National Team Instructional Clinic -
Sunday 12/4
Updated
11/28/11
The BBD National
Team is offering their popular Instructional Clinics again this season.
The first clinic will be offered this Sunday, December 4th. The second
clinic will be held Sunday, February 5th. These popular clinics are
taught by our very own BBD National Team members with a very low swimmer
/instructor ratio. The instructors will be in the water with your swimmer
and a BBD coach on the pool deck! It is a great one on one opportunity for
your child to improve their technique while interacting with a national
BBD swimmer. These clinics are a fundraiser for the National Team to help
defray costs associated with their trip to the YMCA National meet in April
to Greensboro, NC. Please sign up now! Registration is not necessary
but helpful to get a post instruction bagel count.
National
Team Clinic Flyer
When:
Sunday, December 4th
Who: 9-12
year olds noon-1pm @ the Birmingham YMCA
8 and unders 1pm-2pm @ the Birmingham YMCA
Cost: $20
(paid at the pool, day of clinic)
Register: Email Karen Hunstad at
karen.swimmom@gmail.com
Coach's Comments
Updated
10/24/11
Thank you all for a fine
meet! I am so glad that we host the first competition. It is such a great
way to launch our swimmers into the season. Here were so many great
surprises and our swimmers can feel confident about their success in the
future.
We will be distributing
“goal sheets” soon. Now that the swimmers have established a base line with
their first races of the season the coaches can begin to help them set more
specific goals.
Just as our swimmers
performed beautifully, so did our parents. BBD sets the standard for other
teams when it comes to running a meet. Thank you to our meet directors and
to all of the volunteers who made the weekend successful.
The swimmers looked great
in their new navy t-shirts. It has been the wish of many members of the
board that we give every swimmer a t-shirt so that we could look a bit more
uniform. We selected a design that we have used several times in the team’s
history with the block BBD. Please make sure to put names on the tag since
everyone has the same shirt!! In fact, please label all of the swimmer’s
equipment: suits, t-shirts, sweats fins etc…..
My only disappointment
this weekend was that our meet directors told me we had a large group of
parents who either didn’t volunteer or who didn’t show up for their shift.
We cannot run a team without EVERY parent stepping up and making a
contribution of time and effort when we run a meet. This is one of the most
significant ways we fund the team and all of your children benefit. We could
give t-shirts to all of our swimmers because we are on solid financial
ground because of the income from our meets. The whole enterprise is a lot
more fun and satisfying when everyone is involved. We will be running the
YMCA Cluster Meet in February, so if you didn’t fulfill your volunteer
obligation please consider what you would like to do to support the team at
that meet and in the future. We do keep track! Thank you.
Speaking of
volunteering…..we need to beef up our roster of officials. We hope that
there will be a training soon. Please consider becoming a YMCA official.
Have a great week!
Kevin
|
Thursday 3/17 |
9-12's
13 & up |
Cranbrook 4:45-6:00
(Zone dinner after}
Cranbrook 6:00-8:00
(Zone dinner after) |
|
Friday 3/18 |
All Age Groups |
No Practice |
Other BBD
Updates...
Coach's
Corner
Updated 3/2/11
We have had two excellent
weekends. Our swimmers are performing beautifully.
The eight and unders
swamped the competition in Grand Rapids in such a fashion that one of our
own swimmers wondered if it was even fair! The next day at the new District
meet we picked up two new state qualifiers: Erika Amicucci and Whitney Kemp.
The following weekend BBD
took the 9 and up State Meet. There were many highlights. Among them: Annika
Fassett qualified for AAs in the 9/10 100 fly during time trials. That is
her first AA cut. Kate Hofley got the cut in the 500 free swimming ALONE and
added the 200 IM the next day with an outstanding finish. Maggie Ramonat got
her first AA cut in the 11-12 50 fly. Many other swimmers added additional
cuts.
