Small Meet, Big Times

We went to a small meet this past weekend in Key West. My swimmers have had success in this pool in the past as this is the pool in which we won the County Championship for the High School season. We only took four swimmers all together, but as usual it did not seem to matter one bit. Of all the swimmers, no swimmer finished with a rank lower than 3rd in any event they swam. Of those races we had several event winners. I sometimes cant get over the fact that team are rolling in with triple or quadruple the amount of swimmers, and they still cant touch us. It reinforces the fact that we do things right here!

There was a couple more JO cuts made from two of our swimmers who are really feeling fast right now. Both of them really impress me when they get up to swim. One of those swimmers has now achieved a JO cut in every single event for her age. I was quite impressed. Also, our youngest member of the team won every event she swam for her age group. She was dropping times like a crazy person.

And as usual it was FUN FUN FUN to watch such a small team show such domination. KeyFish (Swimus fearus!)

Well, off for a long break. I will be updating quite soon for anyone interested in the January practice schedule. I will also be posting several meets under the announcement portion of the blog. Have a safe and happy holiday, and I will see you next year!

The Santa Claus Invitational

I was very pleased with the outcome of the Santa Claus Invite. First of all we went to the meet with 17 kids, most of which were below the age of 12. It is always exciting to see the future of your team get involved, and excited with swimming. We had a couple who swam in their first meet ever, and a few young ones that are starting to get used to meets. We had several top 8 finishers, so as always we were not the biggest, but we were well represented. We also had a few more JO cuts made, and I always love to see that happen.

For the most part I love it when we bring a lot of swimmers to a meet. I love to watch them laugh, play cards, eat snacks, and have fun. It reminds me of what I REALLY love about swimming... my friends. They don't know it, but they are developing confidence, and social skills that will last a long time.

Well, now we have a long break. I will be gone for a week in December so please pay attention to all practice announcements, updated blog information.

Short Course Champs

This blog is a little late in coming, but things got kinda crazy around Thanksgiving, and this post got pushed back just a bit. We had Short Course Championships about a week ago, and I will say that we had a great showing. We only had 5 swimmers qualify, we were by far the smallest team there, but of those 5 swimmers 3 of them made finals in the events that they swam. Calculated out that is about 60% success rate. For a small team we were well represented, but it only fortified my real dream for us to show up to a championship meet with 20+ kids and have the same success rate. I was still, none the less, impressed with our swimmers performances, and it will be these few who pave the way for many more!

Well, now that Thanksgiving is over we are now officially in our winter season. We have a meet coming up this weekend in Tamiami, and we will be taking about 17 kids. Most of these kids are under the age of 11, and that makes me feel good because these are the future JO, and Championship qualifiers. Check the blog for more updates soon because our practise schedule will change slightly due to college teams coming on training trips. As soon as I know the new schedule, I will post it for everyone.

The Pot Luck

Well, we had our pot luck this weekend, and I think that things went great. First the kids on my team got to see the race club guys swim a 100 FAST! And, when I say fast, I mean guys were swimming :43-:44 sec for a hundred freestyle in practice. Also, there were a couple of guys who went :54-:55 in the 100 breaststroke. Those are close to NCAA A cut times. I know for a fact that my team never saw first hand people swim that fast. I will never forget the ooo's and ahhh's from some of them.

After the race 100, my swimmers had a opportunity to work with the swimmers on their strokes in a mini clinic. It was nice to see the Race Club in the water with my club kids. My swimmers got little tips, and pointers from the best in town!

After some stroke work the Race Club guys swam a race 50. Again people were putting up very fast times. Nathan Adrian went 19.89! Even I got super pumped up for that one. The kids also got a chance to see swimmers like Gary Hall Jr. and Sabir Mohamad race. That is a once in a lifetime thing for some of them, and I hope they wont ever forget it.

