 50s (like a pentathlon)

June 23-24 Fox Cities Summer Classic

June 30 Menominee

July 7-8 Bird Bath Invitational

July 28 Teal Lake Swim

 

More details will follow, but wanted to make sure everyone had the dates.  Typically sign-up deadline is 2 weeks in advance.

 

You do not need to be enrolled in a summer program to participate in the first 4 events, but must have a current YMCA membership.  Teal Lake is open to the community.

 

Weekly News sent 04/10/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

A reminder that our annual Econo Foods grocery bagging fundraiser is set for April 21 from 11 am until 5 pm.  We’re asking everyone to please sign up for a 2-hour shift.  Not only does this fun event help support our program, but it also is a free day of publicity for the team! 

 

Children 10&under need to bring an adult helper.  Please plan to wear your Killer Whale shirts.

 

To sign up for a shift, please click on the link below.  Thanks!

 

https://www.editgrid.com/killer_whales/admin/Grocery-bagging-Econo

 

Weekly News sent 04/10/12

 

Hello families:

 

A reminder that our swim team banquet is 6:00 p.m. Thursday, April 26 in the Masonic Building downtown Marquette.  The best parking is the parking ramp 1 block north of Washington St.  You can enter the building through the rear entrance.

 

We will recognize every athlete, give participation and performance awards, and you will have a chance to pick up any remaining ribbons or medals that were not picked up during the season.  There will also be a slide show with photos from the season.

 

If you have photos that you can share, please e-mail them to me or drop off a CD/DVD at the YMCA this week.

 

This is a potluck and we’ll need to feed about 300 people.  Please bring a dish to pass as follows:

 

Ages 8&under (27 athletes) – Main Course Dish

Ages 9-10 (23 athletes) – Side dish/Salad

Ages 11-12 (13 athletes) – Yummy Dessert/Cookies

Ages 13-14 (20 athletes) – Beverages (1 gal of juice/milk/iced tea/etc)

Ages 15&over (12 athletes) – Yummy Dessert/Cookies

 

Paper plates, napkins, cups and utensils will be provided.

 

I know all the coaches have missed the athletes and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again!

 

P.S. If you’d like to help decorate/set up, please contact me directly.  Thanks.

 

Weekly News sent 03/19/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Congratulations to the MQTY Killer Whales on another successful season!  We placed 14th overall at this year’s state meet scoring 509 points.  This is an improvement on last year’s 16th place an 288 points.

 

We had three age-group top-ten finishes.  Our age 13-14 boys placed 6th overall in the state.   Our 9-10 girls tied for 6th overall with Green Bay.  And our 15&over boys finished 8th.

 

We had two national qualifiers (Kelly McCommons and Brandon Stedman), a top-3 individual finish by Nathan Rotundo in the 200 breaststroke, several team records, and huge time drops by many swimmers.  Most swimmers and relays improved on their ranking.

 

Attached are the results showing individual improvement, relay results and total meet results.

 

Thanks to everyone who came to cheer and help this weekend!

 

Weekly News sent 03/10/12

 

Hello swim families,

 

A huge thank you to the amazing parents and volunteers who worked at today’s swim meet.  It ranks as one of our best ever and I know our entire coaching staff feels very fortunate to have such supportive parents!  From concessions to raffles to meet management to awards to timers, you were amazing.  What a great way to end our regular season!

 

Attached are results from today’s meet.  Please pat your swimmers on the back.  They have improved so much this season. 

 

And check out these exceptional photos from Roxin Zhang at:  http://wewe.nmu.edu/mqtswim/  (If anyone else got some photos, please get them to me so we can use in our banquet slideshow.)

 

We have qualified an unprecedented 37 athletes for the YMCA state meet next week in Milwaukee with 34 committed to competing.  State meet information will go out tomorrow for those who are participating.

 

Watch for information about the team banquet later this week and spring/summer program info will come out in April.

 

Again, congrats on a wonderful season!

 

Weekly News sent 03/04/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

This is our final week of swimming and it culminates with our home meet this coming Friday and Saturday.  Thinking back to where everyone started last September, it’s truly amazing how far the athletes have come and we’re very excited to see them finish the season in style.  (Except state qualifiers who continue thru March 18.)

 

If you didn’t get a chance to enter, but still want in the meet, please email me your request.  A list of events is attached.  We love for everyone to have one last chance!

 

We have great families and I very much appreciate that.  I’ll lean on you once again and remind that we need everyone to volunteer and bring their concessions items to pull this off.  Please remember this is our second major fundraising event and we rely on it to pay our winter pool rental.

 

Volunteer Jobs – Click here to see what you’ve signed up for/been assigned.  We could use extra help at concessions to ensure all parents are able to see their children swim.  If you have another family member willing to help, please bring them

 

Concessions items – Click here to see your items.  Please bring all non-perishable items to the cafeteria Friday night, all perishable items at 8:30 am Saturday.

We made a few changes based on what sold/didn’t sell in November (cookies in lieu of brownies).  We could really use someone willing to bring 4 bags of ice Saturday morning and also a couple people willing to make Puppy Chow (which sold out in record time last meet.)  As always we need a couple of large coolers for the day.

 

Warm-up and meet times:  Friday night warm-up begins at 5:15 pm, the meet starts at 6:05 pm.  Saturday morning warm-up is 8:30 am, the meet starts at 9:30 am.  Please be on deck, ready to go, 10 minutes prior to warm-up. Ages 10& under will be marshaled.

 

If you have any questions, please call or e-mail.

 

Weekly News sent 02/26/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We’re very excited to see how well everyone is swimming and how much the athletes have improved this season.  It’s really amazing to think about where some of these athletes were only 4 months ago!   We’re looking forward to closing out this season in style.

 

A reminder that our practice schedule changes for the final 2-3 weeks of the season. The only pool now in use is the MSHS pool. The schedule has been on the website, in summary:

 

·         Advanced Group 5:15-7:15 Mon-Fri at MSHS

·         Age Group 5:30-7 Mon-Thu at MSHS

·         Future Stars – No more practice at YMCA, but welcome 5:30-6 at MSHS pool Tue & Thu to practice starts and build comfort in the MSHS pool. May also attend the Age Group practice if up to the challenge.

 

Sign up for out final home swim meet is now online.  Please feel free to email me your entry request if you have trouble with the online system at www.mqtyswim.com  The information and event list is attached.

 

This meet is our second fund-raiser of the season and helps pay our pool rent so we’ll once again need everyone to pitch in and help with the event.  Volunteer and concessions lists will go out this week.

 

See you at the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 02/25/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

What a great meet today!  Thank you to all a Houghton-area families for running the event and congratulations to all the swimmers for their amazing time drops and fast races.

 

You can find full results with splits, individual improvement and a DQ report at www.mqtyswim.com

 

We will do the Marquette-area awards Tuesday, 5:45 at the MSHS pool.

 

The online sign-up for our home meet to be held March 9-10 is also available on the website.  This is the final event of the season except for YMCA state or national meet qualifiers.

 

State meet info:

 

·         If you have not yet booked a room, we strongly suggest you do it now.

·         Meet info and the event schedule is available at http://wsacltd.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=65

·         State team t-shirts are $11/ea and the order must be e-mailed to me by Saturday, March 2 (I will order a couple extra for any last minute qualifiers.)

 

Again, congratulations to our athletes and thanks to our parent volunteers!

 

Weekly News sent 02/22/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Please note that we will not have practice this Friday evening as many of our athletes and coaches will be at the Houghton swim meet.

 

Here is the information regarding this meet:

 

Warm-up:   Friday at 5:45 pm, Saturday at 9:20 am.  Please be on deck ready to swim 10 minutes early.

