2011 Mako #1 Fall Invite

(a Year of Anticipated Diversity and Self-Challenge)

The Potomac Marlins kicked off the 2011-12 short course season with a great showing at the Mako Fall Invite on October 8 & 9 at GMU. The team turned in 67% best time performance with 283 out of 422 swims. (2 out of every 3 swims). In addition, there were 174 first time swims which, although not counted towards the best time percentage calculation, made the staff (and parents) proud. 5 Marlins swimmers produced 6 best time swims over the course of the two day meet, 7 swimmers had 5 best times, 15 swimmers had 4 best times and 21 swimmers had 3 best times.

Top 3 time drop performances per distance.

SWIMMER NAME 500 yd. events TIME DROP
Andrew Laffosse Freestyle -40.00
Kyle Major Freestyle -14.87
Sarah Liu Freestyle -11.67
SWIMMER NAME 200 yd. events TIME DROP
Brody Campbell Freestyle -30.79
Katelyn Grealish Breaststroke -27.99
Gavin Flanagan Freestyle -22.76
SWIMMER NAME 100 yd. events TIME DROP
Brody Campbell Butterfly -21.20
Elizabeth Williamson Freestyle -16.24
Kellen Campbell Breaststroke -15.52
SWIMMER NAME 50 yd. events TIME DROP
Reagan Foley Breaststroke -17.48
Margaret Herbold Butterfly -10.53
Stephanie Celem Backstroke -10.24
SWIMMER NAME 25 yd. events TIME DROP
Abigail Church Butterfly -12.04
Fiona Herbold Breaststroke -10.24
Hannah Foley Breaststroke -5.45

One of the Team's perennial goals is to educate our swimmers (and their parents) about the importance of diversifying their swimming event repertoire at a young age. This leads to a much more well-rounded, confident, productive, happier, and ultimately COLLEGE RECRUITABLE swimmer! As a matter of philosophy, the Marlins program aims to develop all of our swimmers as highly versitile I.M. swimmers.

"I.M. Tough" (stolen from another club)

A competent and confident I.M. swimmer is one that is legal in all 4 strokes (and turns) and who is also knowledgeable with regards to the importance of training all 4 strokes during practice. He/she then follows through on a regular basis with a willingness and determination to put forth the required effort to improve. Swimmers, who are successful at this process, do not shy away from training in their weakest strokes (fly??), but rather, they become very aware of their weaknesses, seek help and guidance for improvement, set personal goals for improvement and anxiously face their challenges head on. That's what "swim practice" is all about. It is a big mistake for any 12-14 under swimmer to feel that he or she is ONLY a Freestyler, or only a Breaststroker. At this age, "I AM a multi-dimensional swimmer!" is a much better statement on your resume'.

Swimmers with 6 best time performances.

SWIMMER NAME EVENTS TIME DROP
Arcomona 200 Free -18.93
50 Back -.38
100 Breast -12.47
100 I.M. -5.95
50 Fly -.25
100 Free -1.60
Cryblskey 100 Back -11.16
200 I.M. -14.28
50 Free -3.05
50 Back -.61
100 Free -12.00
100 Breast -4.09
Downs 50 Breast -1.00
200 Breast -4.82
50 Fly -4.01
200 Free -5.50
50 Back -1.00
100 Breast -5.14
Matthew Guo 100 Back -5.56
200 I.M. -5.25
200 Breast -9.12
100 Fly -6.03
200 Back -8.64
100 Breast -4.69
Wen 100 Back -2.40
200 I.M. -3.67
50 Breast -1.94
100 Fly -6.68
200 Back -15.54
100 Breast -2.48

Secondly, event diversification means:

22 total Short Course events possible. How many have you done? How many will you do this year?

(obviously 25's and stroke 50's are not typically available to 9 & olders, as are the 200 strokes and longer distances typically not available to the 8 & unders, although we have had some that have sought these opportunities and have actually done them. See team records)

Doing races in greater distances is without a doubt a daunting proposition for most young swimmers. It is more a "fear of the unknown" than anything else, and the responsibility of the coach and parents to help guide and support their swimmer(s) through this challenge rather than to skirt the issue and bolster their excuses and reinforce their fears of failure.

Parent/Coach: "Yes, it may hurt ....and that is a good thing/sign because it means you are trying hard and doing your best". (no pain - no gain - in other words, you only have to worry about "failure" if it doesn't hurt!)

Swimmers with 5 best time performances.