Alexander Margerio set a
new state record in the 9/10 50 backstroke. Bobby Powrie broke a record.
The 13-14 boys (Mark Blinstrub, Jack Russell, Gus Kouvaris and Enrique
Hernandez) set a new standard in the 200 free relay. Nikki Barczak broke the
state record and set a new pool record in the 15 and over 50 free. Nikki
joined Taylor Steffl, Jayne Pulte and Morgan McKay in breaking the state
record and setting a new pool record in the 15 and over 400 free relay.
There were many, many other great swims. What makes these accomplishments
especially noteworthy is that these swimmers aren’t tapered. They have a lot
more to accomplish in the coming weeks.
Thank you to all of our
parents who helped out at the state meet. BBD supplied a lot of timers and
officials, including Maynard Timm, who doesn’t have a child on the team!
Your efforts make Y swimming and BBD possible!
This weekend we will
celebrate the end of the season for the eight and unders with an ice cream
social/open swim. What could be better?
And even though this
season isn’t over I do want you to know that we will offer a spring program
in late April and May. The 10 and unders will be at the Y, the 11 and ups
will be at Cranbrook. Watch for details soon, but don’t delay in signing up
if you are interested as we have many new people who are asking about the
program. Swimmers (particularly high school swimmers) who plan to do our
summer program should give serious consideration to joining the spring
program as the summer season is very short.
Keep up the great work!
Kevin
Coach’s Corner
Added 2/14/11
Thank you all for a
terrific weekend! Congratulations to
our swimmers who did so well. Off the top of my head (I haven’t even begun
to absorb all of the data from the meet!) we set three new meet records.
What makes this especially noteworthy is that way back when those records
were set the meet was considered a bigger meet competitively and swimmers
would be tapered for it. Alexander Margerio set a new record in the 9-10 50
back, the 13-14 boys set a new 200 free relay record---I believe the
personnel in that relay was Jack Russell, Mark Blinstrub, Enrique Hernandez
and Gus Kouvaris. The old record was from 1980. Rob McGowan broke the record
in the 15-17 50 free---the old record was set in 1983. Also, I am so
grateful to our parent volunteers for the terrific job they did putting on
the meet.
Our team philosophy
is that swimmers should end the season on a high note after the best meet
for them. The eight and unders, and swimmers without state times end their
season this weekend. I know there are additional meets that were added (like
the J.O. meet.) The J.O meet is a last-chance meet to qualify for AAs. The
only swimmers who should register for that meet are swimmers who have AA
(Q1) times already and who are trying to add more events, or who already
have Y state times, or who have a coaches’ permission.
Again,
congratulations on a great weekend!
Kevin
Coach's Corner
Added 2/7/11
Indy
The BBD swimmers
who traveled to Indy had an exciting weekend. Competition from all over the
United States converged on the IUPUI pool. Spectators were treated to some
outstanding swimming! Our team had some amazing performances.
-
Bobby Powrie
(11-12) won six events and was second in one. He took the 50 free (24.81,)
the 100 free (53.93,) the 200 free (1:59.34,) the 500 (5:20.22,) the 100
back (1:02.50,) the 200 IM (2:13.05,) and was second in the 100 fly
(1:00.80.) Bobby was the high-point winner in his age group.
-
Patrick Sheppell
(15-18) won the 1,650 (the mile) by 20 seconds!
-
Gus Kouvaris
(13-14) won the 50 freestyle (22.67) and was second in the 100 (49.87.)
-
The 13-14 boys
took first in both of their relays: the 400 Medley (Mark Blinstrub, Jack
Russell, Gus Kouvaris, and Enrique Hernandez (3:52.29) and the 400
Freestyle (Enrique Hernandez, Jack Russell, Mark Blinstrub, Gus Kouvaris
(3:26.14.)