At the end of the Race 50's Gary and Sabir were picked as team capt's and they split the whole group into two relays. The relay's were a mix of my club team and the world team. I was so happy to see my kids excitement when they saw they would be swimming on the same relay as a Olympian.

In the end, I don't think things could have gone better. My kids were excited by fast swimming, and it motivated them to want to swim fast. As a coach I could ask for nothing more. It opened up their mind, and it was as if someone told them YES you can be this fast one day. It helped reinforce all that I do, and I couldn't have been a happier coach.

After all the swimming we ate, and hung out together as one big team because that is what we really are. Some took pictures, and some got autographs from some of the swimmers. Everyone was smiling,my kids were running around laughing, the weather was beautiful, and I couldn't think of a place that I would have rather been at that time.

More fast swimming in Hialeah

Well, I would say the winter season has officially begun. OK i will admit it.... It was a LITTLE cold in the morning, but it warmed up a lot as the day progressed. We swam a good meet in Hialeah this past weekend. It seems like every meet we go to someone is getting a best time, or nudging a little closer. There were some very good swims in general, but also I must say a meet is a good learning tool for me. It helps re-connect me with the team, and the things we still need to work on. We are fast right now, but only in short events. I know I am a sprinter, but I would like to see better 200's of freestyle, and all strokes. Also, we need to tighten the small things: turns, breakouts, starts.

Again we took a large group, and again we had people swimming in thier first meet ever. The thing that I am most proud of is that kids are getting interested in the sport, and I am glad to be a part of making that happen. I love to sense thier exctiement as they are experiencing a race for the first time. It is pure. It is the cultivation of the competetive spirit. A intangible human trait. It is only at meets that I will ever know who will really be a swimmer, and I must say that I am pleased with the competetive spirit that I have seen from my veteran team members, as well as some of my rookies. Again... I want to make swimmers that not only want to race, but have all the tools neccecery to be confident they can swim fast in that race!

Race Club Family

The Race Club had a meeting the other night to discuss a way to jump start this new era of Florida Keys swimming. We all feel like the Race Club and FKSC is too disconnected. In all actuality The Race Club, and the Florida Keys Swim club, on all levels, is very much a family. They have a positive symbiotic relationship, and on November 10th we plan to make that a more noticeable, and tangible idea. Our idea is on the 10th to have a combined practice/pot luck with both the FKSC and Race Club. The practice will start at 12:00 at Founders, and we will combine everyone...that's right everyone. Masters, kids, high school, and world team members will all be working together in the pool. This will be followed by some fun relays and swim events, followed shortly thereafter by a pot luck lunch. We hope that this will be a big event, and that it will help glue together what is already one. If you can make it please come. Any questions please feel free to ask.

Dig A Little Deeper

Well, not every single meet is going to be breeze, and I will say that Regionals was not so easy for us...initially. In the morning we swam very flat, and unmotivated. The best thing about my team is that they are all scrappy. When it comes down to the wire they want to win. Regionals was a huge meet that we had no chance of winning. We swam slightly un-inspired. we were not ourselves.

That, however, was only they prelims. Winston Churchill said that success is the ability to move from one failure to another with enthusiasm. Well, we definitely failed in the prelims, but could we turn it into success? Could we walk back out there as a different team, a more motivated team that wasn't scared?

YES! Our finals performance was much better. We had a few personal best times, and a girls relay that CRUSHED the consolation heat. I mean they went 4 seconds faster. I believe that under adversity is when you really see yourself. Well, we were faced with a adverse situation, our real selves stepped up and rocked out!

What a awesome, and exciting season. I can't believe it is over already. Next year we will def. bring kids to States. I just want to thank everyone along the way who helped me out. I was a new coach in a new town, and without the help, and support of the school, the parents, the facilities, and the race club I don't think I could have gotten it all done.

Looking forward to next year, but as for now back to buisness as we have a age group meet coming up this weekend. Keep checking for updates!

