Hi SHARKS:

As we approach the Easter Holidays, please look out for the Adjust April Schedule in which swim times and practices will be different for the First 2 weeks of the month and the RHAC Invitational Swimmeet will kick off on Thursday 11th & conclude on Sunday 14th April.

This week will also see a change in our schedule as follows:

- Monday, March 25th = Regular schedule for Jr's (4:15 - 5:30 pm) & Sr's (5:15 - 7 pm)

- *Tuesday, March 26th = (Adjusted Schedule)

(Regular)LTS 3:45 - 4:30 pm & 4:15 - 5 pm

(Adjusted) JR's & SR's will have a combined practice from 4:30 - 6 pm - (This will give all parents the opportunity to get the kids home prior to the start of the AGM.)

* SLASA AGM - 6:30 pm

- Wednesday, March 27th = Regular schedule for Jr (4:15 - 5:30 pm) & Sr's (5:15 - 7 pm)

- Thursday, March 28th = Regular Schedule

LTS: 3:45 - 4:30 pm & 4:15 - 5 pm

Jr's (4:15 - 5:30 pm) & Sr's (5:15 - 7 pm)

- Friday, March 29th = GOOD FRIDAY = (Public Holiday) - No Practice

- Saturday, March 30th = No Practice - (SR's should consider swimming at the beach or paying a day pass [$15] and doing their own practice for at least 1 hour).

Wishing you all a great week & hoping that you all are preparing to attend this very important SLASA AGM. Please help play your part in ensuring that persons who truly care about the growth of the sport of swimming have an opportunity to voice their opinions and work for you the members of SLASA & SHARKS for the next calender year.

Have a great week,

Sharks Coaching Team

Team Photo

HI SHARKS:

We will be taking a team photo tmrw at the pool at 5PM. PLEASE PACK YOUR SWIMMERS BLACK SHARKS TEAM SHIRT (if you do not have one or your kid(s) lost it, please wear any black t shirt please- we will also take a club photo with Swimsuits as well).
We had over 60 swimmers in the water on Tuesday and it was awesome!
We are hoping for a similar turn out tmrw so the TEAM PHOTO can be an accurate account of our entire club.
We ask that our LTS Parents and JR Patents in particular be at the pool for 4:45 PM (or remain at the pool) so we can highlight our Current Vision and All club activities we are currently undertaking.
Pleas make a conservative effort to be there. The SLASA Annual General Meeting is on March 26th and we need the support of our members at the meeting, (so come find out who and what we will be proposing to gain your support).

In Gratitude,
SHARKS Executive

AA CHALLENGE SUMMARY

Congrats SHARKS Swimmers. We had some fantastic swims on Sunday at the AA Challenge Meet. Captain - Jyasi Daniel swam 4 PB's including his first 400 free under 5 minutes (4:58) = (4x100 Free @1:15). He also went sub 1:20 in the 100 Breast, 1:07 in the 100 Fly and dare I say it, he has now joined the Double 0 club in the 100 Free, (1:00.95). Thats what we call, a Great Meet.

The Sharks Guys Squad won the 200 Free Relay (Chris, Kyle, Daron and Jaeden) and the squads biggest drop of the meet was Jakob (Jakey) in the 100 IM. He crushed his old 100 IM time by 16 seconds (in 4 months) and he also bettered his time in the 100 Free and 50 Back by 6 seconds. he capped off the meet by swimming his first 50m Fly in a meet. Keep it up Jakey, sky is the limit.

The Lady Sharks dominated the 100 free and top performer Katelin Samuel shaved over 1.3 seconds off her previous PB. She also went under 33 seconds (32.94) in the 50 Fly and 1:20 in her 100 fly (1:18) for the first time. In a nail biting finish, she was just 0.13 seconds shy of a "AA" time in her 50 Free (31.42). She also won both 50's and the 100 Fly, making her the only swimmer to have the overall fastest times in 4 events at the meet. Way to go Katie! Katie's best friend and training partner Eden Crick also had a great 50 fly & was within three tenths of a second of a "AA" time standard, (34.5)

Big props to Ashna for swimming her first 50 Fly, Natalya for swimming a complete Breaststroke line up (50, 100 & 200) and Maya for her impressive streak of top finishes in the 50m fly dating back to December.
The Lady Sharks squad biggest time drop came from Adriana (Adri the colorful fish) in the 200 IM with a 17 second drop (3:38) from her time in December. Adri took the smartest approach and put a lot of time into improving her weakest stroke, breaststroke, and because of that, she also dropped over 5 seconds in her 100 breast and is now way under 2 minutes. When you love the water, there are no limits to your potential, keep those gills wet Adri.

