7.20.11
Hello Hobson
West Swim Team,
I am sorry for the length of this email. Lots
going on this week!
The two attachments are the City Job Assignments and the City
Packet.
1. Congratulations to our Classic swimmers.
Many of our swimmers earned medals and we had many time drops.
We hope you are staying cool this week and enjoying your week
off!
2. HWST Swim Team Board 2011-2012. Board
members, I can't thank you enough and I'm afraid I'll forget
someone if I start naming names, but thank you thank you thank
you all for your commitment these past two years. Many of
you work for swim team off-season and some of you work year
round to make our swim team run and often the people who work
the most you don't see or hear from. But thank you from the
bottom of my heart for your work, your patience, your ideas,
your sense of humor. Two years ago, our swim team board was
loaded for bear with parents who had graduating high school
seniors and we set a goal to turn over our board and committed
to training new families with young swimmers to take over
swim team. It has taken two years but we were successful and
I am happy to leave the swim team board with so many fresh
faces. Incoming President Marsha Helm will be assembling her
board in the Fall so contact Marsha if you would like to move
from the board, change board positions or join the board.
2A. Board members. I have all manner of pretty serving dishes
to return and I will bring them to the Year End Party.
2B. Board members. Please make sure you have turned in all
receipts for reimbursement for all committees to treasurer
Kelly Schneck by the first of August. Please make sure you
use the check requisition form.
3. If you have a high school swimmer who
is not a coach and would like to be considered have them direct
their letters of interest to Marsha as well. All current coaches
need to communicate with Marsha Helm their interest in returning
to HWST in the 2012 season. Marsha will establish her own
timeline for deadlines.
4. City Pasta Party is Thursday, July 21st at 6PM
at the pool. Please bring markers. The Social Committee may
be contacting you to request pasta/bread donations. Thank
you for your assistance.
5. City for High School swimmers is Friday,
July 22nd at Nequa Valley HS.
Here are the report times: High School Swimmers: WARM UP begins
at 5:30. Be on deck by 5:15PM.
The HW workers for Friday night are Howenstines. We will report
at 3PM.
6. City for 7/8 and 9/10 swimmers is Saturday,
July 23rd at Nequa VHS.
This is called SESSION A (6:45AM TO EVENT 28) AND SESSION
B (EVENT 29 TO CLEAN UP)
Report to gym area: 6:35AM WARM UP begins at 6:45AM for HOBSON
WEST. We are very glad we swam at NVHS during the dual meet
season to give our young swimmers a sense of a "big"
pool Warmups are very very important. The pool tiles, the
blocks, the area between their warm up pool and their lap
pool, the NOISE, the DEPTH and WIDTH of the pool are very
different and it's helpful for your swimmer to warm up and
get a feel for their space. Plan on bringing breakfast, perhaps,
for the time between the first warm up (where HW is assigned)
and the third warmup. The swimmer will have a nice amount
of time to eat and relax since they are the first warm up
group. Look for the team area in the gym. Please remember
all the rules about food (see attached booklet).
The workers for SESSION A and SESSION B areScoring 6:45AM
McFadden 630.272.7237<tel:630.272.7237> Session A
Clerk/bullpen #29 Laughlin 630.335.6417<tel:630.335.6417>
Session BThe Session A and B workers all report at 6:45AM
for training. Listen for the calls. Please check in with Mary
Howenstine at the HW worker sign in area (usually in the hallway
outside the pool).
Please make sure you clear up the team area after the meet
as awards are not released until the team area is cleaned.
Thank you and good luck!
7. City for 11/12 and 13/14 is Saturday,
July 23rd at NVHS as well. SESSION C IS 11:45AM - EVENT 56
AND SESSION D IS EVENT 57 - CLEAN UP
Report to gym area: 11:45AM. WARM UP begins at NOON.Heat Sheets/Shirts
12:25 Donnary 312.375.8428<tel:312.375.8428> Session
C
Marshal 12:25 Walker 630.862.1571<tel:630.862.1571>
Session CPrimary Timer #57 Fleming 630.887.6539<tel:630.887.6539>
Session D
Awards #57 Gray 630.303.3583<tel:630.303.3583> Session
D
Families committed to other jobs: Lamb, Cavanagh, Quaranto,
Helm, and Jackson. Please note that if your child is swimming,
you may be asked to sub in so our workers can take bio breaks,
watch their own swimmers swim.