-
Several of our
relays took second place: The 11-12 Boys 200 Free Relay (Patrick Olmsted,
Giorgio Del Grosso, Wills Reasoner and Bobby Powrie. The 13-14 Girls 400
Free (Mollie Pulte, Christine Edwards, Ella Waechter, and Maggie Pyett
(3:44.88,) The Open Girls 400 Freestyle Relay (Hannah Knapp, Taylor
Steffl, Morgan McKay, and Jaynie Pulte (3:41.96.)
Many of our
swimmers achieved state, AAs, zones, near-national, and national cuts.
One of the reasons the swimmers’ achievements are so impressive is that for
US teams (and for swimmers who are about to age up in US competition) this
is a championship meet, where for us it is a mid-season meet.
Thank you to the
four coaches who attended: Anne, Mike, Andrew and Parker. It is a great meet
to coach, but it is grueling---the coaches work all of the sessions and the
deck becomes toxic after that much time spent on it. They really took one
for the team!
Good news!
Some other good
news came our way recently. Our 11-12 boys’ freestyle relay from last season
was ranked eighth in the nation in US Swimming. The personnel on that relay
was Jack Russell, Mark Blinstrub, Max Threlkeld and Bobby Powrie. Jack
Russell was tenth in the nation in the US Swimming rankings in the 50 free.
Championships!
We are about to go
into our championship season. Hold on to your hats. It’s going to be very
exciting! Just a few reminders….we taper swimmers for their biggest
meet. The eight and unders taper for the Eight and Under State Meet. Older
swimmers taper for either Clusters, Y States, AAs, Zones or Nationals. Taper
is a period of rest and focus that follows a season of diligent training.
The better a swimmer has prepared, the better the taper should work
resulting in their best times. Swimmers should save any “speed suits” for
their taper meet. If there is any confusion about this, check in with a
coach. A swimmer’s season ends after their biggest meet.
When a swimmer is
tapering, they should be even more mindful of good nutrition and regular
rest. There are no short cuts to success, and even though taper can be
magical, it isn’t magic. We never make dramatic changes during taper…the
swimmers have learned what they need to be successful----although we do try
to sharpen their focus. There is nothing they can eat or drink that will
help their performance…no “energy” drinks ever. They can be very dangerous
to developing athletes.
Good common sense
will help our swimmers have their best performances: resting properly,
eating a good meal before coming to a meet, being on time for warm-up, using
the warm-up/warm-down pool properly, checking in with coaches after a
race---these are the steps to a great result.
Enjoy it! I know I
will.
Kevin
2010 YMCA Top 16
Updated 1/31/11
At the end of the season
the National YMCA compiles a list of the top 16 times in ages eleven and up.
The following list shows just how well our swimmers are represented across
the country. Congratulations to Nikki Barczak who was first in the nation in
the 100 free for sixteen year old females!
Click for List
Coach's Corner
Added 1/10/11
I hope everyone enjoyed
the holidays.
Our rest is over!
We had a great meet this
weekend at Waterford. Many our swimmers achieving qualifying times and are
preparing beautifully for championships. I was especially pleased by the
number of swimmers who are choosing to swim longer events. We picked up a
raft of Y State, AA and Zone times.
In many of the
discussions I had with swimmers, I encouraged them to do the longer events
again and some of them said they didn’t know if they would have another
chance. I want to assure you there are many more opportunities! In addition
to the meets we have already entered we will add more meets to the schedule
and we have time trials available at our championship meets.
Most likely we will add a
meet the weekend of February 4-6 after I have a chance to do some more
research and we will make the Michigan Open available the weekend of our
Cluster Meet if swimmers would like to swim there IN ADDITION to their
required attendance at the Cluster Meet.
Here is a brief re-cap of
our championship season. Please review it as there are some changes from
previous years.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON:
The Championship Season begins with Clusters and is designed so that
ALL swimmers may participate in at least two championship meets and
perhaps many more. Championship Meets are required except in special rare
exceptions. Continued membership in our programs is contingent on
swimmers’ participation at the required meets. That is particularly true
this year where I am approached daily by families who would like to be on
our team.
