December 14, 2015 -- Practice is Optional Today - Team Dinner has been Cancelled

Swim practice is optional today at 3:00 and the team dinner has been cancelled due to the snowy weather!

Let's all go home safe and sound!  

If this weather keeps up, the meet will be cancelled too, we will let you know tomorrow.

Stay tuned! 

Weekly Email:  December 14-19, 2015

Hello Everyone!

It’s hard to believe the holidays are almost here.  Once we get to January, the rest of the swim season flies by!

Thank you to Swanson and Rich Families for providing breakfast last week.  Thank you to Mayer, Day, Mortensen, Price, Phillips, Thompson, Swanson, Hale, Van Buren, Henshaw, Finnigan, Lloyd, and Hunt families for providing the team dinner last week.  

A huge THANK YOU to the Mayer family for hosting the team this year for our annual Christmas Party!  Many thanks also to Day, Wright and Swanson families for providing dinner and planning the evening. 

Last week’s Swimmers of the Meet:

• Maddie Day – Maddie had a great meet, dropping about 2 seconds in both of her events, and a good relay split! Maddie has worked hard for 4 years, and it’s great to see her still dropping time. 
• Connor Rich – In contrast, Connor is a freshman, and after hardly missing a practice (tied with Madison Dunn for highest attendance percentage on the team) it is fun to finally see him dropping some time in both of his events. 

Congratulations to both Maddie and Connor.
 

This Week:  Normal practice schedule

• Monday, Dec. 14 - Dinner @ Rich Home (1468 Michigan Ave)
• Tuesday, Dec. 15 - Woods Cross @ East - HOME MEET (Last home meet!)
• Team best dress at school
• Wednesday, Dec. 16 - Breakfast provided by Alex & Katie Mayer and Family
• Wednesday, Dec. 16 - Team Pictures at SL Sports Complex 3:00.  Wear team suit. Please be on time so we can get this done quickly.
• Friday, Dec. 18 - Breakfast provided by Rob Colgan and Family

Holiday Schedule:

Remember, practices over the Christmas break count towards your attendance just like any other practice!  We will be having practices Dec 21 & 22, Dec 28, 29, 30, 31.

• Monday, Dec. 21 - Regular practice (7:00-8:30 am and 3:00-4:30 pm) – Varsity at both; others at one
• Tuesday, Dec. 22 - Regular practice (3:00-4:30 pm)
• Wednesday, Dec. 23 - Holiday Moratorium - NO practices!  Have a GREAT Holiday break!
• Thursday, Dec. 24 - Holiday Moratorium - NO practices!  Have a GREAT Holiday break!
• Friday, Dec. 25 - Merry Christmas!
• Monday, Dec. 28 – Varsity 6-8am; JV 6-7:15am (JV 1/2 makeup if you stay for the whole thing)
• Tuesday, Dec. 29 - Varsity 10am-noon; JV 10-11:15am (JV 1/2 makeup if you stay for the whole thing)
• Wednesday Dec 29 - Varsity 6-8am; JV 6-7:15am (JV 1/2 makeup if you stay for the whole thing)
• Thursday, Dec. 31 - Friends and Family meet, 3:00-4:30 pm.  Cider and cookies afterwards
• Friday, Jan. 1 - Holiday Moratorium – NO practices!  Happy New Year!

Watch for more info about the Friends and Family meet on New Years Eve – spread the word to Alumni, Friends, and Family.  The more the better!  50 of each stroke, 100 IM, and fun relays!

Attendance:

Now, and for the next few weeks into the new year, is the hardest time to keep coming to practice.  Mornings are dark and cold, and everyone is getting tired.  Hang in there!  It will all be over before you know it!

 

• 100%+: Allison B, Kanna, Maddie, Madison, Lauren, Stephanie, Meghan, Eleanor, Noah, Jared, Jackson, Connor
• 90-99%: Sammy, Ally H, Madeline, Katy, Chloe, Jessie, Mary, Ian, Daxton, Rob, Griffin, Oskar, Alex, Dylan, Jack, Cam
• 85-89%: Busra, Abbey, Jamie, Emma, Nicole S, Zach, Austin, Hank, James
• 80-84%: Mae, Ramsey, Jesper, Julius, Adam (need make-up – twice on Monday!)70-79%: Nicole B, Lindsay, Isaac (50 FR only in meet)
• Below 70%: Jojo, David, Nick (need at least one make-up to swim at the meet)

Weekly Email:  December 7-11, 2015

Hello Swimmers!

