ELITE NEWS BULLETIN               09-11-06

 

ELITE WELCOMES NEW SWIMMERS FROM

LAST WEEK’S MAKE-UP TRYOUTS:

 

            As a result of last week’s Make-Up Tryouts, Elite has added 11 new swimmers to its Winter 2006-07 Roster. The quality of the swimmers at the Make-Up Tryouts was truly oustanding.

 

Coupled with the July 24 tryouts in which Elite took 33 swimmers, the 44 new swimmers will account for approximately ¼ of the team this year. And these new swimmers will also significantly increase Elite’s talent pool to help assemble the strongest team in Elite’s history for this coming season.

 

            The swimmers and the coaches of Elite welcome the following 44 swimmers (both tryouts) into the fold and look forward to working these these swimmers:

 

            Wave Blacks:    Laura Culiuc, Matt Lemons, Daniel Muro, Evan O’Hara,

                                       Sydney Todd

            Wave Teals:      Nicole Blum, Jonny Crowther, Jeffrey Dong, Juliet Felson,

                                       Victoria Fetner, Rachel Greene, Kara Miller-Radest, Caroline

                                       Nash, Rachel Torrorella & Richard Yu

            Marlin Blacks:   Alexandra Burkard, Emilie Ferguson, Payton Hakes, Scott

                                        Harris, Sarah Kleppe, Jared Kovacs, Clark LaRaia, Isabel

                                        LaRaia, Megan McEvoy, Katie McGrath, Killian O’Gorman,

                                       Nicholas Pachiolo & James Sullivan

            Marlin Teals:     Megan Balbo, Brielle Barba, Abbie Bigham, Kayla Burakovsky,

                                        John Burkard, Elizabeth D’Altrui, Anna Elston, Erika Fresen,

                                        Joe Gleason, Alyssa Hartigan, Brandon Li, Sarah Lowe,

                                        Matthew Miggliozzi, Colin Miller-Radest, Spencer Todd &

                                        Emily Torre

 

SENIORS “ASU” DEPOSITS DUE THIS FRIDAY (9-15):

 

            Seniors and Senior Parents are reminded that the $500 deposit for the Winter Training Trip to Arizona State University (Dec 26 thru Jan 2) is due this Friday, September 15. The deposit will reserve a non-refundable round trip ticket.

 

            Parents are reminded that 1) frequent flyer miles can be used for your swimmer (parent must talk to Bill regarding this issue this week) 2) frequent flyer miles can be accumulated (Continental) but must be done at reservation time (parent must talk to Bill regarding this issue this week) and 3) Any parents planning on traveling as part of the team and wanting a ticket reserved needs to include a separate $500 deposit for their ticket.

 

SCHOLAR/ATHLETE AWARDS WILL BE HIGHLIGHT OF AWARDS BANQUET:

 

          Swimmers are reminded that the ultimate award an Elite swimmer can earn at the season ending Awards Banquet (Sunday, March 25, 2007) will once again be the Elite Scholar-Athlete Awards. Great grades, in addition to great swim times, are required for a swimmer to earn one of these awards.

 

            These awards will be broken down into three levels:

 

1) All-American Scholar Athlete Award: Swimmer must have a 3.5 grade average and at least 1 Sectional Qualifying time. This award is actually a USA Swimming Award and will be presented by New Jersey Swimming. Elite will also provide a certificate to those swimmers who have qualified for this award.

 

2) The Elite Scholar-Athlete Gold Award: A swimmer must have all A’s and no more than 1 B (or the equivalent of all A’s and 1 B) plus at least 1 individual Junior Olympic QualifyTime

 

3) The Elite Scholar-Athlete Teal Award: Swimmer must have all A’s and B’s (of the equivalent) plus at least 1 individual Silver Qualfying Time

 

In addition to each swimmer receiving an impressive certificate from Elite acknowledging this achievement, from this season forward Elite will post the names of its scholar athletes on its website-forever acknowledging its most special scholar-athletes. 

 

Parents will be requested to provide the scholastic information in early March, 2007.

 

TIME TRIALS TO SOLVE “HAPPY” PROBLEM:

 

            The coaches believe the swimmers at Elite have a “happy” problem and the coaches plan to fix it: to find out just how much faster the Wavebuster swimmers are since their last SCY (25 yard) times were recorded last March. To solve this “happy” problem, Elite will be holding a time trial meet at Newark Academy on Saturday morning, September 23 for Wavebuster level swimmers only.

 

            Returning Elite swimmers are well aware that Elite is extremely diligent in using only established times in its entry process for NJ Sanctioned meets. Elite does not use “guestimate” times for entries unless the meet is a Bronze level (no bottom cut times) nor does Elite use “conversion times” (attempting to translate Long Course Meter times-50 meter pool times- into SCY times). By holding steadfastly to this practice, Elite swimmers who have improved since last March (quite possibly a large number because of the hard training many Elite swimmers put in this past spring and summer), this swimmers would be incorrectly entered into the Hall-O-Ween Meet (Bronze level meet) in late October rather than Fall Festival (Silver level meet) meet, which is the higher level meet.

