Reminder: No Practice on Wednesday Oct. 31

And an early reminder that Saturday is our first meet of the season, against Yonkers YMCA.

Parent Meet/Bake Sale Coordination

Parents,

Just as the kids are working hard to compete at the peak of the abilities, our Tsunami Parents Association Team is working hard to organize the duties of the parents this season, with fundraising and jobs that make the meets go as smoothly as possible.


As the team said in their email:

The swim team has grown dramatically in the past few years and now numbers over 70 children from 52 different families. With this comes increasing complexity and logistical requirements. In the past, a small number of volunteers shouldered the burden of staffing the various meets and related activities. This year Coach Julie has stressed the need for everyone to participate in some way to share the load more equitably and allow all parents to see their children compete.

So everyone please try to pitch in whenever you can. Click on the links below for info on two major activities, Meet Requirements (timers, scorers, etc), and Bake Sale. Many of the slots have already been designated. If you can volunteer, but have not already signed up, try to reach out to Parents Association Team President Mike McNamara, Bake Sale coordinator Eileen Collum, or one of the committee leaders.

Given the number of families, we hope a small commitment from each family, and Team Work by all, will allow us to meet all of our requirements.

Please lend a hand!

Bake Sale Chart

Meet Coordination Chart

Meet Timers Needed!

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder that parent timers are needed for the Time Trials Meet this weekend. Coach Julie needs 10 parents to time the kids. Email Maureen if you are available.

Don't forget that you need to be on the pool deck from 10:30 unitl
12. Swim practice starts at 10, but the kids will warm up for 1/2 hour before Julie starts the trials.

Timing is easy and fun, and there is no better seat in the house. The kids will even share some of pool water with you (that's a nice way of saying *be prepared for your shoes to get a little wet!*)

Reminder: Swim-a-thon!

Hey everyone,

Don't forget that one of our biggest fund raisers for the year, the annual swim-a-thon is this coming Saturday.

It helps raise money for team stuff ranging from banners and scoring systems to holiday pizza parties.

Its also a fun challenge for the kids -- and parents, you will be amazed when your kid swims the equivalent of 1/2 mile, a whole mile, or 2, or 3!

The schedule for Saturday:

A-team will swim from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
B-team will swim from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

As Julie said: Swimmers have two hours to swim as many laps as they can. Please start finding sponsors (usually swimmers are asking for donations per lap). We ask that only those contributing to the swim-a-thon attend that day. Parents will be allowed on deck that day to help count laps for their swimmer.

In order to swim on Saturday swimmers and parents must have pledges.
Please bring all “Flat” pledge money on Saturday.

Hit the carbs everyone, bring water or sports drinks, and good luck!

Swim Suit Fittings this Sat. -- Meet Schedule Changes

Two important notes:

Swimsuits
Parents, don't forget, this Saturday, Oct. 6, is a mandatory suit fitting, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Payment must accompany orders: checks, cash and credit accepted. The kids must be fitted before they get into the water for practice. If your child cannot be there, please contact Julie Paxman at julnjaz@hotmail.com in advance of Saturday so that arrangements can be made to get them suits.

Schedule Changes

-Sat 10/20 time trials have moved to Saturday 10/27 10am-noon.

-Sat 11/3 was "B" priority meet, now is "A" priority meet with "B" kids to come observe.

-Sat. 11/17 meet vs. Tarrytown now tentative the High School may have the pool for practice.

Click here for the full season schedule.

2007-08 Tsunami Meet Schedule

Coach Julie has posted the meet schedule for this season.

You can find the full schedule here, but for a quick reminder, the blog will always post the next two events/meets in the upper right corner of the blog.

A couple key notes about the season:

• 7 home meets, 3 away ofA single two-meets- on-one-weekend weekend (Dec 15-16), and 2 Friday night meets, both in Jan.
  
• The competition starts sooner than you think -- first meet is Nov. 3 versus Yonkers Y (read here about our last meet vs. them earlier this year, and check the stat sheet)
  
• Time Trials in March are at Mark Twain Pool (a home meet, sort of)

Wondering what a Tsunami meet is like? Well its kind of like this video below (from the time trials last spring) , but much much louder. (The Tsunami swimmers are in the red caps.)

Coach Julie: Good Eats for Swimmers

From Coach Julie:

Five favorite foods for swimmers.

1. Whole grains

Whole grain food such as cereal, bagels, pasta, and bread give good, long-lasting energy to the whole body. As the most important food group, athletes should eat many whole grain carbohydrates before an event.

2. Peanut butter

Peanut butter is a good source of protein and essential fats, and it is easy to carry and eat on the go. Other protein sources will work as well, such as lean meat or dairy...The important thing is to get adequate protein before and after a work out. Protein helps the body in maintaining aerobic metabolism instead of anaerobic metabolism, which prevents the body from taking protein from lean tissue. Adequate protein speeds recovery and helps in actual performance situations.

3. Fresh fruits and Vegetables

Fresh produce is a great way to get vitamins and minerals that help the body function as normal. They are usually fat-free and contain lots of energy for the body to use during exercise. Some fruits, such as bananas, contain potassium, a mineral that regulates water levels in the body and stabilizes muscle contraction. Low potassium levels can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue, so eating potassium-rich foods is a good idea. However, it is important to regulate potassium intake, because too much too quickly can lead to a heart attack.

Athletes should take in 435 milligrams of potassium for every hour they exercise. While potassium does not aid in actual performance, it speeds recovery and should be considered as one of the most important supplements to an exercise program.

4. Calcium-Rich Foods

Foods such as cheese, yogurt, and milk contain necessary calcium, which creates strong
bones and protects athletes from injury.

