WILDTHINGS WEEKLY The Langley Club Where the Wildthings Swim In This Issue Meet Recap Page 2: Time Trials and B Meet Recaps Division 4 Page 3: How does the competition stack up? A Meet Page 4: Wildthings travel to Poplar Tree B Meet Page 5-6: Home meet against Great Falls Wildthings Word of the Week: Breaststroke Page 7-8: How to swim breaststroke legally Social Calendar Page 9: Pep Rally, Movie Day New Wildthings Family Swim Meet Season is in Full Swing! The Wildthings Finished Two Meets in Three Days! The Wildthings swimmers and their families weathered the hot, humid Time Trials on Saturday and thunderstorms on Monday at the B Meet at Poplar Heights. Now they'll prepare for an A Meet at Poplar Tree on Saturday and a B Meet against Great Falls at the Langley Club. Page 10: Wildthings welcome the Center-Gilbertson Family Sponsors Page 11: Free sunscreen Go Wildthings! 1
The Langley Club Swim Team Newsletter - Volume 3 June 17, 2015 Recap: Time Trials at the LC and B Meet at Poplar Heights Time Trials Hot and humid -- it's finally summertime at the Langley Club. Swimmers were happy for the chance to dive into the cool, blue water at Saturday's four-hour Time Trials. A total of 144 swimmers showed their stuff and 203 races were personal bests! If the timers felt their thumbs were sore by the end, that's because 532 swims were recorded. B Meet Against Poplar Heights With a one-hour thunder warning delay, the Monday night B Meet against Poplar Heights ran late through the evening. All four strokes were swum. The swimmers in the butterfly event were able to compete even as the sun was setting and the pool lights flickered on. The meet resulted in 59 personal best times among the 114 swimmers who participated. Coach Mason fires up the youngest Wildthings at Time Trials. The Clerk of Course officials worked hard on Saturday organizing a record number of young swimmers. Kudos to them!! (Photo cred: Caran McKee) We're off to a swimming good start, Wildthings!! (Photo cred: Kathleen Mullery. Kathleen took the front page picture too.) Go Wildthings! 2
Division 4 Outlook Wildthings Swim in Division 4 for the third consecutive summer So, what does Division 4 look like this summer? Seeded in a tie for second place, this is the Wildthings' third year in Division 4, after moving up from Division 5 in 2012. The Wildthings will face some familiar teams this season, while others are new. Here's the A Meet low-down in calendar order: Poplar Tree, Away, June 20: The Pirates moved up to Division 4 from 5 where they had a 4-1 record last season. The Pirates are seeded 5th. Riverside Gardens, Home, June 27: With a 5-0 record last season, the Tsunami moved up to Division 4 from 5. The Tsunami are seeded 4th. Virginia Run, Away, July 4: Long-time Wildthings will remember being with the Riptide in Division 5 in 2010. Last season, they were undefeated in Division 6. The Riptide are seeded 6th. Pinecrest, Home, July 11: Who could forget last summer's ties with Pinecrest?? The Piranhas tied the Wildthings' overall record of 2-2-1, with the tie being between Langley and Pinecrest. The Piranhas are seeded 2nd, another tie with Langley! Lee-Graham, Away, July 18: Seeded 1st, the Dolphins are the only Division 4 team who came down this season. Their record last summer was 1-4 in Division 3. Despite last year's record, the Dolphins will be tough to beat. The Dolphin boys team has depth. The Dolphins had eight boys qualify for All-Stars swimmers last year. Seven of the eight boys qualified for two All-Stars events each. While some of the boys aged up this summer, consider two summers ago for a better gauge of how they will perform this summer. Six boys qualified for All-Stars and five boys qualified for two events each. To put things in perspective, the Wildthings usually has six to eight swimmers who qualify for All Stars (that number is boys and girls combined). Look for the Wildthings boys to step up their game and for the Wildthings girls to help the boys by scoring much needed points. Get ready to cheer loudly and swim fast, Wildthings!!! Go Wildthings! 3
