Florida Keys Swim Club

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING

2009-08-05T23:20:00.007-04:00

Attention ALL Coral Shores Swimmers! Officially High School Swimming has begun. In order to swim for Coral Shores HS Team, every swimmer must present a completed physical form. To obtain the required form, please visit the school office or see Coach Jon Olsen. Everyone is encourage to experience the world of water! If you think you can ... take a chance, hold your breathe, and dive into a wonderful athletic experience of SWIMMING! See you at the POOL! FYI: High School Swim Schedule is posted in the Annoucements of this blog. First Meet is Wednesday, Sept 2 at Gulliver-3:00 PM Warm-up.

Congratulations to Junior Olympic Swimmers and Zone Competitors

2009-08-05T22:50:00.005-04:00

FKSC (Florida Keys Swim Club) had several swimmers who qualified to swim at Junior Olympics in Fort Lauderdale July 23-26. We had three qualifiers for finals: Kelsea Volland, Tori Volland, and Evin Zekthi. Unfortunately weather dominated finals on Saturday evening and the swimmers did not have the opportunity to come back and show their true dominations of the pools. As the weather dictated, FKSC was successful in bringing home 1 Gold Medal, 3 Silvers, and several 4-8 place finishes. We are very proud of the many personal best times marked by the FKSC team. While the these times may not have earned points, a medal, or a ribbon, they do prove how champion swimmers continue work hard to remove seconds from personal times. Personal best times are acccomplishments and proof that training hard is rewarding! Keep up the hard swimming FKSC!

CONGRATULATIONS to KELSEA Volland for achieving 2nd High Point at the Junior Olympics and for her representation and support at Zones in Orlando Florida. Her experience was a personal gain in making new friendships and appreciation for coach techniques and challenges. Thank you Kelsea for swimming hard and representing the Southern Region and FKSC in swimming!

A Sad Good Bye to Mark and Welcome Jon Olsen

2009-08-05T22:41:00.001-04:00

We are sad to say good bye to Mark Hill who has been with our club for 2 years. Mark has developed FKSC into a functioning developmental team that has performed well at meets around the southern division of the State of Florida. As FKSC transitions, we are proud to be lead by Jon Olsen, a Gold Medalist from the Olympics and veteran coach to these athletes. Jon will continue Mark's vision for the swimmers of FKSC. He will work side by side with Nick'O' through September 2009 before he announces his appointed assistant coach.

Practice Cancellation during JOs

2009-07-22T19:32:00.003-04:00

Practices will be cancelled Friday July 24th and Saturday July 25th due to the coaching staff being away at Junior Olympics. Practices will resume their normal schedule on Monday July 27th.

Time Away

2009-07-16T14:28:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to leave a quick side note, I will be away from the Keys from Friday July 17th until Tuesday July 21st for a wedding reception back home. Mark and John will still be around to run practices, with Nico, Elyse, and Andrea helping out. I will be back on Wednesday for some work before JOs, and if last night's practice was any indication we are definitely prepared for the meet! Keep swimming fast, keep getting lots of sleep, and please keep the coaching staff informed of how your body feels. The culmination of our season is rapidly approaching, and its time to make the Keyfish a regular name at Junior Olympics!

-Coach Dan

Div IIs

2009-07-13T21:48:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to note a GREAT success at DivIIs. With numerous top 3 finishes and 100% personal bests throughout the ENTIRE meet the swimmers who attended definitely have reason to be proud of their performances. Junior Olympics are just ahead and it has become clear that FKSC is a leading force in the Gold Coast.

Meet entries are going in Wednesday morning for Junior Olympics, so it is more important now than ever to get your entries to me. I have finished most swimmers but need to make a few corrections before I submit them, if an athlete's availability changes I must know before Wednesday at noon. We are bringing more swimmers to JOs than ever before, so lets keep swimming hard in practice, and focus on eating healthy/sleeping extra out of the pool.

Id like to make a personal note of recognition as well for Mark Hill. The success of this club is based largely on his performance over the past years and I would like to wish him the best and applaud him for all the success I know he will have at Michigan. Even though I have only been with the club for two months I will always hold what I have learned from him of the utmost value and consider him a personal mentor. Mark's dedication to the club was unwavering from the start of his time down here, and I feel indebted to him for the opportunity he has provided for John and myself to take the club to the next level. I feel that I can speak for the entire club when I congratulate you for your acceptance of such a high position in the swimming world, you will be missed.

-Coach Dan

Wave Makers: Session 3

2009-07-02T14:21:00.003-04:00

Andrea Cole will be joining the coaching staff starting with the July 6th Learn to Swim program. Andrea just graduated Washinton College in Maryland. We are excited to add her swimming and coaching experiences to our coach staff. Elyse and Andrea will be running the Learn to Swim program. Now we will have two coaches working with the younger age groups. Andrea and Elyse are both really excited and we can't wait to see everyone Monday July 6th.

Ft. Lauderdale International Age Group Competition

2009-07-01T13:02:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we took a small group of swimmers to a meet in Ft. Lauderdale. To make the time standard for this meet the swimmer had to at least have an A time standard or better. Normally an A time standard is also considered a Junior Olympic time standard. So in essence this meet was a lot like JO's with the exception that it is bigger, faster, and not limited to only swimmers in the Florida Gold Coast. To put it all in perspective there are about 1,000 kids at this meet from all over the country and the world and in some cases a AA time standard did not make the finals!

I point those facts out because when noting the success we had at the meet it is important to realize the scale of competition. And success is something we tasted much of. That is no small feat! In fact, since my time here I have gone to this meet three times and we have never had as much success as we did this year. In the past 2 years I have only had 2 finals qualifications. This year our swimmers combined for a total of 20 finals qualifications. A final qualification means that you not only scored points for the team but also placed in the top 10. Of those finals we left with a gold, a silver, and three bronzes.

