Weekly Update: Week of Oct. 13

Jackson Leonard

Huntsman World Senior Games

At the Huntsman World Senior Games last week, FAST swimmers competed and two athletes set pending State records in Short Course Meters!

 

Congratulations to:

Christy Coughlin         W 60-64     100 IM

Patty Gaynor          W 65-69    50 back and 50 breast

 

Scary FAST : Congratulations Competitors!

Fresh off a weekend of racing, FAST swimmers are back in the water and learning from the racing experience at our home-hosted Scary FAST swim meet. Thank you to all the family volunteers who signed up well in advance of our team support deadline, thank you to our volunteer officials who helped ensure our meet met USA Swimming standards and led an organized event, and thank you to the coaches and athletes who brought high-energy, positivity, and growth mindsets to the meet!

 

I was asked several times over the course of the weekend, “What did you think of the meet?” It’s taken a few days of thought to formulate my impression and commit my thoughts to share with you all. I think it’s important to share coaches’ perspectives and expectations for swim meets to make sure our collective approach to development is aligned. 

 

Swimming, as a sport and boiled down to the most basic tenant, is ‘can you swim in water from this point to that point faster than you have before?’ We add competition against others to find out who can move through water the fastest. We use practice time to help swimmers develop the skills, technique, and physical capacity to swim more, swim faster, and be stronger. 

 

Unique to FAST is our focus on character first; we use the sport to develop the personal skills to apply swim training & racing concepts to other areas of young people’s lives. 

 

What does that have to do with swim meets? 

Swim meets are supposed to be FUN! Meets are a chance to see:

  • “Did the time I spent practicing help me improve?”

  • “Can I race (specific event) faster or better than last time?”

  • “Can I push myself to swim even faster by racing someone of a similar speed?”

There are hundreds of ways we look for and judge improvement and growth at a meet… and your child’s lifetime best time is only one metric. 

 

Back to the question of, “What did I think of our Scary FAST meet?”

Personally, as a newcomer to FAST, I was impressed by:

  • The professionalism of our volunteer officials

  • The well-run volunteer positions that enabled FAST coaches to focus solely on the swimming

  • The attention of our FAST athletes, their improvement with regards to cheering, warming up, loosening down, and staying engaged in their session

  • The sportsmanship and character values already discussed put into action

  • The application of streamlines, underwater kicking, proper habits around turns and walls, and ‘FAST Finishes’ (no breath from a predetermined point). 

  • Coaching engagement with all swimmers

  • Positive parent/family interactions around performances and effort

    • Praising effort and not times/talent; redirecting swimmers to coaches for feedback

  • Team meet culture: cheers, attire, caps, etc.

 

“What about best times, Coach? You said that’s the point of the sport…”

Of course we want swimmers to race best times!! Post-meet data show that we raced to a team average of 78% lifetime best times; way to go!

 

I’ve yet to meet a single swimmer who races lifetime best times every single time they race, though. Knowing that lifetime best times aren’t guaranteed, we choose to focus on the process of swimming fast. By identifying what helps us swim faster, we can use every racing opportunity as a way to learn how to self-regulate, adjust warm ups, tinker with our mindset, build confidence by accomplishing new details, implementing new race plans, and more. 

 

We live between two thoughts:

“Progress takes time,” & “If you have a lane, you have a chance!”

It’s possible to understand both concepts and hold both in our minds at the same time. 

Progress will happen differently for every single athlete on our team. We are here to help swimmers work through that individual process. But, every time we have a chance to race- let’s maximize that opportunity! Get up, race with heart and conviction gained from intentional practice. 

 

I’m excited for our next racing opportunity and hope you are, too.

 

FAST Corporate Sponsorship Program, Partnerships, & Philanthropic Giving:

 

Call for Action!

As many know, Fort Collins Area Swim Team (FAST) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with club membership composed of parents and guardians of FAST swimmers. We provide opportunities for physical, social, and emotional development and teach the values of goal setting, discipline, and fitness.

 

Fort Collins Area Swim Team is committed to providing the premier instructional and training experience for our athletes. The FAST Team Sponsorship Program, Partnership Program, and Donation arms of our organization aims to connect with local businesses and individuals to gather supplemental services, funds, experiences, cooperative benefits for the enrichment of the FAST team experience.

 

We have a unique opportunity to be recognized by SCHEELS for our commitment to furthering our Mission of “World Class Character Through Excellence in Swimming”! SCHEELS is donating $5,000 to 20 different non-profit organizations in Colorado. Organizations can be nominated by individuals (one nomination per person) and the more nominations submitted on our behalf, our chances of being selected improve! 

 

We need your help! 

Please submit a nomination for “Fort Collins Area Swim Team (FAST)” and share this link with friends, family members, and social media followers before this Sunday, 10/19.

