Weekly Update: Week of January 5th

Jackson Leonard

Weekly Update: Week of Jan 7, 2026

 

Weekly Character Value: Goal Oriented - Setting and striving for both individual and team goals.

 

“Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.” – Denis Waitley

 

Goal setting, as a skill, is taught and practiced in both sports and business settings. 

As a FAST team member, our coaches will teach the skills to identify appropriate goals, athletes learn how to break a goal into smaller, manageable mini-goals, and refine their goal-setting skills to match their unique learning style and motivation process. 

 

FAST coaches utilize S.M.A.R.T Goals as a way to help direct student-athletes to consider goals as multi-faceted. FAST coaches also complete S.M.A.R.T. Goal sheets for their own professional development! 

 

Specific

Goals should be clear and specific, answering the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why

- What exactly do you want to accomplish? Be specific

Measurable

Goals should have criteria for measuring progress and success.

- How can you measure your progress & know if you met your goal?

Achievable

Goals should be realistic and attainable, considering your resources and constraints.

- Are you able to meet this goal? Do you have the needed skills and support? Are you in control of deciding factors that may affect you achieving your goals?

Relevant

Goals should align with broader objectives (team, AG/SR) and be meaningful to you.

- How will meeting your goal impact you? How will your goal impact the team? Why is it important to you?

Time-Bound

Goals should have a deadline or time frame to create a sense of urgency.

- What is the due date of your goal?

 

What does a ‘goal oriented’ age group swimmer look like?

    Maybe your 8 year old is learning how to take care of their equipment and their personal belongings (at home/at school). An SMART goal for that athlete might be: bring all of my equipment down from the stands to the pool 3 out of 4 days each week for the month of January. 

    That goal: allows autonomy over a single task, allows the swimmer to make a mistake one day / be absent if required, sets a reasonable timeframe to try to build a habit. 

    The goal itself isn’t earth-shattering… nor does a goal need to be to be helpful. Having all of your equipment at practice makes completing the practice as designed easier. Completing the practice as designed more frequently will speed up learning and development. Faster learning and faster development? Faster racing!

 

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” - Lewis Carroll

 

 

Practice Adjustments: Week of Jan 3rd

  • Jan 2 - Jan 9 Schedule (including high school meet adjustments): Please check the appropriate Google Calendar from the Calendar drop down on the homepage of the website.

 

  • Saturday, January 10th: FAST Tri-Meet with TOPS/RIPTIDE

    • Arete: Saturday AM practice

      • 7:00 am: WUTS

      • 7:15 am: Practice

      • 9:00 am: Practice Ends

        • Snack, change, prepare mentally

      • 9:30 am: Meet Begins

 

  • All other groups: no practice before the meet.

    • Timelines, psych sheets, meet information, and our team itinerary for the morning can be found on our website. 

 

*Arete: This weekend’s meet is an excellent opportunity to experiment with your Prelim breakfast schedule/timing/food selection. 

** ALL ATHLETES: You can CLICK HERE for a simple explanation of timing out meals for race day.

    For more information like this, attend our ‘Nutrition Made Simple’ presentation at SCHEELS on January 26th at 6:00 p.m. More information below.

 

Practice Adjustments: Week of Jan 12th

  • Jan 12 - Jan 17 Schedule: 

    • We will have two more high school meet days on Tuesday and Thursday. Please check the appropriate Google Calendar from the Calendar drop down on the homepage of the website.

 

 

Upcoming Events:

  • FAST Private Lessons: monthly availability with multiple FAST coaches in January and February 2026 

    • To Sign-up: You must be logged-in to either the website or the app. Then click “Booking Registration” and complete steps.

  • Family Information Presentation: Nutrition Made Simple

    • Guest Speaker: Valor Elite Nutritionist

    • Location: SCHEELS, 2nd floor meeting room

    • Date: Monday, January 26th, 2026

    • Time: 6:00 -7:00 p.m.

    • All groups are welcome; the information is tailored to answer questions from swimmers who train to compete at swim meets. The information is helpful for anyone, though.

    • Practice this evening will likely be a unique combined practice day so athletes, family members, and coaches can attend.

 

Upcoming February Events: 

  • February 8, 2026

    • 10&Under Popcorn Variety Clinic- Racing Starts, DIFFERENT LEARNING PATTERNS

      • Sign up available now!

        • To Sign-up: You must be logged-in to either the website or the app. Then click Class Registration, find the class/clinic you would like then click add to cart and complete the steps.

  • February 8, 2026

    • AG&SR Clinic: (open to FAST and all Fort Collins high school swimmers)-

      • Championship Relay Exchanges & Race Quality Finishes

      • Why: A chance to refine those relay exchanges and finish details before Girls’ HS swimming & club SCY Championship season!

      • Sign up available now!

