Swim Competition 101
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Preparing for a swim meet can be both exciting and nerve-racking, especially if it’s your first meet. To help calm those nerves it helps to know what to expect. Below is an outline of how to prepare for a swim meet, along with a checklist of suggested items to bring to the meet. Competition 101 I. The week before a. What is taper? i. Rest and recuperation ii. Time to focus b. What should you be doing? i. Sleeping well, but not too much ii. Stretching iii. Eating well, taking on more carbs and proteins, less sugars iv. Drinking lots of water c. Time to refine, not learn II. The night before a. Pack your bag b. Know where you’re going and how long it will take to get there c. Eat a good dinner (typical swimmers meal is pasta) d. Drink more water than normal e. Stretch f. Relax III. Race morning a. Get up early to wake your body up b. Eat a breakfast of choice i. Something easy to digest ii. Something with a good mix of protein and carbs iii. Something you have eaten before iv. Something you are comfortable with c. Stretch d. Relax IV. Getting to the pool a. Check-in if your event is a positive check-in (1650 Free, 1000 Free, 500 Free, 400 IM) b. Take a survey of the pool c. Find the locker rooms d. Set up camp e. Check in with the coach V. Warm-ups a. Before the meet starts i. Standard warm-up (what you’re used to doing in practice) ii. “Feeling it” (swim until you feel good in the water; drills help) iii. Quit while you’re ahead (once you feel good stop so you don’t tire yourself) iv. Sprinting (it’s a good idea to do 2 or 3 sprints off the blocks; make sure your googles don’t fall off; you don’t need to sprint the entire 25) v. The walls, blocks, & flags (get familiar with them) b. During the meet i. Warming up again (if you haven’t swam in a couple of hours then it’s a good idea to warm your muscles up before your race) ii. Drying off (make sure you keep warm by drying off and putting clothes on) iii. Cooling down (as soon as you complete your race head to the warm up/down pool and swim until your heart rate goes down) iv. Check in with the coach before and/or after your race (he/she will give you tips and feedback) VI. The flow of the meet a. Look at the schedule b. Heats and lanes c. Know your events VII. Your events a. Checking in with the timer b. Order of the starter c. Stepping up or getting in at the right time d. Doing it wrong VIII. The race a. Having a plan b. Knowing the key thoughts c. A routine that works IX. What if’s… a. Someone false starts b. I false start c. I miss my event d. I don’t know where I should be e. My goggles fall off f. My suit rips g. My goggles break h. I “DQ” X. After the race a. Reading the scoreboard b. Staying in the water c. “Good Job” XI. Relays a. Meeting your relay b. The order of swimmers c. How age is determined XII. Between events a. Staying hydrated b. Staying nourished c. Staying stretched out d. Staying warm e. Taking naps XIII. The right attitude a. Winning b. Losing c. Learning d. Having Fun e. Short memories f. Self evaluation XIV. Questions Swim Meet Checklist
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Practice Starts at New Pool – VMAC
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October 4th, Thornton Masters will begin all practices at the new Adams 12 Natatorium – Veteran’s Memorial Aquatics Center (VMAC). Below are the most frequently asked questions and answers. – When will practices be? o Monday, Wednesday, & Friday Mornings at 5:30 – 7:00 AM o Tuesday & Thursday Evenings at 8:00 – 9:30 PM – What will the costs be? o A punch card or individual pass is required to swim at the new pool. You must purchase at the Carpenter Rec Center, NOT the new pool. o 20 Visit Punch Cards – Adults, 18 to 61 years: $56 (20 visits x $3.50 = $70 – 20% discount) & Seniors 62+: $32 (20 visits x $2 = $40 – 20% discount) o 10 Visit Punch Cards – Adults: $31.50 (10 visits x $3.50 = $35 – 10% discount) & Seniors: $18 (10 visits x $2 = $20 – 10% discount) o Single Day Pass – $3.50 – Will punch cards be good at both facilities? o No. You will need a membership or Thornton punch card to go to the rec center and a Master’s punch card to go to the new aquatic center. – What If I only swim masters but have a Rec Center annual membership or punch card. Can I get reimbursed? o Thornton will allow your membership to be cancelled and refunded if you wish. o Rec Center punch cards can be transferred to a master’s punch card or refunded. – Is there different prices for residents and non-residents? o No. – Where can the master’s punch cards be purchased? o At the Carpenter Rec Center on Colorado & 112th. – What is the new pool like? o It is a 50 meter by 25 yard pool with twin bulkheads. It’s standard configuration will allow us to swim in the middle section, 25 YDS, 7’ deep the entire length. The pool is designed with flush gutters, meaning that the water level is at the same level of the deck. No more high walls to climb when getting out! – What will the water temperature be? o They are going to keep it between 78-80 degrees, comfortable for working out without the shock of most competition pools kept at 76-77. – Will we be able to swim 50 meters? o We will be able to arrange that periodically. Long course season is May – August, so that would be when it is most beneficial. – How many lanes will we have? o We will have 5 lanes to start. Depending on average attendance, that could go up or down. – Do we need to bring our gear bag each time? o As of now, there is not a place to store your bag (fins, paddles, etc.), so bring them with you each practice. Kickboards and pull buoys will be provided at the new pool. – Is the move permanent? o Yes and no. After moving there, we will see if it a good fit. If not, we may have an option of moving some or all practices back to the rec center in January. – Is there a hot tub? o Sadly, no. – Will we be able to host meets? o Yes! The seating area holds 800 people and the timing system in integrated right into the deck and walls. We can host meets, and maybe even try to host state! |
Thornton takes 2nd Place at State Championships
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For the second year in a row Thornton Masters has taken 2nd place at the Colorado State Masters Swimming Championships. Thornton took 2nd out of a field of 40 teams from through out the state and in the process qualified several swimmers for Nationals. It was a tight race for second between Thornton and its northern rival the BEE GEE’s but in the end Thorntons depth (43 swimmers) was to much for the BEE GEE’s to overcome. DU Masters the host team took the team title after finishing a disapointing third place last year. Congratulations to Jodi Lee, Jared Foster, Scott Forrester, Caleb Wright, Denise Clark, Eduardo Cruz, and Kurt Anderson for competing in and finishing the Brute Squade (1650 free, 400 IM, and 200 Fly) and to Jodi Lee and Vickie Engle for winning the high point award (most points earned by an individual at a meet for their age group).
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Welcome to the Thornton Masters Swimming Website
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Here’s our new swim team website. We hope you like it! We’ll be posting articles, workouts and schedules here. We also plan to have the website replace our newsletter so we can provided more frequent information to our team. Let the Coaches or Anthony know of suggestions for articles and other information you would like to see on our team’s website. Check back often!
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