1:50PM - 2:30 HW Lifeguard ON DUTY (Howenstine)
After the last event, Parker to pick up award basket from
awards room.
8. Award and Party. If you did not receive
your EVITE, please contact Carolyn Fleming immediately.
Sunday, July 24th is the formal end to the swim season. We
will meet at Grace United Methodist Church's lower level for
awards and the video at 3PM. Afterwards, we will reconvene
at our pool for a potluck picnic. The Social Committee has
modifed the party plan this year. Because the weather has
been so hot and right now the forecast is for possible thunder
storms, the social committee will be providing serving ware
and dessert this year and asking each family to bring their
own picnic. In the event of excessive heat or storms, we'll
be able to clear the pool area more quickly if each family
provides their own meal and this will eliminate having the
same 3 people having to grill for long period of time.
Hope to see you all there.
Go Waves!
Kindest Regards
The Howenstines
HWST Waves
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7.7.11
Hey Parents,
Attached is the top times report for all the swimmers. It
includes all swims (including DQ's and No-swims) up to the
meet on 7/2.
Our coaches have been working very hard to ensure that we
have good championship meets here at the end of the year.
Speaking of which, a week from this Saturday is the Classic
swim meet! I know that the season has just seemed to totally
blow by this year. I really want to encourage you to send
your swimmers to every practice they can manage until the
season is over. As the season winds down, each practice becomes
more and more important to attend!
Also, Please re-confirm whether or not your swimmers will
be able to make the classic or city meets (vacations, other
plans, etc.) in writing to myself (emails preferred). Classic
is 7/16 and City is 7/23 (7/22 for our older swimmers) I have
received your emails and compiled a list of swimmers not attending
but it is always better to double check. We are fined $100
for EACH SWIMMER who is a no-show at classic so the earlier
you can respond the better!!
For the next two meets, we are trying to swim each swimmer
in those events that they are close to city times in. My coaches
have looked at the top times reports that I sent out as well
as the city cuts and have painstakingly checked times to make
sure that nobody has been left out. If you feel that your
swimmer is close to a time that they should be able to get
(and it has been forgotten by a coach) please don't hesitate
to tell your swimmer's age group coach! (or myself)
That being said, we are also trying to compile relays that
will be swimming at city. Please encourage your swimmer to
be positive and accepting if they may not be in the "A"
relay or any relay for the next two meets; you can also encourage
them to work harder in their individual events! We tried to
be very versatile and move people around to get used to swimming
with everyone in the relays for the first meets and now is
the time to get our fastest possible relays together. I really
appreciate your understanding in this, no bias went into choosing
these relays other than fastest times from this season.
I really appreciate all of your help in working with myself
and my coaches this summer thus far and I know all these meets
in a row have been stressful!
Looking forward to a fast last few meets and a great end of
the year.
Also if your child has one or two city times and the rest
classic times, they will be given the option to choose CITY
or CLASSIC. FYI, if they have made the city cut in a certain
stroke, they are NOT allowed to swim that stroke at classic.
(ex. made city in breaststroke and nothing else, the swimmer
may choose to swim the breaststroke at city or any other stroke
(besides breaststroke) at classic.)
Keep an eye out for a half-sheet of paper with
a check box for City, classic, or not attending written on
it in your swimmer's mailbox within the next few days.
Thanks and Go Waves!
Coach Adam
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6.23.11
Hi Waves,
Turns out calling the meet quickly
was a very smart decision Tuesday night as the sirens and
subsequent storm were quite an adventure. (As an FYI, the
swim conference reps handle the meet details/agreements up
until the meet starts when authority switches to the referee.)
The coaches and conference reps have agreed to re-schedule
the meet for Tuesday July 12. That bumps into the water polo
league 14U tournament so we will keep our fingers crossed
that there is no conflict. All the jobs will remain the same.
