2019-2020 Time Standards

2019-2020 Time Standards are still in the process of being refreshed by most LSCs and Zones. Swimmerbook will be monitoring for updates and will promptly reflect changes. However, we appreciate our valued swimmer and parent community for feedback as well. Please email support@swimmerbook.com if you know of an update that has not been reflected on our site. Updated LSC and Zone Time Standards:

  • CT (Regional, Age Group, Senior Champ)
  • FG (JO, Senior Champ – no change from 2018-2019)
  • MR (Silver, JO, Senior Mets)
  • NE (SC Silver, Age Group Champ, Regional Champ, December Senior Champ)
  • IL (Age Group, Regional, SC Senior Champ)
  • KY (Age Group, Senior Champ)
  • PV (SC Age Group, Junior, Senior Champ)
  • NJ (Silver, Gold, Senior no changes from 2018-2019)
  • TX (Texas Age Group – TAGS, Texas Senior Circuit Sectionals – TSC, Southern Sr Champ)
  • Eastern Zone
    • Age Group Zone (15-18 age group removed)
    • Spring Sectionals
  • Central Zone
    • Sections 1 and 8 Spring Sectionals
  • Western Zone
    • Age Group Champ
    • Four Corners Spring Sectional
    • Pacific Northwest Spring Sectional
    • Western Region Spring Sectional
  • Southern Zone
    • Southern Senior Champ
  • All National level times (TYR Pro, US Open, Winter Jr, Futures, NCSA Juniors, NCSA Age Group Champ) refreshed to 2019-2020

 

8 Steps for College Bound Student Athletes

Does the college student athlete recruiting process seem like a myth to you? Worry no more. Here is the process simplified in 8 steps.

Step 1: Understanding the basic of NCAA Divisions

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit organization which regulates athletes of 1,281 North American institutions and conferences organized into 3 Divisions.  

Division I consists of 351 schools where 1 in 25 students are athletes. Approximately 59% of student athletes receive full or partial multiyear, cost-of-attendance athletics scholarships or aid.

Division II consists of 308 schools where 1 in 11 students are athletes. Approximately 62% of student athletes receive partial athletics scholarship or aid.

Division III consists of 443 schools where 1 in 6 students are athletes. According to NCAA rules, Division III schools can no offer athletic scholarships. However, 80% of athletes at these schools receive some form of non-athletics aid.

Step 2: Know the eligibility requirements

College-bound students who want to compete at a Division I or II school must meet standards set by NCAA members. For Division III, athletes must meet the admissions standards set by the school. Eligibility standards can be found at eligibilitycenter.org. As a college-bound student athlete, you are responsible for your eligibility, so plan ahead, take high school classes seriously, and protect your amateur status.

The following activities may impact your amateur status:

  • Signing a contract with a professional team
  • Playing with professionals
  • Participating in tryouts or practices with a professional team
  • Accepting payments or preferential benefits for playing sports
  • Accepting prize money above your expenses
  • Accepting benefits from an agent or prospective agent
  • Agreeing to be represented by an agent
  • Delaying your full-time college enrollment to play in organized sports competitions

Step 3: Plan ahead (Grade 9 and 10)

You need to be certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center to compete at an NCAA Division I or II school. So go to eligibilitycenter.org to create a Certification Account. You need to register for a Certification Account to make official visits to Divisions I and II schools or to sign a National Letter of Intent. It costs $90 to register (non-refundable) as US or Canadian student. $150 for international students.

If you are planning to attend a Division III school, you do not need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Division III schools set their own admissions standards. However, you can still create an NCAA a free Profile Page account instead of a Certification Account. If you change your mind later about which Division’s school you plan on attending, you can always convert a Profile account to a Certification Account.

High School Course Credit Requirements

You must meet ALL of these NCAA requirements to compete Division I or Division II. Division III schools set their own admissions standards.

Division I

  • Complete 16 NCAA core courses:
    • 4 years of English
    • 3 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
    • 2 years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if offered)
    • 2 years of social science
    • 1 additional year of English, math or natural/physical science
    • 4 additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
  • For a simpler formula:  Just do 4 of each of English, Math, Science, Social Science
  • Complete 10 NCAA core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester.
  • Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your NCAA core courses.
  • Earn an ACT sum score or SAT combined score that matches your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale.

