Hello Shark Families,

First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the parent volunteers who made this morning's meet a success. Your dedication and hard work are truly commendable. We managed to set a record for efficiency, and it's all thanks to you. Your support is invaluable, and we couldn't have done it without you. 

Now - something a little more serious, and most of the blame can be placed on Mother Nature and the lack of cooperation these last two weeks. But, we all could recognize that we are sorely lacking in correct form and technique in the breaststroke and butterfly events. With that in mind, we have some work cut out because those events could cost us precious meet-scoring points. While we did not mark them as DQs (or disqualified), I will go on record to say that all 7/8 boys were DQd in ALL of the breaststroke heats and MOST of the butterfly heats. This also applies to about 2/3 of the 7/8 girls in their breaststroke heats and about 1/2 in their butterfly heats. For 9&Up, it was better, but more will be needed against some of the teams we will be going up against, starting with Plaza Oaks on Thursday. 

I tried to speak to as many swimmers as possible after their swims today, but we only get 30 minutes of practice with your child. The assistant coaches are available for more one-on-one lessons for those interested; you'll just need to call or text them for their availability. 

I previously sent videos regarding all the strokes, but I will do this again for breaststroke and butterfly. It's crucial that you watch them together with your swimmer, even in slow motion. If you took a video of your swimmer today, you could compare that to what they swam and what it should have looked like. This will help them understand the areas for improvement and how to address them in their practice sessions. This is not a reprimand - it is only to help you understand as a parent and be able to explain to your swimmer the techniques of swimming the strokes correctly. Do I dare compare this to baseball, soccer, football, or softball techniques and their importance in those sports? Well, yes, yes, I will. Knowing the techniques of all four strokes makes swimming more fun and helps prevent injury in the long run. 

Breaststroke:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppuDgfdk9y8&t=109s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVaXro6fcEQ&t=45s. (Do this tonight!)

Butterfly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8cnXKILpCM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAiQ1JJ2qb4 (more advanced)

Remember - pictures tomorrow! Wear your suit and look awesome! 

Go Sharks! Thank you!

Coach Elaine ;-)