Swimmers will taper for
their biggest meet. If they do not have State times, they will taper for
Clusters, if they have State times they will taper for AAs or Zones.
National swimmers will taper for that meet.
CLUSTERS:
FEBRUARY 12 AND 13 AT SEAHOLM. We host this two-day meet. It is a
required meet for all BBD swimmers. Swimmers may select their events,
but 10 and ups should pick events in which they have the best chance of
getting a state time. Time trials will be offered after each session.
Swimmers may time trial after any of the sessions. Swimmers 9-12 who have
a shot at a AA time in an event that is not offered at Clusters should
plan to do them in time trials. Additional information about sessions and
times is already posted on the website.
EIGHT AND UNDER/NEW
MEET: FEBRUARY 19 AND 20 IN GRAND RAPIDS. This is a great new
combination! On Saturday, the RAYS will host the “Eight and Under YMCA
State Meet.” This meet is required for all of our eight and under
swimmers. On Sunday, RAYS will host a meet for any nine and ups who
have yet to qualify for the YMCA State Meet. Saturday would mark the end
of season for the eight and unders, and Sunday would be the last day for
any swimmers who do not qualify to swim at the YMCA State Meet. This
Sunday session takes the place of our former “B Meet.” The team will
designate a team hotel and if we have good response we might plan
something special.
YMCA STATE MEET
FEBRUARY 26 AND 27 HOSTED BY FLINT. THIS IS A REQUIRED MEET FOR ALL
QUALIFIERS EXCEPT FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL BOYS.
12 AND UNDER USS
STATE MEET MARCH 11, 12 and 13 IN ZEELAND. THIS IS A REQUIRED MEET
FOR ALL QUALIFIERS.
YMCA ZONE MEET
MARCH 18,19, 20 in COLUMBUS, OHIO. THIS IS A REQUIRED MEET FOR ALL
QUALIFIERS.
As we get closer to the
championship season, competition for relay spots heats up. I want to explain
now that coaches use “best times” to craft relays for the meets, but that is
not the only consideration. Coaches do make the final decision. If your
child is upset about their spot on a relay, have them speak to their coach.
The coaches will be glad to explain how and why they made their decision.
Most of the time, it is for competitive reasons (like, if we write our
relays differently we can qualify more relays for the next championship
meet…) In any event, it is an important conversation for your swimmer to
have with their coach in terms of strengthening the relationship between the
swimmer and the coach.
I hope this is helpful!
Kevin
A
Message to BBD Parents
Added 12/16/10
As many of you know, our
fellow BBD mom, and my best friend, Kristen Wester, is battling brain
cancer. Kristen just had her second brain surgery prior to Thanksgiving. She
is in intensive physical therapy trying to cope with physical limitations.
Because of this she needs help with meals for her and her three girls. We
have set up an account on the web site
www.takethemameal.com.
If you would like to help, just log in and sign up. Her last name is "Wester"
and the password is "spongebob". Thanks so much.
Carol Powrie
Coach's Corner
Added 12/22/10
Dear Swimmers and
Parents,
Over the holiday
break we are joined by many of our collegiate swimmers returning to practice
with us. We have swimmers at Canisius (Buffalo NY,) St. Louis University,
Emory, Stanford, the University of Houston, Loyola-Marymount, and Michigan
State. We also have alums swimming for Dennison, Kalamazoo and Purdue…and
those are just the ones I can name off the top of my head. The vast
majority of our collegiate swimmers were with us since they were eight and
unders!
We are also making
plans to accommodate our largest national team ever. Currently we have over
thirty athletes qualified. Those of you who have been with us a while
know that we always stress the “big picture.” It’s not that we expect
every one of our athletes to qualify for nats or to swim in college, but we
do want them to learn the relationship between their effort and their success. We want them to set goals that are challenging, to craft
a plan, and then to s t r e t c h to achieve them. We expect their
goals to incorporate all aspects of their athletic careers--- being a good
teammate, displaying good sportsmanship, striving to be a solid competitor
who gives their best, to becoming very accomplished.