A Meet against Poplar Tree On Saturday, the Wildthings travel to Poplar Tree for the first A Meet of the season Calling all Wildthings! All Wildthings are encouraged to attend the meet. We need all swimmers to come and cheer on the team! Here are the details you need to know: Pool Address: Poplar Tree, 13516 Point Pleasant Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151 (directions below) Caravan: Depart 7:45 a.m. from LC parking lot (arrive at the LC a little bit earlier to decorate your car and to get the cars lined up) Warm-ups: 8:20 a.m. (Be there by 8:10 a.m. to meet in the parking lot and enter together as a team) Pool Directions (according to Google maps): Drive Safely! 1. Get on I-495 South from Balls Hill Road. 2. Follow I-495 South for about 4 miles. 3. Take exit 49 for I-66 West toward Manassas/Front Royal. 4. Merge onto I-66 West. Travel approximately 9.5 miles. 5. Take the Stringfellow Road exit on the left. 6. Turn right onto Stringfellow Road. 7. Turn left onto Point Pleasant Drive. 8. Turn left to stay on Point Pleasant Drive. The pool will be on the left. NVSL website has directions from Rt 50: From Rt 50: Go south on Stringfellow Rd. At 3rd light, turn right on Point Pleasant Road. At the first street, turn left onto Point Pleasant (it is a circular road). The pool and swim club will on your left. From 66 - exit 50 west and follow the above directions. (From 50 W, your turn on Stringfellow will be a left.) After the meet: The Wildthings will hold their post-meet team lunch at Buffalo Wing Factory in Chantilly. The directions are as follows: Leaving Poplar Tree head east on Point Pleasant Drive toward Stringfellow Road. Turn left on Stringfellow Road. Stay on route for 0.9 of a mile. Turn right on Route 50 (Lee Jackson Highway). The shopping area (13067 Lee Jackson Highway) with the Buffalo Wing Factory will be on your immediate right next to the Dogfish Head Alehouse. When you arrive, let the host know that you are part of the Langley swim team, and they will seat you in a our section. Get some rest, stay out of the sun, and ALL Swimmers please join us for the Pep Rally at 6:30 p.m. on Friday! GO WILDTHINGS!!! Go Wildthings! 4
2015 Meet Schedule Declare your availability in TeamUnify for all of the meets! June 20, A Meet: at Poplar Tree June 22, B Meet: Great Falls, HOME June 27, A Meet: Riverside Gardens, HOME June 29, B Meet: at Tuckahoe July 4, A Meet: at Virginia Run July 6, B Meet: McLean, HOME July 8, Divisional Relay Carnival: at Lee-Graham July 11, A Meet: Pinecrest, HOME July 13, B Meet: Chesterbrook, HOME July 15, All-Star Relay Carnival: at Hunt Valley July 18, A Meet: at Lee-Graham B Meet against Great Falls at the LC The Wildthings take on the Great Falls Rapids on Monday Time: Please be at the pool by 4:45 p.m. as our warm up runs from 5:00 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. The meet starts promptly at 6:00 p.m. Meet duration: Monday night meets typically run from 6-9 p.m. but is dependent on the number of swimmers, the number of events and other factors that can shorten or lengthen that timeframe. Swimmer events: Please be sure to select your swimmer's two events by going to the Langley Wildthings TeamUnify website. If your swimmer scored points in their individual event during the A Meet on Saturday, then they are not allowed to swim that event on Monday night. Volunteers: Many of you have volunteer duties during the meet so please check-in with our volunteer coordinators, Kara Kaldes or Laurie Buchanan, upon arrival to let them know you are there and to get instructions. July 20, B Meet: at Hamlet July 20: Donuts after practice July 25, Divisionals: at Virginia Run August 1, Individual All-Stars: at Little Rocky Run Seating: We sit on the chairs and bleachers closest to the club house; the visitors sit on the side near the tennis courts. Please do not go on the pool deck during the meet unless you have a volunteer position that requires you to be on the deck. Please respect the needs of our swimmers and don t talk at the beginning of each heat so that they can hear the referee and starter. Go Wildthings! 5
continued... B Meet against Great Falls at the LC Parking: Lots of rules here so please read carefully. Parking during meets is very tight so please come in one car if possible. We have a small parking lot and our overflow parking is on the street. Please be sure that if you park on the street, you pull off the road as far as possible. We will reserve half of our parking lot for the visiting team; it is on the right as you pull into the pool and we will have signs directing drivers. Please do not park in this area. There will be 5 parking spaces reserved for the coaches and reps from the visiting team and will be marked accordingly. Do not park in these spaces either. There is a fire hydrant at the right side