Weekly Email:  11/29-12/4

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

I hope you all have had a nice Thanksgiving, a break, and are ready for a very busy December!  It will be a busy couple of weeks for the swim team! 

Our meet last week with Olympus was a lot of fun.  After scoring errors were cleared up, the Olympus girls won, and the East boys won!  As a combined team, we lost by 6 points.  I made several mistakes and learned several lessons at this meet.   I also have some new training methods to try.  Wednesday afternoons will now be focused on sprint training, and then dryland, as usual.  Sprint freestyle is so important to our success as a high school team, that I think we can benefit by an afternoon dedicated to sprinting.

REMINDER!  Swimmers may NOT leave an away meet unless a PARENT/GUARDIAN tells a coach IN PERSON that the swimmer is leaving early with them.  We had two swimmers who were on the bus on the way to Olympus, not show up for the bus going home.  This delays everyone as we send someone to check the locker rooms and pool deck, and make attempts to contact the swimmer.  Swimmers are allowed to leave early ONLY with their parent/guardian, otherwise they are expected on the bus. 

Swimmers of the Meets
Rowland Hall Invite:

• Noah-saw improvement in both the 200 free (dropped nearly a second) and the 500 free (dropped 10.9 seconds!!!) 
• Jessie-tried a new event (100 fly) for the first time!  It took some encouragement, but she did a great job!

Olympus:

• Daxton-also tried a new event (200 Free).  He liked it so much, he just kept going.  It was an error with Daxton’s time that switched the result of the meet, meaning the boys won! 
• Madeline-has finally decided to embrace the distance, and realized that her work ethic at practice can lead to big success at the longer distances.  She dropped 1.2 seconds in her 200 Free, and 6.9 seconds in her 500.  As a bonus, she also dropped 1 second in her 100 free leading off the final relay.

Congratulations Noah, Jessie, Daxton, and Madeline!  All of these swimmers have been working hard at practice and it's starting to pay off.

Christmas Holiday Schedule
I will be meeting with the pool manager to set up our pool schedule for the Christmas break.  The moratorium (no practices) is Dec 23-27 and Jan 1.  Other days, practices are STILL REQUIRED! Remember, you must be in good standing with your attendance (85%) to travel with the team to Cedar City (January 15-16).

• Normal schedule (Dec 1-18) 
• Holiday schedule – TBD – Dec 21,22 & Dec 28-31
• December 31 – Friends and Family Fun meet during normal afternoon practice time (3-4:30pm) (counts as a practice, not a meet)
• Back to normal schedule on Jan 4.

Last Week:

The team movie at the U of U on Tuesday after the Olympus meet was inspirational, well attended and really fun!  MANY thanks to the Hale, Day, Wright and Swanson families for making it a success!  Watch for photos on the blog.

 

Thank you  to the Day, Van Buren and Swanson families for providing bus snacks on Monday, and the Wright family for breakfast on Wednesday morning

This Week:

• Monday: Nov. 30 - Dinner @ Wright Home (1392 Canterbury Drive) 
• Tuesday: Dec. 1 - Bountiful, Bonneville, Fremont, Rowland Hall @ East - HOME MEET 
• Wednesday: Dec. 2 - Breakfast provided by Meghan Rainier and Family 
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Breakfast provided by Jackson Keller and Jack Swanson Families 
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Park City Invite - AWAY MEET – swimmers excused at 1:00pm, bus at 1:15 
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Bus Snacks provided by Nick Olsen and Family 
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Dinner @ Cafe Rio (400 South) after Park City Meet

The meet on Friday at Park City is an Invitational.  It will be a large meet with many teams.  There is an entry fee of $5 per swimmer that the team will pay.  It counts double attendance like any other meet.  If you cannot attend, PLEASE LET ME KNOW by Monday morning so I do not enter you and pay for you.  (Entries are due Monday afternoon).  The bus will leave East at 1:15pm on Friday.  Warm-up starts at 2:30, and the meet at 3:30.  It will last longer than the usual meet!  I am anticipating that we will arrive back at East at about 9pm. 