These are just some of the highlights from the meet. Please go to www.slasa.info (one of the best swimming websites), to see all the results and the slide show put together by the best sports photographer on island, Chris Huxley.

The best quote of the meet came from Daron, minutes after he swam his first 200 Free. He said, "Why did you take so long to put me in the 200 Free, it's so much better than the 200 Back". Who else is up for crushing a 200 Free? (Anything is possible).

HI SHARKS MEMBERS:

Congratulations to all SHARKS swimmers who participated in the Start Up Swim Meet last weekend; we had some great swims by our Beginner Swimmers & Jr’s & Sr’s.  Let’s keep it rolling into February and have a great month of practice to prepare more swimmers for the next SLASA swim meet (see below):

SAVE THE DATE: (FEBRUARY 2013)

1)FRIDAY PRACTICE AT THE POOL:

FRIDAY, Feb, 8^th Practice will be at the POOL from 4-5:30 pm. (There will also be an open discussion with various coaches from all swim clubs from 5:30-6:30 pm for any interested swimmers on technique and other topics).

2) MOVIE NIGHT AT THE AQUATIC CENTRE:

FRIDAY, Feb. 8^th RACERS Swim Club will host a movie night. Start Time for movie is 6:45 pm sharp, and Admission is $5. Concessions will be available and floatation devices will be available for rent.

3) VALENTINE'S DAY RAFFLE:

On Tuesday, Feb. 12^th we will be drawing the winner of our fundraising Valentine's Day Raffle.  Thanks to Chef Bobo who has contributed the raffle prize of a Valentine's dinner for two at the Edge Restaurant.  Look out for Jennifer Spiegelberg who will be handing out raffle sheets at the pool so that we can get all hands on deck with this fundraising venture for our club.  Please return all raffle sheets by 4pm on Tuesday the 12th to facilitate the drawing of our winner.

4) DOUBLE A CHALLENGE SWIMMEET...
On Sunday, March 2^nd, there is a great developmental swim meet with Short races meant to get everyone involved.  Please talk it over with your children and their Coach (Coach Tom) and let us know by THURS, Feb, 21^st.  (this is the deadline for entries, so Please look out for more information and reminder emails on this swimmeet).

Level 1 - Beginning Swimming & Level 2 - Advanced Beginning Swimming (General Information):

Many parents have asked about moving up levels in our club.  Here is the basic structure that we follow (allowing for some flexibility as deemed necessary by the coaches...)

Requirements for Coach Tom's Class Level One...  Float independently on front and back, no fear of putting head under.

Requirements for Coach Tom's Class Level Two... Show a level of skill swimming 25 freestyle, 25 back, and 25 breast.

Requirements for Coach Jamie's Juniors... Show a level of skill swimming 50 free, 50 back, 50 breast and 25 fly.

TRAINING OUTLINE FOR FEBRUARY:

Just to give parents an idea of what their children will be doing, here is a brief outline as to what they will be practicing.  If you have observed January practices, you will have noticed that the intensity of physical training has increased. 

February:

·        Beginner Swimming: Backstroke with arms, Balance in the water, 25 meter lengths and deep end introduction.

·        Advanced Beginner Swimming: Backstroke concentrating on balance and rhythm, 50 meter laps, review of all strokes, dives and turns.

·        JR Swimming: Emphasis on Backstroke & Breaststroke, review of all strokes, dives and turns.

·        SR Swimming: Emphasis on Backstroke (IM Training) , Dry land training (prior to afternoon or morning practice), Attending Morning Practices.

COLD WEATHER SWIMMING

Just one final note, here a few tips to keep your children swimming during the frigid St Lucian winters...

1. Talk about the fun of swimming.  Avoid talking about the water temperature.

2. Have a warm towel ready to warm them up.

3. Don't push them if they are cold. 

4. Wetsuits are ok if available.

5. Offer lots of encouragement for swimming on cold days. Maybe the promise of a cup of hot chocolate when they get home. 

Thanks everyone! 
SHARKS Coaches

HAPPY NEW YEAR SHARKS FAMILY:

Please take note of the following dates and times for the all Swim Groups. All practice times will remain as scheduled:

JR's: Monday - Thursday - 4-5:30 pm, Saturday 8-10pm

JR Practice will commence on Monday, January 7th 

*(JR's are welcomed to practice with the SR's on the 3rd, 4th and 5th)

SR's: Monday - Thursday - 5-7 pm, Saturday 8-10pm

SR Practice will commence on Wednesday, January 2nd

*(Practice will be conducted on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th at the pool, and at the beach on the 4th).