The success at this meet only reinforced the fact that although we do things differently down here we are still doing things right. There were times when I would look around at other coaches yelling at their swimmers during a warm up, or watched swimmers sit around and complain during rain delays. During the rain delays we didn't complain. We controlled the things we could and our team did active stretching and visualisation. During warm up we as coaches trusted the swimmers to act professionally and warm themselves up. They did just that! The thing that makes the success of these swimmers so sweet is that the success is truly theirs. They know what they needed to do to get the job done and they did it...all by themselves. Nothing is more dangerous than a smart, fast, self actualized, self sustained and self motivated swimmer. Well, we brought 7 of those so I cant say I'm surprised with the results.

There is still much to improve, however, and perhaps that is the best part. We are achieving so much and we still have so much to learn. This meet has gotten us really excited for the upcoming DII Championships and Junior Olympics. Keep checking for updates! Until then...Back to work!

View meet results at: http://www.flaswim.com/realtime/2009iagi/

Evin is a happy baby

2009-06-29T14:23:00.003-04:00

Despite the weather we had some great swims this weekend, recap coming soon, but wanted to share this picture of the correct way to do the happy baby stretch with the club. Evin truly is a happy baby...

Lean To Swim Session 2

2009-06-17T13:38:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures from the second session of the learn to swim.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Elyse.Corwin/Session2LearnToSwim?feat=email

Great Swims at Metro Meet!

2009-06-08T21:57:00.003-04:00

Aside from the random weather in Tamiami, we had some great swims this past weekend at the Metro Meet! Every swimmer had at least 1 personal best and aside from the rain on the Saturday afternoon session everything went great. FKSC once again dominated by putting up an unprecedented 18 first place finishes with only 10 athletes attending! Congrats to the swimmers who did make the trip up to the meet, and a special congratulations to Jade Bascilius on her first JO cut. Im sure more will follow. The FL International meet is looming on the horizon, and it is more important now than ever that we push into long course training so we are ready when the time comes to perform.

"Hard work always beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." (John Wooden)

Swimmers; take the time everyday to think about what you are swimming, why you are swimming it, and how your body is reacting to training. TALK TO THE COACHES! We cannot help you with problems if you do not address them first.

Parents; keep your kids healthy, lots of food and lots of rest. Try to get a snack to each swimmer no more than 20 minutes after practice. Even if it is a granola bar, it will go a long way in replenishing the nutrients that are consumed during training.

With championship season looming overhead attendance is more crucial than ever. We have 5 weeks to get the kids in shape before Sub-JOs, which will be the summer highlight for many of our swimmers, lets focus on getting to practice, getting the work in, and getting lots of rest!

-Coach Dan

Wave Makers Session 1

2009-05-29T19:59:00.004-04:00

The first of four sessions of the Learn to Swim program ended today. Congrats to all the swimmers as everyone graduated with honors! Each swimmer showed improvement every day and came excited and ready to learn to each lesson. We all learned from each other and most importantly we all had a lot of fun doing it. If these kids can enjoy swimming now it will become a sport that they can use for the rest of their lives. Also, thank you to all the parents who shuttle their kids around so that their kids can lead healthy lives.

If you would like to view pictures from the first session please click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/Elyse.Corwin/Session1LearnToSwim?feat=email

Spots are almost full for the session starting June 8th. Please make sure you call to reserve a sport as soon as possible. Keep checking for updates.

LC Meet at FIU

2009-05-19T11:27:00.003-04:00

So we had our first long course meet of the season and I would say that it was a great success. Of the first 24 events swum we had 14 first place finishes! And that doesn't even include the swimmers that placed in the top 8. I would say that every swimmer that we had placed in the top 8 in their respective events. It just goes to show that even thought we are a small team most teams would rather we stayed home... and I love it!

Congrats to all the swimmers that participated in the last meet. Aside from individual placement ALL the swimmers did personal best times in the races that they swam. It was great to see because I didn't rest or prepare for this meet at all. All of the kids that swim in this meet have been swimming really hard for the last 2 months with very little rest. In fact on the first day of the meet I had 3 swimmers who swam both the 400IM AND the 1500 Free. Tough kids!

After seeing that success I am excited to get into the summer. We have a new coach Dan Sorenson who just arrived and I am sure that Dan will contribute to make our team even stronger. I am excited for the bigger meets coming up because I think we are ready for the competition.

Keep checking for updates!

All Star Meet

2009-04-07T13:38:00.004-04:00

We had three swimmers attend the All Star Meet. I was excited to have the kids experience a meet that goes beyond a Junior Olympics. They learned a lot about continuing a taper and racing hard week after week. Sometimes a swimmer can get stuck thinking that Junior Olympics is the fastest meet. It IS fast but now we are seeing that JO's is important but it is only part of the path leading to bigger and better things.

I was also glad to hear that our swimmers got to experience things like swimming on fast relays. We are a small team and don't necessarily have enough kids to swim a relay and I think it is important for kids to view swimming as a team sport as well as a individual sport.

I would also like to report that one of our swimmer was voted captain of their age group. This was quite an honor for him to bring back to the team.

Congratulations to ALL swimmers who competed in ANY meet over the last season. We now move to Long Course Season. Keep Checking for updates.

2009 Junior Olympic Championship

2009-03-30T13:31:00.002-04:00

We took 5 swimmers to the JO's in Coral Springs this weekend and I am so proud of our group. They are well on their way to becoming skilled performers. The trouble for most swimmers is taking what you learn and turning it into a best time or a performance that you are pleased with. At this Junior Olympics I stood by and watched swimmers pull the skill out of them when the moment was right. They weren't past or future. They were NOW!

