February 2008 Monthly - Dynamo Swim Club

As we embark on the championship season, here is a little guide to help the athletes and families understand the process and perform well. There is another section of the newsletter devoted to the Age Group Swimmers, this is for the seniors.

The term “taper” has become an emotional word for athletes and parents. It basically just boils down to a systematic reduction of the stress load, in an effort to allow real adaptation and improvement. Basically, it is an effort to reap the benefits of a season of hard work. That is the physical side of it, and it is pretty cut and dry. It’s the emotional/mental side of it that makes it tricky.

The real art of coaching comes into play now, and it is my favorite part of this job. With a little rest, the personalities at practice are different. Tired and withdrawn athletes become energetic and ‘bounce off the walls’. There is a lot of unknown as the sensations in the water in terms of ‘feel’ and energy have morphed into something not often experienced. Managing that energy at the pool and ‘bottling it’ away from the pool becomes a priority. When the athletes were training more, they knew what to expect…but no longer.

We are getting towards the time of year when swimmers and coaches begin to throw around the words “rest” and “taper”. But, what exactly is a taper and what does it mean for an age group swimmer? The taper period is a decrease in the intensity, duration, and/or frequency of training. These decreases allow the body to recovery from the rigors of training, both physically and mentally. Maximum VO2, peak power, anaerobic capacity, and neuromuscular function are greatly increased following the taper period and generally lead to an increase in swimming performance (i.e. drops in performance time).

In age group swimmers, a true physical taper is usually unnecessary. The muscle mass is not large enough in most cases, to require a great deal of rest, and it is characteristic of these young people that they have abundant energy. Additionally, young swimmers have a low anaerobic capacity, which is the main system improved by taper. The concept of taper can be introduced for 12-year-old females and 13-14 year old males, as they get older and experience the growth spurts of adolescence. It is important to discuss with them the nature of taper, what is getting physically improved and what to expect.

A taper also presupposes there has been a program of strenuous overload of mature bodied individuals. In the case of age 12 and under age group swimmers, a true taper is not productive because the day-to-day training of age groupers is rarely as intensive as with their senior counterparts. Total time in the water is generally only near 50% or less of a senior swimmer. Additionally, the density (yards per hour) might only be 25-50% of senior training because of the great emphasis on stroke work and drills.

Age group swimmers should maintain aerobic work until a day or two before a big meet and then reduce the amount of work by only 25-50%. Intense anaerobic swims of 50 yards or longer will not be increased in the immediate days before an important competition since it has the greatest potential for tiring young swimmers out. Instead, coaches will use “broken swims” of race distance to teach pace and racing strategy.

The anticipation and nervousness surrounding a championships meet will contribute to the apparent energy of the swimmer without much change in practice. It is important during this time to refrain from strenuous outside activity, get plenty of fluids and sleep, and to continue with a balance diet.

The pre-competition meal is really a “mini nutrition period” that occurs in the 4 or 5 hours before the start of the meet. Unfortunately, many swimmers don’t understand the exact role of the pre-competition meal. It has little effect on increasing muscle glycogen levels. It is foods eaten 3 to 4 days before a meet that help establish glycogen levels in the muscles. By Meet days, glycogen levels are mostly “set” and there is little that one can do to increase them in the hours before competition.

The pre-event meal is important for maintaining the blood glucose and liver glycogen stores, key energy sources used in the early stages of competition. By maintaining blood glucose levels at the start of the meet, the dependency on muscle glycogen will be delayed, and that helps prolong endurance.

To avoid stomach upset, nausea or that “stuffed” feeling, consume the meal 3 to 4 hours before the start of the meet. Avoid spicy, fatty, and high fiber foods, too. These are difficult to digest and may cause intestinal distress or nausea later during the meet. You’re child will swim more comfortably when they have eaten easy-to-digest foods, and their stomach is relatively empty.