 

Meet start and timeline: Friday events (#1-11) start at 6:30 pm and will run about 1 hour.  Saturday events (#21 and up) start at 10 am and will run until approximately 2 pm.  This timeline includes several short breaks between the longer events to allow for athlete recovery and a 20-minute lunch break. There will be an outstanding concession stand.

 

Entry list: Your child’s events, relays and heat/lane assignments are available by clicking here. Heat sheets will be on sale at the meet. Note that there are some events with no entries so please check the heat sheets to see which events are prior to your child’s race and where the breaks are.

 

Marshalling: We will marshal all 10&under athletes Saturday. It’s good to wear a sweatshirt or warm top in marshalling.  If you have a 10&under child swimming in an event for older children they should report directly to the blocks (or a coach who can help get them to the correct place).

 

Results: Live results during the meet will be available to anyone who has access to either the free Meet Mobile app on Apple devices or the Internet.  The web address for live results is: http://webpages.charter.net/mshsswim/meets/

 

Directions:                                  Houghton High School

                                                1603 Gundlach Rd.

                                                Houghton, MI  49931

 

Everyone’s been looking very good in practice and we’re excited to see the athletes racing this weekend!

 

Weekly News sent 02/17/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We do have swim practice both tonight and Monday for those interested.  Tonight is 5:30-7 at NMU for all groups. 

 

Monday is Age Group/Future Stars at NMU 5:30-7 and Advanced Group at MSHS 5:15-7:15.

 

Also a reminder that the deadline for entries to the Houghton Spring Fling is this weekend.  You can sign up online by clicking here.  If you have any trouble, just send me an email with your entry request.

 

Good luck to our high school swimmers competing in the UP Swim and Dive Championship tonight and Saturday at Sault Ste. Marie.  A live video feed of the meet is available here: http://www.mhsaa.tv/events/29924

 

Live results also on Meet Mobile.

 

Thanks and enjoy the weekend.

 

Weekly News sent 02/12/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We’re entering the final month of our season and some exciting meets are coming up!  You can register now for the Houghton meet on Feb. 24-25.  Click here for the link.  The Magnuson Franklin Square Inn is supposed to be offering a special swimmer’s rate in Houghton for anyone needing a Friday night hotel.  The contact is Vicky Driscoll at 487-1700.

 

Our high school athletes representing Marquette, Houghton, Westwood, Ishpeming-Negaunee and Jeffers will be competing in the U.P. Swimming & Diving Championships this weekend in Sault Ste. Marie.  Results will be live on Meet Mobile. Good luck!

 

Our final regular meet is March 9-10 in Marquette.  Registration will open next week.

 

A few items of note regarding changes to our practice schedule:

 

·         This is the final week of water polo and Masters Adult swimming.

·         Strength training is now completed. We’ll be hosting practice at MSHS 5:45-7:45 for the Advanced Group on Wednesday

·         Future Stars practice at the YMCA continues through Feb. 23

 

See you in the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 02/11/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We had another great meet in Menominee this weekend.  Lots of personal best swims, state qualifiers and people trying events for their first time!  Congrats to everyone.

 

You can find full results including relay splits on our website www.mqtyswim.com and also on the Meet Mobile app.  Also on our website are individual results showing improvement and a DQ report listing reasons for our few DQs Today.

 

Again, congrats to everyone who participated.

 

A reminder that our next meet is Feb. 24 and 25 in Houghton.  The online registration is now available.  Click here to register.

 

Weekly News sent 01/30/12

 

Hello swim families,

 

This week we will begin to put more focus on fine tuning our starts, relay starts and finishes as well as introducing more speed work and more rest at practice.  It will be gradual.  Our advanced swimmers are entering their final week of strength training and water polo nights continue for 2 more weeks.

 

Big sisters:  This was our final week of this program and the little sisters got to ride the stretchcords with their NMU big sisters Friday.  We are preparing goodie bags as a thank you to the NMU women as they are heading off to their Conference Championship.  Michelle Oswald is helping organize this and is getting the bags (THANKS!).  We’ll stuff the bags at the Thursday night NMU practice at 5:30.    All little sisters should make some kind of Good Luck note or card to include.  We’d also like to include healthy snacks or little surprises that they might enjoy on their bus ride and 4 days of hotel stay.  There are 21 big sisters.

 

Friday practice:  This Friday we will have open family swim at the MSHS pool from 5:45-6:45 in lieu of structured practice.  Parents, siblings and friends are welcome. There will be no swimming at NMU Friday night.

 

Escanaba meet: As soon as warm-up details come out, I’ll share these.  We have 50+ swimmers attending.

 

Menominee meet Feb. 11: Deadline for entries is Wednesday, Feb. 1. Go to www.mqtyswim.com and click the online entries link or e-mail me with your entry request.

 

 

Weekly News sent 01/25/12

 

This message is for the families participating in the Iron Mountain swim meet this weekend.

 

Attached please find the entry list for the meet.  Our team starts on page 2.

 

Our assigned warm-up time is 8:30-9:00 a.m. Central Time.  The meet starts at 9:05 CST.  This is a change from previous information. 

 

Please be on deck, ready to warm-up at 8:15 a.m. CST

 

A few notes about this pool:

            Spectator seating is very limited.

            Secure all your items.  Please do not leave items unattended in the locker rooms.

            We will have a camp in the gym area.  In some years it’s been cool, so make sure to have warm clothing, sweats, etc. to keep bodies warm between events.

 

The pool is at Northern Lights YMCA of Dickinson County which was formerly the Crystal Lake Community Center (and may still be on some GPS locators).  The address is:

 

800 Crystal Lake Blvd

Iron Mountain, MI 49801

Phone (906) 774-4076

 

See you there!

 

Weekly News sent 01/22/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Just a couple of notes for this week.

 

The deadlines for the Feb. 4 Escanaba Yooper Meet and the Feb. 11 Menominee meet are fast approaching so please make sure to enter your children.  Click here to go to the online meet entry system.  The Yooper meet is an especially fun meet and if we can get a large turn-out we may be in the running for a team trophy (top-three teams based on points).  Almost everybody who swims will contribute to the effort, even novices, so I hope you’re thinking about it.

 

If you’ve given it a try, but are struggling with the online entries, please feel free to just e-mail me the information.

 

Tuesday there is a high school meet at MSHS so practice is moved to NMU 5:30-7 pm.  This is the last high school meet that affects our practice schedule. 

 

Big sisters meet Friday, 5:30 at NMU.  This will be our last in-water session with the NMU women as they are heading off soon to the GLIAC championship.  I’m trying to arrange a possible send-off party for them on the morning of Feb. 5.

 

As soon as I receive more details on the Iron Mountain warm-up, etc. I’ll send that out.

 

Lastly, some swimmers have been asking about race-day nutrition.  Below are the USA Swimming guidelines for athletes fueling their bodies during swim meets. 

 

Nutrition for Competition

Once again, teach athletes that there is no magic food and that they must focus on long term nutritional choices. When it comes to swim meets, they need to prepare nutritionally for the entire competition. There is no way to fuel for a particular race. It is important to maintain constant energy, blood sugar levels and hydration by snacking and replenishing throughout the competition. Shown below are some recommendations for “competition cuisine”:

 

One Hour or less to go

2-3 hours to go

3-4 hours to go

Fruit and vegetable juice such as orange, tomato or V-8

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices

Fresh fruit and fruit and vegetable juices

AND/OR

AND

AND

Fresh fruit such as apples, watermelon, peaches, grapes, or oranges

Breads, bagels, English muffins with limited amounts of butter, margarine, cream cheese, or peanut butter

Breads, bagels, baked potatoes, cereal with low-fat or skim milk, low-fat yogurt, sandwiches with a small amount of peanut butter or lean meats and cheese

AND/OR

AND/OR

AND/OR

1 ½ cups of a sport drink

4 cups of a sport drink

7 ½ cups of a sport drink

 

 

Weekly News sent 01/15/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Here are a few updates:

 

We’re back to our normal pool schedule this week.  If you need the details click here.  We’ve added a Monday session for Age Group swimmers 5:30-7 at NMU to try and accommodate everyone’s varying schedule.  Water polo skills, drills and games continues for 11&over on Mondays and 10&under on Wednesdays 5:30-7 at NMU.

