- Nov. 10-11: YSST Meet in Hickory, NC (12 & Unders)
- Nov. 10-11: Baylor in Chattanooga, TN (13 & Overs)
- Nov. 12: Greenville Meet Entries Due (10 &nders)
- Nov. 22: Thanksgiving (NO PRACTICE)
- Nov. 23: Practice will be held at Skyland Rec. Pool
- Nov. 26: Hokie Meet Entries Due (11 & overs)
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The Nehi group at Reuter is currently focusing on balance in the water. By doing different bob techniques and kick sets, the kids are learning how to rotate their bodies at the right time, stay balanced on their axis, and using this information in their swimming to help improve their performance with each stroke. The Nehis performed extremely well so far this season, and I am excited to see times drop and strokes improve! | |
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By now you all should know our drill progressions for each stroke. Remember that the drills we do in practice are used to help improve your swimming skills, it is not a race. Please take your time to perform each drill properly and implement everything you learn from the drills into your strokes. When it comes to swimming FAST, proper technique is important. So remember to go slow and think about what you are doing every time we are working on our drills. It is also important to use the restroom prior to practice because we only have a limited amount of time in the water.
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The Crush swimmers have met with Cch Kiki about their goals for this short course season. Having just swum in the first meets of the season, October Opener and the YSSC Y Invite, should help the Crush swimmers to focus a bit more clearly on what they want for themselves for this coming season. Once they decide what they want to accomplish, then they need to plan what they will do in order to put themselves in the best position to achieve these goals that they have set for themselves. Goals may be very general to start off with and then become more specific. The goals themselves are relatively simple to arrive at. It is the steps to reaching/achieving these goals that should have the full thought and commitment in them in order to make the goal a reality. This process is one that we continue to use all through life. The more times a swimmer/person goes through this process, the better they become at setting and achieving!
Some of the general goals that each swimmer should think about setting for themselves are:
- Swimming each stroke in their age group event list
- Maintain practice attendance
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Find a way to support team mates at each practice
- Swimming all events in their event list
- Always finish practice with a positive thought or comment for yourself AND a team mate or coach
- Demonstrate the good behavior/character that your parents teach you (at home) when in the locker room or on the pool deck
- Think about how you can do one thing better this day than the previous day
As the top group in the 12/under part of our program, the Crush swimmers should be aware of the example they set. This is an expectation in the National/SrC groups in the 13/over part of the team as well.
There is a proverb, “To whom much is given, much is expected”. As swimmers rise through the ranks, they should help others to rise as well. This is also true in life. As the coach with this group, I see the Crush swimmers beginning to practice some of these “life skills” along with their swimming skills. Keep it up, practice makes perfect!
-Cch Kiki
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This month marks the beginning of our new training and practice schedules. The Senior Development Group is moving to the Reuter Y on Tuesdays and Thursday beginning on October 30 from 4:30-7:30. This move will allow the group to take advantage of additional pool space and other equipment and spaces for our dryland training. The Senior Circuit and National Groups training schedule have also been changed. Speak with Coach Chris about this change. Please check the team's website for new practice schedule.
SrD: With our new schedule change comes changes in our training. First off, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will be having a one hour dryland training session followed by a two hour swim session. We are also going to be implementing some new Shoulder and Back Injury Prevention work into our daily workouts. As you all are aware of, I have been splitting up the group into two separate training groups (Group I and II). This is because some of you have been swimming longer and need that intermediate step to prepare you for moving up to Senior Circuit, whereas, some of you are newer and need the additional technique work with some training in there too.
Congratulations to Emma May, Luke McFarland, Lindsey Hamrick and Jake Johnson for earning their chance to try their might in Senior Circuit.
You all have shown so much improvement since I first started with the Piranhas that saying I am proud of you does not say enough of what I think. Keep up the fantastic work and I am sure we will see vast improvements this year!
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This season is getting off to a fantastic start. With our home meet and the meet in Duncan under our belts, it has given us a basis for you as swimmers and we as coaches to set goals and envision parts of our training to help us improve inside the sport of competitive swimming. Right now our coaching staff is spread thin, with the addition of new sites and swimmers to our program; it is an exciting time to be an YWNC Piranha. This does present challenges to us as coaches and to you as swimmers. We as coaches do look to you to step up your own internal motivations in practice. This means we need you to bring the positive attitude and great work ethic we all know you possess, to each practice. We want you all to listen when the coach is speaking and allow yourself to accept their criticism of your strokes and make adjustments. We as coaches want to see you succeed and do our best to see each of you to do so. Encourage each other and grow together and success will come.
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This season is off to a fantastic start. It was great to have the whole team out to our facility for the home opener with the Hickory Y. It was a great opener and each of you showed up and did your very best to make each swim a personal best. Those of you that went to the Duncan SC. meet once again gave great effort in your swims and kept that positive attitude going when you may not have had your best effort. This time of season, we as coaches, are not looking for best times every meet. We are looking more so for technique improvements, and you building a strong mental copasity. Being able to visualize your actions and interpret what you visualize into a positive outcome is something that we work on day in and day out in practice. We are a small but strong group of swimmers that will continue to grow and succeed.
