TSM Aquatics Newsletter - December 2022
A Message from the Head Coach
In today’s fast-paced world, everyone is after instant gratification and chasing results and outcomes. Unfortunately, being focused on the outcome only results in putting a lot of unnecessary and unhealthy pressure to “perform”. If the end results are not satisfactory, the process is viewed as a failure despite the hard work and effort that was put in. Failure, which is necessary for success, slowly brings down the wall of confidence, and before you know it there is a fear of taking a chance and doubt starts to kick in…
When we do not get the results we ‘think’ we ‘should/deserve to’ get, we doubt our abilities, the work we are doing/have done, or the path we are on. Once doubt kicks in we can no longer appreciate all success we have had to get to the point that we are in.
Our goal at TSM is to help each and every athlete learn that failure is part of success and that we should always stay focused on the big goal and keep moving forward until we reach our goal. The biggest question will be how can we achieve big goals if we have setbacks and/or failures along the way. The answer is simple… not easy… but simple.
In order to be successful in the short term or long term, we must stick to doing the boring details on a daily basis! Here is an example… It can be fun to be a jet pilot to fly high and fast, however, you must go through all the boring safety checks before and after you fly.
So please help our coaches in teaching our athletes the importance of doing the fundamental, basic, ‘boring’ details right every day…
- Coach Mohammad
A Message from the TSM Board
Dear TSM Families,
With the Holiday Season and New Year approaching, it's the perfect time to reflect on what a fantastic year 2022 has been for our team and athletes. Our “Year In Review” is only a snapshot of the many successes our team has experienced this year. While thinking about what has helped contribute to this success, we realized how many people we have to thank for their part in it.
Thank you to our Fundraising Committee who have been amazing this year. Our Swim-A-Thon, Online Auction, and Annual Giving efforts brought in much needed operating funds to our team, and provided us with opportunities to come together to boost our community.
Thank you to our Liaisons, who have been such a vital part of keeping everyone informed of the various goings on of TSM. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you to our members hard at work on our Facilities Committee and Events Committee, who plan to have updates to share with everyone in the new year.
Thank you to our coaches who teach, lead and inspire our athletes every day.
And of course, thank you all for your support throughout this past year. Without our families, all that our team accomplished would not have been possible. We can’t wait to see what 2023 brings!
Wishing you all the best,
Ben, Cathy, Erina, Kirsty, Laura (G), Laura (S) and Lauren
2022: A Year In Review
Here are just some of the many highlights from the past year
January
Our TSM Water Polo Program BEGINS!
February
Pacific Committee Champs and ISCA kept this month busy for our swimmers.
March
At Swim-A-Thon 2022 we welcomed our parents BACK ON DECK.
April
TSM swimmers trained at the Olympic Training Center for the first time since 2019.
May
The team’s first ever ONLINE Auction was a BIG HIT.
June
Water Polo Boys bring a Junior Olympic win back to TSM!
July
Many new personal bests set at Summer JOs, Sectionals, Futures and Nationals.
August
We sent our college athletes off to school, said goodbye to our visiting swimmers and took a much needed 2 week break.
September
We returned to SMSC for another successful TSM Home Meet. THANK YOU PARENTS.
October
TSM’s new logo was revealed to the world!
November
TSM proudly sends a swimmer to the Virtus OA Games in Brisbane Australia as part of the USA National Team!!
At the 2022 Toyota US Open Championships we have our first 2024 Olympic Trials Qualifier. Congratulations!!
December
TSM representatives are attending Junior Nationals, Sectionals, WAG and the US Paralympics National Championships to finish the year off strong.
Lessons Update:
The Lessons program has been booming. With the combination of social media and quality coaches on deck, our retention rate has been high. The pre-team program has been pumping numbers into our swim team program and lessons swimmers are smoothly transitioning into WHITE, PINK, and SENIOR DEVELOPMENT groups.
We have been able to host two Fun Meets showcasing the friendly environment of competition held at SMSC starting with 45 pre-team swimmers and the most recent fun meet at 90 registrants. Our pre-team program offers lessons Monday through Saturday for 30-minute sessions with a 1:4 Coach to Swimmer ratio. Coach Ailana oversees our Novice swimmers and preps our athletes to be promoted into a more Advanced setting with Coach Misa.
Age Group Program Update:
Our AG program has had a great 2022. Our numbers grew from our Lessons program and tryouts. We had many time drops and new Championship/Senior level time standards achieved by our swimmers. We had our first Sectionals qualifier from the AG program. Some of our AG swimmers attended the training trip at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and they had a great experience. We finished the 2021-2022 season strong with some fast swims during Summer Championships.