 

Online meet entries are now available for this coming Friday’s home meet (rescheduled from last week) and also the Iron Mountain, Escanaba and Menominee meets.  The deadline for changes to the home meet and to enter Iron Mountain is Wednesday.  Click here to enter any of these meets.  See the website www.mqtyswim.com for details of each meet.

 

MSHS hosted the high school Splash-n-Dash this weekend with 224 athletes.  Congrats to team members Sarah Tresedder and Kinsey Vear who set meet records!  All the Killer Whales did very well.  Take a look at the results and see how well many of our age group swimmers would have placed!  Click here for results or check it out on the Meet Mobile App for Apple Devices.

 

Lastly, after speaking with parents who saw the live results in Oshkosh (Meet Mobile and live results on web) I have purchased the software and hardware for us to provide the same service—families and friends will be able to follow our meets live anywhere in the world as well as look up statistics on their athlete from our website.  When all is in place we should be able to do this for any home meet (including Houghton) as well as any meet we host for the MSHS high school team.  The purchase cost was about $700.  A donor has offered to cover around half of this.  If anyone is willing to chip in it would be greatly appreciated as the Williams family will be making up the difference.  Checks can be made to the YMCA of Marquette with “Swim Team” on the memo line to ensure it goes directly to this purchase.  Thanks!

 

See you at the pool,

 

Weekly News sent 01/12/12

 

Swim families:

 

The Iron Mountain meet entry deadline has been extended to Jan. 26.

 

To enter your child in that meet, or any of our other upcoming meets, you can access the online entries by clicking here or going through the link on our team website www.mqtyswim.com

 

Thanks.

 

Weekly News sent 01/11/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

We have several upcoming meets (the Iron Mountain Polar Plunge deadline is this weekend, sign-up for Escanaba and Menominee are also online at www.mqtyswim.com ) so I want to tell you about changes to the online meet entry system.

 

We have upgraded our software and now will be doing all entries through the Active.com website.  The short version of why is that it saves the team money and saves me a tremendous amount of coach labor.

 

The first time you log in, you will be asked to create an account and password.  You do not have to create an account, but doing so saves you from having to re-enter your information each time.  You can also log on through Facebook if you choose.

 

You will be directed to a page that lists all meets currently accepting entries.  Choose a meet and it will show all events your child is eligible to swim as well as the athlete’s current best time for each event.  Make your choices, or just click that you plan to attend and leave the choices blank if you want the coach to pick events.  When you confirm your entry, you will go through page like an online checkout listing your meet fees.  You will not be asked to pay, nor will you be asked to provide any payment information.  All meet payments will still be handled as before.  All relay assignments will be handled as before. 

 

Once you submit your entry, you will receive a confirming e-mail like before.  You can go back to the site and make changes any time until the entry deadline.

 

I know change is difficult, but once you’ve been through it, I think you’ll find it’s about the same as before and possibly easier.

 

Additionally, part of this software upgrade now allows us to give you access to team stats through the website.  You can check your child’s progress, look up their best times and splits and even graph their improvement.  It’s a nice little feature that will let you waste plenty of time.  All times are updated after each meet.  The link is at www.mqtyswim.com

 

If you have any questions or concerns after trying the new entry system, please let me know.  And thanks for working with me on this.

 

Weekly News sent 01/11/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Printable heat sheets for Friday night’s meet are now online at www.mqtyswim.com. There will be a few copies for sale at the meet.

 

All swimmers should be on deck ready to warm-up at 5:45 Friday.  The meet starts at 6:15.  We’re predicting about 1.5 hours.

 

A reminder that Age Group and Advanced practices in the Marquette area are at the MSHS pool tomorrow (Thursday).

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone swim!

 

Weekly News sent 01/09/12

 

Hello swim families:

 

Congrats to everyone who competed in  Oshkosh.  It was a very successful and fun weekend!  Full results will be posted on the team’s website in the next day or two.

 

It was also very exciting to see the entire NMU women’s team come to cheer on the little sisters at the meet.  NMU has an intersquad meet Saturday evening and it would be great if we could reciprocate and show up at their event to cheer.  I’ll pass along the event time as soon as I have it.

 

The deadline to enter Friday night’s fun meet is Tuesday.  Click here to enter the meet.  This is a good event for both our newer parents and swimmers to gain a little experience.

 

A reminder that this is the final week of NMU’s break and our holiday practice schedule.  Click here if you’re unsure of practice hours this week.

 

We will begin our annual water polo clinics this week for the next 5 weeks.  Ages 11 and up will have water polo on Mondays during practice.  Ages 10 & under will have water polo on Wednesdays.  These will be a mixture of drills, skills and water polo games.  Water polo will be in the NMU dive well, swim practice in the lap pool.

 

Our high school athletes are very busy this week with  away meets Monday, Wednesday and a home invitational Saturday.  Best of luck to them.

 

Lastly, we are searching for an 11-12 year old female swimmer willing to attend and fully participate in practice on a regular basis.  We are very close to qualifying a state championship relay, but have had to use an age 9-10 girl as the 4th person to do it so far.  This is a great opportunity for someone willing to put in a little effort and attend a few meets.

 

See you at the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 12/31/11

 

Hello and Happy New Year swim families:

 

A reminder the deadline for the Oshkosh swim meet entry is tomorrow, Jan. 1.  You can find the online entry form and meet information at www.mqtyswim.com.  One unique thing about this meet is that every swimmer who performs a best time gets a commemorative swim cap (Limit 1 per swimmer).  Also special swim caps are awarded in lieu of medals for places 1-3.

 

In Oshkosh some families are staying at the following hotel which is close to the pool and rec’d decent reviews. 

Fairfield Inn Oshkosh 1800 South Koeller Road,
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54902 USA Phone: 1-920-233-8504 Fax: 1-920-233-8504

 

A correction to our meet schedule for February.  The Escanaba Yooper meet is Saturday Feb. 4, not Feb. 5.  This is a good meet to attend with lots of competition from the UP, lower Michigan and also Door County.  It’s one of the best meets of the winter.

 

Our next session of Adult Swim for Fitness starts Monday, Jan. 9.  It runs Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:45-7 for 6 weeks.  Registration is open at the Y.

 

Big sisters next meet on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 4:30 pm at the NMU pool.  NMU’s women will be swimming in Oshkosh the same weekend as us (but at different pools)!

 

We are still on the holiday practice schedule through Jan. 13.  Please check it out at www.mqtyswim.com.

 

We’ve been talking with the swimmers at practice about how fueling their bodies properly both during and after practice can help improve performance. Here’s a good article from USA Swimming on the topic:

 

During Workout Regardless of age or length of practice, all athletes need fluids to stay hydrated. This is easily accomplished with a couple of sips from a water bottle every 15-20 minutes. As athletes progress, practices get longer and tougher. It’s well established that athletes who exercise beyond 90 minutes benefit from a supplemental fuel source which a sports drink can provide. Years of research shows that drinks that are 6-8% carbohydrate by weight provide the perfect balance between fuel and hydration. A couple of sips every 15-20 minutes keep the body fueled, helps prevent unnecessary tissue breakdown and maintains hydration. Gatorade and Powerade fit this 6-8% rule.