Aside from the mountain of best times, 3 of our swimmers qualified for the All Star Meet in a total of 10 events. We had 6 performances that ranked in the top 3 with one of those performances crowning our swimmer a Junior Olympic Champion.

There has been so much work that went into this last season and the best part is that it payed off. We are having so much success and we are STILL LEARNING! I cant imagine what this team will look like when they reach a higher level of the sport.

Thank you to all parents for you commitment to your children and you commitment to the team. Without your influence and commitment we would be nothing

All of that being said it is back to the grind. Some of the swimmers will be preparing for the All Star meet, while others look ahead to the upcoming Long Course Season. I personally cant wait to get going again. Keep checking for updates!

Thank You

2009-03-26T08:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Swimmers and Donors,

Friends Of The Pool and Florida Keys Swim Club would like to extend our warmest appreciation and gratitude for your involvement in the 2009 Spring Swim A Thon. With your help we achieved our goal. That is no small task! A community’s programs and facilities are only as strong as the community’s members and I am proud to say that with people like you our great programs and facilities will be strong for many years to come. Please look for more programs being offered this summer at the pool as we use this money to get things moving. Thank you again for your contribution!

Sincerely,

Mark Hill

Head Coach: Florida Keys Swim Club/ Fighting Manatee Swim Club
Member: Friends Of The Pool

Division II Championship

2009-03-19T08:32:00.002-04:00

I am a bit late with this posting but the past weekend we brought a small gorup of 4 swimmers to the Division II Championship meet. This meet is a JO qualifying meet and in fact we could not enter any kids on the team wo already had thier JO cuts. In a way the small number represents the success and amount of kids who do have thier JO cuts.

The kids did great. 3 of the 4 kids made a final and of those kids the finalist placed in the top 6. There were a few new JO cuts and a few who keep getting closer and who WILL get thier cuts very soon. I am lucky to not only have fast swimmers but young fast swimmers as 2 of the swimmers that went to DII were 10 or younger.

Keep up the good work. Now it is time to focus on JO's. Our goal is to get swimmers into the All Star meet. To qualify a swimmer must get top 6 in thier respecitve event. I know they can do it! Stay posted for updates.

Meet at FIU

2009-03-02T08:55:00.002-05:00

I was glad to get back into the swim of things at such a nice facility. The FIU pool is a great new pool that I hope continues to host meets. And I am sure our swimmers feel the same as the team swam great! After a long winter break it was nice to see the kids back on the deck of meet and swimming just like there had never been a break or lull in practices. Team energy was back too! I love to see our swimmers cheering for each other and supporting each other. Meets are the best way to get a swimmers head back into the game and I know that the swimmers on this team were getting the competetive itch so I am glad that things are back in swing!

Congrats to all the swimmers who got thier JO cuts and continued to improve thier personal bests. We are back to another few weeks of training before Division II's and then fiannally JO's to top off the short course season.

Stay updated and please let us know if you are planning on swimming in these upcoming meets.

Swim A Thon

2009-02-23T09:42:00.001-05:00

To All Community Members,

Friends Of The Pool is a new 501(c)(3) organization created by local community members that focuses on seeing the continued enhancement of existing swim and dive programs in the Upper Keys. It is also our purpose to actively create and support new swim and dive programs that include, but are not limited to, USS registered age group and masters teams, adult fitness programs, summer teams, swim and dive camps, basic learn to swim programs, and other aquatic programs.

On March 21rst, Friends Of The Pool will be hosting its first annual Swim-A-Thon, sanctioned by USA Swimming, at Founders Park to raise money for the aforementioned swim and dive programs. We are happy to announce that a generous local private donor has offered a dollar-for-dollar match for all funds raised during this drive. We invite all ages because even if you raise $2 and swim 2 lengths (50yds), you can still help us raise $4! No distance is too small!

Also, when you are finished swimming you may participate in a swim clinic or contest. There will be food, games, and other fun events for the family to enjoy. We encourage members of the family that are not swimming laps to still come cheer and enjoy the festivities. It is our goal to involve as much of the community as possible. We want to show that with the communities’ help, and only with the communities’ help, our beautiful facilities can be put to its proper and maximum use.

Friends Of The Pool is a organization that is open to all members of the community. We welcome you to find out more about becoming a member by visiting our booth on the day of the event.

If you have any further questions regarding the Swim A Thon or the Friends Of The Pool organization please do not hesitate to contact Eliza Combes by phone at 305-393-1051, e-mail markhill_67@hotmail.com

Sincerley,
Rob Dixon President
Mark Hill Head Swim Coach

Swim A Thon Questions

2009-02-23T09:41:00.002-05:00

How do I raise money?
First you start with an amount of laps you would like to swim. For now lets say you want to swim 10 laps. You would have to raise $10 at $1 per lap. Each swimmer can have several donors with each donor supporting a portion of your final amount or one donor to cover the cost of all your laps. The donors could be friends, family, co-workers, or even yourself. REMEMBER THAT A $10 DONATION IS MATED BY OUR PRIVATE DONOR AND IS REALLY A $20 DONATION.

Where can I pick up a donation form?
I have sent out a form to many of you, however, I will leave plenty of sheets at the pool so please feel free to stop by Founders and pick up a form.

Where is the money going?
The money will be going towards the aquatic programs. Half of the donations will go towards helping the Florida Keys Swim Club which is the local USS registered age group club team that practices here in the upper keys. The other half will go to Friends of the Pool who are focused on building new programs.

Are donations tax deductible?
Yes!

Who counts the laps?
You do! We will have some lap counters helping , however, the honor system will have to be in effect.

Any rules?
No swimmer can swim more than 200 laps and no swimmer can swim for more than 2 hours.

Will there be anything else going on?
Yes! We will have food, games, contests, and clinics going on throughout the day.