We want them to
understand the road to success begins with them, and that it’s always their
choice. When I speak to groups of swimmers I talk about how they have chosen
a challenging path. It would be far easier to be somewhere else other than
practice. But that’s what athletes do. They choose the tougher road.
It’s important that
we allow them to own their success, just as we ask them to be responsible
when they have come up short.
Even in these busy
days, there is no substitute for regular attendance at practice. A good
work- out does marvelous things for young athletes. It heightens their mood
(a lot of crabby kids arrive at practice, but they are happy swimmers when
they leave). They are fitter and faster and one step closer to achieving
their goals. While we don’t keep attendance, we do want them to be
responsible to themselves and to us by following through on what they have
committed to do.-
We have
accomplished so much so far this season. The swimmers are setting themselves
up for great achievements when we get to the championships. Have a
great holiday season! (But get to practice often!)
Kevin
Team
Instructional Clinic January 2nd!
Updated 1/1/11
Start off the New Year with an instructional clinic offered for BBD swimmers
8-12 year olds on January 2, 2011 at the Birmingham YMCA. These
popular clinics are taught by our very own BBD National Team members with a
very low swimmer /instructor ratio. The instructors will be in the water
with your swimmer and a BBD coach on the pool deck! It is a great one
on one opportunity for your child to improve their technique while
interacting with a national BBD swimmer. These clinics are a fundraiser for
the national team to help defray costs associated with their trip to the
YMCA national meet in Florida.
Treat yourself, drop off the kids and go work out at the Y or have some
quiet time before you bust into a new year!
When:
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Where: Birmingham YMCA
Times: 9-12 year olds noon-1pm @
the YMCA
8 and unders 1pm-2pm @ the YMCA
Cost: $20 (paid at
the pool, day of clinic)
Register today, don’t delay, email Karen Hunstad at
karen.swimmom@gmail.com.
Thank you.
Success
at BD's Fundraiser Benefits YMCA Strong Kids' Campaign
Added 11/22/10
Over 50 BBD swimmers and
families came out to BD's Mongolian BBQ in Royal Oak last week in support of
the YMCA Strong Kids' Campaign. The event raised over $200 as the
BBDers had a great time. The event was highlighted by "Guest
Grillers," Coaches Mike and Parker. Thanks to all for supporting the
Strong Kids.
Coach's Corner
Updated 11/27/10
What a wild
weekend!
In Grand Rapids our
swimmers, particularly the 11-12 boys, dominated the meet. Katie Minnich and
Alexander Margerio set meet records and we had many swimmers qualify for
championship season meets. The team treated the swimmers and parents
to dinner Saturday night at the team hotel and it appeared that everyone had
a great time.
The team ran the
“Day-After” Meet at Cranbrook which gave high school girls the opportunity
to swim non-high school events while they were tapered for their high school
state meet. It’s quite a nice service that BBD provides. THANK YOU to all of
the parents who ran the meet!
At the girls’ high
school state meets BBDers representing high schools all over Oakland County
led their teams. We added a few new names to our National Team roster and we
will be taking a very large group to Fort Lauderdale in April.
It is very
important that every national qualifier and their parent understand the
commitment required to take the next big step in their storied swim careers.
It means that our female swimmers must be prepared to hop back in the pool
on November 29th to begin training. With the guidance of the
staff, especially Mike, the swimmers will begin to set new goals in light of
their latest achievements. The high school state meet is a very exciting
event---as is the national meet, but they are different. First of all, the
National Meet is a four-day event and it is a challenge to get ready each
day for pre-lims in the morning and finals at night. Second, the menu of
events is much broader---there are 200s of each stroke, the 400 IM, and the
1000 and 1650 freestyles in addition to the shorter races. Swimmers can
compete in four individual events, and up to five relays (although there is
only one relay team allowed in each event….there are no “B” relays at the
National Meet.) We are looking for an outstanding performance and we have to
begin to prepare now.