 

After Workout Water is an excellent choice to replenish fluids after practice. It’s always wise to drink at least one cup. But after a hard workout, replenishing fuel stores is equally important. Each hour after practice, athletes need a little over 1 gram of carbohydrate for every kilogram (2.2 lbs.) they weigh. This replenishing must begin within the first hour. A sports drink that is 6-8% carbohydrate by weight is easily digested and quickly absorbed and can provide a convenient way to get some of the necessary fuel within the first 20 minutes. High protein drinks often forgo the carbohydrate and carbohydrate is what must be replenished within the first hour after workout. A little protein won’t hurt; in fact it may actually help by supporting the tissue repair and re-building processes. But too much protein, especially when it comes in place of carbohydrate, may be detrimental to the post-workout recovery process. Remember, carbohydrate is the primary fuel source during hard exercise. Glycogen, the storage form for carbohydrate, is what the body taps into for fuel when exercise is very intense. Protein is used as a fuel source during exercise only when carbohydrate and fat are not present in sufficient quantities. If an additional carbohydrate source is not supplied, the body taps into stored protein, the muscles. This is why it is good to drink carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions during workout, to spare muscle protein. This is also why it is important to replace carbohydrate stores lost during a workout in order to start the next workout with a full tank of gas.

 

Recovery Nutrition After exercise, the dietary goal is to provide adequate energy and carbohydrates to replace muscle glycogen and ensure rapid recovery. Start the replenishment process immediately. The “window of opportunity” to maximize glycogen replacement lasts only about 2 hours. It is also advisable to pulse the system, i.e. eat something substantial every hour rather than waiting for a large meal or eating only every 3 to 4 hours. The replenishment should be adjusted according to the intensity of the practice. A less intense workout requires less replenishment. Finally, something is better than nothing so emphasize consuming some carbohydrate fuel immediately after workout rather than waiting until the next full meal.

 

See everyone next year.

 

Weekly News sent 12/14/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

Attached is a revised entry list with heat and lane assignments.  This should have all the corrections and changes that were sent to me.

 

Later Thursday I’ll post printable heat sheets on the website.  Rather than sell heat sheets at this meet, we’ll ask that you print your own as needed.  We will have copies for timers and officials and a copy posted in the hallway near the lockers.

 

This meet will move along quickly so we’ll ask all our athletes to stay near the pool, either on deck, in the bleachers or near the locker rooms.  Marquette is also hosting a major wrestling tournament Saturday and those athletes will be using the hallways near the gym and cafeteria.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks!

 

Weekly News sent 12/13/11

 

Hello,

 

Please check the attached entry list for Saturday’s meet.  I have made some changes to athlete requested events based on their current  skills.

 

I can make changes, and if there is any event someone really wants to try we can add it to the meet, just let me know by tonight.

 

Please be on deck at 8:45 a.m. for warm-up.  The meet will start at 9:30 and the estimated timeline shows the meet lasting approximately 1.5 hours.  We have a short holiday party planned for afterward.

 

Any questions, please let me know.

 

Weekly News sent 12/11/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Congrats to all our athletes who competed this weekend!  Results from each of the meets are now posted on our website at www.mqtyswim.com  There were lots of best times and many swimmers are now also within 1-2 secs of state qualifying times! 

 

This coming Saturday is our novice meet, but we do have events for all levels.  The deadline for entries is Monday.  Click here to enter.  This is a great event for our young and newer swimmers to experience.  We expect this meet to be completed before noon and will have a short holiday party for the team immediately afterward with Christmas cookies and drinks.  If you can bring cookies/drinks or help organize this event please contact Mary Anne Welch at welchenovs@chartermi.net

 

This Friday we will have all practice groups at the MSHS pool 5:45 so we can work on starts from the starting blocks and turns prior to the Saturday swim meet.

 

Please click here to see our holiday practice schedule which runs from Dec. 19 thru Jan. 13.  NMU has shifted our pool time during this period so please check out the changes.

 

Other news:

 

Big sisters meet again this Thursday at the NMU pool at 5:30.  This will be our last meeting until after the holidays.

 

The YMCA debit/draft for your final payment will be Dec. 15.  Just a heads up as this will include meet fees from the last several weeks.

 

See you at the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 12/4/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Congrats to everyone who competed in Escanaba.  We had many best times!  I will have awards to pick up at the PEIF tomorrow and at the Y and MSHS on Tuesday.  We won’t do an awards ceremony, just distribute ribbons.  Escanaba did run out of ribbons, so some will have to be mailed at a later date.  I’ve updated everyone’s best times and will post on the website later tonight.

 

Thank you also to everyone who helped and participated in the Marquette holiday parade.  That was a blast!  If you loaned us lights or extension cords for the parade, I will have them with me Monday at the PEIF pool and Tuesday at MSHS pool for you to pick up.

 

Normal practice schedule this week with the exception of Thursday night.  Due to a home high school meet, all groups will practice at the PEIF pool.  This only affects the Advanced Group.

 

Other news for this week:

 

Menominee Pentathlon – Entries are attached.  Coach Eric will be on deck for this meet.  Warm-up assignments will be given out later this week.

 

Y-Finalist Meet in Milwaukee – Click here for the psych sheets and additional information.  Friday warm-up is 4:30 pm CST.  Saturday warm-up is 8 a.m. CST.  Coach Matt will be on deck for this meet.

 

Dec. 17 home meet – Click here to sign-up.  This will be a small, fun meet that should be complete by noon.

 

High School swimmers – You still have two meets you are eligible to compete in prior to Feb. 19.  I recommend the Jan. 7-8 Oshkosh meet and Feb. 4 Yooper Meet in Escanaba.  Both Door County and Harbor Springs are supposed to be coming to Escanaba this year and it should be some good competition.

 

Secure your valuables – We have a few reports of theft at the PEIF locker rooms and we notice many athletes are leaving their belongings in a pile on the locker room floors rather than using a locker.  We recommend securing all valuables and either bringing a bag on deck or using a locker and lock.

 

Holiday practice – A full schedule should be posted this week.  Between Dec.22 and Dec. 29 we have morning practice 9 a.m. at the PEIF for Age Group and above (and will also have some Future Stars sessions).  There will be the normal Tues and Thurs evening Future Stars practice.  Between Dec. 19-21 and Jan. 3-13 all PEIF practices are 4:30-6 in lieu of 5:30-7.

 

See you at the pool.

 

Weekly News sent 12/1/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Thank you to everyone who made tonight a great parade.  We have and amazing group of swimmers and parents!  Can’t wait to see the pics.

 

A reminder that there is no practice Friday due to the meet.

 

Here are the details.  Our warm-up starts at 5:30.  The meet starts at 6:15 pm

 

The address is:

YMCA of Delta County

2001 North Lincoln Rd.

Escanaba

(906) 789-0005

 

We will set up camp in the gymnasium, so bring a blanket, sleeping bag or chair—but don’t plan to get too comfy as this meet will move along more quickly than most. They will marshal all 12&under swimmers.

 

There will be limited concessions, so plan to eat before and have something to drink and some healthy snacks.

 

Looking forward to seeing our swimmers tomorrow!

 

Weekly News sent 11/28/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

I hope everyone enjoyed a great holiday break.  Here’s this week’s swim team news:

 

Escanaba Friday night meet – The deadline for entries is tonight.  Please click here to enter.  This will be a short Friday night event in Escanaba that should be a good experience for our young swimmers and a chance to try different events for our veterans.  There will be no practice Friday as coaches and swimmers are participating in this event.

