The swift Terrapin

According to Wikipedia, "the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) or simply terrapin, is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States. It belongs to the monotypic genus, Malaclemys." Nowhere on the Wikipedia page is the speed of the terrapin discussed.

And that brings us to swimming. There is a team, a quite successful team, called the Terrapins. Heck, Natalie Coughlin swam for the Terrapins. And they have cool caps with a picture of the turtle on one side; I think the caps come in orange AND blue. You see them winning heats all day long at these meets.

Naturally, at the last swim meet, I wondered aloud, "is the terrapin a particularly fast turtle or something?" I mean, swim teams are named "sharks" and "baracudas" and "undercurrents" and "halibuts". Not many named after turtles, even particularly fast ones.

Luckily, the Montclair Swim Team's head coach has been around the block a few times and had to answer this many times over the years. As legend has it, the founding coach of the Terrapins was a big Grateful Dead fan and named the team after "Terrapin Station", an album by the band. The team name up until then had been an alphabet soup of district names and clubs sort of like SRVLA but longer.

So, the name has history and some sort of aquatic connection. I guess it could have been the Dancing Bears.

Oakland Undercurrent and the Berkeley Trio

I really like the Oakland Undercurrent; they run a good team and do something very rare for swimming....diversify it. And they swim fast. And they make cool videos. You'll probably recognize some of their swimmers that are on the wall watching these UC Berkeley swimmers (Nathan Adrian, Alex Cushing and Damir Dugonjic) show them their specialty strokes.



Thanks to the Undercurrent coaches for putting this video up on YouTube for all of us to enjoy.

Practice starts on January 3rd

Getting ready for the winter session is not easy on parents or swimmers. Parents have to line up carpool duties, remember where the pool is, and sort through swimbags to find half-eaten granola bars and mildewy swim caps. Swimmers have to shake off a month of lethargy, hope that they haven't outgrown swimsuits with a growth spurt, and remember all of their teammates' names.

And both have to wonder where all those goggles went. Luckily, Rob over at RobAquatics knows:


The Goggle Monster got them. We all know kids grab the wrong parkas all the time; that is their fault. Goggles? A whole other story...one that involves a creepy sinister force that will cause nightmares on the brightest of days.

For this reason, as the new session approaches, I encourage all of you to visit our locally affiliated online swimshop and buy goggles. Lots of them.

Thank you Olivia

If there were a talking Shark, it would be Olivia. Constantly entertaining and chatting at practice and meets, Olivia kept the pool cool for the whole team. As an individual and one of a kind, it is only appropriate that she is the only Shark aging off this session.

Good luck Olivia and keep swimming fast!

Congratulations JO Swimmers!

Please join me in congratulating Montclair's five JO swimmers heading off to Pleasanton for a weekend of fun and cold (see forecast, brrr). These swimmers are spending an extra week practicing getting ready for the big meet and then will take their December break.

In order of age, your JO qualifiers:

• Grace S: 50 Free, 50 Back
• Jolen: 50 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 50 Fly, 100 Fly
• Mallory: 100 Free, 50 Back, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 50 Fly, 100 IM, 200 IM
• Camille: 50 Back, 100 Back, 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 50 Fly, 100 IM, 200 IM
• Winston: 50 Back

Swim fast and stay warm!

Video review

Last night the JO swimmers reviewed some video. Bill pulled out his USA Swimming DVDs with races from World Championships, Olympic trials, and USA swimmers with world records.

I had watched every single one of the races that were reviewed from the standpoint of a fan but watching with a critical eye to teaching the swimmers techniques and reinforcing good habits was a whole different ball of wax.

They started with the Michael Phelps in a 200 IM. This was back when he could still beat Ryan Lochte if you can remember that far back. Coach Bill and the swimmers broke down his start, his dolphin kick, and spent a lot of time watching his arm recovery. The breakout on backstroke was a recurring theme through the night; every single swimmer got a chance to see how important that second arm is during the breakout (keep it still!). What was amazing was that when Michael Phelps is dolphining, his head and hands do not move. Well, the move forward obviously, just not up and down.

The best race for the kids was watching Mary Descenza swimming the 200 fly. She was about a body length behind after two laps (100M) and pulled forward for the win. It was a great example for the kids of keeping your form throughout the whole race. But the part they wanted rewound and played a few times was the swimmer two lanes over who swam right out of her cap! One second she has a black cap on, an presto change-o, the next she has a pink cap on.

We'll see next week how much this video review helps these swimmers and probably start scheduling more to reinforce what Bill is focusing on in practice that week.

50th Anniversary Reunion Picnic

The Reunion Picnic went off without a hitch. We had swimmers from every decade that the team has been in existence. Camille, a 9 year old swimmer on the team, estimated that the 60s and 70s had about 5-8 swimmers each. There was even a swimmer who was 8 years old on the first year of the team's existence in 1960.

