POSITIVE CHECK IN
What does it mean? I think we still have a lot of you who do not understand what this mean, so I will try to explain.
Why? It is done as a way of trying to shorten the length of a particular session of a meet. It is also done so that most heats are full.
Which meets? This is up to the meet manager and we try to give you as much notice as possible.
Which events? Again this is up to the meet manager. Most of the time it is required for all 200 events and above. However some meets (like the one this weekend) require all events to be checked in.
What happens if I forget to check in? At championship meets YOU WILL NOT GET TO SWIM. DON'T EVEN TRY OR ASK THE COACH TO! At other meets it is entirely up to the Referee as to if you are allowed to swim.
Who's responsibility is it? Ultimately the responsibility is the swimmers, NOT THE COACHES. The coach will try to check the table before the check in closes, but the coach is trying to run warm up and take care of the swimmers who are there and they can not be worried about swimmers who are not there or are late. Sometimes if you are coming later and you let the coach know they can check you in. I do not like to do this because I have other things to do at a meet. I have seen coaches forget to check people in at JO's and the swimmer does not get in. No need to tell you the parents were upset, the swimmer upset, and the coach felt bad. The responsibility is yours no one else's. You can also have other swimmers or parents check you in but remember the final responsibility is still yours.
What if I check in but don't show up? The meet manager has the right to scratch you from your next event and the team may be fined.
I don't always like the check in but remember we are trying to shorten the meet and run full heats which benefits your swimmer.
JUNIOR OLYMPIC RELAYS:
We have spent this week putting together our relays for JO's which is now under a month away. We actually did this with out the computer and will now see what the computer comes up with. We will put these out on Monday after the meet this weekend in case there are any changes to be made.
Relays in swimming is a chance to bring a team and groups together. We do not swim these relay just to have relays. Other than the distance events on Thursday night, JO's start with the relays and can set the tone for the entire team for the rest of the meet. When you swim these relays I want you to think about getting the entire team hyped on your initial success. The relays offer the lead off swimmer a "FREE" event because there time will count as an official time and normally this swimmer performs well. The other three swimmers normally will feed off this energy and although not official their times are usually life time bests. This will give these swimmers a lot of confidence going into their individual events and the rest of the team will feed off of this energy.
Will we win all of the relays? OMG! NO and Yes! It we come out of it posting our best time with some great splits than in "MY BOOK" you have won and you can hold your head high. In order to accomplish this each swimmer must contribute his/her best. A relay takes 4 people to do well and it takes ALL 4 to fail. The first swimmer needs to set the tone and inspire the other three with their leg, and by verbally encouraging the other relay swimmers. The middle two swimmers need to work hard to build the lead or make up some ground in order for that final swimmer to be in a position to win. The last swimmer must encourage the other three no mater where they are in the pool in order to finish with a winning time. If that lead off swimmer can get out front the other 3 will have smoother and faster water to swim in.
If you are chosen to participate in JO relays I hope you see it as an honor to represent not only MAKO but the group you happen to swim in. There are swimmers from our groups that dream of swimming at JO's and they may have fallen short this year, and you need to represent them proudly.
After the relays are posted we would like a commitment by the following Monday in order to finalize the relays so that everyone knows what is going on and what is expected of them.
JO INDIVIDUAL EVENTS
I have a lot of questions about which events to enter for the meet. Here are some guidelines, if you have multiple events try and pick 2 a day that offer you your best chance to succeed. You can go to last years meet and compare your time to see where you would have placed in that meet. Understand the times may be faster this year or there may be more swimmers in a particular event. Parents if you need help come down on deck during practice as I have the chart with everyone who has qualified and their times.
PIT BULL MENTALITY
Mark Twain once quoted the following "it's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters." It conveys so much. "Small swimmers with BIG HEARTS, a desire to fight, and a willingness to go the distance can be victorious over much larger opponents."
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