Division II

  • Complete 16 NCAA core courses.
    • 3 years of English
    • 2 years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
    • 2 years of natural or physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it)
    • 2 years of social science
    • 3 additional years of English, math or natural or physical science
    • 4 additional years of English, math, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy.
  • Earn at least a 2.2 GPA in your NCAA core courses.
  • Earn an ACT sum score or SAT combined score that matches your core-course GPA on the Division II sliding scale.

Step 4: Research and express your interest to the schools (Late Grade 10, Early Grade 11)

Research the schools you might be interested, get to know their team’s strength and weakness. Look up the team’s current swimmers, their strengths and their times, know where you might fit in. For example, if you are a sprint freestylist, and 3 of 4 sprint freestylists at a school are graduating before your year of entry, then you might become a more valuable candidate than otherwise.

There are thousands of swimmers graduating year, and there are hundreds of colleges looking to recruit swimmers to their schools. How do the coaches know that you may be interested in their school or to watch you at a meet? Express your interest to the schools by completing their Prospective Student Athlete Interest Form. Almost every school has one of these forms on their website. This is a great way to get your name on a school’s watch list. Understand that coaches are not allowed to contact you until September 1st of your 11th Grade or Junior Year.

Step 5: Take the ACT or SAT (Grade 11)

Plan on taking your ACT or SAT in Grade 11. Submit your scores to NCAA Eligibility Center using code 9999, and upload your official transcripts to NCAA Eligibility Center.  

Step 6: Communicate with Schools and Coaches (Grade 11 and 12)

You may start to receive letters from various schools who have identified you as a potential recruit. If you are interested in exploring the school further, make sure you respond and complete the school’s Prospective Student Athlete Interest Form.

Coaches may start phone or email communications with you after you have started Grade 11. Select potential recruits are then invited to Junior Days at the schools. These are weekends designed for potential recruits to visit the campus and spend time with the coaches and existing team members to assess fit (both ways). It is not uncommon for recruits to be scored by existing team members. Whether it is an invited Junior Day, or a weekend on your own initiation, it is a good idea for college-bound students to visit as many schools as you can, as each school’s culture, location, environment, student body, course offerings, coaching style, team dynamics differ greatly. You want to find the place that’s right for you. Four years is a long time to be at a place you don’t like.

Once you have shortlisted your potential schools choices, and hopefully you have also made it to those schools’ shortlist of potential recruits, keep up the communication with the coaches. Many schools’ coaches will call you to discuss your performance and thoughts after meets.

Step 7: Verbal Commitment & Letter of Intent (Grade 12)

Along the way, if you have received one or more Verbal Offers or Letters of Intent, congratulations, you are almost there. Before you make a verbal commitment or sign the paper, make sure you compare all your offers, including scholarship and financial aid components, understand all the terms and conditions. You can always ask the coach to clarify any details.  

Finally, make a decision and sign your letter. Always keep in mind, a Letter of Intent is not a Guarantee of Admissions. In most cases, you must officially apply and go through the school’s admissions process. Until you have the official admissions letter in hand, anything can still change.

Step 8: Get NCAA Certified for Division I or II (Grade 12)

If you are going to attend a Division I or II school, make sure you complete all NCAA required core courses. Take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary.

Request your final amateurism certification beginning Oct 1 (for winter/spring enrollees) or Apr 1 (for fall enrollees). Upload final official transcript with proof of graduation to NCAA Eligibility Center after you graduate.

Swimmer Diet Needs and Ideas

Many swimmers approach their training with fierce commitment and laser focus. So often, however, these same athletes fail to recognize that without a solid foundation of nutrition and rest, they’re not going to get to where they want to go. Taking on the responsibility of training must be combined with eating and resting for performance as well. Failure to take care of your nutrition and rest will eventually catch up to you, and your performance will suffer. The biggest mistake made by athletes of all ages is eating randomly through the day. They just let eating happen based on what’s going on and where they find themselves.

Since swimmers have specific performance goals (increasing endurance versus increasing strength, for example), meal planning is vital to adequately support progress toward those goals. Getting stronger doesn’t just happen; neither will getting the fuel your body needs. Swimmers must value their fueling strategy just as they do their training strategy.

Endurance athletes, given their high-calorie output, should plan to eat a substantial amount of carbohydrates at meals and snacks, as research has shown this can improve endurance and performance.

Carbohydrate is the gas in the tank for endurance events. The intensity and duration of the event dictates the fuel that your body uses. The higher the intensity or duration, the more your fuel source is carbohydrate. You have trained, tracked your progress and hydrated. Choosing high octane carbohydrates are the finishing touch to your race day preparation. Quality high carbohydrates are those that reach your bloodstream slowly and give you sustained energy.

