Regional Age Group - Notice Board: February 2013

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Training Changes Reminder

The British International Open Meet will be taking place at John Charles between the 6th & 10th March which means there will be some disruption to training. Here is a reminder of the session changes.

Regional 1:

Friday 1st March (Pm): Earlier time 6:30 - 8:00pm

Wednesday 6th March (Pm): Normal

Thursday 7th March (Am): 5:00 - 6:30am (Open to all ages)

Thursday 7th March (Pm): No Training

Friday 8th March (Am): 5:00 - 6:30am (Open to all ages) with Elysha

Friday 8th March (Pm): No Training

Sunday 10th March (Pm): Normal

Regional 2:

Wednesday 6th March (Pm): No Training

Thursday 7th March (Am): 5:00 - 6:30am (Open to all ages)

Thursday 7th March (Pm): Normal

Friday 8th March (Pm): Normal

Sunday 10th March (Pm): Normal

Thanks

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Monday, 25 February 2013

Yorkshire Teams

Hi All,

The following swimmers still need to confirm if they can swim in the Yorkshire teams ASAP

Sunday 17th March 2013 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield

9/10/11/12 year age groups please email craig.robinson@leeds.gov.uk

13/14 year age groups email richard.denigan@leeds.gov.uk

Regional 1

Sam Knowles

Angelo Placido

Jade Adams

Rebecca Fisher

Viktoria Gnandt

Ciara Schlosshan

Matthew Enright

Huzayfa Kayani

Regional 2

Daniel Jones

Hannah Bradshaw

Eve Bannon

Jessica Teale

Thanks

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Regional Squad SMASH the Yorkshire Championships!

So after two hard weekends of competing, Regional 1 & 2 performed outstandingly posting some fantastic times on the board.

Overall,

Regional 1 achieved 102 PB's out of 134 Swims, 16 more NER times, 37 final swims, 3 Gold Medals, 5 Silver Medals and 5 Bronze Medals. Great Stuff!

Gold Medalists (3)

Viktoria (1), Charlotte (1), Sam W (1)

Silver Medalists (4)

Tom (1), Shaheen (2), Ciara W (1), Amber (1)

Bronze Medalists (5)

Shaheen (1), Tom (1), Viki (1), Charlotte (1), Lauren (1)

Yorkshire Finalists (12)

Sam W (3), Shaheen (5), Helena (2), Ciara S (4), Amber (7), Viktoria (6), Tom (2), Matthew (1), Jade (2), John (1), Lauren (2), Rebecca (2)

Regional 2 achieved 84 PB's out of 113 Swims, 18 more NER times, 17 final swims, 6 Gold Medals, 5 Silver Medals and 3 Bronze Medals. Well Done!

Gold Medalists (4)

Tia (2), Jess (2), Steph (1), Rebecca (1)

Silver Medalists (3)

Hannah A (1), Tia (2), Liam (1), Rebecca (1)

Bronze Medalists (3)

Maisy (1), Jess (1), Tia (1)

Yorkshire Finalists (6)

Aaron (5), Joe S (3), Nathan L (2), Nathan S (4), Jonny (1), Aimee (2)

Hopefully we will have another successful weekend at the Yorkshire Sprints, especially as some of you have already beaten your 50 m PB's in the first leg of your races this weekend.

Results can be seen using the links below:

Yorkshires (16/ 17 Feb 2013) http://168.144.72.108/championships_files/2013%20Champs/YSA%20Champs%20Gala%201%202013%20results.pdf

Yorkshires (23/ 24 Feb 2013) http://168.144.72.108/championships_files/2013%20Champs/YSA%20Champs%20Gala%202%202013%20results.pdf

Squad Promotions
On Friday 1st March we will say goodbye to some of our team mates who have been selected to move on to the next stage of the swimming ladder. They will be missed. Good luck guys and keep focused. Hopefully some of you will be joining them in the summer.

Well Done to the following swimmers on their promotion to National Age Group Squad,
Lauren (Reg 1), Ciara S (Reg 1), Helena (Reg 1), Amber (Reg 1), Shaheen (Reg 1), Rebecca (Reg 1), Kit (Reg 1), John (Reg 1), Nathan L (Reg 2), Aaron (Reg 2) & Joe S (Reg 2).

Enjoy your last week in Regional, take the skills you have learnt with you and show those older swimmers how it is done!