We restructured the AG program for the 2022-2023 Season to streamline the program, fill the gaps that existed between groups, allow for better swimmer placement, allow for more manageable groups and higher program quality, and to be in line with our mission.
Our AG swimmers have been swimming well and we had multiple swimmers qualify for their first-ever Championship meet, Winter Age Group Championships. We have also had multiple swimmers qualify for Senior meets and achieve Sectional Bonus times.
Overall 2022 was a great year for TSM’s Age Group Program and we hope to continue on this path for the remainder of the 2022-2023 Season.
Senior Group update:
A key factor that we've been trying to instill in the Senior program is "TRUST". We believe that with high trust, there can be honest and direct communication between the swimmer and coaches. Swimmers will also develop loyalty and be on board with their training. Very simply when we can develop a high-trust culture, we have a better chance of success.
There has been a focus on technique, drills, and body awareness at the start of the short course season, and we have been steadily increasing intensity and volume throughout the weeks leading up to Championship meets.
On the high end of our Senior Program, our swimmers have been able to achieve Junior National, National, and Olympic Trials time standards this season. We have also been able to place multiple athletes in D1-3 schools to continue their education and swimming at the next level.
Staff Update:
Here are some updates about our Coaching staff during 2022:
Coach Juliana joined the swim team as an Age Group Coach in February.
Coaches went to OPTC training camp. Coach Chris joined this camp for the first time.
Coach Erik and Coach Margaux joined our swim team staff..
Coach Flanders, Coach Shanna, and Coach Mikey joined us for our Water Polo program and started TSM Waterpolo.
Coach Dan, Coach Chris, Coach Juliana, and Coach Iman attended the ASCA World Clinic and were able to meet, speak, and learn from some of the most well-known coaches from around the world. Our Coaches came back with a lot of knowledge, which they shared with the other coaches and their swimmers. Our Senior groups have grown with numbers with Coach Erik guiding our Senior Development swimmers and Coach Chris with Senior Preparation and Performance. This time last year, our Senior swimmers had no Championship qualifying cuts, and now, we have multiple swimmers with almost a full lineup of events (6+ events) to compete at Age Group Championship meets. The Senior group is aiming to produce Sectionals qualified swimmers and once they get moved up to our National program with Coach Iman and Coach Mohammad produce Futures/Junior Nationals/Olympic Trials qualified swimmers.
Parents ask: How can I help my swimmer stay warm at a swim meet, particularly during the winter?
With outdoor pools being the norm, keeping athletes warm at a meet is a challenge. Here are some suggestions for you to try:
Have your swimmer change into a dry suit after warm up. It's so nice to not sit around in a wet swimsuit for a little while, particularly if they have a sizable gap between warm up and their first event.
Closed toe shoes: I know there are various shearling boot brands which are great, and I’ve seen the crocs with the fuzzy inserts, but I’ll never forget what one swim mom told me at a meet my then 7 year old was shivering at. “He needs a pair of Uggs.” Simple as that. We got them that very week. Closed toed warm shoes are a must, and you can pack some socks too.
Hand warmers. Stick them in their parka pockets and they get warmed up right away. (you can get toe ones too.)
Knit hats. Pom poms are optional.
Layers. Can you fit a down jacket under the parka? If you don’t know, try it out, and if it works, bring it everywhere.
Sweatpants. Several pairs since they will all end up wet.
Portable heaters. The team does have a few, but maybe you want your own. Just don’t let your swimmer stand too close…….
Soup. Some chicken noodle from home is so much better than snack bar cup of noodles. Stick it in a thermos and it will stay super hot. (But in a pinch, cup of noodles is fine!)
Hot beverages. Same idea as the soup. Warms them up from the inside.
Sleeping bag or blanket. Let them get cozy in their chair at the tent.
FUEL to Perform
One of the most important factors that can help athletes thrive, is paying close attention to how they FUEL their bodies. I use the word FUEL in place of ‘eating food’ mainly because athletes need proper fuel to be able to perform and it is very important to know what they eat, when they eat, and how much they eat.
Here is the simple formula… if an athlete looks weak, is tired most of the time, has low energy, is sleepy during school, and gets sick a lot it means that one of the areas they need to look at is their FUELING…. They might be eating more food than they used to or more food than their parent(s) are eating, however, they need to be eating more!
Here is a link to an awesome Nutrition Presentation from USA Swimming that can help you understand a bit more about the importance of nutrition and fueling to perform.