 

Register to Win | SCHEELS.com

 

Corporate Sponsorship Program:

As we continue to identify ways we can continue to enrich the FAST team experience, the impact of corporate sponsorships grows! To facilitate corporate sponsorship agreements, we have updated our Sponsorship Program information and submission form. 

 

If you own a small business in Ft. Collins…

If you work for an organization that values character development & community…

If you are connected with local business owners looking to expand their community connection…

 

Please peruse our FAST Sponsorship Program and share the submission form!

 

Partnerships:

What a treat it was to have hospitality provided by the Mactavish and Sisemore families, who generously provided hospitality for officials and coaches, as well as drinks and refreshments for volunteers on the pool deck. Judging by the speed at which food went flying out the window, families enjoyed Pig Pickin’ BBQ served by Justin Sellers at our Scary FAST meet, too! Thank you to all for adding to the Scary FAST meet experience!

 

We look forward to future home-hosted meets with a rotation of food trucks providing a variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. It feels good to connect our spectators and community members at our home swim meets with local entrepreneurs and food truck options; we want to continue to build those community bonds!

 

As not every business is ready to commit to a year-long sponsorship, FAST recognizes it may make more sense to connect with local businesses & instructors to offer one-time or intermittent services, products, and opportunities. Partnerships with FAST create opportunities for businesses or content experts to share their contributions with the team and gain exposure to our fantastic membership. 

 

Former partnerships that have benefitted athletes and staff:

  • Food truck businesses; restauranters

  • Nutritionists, dieticians

  • Certified yoga instructors; sport psychologists

  • Professionals with swimming backgrounds willing to share their journey

  • Swimming-specific training equipment manufacturers

 

If you know someone who would be interested in partnering with FAST to enhance our team’s swimming experience, via physical donations, time commitments, experience-sharing, or small group instruction/education- please share the FAST Partnership packet and application form with them!

 

Donations and Philanthropic Giving:

 

We are careful to approach each season with fiscal responsibility in mind; we want to maximize all tools, space, knowledge, and opportunities available to us. With the generosity of benefactors though, donations and philanthropic giving immediately enhances our program’s resources and accelerates our progress- as individuals and as a team. 

There are a variety of tools, resources, and experiences we want to provide our athletes. When a family member or someone you know donates to FAST, they can direct their donation to specific capital projects and ‘wish-list’ items/experiences. 

 

Learn about what capital projects are on our list by visiting our “Support The Team” tab on our website. Choose to donate with acknowledgement, or keep your gift anonymous; we THANK YOU either way! Your generosity is helping us share our love and passion for developing champions in life. 

 

Mayoral Race: Heads Up:

The mayoral race is underway, and we strongly encourage you to do your homework.

The Southeast Community Center (SECC)—a project featuring a new pool, gym, meeting rooms, and a Poudre Library—was voter-approved not once, but twice. The community is still waiting for this established priority to be completed.

Some candidates have expressed opposition to the SECC, which is concerning. The SECC represents an equitable investment and accessible public space that residents have already valued and approved.

A mayor who does not support city-wide recreation and infrastructure growth could risk not only the SECC but also the existing pools, gyms, and community spaces we all rely on.

Accountability in action - We should all want to see our community leadership follow through on voter-approved projects and honor community commitments.

Action Steps:

  1. Learn about the candidates.

  2. Ask where they stand on voter-approved projects like the SECC.

  3. Vote with clarity.

Fort Collins deserves leaders who respect the community's voice and commitment to growth.

For more information please see: https://ourcity.fcgov.com/secc
 

 

Character Value of the Week:

 

WORK ETHIC - Putting in the effort and dedication required to improve.

“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” 

- Dan Gable

 

FAST coaches will begin discussing what a healthy and determined work ethic looks like at various stages of physical and emotional growth for our team members. Building a healthy work ethic in the youngest members of our community is vital for continued success - on our team, in our city, and as a member of our collective society. 

 

I’ve specifically asked coaches to avoid discussing work ethic in one particular way, though. We will not be connecting work ethic to: 

  •  The demand for a strong work ethic in the workforce.

    • Why? These are kids! They don’t need to stress about working hard now to be able to work hard at a professional job or ‘real life’ in the future. Building workers for the future isn’t our purpose; and what is ‘real life’? Swimming, school, and your kids’ personal lives are very real to them right now!

Instead, our coaches will emphasize the joy, pride, and sense of accomplishment that comes from a healthy work ethic in and of itself- we don’t need to make work ethic a drag and something that helps pay bills and do mundane things. Doing the mundane things at a higher level and finding greater purpose and satisfaction in a job well done is reward enough! As a man much smarter than me once said, 

“ Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is a chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

President Teddy Roosevelt    

 

If you’d like to contribute to the conversations around work ethic with your child, we encourage you to remind them before practice:

  • Listen (not just ‘hear’) to instruction and feedback

  • Give your best effort.