Needless to say, it is an expensive venture to go to the National Meet. The
team makes a contribution to defray some of the expenses, but it doesn’t add
up to much. I want the team to do as much as it can…and we are the
team. I’m not looking for more money from team members, but one great
untapped source is advertising. We will host the Cluster Championships, a
meet that attracts swimmers from all over the eastern side of the state. It
is an attractive audience for businesses. We can sell a lot more ads than
ever before. I know the parents of our National swimmers will be making an
effort to increase this source of income and I hope that we can count on you
to solicit ads. There will be more information to follow…
I hope you all have
a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have so many reasons to be grateful. This
year I am particularly thankful that one of our top senior swimmers,
Christine Edwards, has been released from the hospital after a nasty bout of
e-coli. She still has a ways to go before she is completely recovered. The
good health of our swimmers is something I have taken for granted. I don’t
think I will anymore.
Kevin
Coach's
Corner
Updated 11/14/10
Dear Parents,
We are in the midst of an
exciting season. We have already witnessed incredible improvement from the
swimmers who are at practice regularly. That is the secret to successful
swimming—regular practice with coaches who know the swimmer. There are
no short cuts. Every season, we have parents who, with every good intention,
seek to supplement what is provided at BBD. There is no shortage of eager
entrepreneurs in the area eager to relieve swimming parents of whatever
excess cash they have on hand by creating the illusion that they know
something special, and insecure parents eager to give their swimmers a
“perceived” edge fall victim.
This is a difficult issue
to discuss because it makes it look like “sour grapes” when we address it.
But in my long career at BBD I have been in the unfortunate position of
watching swimmers go backwards as a result of outside work. If we thought a
swimmer would benefit we would certainly recommend it to you (and there have
been very specific cases where we have.) We already have to make the effort
to complement the work of the swimmers’ summer and high school coaches.
We have the most
experienced coaching staff anywhere. We have delivered years and years of
championship swimming. We give the benefit of that experience at every
practice and swimmers get individual attention regularly. We schedule
clinics to address areas of concern and the coaches work with the swimmers
for free. We only charge for clinics that benefit the national team. Because
of values that we hold dear as a team, I am still turning swimmers away on
an almost daily basis.
The downside of outside
coaching is that it can destroy the relationship swimmers have built with
their BBD coaches, because it is insulting to us. We work hard, we take
great pride in our work, and we are here to encourage every swimmer. I
wanted all of you to know how seriously we look at this issue, so that you
don’t consider it without discussing the matter with your BBD coach first.
Clinic this Sunday at 1:00 “Diving for Non-Divers – This clinic is for
swimmers who are not going into the water head first. Please register with
Kevin at
kfogarty@ashmi.org before 3:00 on Friday.
Kevin
Coach's Comment
Updated 11/1/10
Dear Swimmers and
Parents,
The Flint Meet went
very well on Saturday. We saw a lot of great swims. The kids were able to
swim a lot of events and the events came up quickly. It seemed as if every
time I turned around Alexa Solomon (9-10) was on the block! Every time she
swam she got a state cut!---and that wasn’t unusual for our athletes.
Congratulations to all of our swimmers who performed so well!
We have lots of
neat events coming up soon---I understand Coach Mike is even cooking dinner
some time this month.
I hope you will
consider the RAYS meet. Entries are due Tuesday. It’s a great meet and I
like that the kids have a chance to stay in a hotel before championships. We
will have a social at the team hotel.
Here is
something special for our eight and unders: On Friday (November 5) the 8 and
under swimmers will have a different sort of practice. The first fifteen
minutes will be warm-up. The next hour will be OPEN SWIM!! Treats will
follow! Don’t miss it!
