Some of you know that I completed the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with my Y Summer Camp staff a few days ago which was a blast and enjoyable for all us counselors and for the campers. For the a while now I've wanted to do my own Ice Bucket Challenge and after a few pleas on Twitter my time came when I got to do the challenge. Honestly people if your concerned about getting a little cold water dumped on your head it's not a big deal at all. Take it in strides and enjoy the experience. I challenge everyone to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge or donate to the ALS society to help live saving research! The link is attached below for my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Enjoy I hope it makes you smile :)
Tmac's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
ALS Website
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Friday, 22 August 2014
Week 3 Summer Camp
For a majority of campers at the Woodstock YMCA they just wrapped up there 8th week of camp and I just wrapped up my 3rd week of camp. This week has been a wide variety of things from storm threats, to sweet crafts, fun times on the playground, digging in the sand, water games, and even an unwanted visitor!
The campers get to make some sweet crafts at camp. These horseshoes were painted by campers ranging in age from 4-6 and I must say they turned out awesome. I'm so pleased how independent the campers are in this age range and wanting to do more complex activities, crafts, songs during morning circle, and not needing as much help. A couple campers thought it would be a great idea to put a stick in the middle of the pictures to keep the wind from blowing the paintings away. I thought that was great, and it made it look more like playing horseshoes!
Ah storm threats are never fun for campers or staff. But we make the best of them, thankfully this week we didn't see any rain during camp hours (just some dark clouds) and the campers remained optimistic that the rain would hold off. Remember these are 4-6 year old campers thinking the rain isn't going to fall!!! If it does rain/storm the staff are prepared and have plans set for bad weather.
Friday is "Big Day" and we split into 3 big groups with about 20 kids per group depending on the numbers. Today during our wild wild west theme we were playing some cool games, roasting marshmallows, racing down the split n slide, and trying to keep the campers well back from this little guy in the picture above. Of course once word was out that a baby raccoon was up in a tree, awake and walking up and down the tree a lot of campers wanted to look, come close and try to figure out what it was doing. Staff was on the same page "GET AWAY FROM THE TREE WITH THE RACCOON IN IT!" They bite and carry nasty diseases that could harm anyone including a child. After a lot of telling the kids to stay away the nasty diseases line kept them away which was a good thing because this little guy DID end up coming down the tree and taking a stroll through the park. Thankfully the kids weren't around when this happened. For all I know the raccoon is up in a tree or maybe in a garbage bin somewhere getting breakfast. :)
Next week is the final week of summer camp for me and the kids. It has been a fantastic 3 weeks so fare and I've been given a lot of positive feedback from my co councilors and appreciate it. The feedback gives me confidence that a) I'm doing my job up to camp standards b) the kids are enjoying having me around c) I can dive into any situation without any questions being asked of me d) The Y family is a close tight net group that care for one another and have work extremely well together this summer! I'll be back with a final camp update latter next week once camp is done for another summer. :)
The campers love digging in the volleyball court, making sand castles, and best of all hearing them use there imaginations makes me smile. :) Now I wasn't able to get a good shot of the cool castles and prints the campers made. (They had destroyed everything by the time I got my phone out) I can tell you there were some cool things being made and most importantly the campers had a blast.
Next week is the final week of summer camp for me and the kids. It has been a fantastic 3 weeks so fare and I've been given a lot of positive feedback from my co councilors and appreciate it. The feedback gives me confidence that a) I'm doing my job up to camp standards b) the kids are enjoying having me around c) I can dive into any situation without any questions being asked of me d) The Y family is a close tight net group that care for one another and have work extremely well together this summer! I'll be back with a final camp update latter next week once camp is done for another summer. :)
Sunday, 17 August 2014
Week 2 Summer Camp
Ah another week of the Woodstock YMCA Camp rapped up on Friday and it was an awesome World of Sports week. The campers really enjoyed the games and even the cool crafts we did.