These dairy products are also a good source of protein, but they should be eaten well before an
event, as they take some time to process. If the body does not tolerate dairy well, supplements should be included to ensure that athletes receive the recommended daily intake of 1000 milligrams. As an example, a cup of skim milk provides about 300 milligrams of calcium.

5. Fiber-Rich Foods

Fiber is the nutritional component that keeps athletes full and regulates the digestive tract.

Many of the foods already mentioned include fiber, but it is important for coaches to know which foods help athletes regulate fiber levels. Examples of fiber-rich foods include whole grains,
apples, berries, almonds, and legumes. A simple way to determine the necessary amount of fiber is to add 5 to the athlete's age. For example, a 10-year-old athlete needs about 15 grams of fiber daily.

After the age of 15, athletes need 20-25 grams of fiber a day.

(PS - Parents: make it a family thing. *Frank*)

Practice Schedule: Week 1

Just a reminder from Coach Julie:

Practice schedule this week:

Tues: B team: 6-7 / A team: 7-8

Wed: B team : 7-8 / A team 8-9

Thurs: B team : 6-7/A team 7-8

Mandatory Parents Meeting on Tuesday at 6pm.

Tsunami in the news

Familiar faces in the local paper, again!

Check out this picture, published in the Journal News, of Tsunami veteran Eleanor at the 27th annual Al Buncher Girls Relay Carnival at White Plains High School, which kicked off the high school season.
Read the meet story, and the results in the Journal News, which mentions several other Tsunami swimmers who attend schools that competed in the meet.

The caption of the photo reads:
Yonkers' Eleanor Daugherty swims the 500 yard crescendo freestyle relay during the 27th annual Al Buncher Girls Relay Carnival at White Plains High School Sept. 10, 2007. (Tom Nycz / The Journal News )

Try-outs, Season Schedule

If your child is returning, let Andrea know by Sept. 7
Tryouts start on Sept 10.
Parents manditory meeting Sept. 18
Practice starts Sept. 18.

Just click on the letter for more information.

Volunteers wanted: Westchester Triathalon

From Coach Julie:

Hi Everyone! I hope you have been enjoying your summer!

With September just around the corner, I have been asked by Coach Eugene Doherty to recruit volunteers who can help out at the Westchester Triathlon in September (19-21). If our Tsunami group can bring 25 volunteers (ages 13 and older), we will have $500 donated to our group! Please see the link below and pass the word!

"We are interested in all ages from 13 upwards as we offer community service to all student volunteers. All volunteers will receive one of our great T-shirts and be part of our Victory Party. There is also a free prize drawing for cool training gear for volunteers.
AND for every group or organization that provides 25 or more people, we will contribute $500 to their cause."

http://www.westchestertriathlon.org/volunteers.php

Information about the upcoming season will be mailed next week. See you soon!

If you have any questions, please call Andrea at the Parks Dept. 377-6439.

Regards, Julie Schoenlank

PS (from Frank)...

The Triathalon has a youth event on Sept. 22, which I'm sure some Tsunami swimmer could do a do well in. Here are the age groups and event details:

ages: 7- 10: 100 yard swim/1 mile bike/1mile run ages

ages 11-12: 150 yard swim/2 mile bike/1 mile run ages

ages 13-14: 200 yard swim/3 mile bike/1 mile run

Click here for more info. Good luck!!!

News: Dara Torres is Amazing

(From MSNBC.com)

Dara Torres’ 15th national title felt no different from her first a quarter-century earlier.

The oldest national champion in U.S. swimming history, Torres set an American record in the 50-meter freestyle a few weeks ago in her bid toward a possible fifth Olympics appearance. Competing in the pool in which she qualified for her first Olympics as a teenager in 1984, two years after her first national championship, the 40-year-old Torres came in at 24.53 seconds, a personal best that beat her American record of 24.63 set in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The world record, also set at Sydney, is 24.13 seconds by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands.

Amazing.

Here's video of a Charlie Rose conversation with Torres from her last comeback attempt --- 7 years ago!!!
(Photo: Reuters.com)

News: Coach Julie in The Journal News

Julie pops up in a quote in the paper about a young swimmer on the team Julie coaches (when she's not running the Tsunami team.)

Read the story here.

Practice starts in (gasp) One Month!

Tsunami family,

Its hard to believe that the championships were almost 5 months ago, and practice for the new season starts in just one month. Like our speedy swimmers, time really does fly.

So I just wanted to remind you that the Tsunami Blog is still here, and give you a few small items to chew on.

* Check out the City of Yonkers also features The Tsunami and Masters team on its official web site (with a picture of Masters team Swimmers Julie, Andrea, and Jennifer.)
http://www.cityofyonkers.com/Index.aspx?page=1366

* We have a new email address:
gotsunamiblog@gmail.com (thats, GO TSUNAMI!)
(You can still reach the blog editor here, or leave a comment on the blog.)

If anyone has any summer swimming stories, or pictures/video that you want to share, send them over and we'll put it on the blog.

See you soon.
FP

Another Great Year

From all the smiling faces and good food at our end-of-year party, it was easy to see that The Yonkers Tsunami Swim Team had a successful year full of challenges, progress and inspiration for the future. Thanks to all the athletes, coaches, parents and to the City Of Yonkers.

How well we did can be measured by the score, and the size of the trophy, sure. But what this team means to us all should be measured by the friends they (and we) make, the bonds the kids form to the team and each other, and the memories (and healthy life habits) they take away and never forget.

Have a great summer. And Eddie, our loss is your college's gain! Congrats!

Thanks everyone.

Frank

PS - The blog won't stop just because the season does! Please feel free to use this space as a place to communicate during the "dry" season! Post comments to any of the items you see, or email me.