We will have 17 swimmers from the Development squads joining our group (14 to Reg 1 & 3 to Reg 2) on Sunday 3rd March. Please make them feel welcome and introduce them to the Regional spirit. They maybe a little nervous at first as moving up can be a scary experience.

Keep training hard and be ready to storm the Yorkshires in 3 weeks time! Lets show the other clubs what you we are made of.

'Winning the gold medal was undoubtedly the biggest day of my career, mostly because I won the way I had prepared to run it. It was a totally satisfying experience.'

(Frank Shorter. American athlete, Olympic gold medalist, Munich 1972)

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Friday, 22 February 2013

Yorkshires 2nd Weekend & Training Changes

Just a reminder of the arrival times at John Charles this weekend. A fantastic weekend of racing last week, now lets finish it off in style.

Am Sessions

Arrive: 07:30

Warm Up: 08:00

Start: 09:00

Pm Sessions

Arrive: 12:30

Warm Up: 13:00

Start: 02:00

The programme of events for the weekend can be viewed by clicking the following link:

http://168.144.72.108/championships_files/2013%20Champs/Yorkshire%202013%20Draft%20Program.version3.pdf

Please remember that there is no training on Sunday and everyone has got Monday am off to have a lie in after two weekends back to back hard racing.

Good Luck Everyone!!

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Performance Enhancing Recipies

I have uploaded some recipes under the Nutrition section of the blog which were given to me by our Performance Nutritionist. Some of you may be interested in giving them a try before the upcoming meets.

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Monday, 18 February 2013

Yorkshire Team Championships

Sunday 17th March 2013 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield

Could the following swimmers please confirm their attendance to;

9/10/11/12 year age groups please email craig.robinson@leeds.gov.uk

13/ 14 year age groups email richard.denigan@leeds.gov.uk

Am Session

Arrive: 07:30

Warm Up: 08:00

Start: 09:00

Regional 1

Sam K

Jack

Angelo

Rebecca

Viktoria

Eleanor

Amber

Lauren

Katherine

Ciara S

Helena

Jade

Regional 2

Liam

Joseph H

Daniel

Joseph T

Henry W

Hannah B

Aimee

Joe S

Pm Session

Arrive: 12:30

Warm Up: 13:00

Start: 14:00

Regional 1

Charlotte

Danielle

Shaheen

John

Matthew

Huzayfa

Sam W

Regional 2

Hannah A

Eve

Maisy

Rebecca

Ella

Jenna

Jess

Tia

Stephanie

Aaron

Nathan L

Jake H

Jonathan

Nathan S

Isabel

Ayesha

Emelye

Carl

This is a City of Leeds team event so swimmers will be required to stay until the end of their session to support the team.

Thanks

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Thursday, 14 February 2013

Welsh Summer Nationals 2013

Hi All,

I have printed a copy of the Welsh Summer National times for you all to start chasing. The trip is open to Boys aged 11 + and Girls 10 yrs+ who have a minumum of 4 qualifying times.

We will depart on Friday 26th July and return on Saturday 3rd August. The total cost of the trip is £290 per person (£36.50 per day). This includes: 8 days accomodation; Bed, Breakfast, Lunch & Evening Meal and Coach return to Swansea. To register your child's interest please amail Craig Robinson at craig.robinson@leeds.gov.uk by April 30th 2013.

A copy of the qualifying times can be viewed by clicking the link below;
Qualifying Times 2013

Welsh Nationals is a fantastic trip and encurages swimmers to become more independent athletes. Pictures from the last 2 years can be seen below;

Welsh Summer Nationals 2011
Welsh Summer Nationals 2012

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Yorkshire Championships

I am looking forward to seeing some fast racing this weekend. The turns are looking great at the moment, make sure you transfer them into your race. Remember use the walls to pick up speed not loose speed, every millisecond counts. I know some of you have got close to your pb's in training over the last few weeks which suggests you are ready to smash the Yorkshires.

Just a reminder of the arrival times at John Charles this weekend.