Sadly I was only at camp 3 days. Had to take 2 sick days to recover from a cold and a bit of flu bug that has been going around camp this summer. But thankfully I'm healthy again and looking forward to taking on week 8! Hard to believe there are only 10 days of camp left and then summer is pretty much done and the little kiddies and young adults like my self are back to school. :)
The kids are always finding cool things on trees, in the grass, at the playground, even on the picnic table where they eat lunch. Found this cool little guy on Wed and he made all 8 of my kids smile and happy, they didn't want to put him down but after some talking to and a better understanding they thought a nice bush would be a better place for are little friend to hang out.
Sadly I was only at camp 3 days. Had to take 2 sick days to recover from a cold and a bit of flu bug that has been going around camp this summer. But thankfully I'm healthy again and looking forward to taking on week 8! Hard to believe there are only 10 days of camp left and then summer is pretty much done and the little kiddies and young adults like my self are back to school. :)
The long grass is my favorite place to be at Pittock park! It gives the campers a great place to play man hunt and other games that require some space. The campers can also find some pretty cool stuff in the grass, bugs, weeds, grass of course, trees, sticks, I've even scene a family of bunnies running around the grass. The kids are really good at respecting the park and understand that we are visitors and that it is a privilege to be able to come to such an awesome place everyday.
The picture above shows some of the Olympic rings some of the campers painted on Tuesday. The kids had a blast painting and I wasn't worried if the rings were in order or the right shape or if they even painted the rings. Seeing the smiles and laughter makes me smile and happy for the campers. Looking forward to Wild Wild West theme week for week 8. Have a great week! :)
Sunday, 10 August 2014
2013-2014 Season Wrap Up
After a long season filled many highs and lows it's time to recap the season and get excited for a new season that is quickly approaching!
There have been some outstanding and not so outstanding swims this year. For me I don't have a "Swim of the season" or any swim that stood out more then others. Yes there are those races that have better times, a high percentage of time taken off, higher ranking, or looking the other way, not swimming an event, adding a large percent of time, or maybe it's a swim not noting about for a bit.
A swim that pops in my head as a great swim would have to be the 1500 free at Trials in Victoria in April. Swimming out of lane 1 placing 3rd in my heat, 24th overall, being the 8th fastest 17 year old in the event, and dropping nearly 12 seconds qualifying for my second SR National time as well making my first Olympic Trials cut time! That's a lot of excellent things happening in one swim.
400 free at Team Champs where BAC placed 2nd overall in Division 2 I swam to a 4:04.81 and taking gold. This meet led the team with 5 swims and 5 individual gold medals!!!!!! And yes the only BAC swimmer to win 5 gold medals in the meet. :-) It will be interesting to see what BAC can do in Division 1 this December!
Relays... I always love swimming them with different teammates. This is a great time when 4 guys can either rise to the top and win gold or fall to the bottom and crash and burn. Being able to swim a relay is a privilege and you MUST put forth 100% effort, if not then you have failed not only yourself but your relay team. A common goal is to go a personal best for swimmer 2, 3, and 4! And swimmer 1 should be at or within 0.5 of a PB. This is to set up the best possible relay swim. I have been on all these types of relays, and the best part is, there is always something to learn from every relay swim for everyone. I have witnessed some of the best relays this year and 75% of them were with all 4 guys committing 100% effort!!!! If I could name the best relay of the season it would have to be the 4x200 free relay. The job got done and the guys were able to get under 8:00 and I think we could have went even faster then the 7:59 if some swimmers (not naming names) actually stepped up to the plate and raced instead of worrying about there own individual swims that were happening latter in the week. But anyway you can't change peoples stupid thoughts about how they plan to swim a relay and I hope these swimmers that don't give 100% know they aren't hurting themselves because I don't care what your swimming latter on, the only thing that matters is the swim at hand and the team effort in the relay. So remember whenever you get the chance to swim the relay a) swim your best b) commit to winning c) move the team up d) be a team and don't worry about other swims All these things make for an outstanding relay!
