SAIL - Craig Report - Week Four

We are one meet away from Divisionals.
All the Coaches and Parents are mumbling about Relay's, swimmer times, and what event to enter. Let's keep one thing in perspective, this is SUMMER SWIMMING!
I know how important the Division Title is to everyone, but let's not lose the reason we are all doing this. We do it for the kids, not for a title!

Ok, sermon is over.

First Meet, SF at TB

Wow, what a nice pool!
I got there during warm ups, the pool has many trees around the deck and almost the whole pool was in the shade.
I graced this wonderful place with my old ratty truck and a special front row parking place! The old truck added a "special ambiance" to the surroundings. What that ambiance was I leave up to y'all!
I have visited with TB and SF before but never at the TB pool, I had a special invite from the Allen's to come and see their home pool. I'm glad I did.
There were a bunch of good swimmers at this meet, some I have seen in USS meets and some that are just plain good!
I spent time with all the Coaches from TB, especially Jaclyn Spencer and Rick Fairbanks. Lauren Fairbanks was also on deck helping with the swimmers; Lauren is one of the reasons I feel so old at times. Lauren has been is swimming for years, my daughter swam in the same age group against her. She was always one of the swimmers to beat, or try to!

SF's coaching crew was up to their old ways, Andrew Markham, Bobby Nitto, Sarah Beidiger, Erin Kennedy and Chris Reinke were quite busy. I owe an apology to Andrew for calling him Bobby Nitto in my first report when they swam FW. Remember one thing, I'm getting older and the sun beating down on my bald head causes mental problems!

Second Meet, PHP at OF

Orchard Farms was a part of my team years ago, boy have they come a long way!
I sat with Fran Snow of PHP for a while; she told me that she had a heat sheet for the meet on Tuesday! She had the chance to work through the entries and take care of her scratches before she even got to the meet. OF has helped other teams this year with computer help, they actually did the CPU work for a meet where they were the visitors!
This type of help is one of the main attributes of SAIL, everyone adding parts to the whole and making a swim meet run very smooth.
OF has some very detailed individuals at their pool, they actually had a blueprint of the deck and the layout of lights, coach area, and spectators area.
IT WAS TO SCALE!!!!!

Third Meet, SPAR at PMP (well that was the plan)

I got a call on the home voice mail from PMP informing me that the meet was not going to be held at PMP and was being moved to SPAR.
PMP's Pool Pump POOPED! Say that three times real fast!
Tammy Crabtree of SPAR got a call around 2:30 yesterday with the news that the PMP pool had a pump problem and they may not be able to hold the meet at their pool. Tammy and the others at SPAR started the planning part of a possible move of the venue. At 3:30 the word came that PMP's pump was dead and they needed to move the meet. SPAR went into action, setting up the pool and arranging concessions with a two hour notice!
It took many people to go from a travel meet to a home meet in two hours; it just shows the level of competence in SAIL. PMP supplied their workers as was set originally and handled the meet as if was still a home meet. Just at a different location! I have had this nightmare many times when I was a SAIL rep, but with help of parents and Coaches seems that nothing short of a thunderstorm can stop a SAIL meet.
This weeks ATTABOY goes to SPAR and PMP!
Fantastic job people!

Fourth Meet, Fox at SLF

Again I return to SLF, might as well join the pool!
I really came to see FOX this time, Kathryn Williams and Drew Laurens. A personal note, Kathryn is a collegiate swimmer with a 4.0 GPR! We have other collegiate swimmers that are in or have come through SAIL. With the demands of practices, study time, and very limited personal time, any passing grade is a major accomplishment. SAIL is so lucky to have people like this in our program; the dedication from these swimmers is passed on to all the swimmers and causes awe from adults like myself!
SLF's pool and Clerk of Course were run with the proficiency of a well oiled machine.
I kept hearing over and over that FOX and SLF just seem to love each other! They always have a great meet whether at FOX or SLF. Each team is full of qualified officials and supporting workers. Comments were made that they never have to worry about having enough people to hold a FOX/SLF meet, it just never enters into the equation.
They have swum each other each season for over 10 years.
One thing we may need to look at for FOX is some sort of SAIL apparel. Seems that Drew doesn't get paid enough to be able to purchase a pair of shorts that don't have a hole in the rear!
Gretchen Lentz, Erin Jamieson and the well tanned Megan Dailey were doing a great job, as usual.
One thing I noticed while talking to the Coaches from both teams, was the level of intensity of the swimmers. If you take a moment at a meet and actually watch a swimmer, other than you own child, swim a heat, look at the effort that they put into the swim.
As swimmers get older they start to think too much, do I feel well, have I practiced too much, do I just feel crappy? The young swimmers, like under 10, they don't think about stuff like that at all! They hit the water and go 110% period. I was watching the free relays last night and noticed that regardless of technique or ability, the swimmers were giving it all they had!
Just wish we could all keep that intensity inside of us everyday.
I lost mine, but I'm working on it with rehabilitation using the TV remote and the couch!
I hope to work on it a bunch this weekend!

Well one more meet before Divisionals.

Till next time.

Craig