 

Thursday night Christmas parade – Our team has entered a float in the Marquette holiday parade this coming Thursday evening in lieu of practice.  We will begin decorating our float in the YMCA parking lot at 4 p.m.  Parents should pick up their child at the Marquette Commons no later than 7 pm (parent and sibling participants are welcome and encouraged)  Coach Christina is organizing this team event. Here are the details.

 

We must check in our float by 5:30 at the Berry Events Center. The parade begins at 6 pm and marches down Third Street to the Marquette Commons for the city’s tree lighting ceremony.  As this is a Holiday parade, we are expected to use lights! And being that we are the Killer Whales, we better put a Killer Whale on there! So, pull out some lights, and get your creative juices flowing, and let’s put together the float!

 

Anything that you allow us to use will be marked and given back to you as was given to us. So you will get your stuff back in time to decorate your house! 

We need:

-blue lights

-white lights

-a few strands of colored lights (only a few! the blue and white we need more of!)

-staple gun

-generator

-plywood to put the design onto

-extension cords

 

On the day of the parade, please dress for the weather, but also wear your Killer Whales gear. Throw some lights on, or a Santa hat, or some antlers, or a Rudolph nose; anything festive. Goggles and a suit aren't bad either....over your clothes!! Please leave your pets at home, but if a wagon is used for a smaller swimmer, decorate that too.  If you can help decorate or are willing to loan decorations, please call or e-mail Coach Christina so she can keep a tally of what we have, and what we need. If you would like to help assemble, let her know that as well!   Parent help with float making and also parade monitoring are greatly appreciated.

 

Weekly News sent 11/19/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Just a quick note to say congratulations to all our swimmers!  You were truly amazing today and Friday.

 

Also, a huge thanks to the many, many parent volunteers!  We are very lucky to have such a great group of parents willing to pitch in and go the extra mile. Thank you!

 

Results are now posted on the website: www.mqtyswim.com.  The individual results show improvement and also points scored for the team.  Full results show all teams. Every point makes a difference in the overall team scores!

 

In Marquette, we’ll give out the awards, including some top bananas on Monday, 5:30 at the PEIF pool.  We’ll also have them Tuesday at the Y pool.

 

Sign-up for the Dec. 2 Escanaba meet is now online.  That will be a short, Friday night event with only MQTY and Escanaba.

 

A reminder that in Marquette, there is no practice on Wednesday.  In Houghton, no practice this coming week, but enrollment in Winter Session begins Monday.

 

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Weekly News sent 11/13/11

 

Hello Swim Families:

 

This week is our home swim meet and I know the athletes have been really looking forward to the event!  Lots of stuff is planned to make this a fun and exciting weekend.  For many of our swimmers, this is their first meet ever and I encourage all to keep it in perspective.  It’s really the experience that counts.  We’re hoping to have the NT after their name in the meet program (meaning it’s their first time) replaced with a time (meaning they successfully completed a race).

 

Parents: a reminder that your job is to make sure your child has their events written on arm or leg and gets to the pool at the correct time and afterward give hugs and high fives.  Please leave the instructions to the coaching staff.  Juggling too much info makes it hard to perform.

 

Lastly, please remember this is an enjoyable day where they get to hang out with friends.

 

If this is your first meet, please check out the team handbook pages 12-14.  It tells you what to bring and what to expect.  Click here for the handbook.

 

What time to be at the pool:  If you’re competing Friday, warm-up begins at 5:00, events start at 5:45.  If you’re competing Saturday, warm-up begins at 8:30, the meet starts at 9:40 a.m.  Please be on the deck ready to swim 10 minutes early on Saturday so we can organize our 95 teammates into proper groups!

 

Marshalling – All athletes ages 12&under are marshaled on Saturday.  No marshalling on Friday.  This is where your child checks in and has an adult/coach help them get to the right place at the right time.

 

Practice this week – In addition to the normal schedule-- on Tuesday at MSHS from 5:45-6:30 we will walk thru any swimmer who is still unsure what to do at a swim meet.  If you’re planning to compete and have not yet been to the MSHS pool, please come this night for the walk-thru.  Also, no practice Friday (see below).

 

Friday night social event – All children not swimming Friday are invited to help decorate the hallways. Poster-making begins at MSHS beginning at 5:30.

 

Volunteer assignments – Please know we’re counting on everyone as volunteers.  If you’re a TIMER, expect contact from our head timers Jen Ray and Tom Vear for details.  If you’re signed up for CONCESSIONS, our concessions coordinators Corrie LaCombe and Barb Haynes should be in contact with details.  If your working with AWARDS, Friday night at 5-5:30 is a good time to get things organized for the next day.  If you’re on timing system/SCOREBOARD please arrive by 5:15 Friday and 8:45 Saturday.

 

Concessions donations – Please bring the non-persishable items Friday night and store in the MSHS cafeteria.  Perishable items need to be delivered by 8:30 am Saturday.  We need extra large coolers and also crock pots.  If you can lend either of these for the day, please bring them Friday night or Saturday.

 

Team swim caps – We still have plenty and they will be for sale at the concessions stand.

 

PS. Thanks to everyone who has been using the swimoutlet.com link through our website.  We’ve earned over $150 so far this season for the team!

 

See you at the pool

 

Weekly News sent 11/11/11

 

Hi families,

 

Just a reminder that the deadline to enter our home swim meet is tomorrow (Saturday).  Next week will get a little crazy so it’s important we get all the entries in and can set relays and make adjustments this weekend.

 

High school swimmers—this is the last meet you can get in that doesn’t count against your 2 during varsity season, so I strongly encourage you to participate in at least a couple events.

 

To enter the meet click here.

 

Any questions please call or e-mail.  Thanks.

 

Weekly News sent 11/06/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

We had a great meet in Appleton this weekend with many personal best swims and our best results ever.  Congrats to everyone who made the trip.  We are really seeing the evidence of the hard work and good practice habits the swimmers are developing.  Our athletes have really been stepping up in practice, congrats!  Now a week off before the home swim meet!

 

Just a reminder that our practice time changes this week due to the start of the high school varsity season.  If you haven’t already, please check out our schedule by clicking here.

 

Other important news:

 

Registration for the Nov. 18-19 home swim meet is now open.  Click here to register or for information.  The deadline is next Saturday.  We still need families to sign up to volunteer and donate concession items.  To do so click here.

 

Big sister program with NMU – We’re going to start this at 5:30 on Thursday of this week at NMU’s pool because the NMU women’s team is traveling Friday to Grand Valley.  We still have room for about 10 more girl swimmers to participate.  If you want your daughter to do this, please let me know so I can pair her with an NMU athlete.  I think our swimmers should plan to have a “Good Luck” card for their big sister on Thursday if possible.  Just a simple note or drawing is fine.

 

Team Fundraiser Saturday – Our rummage sale fundraiser is this Saturday from 8-noon at the YMCA.  Please help us by donating gently used items we can sell.  Items can be delivered to the MSHS pool this week at practice or the YMCA on Friday.  Please raid your neighbors’ and relatives garages for good items too!

 

See you at the pool.

 

Weekly News sent 11/01/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

This info is for the swimmers attending the Fox Cities Invite this coming weekend.  Attached is a timeline of events for all 3 days.  Please keep in mind this is just an estimate and the meet may run ahead of this schedule.  They run a good meet so the athletes need to keep aware of the events.

 

Please have your swimmers on deck to warm-up as follows:

 

Friday night: 5 pm CST

Saturday ages 9-12: 7 am CST

Saturday ages 8&U and 13&O: 11 am CST

Sunday ages 9-12: 7 am CST

Sunday ages  8&U and 13&O: 10:45 am CST

 

Typically the warm-up is very crowded for the first 30 minutes so we will wait until space clears.

 

Remember that the time changes between Sat/Sun so set your watches and clocks back 1 hour.