Injury, we have all once faced pain and problems with the sport. Even the best of us fall apart when we need to be at the best possible shape. After a solid first National level meet it was back to training pretty much right away, feeling good a few days into training quickly turned to pain and a shoulder injury. Now I'm one that fights through pain and doesn't want to make a big fuss or deal about pain. I fought through it, after swimming to bronze medal and a best time FINALLY in the 200 IM in May I felt a lot of pain and was concerned that I would be done for the season. I didn't have time to react though, threw some numbing cream on and went to swim the 100 free 10 minutes after the 200 IM. Knowing I was in pain I wasn't sure how free would feel. It was pure hell! Pain screaming, crying in my goggles from the pain and un comfort adding time like crazy but not even sure if I could even exit the pool. 200 breast an hour latter after getting things look at massaged I was given the OK to give it a shot and see what happens. Same result, pain un comfort just un sure what would happen. After this I literally cut the meters down to a max of 2,500. Knowing I wasn't ever going to make it through the 1500 free in Tonawanda the next weekend I quickly threw the scratch in. Now I would say this was one of my best LC meets of the season, I mean swimming next to nothing and relying on stroke length was different and it worked for my sprint events. The next meet Canada Cup 6 weeks latter. a) it felt like a life time since I swam last b) I had a full tilt schedule 100 200 400 800 1500 free were just a few events on the agenda c) travel on the same day of the meet proves to be ridiculous and never except a best time with no taper and being cramped in a car since 5:00 AM that same morning d) having the 1500 free the first day of the meet wasn't the best thing but I felt no pain in warm up but quickly the race went down hill. After about 200 meters the pace was gone, the stroke was gone, the walls were gone, the kick was gone, the pain was present and screaming! The thought of stopping and getting out of the swim came up about half a dozen times during the swim. I just kept fighting and fighting. After the race looking at the clock and seeing a shit time was heart breaking. e) I wasn't sure why I swam that swim, I wasn't even sure how I'd get out of the pool. Out of all my teammates I had 3 that actually took the time to ask how I was and clam me down because I was downright pissed and about ready to throw a meltdown. After the swim literally looked at the warm down tank for 10 minutes! Just stood there, jumped in swam a 50 got out and cried a little then walked back with a teammate. f) knowing how horrible this swim was I quickly pulled out of the 800 free. The 400 free just thought it would be great. It wasn't pain, pain, pain was the game. g) after this swim the confidence in myself had been long gone, the confidence in my coach was drifting away, I had more questions then answers, and emotions had taken over. h) many coaches, even today are still shock to ever have scene me at Canada Cup and having the event line up as well at Provincials with the event load. h) Provincials had mixed emotions with excellent relay swims from me, but poor individual swims. I guess I should be happy that I made finals in a stupid 16-17 combined age group when the meet package says otherwise and no where does it say meet management or swim ON has the right to change that. But I'll close my mouth on the issue because I already got a foot in the mouth for a tweet about this issue... Anyways. I did make finals in a couple swims and couldn't put them together. Once again after the mile I just lost it and made a scene.
Moving in Nationals and Age Groups, confidence was at an all time high I had little pain and finally had some confidence in myself again! Nationals started off great FINALLY breaking 2:00 going 1:59 still feel I could have been 1:58 and then 1:57 at age groups. Didn't work like that wasn't a best time at all at age groups but that's whatever, passed. 400 free started off great just that last 150 couldn't bring it home. Similar with the 800 couldn't really put it together. Age Groups was my time to shine, try and make finals in the 17-18 category and make best times. Didn't happen, emotions were all over the place, having great relays and poor individual swims. A lot of swims I didn't do warm downs after races or listen to the feedback that was given because I was pissed at the time or thinking about other things. These meets weren't my time to shine, clearly and I found it interesting that some of my teammates couldn't put together the perfect race.... Makes you wonder whats really going on "off the pool deck" Looking over countless hours of video and splits I have learned that my technique is a train wreck and needs help now and is probably one reason for poor times because of all the wasted energy and a long list of other things. Over training and doing all these mistakes many times a day, week, month, year, my god it adds up to a lot of crap! So moving forward it looks like I need to be way more aware of smaller things because they are keys to success!