Where can I get more information?
Please e-mail me markhill_67@hotmail.com

Bad Weather

2009-02-04T09:16:00.002-05:00

It would seems silly to apologize for things I can't control such as the weather but I must say that I do feel really bad. I feel like in the last month cold weather and cold pool temps have led to freezing of our regularly scheduled practices. I am not happy with it but I do want to say thank you to all of you that are patient and continue to give your support. Without the hardcore regulars we are nothing. The pool temp today was 71 and Founders. Please feel free to voice your concerns about the heating with Founders Park Management.

I know that many of you that live in Islamorada have not gotten a chance to swim because Founders Park has been cold. I encourage you to try to come up north to Jacobs. The pool there has been 79-81 during most of these fronts and we have been swimming in full strength. Over 15 kids swimming in the Junior group alone. I am trying my best to keep the kids swimming despite the weather so during these fronts I make decisions based on pool temp. and will reschedule if necessary. I apologize if it is sometimes last minute as I check the temp during the cold front on the day of workout and make decicions accordingly.

Hopefully we are rolling through the last of our cold fronts. In no time at all we will be complaining about the summer sun. Please continue to check the website for information regarding the club, especially updates regarding practice changes due to the weather. I appreciate all the support.

New Year

2009-01-08T16:51:00.004-05:00

Well I hope everyone has enjoyed a much needed vacation. I for one am excited about getting the team back into the pool. We have meets and events coming up that I am certainly focusing on and I know we have a lot of work in front of us. For next week we will start practice again on Tuesday. I only have enough pool space for the senior group and we will be swimming from 6-8pm @ JAC. On Wed we will have practice for all groups at the normal times. 4-5pm for the junior group and 5-7pm @ Founders Park for the senior group. Thursday will be the same as Tuesday with no junior group and Friday will be the same as Wed.

Sorry for all the confusion and thank you for your patience as we cater to the college programs who help keep these pools in business. On the right I have posted the schedule for the rest of the winter. You will see that everything is back to normal.

Hope everyone had a great New Year and I will be looking forward to seeing you at the pool. Keep checking for updates.

Fund Raiser

2008-11-27T11:49:00.004-05:00

I am pleased to announce that the kids have raised over $1800 bagging groceries at Winn Dixie. This money will go towards a new record board. As older swimmers look to the excitement of setting records, younger swimmers look to crush those records to bits. This board is more than a record board. It is a hint of progress. It is this teams desire to push beyond a mediocre club.

I am so pleased to be a part of this great effort. Although the numbers have cooled down with the temperature we are still looking forward and still planning for spring and summer. Please continue to support the club in these next few months as we go through some cold fronts. Without consistency it is hard to achieve our desired results. Both pools have promised to try their best to maintain a 79-80 degree temperature. I will heat them up from there :)

Congratulations to this club for an outstanding job raising this money for your board. Without the help of the community, the swimmers, and the parents none of this could be possible. I thank you all.

Please look ahead next year as we are planning a Swim-A-Thon in March to hopefully nudge us along further.

Winter Champs

2008-11-25T10:33:00.003-05:00

http://www.teamunify.com/TabGeneric.jsp?_tabid_=11068&team=fgcspst

The link above is for the results of the 2008 winter Championship meet in Plantation, Fl.

Winter Champs is a meet we look froward to. It is a three day championship meet which in many ways is a learning experience in itself. First, you need to train your body to handle three 10 hour days of warming up, racing, warming down, racing again, warm down, race again, warm down, possible racing again, warming down, check the final results. If you made finals, which was most definitely a goal of our ours, then you have 3 hours to eat and rest before you come back for finals. If you have more than one final it will be warm up, race, warm down, race, warm down again. By the way, in finals the requirements are to go faster than your best time AGAIN. Three days of maximum physical, mental and emotional stress. I congratulate all swimmers who competed.

We had great times, we had good times, we had bad times. We won medals, we made finals, and we also watched finals from the side of the pool. The ones that did will will continue to work. The ones that wanted to do better will continue to work. I will continue to work.

I am excited for some rest during the holiday season. This week I will be putting together a schedule for the winter that will be different from the regular schedule. Please make sure you utilize the website during the winter months.

Splash And Dash

2008-11-20T10:27:00.002-05:00

This Last Saturday I am pleased to report that four kids on the team Daniel Michael, Kelsey Volland, Evin Zekthi and Taelor Cuppett all participated in a "Splash and Dash" event at Founders Park. The race was a 500 meter swim and a 3 mile run. The kids crushed everyone in the swim and lost a little ground on land but each one of them won their age group. I was very proud of all of our swimmers who represented FKSC in fine fashion. Hopefully next year we can have some more kids, and even parents get involved. It is a healthy and fun way to stay active and most importantly these are activities that these kids can do for the rest of their life. Congrats to all the participants!

I am off for Winter Champs this week. Keep checking for updated

To The Parents

2008-11-12T07:56:00.002-05:00

I always like to take a moment out and thank the parents. I have no assistant coaches and they parents do a lot for me. Without them I would most definitely not achieve the same kind of success. They are organized and committed.

So thank you parents for being a shuttle, a supporter, and shoulder to cry on, a cheerleader, a motivator and for everything else you do to make this possible.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Devil Rays Invite

2008-11-12T07:51:00.002-05:00

I always get worried that in the midst of the High School season my younger kids, the backbone of the team, get pushed to the side. We went to a meet this weekend, however, and they proved to me that although they havent been they primary focus for the last month they perhaps should have been. These kids have been working just as hard as anyone else and it shows. Every kid at this meet was CRUSHING thier personal best times or even qualifying for JOs. I am so proud of them and I cant wait to get back to making sure they grow up to be big fast swimmers.

