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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6
Pisces Connect Monthly Newsletter of the Trumbull Pisces
Coach’s Corner By: Coach Bill
A Call For Volunteers By: Michael Redgate
On behalf of the Trumbull Pisces Board, I would like to thank all of the parent volunteers who have helped us so far this season, especially at our home meets. A survey was sent out earlier asking parents to get involved and a number of you have stepped up. Many have helped with scoring, timing, donating to and working at concessions, and as officials, starters and deck marshals. We are currently looking for parent liaisons for each swim group. We have a volunteer for our Seniors but we need additional ones for the Age Group, and Black and Yellow swimmers. We ask that if you have not already done so, please reach out to us to find out how and where else you can help. The reason our home meets are run so well is because of our coaches and parent volunteers. Our annual fundraiser, the Aquathon, is coming soon and we need your help with asking for donations for your swimmers – please see the article on this page for more details. Additionally, we will need help on the night of the event. If you are interested in assisting, please contact Tom Racicot or me. Thank you once again for all that you do to make the Trumbull Pisces the best we can be. Here’s looking forward to another fruitful new year for the Pisces! CHEERS!
Get Set For AQUATHON! The Aquathon is Trumbull Pisces’
biggest fundraising activity for the year. The money we raise from this event is used to offset our team expenses, as well as, pay for additional equipment that the team needs. Last year, we raised over $7,000 and part of that fund was
used to purchase the new timing system and Pisces Records Board, which we set up last month. This year’s Annual Pisces Aquathon will be held on Friday, January 29th, at the Hillcrest Pool. Our team goal is to raise $10,000. If each swimmer raises at least $100 we should be able to achieve this! The Board has not yet allocated the funds but Coach Bill has been looking into some new technology and training equipment for the team. Each swimmer should have received a Swimmer Sponsor Form at the Black & Gold meet earlier this month. If your swimmer does not have their form please check the Parent’s Corner on our website or contact Tom Racicot. Each swimmer needs to get at least 1 sponsor in order to participate in the event. Sponsors can either donate a fixed amount OR pledge an amount for each 25-yd lap the swimmer completes in his/her allotted 60-minute session.
The top fundraisers last year were Caitlin Britell, Sean Yu and Soumya Ganti, while the top lap swimmers, by group, were Hope Ivanovich, Lach Aleksandrov and Alex Jozwa. All six winners were awarded a gift card for their respective achievement. This year, we are giving away Sports Authority gift cards donated by the store in Bridgeport. So, put your game faces on, and we’ll see you at the Aquathon!
I would like to congratulate the Pisces for our Yankee League win over the Bristol Splash. After a tough loss to New Milford, and being closer to beating Watertown than ever before, this win was a BIG ONE! Bristol has beaten us over the past three years by quite a few points, but this year was different. We came together as a team and had some amazing swims. The Pisces swimmers looked great off the blocks, off the walls and in between the flags. Again, congratulations to all Pisces on this great victory!
Heading into the Championship season in February and March, our swimmers will be hitting the peak of their training this month during practice. The Pisces will continue to focus on technique of all strokes, as well as, improving their race stamina by swimming more yardage. With the planned intensity of all this training, it is important that parents are fueling their swimmers’ bodies with the right kinds of food. Dried fruits, fruit puree, dry cereals, beef jerky, pretzels, Fig Newton, sandwich crackers and seeds are only some of the great snacks that will keep our kids energized before and after practice. Just remember – NO SWEETS! Let’s all work together to make sure our swimmers are in tip-‐top shape as we head into the New Year!
CONGRATULATIONS !
SWIMMERS OF THE MONTH
LIZBETH CONSTANTE Lizbeth likes to swim both freestyle and backstroke but it is the former that she favors more. This little dynamo is also a healthy eater, and likes to munch on grapes during swim meets. Off the water, Lizbeth enjoys playing soccer, and considers their family friend, Gustavo Netto, her favorite soccer player. Does it surprise you that Lizbeth’s favorite subjects in school are Math and Science? We’re definitely not!
MICHAE L BUCKL EY Michael’s favorite stroke to swim is freestyle. He makes sure to eat a banana before swim meets as it provides him the energy to torpedo across the pool – like his favorite athlete and namesake, Michael Phelps! Besides swimming, Michael enjoys pounding the court with his basketball, and making beautiful rhythms with the piano. This well-‐rounded athlete is also a Mathematician in the making! Need we say more?
CAMER ON KO SAK Cameron loves the backstroke and particularly enjoys and excels at the 100-‐meter event. Fellow backstroker, Olympian Matt Grevers, is his favorite athlete. To fuel him during meets, he snacks on a bag full of pretzels. Cameron quenches his need for speed off the pool by skateboarding in his neighborhood and at local skate parks. Cameron’s favorite subject in school is Math – all the better to calculate his speed and velocity.
KRI STE N R ACICO T While most swimmers would shy away from butterfly, Kristen embraces it and considers it her favorite stroke. To keep her “wings” strong she makes sure to get her proteins from protein bars before her races. Kristen’s favorite athlete is the best swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps. Kristen enjoys playing with her friends when she has free time away from the pool. Her favorite subject in school is Math.