 

The pool’s address is:

YMCA of the Fox Cities - Appleton

218 E Lawrence Street

Appleton, WI 54911

 

Parking is available in the YMCA parking deck directly across the street from the YMCA for a cost of $1.00 per day. There is some on street parking, but not a lot.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Weekly News sent 11/01/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

We’re now heading into the exciting part of our season where there will be plenty of opportunities to see the results of all the practicing.  We’ve been very impressed with everyone from our Future Stars to College-age athletes so far!

 

Here’s some important headlines for the coming weeks:

 

Practice schedule change as of Monday – With the beginning of varsity high school season our practice schedule changes this Monday.  Click here for the schedule from Nov. 7-Feb. 21 (excl holidays).

 

Home swim meet Nov. 18-19 – Entry form is now online.  Click here for info.  This is our major event of the season and we hope everyone will consider participating in at least one thing.  The deadline is Nov. 12.

 

Team Rummage Sale at the Y Nov. 12 – We’re hosting a rummage sale at the Y as a swim team fund raising event.  Please consider donating lightly used items we can sell.  Items can be delivered to the MSHS pool during next week and the YMCA on Friday, Nov. 11.  Pass the word to friends and family!

 

Happy Ads for home swim meets – For $20 you can purchase a Good Luck Swimmer/Happy Ad.  This is a business-card-sized ad that will appear in the meet program for our 4 home events.  If you want to, just drop me an e-mail with the message and we can debit the cost of the ad.  We can use the graphics of your choice or design it for you.

 

Apparel samples – Will be available for sizing at the MSHS pool Thursday and YMCA next Tuesday (Nov. 8)

 

Big sister program with NMU women’s swimmers – We’re looking at developing a mentoring relationship between some of our female swimmers and the NMU women’s team.  This would involve an opportunity to get to know each other, having the “big sister” help teach or improve a swimmer’s technique, having the “little sister” make good luck cards for the college athletes competition and a social get together.  The swimmers will get together with their mentor on Friday night practices at the PEIF at 5:30 sharp.  If your child is interested, please drop me an e-mail.

 

Adult Fitness Swim – Our next session begins Monday.  This is Mon and Wed nights from 5:45-7 at the MSHS pool.  For more info click here.

 

Thanksgiving week – No practice on Wed-Fri

 

Weekly News sent 11/01/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

This info is for the swimmers attending the Fox Cities Invite this coming weekend.  Attached is a timeline of events for all 3 days.  Please keep in mind this is just an estimate and the meet may run ahead of this schedule.  They run a good meet so the athletes need to keep aware of the events.

 

Please have your swimmers on deck to warm-up as follows:

 

Friday night: 5 pm CST

Saturday ages 9-12: 7 am CST

Saturday ages 8&U and 13&O: 11 am CST

Sunday ages 9-12: 7 am CST

Sunday ages  8&U and 13&O: 10:45 am CST

 

Typically the warm-up is very crowded for the first 30 minutes so we will wait until space clears.

 

Remember that the time changes between Sat/Sun so set your watches and clocks back 1 hour.

 

The pool’s address is:

YMCA of the Fox Cities - Appleton

218 E Lawrence Street

Appleton, WI 54911

 

Parking is available in the YMCA parking deck directly across the street from the YMCA for a cost of $1.00 per day. There is some on street parking, but not a lot.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Matthew Williams

 

Weekly News sent 10/29/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Congratulations on an outstanding first meet of the season!  We were very impressed with how well everyone did.

 

Our strokes look clean and long.  We’re streamlining.  Nobody missed their events.  Our brand new swimmers performed like veterans.  Our 2nd year swimmers are already looking like pros.  Our veterans continue improving and showing that their work ethic is paying off.  We made some new friends and had a chance to get to know each other better.  And we had a few swimmers step up and cover for their sick teammates.

 

Overall I am very excited.  Thanks to the athletes and their parents who provide amazing support.

 

Attached are results.  One report shows athletes sorted by name with their place, points and improvement.  The other shows full results including all teams with relays and relay splits.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 

Weekly News sent 10/28/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

In November we will open a website where families may order YMCA Killer Whales clothing, such as sweatshirts, jackets, hats, etc.  In an effort to improve on last year, each family will be able to order directly from home and the items will be shipped to your home.  You can order from anywhere, at any time, once the site goes online.  All items will meet the requirements for team logo and brand that sports teams are required to follow.

 

I’m sharing this because this weekend we will have samples of the clothing to be used for sizing purposes at the swim meet.  This is to ensure any Houghton-area families who are interested may see the products and try on for size.  We’ll have this stuff on the sports deck near the bleacher area with a parent volunteer Saturday.

 

We’ll also have the samples at the MSHS pool next week on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-7 for anyone interested in checking things out.

 

This is optional and we’re hoping it meets the requests we’ve been getting for having a team apparel order.

 

See everyone tonight or Saturday.

 

Weekly News sent 10/26/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Attached is the swim meet entry list.  It shows your swimmer’s event #, heat and lane assignments for Saturday.  This will make it easier for you to find your athlete in the heat sheet. There will be a copy of this posted on the pool deck by the coaches and near the bleachers on the upper sports deck.  Heat sheets will be available at the concession stand.

 

Here’s how it looks:

 

1 Smith, Jane - Female - Age: 9 - Ind/Rel: 3 / 2

#12 Mixed 9-10 4x50 Medley Relay (2) NT 1/2             #18 Girls 9-10 50 Free NT 2/1

 

Here’s what is means:

 

Jane Smith is a female swimmer age 9 entered in 3 individual events and 2 relays

Jane is in event #12, the Mixed Gender 4x50 Medley relay, going 2nd  in the relay, heat 1, lane 2

Jane is in event #18, the 50-yard freestyle, heat 2, lane 1

NT means no seed time.

 

Please remember to bring a permanent marker and write your child’s events, heat and lane on their arm or leg after warm-up. That way any adult, coach or veteran swimmer can help make sure they are in the right place at the right time.

 

Also attached is a timeline showing approximate times for events.  Please remember this is just a guide and it’s important to pay attention to the meet so that your child arrives at their event or at marshalling on time.

 

A final note: some age groups or genders were combined if there were only 1 or 2 entries.  Although the different ages or genders swim together for that particular event, they are still separated for results and scoring.

 

If you have any questions, please ask a coach.  See you Saturday!

 

Weekly News sent 10/23/11

 

Hi Swim Families:

 

Attached are entries for the Houghton swim meet, details are here including the address of the pool.  Our team’s warm-up is 8:30-9 am  The meet starts at 9:45 am.  We will have a timeline later this week.

 

If this is your first swim meet, please click here for our handbook and check out pages 12-14.  There is a list of things to bring and what to expect at a swim meet.

 

Appleton meet entries -- Due Wednesday.  Click here to find more information or to enter your child.  If you are interested in the team’s block of rooms in Appleton, click here.  This is a fun meet and also gives our high school athletes a chance to swim in two qualifying meets the same weekend (Friday night/Saturday).

 

Bring a friend week – Please consider bringing a friend to practice this week.  We’re actively recruiting swimmers over the next two weeks, so let your friends and relatives give us a try.  Please share my email and phone number with anyone who has questions..

 

Killer Whale team caps – These have arrived. We will sell them at practice this week.  The latex are $5 and silicone are $15.  Make checks payable to the YMCA or authorize automatic debit using the attached form.  I will have them at the PEIF pool Mon and Wed, MSHS pool Tue and Thu,  YMCA pool Tuesday, and at the Houghton meet concession stand.

 

Friday practice -- We will combine our Friday practices for the next two weeks and hold them at the PEIF pool only at 5:30 pm.   This is because attendance at Friday practices is so low and also because we’ll have swimmers and coaches out of town on these coming Friday nights (Oct. 28 and Nov. 4).

