Transcript Document

“How to be Awesome”
Competitive swimming is fun, exciting, healthy, demanding, difficult, relentless, rewarding, expensive, amazing, fulfilling,
and challenging. Succeeding in the sport of swimming requires speed, stamina, strength, skill, suppleness, hard work,
determination, tough mindedness, self-discipline, a supportive family, perseverance, and the ability to cooperate well
with others. The environment inside of the pool is special. We need to protect our environment of excellence. When we
arrive at the pool, we need to be better than we are outside the pool. We need to bring our “A game” every time we
walk in.
Simply put, in order for us to succeed we have to “be awesome.”
So, how do we “be awesome”? Here are some thoughts:
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Always treat others with dignity and respect
Be friendly, kind, and supportive of your fellow EKSC members, coaches, parents etc.
Arrive mentally and physically ready to do your best, day in and day out
Live a healthy life
Get your rest
Stay on top of schoolwork
Do a little extra to make yourself better
Excellent nutrition
Accept how hard competitive swimming is
Make no excuses
Pay attention to the details
Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable
Advocate Keyano at all times
Be positive and optimistic
Practice patience, persistence, and perseverance
Be adaptable, resilient, and learn to overcome adversity
Make your teammates better
Contribute daily
These are not easy things to do. These are hard, and take practice.
It is easy to get discouraged. It is easy to complain. It is easy to make excuses when things do not go your way. It is easy
to be negative. Remember, if competitive swimming was easy, everyone would be doing it. Swimming is hard. We will be
faced with challenges daily. Overcoming these challenges will make us better. Take on the responsibility to contribute to
the overall success of our team, and our swimmers individually. Take on the challenge of “being awesome.”
Our coaches, swimmers, parents, officials, board members, and staff all have to “be awesome” if we are going to succeed.
Our club is about excellence in competitive swimming. Our mission statement is “Swim to Win, Win at Life.” The skills
required to be successful at swimming are the same skills required to be successful in life. We value succeeding in both.
Every time we walk in the door of the pool we need to practice “being awesome”. Like anything else, “being awesome”
can become a habit if we practice it over time. Our goal is to have all of our swimmers, coaches, parents, staff members,
board members, and everyone who is a part of the Keyano family practicing “being awesome”. This is around 1000
people in total “being awesome” for the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club!
Good luck and Go Bears!
Sincerely,
Derrick Schoof
Keyano Head Coach and Director of Swimming
On Monday, November 12th, Dr Greg Wells, a
former high level competitive swimmer, world
renowned sport scientist and Olympic TV
personality walked 39 EKSC swimmers and their
coaches Derrick Schoof, Scott Wilson, and Chris
Nelson through a compelling session of self
discovery, motivation, and action plans for
personal and team high performance success.
His engaging blend of personal experience, heroic
success stories, multimedia, active participation
of all attendees, and focussed interaction created
a fantastic environment for enjoyable learning in
this 3 hour workshop.
His observation (gleamed especially from hours
and hours of observation at the Vancouver and
London Olympic Games) has been that all
successful athletes exhibit very specific and
similar behaviors. He stressed that they all did
the same things and that these were actions
that all athletes can learn.
Dr Wells taught the swimmers what top
performers do to achieve high performance
success when performing in the most stressful
competition environments such as an Olympic
Games. He described “The Zone” - the physical,
emotional and mental activation state that the
highest achievers are able to find for themselves
to maximize performance when it is needed
most. He described how the zone can be
different for different athletes and different types
of events, but most importantly, Dr Wells guided
Keyano athletes through the process of finding
what their individual zone would be and practice
methods to learn how to get there on demand.
• Research demonstrates that less than 10%
of athletes performed best times in Olympic
competition due to the effect of stress
hormones interfering with the performance
hormone expression required for ultimate
preparation.
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Swimmers were shown how to ACT
THINK FEEL in that sequence to help
create successful high level
performance characteristics. This will
overcome the tendency for stress to
define negative action behavior. Dr
Wells taught that the Act Think Feel
sequence can also be utilized during a
race in very specific ways
This was followed by a session of Goal
Setting, beginning with Dream Setting
(the ultimate achievement for each
athlete) and then specific goal setting
strategies to be worked on with
individual coaches. Emphasis was on
immediate goals achieving
specificity/measurability, timelines, in
positive statement formats. In other
words these goals should be seasonal,
attainable, specific and measurable.
One thing that was heard loud and clear was: DREAM
SETTING AND PUBLIC STATEMENTS OF BIG GOALS IS A
BOLD AND SOMETIMES SCARY EXPERIENCE. The
“average” person may have trouble accepting the
boldness of such statements and the dedication required
to achieve them. But average people do not do
exceptional things because to do exceptional things
requires courage, dedication, and specific high
performance behaviors. A team of athletes with
common goals and positive training habits can support
each individual’s dreams.