Enjoy the rest of your summer folks more blogs coming soon and of course stick to my Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates. :-)
There have been some outstanding and not so outstanding swims this year. For me I don't have a "Swim of the season" or any swim that stood out more then others. Yes there are those races that have better times, a high percentage of time taken off, higher ranking, or looking the other way, not swimming an event, adding a large percent of time, or maybe it's a swim not noting about for a bit.
A swim that pops in my head as a great swim would have to be the 1500 free at Trials in Victoria in April. Swimming out of lane 1 placing 3rd in my heat, 24th overall, being the 8th fastest 17 year old in the event, and dropping nearly 12 seconds qualifying for my second SR National time as well making my first Olympic Trials cut time! That's a lot of excellent things happening in one swim.
400 free at Team Champs where BAC placed 2nd overall in Division 2 I swam to a 4:04.81 and taking gold. This meet led the team with 5 swims and 5 individual gold medals!!!!!! And yes the only BAC swimmer to win 5 gold medals in the meet. :-) It will be interesting to see what BAC can do in Division 1 this December!
Relays... I always love swimming them with different teammates. This is a great time when 4 guys can either rise to the top and win gold or fall to the bottom and crash and burn. Being able to swim a relay is a privilege and you MUST put forth 100% effort, if not then you have failed not only yourself but your relay team. A common goal is to go a personal best for swimmer 2, 3, and 4! And swimmer 1 should be at or within 0.5 of a PB. This is to set up the best possible relay swim. I have been on all these types of relays, and the best part is, there is always something to learn from every relay swim for everyone. I have witnessed some of the best relays this year and 75% of them were with all 4 guys committing 100% effort!!!! If I could name the best relay of the season it would have to be the 4x200 free relay. The job got done and the guys were able to get under 8:00 and I think we could have went even faster then the 7:59 if some swimmers (not naming names) actually stepped up to the plate and raced instead of worrying about there own individual swims that were happening latter in the week. But anyway you can't change peoples stupid thoughts about how they plan to swim a relay and I hope these swimmers that don't give 100% know they aren't hurting themselves because I don't care what your swimming latter on, the only thing that matters is the swim at hand and the team effort in the relay. So remember whenever you get the chance to swim the relay a) swim your best b) commit to winning c) move the team up d) be a team and don't worry about other swims All these things make for an outstanding relay!
Injury, we have all once faced pain and problems with the sport. Even the best of us fall apart when we need to be at the best possible shape. After a solid first National level meet it was back to training pretty much right away, feeling good a few days into training quickly turned to pain and a shoulder injury. Now I'm one that fights through pain and doesn't want to make a big fuss or deal about pain. I fought through it, after swimming to bronze medal and a best time FINALLY in the 200 IM in May I felt a lot of pain and was concerned that I would be done for the season. I didn't have time to react though, threw some numbing cream on and went to swim the 100 free 10 minutes after the 200 IM. Knowing I was in pain I wasn't sure how free would feel. It was pure hell! Pain screaming, crying in my goggles from the pain and un comfort adding time like crazy but not even sure if I could even exit the pool. 200 breast an hour latter after getting things look at massaged I was given the OK to give it a shot and see what happens. Same result, pain un comfort just un sure what would happen. After this I literally cut the meters down to a max of 2,500. Knowing I wasn't ever going to make it through the 1500 free in Tonawanda the next weekend I quickly threw the scratch in. Now I would say this was one of my best LC meets of the season, I mean swimming next to nothing and relying on stroke length was different and it worked for my sprint events. The next meet Canada Cup 6 weeks latter. a) it felt like a life time since I swam last b) I had a full tilt schedule 100 200 400 800 1500 free were just a few events on the agenda c) travel on the same day of the meet proves to be ridiculous and never except a best time with no taper and being cramped in a car since 5:00 AM that same morning d) having the 1500 free the first day of the meet wasn't the best thing but I felt no pain in warm up but quickly the race went down hill. After about 200 meters the pace was gone, the stroke was gone, the walls were