Heads up for Next Week:

• Monday: Dec. 7 – Dinner at Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road) 
• Tuesday: Dec. 8 – Box Elder, Highland, Rowland Hall @ East - HOME MEET 
• Wednesday: Dec. 9 - Breakfast provided by Jack Swanson and Family  
• Friday: Dec. 11 - Xmas Party/Boys & Girls Sleepover (more details coming) 

(We are still looking for a date to take the team yearbook picture)

Attendance Percentages

• 100%+: Allison B, Madison, Kanna, Maddie, Lauren, Madeline, Stephanie, Meghan, Noah, Jared, Oskar, Jackson, Dylan, Connor   GREAT! 
• 90-99%: Sam, Ally H, Katy, Jessie, Mary, Eleanor, Ian, Daxton, Rob, Griffin, Alex, Zach, Jack, Cameron 
• 85-89%: Mae, Busra, Jamie, Chloe, Dana, Abbey, Nicole S, Hank, James 
• 80-83%: Lindsay, Emma R, Ramsey, Austin (twice on Monday to fully participate in the Tuesday meet) 
• 70-79%:  Nicole B, Jesper, Julius, Jojo, Nick, Adam, Isaac (need at least one make-up) 
• Below 70%: David
  

Go EAST!

Weekly Email:  November 22-27, 2015

Swimmers and Families,

There is a great collection of pictures on the photo's tab on the blog!  All Swim Team event photos have been added to the swim photo's tab.  It looks like we have been doing some pretty fun things so far this season!  Check them out!

November 24th Team Activity:  Come Celebrate Thanksgiving Break with your Team!   Everyone attending the movie after the Olympus meet should have already had the chance to sign up. 

On Wednesday, Nov 25^th, there is no school.  We will hold practice 5:30-7am, open to all, and 3-4:30pm.  As on Mondays, Varsity swimmers are required at both, everyone else, at one.  It will be another make-up chance for many of you.

I wanted to give the swimmers the link to a video I referenced last week.  All should watch it. Although it is talking about school, it also applies to the swim team. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O7v4EJjx-g

I don’t feel like we have any overzealous parents, but just in case you start to feel that way, here is one for you:

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3201918-155/monson-parents-dont-mess-up-your?page=1

Thank you to Day, Rich, and Wright Families for providing breakfast last week and Mayer, Colgan, Phillips, Van Buren, Lyon-Dunn, Cowie, Hopson, Robinson, Day, and Hunt families for providing dinner last week.

This Week:

• Tuesday: Nov. 24 - East at Olympus - AWAY Meet – Bus at 2:00pm; swimmers excused at 1:45pm.
• Tuesday: Nov. 24 - November Team Party after Olympus meet, U of U theater room
• Wednesday: Nov. 25 - ??Breakfast provided by Cam Wright and Family - No school
• Thursday: Nov. 26 - Thanksgiving Break!!
• Friday: Nov. 26 - Thanksgiving Break!!

Heads-up for Next Week:

• Monday: Nov. 30 - Dinner @ Wright Home (1392 Canterbury Drive)
• Tuesday: Dec. 1 - Bountiful, Bonneville, Fremont, Rowland Hall @ East - HOME MEET
• Wednesday: Dec. 2 - Breakfast provided by Meghan Rainier and Family
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Breakfast provided by Jackson Keller and Family
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Park City Invite - AWAY MEET
• Friday: Dec. 4 - Dinner @ Cafe Rio (440 South) after Park City Meet

Attendance Numbers

I only received pictures of 9 swimmers at the football game, and none of them really needed any make-ups.  Anyone else???  As I told you, if you were listening, anyone sending me a picture (text or email) of themselves at the football game, with the scoreboard in the background, would be awarded a make-up practice.