Districts

Man, that went fast! It seemed like only a short while ago I didn't know any of the high school kids, they didn't know me, and nobody knew what to expect. Well, after a little more than a month I have gotten to know 27 individuals very well, they have gotten to know me, and all of us have high expectations for what is to come.

We have gone quite a long distance in just a short amount of time. I firmly believe that every single person on this team got smarter, stronger, and faster. In fact at this District Championship I would firmly stand on the fact that 98% of this team did a personal best time. I would also say that about 90% of them came back to swim again, and score points in either a championship, or consolation final. That being said, our men's team placed third out of nine teams, and our women's team placed fourth out of nine teams. The schools in front of us cost more than $20,000 a year, and can afford to recruit. We were the #1 public school in the district. My new slogan is : YOU ARE BIGGER, WE ARE FASTER! I am not scared of either of these teams. They are not better than we are. As we grow, they will see that.

I have never been more pleased with a season. This was really my first season as a head coach. I designed the program, and watched it go through its process. Some times I wanted to scream into a pillow, and other times I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe,but I always enjoyed being there, and can't really think of a better profession. I am so overwhelmingly proud of all of my swimmers. They showed tremendous heart, passion, and strength that I have only seen at the highest levels of this sport. They were not just swimmers, but more so people achieving and enhancing themselves. There are many in this world who can say that they don't get better every single day. Well, my swimmers, at least for a month and a half, can all say that they did!

I encourage any swimmer from the high school team to continue swimming on my club team. This way we can take one step close to achieving our goals.

Here are some links for your enjoyment:
http://www.fhsaa.org/guest/swim/district/1_12.asp District Results

http://www.fhsaa.org/guest/swim/district/1_4_selection.asp List Of Regional Qualifiers

A Shout Out To The Rents

I was going to save this post until after the District meet, but Race Club workout was cancelled this morning, and I got a rare morning off. But, I still awoke at the same time, and I'm getting antsy so here it is...

I just wanted send a HUGE thank you out to all the parents and supporters of the team.

Here is a list of why parents deserve this thanks:

There are parents who support our practices;
Some have been to every practice.
There are parents who support the meets;
Some parents who have been to every meet.
There are both.
There are parents who run the meets,
and parents who score the meets.
Parents time.
Parents cheer.
Parents ride on buses.
There are parents who order team equipment.
Parents who host dinners,
And bring the essentials of food and water to the meets.
They get the swimmers to and fro...
Some on time.
Others late.
But, with out them they couldnt be there at all.
Then there are the intagebles parents have.
The support that only they can give.

I dont do any of this. I couldn't. Without the help & support of the parents it would only be me writing workouts. Good workouts :) but only workouts. They are the gears.

One of these days I will think of reasons to thank the swimmers. But as for now, only the parents.

We Are The Champions

Well, only three teams went to the county championship, but only one gets to sing, "We Are The Champion." You know the name.... Hurricanes

A very exciting meet. I can say that collectively we swam very well. Everyone scored points. Everyone contributed. People swam back to back, and got behind their team. We had energy. We had momentum. I most definitely felt their will to win, and that made me proud of them.

But I don't want to stop here...
I put the trophies up in my apartment the night we got back. Every now and again I would look over at them, and have some flashback of the meet, a exciting moment or a good swim, and I smiled. But, immediately after I felt urgency not to settle. I felt like we still had work to do. We have districts coming up. I don't want our momentum to stop here. I want to take what we have learned up until this point, and I want to tighten things up just a bit. Then, I want us to rock at districts. I don't care about who is supposed to win that meet. I care about racing, and swimming fast. Maybe your team is bigger. Our team is faster.... 0 - 0

123

Mike Smith

For those who have not heard, one of my masters swimmers, Mike Smith, passed away over the weekend. He was out on a dive, and had a shallow water black out. Although Mike was not someone I was incredibly close with he is someone that I saw all of the time, and feel very connected to. He was such a nice guy, always smiling and joking around with me. He would always offer to take me out on dives, and always came to practice willing to learn and try new things. In fact he DID learn butterfly. I can still remember his face when I close my eyes. His loss will most def. be felt by all who know him.