 

            To fix this “happy” problem, Elite will hold a Times Trial Meet on Saturday, September 23 from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm for swimmers in the Wavebuster Gold, Wavebuster Black and Wavebuster Teal training groups only (swimmers affected by this situation).

 

            Since the Time Trials meet will be run just like Elite’s Dual/Intraclub Meet, parents will be needed to help time and officiate. Please volunteer to help out!!

 

         Any swimmer who has a conflict with the Time Trials should speak to Leighann or Bill (so an alternative way of collecting times can be coordinated).

 

SUMMER “20”: PARENTS NEED TO GET INFO TO BILL:

 

            Last spring, the Elite coaches challenged swimmers in the Wavebuster Teal, Marlin Black and Marlin Teal training groups to add Elite swim practices to their summer regiment. Five workouts for each of these training groups plus a calendar. Swimmers were challenged to do 20 workouts during the summer and parents were requested to keep tabs of these workouts on the calendar.

 

            Parents of the “stud” swimmers who met the challenge and completed a minimum of 20 of these workouts are requested to get the calendar to Bill (by email or place it in Bill’s mailbox) so that Elite can organize and present the earned rewards. This needs to be done by Friday, Sept 22 (end of the 1st week of practice for these training groups).

           

SCHEDULE CHANGE FOR WAVE BLACKS AND WAVE GOLDS; WB: DRYLANDS & WG:YOGA:

 

            In Elite’s continual effort to provide the best possible training for our swimmers, the master schedule has been slightly altered with regards to the Wave Golds and the Wave Black training groups.

 

With regards to the Wave Blacks, Elite will add dryland training to the group’s weekly regiment (adding 30 minutes of stretching and shoulder muscle/rotator cuff development). 

 

With regards to the Wave Golds, Elite will add Yoga Training on Thursday nights, led by Fran Scarlessa of Bank Street Yoga (Summit).

 

The master schedule for the remaining groups is identical to last spring’s schedule. Wave Blacks are reminded that their Saturday morning (9:30 am-11:00 am) practice will be moved to Saturday afternoon (2:30 pm-4:00 pm) starting in mid November. 

 

ELITE TO “START” RACING SEASON WITH CLINIC:

 

            Dean Hutchinson, Assistant Coach at Rider University, will conduct a 4 hour clinic on starts on Saturday, Oct 14 from 2 pm to 6 pm at Morristown-Beard School.

 

            Hutchinson, who attended Auburn University and was ranked 8th in the world in 1994 in the 50 meter freestyle, is a starts expert. Along with providing clinics nationwide, Hutchinson has worked with Pieter von den Hoogenband, an Olympian Gold Medalist from Holland.

 

The clinic will only be open to Elite swimmers. There will be a cost to the clinic and the clinic will be limited. More details to follow!! Mark your calendar! 

 

REGISTRATION FORMS DUE (AS SOON AS POSSIBLE):

 

            On the first day of practice, each Elite swimmer will be presented with a folder containing information regarding the 2006-07 Winter Season.

 

Within each swimmer’s folder are: 1) an Elite Membership form (last year’s form if you are returning 2) 2 Emergency Contact Forms (1 for each pool) 3) an Elite Code of Conduct form and 4) if you were a member of another USA Swim Club last season, a Transfer Form.

 

It is critical that these forms be returned to Bill’s mailbox as soon as possible so that each Elite swimmer is registered (and thus insured). 

 

PARKING AN ISSUE AT NEWARK ACADEMY:

 

            There is a distinct shortage of parking spaces at Newark Academy, especially on weekdays between 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm. Parents are welcome to “drop off” or “pick-up” their swimmers by the field house entrance during this time period if the driver remains in the car. If a parent is coming into the building, they are requested to park in the “upper” lot and walk thru the school to reach the pool.

 

            Please remember to drive slowly thru the parking lots and do not park in the fire lanes, as the Livingston Police will ticket improperly parked cars.

 

PRACTICE SUIT, ACCESSORIES SALE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1ST:

 

            Elite will hold a “Swimming Accessories Sale” Sunday, Oct 1) at Morristown-Beard from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. The sale will have two components.

 

Component #1 will have Donna Kay of Swimming, Etc. selling all swimming related items from fins, goggles, practice suits, practice racing caps, pull buoys, flip-flops, and paddles. Credit cards can be used to purchase these items. All Elite swimmers need fins while all Wave Blacks, Wave Golds, Seniors Preps and Seniors need pull buoys. Payment will made directly to Swimming Etc and credit cards can be used.

 

Component # 2 will have Elite selling excess inventory of “Elite Apparel” such as Elite racing caps, last year’s t-shirts, last year’s towels and sweatpants.  Checks or cash can be used to purchase the Elite Apparel.

 

Please remember that all Elite members will receive a team suit, a team t-shirt and a team sweatshirt as part of their membership of Elite apart from this sale.

 

WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK THE WEBSITE:

 

            If you have questions about Elite, your first source of information is Elite’s website located at eliteswimclub.org.  When in doubt, first check the website!!!