Three past coaches and many family members came. I find that very interesting because it speaks of the community that the team creates. Swimmers aren't just on the team with the other swimmers...parents and brothers and sisters are all involved in the team. The swimmers see their coach more than they see most family members and friends. They create lifelong bonds with everyone on the team.


This picture says a lot to me. A swimmer from the late 80s kept the boxes of her ribbons and medals for over 20 years. In the original handmade boxes that she probably did in her early teens. If you ever doubt how much a swim team can mean to a swimmer think of those boxes.

Swimming capes

This is one of my favorite pictures from the swim team: 4 swimmers confidently striding to their relay full of Montclair Swim Team branding. You might even recognize the picture from the header of this blog.

Getting the parka is a rite of passage for swimmers; I'm pretty sure every swimmer on the team has one. And since the team swims all year round, these parkas are needed to keep warm. They are, quite possibly, as important as caps and goggles to the young competitive swimmer.

But that's not the point of the story. As part of the team's upcoming 50th Anniversary reunion picnic, we've been talking to a lot of alumni. One of the things we found out is that the parkas were called "capes" in the 80s. Capes! That is fantastic.

Of course, this might bring up another image -- Gary Hall Jr. And that isn't a bad thing. So I think the team needs to take its branding to another level. We need gigantic Montclair Swim Team foam fingers, a battle flag to fly atop the team canopy, a team bus and maybe some team shoes designed by Ryan Lochte. At the very least go back to calling them capes.

High points and big smiles

At a recent meet, we were waiting for results and picking up ribbons long after the meet had ended. We just happened to be listening to the high points announcements and heard Gabe's name called. Luckily we heard that because he had already left.

So we had the good fortune of being able to bring home his trophy and present it to him. I have never seen such a genuine joyous reaction as when Gabe first got his trophy. He raised it in the air triumphantly with the biggest smile I've ever seen. I wish I had a camera at that moment. Luckily, the smile never went away for the 2 minutes it took me to take this picture of him.


Congratulations Gabe on great swimming and an even better reaction to the trophy.

Thank you to the aging off Sharks

Three times a year, the Montclair Swim Team says good bye to its older swimmers, sending them off to bigger and better things both in swimming and in life. It's one downside to being a 12& under team but it gives the swimmers chances to make new choices and build on the solid foundation of swimming and teamwork that MST provides. This past Friday, the team had a small picnic to wish the five swimmers aging off well in their future endeavors.

Three of the swimmers are the youngest sibling and last to leave the team from their family while two have younger siblings. Many thanks to Chelsea, Erin, Sarah B, Sarah M, and Savannah for all the great times and great swims!











Though the team can never *replace* these young swimmers, there is always the pre-guppy clinic to introduce new swimmers to the team and keep the tradition alive.

The future of the Montclair Swim Team

This little guy is working hard to join the team. He's only four so he has a few years left to perfect the stroke but if effort counts, he might just make the team now.



Who has designed this perfect whirlwind of a stroke? None other than Montclair alumni Camille F. and Maddie P., teaching this summer at Haufler Swim School (hey, there's another Montclair connection!). I think Coach Bill is going to be pretty happy with their handiwork when Noah starts up in a few years!

Swim Team picture day

Picture day is probably the most difficult day a swim team faces.  You are presented with a number of challenges:

1. Getting every kid on the team to practice on the same day
2. Placing slippery kids in correct height order
3. Placing them in rows according to height
4. Getting all 50+ of them to smile and/or not make a goofy face

I think we came close.  I just counted 45 swimmers so there were definitely some missing.  Every single swimmers' eyes are open and no goofy faces...probably the closest is a few overly exuberant smiles.  One swimmer jumped his height-dictated place in line but I remember about 15 parents working on getting him to sit up straighter to match the row.  So, overall, a success.

Swimming: individual or team sport?

I've noticed something weird at the 50 or so swim meets I've been to...team cheering increases exponentially the closer the team canopy is to the pool.  I could probably graph it with the highest cheering ratio being at meets like this past weekend, where Montclair's canopy was sitting at the 50 yard line over by lane 8.  If kids just have to stand up to cheer, they will gladly put down their cup o' noodles and do it every single race.

But there is one meet where the canopy could be in Timbuktu and they'd still cheer like crazy.  The relays.  Montclair used to host the relay meet but switched to the Pentathlon two years ago.  Now, our only obligation at the meet is to swim fast and cheer.  There might not be a louder meet.  Swimmers line the side of the pool, hang out at the turning end, and the three non-swimming relayers get in the timers way over on the blocks.  It makes you realize that in the hundreds of individual swims these kids do, they still become a team.

