RED DEER MARLINS SUMMER SWIM CLUB June Newsletter Volume 25; Issue 3

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Bryan Merritt
5 years ago
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1 RED DEER MARLINS SUMMER SWIM CLUB June Newsletter Volume 25; Issue 3 Website: reddeermarlins@outlook.com Coaches Corner Hello Swimmers and Parents, I can t believe we are halfway through our season already! We have a great group of hardworking swimmers this year! I want to remind everyone that I am gone to Special Olympics Nationals from July 6 to July 13. I will be travelling to Vancouver with 3 hardworking Red Deer athletes to go to the Games. Unfortunately this means I will miss the Red Deer swim meet. I know I will be missing out on a lot of fun at this meet! The other coaches will be stepping in to take great care of my swimmers. Marlin Rockers (Hayley and Paige) I am so excited to be taking over this group of fantastic boys. They have been working really hard on learning butterfly and breaststroke as well as refining their free and back! I know they will continue to do well as we progress through the rest of the season. While I am away Aiden will be covering some of the practices for this group and a guest coach will be covering the rest. Super Sonic Humpback Whales 2.0 (Hayley, Aiden, Shanyn) I have been really impressed with all the swimmers so far this year. Our practices have becoming more intense and the swimmers have really stepped up to the challenge. One thing that I have been reminding the swimmers about is to be bringing a water bottle. We are wasting a lot of time getting out to go to the water fountain. I would like everyone to have a water bottle at every practice. District 13: Kat-ale (Hayley and Brock) - This month has been a great one for Team Kat-ale. The practices have been getting more difficult but the swimmers hard work has sure been paying off in the meets. This group also needs to remember their water bottles. When 5 breaks are taken to walk to the water - 1 -

2 fountain, you don t quite get the same out a set. I look forward to seeing the improvements within this group as we move towards the end of our season. See you at the pool! Hayley It has been a great month with the Super Sonic Humpback Whales 2.0. There have been many improvements made. This group is very hard working and focused. There were many successes in the first few swim meets as a result of the work that has been done. I look forward to the outdoor pool, and not as early of mornings that will come in July. Keep up the great work and keep having fun! Aiden This month has been a great one for the Pink Splashy Turtles. I have seen so much improvement from all of my little swimmers and have loved seeing them become more comfortable in the water. We have been focusing a lot on proper technique for freestyle and backstroke and have recently started learning breaststroke and freestyle flip turns. I have been so impressed with how well they have all caught on. It is important for them to practice doing proper head position and finishes in backstroke so that in a swim meet it all comes naturally and there won't be any disqualifications. I am excited for the next few swim meets where we can start trying breaststroke! Our first swim meet of the season in Lacombe was an awesome one for this group as all of the ones who went took of time in every event and all got their personal bests. Keep up the awesome work, kiddos! Shanyn Hello Minion Swimmers and Parents! (Erin A and B) I hope that everyone is back into the swing of the swim meet season and enjoying their weekends at the pool! We have had many exciting races and best times so far, and as the swimmers continue to improve I m sure there will be many more to come! - 2 -

3 These past few weeks, we have continued to focus on improving freestyle and backstroke techniques, as well as proper streamlines and flip turns with these strokes. We have also begun to introduce breaststroke and butterfly. The swimmers have been working very hard on these new strokes and advancements can be seen almost every practice! Great work, swimmers! In July, we will continue to practice great habits in free and back, and work hard to improve our breast and fly skills. As concepts of all four strokes are mastered, we will move onto introducing the dreaded I.M. Swim meets are a great opportunity to see how swimmers have improved, so I would encourage you attend as many as you can I hope to see you all at the Red Deer Meet! Erin Hello Pre-Comp Swimmers and Parents! What an energetic group of swimmers! This past week, we have been working very hard on flutter kick and blowing bubbles out when our faces are in the water. All swimmers have successfully completed a full length of kick on their front and back, which is super awesome to see! We have also just begun to introduce freestyle and backstroke and the swimmers are doing fantastic already. We will continue to work on these strokes and aim for the swimmers to be able to complete a whole length of each stroke by themselves! The kids are excited to be at the pool everyday which makes it very fun to coach them. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer working with these swimmers and seeing how much they improve! If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to me. See you at the pool! Erin - 3 -