• 100%+: Allison B, Kanna, Maddie, Madison, Lauren, Stephanie, Meghan, Noah, Jared, Jackson, Connor - Awesome!!
• 95-99%: Madeline, Ally H, Jamie, Katy, Jessie, Daxton, Griffin, Oskar, Alex, Dylan
• 90-94%: Sammy, Mary, Eleanor, Ian, Rob, Jack
• 84-89%:  Mae, Nicole B, Dana, Abbey, Zach, Hank, James, Cameron, Nicole S, Chloe (Peyton, Nate) – Don’t miss!
• 80-84%:  Lindsay, Emma R, Ramsey, Austin, Isaac – Come twice on Monday to fully participate in the meet.
• 70-79%: Busra, Jesper, Julius, Jojo, Nick, Adam – Can swim the 50 FR at the meet.  Come twice on Monday (and Wednesday) to bring up percentage. 
• Below 60%: David

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Weekly Email:  November 16-21, 2015

Hi swimmers!

Here is another long email about our activities.

First of all – congratulations to everyone who swam in the meet!  That was a tough meet, and I’m proud of the way all of you raced.  We got third in both men and women, but we had some good swims, and those were two of the top teams in 4A. (We took 1st AND 2nd in boys Breatstroke!) Remember to check utswimcoach.com to see where your times and our relays are ranked.

Last year we tried to start a tradition, naming a “swimmer of the meet” from the girls team and one from the boys team.  I want to update you on our honorees, and why.

Meet 1 (Hillcrest & Rowland Hall @ East)

Girl:  Ally Hopson – Ally dropped over 18 seconds in her 500 Free and took 3^rd!  Ally has moved up a lane in practice this year, and it is paying off. To stay with her lane this year, she is getting accustomed to swimming faster every day, and her times are dropping.

Boy:  Zach Olson – Zach dropped over a second in his 50, taking  2^nd in that event, and dropped over 2 seconds in his 100 free and took 1^st!  Zach has also moved up a lane in practice, and is gaining confidence that he really can keep up and compete with the seasoned swimmers.  What fun to watch!!

Meet 2 (East & Kearns @ Highland)

Girl: Eleanor Wettstein – Eleanor is a senior and is trying swimming for the first time.  She has a great attitude.  This was her second meet.  Over one week, she dropped over 2 seconds in her 50 free, and nearly 7 in her 100 free!!  It takes a lot of guts to come in and try a new sport, starting from scratch.

Boy:  Jackson Keller – Jackson has been dropping time every time he races so far this year.  As a senior, he has stepped up to be a leader in his lane.  In this meet, he dropped over half a second in his 50 and nearly 3 seconds in his 100 breast! 

Awesome Job!!

Thank you to the Tippets, Colgan and Phillips Families for providing breakfast and bus snacks last week

This Week

• Monday: Nov. 16 - Team Dinner @ Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road)
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 - Rowland Hall Invite @ SL Sports Complex.  Warm-up 2:45, meet at 3:30 pm.  
  Timers: Please meet pool-side between 3:00 and 3:15 pm, to review timing instructions. Thank-you!  We are treating this as a home meet, although the official host is Rowland Hall.
  
• Wednesday:  Nov. 18 - Breakfast provided by Maddie Day and Family
• Friday: Nov. 20 - Breakfast provided by Connor Rich and Family

Please Note:  Team photo's have been moved to December 10th before practice.

Upcoming FUN! November 24th Team Activity:

Come Celebrate Thanksgiving Break with your Team!

FREE TO ALL SWIMMERS!

U of U, Union Building (in the theater room, upstairs) 

Please let a Captain know if you can come.  Final numbers needed by Friday, November 20
We will be watching "Touch the Wall", a moving about swimming phenom and multiple Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin.  A review in the Denver post called it "an often EXHILARATING ride, full of insights about FRIENDSHIP, about the dance between TEAMWORK and INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT, and about the COMPETITIVE WILL."  A PERFECT team building movie!

Wear comfy clothes to watch a movie!  Swim team sweats/sweatshirts preferred to show our team pride!

Pizza, popcorn and drinks will be provided! 
 
