Fyrefish's Corner
Getting ready for 2012 season
I have been training hard this offseason and am excited about summer being just around the corner. I joined the Polar Bear club this winter and swam in Chatfield Reservoir on new years day. Now the ranch house pool won't seem so cold. I have also been eating lots of fruits and veggies so that I can get a bit quicker. OK... one of the last two statements is not true. I'll let you guess which one.
FF
Swimming is a team sport!
Slaying the Jabberwocky
Belching
Alright. I may not be the fastest swimmer on the team but I am willing to bet I can belch louder that anyone on the team. I like to chug some sprite and then unleash the real thunder. OK this has nothing to do with swimming but I like to do it. I saw this video of belching sheep on you-tube that made me laugh. They are nowhere as loud as me.
Practice & Warm up
OK it is practice and my dad is a real pain making me get out of bed at 6:00am to eat and go to the pool. Then I have to jump in the cold water and listen to a bunch of teenage boys complain for 60 minutes. Wow! Teenage boys really complain a lot. I don't really like to practice too much but I do like getting faster and better. I like to double up Monday through Thursday if I can and then taper on Friday by playing a quick game of sharks and grant ranch barracudas. It allows the red blood cells to regenerate, muscles to build or something like that and puts me in better shape to swim on Saturday.
Warm-up is too early if you ask me but I like to get in the pool and think about what I am going to do. I get my backstroke count down and concentrate on the strokes I am going to swim at the meet. I pass Colton a few times while he is messing around and practice my dives. I check in with my coach and get any last minute help. I then get together with my relay team and talk about how we are going to dominate.
Fish
Sportsmanship
By the way I think sportsmanship is a bad name since a lot of us swimmers are young women. Being a good sport is important just the same. I always try to be nice to all of the swimmers on my team and the other team except for maybe my sister. I try to cheer for my teammates when they swim and always wait to shake the hand of the swimmer in the lane next to me before I hop out of the water.(See exception for sister above). If you see someone sad about a DQ, try to say something nice about how they swam and cheer them up. Never brag if you beat someone. They just might beat you next time. Try this at the woodbourne meet.
- Say good luck to the swimmer next to you. They are going to need it : )
- Shake hands with the swimmer next to you after you are done.
- Cheer for the other swimmers in your relay.
- Cheer for for the swimmers on another relay.
- Find an 8 & Under who just finished and tell them they did a good job.
Staying Warm at Practice and Meets
Yeah the pool is going to be cold but get over it. One of the things that helps me is to keep swimming. The harder I work the warmer I get. And absolutely do not get out unless you have to. I also like to splash my mom if I see her on the side and let her feel the water. As we get into June it gets better. Also remember that for meets colder is better. Bring a few towels to meets so that you do not have to use a wet one and bring a sleeping bag or coat to stay warm. Stretching well before you swim will help (see below).
-Fyrefish
Eat like the Fyrefish!
Ffirst of all DO NOT CARB LOAD THENIGHT BEFORE. Most of the time you'll just feel bloated when you swim. Carb load 2 nights before. And then eat something like brown rice and chicken night before to get some carbs and protein. Morning of, you can't beat oatmeal..but Don't load up or you'll feel it when you swim. I like oatmeal with 1 or 2 boiled eggs.The night before and the morning of a meet is way late to try to carb load. It works sometimes but it's a lot better to load up all week. I also like to woof a pack or two of Twizzlers after the last event!
Stretching is Important!
Flexibility is one of the most important things that can contribute to good performance. I like to stretch before and after I practice and before my events. I don't always do what they show in the video below but the beach is pretty cool.
http://www.you tube.com/watch?v=AxgC1vd1Y90