Have a great week!
Kevin
Coach's Corner
Added 10/14/10
Now that we are a month
into the season I’d like to remind you of some of our expectations that
might make more sense to you now than they did when we discussed them at the
organizational meetings. We ask that parents walk their swimmers into
practice and retrieve them at the end for safety’s sake. At Derby, this
means the swimmers should be escorted into the pool area and enter the
locker rooms from the pool area (not the hall) after they have seen (and
been seen) a coach. At Derby, the coaches have to put in and take out the
lane markers and we are usually there 15 minutes before practice is
scheduled to begin. We ask that swimmers who are at the first practice of
the day be picked up in the pool area because coaches are not available to
monitor the halls.
At Cranbrook, the
swimmers should enter through the pool as well so that a coach knows they
are present.
So far this season we
have had several incidents of children being dropped off at a site where
there has been a practice change. In one situation, the child was left alone
at Derby and had no way to contact a parent that a mistake had been made and
had to sit and wait for the duration of their practice. We have had swimmers
dropped off at Cranbrook when practice has been canceled.
At the two school sites
we rent the pools and the locker rooms. Swimmers may not be in other
areas. It is important that we act like good guests at these facilities so
that we can continue to use them.
Please remember that the
coaches (and our Y lifeguards at Derby) are the only personnel in these
buildings and we are responsible for all of our swimmers. Please cooperate
with our expectations for the safety of your swimmers and so that coaches
can concentrate on their principal role of teaching and training.
I hope to see you all at
the Meet the Coaches event this Friday at Dick O'Dow's. I am excited
about our upcoming meet and will be writing to you about that soon.
Kevin
Officials' Training - Volunteers
Needed
Updated 10/4/10
One of the many ways our
parents serve the team is by becoming a YMCA Official. In addition to
learning a bit about the technical side of swimming, it can get you "on
deck" at Y meets. We are looking for many parent volunteers to be
trained as a swim official - no previous swim experience is necessary for
Level I training. There are two levels of officiating: Level I and
Level II
-
Training for Level I
officials will be Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the North Oakland YMCA from
2:30-6:30. BBD will pay the fee.
-
Level II training will
be Sunday, October 10, 2010 at the North Oakland YMCA from 9:00-1:00. To
become a Level II official you must be a Level I official and have worked
eight sessions of a meet.
Please consider this. If
you are interested please contact our co-presidents Carol Powrie
cpowrie@live.com or Kerry Wysocki at
kerryblair@comcast.net.
Coach's Corner
Added 10/4/10
I think the season is off
to a fine start! Just a few reminders...8 & unders and 9-10s should
have fins for practice. You can get them at Bloomfield Sports. We use fins
with our young swimmers because it helps with streamlining, kick sets take
half the time, they give the swimmers confidence, and they are fun to use.
Remember, for safety’s sake, to walk your swimmers into the buildings and
pick them up at the end of practice. Do your meet entries for our meet
soon, if you haven’t already done them. Have a great week.
Coach Kevin
Next Sunday Clinic
Updated 10/4/10
|
Clinic: |
Flip Turns (10 & under
swimmers) |
|
When: |
Sunday, October 10,
2010 |
|
Time: |
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm |
|
Where: |
Birmingham Family YMCA
Pool |
|
Sign Up: |
Registration is taken
on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 15 swimmers before 10/8. Email
Kevin Fogarty at kfogarty@ashmi.org. |
|
Cost: |
There is no charge for
this clinic |
|
Note: |
Due to the demand and
limited space for the Sunday clinic series, be sure you attend if you have
signed up |
Volunteering for the Fall Festival
Meet and Sunday Fun Meet
Added 10/6/10
Registration is now open for
volunteering for the Fall Festival and Sunday Fun Meets. Remember, each BBD
family must have a parent volunteer for every session their swimmers
swim. It's best to sign up as soon as possible. If you prefer to
volunteer for a different session than your child swims, that is fine.