Here are some examples of those high-powered carbs:

  • Whole grain cereal, such as oatmeal
  • Whole grain breads
  • Low fat dairy, especially milk and yogurt
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables

Practice and train with these endurance carbohydrates in order to develop a gut tolerance for these foods. After a hard training session, recover with faster acting carbohydrates in order to reload the muscles for the next day’s training. Your muscles are the most hungry for food within the first 30 minutes after exercise. However, this is when most athletes tolerate foods the least. Start the recovery process with a sports drink or cold juice and a carbohydrate/protein energy bar. Topping off your tank and refueling are great strategies to improve your performance.

Power and strength athletes may focus on getting solid protein sources at meals and snacks to provide the body with the amino acid building blocks to promote muscle growth.

Consuming healthy fat from avocado, nuts, seeds and olives helps provide concentrated calories, which is especially helpful for athletes with high-calories needs. These sources of fat also help fight inflammation in the body, which is a side effect of intense training.

All athletes should eat more fruits and vegetables during meals and snacks. High training volume can increase the amount of oxidative stress in the body and therefore more antioxidants, which can be found in fruits and vegetables, are needed.

According to the American Dietetic Association, a swimmer needs 3,000 to 6,000 calories a day to maintain their weight. Competitive swim teams often practice twice a day, making meal planning essential. Swimmers need to eat before and after practice to fuel workouts. Eating small meals and snacks can help reach calorie needs.

The body utilizes carbohydrates for energy during exercise. They need to comprise the majority of a swimmer’s meal plan. The American Dietetic Association recommends 2.3 to 3.6g per lb. of body weight a day. Thus, a 150-lb. swimmer would need 345 to 540g. Sources include grains, fruits, vegetables and cereals.

Protein fuels growth, maintenance and repair for the body. Fish, chicken, nuts, eggs, beef, milk and cheese are high quality sources of protein. Swimmers need 0.55 to 0.8g per lb. of body weight, according to the American Dietetic Association. A 150-lb. swimmer needs 82 to 120g of protein a day. As a general reference, an ounce of meat provides 7g of protein per serving. Including milk with meals is a great way to boost protein intake. Using nuts such as almonds on salads or including meat with dinner also helps swimmers reach their protein needs.

Swimmers sweat in the water, which causes fluid loss. Therefore, drinking 2 cups of fluid before practice, and 5 to 10 oz. of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during practice is recommended. A sports drink is helpful when practicing more than one hour to help replace carbohydrate loss. Another good habit for swimmers is to periodically weigh themselves before and after practice to determine the weight lost from fluids. Replenish with 3 cups of fluids for every pound lost. In addition, at least 1 cup of fluid should be taken with each meal and snack throughout the day. Research show that chilled fluids lower body temperature and are absorbed faster.

Best Energy Bars
Instead of hopping from bar to bar, use these general guidelines to help you find the one that works for you:  Look for bars with fewer than 5 grams of fat. Aim for 3 to 5 grams of fiber.  If you’re using energy bars as snacks, be mindful of the calories; consider eating half a bar to keep your caloric intake within limits – a Luna bar contains 170 to 180 calories, for example, while a Promax Oat-rageous bar has 330 to 340 calories.  If you’re shopping for an actual meal-replacement bar, choose one that has about 15 grams or more of protein – along with some fiber – and is fortified with 35 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowances for vitamins and minerals.  

Some of the best energy bars we’ve found on the market:

Power Bar: Performance Bar
Power Bar: Whole Grain Harvest
Luna Bars (selected flavors)
Promax Oat-rageous (selected flavors)
Optimum Rebound
Clif Bars (selected flavors)
Zoe’s Bars (selected flavors)

Other Snack Ideas

Dry cereal: Try some finger-food cereals (unfrosted) alone or mixed with nuts, raisins or dried fruits. Take your cereal blend with you and eat it dry if you don’t have time to add milk.

Trail Mix: Choose one that contains nuts, fruit and some cereal or pretzels.

Yogurt: Buy it with the fruit added, or buy it plain and add your own favorite fruits or granola. Try the regular or thick-and-creamy fruited versions or the yogurt drinks.

Instant oatmeal: Make it with low-fat milk instead of water. Add chopped nuts and raisins.