of the entrance to our pool that will be marked with orange cones. Do not park in front of the cones. The police will ticket you. Also, please be respectful or our neighbors and do not block anyone s driveway when parking on the street. The Holy Trinity parking lot at the corner of Balls Hill Road and Georgetown Pike is used as a last resort. Whew! That's a lot of details, but parking is always a challenge that goes better if we all stick to these rules. Eat!: We will have a full snack bar including dinner food such as pizza, Chik-Fil-A and assorted snacks and drinks. Bring your hunger and thirst (and cash) and support our team. Weather: We all hope for beautiful weather but as we know the weather can be difficult in our area. If you think there are weather issues please check our website to get updates on cancellations and also look for an email if there is a cancellation. Do not assume that just because it is raining we will cancel the meet; we can swim if it is raining. We will do everything to get the meet in if we can, including shortening warm-ups, as well as starting late, if needed. Remember Poplar Heights? Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on Monday. - Dave Borsos, 'B' Meet Rep Important notes: Theme: 80's. Come dressed in your bright neons, double collared polo shirts, Miami Vice attire, leg warmers, mullets and big hair! The Individual Medley (IM) event is not included in the schedule. We are happy to report that all volunteer jobs are full! If you still need volunteer credits, please contact the Volunteer Coordinators, Kara Kaldes and Laurie Buchanan. Also, remember you still need Social Events volunteer hours! Have fun and do your best! Go Wildthings! 6
Wildthings Word of the Week: Breaststroke First, everyone did great at Time Trials. Second, some of the swimmers received disqualification (DQ) slips. But, that's OK and very typical for this time of year. It's early in the season and not all of the swimmers have mastered all four strokes. The coaches will provide you with the DQ slip so you will know what your swimmer needs to improve upon. Third, it's great your swimmer even attempted the stroke! One of the more challenging strokes is the breaststroke. Out of 131 swimmers who swam breaststroke at Time Trials, 42 received DQ slips. Let's go over the rules and see how your swimmer can improve. Breaststroke (as defined by the 2015 USA Swimming Rulebook) 101.2 BREASTSTROKE.1 Start - The forward start shall be used..2 Stroke - After the start and after each turn when the swimmer leaves the wall, the body shall be kept on the breast. It is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time except at the turn after the touch of the wall where it is permissible to turn in any manner as long as the body is on the breast when leaving the wall. Throughout the race the stroke cycle must be one arm stroke and one leg kick in that order. DQ's: We had a swimmer do two pull arms followed by a kick. Another swimmer did a one arm pull and two kicks. All movements of the arms shall be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane without alternating movement. DQ's: Freestyle arms are not permitted. The hands shall be pushed forward together from the breast on, under, or over the water. The elbows shall be under water except for the final stroke before the turn, during the turn and for the final stroke at the finish. The hands shall be brought back on or under the surface of the water. The hands shall not be brought back beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke after the start and each turn. DQ's: When swimming breaststroke, make sure that the arms bend in front of the breast. Swimmers whose arms are straight pass the hipline will get a DQ that says arms past hipline. During each complete cycle, some part of the swimmer s head shall break the surface of the water. After the start and after each turn, the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely back to the legs. The head must break the surface of the water before the hands turn inward at the widest part of the second stroke. DQ's: Sometimes swimmers dive too deep and they don't surface by the second stroke. Go Wildthings! 7
