Sharks Family Movie Night

Where:  The Spiegelberg House in Rodney Heights

When:  6:30, Sunday, July 21st  

What:  A fun movie for all.

What to bring:

    1.)  A parent or parents, especially if  you are under 13 years of age.  (All children under 13 must be accompanied by at least one parent.)

    2.)  A food and drink to share.  

    

    3.)  Something to sit on.  (blankets, towels)

  If the weather does not hold out for us, we will send an email by five on Sunday to let you know that the event is canceled.  If you don't get an email, then we are good to go.

Can't wait to see the swimmers and their families.

Kind Regards,

The Sharks Coaching Team

Topday Monday Swim Practice

Dear swimmers/parents

I have spoken with both the Aquatic Centre and Coach David and swimming is still on for today Monday.  The Aquatic Centre says that in the event that there is thunder/lightening they will then close the pool.  I will keep you all posted on any changes.

 

Stay safe all and I hope we all ride the storm without event.

 

Lisa Charles

Secretary SHARKS

Bronze Medal for Jordan

Jordan Augier on the podium in Bronze position in the 100m Back in National Record time of 1:00.39 a National Record.

Runako Daniel place 6th in the 100m Fly in National Record time of 58.77, well done both of you Sharks. Full results on the SLASA site.

Summer Schedule

HI SHARKS:

Happy Summer to all of you looking forward to traveling, spending time with family and friends, attending swim camps and swimmeets, carnival season and a break from the morning school runs.

We will be offering training for our LTS (learn to swim) & JR & SR Groups throughout the month of July. Please view details below:
 

LTS GROUP: JULY 1st - JULY 25th

PRICE: Daily Fee = $25 ; Monthly Fee = $100 for once a week; $200 for twice a week
WHEN: Tuesday & Thursday from 4-5 pm
COACH: The program will be conducted by Coach Sofia & Coach Bailey with the guidance of Coach Tom & Coach David

JR & SR GROUP: JULY 1st - JULY 25th
 *(The JR's and SR's will practice together)

PRICE: $100 per week or $300 for the month

WHEN: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday from 4:30 - 6 pm
COACH: Coach David, Coach Jamie, Coach Clare

*(Please note that we will send a notice about an adjustment in the schedule during Carnival week - July 15th & July 16th).

We will have 4 SHARKS Swimmers taking part at the 2013 CCCAN Swimming Champa in San Joss, Costa Rica. Please keep Jyasi Daniel, Runako Daniel, Jordan Augier & Bailey Spiegelberg (First ever St. Lucian Female Open Water Swimmer at this level) in your thoughts as they will represent Saint Lucia from July 1st - July 7th. Check our Facebook page and SLASA Website for updates.

We look forward to another month of coaching our swimmers & we will focus on streamlining, alignment & balance over the month ; Three key components to master before you can become a Fast Swimmer. KAIZEN

Kind Regards,
SHARKS COACHING TEAM

AGM

The SHARKS Swim Club Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday June 15th at 10:30 am at the pool. 

FROM THE COACHES:

WELCOME TO OUR NEW SWIMMERS...

Welcome to all of our new swimmers.  Nice to see so many on deck!  If you have any questions or concerns, please let our coaching staff know.  We have expanded in size, so please be patient as we adjust to find the best way to train your child in competitive swimming. 

UPCOMING DEVELOPMENTAL SWIM MEET MAY 18th... 

Starting at 12:00 PM on May 18th, SLASA (St. Lucia Amateur Swimming Association) will be hosting a developmental swim meet PERFECT for our younger swimmers.  I am encouraging all of my swimmers and the rest of the club to come out for the meet. There will be kick board races, as well as lots of 25 metre and 50 metre events.  Sign up is next WEDNESDAY MAY 8th.  We will be looking at the kids next Tuesday to see what they can swim. Please let Coach Jamie or Coach Tom know by next Wednesday if your child is able to participate. 

MAY AND JUNE TRAINING... 

For Coach Tom's swimmers, Level One Beginners Competitive class (3:45 class) will be focusing on the basic movements of the butterfly - body position, arms and legs.  We will also be reviewing all three kicks that have been taught throughout the year - straight leg kick, breast stroke kick and dolphin kick.  Level Two Beginners Competitive class (4:15 class) will be focusing on 25 metre butterfly, turns, and entrys.

For June, Level One Beginners Competitive class (3:45 class)will be reviewing arm movements for freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke. Level Two Beginners Competitive class (4:15 class) will be focusing on IM's, turns, and entrys.

ADDED LANES FOR MAY AND JUNE...

Sharks has consistently been the biggest swim club throughout the years and this year is no exception.  In fact, over the last two months, our program has blossomed. We have taken on an additional lane for Tuesday and Thursday swimming to accommodate the number of swimmers.  We have also taken on some extra coaching staff to help out. Please bear with us as we go through some growing pains.  

EXTRA TIMES FOR LEVEL TWO SWIMMERS...

With our extra swimmers in both Juniors (Coach Jamie) and Level 2 Beginners Competitive (Coach Tom), we have not moved children around in their levels.  But what we have done is offered Level Two swimmers a chance to train an extra half an hour with Coach Jamie after Tuesday and Thursday practice.  We have added an extra lane at 5:00 PM.  Any Level Two swimmers who would like to train an extra half an hour with Coach Jamie on Tuesdays and Thursdays may stay until 5:30 PM.  In September, we will redo our schedule to accommodate the extra Junior swimmers. 

JUNIOR COACHES PROGRAM...

Sharks is not only BROAD- holding a vast majority of St. Lucian national records, comprising over 50% of the national team AGAIN, maintaining the biggest membership while offering quality instruction, able to pay for our training program without seeking outside funding or lane help - but we are also DEEP.    We currently have five FINA level One coaches or higher (Claire, David, Jamie, Bailey, Zoe, Tom, and Laura).  We have also trained over 8 Sharks coaches in a hands on program which allows our swimmers to focus on another aspect of swimming and give back to the sport. 

We are once again offering our Junior Coaching program to get our young swimmers involved in coaching.   Any Shark swimmer 14 years or older (age is negotiable), possesses a strong knowledge of the four competitive strokes, and has several hours a week to give to swimming can apply for the program.  Coaches need to commit to a schedule of either Tuesday or Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 PM.  After having proved their reliability during the month of May and June, they are eligible to help coach starting in September.  If chosen, they will receive a discount on fees.  If you are interested in learning how to coach, please contact Coach Tom for more details. 

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