Swimmers were asked to state their personal specific
dreams out loud and to share them within this group of
like minded, supportive athletes and teammates.
A short discussion of how to achieve specific goals
through the use of TECHNICAL SKILL development,
POSITIVE ATTITUDE creation, and POSITIVE BEHAVIORS
followed. Technical Skill Development was demonstrated
by the example Ryan Lochte, who radically changed his
dry land program in the four years between the Beijing
and London Olympics to create specific strength patterns
that had been deficient in 2008.
Swimmers shared their specific technical goals
with the entire group.
So, in summary, Dream Goals require Seasonal
Goals which require positive Action Steps in
technical, attitudinal, and behavioral domains.
PERFORMING UNDER PRESSURE is a huge and
difficult topic and Dr Wells gave some insight into
how to interpret the body’s reaction to the stress
of the moment. Breathing and body awareness
exercises were performed by the entire group
and related to different competition situations.
An emphasis was placed on how teammates can
help each other be ready to perform. He
described the positive effect that Victor Davis had
on his teammates at key moments in big events
like the Olympics because of his huge belief and
amazing energy combined with his willingness to
share.
Dr Wells shared his personal story of recovery
from a broken neck and the effect it had on his
personal journey as a competitive swimmer. He
was told by doctors and other experts that he
would never compete as a swimmer again, nor
should he try. He set personal swimming goals
despite the “advice” and spent 14 months
preparing for the Olympic Trials. To support his
efforts he decided that he needed to live within a
perpetually positive environment and would not
tolerate negativity around him or from within
himself.
Thus were developed his personal Rules of
Positivism:
• NO COMPLAINING
• NO GRIEF - No bad mouthing, talking
behind people’s backs or displaying negative
attitudes directly to others.
• NO EXCUSES - Your performance is in your
hands. Eg If you are late it is your fault for
not getting your parents organized. If your
snack is not what you need, it is because
you didn’t prepare it correctly.
• He made the point that when things get
tough and we feel like saying, “I can’t” what
we are really saying is “I won’t.”
Lessons for FOCUS described strategies around
identifying pre-race distractions and how to deal
with them. The use of very specific CUE WORDS
was discussed. Cue words will create the ACTION
we desire in the race and can direct STRATEGIC,
EFFORT, TACTICAL, or TECHNICAL aspects of the
race. Pre-planned cue words can change
throughout the course of a swim and are often
different for each 50.
Dr Wells discussed STRESS and its effects on high
performance. He asked swimmers to provide
examples of what they find personally stressful.
They were then shown a simple method of
identifying controllable and non-controllable
stressors and coping strategies for each. For
example, a school test may be a stressor but it is
unavoidable. However, you can control is how
you prepare for the test. Study properly and
write a good exam. His advice... CONTROL THE
STRESSES YOU CAN CONTROL AND LET GO OF
THE STRESSES YOU CANNOT CONTROL.
Pre-race stress control require focus and
activation skills and breathing exercises to get
you to the Zone. The athlete must recognize
“What is your high performance zone?” and
“How do you get there on demand?”
It was recommended that the swimmers spend 3
½ minutes each day listening to a music passage
without letting the mind wander away from the
music (VERY DIFFICULT) as a means of developing
better concentration skills.
There was an excellent section on RECOVERY
AND REGENERATION. He described Michael
Phelps’ R and R management in Beijing where he
required 17 swims to win 8 gold medals as the
highest form of achievement. He managed his
energy through the perfect combination of rest
and nutrition and made history. According to Dr
Wells, “There were no mistakes!”
Swimmers who fail to manage Recovery and
Regeneration will burn out and suffer
substandard performances.
Dr Wells issued this challenge to our swimmers,
“HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO
RECOVER FASTER?”
He stressed the fact that high performance
swimmers are 24 HOUR ATHLETES and that while
balancing school, life, training, and competing
they must maintain healthy habits that allow for
excellence in all areas.
Every day starting from the moment the hand touches
the wall at the end of the main training set, there is a
sequence of requirements for Recovery and
Regeneration:
1.
HYDRATE
A key fact: For every 1% of
dehydration there is a 5% decrease in muscle
strength. There is also a decrease in brain
function.
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ACTIVE RECOVERY (Warm down)
3.
There is actually an ideal swim speed for lactate
recovery based on a swimmer’s best 100m time.
Swimming 19x50m at this perfect pace will
provide best recovery – either after workout or
between competition swims. The correct pace
will enable a complete blood infusion to all
muscles pump blood to all the muscles to flush
lactate but with no additional lactate production.
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EAT
Swimmers must eat within 30 minutes
post workout while the body tissues are still
receptive to nutrition. Post swim the ideal
ratio is 4:1 Carbohydrate to Protein. Post
weight room workouts the ratio is 1:2
Carbohydrate to Protein. This is because of the
different demands of sugar utilization in the
pool versus protein requirement in the gym.