Heads-up for Next Week:

• Tuesday: Nov. 24 - East at Olympus - AWAY Meet
• Tuesday: Nov. 24 - November Team Party after Olympus meet, U of U theater room
• Wednesday: Nov. 25 - Varsity Breakfast provided by Cam Wright and Family
  I realize there is no school on Wednesday Nov 25^th, but the pool was unable to accommodate any schedule change.  We will hold practices at the normal times (5:30-7 am AND 3-4:30 pm), however, as on Mondays, Varsity are required at both, JV at one of your choice.
  
• Thursday: Nov. 26 - Thanksgiving Break
• Friday: Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Break

Attendance

Attendance numbers are still improving.  There are still a handful of you who need to really make an effort to attend make-up practices.  We are fully into the season now, and not being able to participate in the meets makes it more and more difficult to catch up.  

• 100%+: Allison B, Lauren, Jamie, Madison, Noah, Jared, Jackson, Dylan, Connor NICE JOB!
• 87-99%: Hank, Jack, Zach, Alex, Oskar, Griffin, Daxton, Ian, Eleanor, Mary, Jessie, Meghan, Stephanie, Katy, Madeline, Ally H, Sam, Maddie, Kanna, Mae, Nicole B, Busra, Abbey, James, Cameron
• 84-87%: (can’t really afford to miss): Lindsay, Chloe, Dana, Emma R, Nicole S, Rob, Ramsey, (Peyton, Nate)
• 69-78%: (Need at least one make-up): Julius, Jojo, Austin, Isaac
• Below 60% - NEED MULTIPLE MAKE-UPS!: Jesper, David, Nick, Adam

November 13, 2015 -- Fundraising Report!

The totals are in!  We are pleased to announce the fundraising totals earned this year:

Noodles and Company: We raised a total of $852.00 this year, $98 more than last year!  It was so great to see so many support this first fundraiser of the year!  Not only did several other East High sports teams come to support our efforts, the Highland High swim team made an impressive showing as well! Fun to meet grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles.  It does take a village!  Special thanks to Karen Day for coordinating, organizing and spearheading this event!  

Paint the "E": For the second year in a row, we were able to come together as a team, show off our artistic talents, show our school spirit....and raise $400 ($100 more than last year)!  We hope to be invited to paint again next year!  Special thanks to Jodie and Carmine McDonald-Keller for coordinating, organizing and perfecting this "fun"draiser.

Pancake Breakfast & Silent Auction:  We raised $2,263 in breakfast sales and $2,839 for the silent auction for a grand total of $5,102, $520.50 more than we raised last year!  

 

Thanks to the pre-event ticket sales, we were able to raise several hundred dollars for breakfast sales over last year -- 28 swimmers pre-sold tickets, way to go!  The top three swimmers will get a "free" practice and some "vintage" East Swim team apparel.  The winners are: Maddie Day ($98 in ticket sales), Jack Swanson ($104 in ticket sales) and Cam Wright ($246 in ticket sales).  Thanks to EVERYONE who donated food, supplies, auction baskets and loads of time and effort to make this such a big success!   

Chipotle: We raised $1,381.41 this year, $103 more over last year.  Considering the cold weather and the E. coli outbreak throughout the Northwest, I consider it a big win for our team!  Again, special thanks to Karen Day who did all of the legwork to make this possible.

2015-16 Fundraising Grand Total:  $7,735.41

Fundraising dollars is used to fund a huge portion of the Cedar City meet expenses, the Region's dinner, the State dinner, State team shirts, the end of year Swim Banquet, and to offset costs for all of our fun team parties.  If there are extra funds, we'd also like to buy some team fins and other equipment to make the most of those workouts!

A HUGE thank you to all of the swimmers and parents who helped support all of these efforts.  We truly are the BEST team at East!  Way to go!

Joslin & Jodie

Weekly Email:  November 8-13, 2015

Hi Everyone!

Great meet last Friday.  It was so fun to see everyone race.  The team won!  This meet was scored like two dual meets – so we got two wins at once!

Men: 

East over Rowland Hall 182-57

East over Hillcrest 141-139  (Eeek!)