gone, the kick was gone, the pain was present and screaming! The thought of stopping and getting out of the swim came up about half a dozen times during the swim. I just kept fighting and fighting. After the race looking at the clock and seeing a shit time was heart breaking. e) I wasn't sure why I swam that swim, I wasn't even sure how I'd get out of the pool. Out of all my teammates I had 3 that actually took the time to ask how I was and clam me down because I was downright pissed and about ready to throw a meltdown. After the swim literally looked at the warm down tank for 10 minutes! Just stood there, jumped in swam a 50 got out and cried a little then walked back with a teammate. f) knowing how horrible this swim was I quickly pulled out of the 800 free. The 400 free just thought it would be great. It wasn't pain, pain, pain was the game. g) after this swim the confidence in myself had been long gone, the confidence in my coach was drifting away, I had more questions then answers, and emotions had taken over. h) many coaches, even today are still shock to ever have scene me at Canada Cup and having the event line up as well at Provincials with the event load. h) Provincials had mixed emotions with excellent relay swims from me, but poor individual swims. I guess I should be happy that I made finals in a stupid 16-17 combined age group when the meet package says otherwise and no where does it say meet management or swim ON has the right to change that. But I'll close my mouth on the issue because I already got a foot in the mouth for a tweet about this issue... Anyways. I did make finals in a couple swims and couldn't put them together. Once again after the mile I just lost it and made a scene.
Moving in Nationals and Age Groups, confidence was at an all time high I had little pain and finally had some confidence in myself again! Nationals started off great FINALLY breaking 2:00 going 1:59 still feel I could have been 1:58 and then 1:57 at age groups. Didn't work like that wasn't a best time at all at age groups but that's whatever, passed. 400 free started off great just that last 150 couldn't bring it home. Similar with the 800 couldn't really put it together. Age Groups was my time to shine, try and make finals in the 17-18 category and make best times. Didn't happen, emotions were all over the place, having great relays and poor individual swims. A lot of swims I didn't do warm downs after races or listen to the feedback that was given because I was pissed at the time or thinking about other things. These meets weren't my time to shine, clearly and I found it interesting that some of my teammates couldn't put together the perfect race.... Makes you wonder whats really going on "off the pool deck" Looking over countless hours of video and splits I have learned that my technique is a train wreck and needs help now and is probably one reason for poor times because of all the wasted energy and a long list of other things. Over training and doing all these mistakes many times a day, week, month, year, my god it adds up to a lot of crap! So moving forward it looks like I need to be way more aware of smaller things because they are keys to success!
Enjoy the rest of your summer folks more blogs coming soon and of course stick to my Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates. :-)
Friday, 8 August 2014
Week 1 Woodstock YMCA Summer Camp
Hard to believe it's already August 8th, and it's also hard to believe I'm already done my first week of work at the Woodstock YMCA Summer Camp.
The week started off a bit slow with rain on Tuesday that forced us to return to the branch and go into a "rain day" schedule which isn't as fun for campers or staff but we do our best to make things enjoyable when the weather isn't so hot.
Wednesday was filled with games, a sand craft, and of course pool time at the end of the day. The kids sure had a blast making pictures with glue and then seeing that when the sand was sticking and the picture was made caused for laughter and smiles all around! Makes me and my coworkers smile seeing happy campers, it tells us that we are doing good at are job.
Thursday was the perfect day for anyone that loves tie-dye!!! I got in on the fun with some of the 9-12 year old's by tie-dyeing my own shirt and of course wearing it for big day today. I saw kids tie-dye shirts, socks, and even towels. Tie-dye kits make it easy for working with a large group, but watch for dyed hands after an hour, but just like the sand crafts seeing the kids smiles when there shirts, socks, or towels were dry was so sweet. After lunch I watched (and helped) a group take 4 blobs of paint and using a straw blow around the paint and making a cool picture. Most were still wet when boarding the bus and some sadly ripped because they were filled with paint, but they did turn out well when dry after swim at the branch.
