Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Plenty of news...after the pics!

First, more clinic pics! Thanks to Shannon Sheppard!

GWG in the Water with MAC:


High Elbow & Clean Entry:


Time to Race:


Devin Takes the Back:


Coach Porter (Summit, '06) with GWG:


Swimmers will wear their own suits for the Maroon/Black meet Saturday.

Saturday's order of events is slightly different from a normal dual meet. We'll alternate girls' heats (THS followed by SHS) with boys' heats in the following order:

200 Medley Relay
200 Freestyle
200 I.M.
50 Freestyle
100 Butterfly
100 Freestyle
100 Backstroke
100 Breaststroke
200 Freestyle Relay

Each swimmer may enter a maximum of two (2) individual and two (2) relay events. Each team may enter a maximum of three (3) swimmers/relays per event. 1st through third place relays will be scored 8-4-2. 1st through fifth place individuals will be scored 6-4-3-2-1.

Captains will help with warm-up, set line-ups, and coach for their teams in Saturday's Maroon/Black meet. Coach Salazar and I will announce team scores and start events.

I'll be available at the pool from 12:30 to 1:30 Saturday to meet with any parents that were unable to attend our parent meetings.

We'll issue meet suits, drag suits, warm-ups, and backpacks in time for the October 11 home meet vs. Cedar Hill. Swimmers and diver, please let me know your sizes ASAP. We need suit, warm-up top, and warm-up bottom sizes.

This year, both styles of team caps are black. We'll issue regular latex team caps in time for our first meet. Anyone wishing to purchase the special order silicon team cap may do so for $5.

There is no one magic move or secret that
creates victory, but lots of little items that
when added together can make you victorious.



William Anthony "Bill" Toomey

If you'd like to purchase your drag suit, they're $25 each. We still have some new suits available.

Check out Kathleen Hersey in the 200 meter fly. Makin' it look easy!


Finally, if you missed earlier posts of GWG's nutrition vids, check them out:

Parts I & II

Parts III & IV

Parker Teams with Garrett

Parker S. demonstrated butterfly for GWG at Saturday's clinic:

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Friday, September 23, 2011

Pentathlon Results

Thanks to Kade L and Chandler R for crunching the numbers:

Swimmer-Cumulative Time-50 Fly-50 Back-50 Breast-50 Free-100 I.M.

Matt D-2:58.9-:27.2-:30.3-:31.8-:25.1-1:05.5
Aaron G.-3:04.4-:27.6-:31.9-:33.9-:25.7-1:05.3
Jamie P-3:07.5-:28.3-:29.6-:37.2-:25.7-1:07.4
Devin S-3:09.9-:29.7-:30.2-:35.7-:26.5-1:07.8
Clark N-3:10.3-:30.2-:34.6-:32.3-:26.1-1:07.1
Caleb B-3:10.8-:28.7-:30.8-:35.7-:26.5-1:09.1
Danny R-3:12.1-:29.2-:29.9-:36.9-:27.2-1:08.9
Pedro S-3:18.8-:29.8-:33.6-:33.4-:25.7-1:11.9
Zabdiel E-3:21.4-:29.5-:30.4-:42.5-:26.5-1:12.5
Henry I-3:21.8-:29.9-:34.4-:37.5-:28.5-1:11.5
Randy V-3:26.1-:32.7-:35.0-:35.9-:28.2-1:12.5
Taylor W-3:28.2-:34.2-:36.4-:35.7-:27.8-1:14.1
Jerome D-3:29.8-:33.0-:35.0-:39.7-:27.3-1:14.4
Forres M-3:31.7-:33.4*-:34.6-:41.5-:26.2-1:16.0
Damien V-3:32.4-:34.2-:33.6-:40.2-:29.0-1:15.4
Justin V-3:35.6-:33.7-:37.6-:37.9-:29.2-1:17.2
Marcos G-3:36.3-:34.2-:36.0-:37.4-:30.9-:1:17.8
Dino C-3:37.3-:34.2-:30.5-:43.2-:31.0-1:18.4
Trey C-3:38.4-:35.9-:34.5-:39.3-:30.4-1:18.3
Keaton M-3:38.6-:34.1-:34.2-:41.3-:27.8-1:17.2
Jacob F-3:46.2-:35.1-:36.8-:43.8-:28.5-1:22.0
Abdullah W-3:49.8-:34.4*-:38.6-:41.5*-:31.5-1:23.8
Josh P-4:10.2-:40.9-:35.6-:44.7-:32.0-1:37.0
Cameron N-4:18.3-:38.8-:43.0-:53.4*-:33.4-1:25.7
Mario M-4:37.0-:42.2-:51.3-:42.3-:36.9-1:44.3

Monica L-4:14.2-:38.0-:44.7-:48.2-:34.3-1:29.0
Naa B-4:21.0-:40.7-:46.0-:48.9-:34.7-1:30.7
Peyton A-4:29.2-:45.1-:42.1-:50.3*- :34.3-1:37.4
Sylvia S-4:42.1-:46.6*-:51.6*-:45.0*-:37.3-1:41.6

Spot an error? Email me and we'll get it fixed!

