SWAT’S STAR TIMES April, 2006
Visit our
Website at www.swatelpaso.com
TEAM
SWAT is a swim team that empowers young people to
excel in life through dedication, discipline, and teamwork while having fun.
Parent Information:
The
following articles were taken from USA Swimming Web Site for your information. If you want to learn more about this or other
topics you can visit their web site at www.usaswimming.org.
|
Understand Long Term Development (4/1/2006)
One of the beauties of competitive
swimming is that participation can extend from early childhood well into
adulthood. Parents must understand that improvement is a long term process. It
is critical that parents be supportive through the good times and bad,
encouraging long term development over short term success. Age group
swimming is fun, exciting and rewarding. Many children improve rapidly
during the developmental stages due to growth and improved technique. It may be
difficult to resist the temptation to push the young athlete. However, please
don’t begin planning your child’s Olympic career. And remember, there are no 10
year olds on the Olympic Team. It is great to be the 10 year old state
champion, but technique and fun, rather than intense training, are most
important at this stage. Once a child reaches puberty, scientists and coaches
feel that more serious training can begin. However, performances may sometimes
plateau while training takes even more time and dedication. It can be a
frustrating time and it often coincides with the normal trials and tribulations
of puberty. It is critical that parents and coaches be cooperative and very
supportive during periods of growth and adjustment. Remember, the role of the
parent is to be supportive, not critical!
(This article on nutrition was taken from
the
Lesson 5 - Know the Scoop on Cereals.
For swimmers, cereal is great
just about any time of the day. Competitive athletes are encouraged to choose
nutrient dense cereals, which contain more of the right kinds of nutrients
(carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals) per serving than their “candy
cereal” counterparts. More bang for the buck, so to speak.
Generally speaking, the best cereals are high-carbohydrate
(>25 grams/serving), moderate-protein (5-10 grams/serving), low-fat (<5
grams/serving), and moderate-fiber (2-4 grams/serving). Most cereals on the
market today, including “candy cereal,” are fortified with vitamins and
minerals, such that one serving usually provides 20-100% of a given vitamin or
mineral. However, these values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is well
below the energy requirements for most competitive swimmers in their teens and
twenties.
Consider cereals in three categories: High Nutrient Density,
Moderate Nutrient Density, and Low Density (aka “candy cereal”). Athletes looking
for a good cereal but not a whole lot of calories, a Moderate Nutrient Density
product is best. For those looking for density (i.e. lots more
nutrients/calories in a smaller serving), then a High Nutrient Density cereal
is the way to go. Swimmers looking for “candy cereal” should be encouraged to
save this type of product for weekends and/or limited occasions. The following
table offers a non-exhaustive list of cereals in each of the categories
mentioned above:
|
High Nutrient Density
Cereals |
Moderate Nutrient Density
Cereals |
Low Nutrient Density
(“candy”) Cereals |
|
Quaker Toasted Oatmeal |
Cheerios |
Fruit Loops |
And of
course, hot oatmeal and granola are always excellent choices. And all dry
cereals make a great snack to take on the road. Just toss 1 cup into a plastic
storage bag or air-tight container, and off you go. The point is to find a cereal
that tastes good and also meets your nutritional needs. With all the products
on the market, no swimmer should have any problem doing just that.
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
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LCAT Suntan Classic, NMSU Outdoor Natatorium (
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SWAT LC Sprint Invitational, Tigua Pool (11200
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Please register online or contact Jose
Alcoreza, dues to be paid by registration deadline on all events.
FROM THE BOARD:
To the parents that registered at our
parent meeting to volunteer at the upcoming SWAT Fiesta Meet, please confirm
participation with any member of the board so that we can finalize the list of
participants.
More Information:
50 Things to Help your Child Achieve
By Wayne Goldsmith and Helen Morris
1.
Love them
unconditionally.
2.
Support their
coaches.
3.
Accept that they
cannot win every time they compete.
4.
Allow them to be
kids and have fun.
5.
Help them to develop
as people with character and values.
6.
Turn off as a
sporting parent: don’t make sport the one and only topic of conversation at the
dinner table, in the car, etc.
7.
Don’t introduce
your child as “This is my son/daughter the swimmer.” Their sports are something
they do, not who they are.
8.
Don’t do
everything for them: teach responsibility and self-management.
9.
Reward frequently
for success and effort but make the rewards small, simple, practical and
personal. Kids don’t need a CD or $20 just for playing a sport or getting a
ribbon.
10. Reward them with what they really love: your time!
11. Be calm, relaxed and dignified at competitions.
12. Accept that progress in any sport takes a long time: at
least 7 to 10 years after maturation in most sports for the athlete to reach
full potential.A little manual work and helping out with household chores are
important lessons in developing independence.