Many of the swimmers were dismayed to hear
that the theory behind chocolate milk as a
post workout essential may be flawed due to
the high sugar content and hard to digest
proteins in the milk.
COLD TUBS Two periods of 5 minute cold tub
soaks have a regenerative effect on tired,
physically stressed bodies. This is very common
now in the world of track and field.
STRETCHING Stretching as activation is different
from stretching for recovery. Both are important.
The different styles were performed by the
swimmers under the direction of Dr Wells. Dr
Wells also strongly recommends Yoga to his
athletes.
Dr Wells discussed IMMUNITY with the swimmers. He
described how immune system nutrients can get shifted
to the muscles when they are under work stress. This is
particularly evident after travel, major meets, and
training camps, when there are the greatest demands on
the system.
SLEEP is a critical component of recovery and illness
prevention. Dr Wells recommended a minimum of 8
hours per night with as much consistency as possible for
bedtimes and wake times to maintain balanced circadian
rhythms. This will ensure that all 5 sleep phases are
completed.
He also recommended that we avoid screens (TV,
computers, smart phones,etc) for ½ hour before bed.
When the brain is stimulated by light it inhibits the
release of an important sleep hormone (melatonin).
Reading is a recommended pre-sleep activity.
Further, and to some disappointed groans, he also
reported that video games can be detrimental to
training, especially during taper and competition
periods. (THERE ARE ALWAYS SACRIFICES TO REACH
GOALS)
This excellent and challenging session was well received
by swimmers and coaches. The swimmers were actively
engaged and participated well. Dr Wells ended the
workshop with the following two thoughts:
INSPIRATION He has observed how athletes can push
themselves to incredible levels of effort and
performance. He has seen the best in the world
repeatedly push to “the absolute limit!” He has seen
how this inspires others to do the same. He challenged
our swimmers to push themselves
and inspire each other.
AGGREGATE OF 1% GAINS Dr Wells challenged our
swimmers with, “CAN YOU DO 1% BETTER EVERY DAY
OVER THE COURSE OF AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME?”
IF YOU CAN THE RESULTS WILL BE INCREDIBLE!
Recommended reading:
Wells, PhD
Effective Teens
Superbodies
Dr Greg
The 7 Habits of Highly
Sean Covey
Salute to Excellence
Edmonton Keyano Swimmers were recognized at the City of Edmonton's Salute to Excellence for their gold medal
performances last season at a National level competition.
Winners were:
Rachel Maradyn, Stuart Lau, Ryder McGinnis, Sophia Saroukian, Karah Folk, Kier Maitland, and Richard Funk.
Congratulations Bears!
Important Notes
from Colleen
• Geomeer Project – Donations for Families due December 5th to
the Keyano Office
• Bear Cubs Session #2 begins the week of January 7th,
2013
• Keyano Christmas Party – December 16th at WEM
Waterpark. Tickets only $21.95pp contact Sherri Zimmermann at
[email protected] for more info or to reserve your ticket now!
Congratulation to the Swimmers of the
Month for October!
Bonnie Doon Pool - Kathleen Hayward, GOLD; Kier Przyswitt, SILVER;
Molly Aikema, BRONZE
Confederation Pool – Cassandra Mastel Marr, GOLD;
Yolanda Vizitiu, SILVER; Alexander Guo, BRONZE
Royal Glenora Pool – Conor O’Croinin, GOLD; Brody Yez,
SILVER; Kiera O’Croinin, BRONZE
Jasper Place Pool – Tyra Bergot, GOLD; Emily Nelson, SILVER;
Kole Graham, BRONZE
Terwillegar Pool – Sarah Chomey, GOLD; Ava Contardi, SILVER;
Megan Garbutt, BRONZE
Kinsmen Pool – Matthew Reeves, YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP; Kaitlyn Fuller,
PROVINCIAL
Satellite Pool Updates
Royal Glenora Club Pool:
The Keyano program at the Royal Glenora Club continues
to be strong. Our great team of athletes, coaches and
Master swimmers are excited to train each day!
The coaches are busy preparing the athletes for the
competitions before the Christmas break.
World Class Triathlete and Olympian, Paula Findlay, will
be speaking to the athletes on Nov. 22. This will be a
great opportunity for the athletes to hear her inspiring
story of training and her journey to the Olympic Games!
Satellite Pool Updates
Terwilliger Pool
As parents we have been excited to see the improvements in our
swimmers and glad to see the coaches using media to assist the
swimmers with their strokes. Feedback from the swimmers is
this really helped them understand what they were doing and
specific ways they can improve their stroke.
Please note that a winter social coffee/tea will be coming up in
December during practise time as a opportunity for parents to
connect with each other. Details will be announced early
December.