4 My little pre-comp group has been doing amazing despite all of the changes they have been through. Erin and I find that it works out good to split up the group and then switch groups half way through the practice. All of them have awesome kicks with their flutter boards and good floats and glides. Right now we are working on freestyle arms with proper breathing to the side and working on backstroke with nice high hips. I'm excited to see how much more they can improve in another month! Shanyn Hi all, This month there were some changes with the coaching for my group but it is still going smoothly and all our athletes are working hard and showing amazing attendance! Recently we introduced to the kids breast stroke and butterfly, we have been working on whip kick and our dolphin kick every day and it has paid off! We had our first swim meet a couple of weekends ago now and our swimmers did great with their technique and showing up on time for their races and I m very proud! Keep up the good work! Paige Month 2 has seen some amazing progress for all our swimmers. Many of the athletes in my group have now attended their first swim meet and did amazing! In addition, the swimmers who have been there before took off some absolutely huge chunks of time. I am incredibly impressed with all my swimmers. Both their technique and speed are coming along quickly. Coming up we will see a lot more swim meets and some good chances for our swimmers to make best times and keep pushing themselves! Keep up the great work! Brock Ah the OFFICIAL summer is upon us (at least from my point of view). Get ready for outdoor pool sun and fun, and maybe some tough training along the way! July is our biggest training block for District 13 and will be focused on meters, intensity, race preparation, etc. I will be missing one week and will be relying on - 4 -

5 the other coaches, especially Hayley and Brock, to take care of things in my absence. Thanks to those two in advance for stepping into the lions den for me! June was an excellent month that saw many of our swimmers beat their times, win a TON of races, and have a great experience at the meets we have been able to attend. A special note of kudos to Mason and Chad Lantz and Nathania Sunga who have been a refreshing presence at the competitions and are really starting to see some excellent improvement! Not to mention their encouraging attitudes and sportsmanship! Congratulations to the following swimmers who achieved their A time standard and will be members of the ASSA All-Star Team competing at the 2014 Speedo Alberta Age Group & Senior Championships the first weekend of July in Edmonton: Claire Halford 100 back 1:13.71 Aidan Johns 50 back Aiden Kooyman 50 back Ryan Mah 50 fly Lauren Bettenson 100 back 1:20.13 Cale Kooyman 100 breast 1:17.19 Liam Stalwick 100 fly 1:07.71 An excellent accomplishment and I wish them the best of luck as they compete against some of the best the province has to offer from both year-round and summer swimming. A rare opportunity and one that hopefully helps them accomplish their goals moving forward. Hopefully everyone had a chance to read my recommendations for equipment, if not it is on the website. If you are starting to think that swimming might be an annual thing, having your own gear isn t such a bad idea! See you all at the pool! AJ Swimmers of the Week Week 4 Alexis Squire Alexis had an awesome week! She works very hard in practice and her streamlines and whip kick are looking great. Alexis also made the extra effort to come to morning practice when she had the Endurance Swim later that day. Keep it up, Alexis! - Coach Erin - 5 -

6 Ty Brinkurst - Ty is a tank. He has one of the best attendance records in the group and is constantly pushing himself to make pace times and push the group! - Coach Brock Kennedy Brinkhurst Although Kennedy is new to Marlins this year, she has learned her strokes quickly and is looking fantastic in the water! Kennedy successfully completed her Endurance Swim and I am excited to see more improvements from her this season! Awesome work, Kennedy! - Coach Erin Grace Reiswig - Grace has been doing very well so far. She has improved significantly and has shown me some good dives off the starting block. I'm so proud of how you have been doing for your first year, Grace. - Coach Shanyn Ayden Wannop Ayden has been pushing himself really hard this year. It has been awesome to see his drive and determination in all our practices. I know his hard work will be paying off in his races. Keep it up Ayden! Jack Walton As always, Jack has been working hard, being positive and being a great lane leader! He is always up for the hard sets and gives them 100%. He is a pleasure to coach, way to go Jack! Erik Sveinson Erik had an excellent meet at Lacombe and has been training with a great deal of focus and determination. What a great breaststroke, and a pretty fast 50 free as well! Keep it up Erik! Carson Schiller Carson took initiative this week and was leading lanes and keeping track of pace times. It s nice to see the consistency and hard work, way to go Carson! Week 5 Danica MacPherson - Danica is always smiling at practice and is a lot of fun to coach. She makes sure to ask lots of questions when she is unsure of what to do, and tries her best in all situations! I am looking forward to seeing Danica race! Way to go! - Coach Erin - 6 -