Crackers: Try the whole-grain or stone-ground wheat variety and reduced-fat versions.

Nut butter (almond, cashew and peanut): Spread it on a banana, bagel or rice cake. Make your own snack using peanut butter and whole-grain crackers.

Pretzels: Try various sizes and shapes to find the ones you like best. Buy the salt-free variety, or knock off the salt entirely if reducing your salt intake is important. Avoid pretzels with fat added.

Fruit: Fresh fruit is always a good choice. Always pack a couple oranges with you for pre-race snacking.  Make your own snack packs using dried fruits like raisins, cherries and cranberries.

Frozen fruit bars: Choose the ones with fruit or fruit chunks at the beginning of the ingredients list.

Nuts and seeds: Find ways to add peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. to foods or eat them alone. They’re a healthy choice, but be aware that they’re also high in calories.

Baked potatoes: Microwave them in minutes, and eat them hot or cold. Add cheese for protein and calcium. Don’t forget sweet potatoes as an option.

Pizza: Order thick-crust with vegetables and/or Canadian bacon instead of pepperoni, sausage or the meat-lover’s version.

Energy bars, breakfast bars and low-fat granola bars: Bars are convenient, but they can be expensive. And don’t believe all the labels say about enhancing your performance. It’s the calories you’re consuming that give you energy, not some magical ingredient. Be sure to read the label carefully.

Sandwiches: Use whole-wheat or whole-grain bread. Be sure to use lower-fat meat-and-cheese choices and reduced-fat versions of mayo. Add lettuce, tomatoes and green pepper slices to provide another food group.

Cheese sticks and cheese cubes: Reduced-fat choices are available with 5 grams or less of fat per ounce. Eat them alone or with crackers and fruit.

Cottage cheese: Use the snack-size, low-fat versions. Eat cottage cheese along with snack-size canned fruit or green pepper and tomato.

Tortilla: Try the whole-wheat version. Add shredded cheese and vegetables, roll it up and microwave.

Bagels: Toast and top them with reduced-fat cheese, cream cheese or peanut butter. Try the whole-grain versions.

Popcorn: The snack-size microwave light versions are just the right size to take on the run. Instead of using butter, try spraying popcorn with cooking oil sprays and adding spices like chili powder or garlic powder.

Raw vegetables: Baby carrot sticks in individual packages and cut-up, washed broccoli and cauliflower are readily available at the supermarket. Take them along with a snack-size container of a light salad dressing dip.

Understanding Energy Systems for Swimming

Understanding Energy Systems for Swimming

A swimmer’s success directly correlates to his / her power, speed and endurance.  To achieve these, training both in-water and dryland should target the most relevant type or a combination of the three basic types of energy systems that power the athletes: the anaerobic a-lactic system, the anaerobic lactic system, and the aerobic system. Depending on the athletes training goal (long distance vs sprints) one system may need more buildup than the others. Thus having an understanding of the energy systems that power different types of swimmers will help athletes select the right set of exercises to best complement and complete their training regimen.

  1. Anaerobic A-Lactic Energy

Bursts of power and speed that require high amounts of short duration acceleration use the anaerobic a-lactic system.  Swimmers rely on this energy system from the instant they explode off the starting blocks through the first few strokes after break out. The anaerobic a-lactic system creates energy that is sufficient to last around 10 seconds.  

  1. Anaerobic Lactic Energy

The anaerobic lactic system provides energy for medium to high intensity bursts of activity that lasts from ten seconds to two minutes. Sprint distance swimmers and mid-distance swimmers rely on this system. The anaerobic lactic system, as well as the anaerobic a-lactic energy system explained previously, are capable of high intensity levels, and do not rely on oxygen for fuel.  

The primary difference between the anaerobic lactic and a-lactic systems is in the amount of time the system can support your race at peak efficiency before dropping off.  We have all seen races (or been the one) where a swimmer who initially looks full of energy and speed suddenly slows down, when his anaerobic lactic energy ran out.

The anaerobic lactic energy system can work at capacity for as long as two minutes. However, the bad news is lactic acid also accumulates in the blood and in muscle cells in the process as waste product from energy usage. The burning sensation in the muscle, shortness of breath and fatigue are all symptoms of lactic acid build up.  Thus it is critically important for swimmers to warm down immediately after their races, especially after sprints.