Regionals

2008-11-12T07:44:00.003-05:00

High school seson is coming to a end now that we have finished the Regional Championship meet. The meet was a lot of fun. At this meet we dont have the added pressure of winning the Regional Championship. Im not saying that I would not like the pleasure of that pressure someday but this year it was all about individual performance and fun. I was very impressed with all of the kids on the Regional Team. Not only did they do a great job of representing the school with thier mature behavior but they also represented the school with thier athletesism as well. All of the kids that swam got another chance to swim in either an A or B final. It was a LOOOOOONG day but they stayed mentally strong and physically tought and in the end we left with some good memories and some best times.

Congradulations to Kelsey Anderson and Meghan Miller for moving on to the State Meet.

Back to the grind of US club swimming. We have Winter Championships comming up. Check For details!

District Championships

2008-10-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

The team swam well at the District Championships. We did not place as high as we did last year seeing as we did not have the numbers to compete in championship style scoring but that did not stop many individuals from swimming best times and making the Regional Championship meet. We had several swimmers make the finals and most importantly every single relay, with the exception of one, made the final. That just shows me the potential of the team when they can swim together.

There were many things that I took into consideration after this meet. The first being that I am going to really miss our seniors. They supply the blood flow of the program with their energy and race style mentality. The second, however, was how proud I was of the upcoming team. I know that the future of the team is secure because every class below the seniors is strong and has the ability to continue the tradition of swimming fast and competing at the highest levels of High School swimming. I know that with a little more commitment in the off season this can be a team that grows to be a real competitor in this district.

County Champions

2008-10-03T20:04:00.003-04:00

Another year and we won another County Championship. I was very impressed with the team as a whole. I really believe that we are a team that does not have a weak swimmer and I think that was the real difference between us and Key West. They definitely had the numbers on their side but we had the quality on our side. It was really nice to see the team clicking as one cohesive machine. Even when we already knew that we had secured the victory every kid swam hard right until the last swim. It's just the way we are. We will swim same against Marathon that we swim against Ransom. We swim to our best potential every time!

Our eyes are still focused on the future. I brought the championship plaques to practice the other day. I had everyone just stare at them for a moment and allow themselves to feel accomplishment. Directly after, however, I talked about District Championships. The season isn't over and we still have a lot to do. I still want to take a big team to Regionals and the only way to do that is to swim well at Districts. I think we have the ability and the potential to place high at districts and we are not only ready but preparing ourselves for the opportunity to perform!

Keep checking for updates!

Miami Dade Invite

2008-09-30T09:23:00.004-04:00

Fast swimming for the club swimmers in Miami! Most people probably think that club swimming stops during high school season but we are in full swing. Kids are trying to get best times, JO cuts, score points for top 16. We most definitely haven't stopped. Kids are setting goals and achieving them! When I look at them one thought crosses my mind: The future is secure.

These kids have been working just as hard as the HS team. They have goals in the sport that include, but also transcend the HS season. These are the kids that are with me ALL YEAR long. I respect these kids and the commitment they continue to give me.

Well, that being said I hope they don't mind that we go on a bit of a grind while we have a break in meets. Swimmers times have advanced themselves so practice will advance itself to follow suit. Keep moving things ahead!

Champs WED check for updates!

La Salle & St. Brendan

2008-09-26T11:59:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we became a team. I say that because yesterday I used a unusual lineup. I put every swimmer in at least one unusual event for them or in one event in which they felt uncomfortable. I asked them to sacrifice a little bit of personal comfort to win a meet and they did just that. Every person on this team swam a event that made them feel uncomfortable. Every person swam off events and we won. We defined what it means to be a team, and what it means to act like a team. The meet was probably closer than I would have liked to see it but we rallied and won at the end. After that meet I am confident in our team going into County Championships. We have a couple of more practices to tighten all the loose ends before we compete.

I will be asking the Capts. to hold workout this weekend as I will be attending a club meet. Please Check for updates and announcements!

Miami Country Day/ Ransom/ Gulliver

2008-09-22T08:27:00.003-04:00

So we had a pretty exciting/stressful weekend. We swam two meets against really tough opponents in a row. The first meet was a tri meet v.s Country Day and Ransom. We won fairly handily against Country Day, and lost by less than 10 to Ransom on both the girls and the boys side. The boys only lost by one. On Saturday we raced Gulliver. The boys lost fairly handily but the girls only lost by 4.

I was very proud of our win v.s. Country Day but I do have to say I REALLY wanted to beat one of the upper echelon schools. I think that everyone expects them to win because they have tradition. They have always beat us. They have always been better teams. But I cant say that everyone still believes these things. Me least of all. I think that we have the talent, spirit, competitiveness, skill, and team to get the job done. All we lack is pre/post season consistency. The only real difference between these "better" teams and us is the fact that their swimmers swim all year or at least all summer. The do a better job of preparing.

We aren't there yet but we are on the right track. I think that although we did lose these meets it was also something that we will use to slingshot us into the County Championship and Districts. Our team is focused and ready which makes my job easy for the next week. So back to the pool and back to the road ahead of us.

Keep checking for updates.

St. Andrews

2008-09-15T08:37:00.002-04:00

In the first meet of the season our team felt the sweet taste of victory. In the second meet we felt the bitter taste of defeat. A mentor of mine Mike Bottom told me, however, that each race, each meet should be swum as a learning experience. There is never really any finality in any sport. Even when a athlete achieves a specific goal they still aspire to achieve more. It is a innate human characteristics of a athlete. A unsettled nature and a desire to always be better.

So Hopefully we will learn from this experience. We did a lot of things right. We had good starts and turns. We swam with a lot of heart. We cheered for each other. But we still need to get into better shape. Ike put a damper on our training a bit. When we get in better shape we will stop getting passed when we hold the lead. We will finish our races etc. etc. etc.

