SWIMMING {three}

"I swam the race like I trained to swim it. It is not mathematical. I just let my body do it. It is a lot easier if you let your body do what it is trained for." ~Ian Thorpe, Australian Olympic Swimmer

"Results" 

A mother helping his son find his results outside the pool facility

"Officials"

 Their job is to make sure all swimmers do what they're supposed to do.  They pass out DQ slips enough to make young swimmers' hearts sink.  Heartless? Far from it.  On the contrary, they make a better swimmer out of you!  You learn from your mistake and hopefully correct it during practice.

"Still"

The in-between time after the warm-ups and before the races.

"Heat/Lane"

Figuring out their own heat and lane helps them become responsible swimmers.  Less stress on parents.
 

"Caffeine"

If you have to wake up at 5 am to drive, sometimes more than an hour, to your destination you will need one of these shots to survive at least half of the day.

"On Your Mark!"

 

"GO!"

Actually it's a loud bullhorn buzzing, "GO!" 

"Rays"

Rays as in light pouring into the pool area after hours of fog.

And Rays as in Manta Rays.

"Waiting with My Shadow"

"All Warmed Up"

And all wet!

"Girls: 11-12 yo"

"100%"

"Practice is 90% physical, 10% mental...Meets are 10% physical, 90% mental."

"Backstroke"

"Streamline"

"Good Job!"

One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it. ~Knute Rockne

"GO! GO! GO!"

   

"Girls 8 & Under"

"Never ever too young to start" 

"Timing Device"

Every millisecond counts!

"Events of the day"

Writing their events with permanent markers on their arm/hands prompts swimmers what to swim next.

"Racing flags"

These flags prompt swimmers how far they are from finishing while doing their backstrokes

"Last minute coaching"

"Okay, remember everything you practiced. Streamline, 4 strokes..."

"Plunge!"

"Ready to Fly"

SWIMMING {two}: GIRLFRIENDS ON THE BLOCK!

Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust. ~Jesse Owens (4 time Gold Medalist in Track and Field at the 1936 Olympic Games)

After each game, I want to be able to say: I gave it all I could, I gave it my best. ~UnknownDaly City Dolphins vs. SFRP Manta Rays

I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as a good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100 percent. ~Sue Wicks
If you have a lane, you have a chance. ~Author Unknown

TEAM stands for:

Together Everyone Achieves More

The best teams have chemistry. They communicate with each other and they sacrifice personal glory for the common goal. ~Dave DeBusschere

Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it. ~Tom Landry

Teamwork means more “we” and less “me”. ~Unknown

SWIMMING {one}: H20

H20: 2 part WATER, 1 part OBSESSION

Seventy-five percent of our planet is water. Can YOU swim? ~Author Unknown

Swimming: From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it. ~Author Unknown

I believe that water is the only drink for a wise man.
~Henry David ThoreauCoaching is 90% attitude and 10% technique. ~Author Unknown 
It's been told that swimming is a wimp sport, but I don't see it. We don't get timeouts, in the middle of a race we can't stop and catch our breath, we can't roll on our stomachs and lie there, and we can't ask for a substitution. ~Author Unknown

It's not the hours you put in, it's what you put in the hours.

~Author Unknown