Strength is important for sprint and mid-distance swimmers whose races depend on the anaerobic a-lactic system and the anaerobic lactic system as their main sources of energy.  Strength can be improved through progressive resistance training. Because the body adapts and becomes resistant to the same training load over time, in order to improve strength and make progress, one needs to constantly change the resistance level, reps, sets and rest period to be effective.  It does not mean the higher the resistance level, the bigger the increase in strength one will get. The biggest benefit for a swimmer comes when the body learns to effectively manage changes in resistance as in swimming races. A word of caution on using weights as part of strength training: muscle cell size increase could affect the body balance of a swimmer, which could in turn affect a swimmer’s stroke positively or negatively.

  1. Aerobic Energy

The aerobic system provides energy for comparatively less intense movements that last anywhere from two minutes to a few hours. Unlike the two anaerobic systems, the aerobic system requires oxygen but takes much longer to overload. Long distance races that primarily depend on continuous sustained efforts rely on the aerobic system.

Endurance swimmers are required to overcome a relatively lower and more consistent resistance for a prolonged period of time. Effective dry-land workout for aerobic training often involves longer sets of low resistance reps, done with a breathing pattern.  Because the aerobic system is an efficient energy system that relies on oxygen instead of muscle strength, distance swimmers are often coached to breath every stroke.

 

So to conclude, training should be focused on the most relevant energy system depending on a swimmer’s race/distance focus. While the right set of exercise can build power, speed, and endurance, a sound nutrition foundation is also required to ensure that energy and nutrient needs are met and allow for recovery between practices. Lastly, let’s not forget a swimmer’s psychological focus is as important as physical training.

Nutrition Planning for Your Training Season

While swimmers, parents, and coaches start to set goals and plans for a new  training season, make sure to include nutrition as part of your seasonal planning and daily goals.  The best and most successful athletes do!

Here are some simple actionable guidelines for every swimmer:

In-Season Nutrition: (Hard Training)

  • You need carbs!  Target 50% Grains, 25% Lean Protein, and 25% Vegetables each meal.
  • FATs: include 2 tablespoons portion of healthy fats with your meal.  Avocadoes toast sounds yum yum…
  • Fruits: We highly recommend Pineapples, Oranges, Apples, Bananas, and all kinds of berries for recovery and snacking
  • Our pick for between meal snacking: Acai Berry Greek Yogurt Smoothie
  • Supplements: Add a teaspoonful of Whey Protein Isolate or Probiotics will boost your workout and help you body last through one more training set.  Beta-alanine is also an excellent natural supplement.  It is a naturally occurring amino acid in the body. Supplementing it with your diet will help improve exercise capacity. It is a great supplement for those working mid-distance or long-sprint training.
  • Who needs five meals a day?  Swimmers do!  Having smaller meals, smaller portions of protein, but more often, is a much better meal plan than downing 5 portions of chicken pasta in one sitting.
  • Don’t forget to monitor your hydration.  For every pound lost during training, drink 16-24 fl oz (2-3 cups) of water.

Initial Taper (Moderate Training)

  • During initial taper, slowly reduce your grain/carb intake to target a 1/3 Grain, 1/3 Lean Protein, and 1/3 Vegetables balance.  Make your food colorful for the best nutrient density.
  • FATs: 1 tablespoon.  Add the nuts and seeds to your portion of salad

Final Taper (Easy Training)

  • The final taper (10 day count down to the Championships) is when you need to watch the weight gain/loss very carefully.  Think about it, no one will want to swim the championships in a totally different body than what the swimmer trained in all season.  So, sticking to this diet guideline is really important.
  • 50% Fruits and Vegetables, 30% Lean Protein, 20% Whole Grains
  • FATs: reduce to 1 teaspoon
  • Supplements: High dietary nitrate concentration helps increase blood flow to the working muscles to increase oxygen availability and improve muscle efficiency during high intensity activity.  Beets Juice is a great source of dietary nitrate.  We recommend adding beets to your diet during the final taper period.

Race Day

  • The biggest fallacy young athletes often make is to think that what you eat on race day is only time that matters.  We have to break it to you that if you haven’t done your in-season and taper diets dealing up to race day, you will see very little benefit and perhaps a negative effect to changing your diet on race day. That said, there are some simple guidelines that you should follow non-the-less.
  • Go for the fast digesting lunch options between your prelim and final: Chipotle (brown rice, chicken, black beans, corn, lettuce are a good easy combo) always works!
  • Pack your bags with natural quick absorbing natural antioxidant foods such as oranges for a quick boost of energy 45 minutes before your race.  Fresh pineapples, chocolate milk and a bottle of tart cherry juice for post race recovery. These foods can help you recover quickly from your races by increasing total antioxidation capacity, reducing inflammation and helping the muscles recover.  Natural sources of antioxidants can help to decrease stress markers increased during activity.
  • Keep to the natural foods, skip the dietary supplements on race day — whatever the label might say — unnatural supplements forms of nutrients take much longer for the body to absorb, and may actually inhibit the natural training response and be detrimental to performance.