After the meet we had a great Pot Luck/ BBQ with the St. Andrews Team. It was nice because events like that reinforce the true nature of competition. Its always nice to just see kids acting like kids. Thanks to Rich Russel for helping me fund the event, and thanks to all the parents for all their work in the meet and with the Pot Luck. You are very appreciated.

So back to the pool and back to work. Keep checking for updates

Carrolton & Marathon

2008-09-03T18:49:00.003-04:00

So back to High School duel meets! We started out with a pair of wins on the girls side and one win for the boys as Carrolton only has girls. I was really proud of our team today because although we were not in the best shape I still saw kids relying on their competitive spirit to get them thought the race. And I will take a win on a off day any time.I think the thing that really was the best was that this team relied on each other to win races. We are one machine! The races that we did not win we picked up second and third. That is a textbook way to win a meet. Everyone takes a role in the win.

I have to admit that I love how fast these meets run. Its so much more competitive and I can feel the enthusiasm and intensity in the air. We have another meet on Sat. Some bigger competition so I hope we can step it up.

Keep checking for updates.

Miami Dade Meet

2008-08-26T10:13:00.004-04:00

I first want to thank all of the parents and swimmers remained patient during the delays in the meet. We are currently making a push to have some meets in the Keys! We will most certainly be more organized.

Despite the long delays, blistering heat, and overwhelming anticipation the swimmers did great. It is always expected that after a long course season that short corse times will be faster but these were really huge drops. Anywhere from :30 to :1 sec time drops. The JO team continues to grow as there were several cuts posted and all swimmers got best times in all thier events.

Most of all I saw great sportmanship. I saw key fish swimmers congradulating other swimemrs, giving each other high fives, spreading the word of a fast swim like wildfire, and cheering for each others races. I had to tell kids to go sit down and relax! It was great. Work from the summer is paying off and we are more ready for this upcoming short course season than ever.

Parents came up and congratdulated me. I will tell you, however, that the best thing that I do is let them get themselves ready and prepared for the meet. For the most part they are all stretching and warming up on thier own with minimal instruction from me. I did my work at practice so I am confident the work will pay off to those who also did thier work.

Keep checking for updates. Looks like a storm is comming. Stay posted for announcements.

Phelps Under H2O

2008-08-07T09:31:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax77_hHq9Dc&feature=related

Phelps at several angels. Watch the connection!

JO's

2008-08-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

The goal was not only to send more kids to JO's, but I also wanted to get a few top 6 finishers. Both goals were accomplished. Last year at this time I brought 3 kids to Jo's. This year I brought 9. I was so excited to finally bring a team to this meet.
Of those nine I had two finalists and those two finished in the top 5 in at least one final. I can truly say our goals as a team were met.Also, These accolades do not include the best times that were being recorded by all the swimmers. I saw great race preparation and mentality. These swimmers are truly becoming self sufficient athletes.

Now we move back to aerobic training to prep for High School and short course season. Let's keep on rolling into the future! Keep checking for updates.

Division II

2008-07-15T11:31:00.002-04:00

Last weekend a group of our swimmers competed in the Division II Championships. It is a JO qualifying meet so some of our swimmers who are still chasing JO cuts got a chance to taper and rest for the meet. They knew they had to perform at the top of their game and I can happily say that they did just that. The heat, the several technical malfunctions, and meet delays couldn't stop them either. These kids knew they had a job to do and they went out and performed. We had several new JO cuts and several best times. We also had 80% of swims make it back to the finals and in the finals we had several top 3 finishers. And when I tell you these kids raced, they really released their competitive spirit and challenged all competitors. Needless to say I was fired up!

Aside from the swimming the meet was a great weekend for the kids. The camaraderie on this team is great. One night it was someones birthday so we all went out to Pizza Hut. We monopolized about 10 tables and had a great time. It was so nice to see that although this meet is a serious one that kids had the opportunity to chow on pizza, tell jokes, get in food fights, play games and just flat out be kids. More than anything that is what this is all about. In the daily grind it is easy to forget about that.

Thank you again to all parents for you patience, help, commitment to your children. Without you nothing is possible.

Sectionals this weekend, and JO's in two weeks! Check for updates.

FLA International Meet

2008-06-28T16:57:00.003-04:00

I thought I knew what hot was but that was before I went to the Fort Lauderdale International meet last weekend. More than anything I give props to every swimmer who stayed mentally and physically on top of their game although the elements sought to break them down.

This was a great meet. It is one of the biggest meets that we go to with more than 1500 kids in attendance. These kids came from all over the country and they all had A times or above so I consider it a elite meet. For us is was a practice in elevating our performance at the more elite level.

I believe that we did that. Many swimmers placed in the top twenty and we had one swimmer place top ten. What I always have to remember is that these are the fastest kids in the Florida Keys and every time they go out to compete they prove that. I saw lots of confidence exuding out of all of the kids and most importantly they had fun.

What I was most impressed with was our swimmers abilities to warm themselves up and mentally prep for a race. If you look at any other team they are all running group warm ups. I do not. I want to believe that I produce self sufficient athletes that can warm up on their own and swim fast on their own. I think that if they learn how to get themselves ready that any success is theirs more than anyone elses.

I give lots of props to all the kids and I hope we can carry the momentum through the summer and continue to grow and prosper as a elite level club.

Tamiami LC Meet

2008-06-03T11:56:00.002-04:00

Finally back to long course season. I do have to say that I love swimming yards because of the speed, but lets be realistic for a second. No other country in the world swims 25yds except the United States. I would say that in order to be a successful meters swimmer, one has to be a good swimmer as opposed to someone who is just good at starts and turns. This meet gave me a chance to see what kind of swimmers we were with minimal meter training.

When I first opened the heat sheet I immediately relaxed. The times that I saw next to my swimmers names were going to get crushed. I had extreme confidence on that. Some of the best times that were on the heat sheet were intervals that we have been training in workout. Of course I really didn't let on too much. I wanted them to be confident, but not over confident.