Women:

East over Rowland Hall 185-66

East over Hillcrest 162-120

Pretty good, considering most of our varsity swimmers didn’t swim their best events!

Now that meets have started, you can check out where our swimmers are placed in 4A (4A Top50), and in Utah overall (Combined Top50), in times swum in high school meets this year at www.utswimcoach.com. It is from these lists that state qualifiers are selected at the end of the regular season.

Our meet this week is on Thursday at Fairmont Aquatic Center.  A bus will go to and from East. Unless a PARENT tells me IN PERSON, at the meet, all swimmers are expected to ride the bus in both directions.  The bus will leave East at 2:15pm on Thursday outside the gyms on 8^th South.  Since the semi-final football game is that day, school will already be excused. BE ON TIME or you will be scratched from the meet!

Jodie will be placing one more team suit order on Wednesday, November 11.  If you are unhappy with your suit, or want another one, you must email Jodie (snjswanson@msn.com) telling her the style (womens, mens jammer, mens brief) and size and pay the treasurer by Wednesday. No exceptions!  We ALL owe Jodie a huge THANK YOU for all her work getting our suits, sweats, and other gear ordered and distributed in time for our first meet.  Awesome job!

Looking forward – the November team activity has be rescheduled for Nov 24^th AFTER the Olympus meet. There is no school the next day (Nov 25), but there WILL BE practice.  Details coming…
Thank-you to Rainer, Mortensen, and Jensen Families for providing breakfast last week.

This Week:

• Wednesday:  Nov. 11 - Breakfast (Varsity) provided by James Tippets and Family

• Thursday: Nov. 12 - Bus Snacks provided by Rob Colgan and Family

• Thursday: Nov. 12 - East, Kearns @ Highland - AWAY MEET

• Thursday: Nov. 12 - Dinner @ Pizza Studio (Foothill location after Highland Meet) Bring money

• Friday: Nov. 13 - Breakfast (Team) provided by Abbey Phillips and Family

Heads-up For Next Week:

• Monday: Nov. 16 - Team Dinner @ Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road)

• Tuesday: Nov. 17 - Rowland Hall Invite @ SL Sports Complex - HOME MEET

• Wednesday:  Nov. 18 - Breakfast provided by Maddie Day and Family

• Thursday: Nov. 19 - Team Pictures at SL Sports Complex 3:00.  Wear team suit.  Please be on time so we can get this done quickly

• Friday: Nov. 20 - Breakfast provided by Connor Rich and Family

Attendance Update

Attendance numbers improved greatly this week!! Keep it up!  Swimmers with attendance below 85% by Thursday will not be allowed to swim in the meet this week, but are still expected to attend.  Since it is an away meet, swimmers not in the meet will not be allowed to warm up with the team.  Please wear EAST SWIM team clothing and be ready to cheer on deck!

• 100%+: Allison, Maddie, Lauren, Madison, Jamie, Madeline, Stephanie, Meghan, Noah, Griffin, Jared, Jackson, Dylan, Connor 
• 87-99%: Nicole B, Ally, Sammy, Kanna, Busra, Katy, Dana, Jessie, Mary, Eleanor, Ian, Daxton, Rob, Ramsey, Oskar, Alex, Zach, Jack, Hank, James, Cameron 
• 80-86%: Lindsay, Emma R, Mae, Abbey, James, Julius (Be careful–borderline–may need a make-up)
• 70-79%:  Peyton, Chloe, Nicole S, Austin, Isaac (Need at least one make-up, no lates) 
• Below 70%: Jesper, Jojo, David, Nick, Adam (Need multiple make-ups; not eligible for the meet this week)

One last note - Dane is starting a full time job in the real world, so he will no longer be helping coach, although we might see him occasionally in the mornings.  His help has been hugely appreciated - Thank you Dane!

       

Weekly Email:  November 1 - 6, 2015

Hi Everyone!

This will be a busy week!  We have our last fundraiser, and our first meet.