Do you have a favorite swimmer meal recipe to share?  Send us your suggestions to contact@swimmerbook.com

Swimmerbook wishes all of you good luck to a new season ahead!

 

 

 

Mental Tapering

Do you feel the stress?  Right about this time in the season, when the championships kick off relentlessly one after another, we all feel our blood pressures, anxiety levels, and stress meters hit the highs — swimmers and parents alike.  Welcome to the mental side of swimming!  The power of mental tapering is such an important piece of the sport because the skills that swimmers learn in regards to mentally preparing for success in a meet, are the same skills that will allow them to mentally prepare for success in their lives outside of the pool.

Swimming teaches athletes to push themselves to the brink of their abilities day in and day out. This is what makes the sport great. The ability to strive for a goal that is just outside of our reach and know that through hard work we can achieve more tomorrow than we could today.  But what do you do when the swimmer grows tired of reaching for that goal and feels emotionally exhausted? One of the ironic things about time based sports like swimming is that while the workouts can be physically taxing, the emotional stress of the season is what exhausts many athletes, right at championship time.

The grind of morning workouts, class, afternoon workouts and homework day after day can be draining. When this demanding schedule is combined with the winter months, a lack of sunlight and long meets that eat into sleep and weekends; it’s enough to drain the emotional reserve of even the most dedicated athlete. The result is that by the end of the season, when swimmers are preparing for their most important races, they lose the drive that they had early in the season. Taking time off isn’t an option because of the importance and the buildup to the upcoming meets.

The traditional answer is to taper the approach and get more rest. While this is the perfect answer for getting the body ready to perform at its peak level, it does not address the mental condition of the athlete. It lessens the demand on the emotional bank account, but just because you stop withdrawing money doesn’t mean the bank account will go up on it’s own.

This concept of tapering shouldn’t be exclusive to the physical load that swimmers are experiencing.  Mental tapering is just as important.  Here are a few simple things that can help:

For the swimmers, if you need a quick dose of courage and spirit, listen to the story of “Eric the Eel” (the swimming underdog who swam at the 2000 Olympics without having ever seen a 50 meter pool before), and relive the phenomenal 4×100 free men’s relay at the 2008 Olympic Games (“Most Phenomenal American Swim Ever!”).  If you are having doubts about achieving the seemingly impossible, watch the “Miracle on Ice” (the 1980 US Olympic hockey team pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports) will certainly make you believe your hard work will deliver.

For the parents, it is especially important that you play a positive role during the psychological tapering period.  As much as possible, you should limit the psychological burden on the athletes. This does not mean not holding them accountable to completing their homework and chores around the house. Instead, it’s about removing as much pressure on their performance as possible and instead focus on making deposits to their emotional bank account.  These deposits can take many forms and should vary based on the child. A couple of starting ideas could be a nice dinner out where the topic of swimming is off limits. It’s common for swimmers to feel like the sport is consuming their lives. A night away from the sport is a nice reprieve that allows both the parents and swimmers to return to the sport fresh in the morning.   Another great activity is to review old pictures and video footage from other activities the family did together, and remembering that your swimmers are also talented writers, artists, or joke masters.  This is the time when swimmers and parents can reinforce the bond between one another and understand that your lives are not defined by the results of one swim meet.

You might just be surprised that by removing the stress of competing at a high level, athletes release the burden and tension that the season has pinned on them. By letting this burden go, they are then free to achieve some of their best results.

Eastern Zone Age Group Championship Updates Qualifying Time Standards and Bonus Structure

Eastern Zone Age Group Championship has softened Qualifying Time Standards for 10-under as well as 11-12 age groups by approximately 0.5 seconds per 50 yards.  Both 12-under age groups will also get 1 bonus swim for every qualified event entered (with a limit of up to 3 bonus events).  Bonus qualifying times are 1 second per 50 yards slower than the qualifying times.  No changes and no bonus for 13 & over age groups.