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Mesa Aquatics Club
January Newsletter 2012
From the Smiths……
MAC swimmers, we hope you had a phenomenal holiday season!!! We want to a note of congratulations
for an incredible year! 60 new team records, 495 athletes registered (vs. just over 100 18 months ago),
USA Swimming Level 2 Club Recognition achieved, a final ranking of #223 in the USA Club Excellence
program (6th best in Arizona) and a VCC score of 67,446 ranking us at #510 of the close to 3000 year
around swim programs in the country! It’s all because of you, and the enthusiasm you bring to the pool on a
daily basis. Thank you!!! Bring on 2012!!
From Coach Meg:
December brought two fabulous swimming meets, some intense swimming
work outs, goal meetings, some serious dry
land, the 12 days of Christmas, the Candy Cane
Challenge, some Santa Relays, and the
adoption of two Christmas families; to say the
least it was a very busy month. Between the
SDA meet and the IM Ready
meet we
had a huge percentage of
our
swimmers compete and
almost all of them brought in PR’s. We are
always happy to see fast
swims, but we also look to great learning
opportunities. When kids
are gaining confidence to swim in meets,
replacing old, not so good,
habits, with new and more efficient habits
as well as understanding the
correlation between daily practice and
meet performance we are very encouraged.
Laura has increased the intensity of the dry land, and started dry land with the 8 and unders. I’m sure
many of your kids are coming home
with sore muscles and a little more
fatigued than usual. Often times they
will not correlate this with the dry land
exercises done at the pool with their
sore muscles because Laura keeps them
working hard while having a ton of fun.
We are expecting to see improvements in their endurance, coordination, and strength. We hope your
kids are sharing with you what they are doing at the beginning of practice in their tennis shoes instead
of their swimming suits.
Our transition into new groups has gone quite well. I hope all of the swimmers are enjoying their new
groups. We are in an early stage but we are already seeing many benefits. For
those who have not yet had a goal meeting, please contact Coach Meg for an
appointment. As we enter January our age groups will be divided into Red and
Black groups. The Red group will continue with the same workout schedule as
December. Black group swimmers (you should all know who you are), will have
one additional practice per week.
In addition to the hard work these kids have put in, we have found plenty of time for FUN!
We had our annual 12 days of Christmas which always end with “…and a
hundred fly you can’t wear fins”. We spend the last few minutes of the 12
workouts leading up to Christmas, working our way
through the 12 days of Christmas, sung by their ever so
talented singing coaches as “on the ______day of
Christmas my swim coach gave to me”. The last practice before Christmas we had
Santa Relays, where the winning team chooses one person (swimmer or coach) to
generously make look like Santa Claus. We ended the year with a series of 2011 sets….all beginning
with 20 or 11, and a Candy Cane Challenge.
Candy Cane Challenge are …..
Strong Leg –Daniel Brooks (11-12) and Jessica LeSueur (9-10)
Dog Paddle with Bark – Amy Garner (11-12) and Luke Nicholas (9-10)
Kickboard Challenge – Skylar Nicholas (11-12) and Mandy Zajdzinski (9-10)
Chicken Swim – Bobby Johnson (11-12) and Sarah Johnson (9-10)… a coincidence?????
These swimmers can keep their title for the 2012 year, until the Candy Cane Challenge comes up again.
AND finally, what happens when a swim coach receives Nerf guns for Christmas? They shoot their
swimmers. As part of dry land we let the kids run as
fast as they could to avoid the Nerf darts, but once
they were hit they spent the rest of the time doing a
wall sit, while their teammates were taken down by
the coaches. It’s still unclear who got the better
work out, the coaches or the swimmers.
Thank you for your generosity with our adoptive families this year. As a team we were able to give
these families a great Christmas. A special thanks to Dave Shields and Sharon Baird for their hours of
energy and effort to make this a wonderful experience. In addition to coordinating with the school and
families, they finished shopping for unclaimed gifts, wrapped presents, and made sure the gifts were
delivered by Christmas.