Click Image to Make Bigger

Please help us spread the word about our last team sponsored fundraiser on Wednesday, November 4th from 5-9 pm at Chipotle Mexican Grill, 1011 East 2100 South.  The team receives 50% of the proceeds from the sales that night. EVERYONE should come eat with the team and bring ALL your friends and family!  Attached is the flyer (single/double) to print and post on your FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and or TWITTER accounts and EMAIL/TEXT it to your family and friends so we can get as many people as possible.  We'll be posting flyers around the school and plan to advertise around the community this week. 

Thursday is our first home meet team dinner!  We will be carbo loading and getting excited for the meet. Dinner at East in the cafeteria right after practice.  The team gear order will be handed out!!  To receive your gear, your balance MUST be completely paid at the East treasurer's office.  If you have questions about your balance please contact Jodie Swanson (snjswanson@msn.com or 801-712-0456)

Friday is our first home meet!  The meet will be held at Salt Lake Sports Complex, 645 South Guardsman Way against Hillcrest and Rowland Hall.  Warm-up starts at 2:45pm, meet starts at 3:30pm.  Come out and watch your swimmers! They have been working hard so far this season!  We need more timers!  Timers have the best seats at the meet!  Swimmers must be completely cleared in registermyathlete to be eligible to compete.  Nearly everyone is ok, but there are a few problems:  Madison and Busra – waiting for transfers to clear; Mae and Nicole S – fee balance is not cleared (also needed to receive gear); Jesper and Isaac – physicals have not cleared, they have been turned in.  I’m not sure of the problem; Ramsey – no physical.

ATTIRE for Home Meets: All team members are expected to wear best dress - this is ties for the guys and dresses for the gals.

Thank-you to Mayer, Hopson, and Wright Families for providing breakfast last week.

Breakfast this Week:
Wednesday:  Nov. 4 - (Varsity) provided by Meghan Rainier and Family
Friday: Nov. 6 - (Reduced Team) provided by Madeline Jensen and Family

Heads-up For Next Week:
Wednesday:  Nov. 11 - Breakfast provided by James Tippets and Family
Thursday: Nov. 12 - East, Kearns @ Highland - AWAY MEET
Thursday: Nov. 12 - Dinner @ Pizza Studio (Foothill location after Highland Meet)
Friday: Nov. 13 - Breakfast provided by Abbey Phillips and Family

ATTENDANCE
We normally start our year with a relay meet in which nearly everyone gets to swim, regardless of attendance percentage.  Since the relay meet was cancelled this year, I am relaxing the attendance requirement for this first meet.  Swimmers with attendance under 50% will NOT be swimming. Swimmers with attendance between 51% and 84% will participate ONLY if they attend practice Friday morning.  This week, Friday morning practice will be required for Varsity swimmers and a make-up for everyone else.  Swimmers with 85% attendance and above are in good standing, and fully eligible to swim in meets.  ALL swimmers are expected to attend the meet, and warm-up with the team.  Meets count double! Your attendance percentage takes a hit if you miss a meet.  If you cannot attend the meet, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible.  It is very difficult to shuffle relays at the last minute.  Your teammates are depending on you!!  Next week, ONLY swimmers in good standing will be signed up for the meet.

Looking better this week:

• 100%+:  Allison B, Maddie, Madison, Madeline, Jamie, Stephanie, Meghan, Jessie, Noah, Griffin, Jared, Jackson, Dylan, Connor 
• 90-95%: Kanna, Lauren, Katy, Daxton, Alex, Jack 
• 85-89%: Ally H, Mary, Eleanor, Hank, James, Cameron 
• 80-84%: Nicole B, Sammy, Dana, Abbey, Rob, Oskar, Zach (need make-up) 
• 60-79%: Mae, Busra, Peyton, Lindsay, Emma R, Ian, Ramsey, Jesper, Julius, Joseph, Austin, Isaac (Need make-ups, must come Friday morning) 
• 50-59%: Nate, Chloe, Nicole S (Need make-ups, must come Friday morning) 
• Below 50% NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MEET – David, Nick, Adam