 

Team rummage sale Nov. 12 – We will be holding a team rummage sale at the YMCA Nov. 12 from 9-1 as a fall fundraiser.  We’re asking families and friends to please donate gently used items that we can sell.  We’ll take delivery of the items Friday night Nov. 11 at the YMCA.  Items small enough to fit easily in a pickup truck can also be delivered to the MSHS pool the week of Nov. 8-11.  More details to follow.

 

Look forward to seeing everyone at the pool.

 

Weekly News sent 10/19/11

 

Hello swim families,

 

The person who trains YMCA swim officials is willing to do a training session in Marquette Friday night, Nov. 18 at MSHS during the first night of the home swim meet – then people can shadow an official the next day at the meet.  This would be what’s called Level 1 for first time swim officials.

 

Many of our officials are parents of older children who may soon move on to college, etc and we could really use a few new people.  The job is fairly easy and a good way to learn more about swimming rules and technique plus see the swim meet right on the deck.

 

If you have any interest in participating in this please let me know.  We’d need at least two persons to bring the trainer in.

 

Thanks.

 

Weekly News sent 10/16/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

We’re off to a great start and the coaches are amazed by how fast everyone is learning.  Our veteran and second year swimmers are really putting in the yards training and working to improve their strokes.  Our new swimmers have learned some basics of all four swimming strokes, plus how the whistles and horn work at swim meets.  Most children have also either jumped or dived from a starting block.

 

This Friday we will again be introducing things that athletes would see at a swim meet and hope to walk everyone through at least two events.  If your child has never been to a swim meet or needs a refresher these 5:30-6:15 practices are the place to learn even if they do not intend to compete.

 

Some parents have very astutely noticed that the pool seems nearly empty on occasions.  That’s because our enrollment is down 45 swimmers from last year!  If you do the math, you’ll understand this is a big problem.  While the coaches are contacting the families who didn’t return, we’re asking you to help us recruit new swimmers.  We’re hosting more Try-us-out sessions this Tues and Thur at the MSHS (5:30-7) and YMCA pools (5:30-6:15).

 

Next week is “Bring a friend to practice week” and all week long any team member can bring a friend at no charge and let them give us a try.

 

Other news:

 

Volunteers/concessions -- If you have not yet volunteered or signed up to donate a concession item to our Nov. 18-19 home swim meet, please click here and do so—even if your child will not participate we need you to provide help.  Volunteer jobs are the top spreadsheet, concession donations are below that.  Please save the coaches from having to call each family—it’s much appreciated!

 

Houghton Halloween swim meet – To enter your child or find more details, please click here.  The deadline to enter is Saturday.

 

Appleton Nov. 4-5-6 swim meet – To enter your child or find more details please click here.  The deadline is Oct. 26.  You do not have to participate all three days. Lodging info is available here.

 

Fins – we will start using fins regularly now at practice.  We have some spares at the PEIF and MSHS pools, but please bring your own if you have them.

 

Adult Swim for Fitness – Want to try this out?  Come swim again this Friday night 5:30-6:30 at the PEIF pool.  No obligation to swim team parents, just a chance to get a little bit of exercise while your children are in the water and see if you’d be interested in more.  Next week maybe we’ll try water aerobics for parents.

 

Heat sheet ad sales – Our long time volunteer Kathy Foulks and myself are in the process of selling heat sheet ads and sponsorships for our 4 home swim meets.  While we’re willing to do the legwork, you can help us by suggesting area businesses and contact persons we should approach.  Please drop me an email with your suggestions and we’ll follow through.  Attached is our rate sheet and cover letter if that helps.

 

Look forward to seeing everyone in the pool this week.  Keep up the good swimming!

 

Weekly News sent 10/09/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Practice has been going very well and it’s exciting to see how much everyone has improved since last year and how quickly our new swimmers are learning! 

 

Strength Coach Christina Bennett tells us she’s been very impressed with the athletes’ attention to form, work ethic and the mentoring being done by our high school athletes.  Keep up the great work!

 

Lots of important things coming up, so please read below:

 

Wednesday strength training -- Canceled this Wednesday only.  We are on a recovery week after three weeks of build up and I want to give everyone’s muscles a rest before we start our next cycle.  All Wednesday swim practices are as regularly scheduled.

 

Friday practice at MSHS 5:30-6:15 –This week we will introduce some sounds and sights swimmers will see at a swim meet -- in a very low key way.  Any new swimmers or those not familiar with swim meets should consider attending this night. Note: All Friday practices will be held, even though this is a day off of school.

 

Adult Swim for Fitness – Want to try this out?  Come swim this Friday night 5:30-6:30 at the PEIF pool.  No obligation to swim team parents, just a chance to get a little bit of exercise and see if you’d be interested in more.

 

Sign up online – All families are required help at our home swim meet and also donate a concession item, even if your child does not compete.  To sign-up, please click here and choose a job and concession item to donate.  This online form is simple and a huge help to us, plus it saves a coach having to call you.  Those who have already signed up should be entered online so please double-check.  Thanks!

 

Meet entries – The online entry forms for the Houghton and Appleton swim meets are now available.  Please go to www.mqtyswim.com and click on the meet where indicated.  (Note: to participate in the Y state meet, athletes must swim in at least 2 closed Y swim meets.  Appleton counts as 2 if you swim Friday and one other day, so this is a good meet for our older athletes to pick up their two before high school season starts.)  Also, the Appleton meet is our team shopping adventure!

 

State Qualifying and Age Up – Last Friday at the annual Wisconsin coaches meeting the new state qualifying times were set and it was agreed to keep the Dec. 1 date as the age date for the state meet.  This means that whatever your age is on Dec. 1, that’s the age group you will swim in the state meet if you qualify.  The new times will be posted later this week.

 

Esky dual meet Friday Dec. 2 – Escanaba has invited us to a small dual meet at their pool Friday, Dec. 2.  This will be a nice event as it is smaller and will only be Friday night.  The tentative warm-up time is 5:30 with a 6 pm start.  Will that work for most people?  We could push it back to a 6:30 start if that makes a difference for people.  Please let me know.

 

Event Schedule – This has been updated to include lodging info and start times.  We do have a block of rooms set aside for our team in Appleton at a special rate for those interested.  Click here for details.

 

Team Caps – We have ordered new team caps.  They are silver with the Killer Whale logo and will be available at the end of the month.  Latex will be $5 and Silicone will be $15.  The t-shirts for those who met the early registration deadline should arrive late next week.

 

See you in the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 10/03/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

This information is for any families who missed the parent meeting on Friday.

 

Our team handbook is online and you can view it by clicking here.  All families are responsible for the information in that handbook and it was reviewed at the parent meeting.

 

Here are a few highlighted items:

 

Major Home Swim Meets:  All families are required to provide an event volunteer and a concessions donation—even if your child chooses not to compete.  There are two such events (Nov. 19 and March 10).  As well as being social events, these are our main fundraiser to help pay for pool and coaching costs.  Please pitch in and share so all team families can enjoy these events.  Also new this year, we have eliminated the split session meets and will combine all age groups into one session (children still swim with other children of a similar age).

 

Minor home meets: We have two on the schedule. These will be short events geared toward the novice and young swimmers.  There will be a need for some volunteer timers and scoreboard operators, but we will not run concessions.  The expected length of time is about 2 hours.

 

Team suits:  We recommend purchase of a solid black or mostly black suit for competition.  Due to the many different style preferences among our swim families, we will not make a team purchase.  We have made a bulk purchase of team swim caps and these will be for sale in late October.  A reminder that any gear you purchase using http://www.swimoutlet.com/MQTYswim will result in an 8% donation of sales back to the team.