*likely DQ

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Maroon/Black Rosters & Reminders

Still haven't registered? Info is here.


Our October 1 intrasquad meet has been moved to 2:00 p.m. Summit will be swimming their intrasquad that day as well, so we'll be alternating heats of each event with the Jags.

Maroon

Justin A.
Kirsten B. (C)
Caleb B.
Dallis D.
Jerome D.
Zabdiel E.
Lauren H.
Valerie L.
Beau M.
Forres M.
Cameron N.
Sammy R.
Katlin S.
Parker S.
Randy V.

Black

Naa B.
Henry I.
Mila I.
Gavin M.
Jamie P.
Jordan R.
Chandler R.
Julian S.
Pedro S. (C)
Devin S.
Melissa T.
Damien T.
Taylor W.

If you haven't been assigned a locker, please see me right away. Please keep your lock on your locker. Let me know if you need a locker label.

Log books are due tomorrow morning. Please stack them by the office.

Fan shirts should be ready in time for our first official meet (Oct. 4 at Coppell).

The afternoon varsity dry-land group has been doing a great job. If you haven't been in on the fun yet, find a way to get to the natatorium on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons from 3:00 to 3:45.

Our parents have done a great job of signing up to help at concession stands. Our first football concession stand date is tomorrow evening. Thanks to Janet & Shannon Sheppard for lining it up and to everyone who's joining in on the fun!

GWG Interview


Garrett talked about his swimming career, training, and nutrition with swim coach Mike Thompson here.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Splash-n-Dash

Results of this morning's Splash-n-Dash:

Boys

Taylor W.
Pedro S.
Henry I.
Jerome D.
Chandler R.
Forres M.
Cameron N.
Dallis D.

Girls

Kirsten B.
Naa B.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

The Countdown



View the picture series from Beijing '08 here


Still haven't signed up?!?!?!


Register here

Thursday, September 15, 2011

...they should get the silver medal...

2008 Beijing Olympics Swimming Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final from Meazza on Vimeo.


Who: Garrett Weber-Gale
What: Swim Clinic
When: Saturday, September 24, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Mansfield ISD Natatorium

Info and registration link are here

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Training Suits

If you'd like to purchase a custom training suit (purple w/paw prints), they're $25 each. I know it sounds like a lot, but trust me - they last a loooooooooooong time!

If you email me a size, I'll try to have it ready for you.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Dry-land, Log Books, & More!

We'll have an iPod docking station to use during dry-land. If y'all have some good, clean workout music on your iPod you'd like to share with the group, feel free to give it a shot tomorrow.

Reminder: Please have log books ready to turn in before morning workout tomorrow.

We'll try to get our underwater fly video shot in the morning. Please be ready to splash at 6:00 a.m. so we can get in the entire workout along with the video.

Was able to catch Saturday morning's UT men's and women's workouts. We'll try a few of their sets and drills out soon.

Finally, if you're interested in attending the Garrett Weber-Gale clinic on the 24th, you should sign up right away. Swimmers from outside Mansfield will begin signing up and we don't want any of our kids left out if/when the clinic becomes full.

Friday, September 9, 2011

College Meets

Mark your calendars!

The MISD Natatorium will host several college swim meets this school year.

Many of the top swimmers and divers in the country will compete right here in Mansfield.

October 28 & 29, 2011 (Men) - Southwest Collegiate Plunge Invite (Missouri, Southern Methodist, Texas, Texas A&M)

October 29, 2011 (Women) - Missouri vs. Texas A&M (dual)

March 14 - 17, 2012 (Men & Women) - NCAA Division II National Swimming & Diving Championships (click on pic for meet info):


Updates

As of this morning, the GWG clinic already has two dozen swimmers registered. If you'd like to participate in the clinic, try to get signed up this weekend, as it may fill up next week.

The past couple of mornings we've lacked focus. We need to be prepared to splash on time (6:00 a.m.) next week. Please have all your suits, caps, goggles, and gear ready so we can start on time, train for two hours, and get out on time each morning!

Please turn in your log books before practice Monday.

I plan to order fan shirts next week. If you've not already done so, please email me sizes ASAP.

Have a great weekend and remember:

S: "Thank you, Coach Button, for conditioning my mind and body."

C: "You're welcome!"

Thursday, September 8, 2011

It's ON!!


Better hustle, as the word is getting out and this clinic will start filling up quickly!

Olympic gold-medalist Garrett Weber-Gale is coming to Mansfield on Saturday, September 24!

Clinic info and registration links are here.Link

Monday, September 5, 2011

Previous Athletic Participation Form

Any student/athletes who participated for another high school must have an approved P.A.P. on file before he/she can compete for Timberview H.S. this season.

To begin the process, please use the online form on the UIL Athletics site (link below).

Parent/student will complete most of the first page and a small portion (top & section I) of the second page.

Then, please print the form and we'll take it from there.