Nutrition conscious athletes now avoid traditional food such as the steak dinner, as well as other high fat, high protein foods like hamburgers, French fries, chips and mayonnaise. These foods remain in the stomach too long and slow down the digestion process. Foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates are generally easier to digest and empty from the stomach faster than high-fat, high protein foods. That’s important, because not only do you want to swim on a relatively empty stomach, you also want the foods you eat to be efficiently converted to energy. Cereals, pasta, baked potatoes and muffins are good carbohydrate sources that are easily digested and converted into glucose. Vegetables and fruit juices are also good pre-vent meal items, as well as some dairy items like low fat yogurt, ice milk and low fat milk.

Swimmers, who prefer a light, non-filling pre-competition meal often, substitute a sport nutrition beverage. EXCEED nutritional beverage is an ideal choice for your pre-competition meal: it’s nutritionally complete and well balanced, so you won’t sacrifice essential nutrients if you use it in place of solid food.

Once your child’s competition is under way, their body still needs fluids and nutrients to sustain physical effort and fight fatigue. Although many coaches and swimmers don’t realize it, dehydration can be a problem in swimming, especially if the air and water temperatures are warm. Remember, sweating is the body’s main mechanism for cooling itself; even though your child’s practice and competition takes place in the water, he/she can still lose a great deal of body water in the form of sweat.

Additionally, water is also needed to aid digestion and energy production. Dehydration robs his body of the primary means to cool itself and generate energy. Your swimmer should observe good nutritional and hydration habits in the time before he competes. If there are several hours before your child’s event, then they can enjoy a light snack or refreshment if he/she wishes. But if they’re going to swim right away or his event is an hour or less away, your child should be very cautious about what they eat and drink.

In the hour preceding competition, he/she should drink, fruit juices, and beverages or snacks that contain sugar in any form aren’t appropriate this close to competition. They can trigger a sudden drop in blood glucose (hypoglycemia) with the onset of intense activity. Additionally; drinks that contain high concentrations of sucrose (table sugar) tend to empty from the stomach more slowly than water. You don’t want to start swimming with a stomach full of anything, including liquids.

Once his/her event is underway, their fluid requirements change. Your swimmers body loses water in the form of sweat, particularly in the distance events, and it should be replaced. Good nutrition is something that you apply everyday throughout the season…not just the day before the meet.

I just finished watching the Super Bowl - and reacted as usual - like a Mom. I wanted everybody to win! That`s pretty much how I view swim meets too….and fortunately there are so many events and so many measurements, that in fact everybody does win. Personal best performances are documented along the way to a BB time and to an Olympic Trials cut. I love watching the State High School swimming Championships. At any given school, swimmers from several club teams find themselves working together to achieve a victory or break a record for their school. The competition becomes the sum of the team - and thankfully for all the Moms - everybody does win! The seniors make their mark, the freshman project their future, the sport is elevated to being newsworthy, and swimming comes out the winner.

Swimming is in the headlines these days for other reasons as well. The water shortage in Georgia threatens to impact outdoor pool openings in the Metro area. We are doing our part to conserve energy and water at our facilities - and we support an outdoor pool exemption to the water restrictions. Please be vigilant with water use at home, at work, at Dynamo - and share your opinion about outdoor pool exemptions with your local state representative.

My hope while working with the Dynamo swimmers is to not only teach and coach better technique but also to encourage the swimmers to pursue excellence in all that they do. I hope to provide a wealth of knowledge and coaching to the swimmers in regards too bettering their strokes and times in the water. Also, there are many life skills that I learned as a swimmer, and I hope to encourage the understanding and application of those skills within the swimmers. For example, I hope to instill within them the desire to work hard and enjoy what they do.

So far, what excites me the most about coaching young swimmers is the potential for such growth both in the water and out of the water. When coaching a younger swimmer, there is so much potential for improvement both in technique and in race times. Watching these young swimmers feel the excitement of getting a best time and of feeling better with their stroke in the water is rewarding and encouraging as a coach. I also love being a source of support, encouragement, and motivation for the young swimmers. I know that I always looked up to my own coaches, and I take great honor with being in that such privileged position for these swimmers.