Am Sessions

Arrive: 07:30

Warm Up: 08:00

Start: 09:00

Pm Sessions

Arrive: 12:30

Warm Up: 13:00

Start: 02:00

The programme of events for the weekend can be viewed by clicking the following link:

http://168.144.72.108/championships_files/2013%20Champs/Yorkshire%202013%20Draft%20Program.version3.pdf

Below is also a great guide for recovery snacks to take with you at the weekend:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4svjySWr-LRVVNLMW5XYzBTSG8/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

Hopefully you all now have a copy of the North Eastern times which I printed out for you, if not they can be found on the right hand side of the blog under qualifying times. Get chasing those times!!! I have also added the Welsh Summer National times for those of you who are interested in going.

'If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all. When you've had to work for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from' Ian Thorpe, Australian swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medallist (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004)

Please remember Training Changes due to the Yorkshires:

Regional 1

Friday 15th February 2013 - Earlier time, 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 17th February 2013 - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships

Friday 22nd February 2013 - Earlier time, 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 24th February - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships
Monday 25th February 2013 - Everyone has a morning off

Regional 2

Friday 15th February 2013 - 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 17th February 2013 - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships

Friday 22nd February 2013 - 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 24th February - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships
Monday 25th February 2013 - Everyone has a morning off

Best of luck to you all

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Monday, 11 February 2013

Skipping Ropes

Hi All,

In the next few weeks we will be introducing skipping into the land work. Could you all please make sure you bring a skipping rope and your rubber tubes to Land Training. If you do not have a skipping rope they are now available to purchase at the swim shop on a Monday evening.

Thanks

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Tuesday, 5 February 2013

Training Changes

Hi All,

Below are a couple of session changes for your diaries over the next few weeks......

Regional 1

Friday 8th February 2013 - Earlier time, 6.30 - 8.00 pm

Friday 15th February 2013 - Earlier time, 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 17th February 2013 - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships

Friday 22nd February 2013 - Earlier time, 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 24th February - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships
Monday 25th February 2013 - No Morning Training

Regional 2

Friday 15th February 2013 - 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 17th February 2013 - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships

Friday 22nd February 2013 - 6.30 - 7.30 pm (Just 1 hour due to Yorkshires)

Sunday 24th February - Training Cancelled due to Yorkshire Championships
Monday 25th February 2013 - No Morning Training

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

A Message from Ian Thorpe

I'd like to share with you an extract from Ian Thorpe's recent Autobiography "This is Me". These are not the words of a coach but the words of one of history's greatest Swimmers who won 5 Olympic Gold Medals;

"The Olympic final that year [Sydney 2000] was another matter altogether. As I dived in, all I remember – apart from the noise in the stadium – is that the water felt cold and that I swam the first 50 metres probably a little too quickly, spurred by the excitement. If I look back at the race, which I'm sometimes forced to when making presentations…

I notice all sorts of little mistakes, like breathing as I came into the turns and lazy kicks off the wall…

They're both habits picked up at training – when you swim a ridiculous number of lengths day in day out, you tend to look for moments of rest…

The problem is when those bad habits creep in to the race itself."

…The moral of the story as I have tried to emphasise many times; do in training always, as you need to do in the race. Keep the skills constant throughout all our sets.

Keep up the Hard Work!!!

Kevin, Tom, Elysha, Josh & Mark

Quote Bank!

"Kevin!, On the whole I think C Central have swum absolutely fantastic this year". Jacob Butterfield - C Central.

"Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit"

"I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it". Michael Phelps.

"Train insane, or remain the same".

"Dream. Believe. Achieve".

"You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get". Michael Phelps.

"I can definitely take more off my world record - a lot more. I have no doubt about that. I'm by no means putting pressure on myself, it's just the belief I have in myself ..... I'm not going to limit myself by nominating times or anything like that. I never thought I'd do 14:34 and I did. I thought I'd maybe do 14:38 or 14:39 that day, and I went nearly five seconds quicker so I don't want to limit the possibilities". Grant Hackett.

"In training everyone focuses on 90% physical and 10% mental, but in the races it's 90% mental because there's very little that seperates us physically at the elite level". Elka Graham.

"The hardest thing about climbing the ladder of success is getting through the crowd at the bottom".

"We need to create a way of working, and that's why I felt the need to set some rules. For example, we will all eat together, leave the table together - it is all about respecting each other. And being punctual is key". Fabio Capello.

"Unleash the Inner Beast!".

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing". Muhammad Ali.

"Many people say you are as only good as your last race, but we know we are only as good as our next race!".