Dry-Land


Due to scheduling issues, we will only have one (1) official varsity dry-land session this week - Wednesday's.

It would be great if our veterans could get a group together for a couple of unofficial sessions to supplement our schedule.

Be safe and have fun with it.

Our 4th/8th block athletes will begin dry-land soon. If you've not already done so, please purchase your shirts/shorts this week.

Friday Afternoon Group

Friday afternoon's group will stay on campus for a study hall.

Report to room 2117.

Please be on time and make sure you bring school work.

No, you may not "rest your eyes"!

Parent Meeting II

We've added a few new athletes to our rosters.

We also had a few parents who were unable to attend our first parent meeting back on August 25.

We'll have a second meeting to try to catch anyone that missed the original.

Let's shoot for this Thursday, the 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the MISD Natatorium classroom.

I understand this is short notice. If you can't make it then, we'll work out individual meetings.

Infinite Campus Printouts & Log Books

Looks like we'll have to postpone the printout idea. The menu that allows teachers to print reports doesn't seem to be available to individual students/parents. We'll have to formulate another plan to help us stay on top of grades.

Friday will mark the end of the first progress report grading period. Please take care of your business in the classroom so we can see A's and B's!

Log books are at the pool and ready for you to pick up tomorrow morning. We will have a swimming test set this week. In addition to your normal entries, please write down your test set times and calculate your average (where I can easily find it).

Log books will be due Friday after morning practice.

It's Still Early

Remember last year's post on Deliberate Practice? I think it's worth a re-post. It's still early in the season. You should be doing all those "little" things right - each and every day.

I try to speak with you when I see something we need to address. I can't see it all. Be a good teammate by a) positively reminding others about those "little" things, and b) accepting those reminders without being offended.

From 12/3/10:

You may recall me mentioning something called "deliberate practice". Geoff Colvin, author of "Talent is Overrated" describes eight (8) characteristics of deliberate practice:

An Understanding of Deliberate Practice
A summarization of Colvin’s eight characteristics of deliberate practice follow below. Readers will find a more in-depth explanation as well as a number of examples in Colvin’s original article.

“Deliberate practice is designed specifically to improve performance with the key word being ‘designed.’ The essence of deliberate practice is continually stretching an individual just beyond his or her current abilities. By contrast, deliberate practice requires that one identify certain sharply defined elements of performance that need to be improved, and then work intently on them. The great performers isolate remarkably specific aspects of what they do and focus on just those things until they’re improved; then it’s on to the next aspect.”

“Deliberate practice can be repeated. High repetition is the most important difference between deliberate practice of a task and performing the task for real, when it counts. One is the choice of a properly demanding activity just beyond our current abilities. The other is the amount of repetition.”

“Feedback on results is continuously available.” Though this is obvious, it is “not nearly as simple as it might seem, especially when results require interpretation. In many important situations, a teacher, coach, or mentor is vital for providing crucial feedback.”

“It’s highly demanding mentally. Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it ‘deliberate.’ Continually seeking exactly those elements of performance that are unsatisfactory and then trying one’s hardest to make them better places enormous strains on anyone’s mental abilities. The work is so great that it seems no one can sustain it for very long.”

“It’s hard. This follows inescapably from the other characteristics of deliberate practice, which could be described as a recipe for not having fun. Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable, and that’s exactly the opposite of what deliberate practice demands. Instead of doing what we’re good at, we insistently seek out what we’re not good at.”

There is a definitive ‘before the work’ component. “Self-regulation begins with setting goals – not big, life-directing goals, but more immediate goals for what you’re going to be doing today. In the research, the poorest performers don’t set goals at all; they just slog through their work. Mediocre performers set goals that are general and are often focused on simply achieving a good outcome. The best performers set goals that are not about the outcome but rather about the process of reaching the outcome.”

There is a ‘during the work’ phase. “The most important self-regulatory skill that top performers in every field use during their work is self-observation. Even in purely mental work, the best performers observe themselves closely. They are able to monitor what is happening in their own minds and ask how it’s going. Researchers call this metacognition – knowledge about your own knowledge, thinking about your own thinking. Top performers do this much more systematically than others do; it’s an established part of their routine.”

There is an ‘after the work’ component as well. “Practice activities are worthless without useful feedback about the results. These must be self-evaluations” and “the best performers judge themselves against a standard that’s relevant for what they’re trying to achieve. Sometimes they compare their performance with their own personal best; sometimes they compare it with the performance of competitors they’re facing or expect to face; sometimes they compare it with the best known performance by anyone in the field.”
Olympic champions are NOT extraordinary
people. They are ordinary people who
have discovered the way to accomplish
extraordinary results in the area of
life that matters most to them!



John Phillips Naber

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Log Books & I.C. Printouts

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. If you're starting to miss swimming already, join the club!

Here's a video of the 100 free from this summer's national championships. Several current and former Longhorns were in the final.


Pretty good swim for GWG, right? Check out the replays of the start, turn, and finish.

p.s. Log books were due Friday.

p.p.s. Infinite Campus grade printouts are due Tuesday.