Dynamo prepared me very well for my years as a college swimmer and student. I could not have asked for a better background of training, technical coaching, and life skills lessons as I received and learned while a swimmer at Dynamo. Not only did I have the best in swimming coaches and training, I was fortunate enough to swim with some of the most talented swimmers in the country. Simply training with and being teammates and friends with these swimmers helped me grow as a swimmer and a person. I also learned many life skills while at Dynamo such as time management, hard work, dedication, and many others. These skills were very valuable to me as not only a swimmer but also as a student and individual. The lessons that I learned while at Dynamo have shaped who I am as a person and are still with me today. As a student working towards a Master’s degree and as a coach, I rely on my Dynamo training still today to pursue excellence in all that I am involved.

Most of my free time away from coaching is spent working on my schoolwork, as I am currently a student earning my Master’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Coaching. This semester I am taking three classes: Administration Issues in Coaching, a Coaching Practicum, and Current Issues in Sport Psychology. This weekend will surely be spent working on the many projects that I have to learn from and complete for my degree. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family and love going to my church!

Official’s clinics are offered seasonally. Clinics will be offered March 29-30 in Alpharetta in advance of the Long Course Season. If you have interest to learn more about the opportunity or express interest to participate, contact Dynamo parent Julie Allen (allen.julie@sbcglobal.net) or Georgia Officials Training Chair, Rob Schreer (h2oref@bellsouth.net).

April 15 is coming. Are you able to write off any of your travel-related expenses for swimming? Do you put miles on your car traveling to swim meets? Have you paid for parking, tolls, hotel rooms, and even airfare in order to attend a swim meet? Georgia Swimming Officials are typically parent volunteers who are able to deduct their swim meet travel expenses when preparing their personal tax returns.

Have you been to a swim recently where heat sheets were not available? Georgia Swimming Officials who volunteer at home or away meets (anywhere throughout the United States) are well taken care of with up-to-date heat sheets (even when none are sold), free food in hospitality, free admission, and often free parking as well.

Georgia Swimming is the governing body for USA Swimming in our state. Dynamo is looking for volunteers interested in becoming certified as entry-level officials: either Stroke & Turn Judges, who evaluate swims; or Administrative Judges, who deal with swimmers` entries, timing equipment and scoring, working with Clerk of Course. Interested to find out more about this great volunteer opportunity? Contact Julie Allen at allen.julie@sbcglobal.net.

Clinics will be offered in Alpharetta on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. Advance Registration is required. Late registrations will not be accepted and "Walk-ins" are not permitted. Clinic pre-registration and payment must be received by March 1, 2007, although it`s better to register as soon as possible to secure a space in the class as well as to review advance materials if needed.

2. Mail the form/payment (two separate checks payable to Georgia Swimming, one for $49 (USA Swimming Non-Athlete Membership fee-valid now until December 31, 2008), and one for $15 (Clinic fee)) to: Julie Allen, 10585 Oxford Mill Circle, Alpharetta, GA 30022. Please also indicate which clinic (Stroke/Turn or Administrative Judge) and date for which you’d like to register.

For those interested in certification as a Stroke/Turn Judge, we’re now able to offer you the choice of whether you’d like to do some advance preparation and have a shorter class (1-1/2 hours) or just show up for the 4-1/2 hour format with no advance preparation. The Express Stroke/Turn Clinic will be offered on Saturday, March 29 (time TBA). The No Advance Prep Clinic (4-1/2 hour format) will be offered from 1-5:30pm on Sunday, March 30. The Express Stroke/Turn Clinic consists of studying a PowerPoint program at your leisure and taking the entry level test for Timers and Stroke & Turn Judge that are on the CD before attending the Clinic. You will need access to a computer with Microsoft PowerPoint and Acrobat Reader.

See the attached document for more information. If you have additional questions, please contact Julie Allen (allen.julie@sbcglobal.net). When your completed application and checks are received, your participation will be confirmed via e-mail. If you’re participating in the Express Stroke & Turn Clinic, Rob Schreer (Georgia Swimming Officials Training Chairperson) will mail you the CD and rule book to begin the training process.

Not only does officiating fulfill your volunteer commitment at Dynamo, the time spent is satisfying and yields great friends and experiences. We have a great group of officials with Georgia Swimming at Dynamo. We’d love to have you join us!