Thank You.

As I approached our meeting yesterday, I realized I had no idea how many paople would show up. It could have been 6 or 60...as it was totally your choice on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. When I scanned the audience and saw in the neighborhood of 100 people sitting there...I couldn't help but feel extremely humble.
Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your concern over this program we've been building. Thank you for sharing your time with me. Thank you for YOUR hard work in bringing this program to the strong, powerful, level it now rests at. This team is a statement by you, for you, about you. This team will give you memories you will never forget...friendships that will last a lifetime...and lessons that will carry you through the tough times that will come your way.
I am extremely proud of my connection with this team, and I will always be it's biggest cheerleader. Yesterday's meeting opened a new era for this team. What do you want it to be? What do you want it to become? This is your charge...this is your decision. What will your legacy be?

Finish what you started...

Happy Easter to All

The Easter celebration is in my opinion a day celebrating change. Maybe the most significant change this world has ever experienced. Changes have of course occured since then, but none of that magnitude. People have experienced changes in their lives since the day they were born. Many of those changes you thought were unfair, painful, and too much for you to bear...but guess what...you survived. Not only did you survive...but you became a better, stronger person because that situation.

Change can be painful, but on this Easter Sunday, let's try and remember, there have been bigger changes on this planet than ours...and things turned out ok then. God has brought us to this place for a reason...we'll find out what that reason is someday down the road. Until then, try to appreciate each other, and be thankful that BIG change about 2000 years ago happened.

Happy Easter "Swimming and Diving Family"

Our "Family"

As is normal for our BD/USM Swim/Dive "Family"...we have another job to do.

We have a member of our "family" that has experienced a loss...in her own family. Kim Zwicke's mother passed away on Monday after a long battle with cancer. Kim, our hearts and prayers go out to you and those around you who are hurting right now. While we will respect your desire NOT to be bothered by all your well-wishers, we also want you to know you are loved and we are here for you IF you need us. There are many of us who stand ready to offer a hug, a shoulder to cry on, or simply and ear to listen. Kim, I believe God has eased your mothers burden, and eliminated her pain.

All my faithful blog-followers...love one another. Hug your parents, siblings, grandparents. None of us are invincible.

Just as we have done for so many others who have needed a helping hand...we are here to help.

It's been long enough....

Welcome back Coach...we missed you. That's what you're thinking isn't it? Good....
First the facts....
1. Billy Wong swam in the State Meet this weekend at Schroeder. He performed really well. He now owns new PR's...100 BR at 1:04; 200 BR at 2:18; 200 Free at 1:54; 200 Free Relay split at 24.2.
2. Kimberly Roos is part of a state record setting 800 Free Relay.(1:59 split) She'll be joining us as a freshman in the fall.
3. Steve Lillie is getting back in the water on Monday.
4. USM will be bringing at least 3 new members to the BD/USM boys team next fall, all with some competitive exeprience...how about BD?

Now the opinions....
1. Billy did what he did because he has had a balance of long course training at Schroeder and sprint work with our BD/USM high school team.
2. Our program is not necessarily superior to Schreoder, nor theirs over ours. In my opinion the two programs are a wonderful blend of short course sprint work, and long course strength work. When possible, they should be used to compliment each other top make well rounded versitile athletes.
3. Billy has earned a rest...a break from the pool. My hope is he takes a break after this weekend.
4. Steve Lillie has the right idea. He is motivated. He is dedicated. He has an opportunity to lead this team to a place we haven't been before.
5. Steve and Billy can't do it alone. They need some help. Grambow? Ladd? Gilles? Short? Daniels? Davis? Rice? Murphy? Ferrell? Are you ready to get back at it?

We will need all systems firing if we want to get after that goal of a Conference Title, or Sectional title. Is it possible for us to take down the Mighty Whitefish Bay? Shorewood? Can we place higher than the fabled "8th at State" team from 3 years ago? Can we put an athlete in every event in Madison next Feb? Billy, Colin, and Steven G. are a good start...but that's not enough. You are capable. You are talented enough. Are you committed enough? That's for you to answer.

Girls...you're up next. August will come quickly. Will you be ready? What are you doing to prepare for the physical/mental/emotional challenges that lie ahead. 2010-2011 could really be a breakout year for this program. I believe in you...in your talent, in your leadership abilities, in your dedication to our sport, and in your committment to your future. BE READY!

Next year's theme is....
The BD/USM No Regrets Tour...don't miss the show.

The Verdict.....

What a whirlwind 24 hours...from Friday morning to Saturday morning. We left here Friday morning with the intention of swimming faster that night in Madison than we have all year. We left the natatorium Fri. night not only faster, but also smarter. From Colin's strong steady performance on the boards Friday afternoon, to the "Ice Cream Championship of the World" at Ella's Friday night...the trip was certainly unforgettable. Steven learned about oxygen, Jim learned NOT to turn left in a pool with lane lines, Billy snores, and and Bob makes loooong 10 minutes speeches.

This was the first trip to State for this crew...but the last only for Jim Jens. An unlikely participant only one season ago, Jim certainly made the most of his opportunity. He swam faster than even I thought he could, then proceeded to leave his senses for a brief moment. Grambow, Wong, and Lillie all were faster than ever before on our 400 Free Relay, with Steven Lillie claiming the title as the teams fastest swimmer for this season.

Our alternates did their job as well, Ladd, Daniels, Gilles, and Davis all had the chance to "FEEL" the State Meet up close and personal. Next year boys....next year!

As the bubbles settle on the 2010 Boys Swim/Dive season, I look back with pride and satisfaction on a job well done. There is always a price to pay for success...but there are riches to gain as well. Your coaching staff is proud of your accomplishments this season gentlemen. You should be too! Some of you are moving on to a new swim season, some to other sports, and some are just taking a deep breath and relaxing....all are good. Pick up your homework a bit, remember the term "student-athlete". Tapers are over so go shovel the driveway for your parents and the special tour of "potter duty".

Personally, I am going to become a "Dad" again. My son Sam swims in his first State Meet next weekend....in Madison...and I'll be there cheering him on. (yes, more pool time for me...but it's a good thing) Tony is beginning practice for the USM MS play and I will be Maddies sidekick again. And oh yeah...my wife gets her husband back.

So....thanks for the memories....and remember...if God will bring you to it, He will bring you through it.

We're on our way...

To Madison. We have successfully completed the journey we set out on in November. We share a common sense of accomplishment, yet with a bit more work to do. We are in the top 16 in Wisconsin. The question is...how much higher can we climb?

BD/USM......START YOUR ENGINES.....

Not quite finished yet...more cudos...

21 OUT OF 27 PR'S!!!! Holy Cow!
Even with the disappointment of losing the Medley to disqualification,(wrongly I might add) our boys still stepped up and let 'er rip. Our first swim after that was Billy Wong's 200 IM. I had no idea how Billy would react to losing the Medley, but he knew he swam well on it and quickly prepared himself for the IM. All Billy did was drop a fabulous 5 sec. in 200 yards from 2:16 to 2:11. YEAH BILLY!!! Not to be outdone, in the same heat of the IM, Geoff Gilles dropped and equally impressive 4 seconds from 2:21 to 2:17. YEAH GEOFF!!!

And that's the way the day went...even though there may have been a disappointment here or there, someone was there to pick up the peices and move the team forward. That's what TEAM is all a bout. One day it's you picking up the team, the next day it's someone else. To get all athletes performing at their best on the same day at the same time is very rare. To achieve 50% or more is terrific...and we had 78%.

As we are looking forward to the State Meet this Friday, we must not forget...even though each individual athlete can't be in the water, it took each individual athlete to get us where we are. Each and every one of you owns a peice of this Meet Friday. Our TEAM is there...represented by a few.

Friday night is the pinnacle of high school swimming in WI. And we will be there! Congratulations gentlemen...

Success is spelled....BD/USM!

WE DID IT AGAIN!!!

After a year's absence from the State Meet in Madison, WEEEE'RE BAAAAACK. And not in a small way. Colin Rice started the journey with a qualification in Diving Friday night At the Schroeder Aquatic Center. In preparation for his first trip to the pinnacle of high school swimming in WI, Colin was steady alll night with his dive scores! CONGRATS COLIN!
On Saturday, in the swimming portion of the Sectional meet at Cudahy High School, your the BD/USM swimmers did their best to follow Colins'lead. With 27 swimming opportunities on Saturday, our boys achieved 21 PR's.(Personal Records) in a sport wherer the best coaches will tell you a 50-60% rate of PR's at a season ending meet is a terrific season...my son told me that's about a 78% success rate. Every coach would be pleased with that...and in fact we a not only pleased...we are thrilled.
Joining Colin in Madison will be Steven Grambow who, after dropping an astounding 21 seconds in his 500 Freestyle last season, dropped an equally impressive 14 seconds to place himself as the 9th seed in Madison. (equally inpressive because the faster you get, the harder it is to get faster) Steven swam a near-perfect race in his 500 Free Saturday, narrowly missing out on first place at Sectionals. CONGRATS STEVEN!
The final event of the day presented one more chance for qualification for our motivated athelets. The 400 Free Relay needed to drop considerable time to make it through, and they succeeded with flying colors. Jim Jens, Steve Lillie, Steven Grambow and Billy Wong will represent BD/USM at the State meet as well. CONGRATS GENTLEMEN!
There are many more highlights from our terrific meet Friday and Saturday....they will come in the next posting....THE COACHING STAFF CONGRATULATES OUR ENTIER TEAM! With a JV Confrence Championship, a 4th place team finish at Sectionals and a trip to Madison....YOU ARE THE BEST!
Happily...we're not done yet...stay tuned...

Well Done Gentlemen!!!

The road to success has many bumps in it...but our objectives were clear and resolve unwaivering.
Objectives;
1. To place 4th in the Varsity Conference Championship Meet
2. To WIN the JV Conference Championship
3. To set up the varsity for a great finish next week at Sectionals.

To obtain Objective #2, we had to have all our athletes healthy and physically ready. The physically ready part was up to me, since my job is to train these young men, and prepare them for this. As recently as 2 weeks ago, we lost our third JV swimmer, 2 of them to a lack of committment in the classroom. So we knew were going into the meet with fewer athletes than we wanted. When the beep sounded for the first event, our boys showed they were ready. With 24 swims in the JV relays, we achieved 19 season best performances...that's just on the relays. Out of 6 relays, we placed 4 in the top 4. Leading the way for the BD/USM Wildfalconcat JV Team were Dan Kass, Brian Roberts, Ryan Murphy, Michael Short and Zach Ferrell. All four had the meet of their lives in leading their team to a FIRST PLACE finish...a full 185 points ahead of 2nd place Cudahy.
Short---2PR's on 200 IM and 100 Back
Kass---4 PR's in 50 Free, 100 Free, and anchored a 1st and 2nd place relay
Murphy--- 4 PR's in 4 events. Medley Relay, 100 butterfly, 500, and 400 Free Relay
Ferrell---500, 200 Free Relay, 100 Back, 400 Free Relay
Roberts--- 4 PR's in 4 events; Medley Relay, 200 Free, 100 Butterfly, and 200 Free Relay

Objective #2---DONE!

On the Varsity side, it would be a tough road to 4th place. The right people in the right places, and they MUST perform. It was a see-saw battle with D1 Wauwatosa the whole meet, with each of us taking over the 4th place slot as each event passed. We were remembering the thrashing they gave us in a dual meet in their pool a few weeks ago, so we had a bad memory to erase. It all came down to the last event, the 400 Free Relay, and the BD/USM Wildfalconcats prevailed in outscoring Tosa in the last event to pass them in the final standings. While our varsity boys won't be fully rested until next week, they swam their hearts out and were quite impressive. Special kudos go out to;
Steven Grambow---PR in 200 Free
Rob Davis---PR in 50 Free and 200 Free Relay
Geoff Gilles--PR in 200 IM
Matt Daniels---PR in 400 Free relay
Steve Lillie---PR in 100 Butterfly and 400 Free Relay
Adam Brostowicz---PR in Medley Relay
Jack Ladd---PR in 100 Back

OBJECTIVE #1---DONE

I believe Objective #3 is done as well...but you will have to come watch us swim at Cudahy next Saturday to find out. This is a team ready to explode....On Thursday of this week I'll light the fuse...

Does Shaving Down actually work?

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1989 Oct;21(5):576-80.
Related Articles, Links


Influence of body hair removal on physiological responses during breaststroke swimming.

Sharp RL, Costill DL.

Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306.

Nine male collegiate swimmers (EXP) were studied 8 d before (PRE) and 1 d after (POST) shaving the hair from their arms, legs, and exposed trunk. A control group (CON, N = 4) of their teammates was also tested at these times but did not remove body hair. In PRE and POST, distance per stroke (SL), VO2, heart rate (HR), and post-swim blood lactate concentration (BL) were measured during a 365.8 m breaststroke swim at approximately 90% effort. Subjects also performed a tethered breaststroke swim with retarding forces of 6.27, 7.75, and 9.26 kg. The EXP group experienced a significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in BL (mean +/- SE: 8.48 +/- 0.78 to 6.74 +/- 0.74 mmol.l-1), a decreased VO2 (3.60 +/- 0.15 to 3.27 +/- 0.14 l.min-1), an increase in SL (2.07 +/- 0.08 to 2.31 +/- 0.10 m.stroke-1), and an insignificant (P = 0.08) decline in HR (174 +/- 5 to 168 +/- 4 beats.min-1) during the free swim. The CON group showed no changes in BL, SL, or HR. During the tethered swim, there were no significant PRE-POST differences in VO2, HR, or BL for either group. In a separate group of swimmers (nine who shaved body hair and nine controls), removing body hair significantly reduced the rate of velocity decay during a prone glide after a maximal underwater leg push-off. It is concluded that removing body hair reduces active drag, thereby decreasing the physiological cost of swimming.

Publication Types:
• Clinical Trial
• Controlled Clinical Trial

PMID: 2691818 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Great Info...

For those of you who are research oriented.....feel free to read the following.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/what-you-eat-after-exercise-matters

Scientific Bases for Precompetition Tapering Strategies.
APPLIED SCIENCES
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 35(7):1182-1187, July 2003.
MUJIKA, INIGO; PADILLA, SABINO
Abstract:
MUJIKA, I., and S. PADILLA. Scientific Bases for Precompetition Tapering Strategies. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 35, No. 7, pp. 1182-1187, 2003. The taper is a progressive nonlinear reduction of the training load during a variable period of time, in an attempt to reduce the physiological and psychological stress of daily training and optimize sports performance. The aim of the taper should be to minimize accumulated fatigue without compromising adaptations. This is best achieved by maintaining training intensity, reducing the training volume (up to 60-90%) and slightly reducing training frequency (no more than 20%). The optimal duration of the taper ranges between 4 and more than 28 d. Progressive nonlinear tapers are more beneficial to performance than step tapers. Performance usually improves by about 3% (usual range 0.5-6.0%), due to positive changes in the cardiorespiratory, metabolic, hematological, hormonal, neuromuscular, and psychological status of the athletes.
(C)2003The American College of Sports Medicine