Friday the camp gets a huge switch. The campers get placed into 3 groups and do a series of rotations in the morning that feature different crafts, low, and active games oh and of course water and a snack break. The kids then go for a fire lunch cookout where they can cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows which is a lot of fun for the campers and gives the staff sometime to relax after an active morning. Once the cookout is done the campers today had the choice to do beach volleyball, slip and slide, or different circle games. The kids really enjoyed there afternoon. The best part of the day was listening to the campers sing "Best day of my life" when it came on the radio. Ah so cute hearing them sing so well. :-) The pool like any day is always a blast except today the kids were being to loud so me and the staff took action, jumped in the pool, grabbed a ball and started passing it around having a grand old time. (We were trying to explain to the campers that in order to be allowed to go into the pool they need to be sitting and quite). The boys were already given 1 minute off pool time for being to loud in the change room and they had to sing "I'm a little tea pot" with the actions, it took a few tries but finally all the boys got it and were able to enjoy the pool.
That's all for today, I'll be back with another camp update next Friday. Enjoy your weekend! :-)
A look at the water at Pittock Park just outside of Woodstock. This is where the kids participate in different activities at camp!
Art work the kids made during one of the morning rotations.
Check out my Facebook page for more camp pictures. :-)
The week started off a bit slow with rain on Tuesday that forced us to return to the branch and go into a "rain day" schedule which isn't as fun for campers or staff but we do our best to make things enjoyable when the weather isn't so hot.
Wednesday was filled with games, a sand craft, and of course pool time at the end of the day. The kids sure had a blast making pictures with glue and then seeing that when the sand was sticking and the picture was made caused for laughter and smiles all around! Makes me and my coworkers smile seeing happy campers, it tells us that we are doing good at are job.
Thursday was the perfect day for anyone that loves tie-dye!!! I got in on the fun with some of the 9-12 year old's by tie-dyeing my own shirt and of course wearing it for big day today. I saw kids tie-dye shirts, socks, and even towels. Tie-dye kits make it easy for working with a large group, but watch for dyed hands after an hour, but just like the sand crafts seeing the kids smiles when there shirts, socks, or towels were dry was so sweet. After lunch I watched (and helped) a group take 4 blobs of paint and using a straw blow around the paint and making a cool picture. Most were still wet when boarding the bus and some sadly ripped because they were filled with paint, but they did turn out well when dry after swim at the branch.
Friday the camp gets a huge switch. The campers get placed into 3 groups and do a series of rotations in the morning that feature different crafts, low, and active games oh and of course water and a snack break. The kids then go for a fire lunch cookout where they can cook hot dogs and roast marshmallows which is a lot of fun for the campers and gives the staff sometime to relax after an active morning. Once the cookout is done the campers today had the choice to do beach volleyball, slip and slide, or different circle games. The kids really enjoyed there afternoon. The best part of the day was listening to the campers sing "Best day of my life" when it came on the radio. Ah so cute hearing them sing so well. :-) The pool like any day is always a blast except today the kids were being to loud so me and the staff took action, jumped in the pool, grabbed a ball and started passing it around having a grand old time. (We were trying to explain to the campers that in order to be allowed to go into the pool they need to be sitting and quite). The boys were already given 1 minute off pool time for being to loud in the change room and they had to sing "I'm a little tea pot" with the actions, it took a few tries but finally all the boys got it and were able to enjoy the pool.
That's all for today, I'll be back with another camp update next Friday. Enjoy your weekend! :-)
Check out my Facebook page for more camp pictures. :-)
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
2nd FINA World Junior Open Water Championships
July 25th, 2014 the news broke that the 2nd annual FINA World Junior Open Water Championships that were set to be held in Eliat Israel were all of a sudden CANCELLED due to the continued violence and uncertain conditions of areas in Israel and surrounding areas.