Anyone making a "City" time at a make up meet can
be removed from the Classic meet and added to the City lineups.
Coach Adam can handle that as it arises.
A word about City and Classic.
Swimmers who meet specific time standards are eligible for
the last super meet of the season called City Meet. The championship
meet for swimmers who do not make time standards is called
Classic. 6U are eligible for Classic only. They are both wonderful
experiences. We will be providing more information after the
4th of July.
Good NEWS for the 6U
swimmers beginning this MONDAY, June 27
Coach Stephanie and her assistants
have been working hard with the 6U swimmers. Coach Adam and
Coach Stephanie feel that some of the 6U swimmers are ready
to practice longer than 30 minutes. If you have a 6U swimmer
and feel they are ready for an additional 10-15 minutes daily,
please feel free to bring them to the pool for a 10:45am practice
start. This will allow for both instruction, game time and
(fingers crossed) lap practice.
Coach Stephanie would like
to partner more with the parents in two areas:
(1) She and her coaches will be focusing
on orienting the swimmers to SWIM TEAM time and FREE TIME.
SWIM TEAM time means the swimmer is in the pool, engaged in
interaction with the coaches, and effort. If the swimmer is
out of the pool, jumping in and out, running to visit people
on the pool deck, that's not SWIM TEAM, that's FREE TIME.
Since the swimmers will be moving
away from the shallow end of the pool we need a clearer distinction
between SWIM TEAM and FREE TIME. Swimmers who are not actively
engaged in swimming or with the coaches need to move away
from the pool and remain with the person who brought them.
Please support our coaches efforts
to give your swimmers the best possible instruction and care
by reinforcing this.
(2) It would help the focus and effort of
the swimmers if parents talked to their swimmers away from
the pool instead of while their child is in the pool. Stepping
back just a skoosh from the pool apron will benefit everyone.
The 6U are doing great and as
always, the amount of progress a swimmer can make in just
a few weeks, as always, amazes me. It has always reminded
me of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.
And now that I've mixed swimming
and butterfly metaphors, I'll leave it at that.
As always, thanks for being part
of our swim team and for all your efforts.
See you next week (a lot!)
The Howenstines
HWST Waves
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6.7.11
Hi Waves,
A reminder that there
is no practice this afternoon (Thursday).
We hope the weather cooperates for practice in the morning.
Since the pool has been open for a while, and we've had a
series of very hot days, we will still have practice tomorrow
as long as there is no thunder, lightning and the air is reasonably
warm. It is a right of passage to complain about practicing
in the rain and cold, but please do not feel you have to make
your swimmer, particularly a young and/or inexperienced swimmer,
practice in less than ideal weather. You are the best person
to decide if it is appropriate for your swimmer to practice.
Look
for an email, look at the swim website and/or
call the pool office at 630.357.6868 if you want to make sure
coaches are on deck.
Saturday
is our first home meet. Coaches should plan
on being at the pool by 7:00 (for the first meet) to set up
the blocks, lanes and ropes. Swimmers should start arriving
by 7:45. Getting going always takes longer the first meet.
Reminders:
sign in (southeast fence in the corner), set up shop (lots
of towels, blankets, clothes, things to keep busy), warm up,
understand where to report, who to find, etc for your event.
Look for clerks of course, junior assistant and assistant
coaches. Write down your events. A hint: Remember alphabetical
order event, heat, lane (e,h,l). Do not be afraid to ask for
assistance.
Jobs.
Make sure you are at the pool at the correct time. You should
have received a reminder call/email regarding your job. Concessions
workers have different report times than timers who are different
than clerks of course. The computer people report very early.
Contact Anne Rudin with any questions about your job.
We hope you will patronize
and enjoy our concessions. We are not biased in any way when
we say we have the best concessions people and offerings.
Hope to see you
at the meet.
Go Waves
The Howenstines
Hobson West Swim Team
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6.7.11
Hi Waves,
If you have an 11/12, 13/14 or 15/18 swimmer, Coaches Adam,
Jack and Jay will be at the pool tonight and tomorrow at 6PM.