JR & SR Group: Friday: 4:15-6 pm (at the Ramp Beach)

Learn to Swim: Tuesday & Thursday 3:45 - 5 pm 

(LTS 1 = 3:45-4:30 pm ; LTS 2 = 4:15-5 pm)

*LTS Practice will commence on Tuesday, January 8th.

Wishing all of you a productive today and a prosperous tomorrow for each day of the new year. 

Life can move too fast sometimes, it's ok to slow down. Much can be accomplished when you use that time to reflect on what is truly important and prioritize things as they should be.

Kindest Regards,

SHARKS COACHES

SHARKS PRACTICE Today

Hi All:

SHARKS PRACTICE FOR SR's (and any interested JR who wants to swim) today at the Aquatic Centre from 4:30-6:30 pm.

See you all later today.

Coach J

SEASONS GREETINGS SHARKS SWIMMERS & PARENTS:

Thank you all for one of the most interesting and successful years for our excellent Swim Club, The Sharks Swim Club. All competitions and practices are complete, (except for our more committed swimmers ; please be aware of daily updates on practice times & venue), and we look forward to a New Year of discoveries and progressive improvements in and out the pool.

I would like to congratulate the members of our club on a fantastic week of swimming last week. I would also like to congratulate our Jr coaches & Qualified Coaches on achieving some excellent results from their commitment to The Sharks Swim Club.

8 Sharks Swimmers competed last week at The Short Course World Championships in Turkey and the The ASATT Invitational in Trinidad, and once again by the end of the week, we had once again overhauled the record book.  5 New National Records, and 17 New Age Group Records (including the 5 National Records) were set by 4 of the 8 Sharks swimmers, certainly a great early Christmas present for the swimmers and our club.

Jordan Augier continued to show why he has been one of the most outstanding St. Lucia Swimmers in 2012 as he set 5 New National (& Age Group) Records at the World Champs. Teammate Julien Brice set 1 New Age Group Record and was under the previous National Record in the 100 IM. Young rising stars Adriana Gooding and Katelin Samuel set 5 New Age Group Records each in Trinidad against some fierce competition from Trinidad, Barbados, Antigua & Grenada. Honorable mention to Eden Crick who was under the previous age group Record in 2 of her 6 events at the Trinidad meet.

Congratulations to Kyle Ernest who swam personal best times in all 8 of his events, Christopher Phillips who performed to his best in 7 of his 9 events, and Jyasi Daniel who raced his way to 6 personal best times in 8 of his events. 

A truly excellent way to end the year and set the bar even higher for the next generation that will try to outperform some very fast times in the near future.

CONGRATULATIONS SHARKS SwimmerS, YOU ROCK!

THANK YOU SHARKS PARENTS:

Thank You to all of our parent volunteer administrators and parents and siblings,uncles,aunts, cousins, grandparents, family friends, who all support the growth and improvement of The Sharks Swim Club. 

We look forward to the continued support and encourage many more agents and family members and family friends to consider contributing to the great sport of swimming as St. Lucia Swimming moves forward to staging a world class swimmeet in the very near future.

 "Work is done, then forgotten. Therefore it lasts forever." - Laotse

In Gratitude,

Sharks Coaching Staff - "KAIZEN" - (continuous improvement)

(P.S. SHARKS Beach Practice today Friday, 21st at the Ramp from 4:15-6 pm...All parents should account for a peak in traffic at the pick up time).

Open Pool Practice

Hi All:

We will be having an Open Pool Practice today at The Aquatic Centre for JR's and SR's from 4:30-6:30 pm.

Be pleased if swimmers would remember to bring all gear including, Caps, Goggles, Water Bottles, Towels and a warm change of clothes. 

Let's look forward to a good practice and see you at the pool later.

(Please expect an email later about a Beach Practice announcement in regards to time and place  and a wrap up of our awesome performance last week at The Short Course World Champs and The ASSAT Invitational meet).

Coach J

NO PRACTICE

There will be NO PRACTICE for SHARKS JR's tomorrow, Wednesday 27th. All regular Wednesday swimmers are welcomed to join the team for practice on Thursday 28th. SR Practice will be as per normal tmrw.

Please accept my apology for the late notice.

Regards,
Coach J

A BAKE SALE

Dear parents and swimmers,

We are thrilled to report that our swimmers excelled at the recent OECS championships!

Thank you to all parents and swimmers who supported our fund raising activities in support of our 13 Sharks Swimmers on the National team.

We have one fund raising activity left this year:

A BAKE SALE ON SATURDAY 15th DECEMBER

(We have postponed the Family Fair of 8th December, as there is a big swim meet that weekend)

We look forward to your usual enthusiastic support.

Please let us know, by return email, or tell the coaches, what items you can contribute.

 

 

 

SHARKS FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE