GPAC Weekly Update

October 20, 2009

Who else was up at midnight and realized there was no way they were going to bed for a little while, at least until their adrenaline level went down??  I think my heart rate went from 70 to 200 in about three seconds after the ball left Jimmy’s bat.  I love the intangibles of this Phillies team: they absolutely never give up!  I am sure each and every one of the players in the Phillies dugout didn’t think they were going to win, they knew they were going to win.  If Jimmy Rollins went up to the plate with any negative thoughts in his head he would have had a very slim chance of winning that game.  But Rollins went to the plate with the ultimate confidence.  Charlie Manuel even motioned to Jim Thome in the Dodgers dugout that “their guy” was going to the plate.  Before you can truly be a champion you have to think like a champion.  As coaches, we fight the daily battle against negative thinking in practice.  We just want the swimmers to practice with confidence.  If they can do this they will realize their immense potential.

TEAM SUITS AND OTHER GEAR

The team suit (as well as some other items) is now available for purchase online with All American swim Supply (www.allamericanswim.com).  To access our team’s ordering page:

1)       1) Go to www.allamericanswimsupply.com

2)       2) Click on “All American Team Pages” on the left

3)       3) Scroll down and click on our team logo

This year we are offering two options for a team suit.  Many parents have requested that the team suit be a Speedo Aquablade.  This is known as a “racing suit” (it is tighter which provides muscle compression and it is made of material that does not absorb water as much as lycra).  However the cost of the aquablade is higher than that of the regular lycra suit.  It is strictly for economic reasons that we are offering two different suits.  All swimmers should order and wear to meets (it might not be available for the Nov 7-8 meet, but all other meets after that) one of these two suits. 

Other items available for sale are team warm-ups, swim bag, and parkas.  You will have the option of having our team name embroidered (some items will be silk screened) on the equipment you purchase.  Finally, some training items are on our ordering site for your convienence. 

As with anything, if you are unsure about the suit or equipment you should purchase, please speak with or email your child(ren)’s coach(es) directly.

ILLNESS POLICY

We are in the middle of a serious issue (some will call it an epidemic) regarding illness, specifically the flu, in this country.  What it seems to my untrained eye is that the flu is hitting harder and earlier this year.  There is also the lingering threat of the H1N1 flu.  We have swimmers on our team who have already been affected by the flu (at this time I have not been informed of any H1N1 flu cases with our team).  With 230 swimmers on the team who are 18 years of age or younger who get exposed to hundreds of other children on a daily basis, we are going to have kids on this team get sick.  In fact, I would be surprised if we did not have a swimmer, parent, or coach on this team get the H1N1 virus this year.  When you are dealing with the numbers we deal with every day the chances of that happening are pretty strong.  In this respect, GPAC is instituting an “Illness Policy” for swimmers and coaches (attached to this message and posted on the GPAC website under “Team Info”).  The spirit behind this policy is based on the United States Centers for Disease Control posting on the H1N1 virus and their recommended precautions.

LATE MEET ENTRIES

I understand that everyone has a lot going on these days.  However there is still a number of people not registering for meets on time.  This is after last week’s Team Update which detailed the deadlines we were up against.  Our online meet entry system is great for a number of reasons.  However it is also a burden when you have to enter 8 to 10 swimmers after the meet entry deadline has passed.  Therefore, from now on, if we have to administratively override the system to out through entries after the deadline there will be a charge of $10 per swimmer per meet.

Finally a quick thanks to the Parents Association who last night approved $2000 for team equipment for our team. The coaches will be making requests for items that can be used for the benefit of the swimmers.