January Storm

There will be NO PRACTICE for any group FRIDAY and SATURDAY due to the January Storm Meet in Walla Walla, WA.  We have not received a timeline, but continue to check the January Storm page of the website for updates.

Swim-A-Thon

I am looking for a few people to help out with swim-a-thon coordination.  If you are interested, please contact Toni Endebrock @ 465-8098 or mnkendebrock@comcast.net.  We will have our first meeting in a couple of weeks if we can get a quick response.

Age Group—LISTEN UP!

Make sure that you plan to attend the Inland Empire Junior Championship Meet in Moscow, ID the weekend of February 12-14.  We would like as many swimmers as possible to attend that meet, as it is a great way to introduce our newer swimmers to championship style meets (meets with preliminaries and finals, like the Olympics).  Even if you have never gone to a meet before, this is a great opportunity.  Please do not miss it!!!

Hotel Blocks

There are hotel blocks set up for the following meets:

Winter Invitational, Jan 29 – 31, Ellensburg, WA

IES Jr. Champs, Feb 12 – 14, Moscow, ID

Swimmer of the Month – December

Seniors: Rachel Millet

Rachel started the month of December off with a stunning Top 24 performance at US Nationals.  Then two weeks later, at the Washington Senior Invite she went on to break 5 team records and drop nearly two seconds in every race she swam.  I can say without a doubt that Rachel performed in December like no other SWAT swimmer ever has.  To cap it all off, Rachel attacked Christmas training with a tremendous amount of ferocity.  Not only did she train almost 73 miles in 10 days, but she did it with a quality that will be the foundation of future success.  Congratulations Rachel on your success in the pool, and keep up the great work!

Regionals: Makenna Endebrock and Sam Sentenn

Makenna and Sam had an incredible December.  Along with the November swimmer of the month, they had nearly perfect attendance at practice.  They did not merely show up either—each of them had awesome practice sessions, achieving lifetime best swims.  Their success was not limited to practice, as Sam had an outstanding Red/Green Meet, while Makenna had an excellent Jingle Bell Meet.  They finished the month with an impressive Christmas Training session, logging in close to 90,000 yards in 2 weeks!  Great job girls!

Age Group: Marissa Stapleton

Marissa has proven herself to be a force to be reckoned with in the Age Group.  She has stepped up as a leader, going first in her lane, and swimming her practices with good technique and high intensity.  Her practice efforts have led to some amazing performances in competition: every race she swam this month was a lifetime best!  She had 3 lifetime best swims at the Red/Green Meet, and followed that up with 8 lifetime best swims at the Jingle Bell Meet, making finals and scoring in every event she participated in.  Her example is also rubbing off on others, creating a fantastic environment for success. 

Ripples: Hailey LaChappelle

Hailey is beginning her second month with The Waves. In just a short time she has maintained one of the highest attendance records for the ripples, and works exceptionally hard during practice. Her enthusiasm has made her a joy to coach.

Training Tip of the Week:

Understanding why you are doing something will help you do a much better job in the task at hand.  You should make sure you understand what it is the coach is trying to get you to do, and to pay attention to yourself to see if you are doing it correctly.  Knowledge of why you are doing something, and the self-awareness of if you are doing it right will greatly aid in improving your swimming.

-Kevin & Keddy