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Bits and Pieces:
1) Congratulations to the Piranha Program, we have cracked the 150 member mark! We are currently at 156. It is GREAT to be serving this many swimmers and families!
2) We had 96 Piranhas attend our October Opener dual meet with the Hickory Y!! Our Y of WNC host center in Marion did a super job of being our host site and making everyone feel welcome! Also, over half of our parent volunteers for the meet came from our new Piranha members-thank you so much!!!!!!! We had 81 Piranhas participate in the YSSC meet in Duncan, SC. It was great to see so many Piranhas.
Reminder on swim meet entries…
….. (for returning Piranhas as well as the new Piranhas)
1-Entry form is posted on the team website ( www.ymcawnc.org/piranhas )at least 3-4 weeks out from the meet-this has the date/street address of pool/time of competition/ order of events and cost as well as the date the RSVP is due to the team office.
2-To RSVP you may before the “due date” or by the “due date”:
-email your RSVP to the Cch Kiki ( kfarmer@ymcawnc.org )
-OR turn in form to the Swim Team Office (mail slot in the door if no one is in the office) at Reuter Y
-OR mail to: YWNC
3 Town Square Blvd.
Asheville NC 28803
3-Entry Fee payment can be made anytime up to the day before the meet begins. This can be done by
–Check at the swim team office or
–Credit Card by calling the Y Business Office 210-9653/Amy Jones.
3) Outfitting/team gear- there have been a few questions on the delayed arrival of some ordered team wear. All YMCA’s in the US are in the process of rebranding. Everyone has until December or 2015. However, some Y’s chose to be “early adopters” meaning they will be changing NOW. Our Y is one of the early adopters.
What that means for us is, we are currently changing all our logos and the new items will be ready soon. So, if you have ordered warm ups and parkas they will be sent to you in November.
As far as equipment, here is the breakdown by groups:
- National, SrC, SrD and O.Crush group members have equipment needs (team kick board, pull bouy, fins, paddles, etc. depending on the group)
- Orange and O.Nehi group members ONLY need the team kickboard
- Team wear and equipment (EXCLUDING the kick board and team caps) may be purchased through our team supplier, Kastaways Swimwear 336-315-8497
Orange and Black, Piranhas Attack! | |
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13 Steps to becoming a better Swim Parent... |
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Our last installment from the article “How to be a Winning Parent” by Dr. Alan Goldberg, teaches us to not compare but to respect the differences in others and also to teach our swimmers to have the right kind of perspective on the experiences they gain from athletics.
12. AVOID COMPARISONS AND RESPECT DEVELOPMENTAL DIFFERENCES. Supportive parents do not use other athletes that their child competes against to compare and thus evaluate their child's progress. Comparisons are useless, inaccurate and destructive. Each child matures differently and the process of comparison ignores significant distorting effects of developmental differences. For example, two 12 year old boys may only have their age in common! One may physically have the build and perform like a 16 year old while the other, a late developer, may have the physical size and attribute of a 9 year old. Performance comparisons can prematurely turn off otherwise talented athletes on their sport. The only value of comparisons is in teaching. If one child demonstrates proper technique, that child can be used comparatively as a model ONLY! For your child to do his very best he needs to learn to stay within himself. Worrying about how another athlete is doing interferes with him doing this.
13. TEACH YOUR CHILD TO HAVE A PERSPECTIVE ON THE SPORTS EXPERIENCE. The sports media in this country would like you to believe that sports and winning/losing are larger than life. The fact that it is just a game frequently gets lost in translation. This lack of perspective frequently trickles down to the youth sport level and young athletes often come away from competition with a dis¬torted view of themselves and how they performed. Parents need to help their children develop realistic expectations about themselves, their abilities and how they played, without robbing the child of his dreams. Swimming a lifetime best time and coming in dead last is a cause for celebration, not depression. Similarly, losing the conference championships does not mean that the sun will not rise tomorrow. | |
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Coach Leah Haire (Asheville Nehis)
Hello! My name is Leah Haire. I am a home-schooled student who swam for the Piranhas for five years. I work wit h the 12 and under groups at Reuter. Currently, I swim for the Trailblazers, a homeschool/high school athletic association, and work as a lifeguard at Reuter. I am looking forward to a great season!
Coach Sara Broun (Asheville)
My name is Sara Broun and I am very excited to be a part of the YWNC Piranhas. After a couple of years away from the pool and coaching, I a m working with the Nehi, Orange and Crush groups on Tuesdays and Thursdays and with the Senior Circuit and National Groups on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you see me around the pool, please say hello! | |
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Our team website is now up to date with information on meet entries, competitions, and other news! Browse through and let us know your feedback in the blog section. Please click here to view our website. If you have any pictures from meets or practices or other team activities that you would like to see in our newsletter or on the website, please submit them to khowton@ymcawnc.org.
As always we welcome any feedback about ways to improve our site. So let us know what you think! Visit on Facebook as well by visiting www.facebook.com/pages/Piranhas-Swim-Team or following the link below:
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