Maximize Performance Through Resting - The Taper
Training is an important part of any athelte's race preparation, but resting to maximize performance can be a challenge. Discover how to make the most of this final and crucial phase of training.
Most people train for months and forget that 2 weeks before the race it's time to think about resting. Many triathletes find this more difficult than swimming 5,000 yards, biking the hills, or running a half marathon!
Here are some things for people to keep in mind during the “rest period” before a race:
1. Do longer warm ups and warm downs. You can keep your distance up, but start to add more to the beginning and end portion of your workout. This 'active rest' will assure that you are well rested for your race but not out of shape.
2.
3. Avoid big meals and sugar. Tapering is an adjustment for your body, and your immune system may not be as strong during this time.
Big meals and carbohydrates like sugar will wear your immune system and leave you susceptible to colds and flus. Keep in mind that as your workout intensity decreases, you must decrease calorie intake accordingly.
4. Get as much sleep as you can before midnight. Ideally, get to bed by 10:30. The sleep you get before midnight is the most crucial to your recovery. You will feel more rested if you can do this for at least 2 weeks before your event.
5. Lay off the strength training. This is more of an individual call (some people feel better if they are doing some strength work all the way up until the event, others will be too broken down unless they take a good 2 weeks off), but at the minimum, you should go lighter in the weeks leading up to your event.
6. Avoid caffeine. It may be tough if you are a coffee addict, but 2 weeks of not having that morning cup will give you more natural energy for your race. Take it from 6-time Ironman champion Mark Allen- he practiced this for every race and it worked pretty well for him!
7. Increase your meditation or yoga. Less time working out means more time to prepare mentally! If you don't do yoga already, don't start now. However, find some quiet time during the day to get away from work and working out to clear your mind.
8. You will have more energy during your rest or taper period. Don't be tempted to use it! Save it for your event and you will be glad you did.

Small School 2010

Ok, HERE WE GO.......
The Small School Championship was yesterday in Plymouth, and we saw our boys compete and learn. It's always fun to watch the McFarlands, and Whitefish Bay's beat up on each other, and throw in a Shorewood, a Plymouth and Milton or two and you've get great swimming to watch. Well, that's pretty much what we did. While we competed when it was our turn, and competed hard I might add, the rest of the time our hard working athletes sat...and sat...and sat some more. While I noticed strong efforts in the pool, there just wasn't a lot of energy on the side of the pool. We watched others achieve times, rather than watching their starts and turns. We watched others with a sort of envy, wishing we could do that, rather than determining that we WOULD do that. We seemed to be complacent with achieving "another day at the office", rather than going after something we've never done before. The thing that was missing..."PASSION". If you don't bring it with you, it won't show up...kinda like your suit and goggles.
We doubled out point output from last year at this meet. Colin Rice placed 5th in Diving with another team record, he's up to 290 now. Matt Daniels(1:02) finally put the strong 100 Butterfly in the water that we knew was there, Geoff Gilles(1:12) showed that the terrific 100 Breaststroke from Appleton wasn't a fluke, Steve Lillie(52.8 on last relay) learned to move on after a not-so-hot performance, and Jim Jens (3 PR's) was the swimmer of the meet for our team. Our 200 and 400 Free Relays put season best times in the water, without eveybody achieving their individual best times on it. It was a decent day of competition. From here on out gentlemen..."If you want something you've never gotten, you have to give something you've never given". Show me your PASSION.

Let's finish what we started.

Senior Night and Parents Night 2010

In a meet against a strong Shorewood team on a night when we allowed our seniors to pick their events, and celebrated the dedication our wonderful parents have displayed, our swimmmers competed hard in a losing effort to Shorewood 102-68. We had some terrific things happen in the meet when, as expected, we were competing tired for the last time of the season. Steven Lillie swam a PR in his open 100 Free in a 53.08, Rob Davis also a PR in the same event and a team/season best 200 Free Relay time of 1:37.17 feturing Lillie, Davis, Steven Grambow and Jim Jens. The time on that relay is faster than we were shaved and taperd last season. Our divers, Shaun Andryouskas, Kieth Finch, and Colin Rice pitched in as well last night and swam, yes swam, in a 200 Free Relay with Steven Wade serving as the anchor leg. Our best event of the night was the 100 Backstroke where Steven Grambow and Jack Ladd teamed up to take 1st and 2nd. We had alot of fun last night and learned a bit more about our swimmers as we enter the Championship phase of our season. It is now time to start resting a bit more as we approach the Conference Championship and Sectionals.