And finally, Laura and Meg would like to thank all of our families for their thoughtful and generous gifts
throughout the holiday season, we were truly blessed. Looking forward to a fabulously fast 2012!
A Message from Marissa………..
This month, we worked on developing our freestyle stroke to be the best it can be! Some techniques
that were worked on: breathing patterns, hand entry, straight kicks, and
most importantly body positioning. A lot of hard work went into this
month’s daily workouts and we are so proud of our little Narwhals .
For fun, we had whip cream races, kick board contests, and some
challenging races where the kids had to balance a red fish on the tip of
their noses without falling off! Overall, everyone is doing a great job and
we hope everyone had a safe holiday season! Keep up the good work.
Meet Your Coaches….
With two pools, and several different groups going on at
once, it’s sometimes hard to get to know all the coaches on deck. Well, we want to make it easier for
you! Let the introductions begins!!!
Nolan Ruane: 13 – 14 Coach, Skyline
Nolan Ruane was born and raised in Mesa. He swam at Dobson High School, and excelled in the 100,
200 and 500 Freestyle. He earned multiple State Championships and All American Awards for individual
and relay events. He also played club water polo, where he competed in many Nationals and
International competitions.
Nolan then went on to swim for the Arizona State Sun Devils from
2007 – 2011, where he became a Pac 10 Semi-Finalist in the 50, 100
and 200 Freestyle. He is currently in the process of earning his
Bachelors in Kinesiology and Sociology.
Nolan is new to Mesa Aquatics and is also working at Lifetime Fitness
hoping to one day become a Personal Trainer. Having grown up in
Arizona, he has family from Pittsburgh and is a huge Steelers and
Penguins fan.
(Hmmmmm, we never knew that Nolan liked penguins so much. We might have to take him to the
Wildlife World Zoo so he can watch some play.)
Marissa Marziale: 8 and Under and Novice Coach, Kino
Paul and Laura noticed Marissa Marziale’s natural talent for coaching young children while she was
working for the City of Mesa. She has been swimming since she was a little girl, and is still in love with
the sport today. She attended Mt. View High School where she trained under the Legendary Glen Coy.
Currently she is attending Mesa Community College, and is striving for a degree in English from ASU
with minor in Kinesiology. She would like to become an English professor and have a part time job as a
Fitness Trainer…but we’re trying to convince her to stick to coaching!!! She is excited to start spending
more time around the pool deck and getting to know all of the amazing MAC swimmers !
Eric Dimmery: 13 – 14 Coach, Kino
Eric Dimmery is an Army brat that moved around every three years. He got to see and experience many
places in the United States and abroad. He moved to Arizona in high school and graduated from the
Mountain View. From there Eric went to the University of New Mexico on a swimming scholarship. He
graduated with a degree in Education.
He moved back to Arizona in 1997 to teach and coach swimming. He has coached all levels of swimmers
and has been very successful with each. His swimmers have had all levels of success from achieving best
times to swimming at Olympic Trials. Eric quit coaching for a few years to further his education and get
his masters in Administration for Educators. He started coaching again at the high school level for
Apache Junction the last three years where his team made tremendous gains in achievement. He is
happy to be joining our team as the 13-14 age group coach.
Cindy Clutter: 8 and Under, Novice Coach, Skyline
Cindy’s photo is coming soon….until then, let’s get to know her a bit better:
Born and raised on the Washington Coast in the town of Puyallup.
Husband John 30 years/ Two daughters/Nicolle and Kelli both married and one grandson (Blake)
Pets: Kona chocolate lab/Gus silver lab
Education: Bachelor of Science in Education Minor in Health/Coaching- Washington State University
Masters in Education Special Education- University of Idaho (this explains why she can work with Paul).
Cindy and her husband John recently relocated from North Idaho for the warm sunny climate of Mesa.
Cindy’s only request for living in Mesa was to be within a five mile radius of the Skyline pool. Cindy
taught physical education and special education for twenty-five years in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Teaching swim lessons, coaching masters swimming, multi-sport athletes, high school athletes, and
competing herself bring Cindy to the pool daily. Many years teaching elementary school have allowed
Cindy the opportunity to coach students from entry level to top college swimmers. In her four years of
High School coaching, Cindy’s high school team took first place in the state of Idaho twice. Her passion
with the sport is with entry level swimmers young and old.
