IOWA CITY EELS

 

Contact: 351-3336 or swimice@aol.com            website: www.iceels.org        July 2003

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Thanks to our corporate sponsors: Scheels All Sports, the Coral Fruit Market, Hawkeye State Bank, and Iowa State Bank & Trust- their generous support helps   keep our Club in the water!

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Coming up:

 

 

7/26-27:          Regionals at Dowling HS

7/28-31:          Championship practice schedule changes

7/29:             Annual picnic at Mercer Park

8/1-8/3:          Long Course Championships at Mercer Park         

8/4:              ICE Board Meeting at Mercer Park- 6:30 PM

8/7-10:          Central Zones swim meet in Indianapolis

9/1:              Labor Day   

9/2:              Practice resumes at Mercer only

9/2-4:            Registration

9/8:              Stroke Clinic begins

9/29:             Practice resumes at Coralville

10/1:             Cookie Night & new swimmer registration (Mercer & Coralville)

 

 

 

 

COACHES CORNER 

 

 

Tips on Tapering – The Do’s and Don’ts

 

For most swimmers over 12 this time of year signals the beginning of summer championship meets.  This is the time we change our training for the last part of the season to prepare ourselves for repeated fast swims in three to four days meets.  In order to taper well one has to make sure to hit all phases of the season without any gaps and also make sure to hit as many practice sessions as they can as the yardage and intensity of workouts decrease.  It is also during this time that what you do away from the pool plays a major factor in how you prepare.  Some tips for you during this time follow. 

 

 

 

TAPERING DO’S

  1. Rest away from the pool and try to get over 7 hours of sleep per night.
  2. Drink plenty of fluids and keep yourself well hydrated throughout the day – water and sports drinks like Gatorade, Exceed, and Powerade are ideal.
  3. Swim warm up and cool down at moderate pace with good technique in order to save yourself up for the intense and race pace sections of practice (conserve your speed).
  4. Never leave the pool tired or tight – always leave recovered during this period.
  5. Eat your veggies and meat (or protein and iron for you vegetarians) – this will keep your muscles full of the fuel they need to recover for the next race and next session. 
  6. Stretch away from the pool and before and after practice when you need to – maintain your flexibility outside the pool so you can perform in it. 
  7. Shave off all body hair on arms and legs not covered by your swimsuit – wear a swim cap or get your hair cut short or even shaved for the big meet.  Excess body hair traps water and slow down your body’s streamline effect.  Shaving takes those areas of resistance away and helps you feel the water better by making your skin more exposed to it and more sensitive. 
  8. Do wear a “speed suit” – depending on the manufacturer these are called many things but the TYR Powerflow and the TYR Aquapel are two great examples.  These suits carry and channel water away from the body (like waterproofing) and keep muscles tight to impede fatigue.  Make sure the suit is tight but also allows freedom of movement and choose a cut that is comfortable to you.

 

 

 

TAPERING DON’T’S

  1. Do not take on extra activities and tasks during this time – anything that will wear you out or take away your energy can have a negative effect on your taper.
  2. Do not drink a lot of carbonated drinks – these impede muscle recovery and have little to no nutritional value.
  3. Do not stay up late – get rest at night so you can perform well in a prelim/final setting (you have to swim well in prelims to race at night).
  4. Do not eat junk food in large amounts – you will not be able to burn off the “empty calories” in a meet setting and these also could have a negative impact on your stomach and muscles.
  5. Do not dwell on any past races or meets where you did not drop time or injuries and sickness – instead focus on the meet coming up and the fact you have worked hard enough to hit this one at your peak!  Remember we all have some periods where our training is not ideal for some reason but remind yourself you have worked very hard to get to this level.
  6. Do not show up to the meet hairy – shave the day before so you are not rushing to do so at prelims and you cut yourself or miss your race (shaving 12 to 24 hours before you race is my recommendation).
  7. Do not show up to the meet with a standard lycra suit – these are slower than speed suits and your competitors will have an advantage over you if they have one and you do not. 
  8. Do not miss the chance to go fast when you have it!!

 

See ya at the pool,

Donald P. Spellman

 

Swimmers of the Month:

Frost – Amanda Gerard

Cube – Justin Choi

Moray – (Tie) Chelsea Hartman and Kanoe Russell

Eels – Brian Johns

 

Announcements:  Parents and swimmers – if you need to get a hold of Coach Don Spellman during the day please refrain from calling his home number during the day before 4PM (his wife works nights as a nurse at the UIHC N.I.C. Unit).  Please leave a message at the office phone (351-3336), his e-mail SwimICE@aol.com, or in case of emergency (or urgency) his cell phone (319-430-6919). 

 

Check out Swiminfo.com or ESPN.com for the FINA World Swimming Championships TV Schedule – lots of fast swimming going on there.