This team has come such a long way in a year. Kids are so far in front of their former selves. Lets put it like this. Every swimmer at the meet swam 4 events each day. On each day only one or two kids didn't get a best time in one of those four events, but did best times in all their other events. EVERY OTHER kid did a best times in EVERY EVENT they swam on BOTH days. WOW! I hope they were please with themselves because I know I was pleased with them.

But the word that describes our team is EVOLUTION. I know that at the next meet it will be hard to get best times. The faster you get the harder it becomes. This meet was only the start. It has now motivated me to make sure our team keeps moving in a positive direction. If they are focused then so am I...and that is a dangerous combination for anyone swimming against us!

Meet At Ransom...Among other things

2008-05-19T14:04:00.003-04:00

The hardest part of coaching is showing them something new after you've already showed them everything you know. I knew that kids improved when I first got here and that was good, but at that point everything was still too new to tell if it was signifigant. I only say this becasue I am wrapping up my first year down here, and I am still seeing improvement. I think we swam great at the meet. More than anything I like kids that are swimming with confidence. The younger swimmers knew thier heats and lanes. They got themselves up and they raced. Real veterans now! My older groups swam great as well! A few new JO cuts, a lot of new best times, and we are still having fun doing it.

Now its longcourse season. I personally am tired of short course and cant wait to swim a real distance. We have LOTS of work in front of us. Again I would like to thank the parents for doing all the driving and cheering! Your constant support allows us to achieve.

Keep checking for updates

8 and Under Meet in Miami

2008-04-21T14:30:00.003-04:00

This past weekend the youngest Key Fish traveled to Miami to compete in a 8 and under meet. These meets are a great way for these younger swimmers to get excited about going to meets, and to discover themselves as swimmers.

The month of March was pretty slow in terms of going to meets, but with that "off" time we spent a lot of time trying to develop. My swimmers have been giving me great mental and physical focus over the last month and I would say that this was one of the key contributors to our success as a group. Many of the kids did a best time in every event they swam, while others were only off in one event. Many of the swimmers scored top eight in at least one event while others scored top 3 in every event. We had many heat winners, and for the first time in a long time we had a relay which finished third.

I would say that the best part, however, was watching these young swimmers become more adept at dealing with the chaos that swim meets can sometimes present. They all knew their heats and lanes, and were getting themselves prepared to swim fast. I also saw kids trying new strokes techniques that they have been using in workout and it is always nice to know that my voice is not falling on deaf ears.

Best part of all was that smiles after a race, and the excitement to swim in another race. These young kids remind me to just relax sometimes and have a little fun. I am glad that my swimmers wont be burnt out at the age of 10 and still appreciate the fun, the camaraderie, and the personal achievement that this sport offers.

New Faces In Tamiami

2008-03-11T23:01:00.002-04:00

A little late with this post but I did not forget about it. In fact I left this meet feeling pretty good about the future of our team. For a while I had been relying on a small core group of swimmers on my team to attend all the meets, and really get involved with the team. Now, however, I am seeing lots of new faces at the swim meets; parents and kids alike. Hopefully this is jsut the beggining.

To this meet I took a a lot of newer swimmers, and with a new swimmer it is so easy to make small corrections and go a best time. Kids are just learning what events they like, what kind of swimmer they are, and what kind of a competitor they are. I think we had a terrific showing. Even without many of my "regulars" we still took a bigger group. And these kids ripped it up. We left with lots of ribbons, medals,best times, and most importantly the desire to come to another meet to try our talents again.

Keep checking for updates as I will be trying to get more and more of you out to some more meets!

JO's and The Race Club Banquet

2008-03-05T12:06:00.003-05:00

A lot has happened in the last week that is worth discussing. The first of which is JO's. I had a great time at that meet mostly becasue I always enjoy a championship meet. There is a certain air at JO's that doesnt exist at the other meets. The swimming is faster, the competition is better, everyone in on top of thier game, everyone wants to win or make finals. It is the type of environment where swimmers either thrive or wither up, and I think that our swimmers did a good job of stepping up and swimming fast. Our goal for the next JO's is to get some more swimmers to the meet, and also to get more swimmers into the finals. Most everyone that swam, however, did personal bests and put thier hearts into each race. In the end what can I really ask for besides swimmers competeing with a big heart and a strong spirit. Now, I am looking forward to the summer when I know everyones focus will be on swimming and swimmers will be getting a lot faster! I plan on showing up to the summer JO's ready to rock and roll!

For the second order of buisness I would like to discuss the fundraiser held by The Race Club on monday night. It was a great event called The Race To Bejing where we tried to raise money for our swimmers competing for the Olympics. I will say I think we had a lot of success. There was a great turnout and it was nice to see the Keys coming out to support our team and our sport. Also, I think it was important becasue everyone saw how much we do here at The Race Club. Yes, our main goal is to send people to the Olympic Games, but we also run several of the aquatic programs here in the Keys, and for the first time I felt that The Race Club was more connected to the community. We are trying to create a symbiotic relationship here in the Keys, and when people show that they care about what is going on here, it makes it more fun for us coaches to give back to the community. All in all it was a very successful event, and maybe I just enjoyed socializing, but I cant wait until the next one.

There will be a few practice time that are canelled. Please continue to check for updates.

Good Swim Videos

2008-02-25T14:37:00.003-05:00

Most Recent World Record the 50 Free
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQPUlhqVJA4&feature=related

Jim Richardson, Head Women's Coach at the University of Michigan. A great coach who taught me a lot.