13. Believe it or not, kids can learn to pack and unpack
their training bags and fill their own water bottles: teach and encourage them
to take control of their own sporting careers.
14. Don’t reward championship performances with junk food.
15. Skills and attitude are most important. Don’t waste
money on the latest and greatest equipment or gimmicks, hoping to buy a short
cut to success.
16. Encourage the same commitment and passion for school
and study as you do for sport.
17. Avoid relying on or encouraging “sports food” or
“sports supplements”-focus on a sensible, balanced diet which includes a
variety of wholesome foods.
18. Allow kids to try many sports and activities.
19. Don’t specialize too early. There is no such thing as a
10 year old Olympic swimmer.
20. Junk food is OK occasionally. Don’t worry about it, but
see #14 above.
21. Praise qualities such as effort, attempting new skills
and hard work rather than winning.
22. Love them unconditionally (worth repeating!!)
23. Have your “guilt gland” removed: this will help you
avoid phrases like “I’ve got better things to do with my time” or “do you
realize how much we give up so that you can swim?” Everyone loses when you play
the guilt game.
24. Encourage activities which build broad, general
movement skills like running, catching, throwing, agility, balance,
co-ordination, speed and rhythm. These general skills can have a positive
impact on all sports.
25. Encourage occasional “down time”-no school or
sport-just time to be kids.
26. Encourage relationships and friendships away from
training, competition and school work-it’s all about balance.
27. Help and support your children to achieve the goals
they set, then take time to relax, celebrate and enjoy their achievements as a
family.
28. Never use training or sport as punishment-i.e. more
laps/more training.
29. Do a family fitness class-yoga or martial arts or
another sport unrelated to the child’s main sport. Everyone benefits.
30. Car pool. Get to know the other kids and families on
the team and in turn you can allow your child to be more independent by doing
things with other trusted adults.
31. Attend practice regularly to show that you are
interested in the effort and process, not just in the win/lose outcome.
32. Help raise money for the team and kids, even if your
own child does not directly benefit from the fundraising.
33. Tell your children you are proud of them for being
involved in healthy activities.
34. Volunteer your time for the team.
35. Teach your child the importance of “team”-where working
together and supporting each other are important attributes.
36. Even if you were an athlete and even if you are a
trained coach, resist the temptation to coach your own child, it rarely works.
37. Be aware that your child’s passion for a particular
sport may change.
38. Be aware that skills learned in one sport can often
transfer to another.
39. Accept “flat spots” or plateaus-times when your child
does not improve. During these times encourage participation for fun, focus on
learning skills and help develop perseverance and patience.
40. Believe it or not, American kids are unlikely to die
from drinking tap water!
41. Cheer for your child appropriately. Do not embarrass
yourself or your child.
42. Make sure that each week includes some family time
where you do family things and talk about family issues-not about sport.
43. Take a strong stand against smoking and drug use (both
recreational and performance enhancing.)
44. Set an example with sensible, responsible alcohol use.
45. Don’t look for short cuts like “miracle sports drinks”
or “super supplements”-success comes from consistently practicing skills and
developing an attitude where the love of the sport and physical fitness are the
real “magic.”
46. If one of your children is a champion athlete and the
others in the family are not so gifted, ensure that you have just as much time,
energy and enthusiasm for their activities.
47. Eliminate the phrase “what we did when I was
swimming.....”
48. Encourage your children to find strong role models but
try not to let this decision be based on sports only. Look for role models
who consistently demonstrate integrity, humility, honesty and the ability to
take responsibility for their own actions.
49. Encourage your children to learn leadership and
practice concepts like sharing, selflessness, team work and generosity.
50. Don’t compare your child’s achievement to another other
children-good or bad. This creates barriers and resentment and we don’t need
any more of that!
Social
Events (Birthdays) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Blancas, Itzel (4-04), Daher, Mariam
(4-06), Vazquez, Jesus (4-08),
SWAT Board
of Directors
President: Manuel Quińones / maquinon3@aol.com
Vice-Pres: Rosalba Bazar / rosalbabazar@sbcglobal.net
Secretary: Angelica Castrejon / acastrejon@elp.rr.com
Treasurer & Officials Chair: Tom Lore / tlore@handgards.com
Fundraising: Laura Nicli / laurapnicli@elp.rr.com
Entries Chair , Team Roster, & USS
Registration: Jose
Alcoreza / alcoreza@att.net
Team Equipment & Border Rep: Kerry Lore / klore@epelectric.com
Safety Chair: Jim Holcomb / jholcomb@utep.edu
Newsletter: Hugo Blancas / hugoblancas@hotmail.com
Events: Armando Licon / ALICON2@elp.rr.com