SWIMMER NAME EVENTS TIME DROP
Akanksha Alok 100 Back -.88
200 I.M. -5.81
50 Breast -.29
200 Free -8.63
100 Fly -4.43
Ben Barbee 200 I.M. -.80
50 Breast -3.94
50 Fly -1.11
50 Back -1.06
100 Free -.31
Kost 100 Back -.47
200 Breast -2.81
100 Fly -1.28
200 Back -3.00
100 Breast -1.14
Telichko 200 I.M. -9.58
50 Free -6.07
50 Back -6.79
100 Free -14.77
100 BReast -2.92
Williamson 100 Free -16.24
25 Free -.50
25 Fly -4.26
50 Back -8.42
50 Free -4.56
Sarah Yao 50 Back -1.72
100 Fly -.83
100 I.M. -6.44
50 Fly -1.44
100 Back -2.07
Cynthia Zhuang 100 Back -.35
50 Breast -.48
100 Fly -1.05
100 Free -2.15
100 Breast -2.31

The earlier a young swimmer has experience with these distances and the more often they experience them, the more confident and successful he/she will be when they reach these upper levels of swimming. The other less obvious, but well documented, benefit to doing the longer distance swims is that it GREATLY improves confidence and effort levels at the lower distances almost immediately. On many occasions we have witnessed a swimmer doing her first 200 Freestyle and then at the next meet dropping 10+ seconds in her 100 Freestyle. The typical swimmer reply, "I was not so scared to push myself harder for the WHOLE race because it was only half as far as I went last time!". The same experience can be seen in the 200 races after a swimmer does his first 500 and in the 500 after his first 1000 or 1650. Go ahead; try it, if you don't believe me!

Ultimately, as swimmers get older, their talents begin to show for specific stroke and specific distances. Some of this is pre-determined by genetics. Slow twitch (Distance swimmers) vs. Fast twitch (Sprinters) muscle fiber, body type, height, arm span, do your feet turn out naturally (breaststroke), do your knees hyper extend several degrees backwards (fly), do you enjoy watching the roof and clouds more than the black line (backstroke). Just kidding on that last one. But seriously, does anyone think Michael Phelps saw himself ONLY as a butterflyer at any point in his career? Heck no, I'll bet he saw himself as the future greatest "swimmer" in the world from the day he got out of his first summer league time trials.

Our hope is that all Marlins swimmers will seek the greatest degree of event diversity possible, challenge themselves to be the best all around swimmers they can be and to face their weaknesses and fears with confidence, strength and spirit. There is simply no way to know what your best event will be when you are a Senior in H.S. or college when you are only now 8 years old. Be a "Swimmer" first and a "swimmer who likes breaststroke" secondly, and wait at least until you get to High School, and have a AAA or AAAA time before you call yourself a "Breaststroker".

We are off to a good start with the Mako Meet results. It is our recommendation that swimmers consult with their deck coaches for each meet regarding their event selection. Make a solid attempt to do at least 50% NEW events each meet leading up to the Championship meets where, hopefully, you will have many events to select from to create the most advantageous event schedule possible. If you find that you are getting stuck in rut or a slump, perhaps it is time to broaden your horizons and "REACH DEEPER" into your event selection experience. Who knows, the world’s next 200 fly/ 400 I.M. phenom might be currently lurking in our midst????????

Congratulations to all Mako Invite swimmers!

Coach Barry Marlin

"I.M., therefore I AM!" (This one is mine/ours!)

Swimmers with 5 best time performances.

SWIMMER NAME EVENTS TIME DROP
Charmsaz 100 Back -1.74
50 Free -.09
200 Free -10.32
100 Breast -2.63
Kate Croxton 200 I.M. -1.35
50 Back -1.27
100 Free -.14
100 Breast -.13
Foley 50 Back -5.09
100 I.M. -4.80
100 Free -4.19
50 Breast -17.48
Karina Kolb 200 I.M. -2.97
500 Free -.30
200 Free -2.27
200 Back -.46
Corinne Kominski 50 Fly -.76
100 Fly -6.24
100 Free -7.15
100 Breast -1.04
Mary Kominski 50 Back -2.79
100 Breast -3.33
100 I.M. -2.69
50 Breast -.11
Kuranda 50 Back -1.95
100 Breast -5.92
50 Free -1.22
100 I.M. -3.78
Sydney Loper 50 Back -.41
100 I.M. -4.21
50 Fly -3.16
50 Breast -.95
Major 200 Free -5.48
100 Fly -4.30
50 Fly -1.42
200 I.M. -13.16
Major 200 I.M. -2.74
50 Free -1.89
500 Free -14.87
100 Fly -3.45
Marcey 50 Back -2.72
50 Free -2.44
100 Fly -.40
100 I.M. -1.87
Ainsley Miller 200 Free -.11
100 I.M. -1.47
50 Fly -1.59
50 Breast -2.97
Pollock 100 Back -5.20
200 I.M. -5.35
100 Fly -8.11
100 Free -2.05
Rubino 200 Free -13.76
100 I.M. -7.25
100 Back -3.17
100 Free -7.59
Williamson 50 Back -2.51
100 Breast -8.38
100 I.M. -9.00
100 Free -8.36