"The Moment Of Truth"
http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/speakers.php?sid=560&vid=5618

"Nothing Wrong With Failure"
http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/speakers.php?sid=560&vid=5618

Mike Bottom, a guy who is teaching me alot right now, reacts to the last meet.
http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/speakers.php?sid=713

Dr. Hall a great swimmer himself talking about putting the past behind you.
http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/speakers.php?sid=782

I find all of these videos at
http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/index.php

Division II

2008-02-25T12:53:00.003-05:00

So DII's finally happened. It is a meet that I have been focusing on, worrying about, preparing for, planning around since we all got back in the pool in the beginning of January. Quite honestly I was concerned that I couldn't get the kids back in shape and more importantly back in racing shape in a little over a month. So I developed a cyclical training plan, much like the one the swimmers on the Race Club use.

But no plan can ever work without consistency and commitment from parents and kids. We had that, and for that reason we found success.

DII's was overall a very positive meet. There were best times left and right. Alot of kids keep nudging closer to JO cuts, while others are just getting into the sport and are slowly becoming "pros." Kids were cheering, parents were cheering, and kids were swimming great. On the first day of the meet 5 of our 9 swimmers made the finals. In the finals we had 5 top three finishers, which means we brought back 5 medals. On the second day of the meet there were 10 swimmers and 7 made finals. A even better day because we had 2 JO cuts, and 3 top three finishers.

I also think we learned a lot of good lessons. I know that alot of kids that made finals had to figure out how to swim fast in the morning, make adjustments, and then swim faster at night. This is probably the most important lesson for anyone that ever wants to have a lot of success in the sport. I also think kids see the importance of focusing on the small things during workout. The goal now is to spend practice time becoming efficient in areas we were not. Becoming purposeful.

We have JO's this upcoming weekend so I am very excited. The trick for those kids is to fine tune everything and not change too much. It will be my goal to decide the balance between that adjustment, and a big correction. A lot of race simulation combined with low aerobic work. I am confident regardless. Not becasue of my training plan but becasue of these swimmer's commitment to be fast. That is always the most important thing.

I would also like to give a shout out to our parents who officiated the second day of the meet. I was the other one standing in the sun all day and I must say I appreciate your efforts. It is funny that for such a small team not only are we brining home a lot of the medals, but we are also keeping the meet alive.

I want to have another parents meeting in March. I am thinking the middle of March but do not have a specific date as of yet. These next few monthes will gear us up for the summer, and things must be discussed. Keep checking for updates...see you at the pool!

Coral Springs Meet

2008-02-13T14:58:00.002-05:00

I am a little late in posting this but we recently had a meet in Coral Springs. It is nice to see the swimmers coming out of hibernation and swimming in some meets. We took a bigger group this time, and as usual represented the Florida Keys pretty well. Many top 8 finishers, and kids are still dropping times after a long winter break wich makes me feel good. Also, we are still having kids attend thier first meet and that is always exciting.

I will say, however, that sometimes I am the one that needs to improve in areas, and meets are a great way to see that. I think I did a great job of getting the kids back in shape fast, but I did see swimmers getting sloppy with the small things like turns, starts, finishes etc. Now that most of us are back in shape we will be spending the next few weeks at practice refreshing our skills. Well, either that or racing!

Either way I am still looking at some March meets and will be posting those shortly. We have DII's and JO's coming up, and I think I am not the only one who is excited. Keep checking for updates

Back In Season

2008-01-28T13:11:00.000-05:00

Well, 2008 has officially begun. I say that beacause I dont really consider us back in season until we swim at least one meet. You can always train, but you will never know what really needs work until you evaluate the first meet after a long break.

Unfortunatly becasue of the "cold weather" we have lost a few regular swimmers. We only took a small group to a meet in Tamiami this past weekend. The kids that have been coming regularly to workout are back to form. This means that the training plan is working, and that these swimmers are still fresh after a long break. We had several best times, several top 8 finishers, and more JO cuts! I cant wait until the weather gets warmer, and things with our team start really heating up. My hope for this team is that JO cuts are a given...and Zones, or Junior Nationals is the focus. Not only would I like to be taking a bigger team to these smaller meets, but I also want to bring a big team to a big meet. With our success so far I feel that it will happen as long as we keep moving forward. 2008 will be a busy year, no time to settle just yet!

As for now we are entering the second part of our training for most of the swimmers. We will be doing a lot more racing in workout. Less yardage but more explosiveness. I mean, if your going to swim you mind as well swim fast!

Keep checking for updates...I will soon be posting March meets.

The Cat Mentality

2008-01-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

A great Mike Bottom interview. It sums up many of my own beliefs on the sport of swimming, and it is proof that there is not only one training method to make someone fast!

http://www.flocasts.org/floswimming/speakers.php?sid=713

New Year

2008-01-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

So, it's a New Year which means that we are back to training hard. OUr main focus for these next few weeks will be DII's, and then J.O's. For the first couple of weeks we will be primarily doing aerobic work, kicking, and drills. As the kids get beck into shape we will start to add some speed sets. After that we we have some short rest before DII's, and the plan is to rock that meet out!

Also, in this New Year we have already had a swim meet. It was the Orange Bowl Classic put on by the Jacobs Aquatics Center. All of the college teams that aredown here training competed against each other in a sprint style competition of 50's and 100's only. Now, FKSC did not compete, but there we many Race Club swimmers who did exibition and watching them race is always a treat.

So, for me it is back to work so we can get ready for J.O.'s, while Mike and the World Team are back to work so they can get ready for the Olympic Games in Bejing!

Here is a video clip of the Orange Bowl... http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_

Small Meet, Big Times

2007-12-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-12T07:08:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-06T08:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-31T11:53:00.001-04:00

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

2007-10-26T17:43:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-22T12:45:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-15T10:35:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-11T08:06:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-09T07:58:00.001-04:00

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

2007-09-24T16:15:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-27T10:31:00.001-04:00

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

2007-08-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-19T07:29:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

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

2007-07-11T18:07:00.000-04:00

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