If you know me really well, then you know exactly where I stand on open water swimming and what I think about it or not think about the "sport". But that's a totally different matter and maybe one day a blog topic, for now I'll just stick to the facts at hand.
Now I'll be completely honest, FINA you made the right decision!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean no swimmer needs to be sent to a war zone, I'm sorry. No matter how much security team Canada or any other country puts in place for athletes, I hate to break it but that doesn't protect people from rockets being launched from above...
My understanding is FINA has since moved the Championships to Lake Balaton, Hungary with dates set for September 5-7, 2014. This still has to be approved but as it stands this is the new location and date that has been set.
What I don't really understand is, FINA could have saved a lot of trouble and running around by placing this Championship event in conjunction with Jr. Pan Pacs that are set to take place August 27-31, 2014 in Maui. To me this just makes perfect sense, you have the Pool team and the Open water team together for the staging camp and there respective Championships. And even though I've never been to Maui before it sure looks a hell of a lot nicer then Hungary or Israel do! In my eyes this idea would make perfect sense, but it's not up to me, it's up to "the big dogs" to make the appropriate call and I respect that having known swimmers who are taking part in this race.
So to all those athletes taking part in this Open Water Championships, wherever it takes place, no matter anything, remember your representing something much larger then yourself and your own personal goals! Your representing Canada the greatest country on earth, so go swim your heart out, have a blast, learn from the experience, and make ever lasting memories!!!!
That's all for today have a fantastic Wednesday. (HUMP DAY)
If you know me really well, then you know exactly where I stand on open water swimming and what I think about it or not think about the "sport". But that's a totally different matter and maybe one day a blog topic, for now I'll just stick to the facts at hand.
Now I'll be completely honest, FINA you made the right decision!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean no swimmer needs to be sent to a war zone, I'm sorry. No matter how much security team Canada or any other country puts in place for athletes, I hate to break it but that doesn't protect people from rockets being launched from above...
My understanding is FINA has since moved the Championships to Lake Balaton, Hungary with dates set for September 5-7, 2014. This still has to be approved but as it stands this is the new location and date that has been set.
What I don't really understand is, FINA could have saved a lot of trouble and running around by placing this Championship event in conjunction with Jr. Pan Pacs that are set to take place August 27-31, 2014 in Maui. To me this just makes perfect sense, you have the Pool team and the Open water team together for the staging camp and there respective Championships. And even though I've never been to Maui before it sure looks a hell of a lot nicer then Hungary or Israel do! In my eyes this idea would make perfect sense, but it's not up to me, it's up to "the big dogs" to make the appropriate call and I respect that having known swimmers who are taking part in this race.
So to all those athletes taking part in this Open Water Championships, wherever it takes place, no matter anything, remember your representing something much larger then yourself and your own personal goals! Your representing Canada the greatest country on earth, so go swim your heart out, have a blast, learn from the experience, and make ever lasting memories!!!!
That's all for today have a fantastic Wednesday. (HUMP DAY)
Friday, 1 August 2014
Summer Blues for A Swimmer
For swimmers "Summer Break" is a short period of time. Many swimmers just wrapped up the 2013-2014 season with The Canadian Age Group Championships in Winnipeg last week. For some swimmers though Provincial's or Regional's may have been the last meet of the season. To put things into perspective better, most Regional swimmers have been done swimming since mid June. Some though may have kept training into July to take part in open water swims or regional level meets offered in late June or early July. While most of the swimmers that qualified for Provincials have been done swimming for nearly 4 weeks. These swimmers have been enjoying a MUCH deserved break from the pool! I'm a true believer in rest, recuperation, and reflection! A swimmer should do these 3R's after each season. This not only gives the body time to heal, but gives you, the swimmer time to do other things other then swim 6-11 times a week.