Cindy has participated in a variety of events from Masters World Championships (Sweden/Stanford),
National Championships, and local competitions around the States. She’s crazy enough to have
completed four Ironman Events. One of her most memorable swims was competing in a half-marathon
in the morning, driving 200 miles to a swim meet in the afternoon and racing the 1,650 and 200
butterfly.
After swimming 20 years indoors, swimming outside has been a breath of fresh air. Cindy looks forward
to getting to know the swimmers young and old in Mesa.
And now….the moment we’ve all been waiting for……
Swimmers of the Month
Brie Alford
We have had a lot happening this past
month…our team's new grouping system, training
schedule changes, finals, college teams in for
training trips, and the holidays.
Out at
Skyline we spent 3 weeks training short course
meters and have been training long course
meters for the past two weeks.
I know
everyone has been putting in great efforts at
practice and for one person it really shows.
Brie and I have been working really hard for
the last month on stroke changes, turns, and
under waters. Everyone knows that these types
of changes are not easy ones to make. These
three aspects have to be thought about on a
stroke by stroke & turn by turn basis in order
for change to happen…and often times changes
don't happen over night.
Brie has been a
champ some days & very frustrated on others.
The part that has excited me the most about
Brie is she consistently asks (several times a workout) how she is progressing on
bettering herself at these tasks & the fact that she continues to put up with my
nagging (with a smile) every single time she is not making effective changes.
I'm excited to see what 2012 brings for Brie and everyone else on MAC!
Daniel Brooks
Daniel is a hardworking 11 year old. He enjoys playing football
with his friends, becoming stronger and, most of all,
swimming. He is not afraid to take on hard races and usually
does well. He is a boy scout and recently received his Arrow of
Light award which is the highest award a boy can earn in cub
scouting. He is an A student in school. He loves backstroke;
is learning to tolerate breastroke and will swim for a long time if
given the chance. He is a true leader in every sense for the
Age Group program!!! This award is well deserved!
Volunteer Spotlight!
This guy is amazing! He is able to lift four times his body weight without breaking a sweat.
We‟ve seen him tirelessly working for days without a break. He takes on any challenge, yet
always has a smile on his face.
Who is this man?!
He‟s Ed Johnson, this month‟s
Volunteer Spotlight! Ed, thank you so much for ALL
your hard work and continuous effort in helping us run
our meets. We appreciate it!!!
Q: So, you have two wonderful children. Which one
do you like better? I don't like either one. I love both
of my kids with all my heart.
Q: How did you propose to your wife? On one
knee. Is there any other way?
Q: Which is more entertaining: college football, Pro football, or a Prelims/Finals swim
meet? Definately, Prelims/Finals swim meet!
Q: What is your favorite part of volunteering? The interaction with other great parents
and coaches, and seeing their dedication to the kids. And, being part of the MAC
family!
Kip‟s Corner
The below is from Dr. Kip Sharpe, our Team Physician. Although you might not know it from talking to
him, he’s actually very bright.
Are you what you eat? I heard Coach Jack the other day referring to you guys as a bunch
of meatballs.
I guess that„s better than being goat cheese (although I better be careful
with that one – it‟s one of my wife‟s favorites). After the season of gluttony, I thought I‟d
write about food. Paul wanted me to write about the importance of warming up before
explosive exercise, but I‟m still nursing my wounds on that one, so I‟ll delve into that later
when I‟m not feeling guilty.
To answer the question, let‟s consider what food is. Food is the nutrients we eat. There
are six classifications of nutrients: carbohydrates (carbs), proteins, fats, vitamins,
minerals, and water. Turns out that about 2/3 of our bodies are water. I think I will
address hydration in another article.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for the
regulation of body processes and structure of the body. Carbs, Proteins and fats are
nutrients which provide energy; protein and fats also provide structure.