First of all – a HUGE congratulations to our FOUR East Sterling Scholars!!!  Mind blowing!  It must be some kind of a record!  Ally Hopson, Jackson Keller, Nick Olsen, and Eleanor Wettstein.  Good luck as you move on to the state-wide competition!  We are SO proud of you!

Nice job at the meets this week.  At the Tuesday meet, Girls got 3^rd, and the Boys won!!  YAY!

At the Park City Invite, we had a slew of best times.  Everyone really stepped up for the bigger invitational type meet.  Of 10 teams, the girls got 5^th and the boys got 6^th.  Results can be found on the blog:  eastswimteam.blogspot.com

Swimmers of the meet:

I haven’t announced the Park City swimmers yet, so that will stay a secret, but at the Tuesday meet our swimmers of the meet were:

• Lindsay Lloyd – Lindsay amazed everyone there with her singing of the national anthem.  What guts to get up there in a swim suit and sing like that!!  Beautiful. 
• Rob Colgan – Rob dropped time in both of his events, .26 seconds in his 50, and a whopping 23.3 second drop in his 500!

Congratulations!

Team Christmas Party:  

Friday, December 11th at 6:30 pm, Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road).  Please bring a white elephant gift.  Sleepovers will follow the Christmas party.  Boys will sleep at the Mayer's and the girls will sleep at the Day home.  See team captains for more details.

Thank you to Rainier and Keller Families for providing breakfast last week and the Olsen, Wright and Swanson Families for providing bus snacks for the Park City meet.  A big thank you to Wright, Phillips, Jensen, Service, Cowie, Henshaw, and Swanson families for providing the team dinner last week.  The swimmers loved it!

This Week:

• Monday, Dec. 7 - Dinner at Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road) 
• Tuesday, Dec. 8 - Box Elder, Highland, and Rowland Hall @ East - HOME MEET 
• Team best dress at school

• Wednesday, Dec. 9 - Breakfast provided by Jack Swanson and Family 
• Friday, Dec. 11 -Breakfast provided by Connor Rich and Family 
• Friday, Dec. 11 - Team Christmas Party 6:30 pm at Mayer Home (1415 Roxbury Road), Boys & Girls Sleepovers following party

Heads up for Next Week:

• Monday, Dec. 14 - Dinner @ Rich Home (1468 Michigan Ave) 
• Tuesday, Dec. 15 - Woods Cross @ East - HOME MEET (Last home meet!) 
• Team best dress at school

• Wednesday, Dec. 16 - Breakfast provided by Alex & Katy Mayer and Family 
• Wednesday, Dec. 16 - Team Pictures at SL Sports Complex 3:00.  Wear team suit. Please be on time so we can get this done quickly. 
• Friday, Dec. 18 - Breakfast provided by Rob Colgan and Family
  

Holiday Schedule:

Remember, practices over the Christmas break count towards your attendance just like any other practice!  We will be having practices Dec 21 & 22, Dec 28,29,30,31.

• Dec 21 & 22 – Normal schedule 
• Mon: 7-8:30am & 3-4:30pm (Varsity at both, others at one); 
• Tues 3-4:30pm (Everyone) 
• Dec 28,29,30 – TBD 
• Dec 31 – Friends and Family meet. 3-4:30pm.  Cider and cookies afterwards. 
  
  More info coming, but families and friends are encouraged to participate.  We will have a 50 of each stroke, a 100IM, and some fun relays.  Counts as a normal practice for team members.

Looking toward January:

It will be a busy swim schedule in January, including the overnight trip to Cedar City, and a meet in Ogden.  Swimmers – your attendance MUST be at 85% or better to go to Cedar City.  You will miss school on Friday January 15^th.  PLEASE plan ahead. Jan. 15^th is the LAST DAY of the term.  You may need to arrange to take tests early, etc.

Attendance:

• 100%+: Allison B, Kanna, Maddie, Madison, Lauren, Madeline, Stephanie, Meghan, Eleanor, Noah, Jared, Jackson, Connor   GREAT! 
• 90-99%: Sammy, Ally H, Busra, Katy, Chloe, Jessie, Mary, Daxton, Rob, Griffin, Oskar, Alex, Dylan, Jack, Cameron 
• 85-89%: Mae, Jamie, Abbey, Nicole S, Ian, Zach, Austin, Hank, James 
• 80-84%: Peyton, Emma R, Dana, Ramsey, Adam 
• 70-79%: (50 FR ONLY at meet – come twice Monday!) Lindsay, Jesper, Julius, Jojo, Isaac 
• 60-69%:  (Make-ups needed!!!!) Nicole B, Nick 
• Below 60%: (ON PROBATION) David

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