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Coach’s News Letter - November 15, 2006
Coach’s News
Congratulations Stingrays! We have defeated our first two opponents by a combined total of 310 points.
The 15-18 West Springfield Boys kept that meet close through the first half, but Justin Gainer and
Sam Neil, being our only two boys in that age group were able to control the damage and help us win the meet.
Sarah LaClair and Brooke Patterson were among seven stingrays to win all their events.
The Girls 9-10 200 freestyle relay of, Helen Hale, Claire Nauman, Sarah LaClair and Bryanna Veronuea posted
the second fastest time in team history missing the record by under a second. In addition to 45 victories by
our top swimmers our depth continues to improve. There were 89 personal best performances, among them,
Hannah Baker (50 fly and 200 Freestyle), Jessica Law (200 Freestyle), Megan Harris (200 Freestyle),
Maggie Dull (25 Freestyle), Miranda Beaudet (50 Freestyle), and Robbie Lewis (100 Freestyle).
Practice Notes
Attendance has been very good to this point in the season. We are about to enter the half waypoint
of our training season, and practice times are changing. Check the board for when you should be
practicing and keep the high attendance up. We are fast becoming one of the top programs in the area,
and you should all be very proud that you are part of such a wonderful and enthusiastic group.
Practices not only improve times, but team camaraderie. Keep up the good work.
With the new practice time, discipline before practice will be strictly enforced. Coach Melisa Denza
and I will be coaching High School until 4:30. If either one of us has to speak with any member of the
stingrays about their behavior they will not be allowed on deck until the start of dry land.
We recommend that you bring homework or something quiet to do.
Seasonal Outlook
This season we are running up against stiff competition. In general, every team in the league is better in
the winter than they are in the summer. Meet attendance will be extremely important. In addition to keeping
our winning streak alive, meets are the best way to bring the team closer together. Meets are the reason we
practice and we should be excited to get in the water and see our hard work pay off. We are already seeing
vast improvements across the board, and I think we have just begun to scratch the surface of our abilities.
I could not have asked more of this team than it has given in effort.
Meets
Agawam had a winning streak going back a year before they came to our pool last summer. They are a team that
is very similar to ours in ability and drive. The coach in Agawam pushes her swimmers harder than most other
teams in the area, and like the coaching staff here, strives to teach everything she knows. There are few in
this area I respect more than her. The results of Coach Torrey’s efforts are easy to see. Before she came
to Agawam they were a team that struggled. Now they are a team to be respected and, above all, NOT
underestimated. This summer, they came into our place and we ended their streak, now we go into their house
and we most assume that they plan to end ours. This should be an exciting meet and an opportunity to test
our skill. Win or loose, Agawam will be a fun and respectful meet. Please abide by your best sportsmanship
no matter how close the meet gets.
There may be a meet against East Longmeadow on January 5th. This would be an away meet, and I am currently
working with the coach of the Marlins to confirm this meet. The East Longmeadow Marlins are one the most
storied programs in Western Massachusetts. They have a proud tradition of success in the sport and continue
to be highly competitive.
The final meet of our season is against the defending Pioneer Valley League Champion, Hamden-Wilbraham Falcons.
They have won three straight championships and are under the direction of Coach Tim Allen, a former NCAA
National Champion and my mentor. Aside from championships, this is our most important meet. If we stay
focused, and race well for the rest of the season, this meet could feature the only two undefeated teams
in the area. Obviously, the Falcons will not be an easy victory, anything less than a full team effort
could result in a very lopsided score in favor of our opponent. To step up with them, we will need to be
dedicated over the coming weeks. We will need to work very hard on our technique, even while we are tired
from a hard practice, or a long day of school. No one expects us to win this meet, but everyone expects
the same Stingrays as last year’s team. This is not the same team.
This summer, half the Agawam team stayed home for our meet, because they thought they could easily defeat us.
We turned around and nearly doubled their score. Going into championships this summer, the Sunday Republican
didn’t mention us because we had never won. No one thought we could win. Your drive and determination proved
them wrong, and enabled the stingrays to win the summer championship by the largest margin of victory in league
history. Keep focused, set goals, work hard on your technique, help your teammates, and win or loose, you will
have accomplished something to be proud of.
Coaching Staff
Bethany Pula is back for her second season as a member of our staff. She is doing a wonderful job on deck and
allowing me time to work with many of you in a small group setting.
Coach Mary is in her first year as assistant coach. Her organization on deck and her ability to communicate
with our younger swimmers have been a huge contribution to our efforts this season.
I am excited to introduce Kaylie Granger to the coaching staff. Adding Kaylie, a long time competitive swimmer
for Belchertown and Chicopee, allows us to have three coaches on deck at almost every practice. Kaylie brings
to this team a desire to learn and teach as much as she can about swimming. Her work on deck will allow me more
time with swimmers who I haven’t yet spent enough time working with.
Previous News Letters:
July 28, 2006 |
July 7, 2006 |
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