What a great January!!

Lots has been going on this month. We have had test sets, where all the kids completed a series of test swim sets that measured improvements in endurance, speed, and efficiency. I am happy with the results!

Congratulations!!

Three of our Jets competed in the Vancouver Island Regional Championships in Duncan. Josh Macdonald, Kira Stacey, and Ashley Bingham deployed themselves as fantastic ambassadors of our club. All of them came away with 2 or more best times.

Highlights:

Josh - 8th in his 100 Bk, and 7th in his 200 Fr
Kira - 17th in her 100 Br and 21st in her 100 Bk
Ashley - 22nd in her 10 Fly and her 400 Fr

Nice work Jets!!

Reminders:

Campbell River meet (Jets) Feb 20-21
Nanaimo meet (Jets) Feb 7

Please let Travis or Sharon know your intent of competing at these meets.

Tuesday Feb 2 will be our Team Meeting from 4:30 - 5 pm and an all-inclusive (with minis) practice including peer coaching, fun and games from 5-6 pm.

Note from Coach T

Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water by weight. Blood contains almost 70% water, body fat contains 10% water and bone has 22% water. Skin also contains much water. The human body is about 60% water in adult males and 55% in adult females.

That's a lot of water!!

At EVERY swim practice, it is ESSENTIAL that we have a water bottle on deck to allow us to have the most productive swim workout possible.

What can happen without enough water in the body when we exercise?

One consequence is a decline in workout effectiveness. The fluid lost through sweat originates in blood plasma. Plasma is the means of transportation for red blood cells. They hold the oxygen that is essential for muscle performance.

Another consequence is a need for more effort by the heart. If our body begins to become dehydrated then our blood begins to thicken. The heart has to pump harder and faster in order to get all the blood that our working muscles require.

Bottom line guys is you should be making sure to drink during the day so that you come to practice hydrated and have a water bottle on the deck to make sure you STAY hydrated.

Coach T

Sources:
http://www.solveyourproblem.com/senior-fitness/avoid_dehydration_while_exercising.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy New Year Everyone!! I hope everyone enjoyed their Holidays and were able to relax and enjoy the down time. Read below for updates on club activities.

Christmas Camp 2009:

12 GVAS swimmers participated in the three - day Christmas training camp. The camp was a blast! Participants Swam at the Commonwealth, Crystal, Juan de Fuca and Naden Pools. They hiked to the summit of Mount Work and all the way to Beachy Head at East Sooke Park. They had a tour of the new Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence and were introduced to some great new core strength exercises. The extra curricular activities such as skating at Pearks, movie at Silver City and capture the flag at Royal Roads made the hard work of the camp worthwhile.

Thanks to all the participants for representing the club with maturity and integrity. Looking forward to next year's...Here is a video of some of the highlights of the camp...enjoy!

Congratulations:

We had six swimmers compete in the Pacific Coast Swimming Christmas Cracker Meet. Our swimmers excelled among the 600 swimmers from across the country. Congratulations to Jessa, Jenna, Kira, Ashley, Gabe and Josh. Everyone left the meet with best times.

Josh and Kira also set AA times. Josh in his 100m backstroke and Kira in her 100 and 200m Breaststroke. Josh and Kira will be representing the club in two weeks at the Vancouver Island Regional Championships in Duncan.

Nice Work Everyone!!

I am looking forward to a great 2010 Season!!

See you at the pool,

Coach T