Next up...
Small School this Sat. at Plymouth
Conference Championship at Greenfield Feb. 6

Good Advice from the best!

Olympian Tells Kids: Listen to Your Coaches

Cary, NC – Three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming Ryan Lochte visited with young athletes on Friday at Triangle Aquatic Center (TAC). Almost 1000 kids and parents showed up for Lochte’s inspirational chat and to get autographs from one of the hero’s of the ‘08 summer games.
Lochte, who lives and trains in Florida, is sometimes over-shadowed by his USA teammate Michael Phelps. But the swimmer from the Sunshine State is a true champion in his own right. Lochte has 6 Olympic medals (3g, 1s, 2b), winning gold in both ‘04 and ‘08. He holds several world records and swims 5-6 hours a day, 6 days a week, according to USA Swimming.
Over 1,000 people turned out at TAC, filling the spectators gallery. Lochte told the crowd his story about him not taking swimming seriously as a kid and then in High School, deciding to set goals and focus on swimming. That’s when his performance excelled. The Olympian emphasized three points for the crowd:
1. Listen to your coaches
2. Set goals
3. Push yourself beyond what you think you can do and you will

weekend practice...

this weekend's practice schedule;

Friday 11AM - 1 PM

Satuurday 8 AM - 10 AM

You will get a break from seeing my happy face this weekend. I have meetings all day Friday and my son has a swim meet in Waukesha Sat. I'll be putting my "Dad" hat on for a few days. However...be prepared for a necessary increase of focus for the next two weeks. Do the workouts the BEST you can. I'm watching the little things...you should too.
have a grreat weekend...don't do dumb things.

The "Taper"

The “Taper”

by Coach John Douglass
Co-Head Coach
BD/USM Swimming and Diving


In competitive swimming the end of the season is generally referred to as “taper time”. This isn’t really rocket science but there are physical changes that occur in a swimmer to ensure a swimmers peak performance.

During the season a swimmer works very hard to build up a tolerance to a certain workload level. Initially the body rebels against this extra workload, and sends the brain messages demonstrating its displeasure through stiff and sore muscles, and increased fatigue. After the body maintains that workload long enough however, the body thinks that workload is normal and is no longer rebelling against it. This adjustment takes place approximately 3-4 times per season as the workload changes. The workload gradually increases to a point where the swimmer can swim whatever distance is required in either practice or a meet. Since this workload is now the norm, the athlete now can train harder and faster than before, without the physical discomfort previously experienced.

The “Taper” comes in at the end of the season when the athlete is approaching his/her most important competitions. When the athlete needs his/her best performances of the season, the coach can lessen the athletes’ workload, leaving the body with extra energy and strength for that more important performance. The body was used to working very hard, and all of a sudden it doesn’t have to anymore, therefore the extra energy is available for that “big race”.

During this “taper” period, the athlete may seem a little more excitable and may experience an inability to sleep, simply due to the leftover energy in his/her body. This energy needs to be conserved for competition as it doesn’t last for more than a few days. It is important that the athlete’s diet is commensurate with their energy output, simply meaning with a lesser workload the athlete needs a lesser diet. Therefore, if the athlete has been on a 3000 calorie per day diet throughout the season, they should cut that caloric intake to about 2000 calories per day. Part of the reason for this dietary change is that the body is no longer processing the calories as rapidly as it did just a few days prior, therefore some of these calories are being stored less efficiently than before, and that may have a bearing on how all the energy in the body is used when that “big race” comes.

The last point, but possibly the most important aspect of the taper period, is rest. As difficult as it may seem the athlete should do nothing physical during these days. By physical I mean nothing that will tax the muscles in a different way than they are used to being taxed. Examples of potential taper-damaging activities are; snow shoveling, lawn mowing, wrestling with siblings, skating of any sort, and almost any type of physical labor. Equally as important as the physical rest is emotional rest. Emotional highs and lows should be avoided as much as possible as those types of changes take an extraordinary amount of energy.