The pool has been very crowded and it's warm enough that a
6pm practice during adult swim is a good option if your older
swimmer has been busy with other sports or taking finals.
Tonight (Tuesday, June 7) and tomorrow (Wednesday, June 8)
feel free to come for a workout.
Go Waves
The Howenstines
Hobson West Swim Team
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6.7.11
Hello Waves,
It was nice to see so many at the pizza and dessert social.
New families had the opportunity to meet the coaches and the
executive board for swim team 2011. Time trials were fun and
quick. It is amazing to see how much an emerging swimmer can
achieve in a few short practices. Lots of talent! Thanks to
the social committee for their hard work.
A few housekeeping notes:
(1) Goggles and caps -- goggles that fit
are essential and caps are a huge help. They can be uncomfortable
but it's important to encourage your swimmer to bring goggles
and caps to every practice and to wear them. Caps are less
critical for those with short hair but long hair, even bundled
and pony-tailed, can slow down a swimmer by getting in the
swimmer's face etc. For those of you unfamiliar with goggles,
they seem to go on easier when they are upsidedown. If they
seem to fit your swimmer and your swimmer says they leak,
make sure the nose piece is actually sitting on the nose.
(2) Absence messages -- Email Coach Adam
today if you know your swimmer will not be at any of the first
four swim meets. They are scheduled close together and lineups
(events for each swimmer) are being entered into the computer
today and tomorrow. makeswaves2@gmail.com is Adam's email
address.
(3) Emerging swimmers -- Coach Adam and
Coaches Steph (6U) and Jen (7/8) are evaluating our young
swimmers this week again. Many of you with very young and
inexperienced swimmers have spoken with Membership regarding
swimmer evaluations. There is no hard and fast rule for keeping
a non-swimmer on the team. Here is what the coaches are looking
for:
~~the non-swimmer is making daily progress (willing to engage
with coaches, enter water, move away from the wall)
~~the non-swimmer stays in the the pool during practice
~~the non-swimmer does not require one-to-one coach's assistance
for extended periods of time
~~the non-swimmer is willing to work at entering the water
at the deep end
If your child is not confident, and is struggling in any
of these areas and you wish for them to remain on the team,
we encourage you to have your child take lessons (offered
and managed by pool managers and not affiliated with the swim
team) that occur right after swim team.
Please talk to your child's age group head coach and Coach
Adam regarding your swimmer. We love to see a non-swimmer
emerge victorious in their efforts to master swimming the
pool's length. Everyone celebrates when a swimmer reaches
that goal. :-) Our enthusiasm for our emerging swimmers is
tempered only by our concern for their safety and our limitations
in not being able to provide one to one instruction during
swim team.
(4) A reminder that there is no after school practice
Thursday.
(5) Friday, regular morning practices begin.
(6) Wave Runners. Every year HWST selects
junior high school swimmers familiar with the team who greet
the 6U and 7/8 swimmers after their swims, distribute high
fives and candy, help with social events, etc. The 2010 Wave
Runners are Sean Cavanagh, Nick Walker and Hannah Rest. Look
for teenagers in brightly colored t-shirts greeting your swimmer
after races!
(7) Reminder about an important Swim
Conference Safety Rule New in 2011:
This year the swim conference adopted a safety rule. Coaches
may not piggy back carry, hug, carry, hold, or allow swimmers
to sit on their laps. Safe contact includes head pats, shoulder/back
pats, high fives. Many of our swimmers and coaches know each
other as neighbors, babysitters and friends outside of swim
team and this is a stronger rule than we have had in the past.
If your swimmer mentions they are "not allowed"
to piggy back ride, it is simply the new safety rule in effect.
HWST coaches also employ the Safety Rule of 3. Our coaches
stay in public view whenever interacting with a swimmer. There
are very few exceptions to this rule but if a coach needed
to give assistance in the pool office, for example, a second
coach, another adult (pool staff) or a second swimmer must
accompany the coach and first swimmer.
Looking forward to the first meet!
Go Waves!
The Howenstines
Hobson West Swim Team