Age Group
Seniors DAVID D ATZ David loves to fly across the pool with his butterfly stroke, and he truly excels at it. He says carrots are the best pre-‐race snack for him. David’s favorite athlete is NFL wide receiver for the NY Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. When David is not busy swimming, he likes letting golf balls fly across the golf course. Social Studies is David’s favorite subject in school.
CLAIR E KE HL EY Claire’s favorite stroke to swim is distance freestyle. At swim meets, she loves to grab a peanut butter snack bar for long-‐lasting energy. She looks up to women athletes, particularly, soccer player Alex Morgan and swimmer Katie Ledecky. When Claire is not swimming in the pool she loves hanging out with her friends and perfecting her backflip on the trampoline. At school, Claire’s favorite subject is Math.
P i s c e s C o n n e c t Jan. 2016 p.2
Black & Yellow
P i s c e s C o n n e c t
Team Store Updates Personalized team backpacks and
jackets have been distributed. All the swimmers look great with their new
gear.
If you have any questions please contact Marc Kosak at
Jan. 2016 p.3
AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS By: Mary Kristin Ivanovich
At the conclusion of every Short and Long Course season, Connecticut Swimming holds the Age
Group Championship swim meet. Age Group Championships, or “Age Groups,” is a very exciting meet where the fastest swimmers from across the state compete. In order to qualify to participate, swimmers have to meet certain time standards or “cuts” that are established by age group (10/under, 11/12, etc.) for each event. Connecticut Swimming recently posted the time standards for the 2015-‐2016 Short Course season. A link to the 2015-‐2016 time standards can be found under the Swim Meets/Events tab on the Pisces webpage, and on the Connecticut Swimming website. The Short Course Age Group Championships are scheduled to be held from March 10th through 13th, 2016. Some of our Pisces swimmers have already qualified so stay tuned to this section of the newsletter for a list of their names and times!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Do you have a question about the Pisces, meets, or swimming in general? You can send your question to [email protected] and we will work with Coach Bill to answer it in the newsletter. This month, we answer the following questions. What is the difference between short course and long course? In swimming, the primary difference between short course and long course is the length of the pool. Short Course refers to a pool that is either 25 yards (abbreviated SCY for Short Course Yards) or 25 meters (SCM). In the United States, 25-‐yard pools are much more common than 25 meters, so the pools the Pisces swim in for Short Course are typically SCY (including Hillcrest!). The term Long Course (LC or LCM) is used to describe a pool that is 50 meters in length. The Connecticut Swimming year is divided into two seasons – the Short Course season and the Long Course season. The Short Course season runs from September through March, with meets held at SCY pools. The Long Course season runs from April through July with meets primarily held at LCM pools. Right now, the Pisces website lists Short Course meets under the Swim Meets/Events tab. Once the Long Course season begins, a new list of LC meets will be posted. How are Yankee League meets different from USA Swim meets, and how is the winner determined? The Pisces participate in two types of meets during the short course season: USA Swim Meets and Yankee League Meets. In USA Swim Meets, swimmers compete in individual or relay events with the goal of achieving their personal best times. In general, we do not compete as a team for an overall team score at USA Meets. Depending on the specific meet, ribbons may be awarded to the top finishers of each individual event. In Yankee League Meets, the Pisces compete against one (or sometimes two) other teams with points awarded for the first place (5 points), second place (3 points) and third place (1 point) finishers of each event. Note that in Yankee League Meets, the swimmers with the fastest seed times compete in the first heat of each event, and points can only be scored during the first heat. All of the points scored in the events are tallied, and the team with the most points at the end of the meet is the winner.
THE PEOPLE IN WHITE SHIRTS By: Christine Kennedy
So what exactly are those people in the white shirts doing? And what exactly is a DQ? USA Swimming officials are trained volunteers who ensure that meets run smoothly and fairly. There are Stroke and Turn Judges, Meet and Deck Referees, and Starters and Administrative Officials.
All are certified through CT Swim and USA Swimming and need to be recertified every two years. All of them love the sport and want swimmers to have the best experience in the pool. Stroke and Turn Judges watch to see that swimmers are doing their races in accordance with the USA swimming Rules (the rulebook can be found here.) Videos that show specifically what is considered for each stroke can be found at usaswimming.org under Member Resources > Officials > Education and Training > Officials Training Videos -‐ link here. Swimmers can disqualify themselves for different things for different strokes. If a Judge sees an infraction, they raise their hand and fill out a Disqualification Sheet. The Meet Referee then comes to the Judge and asks what the infraction was and can uphold or reject the call. In all cases the benefit of the doubt goes to the swimmer. If an infraction is upheld, it is communicated to the coach by the Meet Referee and a DQ will be listed in the meet results for that swimmer and that event. Interested in becoming an official? You get the best seat at the pool, help the meets go smoothly and support your swimmer! If you are interested, go to
https://www.ctswim.org/Officials/Certifications/ or come speak to me, Christine Kennedy, a Pisces mom and USA Official.