I hope this helps you understand what coaches mean by a “taper” period in swimming. Parental assistance in this rest period can be instrumental in helping our athletes understand our sport and why intelligent decisions are important for the human body. If you have any further questions regarding this or anything else, please don’t hesitate to call.

Thank you for all you do,


Coach Douglass
(414) 540--3235 --- school
(414) 354-5441-----home
(414) 630-3250-----cell
jdouglass@usmk12.org

Coach VanLieshout
(414) 354-9514---home

Strength Conditioning

The last dates for strength condition will be Friday January 22 for those athletes who will finish their season at the Conference Championship meet, and January 29th for those going to Sectionals. Each swimmer will be informed within the next few days which day will be their last. We the enter the "Taper" period of the season.

The Stretch Run

AND THEY'RE OFF.....
The last few weeks or our fun and exciting season are upon us. It seems like last week we had our first meet. Over the next couple of meets the coaching staff is going to try some new things so we know best where to line up our athletes in our big meets. Our boys will be swimming some events they may not be used to...and that's ok. We have a direction in mind and we are headed on a crash course for success. The workouts will be changing soon, and the boys will need a little more rest. So let's keep it healthy out there. I'll be posting something soon about what we coaches call "The Taper"

Lastly, I recieved a commentary on our boys at Culvers after a meet a couple weeks ago. It seems they were respectful, polite, and cleaned up after themselves.

Well Done Gentlemen!

Sleep well, Eat well, Live well.

The Bubble just Burst Boys!

Last night, in a looong meet in Appleton, against mostly D1 teams the BD/USM Boys Swimming and Diving Team set new team records...that's right TEAM records.
1. We placed and scored in EVERY event. (never before done by our team)
2. We scored 200 points.(never before done by our team at this meet)
3. We placed and scored EVERY RELAY we entered! (never before done by our team)
4. We placed and scored multiple times in 5 DIFFERENT EVENTS! (never before done by our team)
5. 5th Place of 10 teams. (never before done by our team at this meet)

We are no longer pushing that little bubble around....it's gone.

TOP 10 FINISHERS FROM APPLETON...
200 Medley Relay---8th Place---Ladd, Wong, Daniels, Lillie
200 Free-----------7th Place---Grambow
100 Butterfly------7th Place---Lillie
500 Free-----------6th Place---Wong
200 Free Relay-----8th Place--Davis, Brostowicz, Burandt, Grambow
100 Backstroke-----7th---Grambow; 10th---Lillie
100 Breaststroke---5th---Wong
400 Free Relay-----6th---Lillie, Grambow, Davis, Wong

That was a fun meet to watch, and even more fun to be a part of. Finding ourselves 28points behind Ashwaubenon with 3 events to go, it didn't look like we had enough to catch them in the team standings. However, the BD/USM athletes refused to give up and after placing 3 backstrokers in the top 13, and watching all 3 breaststrokers score, the anxiety was high. Anytime you can have the final results come down to the last event, the excitement level is high. Our "A" and "B" relays both had to beat Ashwaubenon's "A" and "B" relays...but not by a little. This was a challenge to see how much we could beat them by...if at all. When the bubbles stopped and points were tallied...Ashwaubenon-195.5---BD/USM 200.
Now THAT"S the way to end a meet...by placing 7 of the last 8 opportunities in a meet that featured one of the states best D1 teams in Bayport, and one of the top D2 teams in Whitefish Bay.
We're back on track and getting ready for the final stretch run.

YOU READY FOR THIS????????

get some rest

with your day off make sure you relax. rest your body and your mind! No weights on Friday.