        • To Sign-up: You must be logged-in to either the website or the app. Then click Class Registration, find the class/clinic you would like then click add to cart and complete the steps.

 

These will be the last two clinics offered before the 2026 SCY Championship season. These clinics both offer opportunities for swimmers to refine their racing start skills and relay exchanges. 

 

-NEW SWIM MEET ADDED TO THE FAST COMPETITION SCHEDULE:

    -    Loveland Last Chance, February 13 - 15, 2026

             -     This meet will replace the FAST Last Chance meet

 

- NOTE: The February FAST Last Chance Swim Meet has been canceled and removed from the 2026 FAST competition schedule. 

 

  • Friday February 20 - Sunday February 22

    • CSI Senior State (Colorado Swimming Championship meet for all 14&Over swimmer)

      • @ DU

      • 14 & Over swimmers that meet the qual. times

  • Family Travel

  • Deadline to sign-up, tentative: January 26

  • Arete athletes: please sign up to race any events you will not race at Sectionals, plus relays

 

  • Friday February 27 - Sunday March 1

    • CSI 14&Under State (Colorado Swimming Championship meet for all 14&Under swimmers)

      • @ Arvada Aquatics Center

      • 14 & Under swimmers that meet the qual times

  • Family Travel

  • Deadline to sign-up, tentative: February 27

Upcoming March Events: 

  • Thursday March 12 - Sunday March 15

    • Speedo Sectionals (Zone Championship meet for all qualified swimmers)

      • @ West Fargo, ND (March 12 - 15)

      • @ Carmel, IN (March 26 - 29)

  • Must meet qual times

    • Type of Travel Meet: Team Travel

    • (Family Travel always an option)

  • Deadline to sign-up:

    • Saturday, Jan 10

      • New qualifiers can be entered

  • 2026 SCY - TEAM EVALUATIONS for new and returning swimmers to FAST

    • EVALUATION DATES:            NEW START DATES:

      • Jan 22, 2026            -   Feb 2, 2026

      • Feb 19, 2026                -   Mar 2, 2026

      • Mar 26, 2026                -    April 6, 2026

      • Apr 23, 2026                 -   May 4, 2026

    • If you have any questions regarding Team Evaluations, please contact Coach MacK.

 

  • SAVE THE DATE: 2025-2026 SCY TEAM CELEBRATION

    • April 12th, 2026: more information to come as we get closer

 

 

 

 

Group Adjustments: March 2026

At the end of the short course season and the end of the long course season, if appropriate, coaches will adjust a cohort of swimmers to new practice groups. During each “adjustment” period, there are questions asked to understand the decision process used in determining whether or not a swimmer should be moved to another group. The following is a rough outline of factors the coaches use when determining practice group “adjustments.”

  1. For a swimmer to advance to the next practice group, coaches want to see an athlete join the middle of the group, not just survive at the back of the lane. Coaches want to see your kids flourish; we want to give them intellectually appropriate instruction. We want their surrounding peer group to feel safe and familiar.  There is no “one, right way” to progress as a FAST swimmer; every FAST coach aims to make practice in every group safe, fun, and challenging. 

  2. For swimmers to be eligible for a group adjustment, they must have been swimming with the team in the two months prior to the evaluation period.

  3. Lane leadership experience in the current practice group is a key consideration in group adjustments.

  4. Swimmers attending the expected number of practice sessions for their group will be considered for adjustments.

  5. Swimmers consistently completing all practice sets on the prescribed intervals will be considered for adjustments.

  6. A swimmer’s behavior at practice is considered when determining adjustments. Swimmers listening skills, attentiveness, mature behavior, encouragement, sportsmanship, and intentionality during practice will be considered.

  7. A swimmer’s age will be considered. When possible, an attempt will be made to keep swimmers of similar ages in the same practice groups. Age is rarely the only reason coaches will adjust a swimmer. 

  8. A swimmer’s participation in FAST attended meets will be considered.

  9. A swimmer’s participation in qualifying meets such as Silver State, Senior State, LC State, and the 14&U Age Group Championships is also important for group focus and motivation.

To the athletes who remain in their current training group, consider another season with your current group as an opportunity to rise and grow as a leader and a teammate. Swimming is not like school in that just because a calendar year passes does not mean a student automatically advances to the next grade/group. We encourage all families to read this short article to help reframe any concerns with continuing to train in the same group next season.

FAST coaches will schedule group meeting times to discuss group adjustments in early March 2026.

Before Spring Break, emails will be sent to families confirming an athlete is:

  • Remaining in their current group

  • Moving into another group

For the last two weeks of March, swimmers may practice with their current group or their ‘new’ group. FAST admin will adjust swimmers’ Billing Groups and Roster Groups in TeamUnify before March 30th. Families will see new monthly charges, according to their new group placement, beginning April 1st.