Mike was not a old guy. I don't know his exact age, but had to be in his thirties. He is survived by his wife who is pregnant with his child. I know this must be very hard on his family, and myself and others who knew Mike are trying to organize a way to raise some money for his family. In early November we will have a event to raise some money. Keep checking the blog for updates. If you are interested in donating money to Mike's family there is a Micheal R. Smith Memorial Fund at any First State Bank. All proceeds go to his family. Any little bit helps.

Rest in peace Mike.

A Rainy Day

Well today has been a rainy day in the Keys, and it has been more like a snow day for me. First real long weekend. I don't know what to do with myself. I should probably do laundry, but I figured I'd updated the blog.

Dates to mark:

-There will be a age group meet the weekend of 10/6 and 10/7. I only plan on going to the meet on Sat. 10/6. Ask me for a sheet with all the meet information at practice. I will have several copies. I would like all 12 and unders to attend.

- the HS meet against La Salle on 10/3 has been moved to this Thurs 9/27. Check for any re-scheduled meets

-I will be going to a wedding in New york the 12th,13th, and 14th. There will be no practice Friday the 12th, or sat the 13th.

-Still deciding on districts being held at founders... will keep everyone updated

Besides that things are in full swing. The HS team is doing great. The guys are 4-1, and the girls are 3-2. Nothing wrong with two winning records. I just want to keep it rolling into Key West. and then districs. The team has survived some pretty tough workouts. Now it is time to see some hard work pay off. We are def. becoming a team!

The club team is still doing great. They just keep learning and getting better. It is good for them to be around the HS because it reminds them that they are the future of the program, and I fully expect that they will be the reason Coral Shores gets put on the map.

Keep checking for updates

Busy Busy

Whew! That was one busy week. I have been to high school meets, and age group meets, and I can say that our swimmers here in the keys are swimming well.

First, our age group had a meet this Sat. the 8th. I am beginning to enjoy the age group meets a lot. I have seen such improvement, and it is amazing sometimes how fast kids can make adjustments. Everyone dropped some time in at least one event, and some did a event for the first time ever. Again we had several top 3 finishers, a relay that placed second, and several top 8 swimmers as well. But, most importantly we are smiling, and laughing, and I can say that I am having fun.

Now to our High School. So far we have swam against 3 teams. Ransom, Miami County Dade, and Westminster. We lost to Ransom, beat Miami Dade, and split with Westminster ( Men W, Women L) but unfortunately we got rained out, and had to leave with the scores from just after the break. I am excited about this high school season. More for me to learn that's for sure. Now I can say I have coached every level from 8&under-Masters. I like High School because I like dual meets. Get in, Swim fast, Warmdown....repeat. Events go BOOM BOOM BOOM. A lot like college. Also, much more intensity when it's just Mano y Mano.
I think as a team we will do well. We have people that can swim everything, and we are equipped with some very skilled athletes. Some still have a lot to learn, but this year everyone will become educated. Everyone will get better. We still are not in premo shape. I have a few that thought it was a good idea to NOT SWIM FOR 9 MONTHS. As if swimming was easy. But really, we spent the first week and a half with a lot of drill work and aerobic swimming, but now we are moving into our main phase of training, and I must say... I cant wait!

Well off to another busy week. Keep checking for updates!

A Great Meet

My FKSC team had a great meet this weekend in Tamiami. First of all, we took about 23 kids to the meet, and I am pretty sure that is the biggest FKSC showing at a meet ever. There were six 8 & unders who did great at thier first meet ever. All of them placed in the top 8, and there were a few who place in the top three. Also one of thier relays placed third.