The Montclair Swim Team might have the grossest relay tradition of all time.  The four swimmers traditionally each bite a corner of the relay card before turning it in to the timers.  This started at least as early as the late
80s based on the Facebook alumni group.  And it continues to this day.  If chewing on the corner of a relay card doesn't build camaraderie and teamsmanship, I don't know what will.

The swimsuit as a fashion statement

Many credit the jammer with bringing boys back into competitive swimming.  I credit crazy jammers for bringing boys back to fast swimming .  Before jammers, boys had the option of the speedo or the speedo.  Both of which are undoubtedly well suited to swimming in the water but not the most comfortable for roaming around a swim deck.  Especially in those awkward pre and early teen years (full disclosure: my awkward period lasted from about 10 until I luckily met my future wife 18 years later).

Once jammers made the scene, the number of boy swimmers started climbing back up.  But something was still missing, that quirky goofy I'm-different attitude that young boys need and black jammers with a colored stripe just don't convey.

Then came Splish and Dolfin and boys could be boys.  Prints that are technicolor conflagrations of pure energy were being put into nylon/spandex blends.  Parents were blinded, stroke/turn officials were confused, and boys were in their element.  Times dropped, Michael Phelps happened and Montclair's own started getting bolder and bolder.

Jolen swam a JO time in the 50 back last summer and just got a new one in the 50 free.  We could credit his hard work, great coaching and natural skill.  Or we could face facts and realize that the jammers that looked like they were cut from the Barnum & Bailey Big Top caused the time drop.  Either way, he got the time and we can look forward to more blinding displays of speed and fashion as he swims his way to more.

Check out Montclair's new affiliate link with SwimOutlet, buy some technicolor jammers and support your team with an 8% rebate to Montclair Swim Team.

Swimming fast and smiling

Anybody who has ever been to a swim meet knows that they can be interminable.  Long hours waiting for an event that takes 30 seconds to swim.  Followed by more waiting.  Swimmers have come up with a million ways to cope with this; they play cards, listen to music, do homework, eat junk food, stare listlessly into space, and much much more.

Montclair has one swimmer who has transcended these waits.  Winston just smiles.  He laughs.  He inserts himself into any conversation, video game, or book reading that is going on.  He is always smiling this genuine, from the heart, infectious smile that makes the wait worthwhile for everyone around him.  He is just a joy to have in the canopy.

Because the grin is such a part of Winston, I believe it has to be why he's becoming such a fast swimmer.  Hydrodynamically speaking, underwater smiling cannot be fast.  But, though I've never seen him from underwater, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he's smiling while he cracks out these increasingly fast times.

At this weekend's 10 & Under Championships, Winston dropped almost 2 seconds on his freestyle.  When he got back to the canopy afterward?  Smiling as always.

Montclair Swim Team's 50th Anniversary Reunion Picnic

In 2010, the Montclair Swim Team is celebrating its 50th anniversary as the greatest swim team of all time.  To celebrate this lofty achievement, the team is hosting a 50th anniversary reunion picnic for all former swimmers, parents, coaches and families on August 28.

The team now practices at Robert's Regional Park surrounded by majestic Redwoods in the beautiful Oakland foothills so it is only fitting to share this wonderful park with our alumni for the picnic.  More details will be coming soon but in the meantime we need help spreading the word.  If you are in contact with any former swimmers or families, please let them know, have them join the MST Alumni FaceBook Group, and get the word out!  Details will be available on this blog and the team's website.

I estimate that in 50 years, the team has had well over 1000 swimmers.  On the team currently, we have two second generation swimmers whose Dad was on the team MANY years ago.  The team has gone through a few iterations to meet the needs of the community and has swam at a few different pools but the one constant has been that it represents all that is great about Montclair.  And has swam fast.

Join us for the 50th Anniversary Reunion Picnic on August 28th!

Welcome to the new Guppies!

As swimmers age off, new swimmers join the team.  This spring, Montclair welcomes six new swimmers: Stephen,  Aria,  Lilli (not pictured),  Cara,  Jin Mei and  Jordy

On their first day of swim practice, it was a bit cold so we grabbed a picture of most of them in the water.  We also included Alexandra because she makes any picture cuter.  These new guppies have a pretty tall task in front of them: to become better swimmers.  Coach Bill will take this session to really focus on the 4 strokes while giving them occasional opportunities to compete to measure their progress. 

Most teams focus on yardage, repetition and times.  Bill focuses on putting together the best stroke possible for each swimmer.  Very often you will see an entire practice devoted to only one or two concepts but as the session wears on, those individual concepts become beautiful swimming strokes.

