Hammerhead January Update
Home Stretch
January 6th we had to say goodbye to Drew Partridge. He is going
back to school at Purdue this Spring semester and we
wish him the best of luck and will miss him! We have been working hard and
sticking to our agenda of stressing the base strokes of freestyle and
backstroke. We are coming into the home stretch the next couple months. I feel
as though we are prepared to dedicate our time and energy to overcoming the
challenges. For some swimmers it's breathing every 3 strokes, for others its
lifting their head forward, etc. I want all the Hammerheads to feel that they
have accomplished something. I feel as though if they can overcome those things
that we as a staff "nag" them about they can feel good about
themselves.
Behavior
In the next few weeks we are introducing another character building activity. I
think that "Give us your best" has been very successful. *We are
still looking for some donations. I currently need about 10-15 small items for
the end of this month* I am so excited about how successful that project has
been! This next activity will be more about behavior. We feel as though the
hammerhead group can do a better job of representing the Carmel Swim Club. We
have such an amazing group of swimmers that we think are capable of more!
There will be separate charts for the Red and Blue groups. Each swimmers name
is on the chart. At the end of each week the swimmers will either earn a gold
star, fish, or nothing. The objectionable behavior is going to be up to the
discretion of the coach.
Basically we will use the
colors of a stoplight to show how the kids are doing:
Green- Very good behavior, no objectionable behavior
during any practice the swimmer attended that week
Yellow- Decent behavior, one day with objectionable
behavior or many small infractions over the course of week or practice
(if
only attended one)
Examples: not listening
while coach is talking, fooling around, running on deck or in the hallways,
etc.
Red- Continual objectionable behavior throughout the
week
Examples: multiple days of
yellow behavior, inappropriate language, hitting, pushing other swimmers, etc.
The swimmers will be
considered "in the green," "in the yellow," or "in the
red." Each week the swimmer is considered "in the green" no
matter what occurred the week before. If the swimmer is still "in the
green" at the end of the week that swimmer will receive a gold star on
their chart. If the swimmer is "in the yellow" the swimmer will earn
a fish sticker. If the swimmer is "in the red" they will not receive
any stickers. After earning 5 gold stars or any 8 stickers the swimmers will
receive a treat of some sort. The treat will be similar to the give us your
best. Maybe a healthy snack, small game, etc we will avoid candy. The swimmers
should expect, unless otherwise spoken with, that they are "in the
green." The charts will be clearly visible on the pool deck so the
swimmers can find it.
Upcoming Meets/ Important Dates
January 18-20th-
CSC Winter Invite at the IUPUI Natatorium
February 2nd
–
February 15th-17th—Fishers
Area Swimming Tigers Valentine's Day Invite
February 24th-
CSC Ribbon Thrower at CHS
February 29th-March
2nd—
(Need to qualify for this
meet)
March 9th –
CSC 10 and under March Madness at CHS
March 14th-16th-
(Need to qualify for this
meet)
*More information on
specific times will be coming from the CSC office both via email and in the
swimmers' boxes for all the meets above. Please be looking for it.
Congrats – Divisional Swimmers
So far this season we have
had 5 swimmers qualify for the Divisional Championships. Congratulations to
Kelly Pash, Chris Brunory, Sammie Burchill, Kathy
Huang, and Jack Kozyrski! We have at least 6
more swimmers within 5 seconds of qualifying for this meet! Keep up the good
work swimmers!
Great Article
I have attached an article
about successful sports parenting. Parents are a very important part of
their child's athletic development. Please take the time to read through
it.
"Champions do not become champions when they
win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years that they spend
preparing for it. The victorious performance is merely the demonstration of
their championship character."
– T. Alan Armstrong
As always thanks for your
efforts and support! Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
The best way to reach me is via email at cswplumb@gmail.com. If you would rather speak in person,
you can set up an appointment to meet with me (the best way to set that up is
email). I am available before red or after blue practice each day, Monday-Thursday
to meet. If you have questions concerning a meet and your child is 9 and
over please email Jen Murray at jlcatton@hotmail.com