That simple messaging from our FAST families will serve your kids well.

 

Upcoming Events:

   

 

Meets & Deadlines:

    PPA FINALS-

  •  Family Commitment deadline: 10/23

    • If you cannot attend, please help us by ‘Declining’

  • UPDATED: Meet information is now available on our website

    CUDA PENTATHLON

  • Family Commitment deadline:  11/3

    • If you cannot attend, please help us by ‘Declining’

 

Yoga for FAST Families: Saturday, Oct. 18th

This Saturday, October 18th, Maddie Sumkin (certified 300h yoga instructor) will offer a “Yoga for FAST Families” during Saturday morning practice. If you are hanging out at EPIC while your children are at practice, you are welcome to join Maddie for 45 minutes of yoga from 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. on the lawn.

 

Attendance is, of course, voluntary and no sign up or payment is required. We simply want to provide some movement options for those who are in the building during practice! Maddie will meet any interested family members on the dryland field (weather permitting). If temperatures aren’t conducive to yoga in the morning, we will move inside to the classroom.

 

FAST- 10 & Under ‘Popcorn’ Variety Clinic

When: Sunday, November 2nd; 9:00 - 11:00 a.m

Where: EPIC

Who: 10&Under swimmers 

What: An age-appropriate teaching clinic, designed to hold the attention of our youngest swimmers and swimmers newest to the sport. We’ll have dedicated ‘water time’ where we will review drills, practice concepts, and spend more time on specific swimming skills than we can usually allot during practice hours. 

Topics / Blocks:

Racing Starts                                                               9:00 - 9:15 a.m.

Underwater (UW) Skills + Butterfly Breakouts         9:20 - 9:35 a.m.

UW Skills + Backstroke ‘Reach-n-Roll’                    9:40 - 9:55 a.m.

Breaststroke Pulldowns & Open Turns                      10:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Freestyle Flipturn & Speedy Breakouts                     10:20 - 10:35 a.m.

Championship Relay Exchanges & Finishes            10:40 - 10:55 a.m.

Each topic/block is broken into:

4 minutes of teaching, discussion, video

6 minutes of drills, skills, movement

5 minutes of ‘practice at speed’

  • Cost: $100, charged to monthly invoices

  • Includes: popcorn snack, frisbee, water bottle, and coupon for free Ferris Wheel ride at SCHEELS

  •  

Will there be future 10&Under Clinics if we can’t make this one? 

Yes! We’ll offer 10&Under Clinics every few months and cover a variety of skills

 

Why is the clinic broken up into different segments? 

To keep the attention of novice swimmers! We’ll break every 20 minutes for time to check in with family, use the restroom, and relax. Swimmers and families will select 3 or 4 of the 6 blocks to participate in. Swimmers can sit in a controlled space to listen to the information in the blocks they don’t participate in, or they can sit with their family members for a quick break.

 

What do we need to bring?

Cap, goggles, swim gear, two towels (one to sit on, one to dry off with), warm clothes, athletic shoes, a water bottle, and a healthy snack. We will provide each attendee with a bag of popcorn and a ‘goodie bag.’ 

 

How do I register? Log in to your TeamUnify account. Under “Classes,” you’ll find our registration page. Your account will be billed. If you encounter any technological issues, please reach out to our Bookkeeper ([email protected]) 

 

Swimming in College: Informational Talk

Where: EPIC classroom

When: Dec. 2nd, 6:00 -7:00 p.m.

Who: All interested families & athletes

   Guest Speaker: Coach Chris "Woody" Woodard

   Virtual Panel: Olivia Asay (current University of Iowa Hawkeye varsity senior)

Katie Rogers (former Southern Sectional level swimmer; former UVA club swimmer)

Join Coach Jackson and Coach Woody, with CSU Women's Swimming, to hear helpful information about applying and possibly swimming in College. Parents, guardians and swimmers are encouraged to attend even if you may not continue swimming in college. Topics may include but not limited to touch on recruiting timeline, NCAA rules, financial aid, how to contact a college coach, and other helpful information.

To submit questions ahead of the meeting, please use the linked Google Form:

QUESTION SUBMISSION

 

Administrative Reminders:

King Soopers Rewards:

For families who shop at King Soopers, did you know you can contribute back to FAST simply by purchasing your groceries at King Soopers? As a non-profit organization, FAST has coordinated with King Soopers so that a percentage of quarterly purchases are routed back to the team. Enroll for free by logging into your King Soopers account profile, select “Community Rewards,” search for the organization: “Fort Collins Area Swim Team” or use organization number “YW961”. That’s it!