There does come a time for any swimmer in the days, weeks, even months away from the pool you feel out of shape or lost from the strict routine swimming has. Don't worry to much about feeling out of shape or tuned from the pool because all the other swimmers in your group will feel the same way. Most coaches allow the first few weeks of the season as a build up and getting the body back into shape and the routine of training multiple times a week. However, if you are in need of something to do and can't stand not being in the pool or weight room then go to a local pool or gym and swim some laps, and lift some weights to keep your mind busy.
Personally I haven't been out of the pool a week yet and already wanting to get back in! I have already begun an ab challenge that I came a crossed on the internet and next week I'll be hitting the gym and doing various workouts to build strength in preparation for the short course season. As for the pool, I'll be back in the water on August 10th taking part in the Elite Swim Clinic in Toronto. I'm looking forward to this and encourage all swimmers to take part in one of the two clinic dates offered in August. The link above has all information needed to know about the clinic. Space is limited, so register now so secure your spot!
The amount of things athletes can do to pass the time these last few weeks of summer are endless. Try new things like go for hikes, do a family project, go for walks, runs, bike rides, head to the beach and go for a swim and soak up some sun. If you do some of these things the chances of you being bored these next 4 weeks are slim to none. The most important part of the remainder of the summer is relax, enjoy the time away from the pool because before you know it we will all be back into the grove of swimming countless laps of the pool and following the black T for hours on end. So don't stress to much about the upcoming season and enjoy the time off and away from the pool and the sport, for now take the time to recharge and get ready for an awesome upcoming 2014-2015 season!
Welcome
For those of you that follow me on twitter @Tmac_swim14 you may have noticed I tweeted about some news I would be sharing shortly. Well here is the exciting news, I've decided to launch a Blog and write opinion pieces and or thoughts about swimming, school, work, news, weather, etc. Now don't worry this Blog won't replace my Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, this is simply me just enhancing and branching out in the social media world. I'm excited to begin Blogging and share more of my thoughts and ideas that I have on everything.
I do want to make something very CLEAR before I begin formal Blog posts and opinion pieces! This Blog solely reflects the views and opinions of mine and MAY not reflect the views and opinions of my swim club (Brantford Aquatic Club), Swim Ontario, Swimming Canada, FINA, my high school Glendale, the school board Thames Valley District School Board and the YMCA.
I'm only placing this disclaimer to cover my back! The goal of this Blog is not a he said this she said that, I don't want, need, or care about the drama that can occur in this kind of posting and communicating. I simply just want to express my views and opinions on hot topics from the pool deck, to the classroom, to my personal life, and work life without having to worry about backfiring from other people.
If anyone ever has any questions or would like further information about a post let me know and I'd be glad to start a further discussion. I'm so excited to start writing and sharing ideas with everyone. I haven't decided how often I'll post a new Blog updates, it will be a here and there kind or thing or maybe it will be more often then I think. :)
Enjoy the sunshine and finally warm temperatures were having. Look forward to posting another Blog soon!!
I do want to make something very CLEAR before I begin formal Blog posts and opinion pieces! This Blog solely reflects the views and opinions of mine and MAY not reflect the views and opinions of my swim club (Brantford Aquatic Club), Swim Ontario, Swimming Canada, FINA, my high school Glendale, the school board Thames Valley District School Board and the YMCA.
I'm only placing this disclaimer to cover my back! The goal of this Blog is not a he said this she said that, I don't want, need, or care about the drama that can occur in this kind of posting and communicating. I simply just want to express my views and opinions on hot topics from the pool deck, to the classroom, to my personal life, and work life without having to worry about backfiring from other people.
If anyone ever has any questions or would like further information about a post let me know and I'd be glad to start a further discussion. I'm so excited to start writing and sharing ideas with everyone. I haven't decided how often I'll post a new Blog updates, it will be a here and there kind or thing or maybe it will be more often then I think. :)
Enjoy the sunshine and finally warm temperatures were having. Look forward to posting another Blog soon!!
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