However, if your child is swimming on Saturday, you must volunteer for a
session on Saturday. If you child is swimming on Sunday, you must volunteer
for a session on Sunday. If you have any questions regarding
volunteering, please contact Lisa Milton at
LTMilton@brmattorneys.com.
Click the button below for details (you will need your Thriva username and
password).
First Clinic of the Season on Sunday
9/26
Updated 9/23/10
|
Clinic: |
Diving for Non Divers
(this clinic is for swimmers who are still jumping off the starting blocks
feet first) |
|
When: |
Sunday, September 26,
2010 |
|
Time: |
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm |
|
Where: |
Birmingham Family YMCA
Pool |
|
Sign Up: |
Registration is taken
on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 15 swimmers. Email
Kevin Fogarty at kfogarty@ashmi.org. |
|
Cost: |
There is no charge for
this clinic |
|
Note: |
Due to the demand and
limited space for the Sunday clinic series, be sure you attend if you have
signed up |
Coach's Corner
Added 9/20/10
Wow! What a week!
We are off to a fine start. Coaches are getting acquainted with their
swimmers. Swimmers are adjusting well to new situations. We continue to work
on ways to make our team that best it can be.
On that note, I
have some great news. We have two excellent coaches on our staff who,
because of the demands of their other jobs, can’t be on our regular
schedule---but they re always eager to lend a hand. Phil Schwaiger and Brian
Diaz have agreed to take care of our pre-team that will start next Saturday.
Phil has been a BBD coach for more years than I care to remember. He was the
aquatic director at the Y for a time and my principal assistant. He was a
collegiate swimmer and he is particularly good with young children.
Brian Diaz is joining his wife, Holly, on the staff. Brian was a fine
age-group swimmer at the Oakland Live Y’ers and a collegiate swimmer. Like
Phil, he is great with young swimmers.
I know pre-team
will be a great experience. We already have some swimmers enrolled but there
is plenty of room for others to join us. Registration is at the front desk
of the Y. On another note, our Sunday clinics will start soon….that is
my next project…stay tuned.
Kevin
Message from Coach Kevin...
Added 9/16/10
Welcome to BBD! We
are looking forward to a great season with all of you! A couple of reminders
from Sunday’s meetings…
-
Please remember to
check the website regularly. This is where practice changes are posted as
well as all of the information you need to have a terrific season.
-
Please remember to walk
your swimmers into the buildings and come in to get them after practice.
Drivers do not watch for our swimmers, and for safety’s sake, they need an
adult with them.
-
We need to see eight
and under three times a week, 9-10s three to four times a week, 11-12s
four-five times a week, and older swimmers five or more times a week. A
swimmer who does not come regularly impedes the progress of the group.
Don’t let your swimmer be that person!
-
Our new vendor for
BBDwear is Bloomfield Sports on Maple. They will have our suits and caps
available.
Our coaching staff and
their primary responsibilities...
-
Kevin Fogarty - head
coach and lead coach for 9-10s
-
Karen Campbell - lead
coach for the 8 and unders
-
Robin Coapman - YMCA
aquatic director and 8 and unders
-
Pat Deighan - works
with the senior group
-
Brian Diaz - substitute
coach
-
Holly Diaz - works with
the 8 and unders
-
Andrew Laurila - works
with the 9-10s
-
Phil Schawaiger -
substitute coach
-
Parker Turczyn - works
with the senior group
-
Mike Wind - lead coach
of senior group
-
Anne Wind - lead coach
for the 11-12s
-
Alex Zucco - works with
the 11-12s
And we have just hired
Kate Murphy, a recent MSU graduate who is doing her student teaching in
Utica to work with our eight and unders. We are glad you are with us, Kate!
Kevin
Page last updated
December 05, 2011