The spring/summer  season is mostly long course meets that Guppies don't attend but they will have a few great short course opportunities to showcase their strokes.  Highlights include two great introductory dual meets, the Barracuda relays, a low-key C/B meet and at the end of the Summer, the RESL championships.

We'll shoot for a before and after picture to show their increase level of comfort in the water :) .

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

In my opinion, Montclair's greatest tradition is the farewell that swimmers give to team members who are aging off.  MST goes through age 12, so 13 year-olds are cast off to the less caring clutches of High School or other teams as soon as the session with their 13th birthday ends.  Picture Logan's Run but without the futuristic Armageddon aspects.

Anyway, the farewell involves getting the entire team crouching over the far end of the "retiring" swimmer's lane and screaming for the 30-120 seconds of that swimmer's final Montclair Swim Team race.  The fun is when you have two swimmers in the same event, one heat and five lanes apart.  You end up with a mass of 30 be-parka'd swimmers shuffling from one lane to the next to continue their screaming.

This session we had three swimmers receive the screaming farewell as they aged off ... Justine, Maddy and Jack.  We wish them continued swimming success.

Jack:

Justine:

Maddy:

Thanks for all the great swims!

Impressions from the Junior Olympics

This weekend was my daughter Camille's first Junior Olympics (JO's).  Mostly, I am just proud that she made the JOs, swimming a qualifying time in both the 50 and 100 backstroke.  But, going into it, neither of us had any clue what to expect.  One thing we knew, it wasn't going to be like any other meet.

Darned skippy it wasn't; when we got there it was overwhelming.  She had swam at this same pool just a few weeks before for the Zone 2 championships and I remember being able to see space in between canopies, this time it was just crowds.  Luckily, Bill is a very experienced coach and found a good spot for us to "squat" over by the FOG aquatics canopy; in fact, we took over their canopy and Coach Jerry's chair after a while.  Nothing like feeling comfortable!

In fact, that comfort was probably the best thing for Camille.  It had to have felt just like any other meet; Mallory was there to cheer her on and they sat under the canopy goofing around like always.  If I had any recommendations, it would be to mimic any other meet if you can.

Camille tends to feel nervous only before events she's never done and didn't seem to have any extra butterflies before her first event, the 100 back.  Bill had given her a good warmup, focusing on getting deeper on her start and the rhythm of her stroke.  It was cool, he walked her over to the blocks (yep, taking my usual job), stood by her and they both just looked confident.  Things were moving so fast that she was up on the blocks (err, down in the water) before I knew it.

Then she took off and seemed to forget that she always paces herself the first 50 of a 100.  In fact, her split was faster than her regular 50 time, hitting the pad at 38.8 seconds.  She had a little trouble going straight on the third leg but came flying back into the wall and touched at 1:22.85, a full 2 seconds off of her seed time!  In talking to Michael (now on Orinda) he said that you always go faster at the JOs, and boy did she!

Preparation-wise, Sunday was more of the same, just a different event.  Get there, find a spot to sit, warm up and then go watch some fast swimming.  Camille and I worked to temper expectations based on the previous day's swim which was both good and bad.  Because she swam even faster than the day before but she was like a car with a new, oversized motor; she was going so fast that she wasn't really able to control her direction very well, hitting the laneline all the way up the first leg.  Then on the way back, she over-corrected and had a tussle with the other laneline, this time hooking her arm around it.  Somehow, she came in at 39.01 seconds, only .08 seconds slower than her seed time.  If she hadn't made such good friends with that laneline, the time would have been fantastic.

Getting Camille's thoughts on the meet, she thinks a lot of the extra speed was excitement from being at the JOs but her main impression was that it was crowded.  She had an expectation that she needed to go faster because of the meet.  Finding friends there helped, getting to hang out with Jordan, Michael and Mallory.  We saw Hannah but she was leaving as we were getting there.  But, really, the highlight was the luggage tag and t-shirt; that's the best reason to go!

Dropping time in a busy schedule

Every once in a while a swimmer just starts dropping time.  I'm not the coach so I have absolutely no idea what happened to cause this, I just see it when I compile the results.  And sometimes these results are out of this world.

There's one swimmer on the team, let's call her Laura (actually that's her real name), who is and has always been a breaststroker.  For this session, she was promoted to the Shark group and it has started paying dividends already.  Consider this sample of time drops since the end of the Fall session:

• 50 free: 5 seconds
• 100 free: 11 seconds
• 100 back: 13 seconds
• 100 IM: 10 seconds

Even without context, you can tell that's an amazing achievement.  Luckily, with so much dead time between events at swim meets, I was able to ask her mom a bit about how this is happening and the answer surprised me.  Just let them sign up for any and every activity they can think of.  Laura is involved in multiple sports, a team engineering competition, I think she said piano, and still puts swimming as her top sport/activity.

So to drop time, just be busy.