Dolphin Swim Club Newsletter

October, 2006

Important Dates:

Oct. 10 – Mesa Parent Signup Due!

Oct. 9 - Board Meeting

Oct. 15 – No Sunday Practice

Oct. 16, 17 - Updated Practice Times!!

Oct. 28 Highway Cleanup!!

Welcome New Dolphin Swimmers!!

Casey Bornschein 12

Hanna Galvin 9

Kassandra Hedgecock 12

Chaerin Kang 9

Juan Matthews 11

Meiko Nugent 9

Steven Porter 10

October Bingo Schedule

Oct. 3 Leonhart

Oct. 10 Deters

Oct. 17 Wood

Oct. 24 Olson

Oct. 31 Kelly

September Birthdays!!

Deters, Jessica R 12 10/3

Johnson, Matthew W 11 10/18

Matthews, Carlos 11 10/1

McGuire, Kelston 6 10/26

October 2006

From our Head Coach – Dale Leonhart

Hi Dolphins!

Our Fall session is up and running! Swim School is going well with Amber and Annie doing great work with our young learners! Our groups are adjusting to the training schedule, although, I would like to see more older swimmers in the water.

PRACTICE CHANGE!!!

October 16: Gold/Platinum 3 – 5 p.m.

Bronze normal 5 – 6 p.m.

October 17: Gold/Platinum 3 – 5 p.m.

Silver 5 – 6 p.m.

No night practices for these two nights!

OUR FIRST MEET

Our first meet of this short course season is at Montrose on Saturday and Sunday, 4 & 5 November. This is only one month away!!! Check out the meet info and the schedule of events; pick 2 races of your choice each day, and in addition, sign up for the IM and the longest freestyle race each day. Talk with your Coach for help picking races.

TEXAS TRIP

The Texas A&M Aggieland Invite for 13&Over swimmers is the first weekend of January, 5-7 Jan 2007. Remember that you need 75 practices to be eligible for this meet. (Check the calendar and count the number of days between now and then.) You want to be sure that you give yourself enough practices to be eligible for this fast, fast meet, if you intend to go. Cost will be about $600.

RESISTANCE TRAINER

I need a Dad (or two?) to provide a drill with a cement bit to put two holes in the deck at Mesa State so we can mount our resistance trainer at the end of lane #6. This will take about 15 minutes, and then we will be up and operational!

MASTERS SWIMMING NEWS

ALCATRAZ SWIM

John Wolcott and John Smith swam the “Escape From Alcatraz” swim a few weeks ago; they had a great weekend and encourage other Dolphins to consider going to this fun event next year!

HORSETOOTH RESERVOUR 10 K SWIM

Tamera Minnic and Ray Jensen swam this race at the end of August and had a great time. Both of these Masters swimmers would like to encourage others to try this race!

IRONMAN / KONA, HAWAII

Kevin Koch is leaving in two weeks to compete in this tough endurance event. Good Luck, Kevin!

BINGO

Bingo is up and running! We had a good first month and are starting to build a steady clientele. Numbers are increasing and we are making money! Thanks to all of the parents and swimmers who are helping with this fund raising project.

SENIOR SWIMMER FUND RAISER

Marie DePuey and Sam Leonhart are organizing some Fall Clean-up Teams to raise funds for on-deck storage lockers at Mesa State Pool. They will be contacting swimmers to help rake leaves, etc. The goal is $1000. The idea is for each team to contract about 5-10 jobs apiece. The base price will be $25/lawn, however, each job will be negotiable with the client. Teams will clean up on Saturday mornings during the “month” of last October and early November. Plan to be a part of this activity!!!

TRAINING AND NUTRITION

In this day and age, it seems that our society is looking for the quick fix (and most convenient) way to training and nutrition. Being “old school”, I do not think there are any short cuts to good health and fitness. I believe that we have to eat right every day and train regularly to become fit and healthy.

Developing good eating habits begins at an early age; fast foods and junk foods (convenience, again) are OK once in awhile, however, a steady diet of these foods will compromise health and training. Taking the time to prepare and eat nutritious well-balanced meals and supplementing these with wise snack choices will enhance your training and promote better holistic health.

Good athletes enjoy an optimum power-to-weight ratio that enables them to perform at their highest level. A good way to achieve this PTW ratio is to make smart food choices and train regularly. When training, it is best to eat less at any one time but eat more often: a good snack right after practice is a great habit to develop. (Immediately after a workout, your body is keyed to assimilate replacement carbs, fats, electrolytes, etc. that were depleted during your training bout.) You have about a 20 minute window for taking advantage of this post-training effect. Start packing a Balance Bar, a piece of fruit, or a sports drink (with no more than 6% sugar) in your swim bag; eat/drink it after your practice!!!

And while I’m on this ‘soap box’, stay hydrated! Muscles can not work efficiently unless they are hydrated. Water is great; a Sports Drink (with no more than 6% sugar) is possibly better since it likely contains electrolytes in addition to water. ((If your favorite sports drink has more than 6% sugar, dilute it!!! Higher sugar concentrations (above 6%) are not assimilated as quickly.

If you have questions, talk with your family physician, consult a dietician, and your Coach.

OUR MEETS (ONES WE HOST)

Snowflake: this meet will be Sat and Sun, 27 & 28 January, 2007.

Grand Junction Invite-: we will host this meet the last weekend of June, 28-30 June and 1 July, 2007.

Mark these dates on your calendars!

From Board President - Brett Walton

This month we are focusing on increasing fundraising dollars! The following projects are underway. If you have ideas, please attend a board meeting!

Bingo: This has been a successful venture so far! Thank you to all who are participating. Please remember to check the bingo teams and schedule on the website (www.grandjunctiondolphins.com), and arrive promptly at 5:30 with a smile!! If you are not on a bingo team, send an email to Carrie Walton or call her at 241-2333.

Corporate Sponsorships: The board is working on materials to market to local businesses for their financial support. Sponsorship dollars may be designated for scholarships, equipment, etc. If you have experience in marketing or would like to participate in this fundraiser, please contact me.

Grants: The board is going to be working with grant writers to obtain grants for our non-profit youth program.

The Dolphins sponsor a section of highway between Loma and I-70 for cleanup. This fall’s cleanup is scheduled for Oct. 28. We will meet at the Fruita City Market at 9 a.m. It takes about 2 hours and afterwards we’ll meet for breakfast. Please participate!

All swimmers and families are welcome at Board meetings. The Board meets on the second Tuesday of each month at Bray & Co. Real Estate.

There is an open position on the city of Grand Junction Recreation Board. This would be a great opportunity for input for youth swimming. The deadline for application is Oct. 11. Please call 244-1500 x 208.

Thank you for your commitment to Dolphin swimming!

Notices:

Calling all knitters! I’d like to organize a knitted blanket to auction at the Grand Junction Invite next summer. A block pattern would allow participation by many knitters. If you’d like to participate, please contact Carrie Walton at cwalton41@bresnan.net or 241-2333.

Reminder: If you haven’t registered your swimmer with USA Swimming for 2007, there are forms at the pool. These are due by Nov. 15 to allow for processing and submission to CSI.

Mesa State College has opened it’s facility to Dolphin parents. You must register with USA Swimming as a non-Athlete. The cost for the last half of this semester is $52. The fee for registration is $53. The forms are at the pool. Place the completed form and a check for $105 in the envelope on the bulletin board labeled “Mesa”. THESE ARE DUE BY OCT. 10!