Team Santa Monica Newsletter- April 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT:

I’ve just returned from having chaperoned for TSM at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center (OPTC) in Colorado Springs. Your children are our future, and I love the idea of understanding them a little bit better by spending time with them. After all, there is so much more to each swimmer than their best times in the pool. The same can be said for our incredible coaching staff. It is at these training camps where they pour their hearts and souls into guiding our swimmers to improve upon themselves, but it is the moments when they share a meal &/or a laugh, or a difficult conversation with the swimmers that a fuller picture emerges. I reflect on it with a small collection of summative words, both observational and experiential: gratitude, authenticity, tenacity and friendship.

There is no other team from southern California that has this privilege – training where the greats train, alongside them in some cases, and to dine with Olympic and paralympic athletes from all sports. This rare opportunity enabled TSM swimmers to take both their swimming and their expectations to the next level. Scatter in a lot of laughter, a few hiking trails, some ice cream and cupcakes, and I call that a successful journey! This success is due to months of organization, leadership and dedication of Coach Mo, and his staff, as well as to the swimmers who devoted themselves to the experience. Bravo!

So far, the 2021-2022 season has been a very successful one for TSM. With the short-course season behind us, the upcoming Torrance meet will be the beginning of the long-course season. I know that whether our swimmers have just moved up to Seals or if they are somewhere along the path to getting ready for High School graduation and/or heading to college, this season will mean a lot to them all. I look forward to seeing you at the swim meets, to cheering along, and to working with you in helping to move the team forward.

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD COACH:

Gratitude…

Finding gratitude through our daily routine might be a challenging task at times. We are all busy getting back to a "normal" lifestyle, and we can often lose sight of small, yet important, moments during the day that do not present themselves to others around us.

There are those around us, or around the world, that cannot go to bed in the safety of their homes; those who cannot enjoy being healthy with fully able bodies; those who do not have access to the education we have access to; those who do not have access to swimming pools; those who do not have access to swim teams; those who do not have great teammates around them; those who do not have great coaches to support; and those who do not have the privilege of doing what they love on a daily basis.

We can all put a couple of minutes aside before we go to bed to review our busy day and find reasons why we are grateful for our lives, instead of focusing on what is missing in our lives. This practice allows us to be more positive and have more energy to chase our dreams and that's what we all need to be successful in achieving our individual goals.

Once we practice gratitude in our lives, it becomes easier to recognize what others do for us and it makes it easier to appreciate them and say thank you to them. It only takes a moment to say thank you to our parents, families, coaches, teachers, or friends and we might not think much of it, however, a simple thank you can go a long way for those who are always on our side and want us to be better!

Let’s be more grateful and let’s say more ‘thank you’ to those who are there for us!

Taking our training to the next level

Traditionally, strong swim teams, like TSM, run training camps at different times during their season. These camps are normally only focused on training and performance to help groups/athletes take the next step in their training.

Team Santa Monica is amongst a handful of teams with access to the USA Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs [6500 ft altitude] for running training camps. This year, we ran our Altitude Training Camp at US OPTC from April 1st through April 17th. During this period, 12 and older athletes, whose focus and skill have developed enough to take advantage of altitude training, had an amazing 17 days, with a schedule that was more packed than what we normally do at sea level, in Santa Monica.

Mon AM Strength & Conditioning

Mon PM Swim [2 hrs Long Course Meters- LCM]

Tue AM Swim

Tue PM Swim

Wed AM Strength & Conditioning

Wed PM Swim

Thu AM Swim

Thu PM Swim

Fri AM Strength & Conditioning

Fri PM Swim

Sat AM Swim

Sat PM Swim

Sun AM Swim

During our time at OPTC we attended different talks with USA Swimming Directors, hiked at the Garden of the Gods and The Seven Bridges, climbed some ropes in the pool, ate a lot of food, played foosball, Ping Pong, and Basketball, and we met a 2020 Olympian, and NCAA Champions! It was an amazing time.

Our 2022 Camp was a tough one and we saw some good swims from our Age Groupers and our Senior swimmers; which made us very excited for the Long Course Season.

We have already requested the dates for our 2023 training camp and we hope to take even more swimmers to the Training Center, where all the best of the best train. If you are interested in coming and experiencing a few days at the Training Center, start showing up to practices and working on improving every day, so when we offer this amazing opportunity you are ready to take advantage of it.

Keep it Moving TSM!

Coach Mohammad

FUNDRAISING

First, a huge thank you to the organizers of the post-pandemic re-boot of the Swimathon! I want to echo the fundraising committee and say thank you so much for your continued support for the team. While we haven’t met our goal for the Swimathon – YET! – I would like to think that the donations are still coming in. After several false starts for my not-so-tech-savvy family, another donation came in a few days ago. It’s not too late to ask for more contributions from friends, family and neighbors. The link is still live for a little longer!!

Go TSM!!!

Highlights 

We started the year with great news and achievements by our swimmers. We would like to congratulate Zach Tower for being selected to join the Southern California Swimming Pacific all star team. Also, shoutout to Angie De Togni and Coach Chris for being selected to represent the black team at the SCS all star festival. Angie swam hard and came back with two top 3 finishes. Good job Angie! 

Another great accomplishment from one of our TSM swimmers came from Mattea Sokolow who was invited to participate in the USA Swimming’s National Select Camp. The Camp highlights 102 top athletes across the country. It is an incredible opportunity to be chosen amongst the best of the country to learn and grow in the sport of swimming.

Important dates for your calendars:

Silent online Auction: Preview coming to you April 24th!

Awards Banquet: Sunday, May 8th @ 5:30-7:30pm; tickets will go on sale shortly

Board Nominations and elections: nominations open now, election in late May

Annual General Meeting: Saturday, June 10th @ 10am

Season Opener Swim Meet: 24-25 September 2022; all day both days, all hands needed on deck!

Upcoming Meets:

TORR Spring Splash April 30 - may 1, 2022

TORR May 14-15, 2022