As for our 12 & unders, we had several who placed inthe top 8, and several who posted best times. Some got thier J.O cuts, while others keep nudging closer. We finally brought enough kids to post a relay on the girls side, and belive it or not, THEY WON! It was a real nailbiter, and it came down to the last lap where our freestyler dug deep and touched out the other relay.

And in our 13 & up group we had several good perfomances. There were those who keep posting best times, and keep getting closer to thier J.O. cuts. We had several top eight finishers, and a few who posted top three times. Again we had enough for a realy, and with a great effort the girls placed second.

Overall I am VERY excited about our growing team, and I know we are just going to get better. Well, back to the pool for some more hard work before our next meet. Keep checking for updates!

Practice Cancellations for FKSC

During the high school season there will be a few pracitce cancellations due to meets that conflict with practice times. These dates are fri 8/31, tues 9/4, fri 9/7, mon 9/10, thurs 9/20, mon 9/24, mon 10/1, wed 10/3, fri & sat 10/5 & 10/6, wed 10/10

There may be updates due to some changing meets, and meets currently being added so check for updates. I will post as soon as I know.

I will be leaving a practice at the JAC on these days for anyone who would like to swim on those days.

New Practice Schedule

So we are just about to get the High school season underway, and with the new season will come a slightly altered schedule:

-There will no longer be morning practice

- The Beginner group will practice from 4-5

- The High School, and Upper level groups will practice from 5-7

- There will be no changes to the pools. We will still practice at Founders M,W,F and we will practice at JAC T,TH,SAT. Saturday practices will be on and off as we may have meets on the weekends.

- For High School swimmers, I will be proctoring a study hall right after school which will last from about 2:30-3:45. I will have to leave the school and coach the beginners at 4, but all are welcome to stay and study. The place is still to be decided. No one is forced to go, but this will allow any swimmer to get some work done, to compensate for the hour change in the schedule.

I do realize that this is a slight change in the schedule, and that most people are used to practicing from 4-6, and that HS swimmers are used to practicing solely at Founders Park. WE, and yes this includes me, commute back and forth because as the team grows, we have several swimmers that reside in Key largo, and several who reside in Islamorada. Also, when I first got here there were three 8 & under swimmers, and now there are more than 10. This has been the largest factor in the hour change, primarily because these swimmers require more attention, and are less self sustained. I NEED a separate hour just for them, and I am not going to make a 8 year old practice from 6-7. Until I have a assistant, this is the best working schedule that will allow me to do the best job that I can with everyone. I am not willing to compromise my quality, to compensate for a one our time change. I pride myself on doing a good job, and giving as much attention, and time that I can to everyone. This is the schedule that I feel will allow me to get things done properly. I do realize some swimmers will have to change their schedules, i.e. change when they do homework, eat, hangout and other things, but I am a firm believer that a successful student athlete/individual will figure that out, learn to balance the obligations in their life, and make a schedule that works best for them. I am very excited about the growing team, and the potential that I see for all of us. I do appreciate swimmers, and parents who have had to adjust their schedules in order to practice. It will definitely be a busy couple of months for us all, but nothing good ever came without a little elbow grease!

J.O.'s

We had J.O.'s last week, and it was a first for some of us including myself. It is always exciting to go to a fast meet. I feel like we train everyday to make those kind of meets. Anyway, unfortunatly finals got cancelled, and one of our swimmers did not get a chance to swim her 50 freestyle. Everyone else was right on their qualifying times, so it is always nice to see people staying consistent. As we grow, we will be bringing more people for sure.

Well back to training.... trying to get a few more meets on the schedule, keep checking for updates!

Coach Mark

Season Underway

The summer season is under way, and practice is in full swing. We have already had 2 meets, and I must say people are swimming well. At Division II's last weekend, everyone who swam did a personal best. That is always exciting. Along with the personal bests, however, we had several medalists, finalists, J.O. cuts, and most importantly we had fun doing it.
Well, off to another week of good hard work before we take it a litte easier for J.O.'s next week. Can't wait!

Coach Mark