Wildthings Word of the Week: Breaststroke continued....3 Kick - After the start and each turn, at any time prior to the first breaststroke kick a single butterfly kick is permitted. Following which, all movements of the legs shall be simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane without alternating movement. The feet must be turned outwards during the propulsive part of the kick. Scissors, alternating movements or downward butterfly kicks are not permitted except as provided herein. Breaking the surface of the water with the feet is allowed unless followed by a downward butterfly kick. DQ's: A scissor kick is when one foot is turned in and the other foot is turned out. An alternating kick is used in freestyle. A butterfly kick is when both feet are pushing down at the same time. In the butterfly kick, the propulsion is coming from the top side of the foot..4 Turns and Finish - At each turn and at the finish of the race, the touch shall be made with both hands separated and simultaneously at, above, or below the water level. At the last stroke before the turn and at the finish an arm stroke not followed by a leg kick is permitted. The head may be submerged after the last arm pull prior to the touch, provided it breaks the surface of the water at some point during the last complete or incomplete cycle preceding the touch. DQ's: If one hand touches and the other hand never touches, then the Stroke and Turn official will say one hand touch. If one hand touches followed by the other hand, then the Stroke and Turn official will say nonsimultaneous touch. Stacked hands are not permitted. Please review the picture to the right for clarification of what type of touch is permitted. If you have any questions regarding the breaststroke, then please see the coaches. The breaststroke will come together when you learn from your mistakes and you concentrate on doing the stroke correctly at practice every time. Good luck! Go Wildthings! 8
2015 Social Calendar Fun Activities for All Wildthings! June 19 at 6:30 PM: Pep Rally June 22: Donuts after practice June 24: Movie Day June 25 at 12:00 PM: Subs after practice June 26 at 6:00 PM: Team Pep Rally Pep Rally Come show your spirit at the Pep Rally on Friday at 6:30 p.m. A fun scavenger hunt is planned! Wildthings Friday Pep Rallies are a long-time and fun tradition at the Langley Club. ALL swimmers, regardless of age or whether or not they are even swimming in the Saturday A Meet, are welcome and encouraged to attend. June 29: Team Picture Day & Donuts July 1: Pancake Breakfast July 2: 13 & Older Olive Garden Dinner July 2: Subs after practice July 3: Team Pep Rally July 6: Donuts after practice July 9: Laser Tag Party July 10 at 6:00 PM: Team Pep Rally Wildthings Go to the Movies! Movie Day Don't miss the swim team outing next Wednesday afternoon, June 24th, when the Wildthings will be going to Tysons AMC theater with the coaches to take in a movie. Details will be sent via email when available, but pencil it in now! July 11: 13 & Overs Progressive Dinner July 13: Donuts after practice July 16: Subs after practice July 17: Team Pep Rally July 19 at 5:00 PM: Splash Party July 20: Donuts after practice July 23: 13 & Overs Paintball July 23: Subs after practice July 24: Coach Appreciation Day July 25: Awards Ceremony & Banquet Go Wildthings! 9
New Wildthings Family With 50 new swimmers this season, the Wildthings Weekly plans to feature a new family each week so we can all get to know them! If you are a new family, then please send in your picture! The brave family who agreed to go first brought seven-year-old twin boys to the team, Johnny (in grey) and Billy (in black). Parents Greg Center and Carla Gilbertson moved to McLean from DC several years ago and while the boys have taken winter swim lessons, this is their first experience on a swim team. They have a four-year-old sister, Emmy, who is a future Wildthing. When they aren't enjoying their new membership at the Langley Club, they enjoy hiking on the numerous state and national park trails in the area. In fact, Johnny and Billy are hiking Scott's Run in the photo below. Welcome to the Center-Gilbertson family!! Go Wildthings! 10
Thank You to Our Sponsors Free sunscreen! Seriously? Dr. Talakoub has graciously donated tons of sunscreen samples to the team. Look for them at the Pep Rally. If you don't get a chance to grab one, don't fret. More will be coming! The Wildthings Weekly is will be published on Wednesdays. Deadline for article submission is the Tuesday before the published date. Please send all articles and pictures for consideration to Mel Quinn (vaquinns@gmail.com or Imelda_Quinn@yahoo.com) and to Caran McKee (kolbe@aol.com). Thanks for reading! Go Wildthings! 11