"It was not the 10 work outs I did every week for four years that allowed me to overcome my competitors, it was the ones that they missed". Graeme Smith (1996).

"It's how you prepare months before in the training pool that will determine your performance at the main event. Your ruthless attendance, quality and consistency of your training will serge you forward to a result you will be happy with!"

"Winning the Gold Medal was undoubtedly the biggest day of my career, mostly because I won the way I had prepared to run it. It was a totally satisfying experience". Frank Shorter (American Athlete, Olympic Gold Medalist) (Munich 1972).

"Go into the sport because you have fun doing it, not because of 'what if's' and dreams of gold medals. That way, no matter what happens, you win". Shannon Miller (American Gymnast, two time Olympic Gold Medalist) (Atlanta 1996).

"As the years go by I train physically harder and I am always trying to go faster, further and higher. I train seven days a week and at the end of the day, I'm pretty tired but I never wish I was anyone else. If I miss a days training I feel guilty and I know I should have done it. I'm conscientious and unless I have a very good reason to, I never miss a session. It seems unfair to train for years and miss days just for the hell of it, and if I ever start to skip days, I would realise my attitude was not right and it was time for me to finish". Olympic Champion.

"Have a clear goal in your head of where you want to be and never give up!".

"Remember what doesn't challenge you, doesn't change you!"

"Not a day goes past where I don't go to bed with aching limbs ..... I have lost friends over it ..... I have lost girlfriends because of it ..... My family hates it ..... The only person that understands it wants to beat me ..... But I love it more than anything in the world!"

"Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning". Robert Kiyosaki.

'Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday'. William Rudolph (American Athlete, three-time Olympic Gold medalist) (Rome 1960).

"It's been told that swimming is a wimp sport, but I don't see it. We don't get timeouts in the middle of a race; we can's stop and catch our breath; and we can't ask for a substitution".

"We can accomplish almost anything within our ability if we but think we can".

"In 2004 , I won a bronze. This is a silver. Maybe in 2012, it will be a gold. Slowly, slowly". Eliud Kipchoge (Kenyan Athelete, Olympic silver medalist) (Beijing 2008).

"I came out here to beat everybody in sight and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Sure, I can do anything". Mildred 'Babe' Didrikson (American Athlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist) (Los Angeles 1932).

"Before the (Olympic) trials I was doing a lot of relaxing exercises and visualisation. And I think that that helped me to get a feel of what it was going to be like when I got there. I knew that I had done everything that I could to get ready for that meet, both physically and mentally". Michael Phelps. (6 Gold Medals, 2004 Olympic Games).

"Success comes with determination to get up the morning after the hardest practice of your life and do it all over again!"

"There is nothing like the smell of chlorine in the morning, and nothing like the smell of victory in the evening"

"Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment and quit worrying bout winning and losing". Matt Biondi. (American Swimmer, eight-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992).

"You only get one shot, go out there and do your best". Chad le Clos (200m Butterfly Champion).

"No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them". Danny Harris. (American Athlete, Olympic Silver Medallist. Los Angeles 1984).

"When I go out and race, I'm not trying to beat opponents, I'm trying to beat what I have done ... to beat myself, basically. People find that hard to believe because we've had such a bias to always strive to win things. If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all. When you've had to work hard for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from". Ian Thorpe.

"I concentrate on preparing to swim my race and let other swimmers think about me, not me about them". Amanda Beard.

"An athlete cannot race with money in his pockets. He must race with hope in his heart and dreams in his head". Emil Zatopek. (Four Time Olympic Gold Medallist).

"If you win something and you haven't put everything into it, you haven't actually achieved anything at all. When you've had to work for something and you've got the best you can out of yourself on that given day, that's where you get satisfaction from". Ian Thorpe. (Australian swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medallist. Sydney 2000, Athens 2004).

"No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up!".

"Push harder than yesterday if you want a different tomorrow".

"Champions train, losers complain".

"Success isn't overnight. It's when everyday you get a little better than the day before. It all adds up." Dwayne Johnson.

"Life is full of disappointments, failures and setbacks. None of those things can permanently stop you. You have the power to overcome anything that life throws at you. There is nothing as powerful as a made up mind. Surround yourself with people who remind you that you matter, and support you in the ways that matter most to you. No person, situation, or circumstance can define who you are. Don't give up. cave in, or stop believing that it's possible. It's not over until you win."