New Berlin West/Eisenhower Meet

New Berlin West/Eisenhower is a strong D1 team...we knew that going in to our meet on Wed. night. The task at hand wasn't necessarily to win the meet, rather to see how well we stacked up against one of the best teams in the area. While we were hoping for a point total in the 60's, and the score ended up 99-71,(we had the 71), the score is not really indicative of the meet as a whole. While we had some really good things happen, we also made some of the same mistakes we've been making all season. So....while we, the Coaches, are pleased with the final score and many of the swims, we continue to try and teach through the mistakes being made.
1. grabbing the wall on your BR and fly turns
2. skinny, tight, deep pullouts
3. knowing your events
4. getting/staying healthy...eating right, sleeping right

Many of these are out of the coaches control, I understand that. This is where attention to detail comes in. Gentlemen...in order for something to change, YOU have to MAKE it change. It will not happen just because you want it to change. "WHAT YOU DO IN PRACTICE IS THE SAME THING THAT WILL HAPPEN IN A MEET." Let's practice smarter, and continue working hard and we'll all be pleased at the end.

Next up....THE BULLDOG "COOKIE MEET".

Port and the Bulldog meet...

let's add a 54 100 Free;
1:12 100 Breaststroke;
2:13 200 IM;
1:00 100 Back

After speaking to my son, Port is being trained for this meet specifically. They simply DON'T want to make cookies!!!

The theory is simple...

EAT OR BE EATEN!!!!

your choice!

Get Ready Cookie Bakers.......

I just received a report from the Port Washington vs. West Bend Swim Meet tonight held in Port Washington. Here's a taste of what you are facing on Saturday at Cedarburg...Ray Polgar is Ports "big gun". His 100 Fly tonight came in at at 58.9 and he anchored their 3:39 400 Free Relay in 51.7. Comparatively speaking...our best fliers currently sit at 1:02, and 1:03 respectively with our best 400 Free Relay time of 3:42.

Boys...will you be making cookies again...or "ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLLLLLLE????"

Wed. is a tune up....let's see what all that hard work over Christmas Break did for us. We will not have Rob or Geoff on Sat. so everyone else will have to be up to the challenge. Let's go "Pirate Huntin'"!

Oooops....my first blogger boo-boo...this Wed. is against New Berlin West/Eisenhower not Wauwatosa West. Also, the Shorewood meet on your schedule is actually going to be at BROWN DEER not Shorewood. That will be our last home meet of the season and will be the date of our Senior Recognition/Parent Appreciation night.

We made it. Another productive Christmas break swim schedule has been completed.

For you parents out there...THANK YOU! I know bringing your son to the pool at 7AM over Christmas break isn't necessarily your favorite activity. The dedication and commitment you are showing your son will be remembered...I promise. These young men will look back on these days and realize what you did for them. Maybe not tomorrow, but it will come. My parents did the same thing back then. Thank you for teaching your kids the value of commitment.

For the athletes out there...THANK YOU! Those of you that showed up on a consistant basis will reap the benefits of all your hard work. It would have been easy to stay in bed, throw the alarm clock out the window, and tell me later you were sick. But you didn't. Instead you showed up to do your part as a leader on this team. I have no doubt all your efforts will be rewarded. Every Coach wants to say they have the hardest working athletes in the school. I used to say it too. I no longer need to. Your reputation says it all...work hard, play hard, do your homework, and be a positive productive member of the community. When you do those things...YOU WIN!

On a more somber note. It became extremely obvious to the Coaches those of you who struggled with your health over break were not taking care of your nutritional needs. 7AM is a hard time to practice, especially if your body isn't used to it. That meant you needed to do something different with your nutritional habits. some of you thought you could just get up and go to practice...for 4 hours. Your body doesn't work that way. I hope you learned something from this experience. What you put into your body can help determine not only your success in your sport, but also how your brain operates. If you fit into this category, let's re-group and move forward together. Your Coaches will be glad to help you with this.

Coming up...Wed. at home against a strong Wauwatosa West/East squad. Saturday at the Bulldog Invite at Cedarburg. Buckle up boys....it's time to enter the fast lane.