Alcohol can also
be used for energy, but because it is not essential for the body to function is considered
“empty calories". Calories are actually kilocalories (kcal) and are a measure of energy. Fat
is very efficient for storage of energy because it contains twice as many calories as
protein and carbs in any given amount of weight (usually measured in grams). That also
means that eating a pound of fat provides twice the energy (calories) as a pound of sugar
or protein.
Food once eaten is broken down into smaller pieces first by chewing, then by acid and
digestive enzymes into smaller more useable compounds which provide energy and building
blocks.
Carbohydrates are the main source of calories in the American diet. They come as sugars
and starches. Both of these are broken down in the digestive process to the simple sugar
glucose, the sugar which is circulating in our blood stream. Two other basic sugars are
fructose and galactose. When there is excess glucose in the blood, the body converts the
excess to fat (most efficient energy storage). For aerobic athletes, like swimmers, 6070% of calories should come from carbohydrates and will replace glycogen stores
(glycogen is the storage form of sugar in the muscles and liver). Carb loading is done by
decreasing training while increasing carbohydrate intake to maximize glycogen stores.
Fiber is another important carbohydrate which is not broken down by our digestive
enzymes but adds bulk to our stool decreasing the travel time of food from one end to the
other.
High fiber diets have been shown to decrease risk of heart disease and, colon
cancer and diabetes and constipation. Too much fiber in can be associated with activityinduced diarrhea. Fruits and vegetables are good sources of fiber.
Amino acids are the basic building blocks of protein. Proteins are an important component
of cell structure. There are 20 different amino acids used in the human body, eight of
which are not made by us and are therefore called “essential amino acids.”
Throughout
the day our body‟s cells are broken down and re-built. As the proteins are broken down
into amino acids, they enter the blood and are available fo building new proteins. Because
some amino acids are lost, there is a constant need for dietary protein, particularly the
essential amino acids. When we are growing or building muscles, we need these building
blocks.
Dietary protein that contains all of the essential amino acids are considered
“complete protein.”
Animal origin protein is complete. Plant proteins are incomplete, but
different plants can be combined to make a complete protein. Vegetarians need to be
aware of this.
Athletes need about 1.5 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day
of protein if it is at least 65% complete, higher if a strict vegetarian diet.
Higher
amounts of protein consumed are broken down and used as a fuel source or are converted
to carbohydrate used for energy or converted to fat and stored.
Muscle can burn
glucose, protein or fat, but most efficiently burns glucose.
The brain can only burn
glucose.
Well , that brings us to fat. Is it really the evil food source? That depends upon who you
are and what you do. Fat is the most concentrated source of energy (you get twice as
much energy per gram as protein or carb). There are a lot of links between diets high in
fat and cardiovascular disease.
Therefore the World Health Organization(WHO)
recommends no more than 30% of our calories (which means 15% of our food) be from fat.
However, all of the supporting studies were in sedentary people, not athletes, particularly
endurance athletes like swimmers. Fat is an essential component of every cell as the cell
walls are made and is essential for the formation of hormones (minimum recommended fat
intake is 15% of calories per day). Those with a family history of heart disease or high
cholesterol should be more careful. Some athletes may need extra fat just to get enough
energy for endurance training.
Over the years I‟ve seen a lot of diets (fads) come and go; some better than others, some
dangerous. The bottom line for me is balance and moderation in all things. If you burn
more calories than you take in, you‟ll lose weight and the inverse is just as true.
This has become a lengthy dissertation and so I think I will address hydration , vitamins a
minerals in another installment. Oh, the answer to the question: are you what you eat?
Yes, what you eat is broken down and re-built into you. So, swim fast meatballs.
To all our “New Years Babies,” we hope this year is a very special one for you!!!
Jack Giles, Nicole Barker, Tanner Hensley, Savanna Rush, Kevin Krupitzer,
Makenna Schmidgall ,Brianna Alford, Kennidy Hassell, Kristina Whipple, Melina
Diamond Sagias, Madisyn Smith, Hannah Jackson, Anthony Marquez,Evan
Schaeffer, Grant Zajdzinski, Adelyn Richards, and Jordyn Pender !!!!!