 

Practice: We encourage athletes to attend some practices at the MSHS pool as this is where we host home swim meets and children benefit from getting comfortable in that pool.  Our Friday night Future Stars practices 5:30-6:15 at MSHS will include an introduction to things children will see at the swim meets and would be good for all brand new swimmers to attend, even if they’re a little bit older.

 

Late pickup after practice: This is a continuing issue. Please pick up your child at the conclusion of practice and help us save the expense of a staff person staying late and a child feeling embarrassed because their ride isn’t there.

 

If you have any questions, please let me know.  It’s really great to have so many returning swimmers and see how they’ve improved since last year.

 

 

Weekly News sent 09/30/11

 

Hi swim families:

 

This is just a reminder that our parent meeting is tonight at 5:30 p.m. in a classroom across the hall from the MSHS pool.  During that time our coaches and lifeguards will be hosting games and free swim in the MSHS pool until 6:15 pm.  Friends and siblings are welcome.  There  is no practice at the PEIF pool tonight.  This meeting should last about 30 minutes with time after to sign-up for volunteer duties.

 

Also, tomorrow at 11 am NMU’s women’s swim team hosts their only home meet of this year.  Former Killer Whales Annie Bengry, Tara Dowling and Jenny Gallagher are competing as well as our coach Jess Linnen and lifeguard Steph Rogaczeski.  Please consider stopping by and cheering them on. 

 

(P.S. The NMU women’s team completed the Navy Seal Fitness challenge last week and Tara ranked #1, Annie #3 overall.  Annie has also broken team records in pushups at 107 and pull-ups at 7 – GO Killer Whale Alumni!)

 

 

Weekly News sent 09/18/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Our first week with the older swimmers started well!  We’ll be adding another group to the water this week with our Age Group “Drills and Skills” refresher.  This is a great way to ease back in the water and reinforce some of the basic skills.  The brochure mentions this is for ages 9&over, but those younger swimmers who moved up to Age Group team or who plan to this year may also attend.  The sessions are 5:30-7 at the NMU pool on M-W-F.  Preregistration at the YMCA is required.

 

Future Stars – Our 8 & under group and new athletes start a week from Monday!  Can’t wait to see everyone and meet the new swimmers.

 

Advanced Group – In addition to 3-5 pm training at MSHS this week, we will also run a workout at NMU on M-W-F from 5:30-7 for those involved in other activities.  Strength training begins a week from Monday.

 

Parent Meeting – On Friday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 30 is our parent orientation at MSHS in a classroom near the pool.  This is a chance to meet the coach, learn more about the team and go over important information for this season.  Please make every effort to attend.  To accommodate you, we will have a games, open swim and play at the MSHS pool during this time.  Swimmers and siblings are welcome to join our coaches and lifeguards in the festivities.  If you have a friend considering the team, bring them too!  Children are also welcome at the meeting if they don’t want to get wet.

 

Practice Suits/Team Suits -- If anyone needs practice suits, Swimoutlet.com is having a sale on Sporti endurance fabric jammers ($10-12) and girls suits ($15-25).  You can’t beat these prices! Click on this link and search for “Sporti”.  Note: our team will receive 8% of all sales made through this link.  Also, because we’ve had such difficulty finding team suits in enough quantity the last two years and also because some swimmers are preferring more technical suits, we will encourage a solid black/mostly black suit for swim meets.  This is completely optional, but seems like the easiest way for us to look like a team and also let each family choose what they are willing to spend.

 

Officials Training – We are going to have a training session for anyone willing to learn how to be a swim official on Oct. 13 at 5:30 pm at MSHS.  This is the first level of training and after you attend the class we have opportunities to “shadow” another official before you get asked to officiate on your own.  This is a great opportunity to help our team and, at our home swim meets we waive the meet entry fee for one child for any person who officiates, so it can help with your cost too.  If you have any questions, please contact me.

 

See you in the pool!

 

Weekly News sent 09/05/11

 

Hi swim families,

 

We’re one week from getting our advanced and high school athletes back in the water and two weeks away from a skills and drills clinic for younger athletes.  I can’t wait to see everyone again and I know the other coaches are just as excited.  A reminder that you must be registered to participate.  Registrations by Sept. 24 include a team t-shirt.

 

8th grade swimmers – I would like to encourage all 8th grade swimmers to participate with the Advanced Group this year.  We will ease everyone into the training and continue skill development and this will be a good preparation for swimming in high school next year. Click here for the practice schedule (Note: advanced swimmers coming from Bothwell begin at 3:30 in the after-school sessions).

 

Strength training – We do begin strength training for ages 11&older on Monday, Sept. 26 at the YMCA.  I would also encourage athletes to take advantage of this part of our program.  The skills we work on include agility, speed, power, balance and much of the work is using your own body weight for training.  We are extremely fortunate to have this as part of our program and it’s a bargain compared to hiring a personal trainer!

 

Use website to buy stuff – As you’re looking to replace goggles, practice suits, fins, etc., please consider making your purchase through our website at swimoutlet.com Our team will receive 8% of all sales made that way and they usually have the best price in the country on suits and gear.

 

Try-us-out – Please bring a friend to our Try-us-out week.  It’s a great way to get your friends involved in an afterschool or evening activity with you and increases our fun level.  Make a list of friends and start inviting.  Click here for a flyer.

 

I’m looking forward to being back on deck with everyone.  See you soon.

 

Weekly News sent 08/24/11

 

Hello swim families:

 

Just a clarification: We do understand some of the Advanced swimmers will not be able to make the 3-5:30 practice times in Sept/Oct due to marching band, fall sports, travel from the West End, etc.  We will, of course, work with them to provide a workout lane or two during the Age Group scheduled practices that are later in the evening starting the week of Sept. 19.  Also, we will follow last year’s schedule of Advanced Group high schoolers and Father Marquette students starting at 3 pm and middle schoolers starting at 3:30 on the days we’re at MSHS after school.

 

I hope that helps clarify some questions we’ve had.

 

Also, for those who plan on getting some new gear this fall such a practice suits, goggles, fins, etc. we now have an agreement with SwimOutlet.com that they will donate 8% of all sales referred through our team’s website.  All you need to do is click on the link at our website www.mqtyswim.com or click here:   http://www.swimoutlet.com/MQTYswim

 

This site typically has the best deals for swimmer’s gear, so if you’re searching online, please help the team.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Weekly News sent 08/20/11

 

Hello swimmers and families,

 

We hope you all have enjoyed this glorious summer.  As much fun as we’ve been having coaching this summer and seeing our athletes around town, we’re even more excited that our 2011-12 season is almost here!  Our fall programs start in less than one month and registration is now open.

 

Click here to see our new team brochure with all the information regarding practice times, costs, different practice groups and programs (including a few new options).  Printable enrollment forms, flyers and our schedule are also available at www.mqtyswim.com.  Info about our Try-us-out week is also online—please share this with many friends!

 

Please consider signing up soon.  Enrollment is limited and we’ve had a waiting list the last two years.  And, if you join the team by Sept 24, you’ll get one of our cool Killer Whale T-shirts!

 

One item of note:  You will find that our team fee has increased slightly.  Here’s the reason: This year our hourly pool rental at MSHS has increased nearly 100% (doubled) and our pool rental at NMU increased about 25%.  We have absorbed much of this by reducing our rental hours and staff costs, yet we’ve tried to keep some of the flexible practice options that we know so many families liked.  And we’ve maintained the additional child discount at the same level.    

 

We do value our partnership with MSHS and NMU and appreciate how they continue working with us while facing their own financial challenges.  If you have any questions concerning our team rates, programs or anything else related to swimming, please contact me.

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the pool soon,