7 Sabine Gamache - Sabine did so well this week with her backstroke and specifically with her backstroke arms. She worked hard all week showing me a desire to want to improve. Awesome work, Sabine! You are showing me so much dedication to this sport. - Coach Shanyn Jélena Snydal This week Jélena had some awesome practices! She had a great attitude and worked hard on the strokes that she is less confident with. All the coaches have noticed great improvements in Jélena s strokes. Awesome job Jélena! Kade McDonald - Kade has a great technical ability and was one of the few swimmers who completed flip turns at every wall during the endurance swim. That includes some of the senior swimmers. - Coach Brock Nyah McDonald Nyah has been doing a great job with our hard practices. She works so hard that sometimes I think she is getting best times in practices. Keep up the great effort Nyah! - Coach Brock Aiden Kooyman Aiden is not only doing a stellar job coaching with Hayley and Shanyn, he is also leading in the pool with his positive attitude and great work ethic. He does all the little things that some people forget about, awesome to see the results following the effort! Liam Stalwick Liam has had a tremendous start to the season and is beginning to ask a lot of the right questions to help him advance in both skill and attitude. Lots of room to improve, but on the right track! Great job Liam! Week 6 Hayden Bettenson Hayden had an awesome first swim meet and obtained 3 personal best times. She has also been working very hard on her backstroke turns and was able to confidently perform a turn in Lacombe! Congratulations, Hayden! - Coach Erin Rhett Becher - This week Rhett worked very hard on his bilateral breathing in freestyle and did so well with it. He came to every practice this week and had a smile on his face each day. Keep up your awesome work, buddy! - Coach Shanyn - 7 -

8 Hanna Mateika Hanna has been blowing us away with her hard work in practice. She is eager to improve and follow our advice. We are all so excited by the improvements she has been making! Awesome job Hanna! Richard Seo Richard is the best listener I have ever met! He pays close attention to our instructions and feedback and is a pleasure to coach. We can always rely on him to know what the sets are and help out the others in his lane. Way to go Richard! Cale Kooyman Cale broke the 50 breast Provincial Record at the Lacombe swim meet, a great reinforcement of his positive attitude and tireless efforts in the water. Now to break his own record by the end of the year! Nice work Cale! Week 7 Jacobi Wannop Jacobi has been very focused for the last few weeks and has been working hard to improve her whip kick. She is very attentive in practice and tries her best to always be listening. Great job, Jacobi! - Coach Erin Hannah LaGrange - Hannah was so deserving of the swimmer of the week this week as she came to every practice, was a lane leader, and showed me awesome breaststroke technique and flip turns. Great job, Hannah! - Coach Shanyn Reece Pollitt - This week Reece got swimmer of the week because he has shown commitment and has come to all the practices with a great attitude. This week he blew us away with his outstanding breaststroke and whip kick skills and is improving every day. Keep up the good work! - Coach Paige Rory Zilka - Rory has been doing a great job in practices. She is returning from foot surgery and her determination is amazing! She has been pushing herself to do more and more kick and has improved a lot! Way to go Rory! Kate Hansen Kate is a very coachable swimmer. She is always asking for feedback and for tips on improving her strokes. She maintains a positive attitude even in our hardest practices. Fantastic swimming Kate! - 8 -

9 Chad Lantz - Chad has quickly become one of our quickest swimmers. Chad is constantly pushing himself to keep up with the more experienced swimmers and never seems to run out of energy! - Coach Brock Ryan Claerhout Ryan has been doing a great job in practice. He always put in 100% effort and is a great lane leader. His positivity is awesome to have at the pool! Awesome job Ryan! Tyler Driesen Tyler is happy and healthy this year and has been training with a renewed sense of purpose! It is great to see him back in the water consistently, and his times are starting to drop as a result of all the hard work. Congrats Tyler! Week 8 Sara Mateika - Sara has been doing an awesome job in practices. She often chooses to do butterfly and we can really see the improvements in her stroke. Sara is a great lane leader, and clock watcher! Keep it up Sara! Ryan Mah Ryan is finally back to training at the level I am used to seeing from him and has had a good couple of meets to boost his confidence. Keep on working hard and being smart in the pool! Red Deer Marlins Meet July 11/12 Michener Pool There will be a need for volunteers in many areas to make this meet successful. Watch for a future detailing the needs and how to sign up. Fundraising Update Thank you for all of your hard work getting your fundraising commitments completed or well on the way! Here are a few updates: emember to have A of your raffle ticket stubs returned to andra alfair, arni or Ian Bettenson before July 5th. All of the cheques that we - 9 -

10 have not already deposited for these tickets will be deposited before the draw. There has been a change at the bottle depot. They are NO LONGER keeping our contributions on file. You will NEED to take the money. You can then contact us to deposit your cheque instead, or we can possibly meet up and you can hand deliver your cash. This fundraiser is ending on August 5th. We will be placing one last grocery card order on July 15th. This will be the last opportunity for any fundraising other than bottles. You need to purchase $1100 in obey s gift cards or $2000 in ave-on cards to count as 1 fundraising commitment. You can refer to the Marlins website for further information. If you have questions please contact one of us at imbettenson@shaw.ca or Sandramalfair@gmail.com. Thanks again! Marlins Fundraising Committee

RED DEER MARLINS SUMMER SWIM CLUB

RED DEER MARLINS SUMMER SWIM CLUB April 2015 Newsletter Volume 26; Issue 1 website: www.reddeermarlins.org email: reddeermarlins@outlook.com President`s Message 2014 ASSA Provincial Champions Welcome back