 

 

Practice schedule changes: This is the altered practice schedule for next week:

 

                                           Monday and Tuesday (7/28 & 7/29)

 

Morays & Eels:                            6:30-8:00 AM at City Park Pool

 

Cubes & Frost (non-state qualifiers)             3:30-4:30 PM at Mercer Park Pool

 

Cubes & Frost (state qualifiers)            4:30-5:30 PM at Mercer Park Pool

 

*Tuesday July 29th is the final day of practice for SwimFit and non-state championship qualifiers.

                                         Wednesday and Thursday (7/30 & 7/31)

 

Morays & Eels:                              3:30-4:30 PM at Mercer Park Pool*

 

Cubes & Frost:                               4:30-5:30 PM at Mercer Park Pool

 

*- Contact Coach Spellman if this time doesn’t work for you.

 

Masters practice will be held on 7/28, 7/29, 7/30, & 7/31 at City Park Pool.  No practice on 8/1 or 8/2 due to ISI Summer Long Course Championships

Annual ICE Picnic: On Tuesday July 29th we will be having our annual ICE picnic at the Mercer Park shelter. Come join us beginning at 5:30 PM as we celebrate the end of the long course season.  Each training group is asked to bring specific items: Frost –salad, Cubes - main dish, Morays – dessert, Eels - vegetable/potatoes.  Please bring your own plates, utensils, & cups.  The Club will supply drinks.

 

Long Course Championships: The big meet is barely one week away.  Entries are coming in, supplies are being gathered, and last minute plans are being made.  Hosting a swim meet of this size is a major responsibility and a great opportunity. As hosts we do owe the 400+ swimmers who will visit us the first three days of August the chance to swim in a well-run meet. From concessions and merchandise to officiating and results running a Championship event is a major proposition requiring many hours of work before, during, and after the actual meet. As an opportunity, this meet serves as our biggest club fundraiser of the year- up to 10% of ICE income is generated from this three-day event.  With more than 80 families involved with ICE, if everyone does their share of the work, this meet does not have to be the wearisome chore it has proven to be in year’s past.  As of Tuesday the 22nd there were still many empty slots to be filled.  Some of these jobs do require some training but most tasks can be handled rather easily by nearly everyone.  The sign-up sheet is still at Mercer and will be available at the Annual ICE Picnic as well. 

 

DeGowin Blood Drive: We have been approached by the UIHC and the DeGowin Center to once again host a blood drive.  We assisted with a drive in December with good results and with this being a slow time of year for donations now seemed like another fine time to help these good folks out. On Saturday, August 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. DeGowin Center staff will be on hand in the gym at Mercer to collect blood. All donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be cold and flu symptom free for 5 days and have a photo ID.  Donors will receive a special "thank you" t-shirt.

 

Short Course Season: The Fall/Winter swim season is set to begin September 2nd at Mercer pool.  Due to staff and pool access limitations practice will be held only at Mercer until the end of September. 

Registration: Registration for the Short Course season will begin September 2nd and run through either the 3rd or 4th.  There is a possibility that we might try an early registration date a week or so before the 2nd.  Be advised that for insurance reasons everyone has to be registered with the club before they can attend practice. We will be issuing ICE team ID’s this fall and no one will be allowed on deck to practice without the ID card. Once again we will try to place as many registration materials as possible online at our website.

 

Fall rate increases: Unfortunately it will cost more to swim beginning in September of 2003.  First off USA Swimming will be raising their annual membership rates from $37.00 to $52.00.  USAS is hoping to use these funds to better promote and support the sport of swimming across the nation.  In June the ICE Board of Directors voted to raise monthly practice fees as well.  In most cases this amounts to a $5.00 per month increase for every swimmer.  ICE fees have been quite stable the last few years but increasing operating costs and a desire to maintain a strong club have made this decision inevitable.  Details of the ICE practice rate schedule will be covered in the August newsletter.

 

Stroke Clinic: The Fall Stroke Clinic will begin Monday September 8th.  As in past years, the clinic will operate for three weeks on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at both Coralville and Mercer locations.  We are expecting the clinic to run from 6:30-7:30 PM. Since we depend on word of mouth to help promote the club and the sport please ask anyone you know with an interest in ICE to check out our website at www.iceels.org or have them call the ICE office at 351-3336. Stroke Clinic application forms should be available at Mercer, Coralville, and online sometime in early August.

 

Final note from communications: It is hard to believe that the Long Course season is almost over.  There is a lot going on over the next few weeks and the days will pass swiftly.  During this time and over the break between seasons information will continue to be shared.  E-mails will be generated, notes will be posted at Mercer and Coralville, and, as always, feel free to checkout our website to view the latest on what’s new with the Club.