Dart Swim Team Winter Newsletter

DART SWIM TEAM

WINTER NEWSLETTER

Davis Aquadarts Racing Team is a United States Swimming program with two sites, one located in Davis, CA and the other in Sacramento, CA. For information about the program please feel free to contact the coaching staff at:

DART PO Box 186 Davis, CA 95617 (530) 758-2378 [email protected] 15-16 800 Free Relay National Record Holders: Tate We offer programs for elite Cutler, Connor Daniels, Chris Ranlet and Luca Urlando level swimmers to seasonal - beginning swimmers. Every athlete ready for swim team in Davis has a place on the Darts.

February and March Birthdays Points of Interest Linden Adams 2/25 Lizzie Anderson 3/5 Zach Asmundson 2/8 Noah Baoerjin 2/15 • New Sponsor Ava Bautista 2/12 Elena Blewett 2/15 • Summerdart Dylan Bonilla 3/14 Ethan Chan 2/25 Rebecca Chang 3/9 Tyler Chapman 2/1 Coaching Info Sophia Chun 2/21 Forte Dimidik 3/24 • Seasonal Program Nikki Djifroudi 2/5 Grace Dwyer 2/5 Kellen Eberle 3/28 Jasper Eerkens 2/25 Information Jenna Elms 2/27 Blake Fuchslin 3/8 • New Tech Suit Rule Daniela Hawkes 3/17 Abigail Hurst 3/3 Grace Lapuz 2/2 Julian Montejo 3/15 • Age Group Update Kate Morgan 2/14 Natalie Neal 3/12 • Learn about Luca Matthew Patzer 2/1 Gota Sakai 2/8 Kristine Schmitz 2/14 Teliz Schneider 3/21 • Developing New Amy Schroeder 3/14 Kate Schroeder 3/18 Kathleen Sheridan 2/18 Sage Sigmon 2/14 Skills Mikaela Slye 2/12 Gianna Smoot 3/8 • Age Group Sophia Stacy 2/12 Camilia Taylor 2/23 Maddie Tully-Smith 3/4 Luca Urlando 3/16 Achievements Olivia Uyeyama 2/19 Valarie Vong 2/15 • Meet the Swimmer Michael Wang 3/2 Jeffrey Wang 2/1 Jace Wang 2/1 Ethan Wells 3/27 • Meet Results Konrad Wisniewski 3/29 Wenqi Yang 3/3 • Staff Contact Page Ali Zabad 2/13 Joseph Zhou 2/28 Brandon Zoghbi 3/6

NEW DART SPONSOR! THANK YOU DAVIDS ENGINEERING!

Summerdart Coaching!

Swimmers currently in 8th grade + and who will be age 14 by June 1, 2019 are eligible to apply for Summerdart coaching positions. Applications will be posted on www.aquadarts under the Summerdart link on Feb. 12. Applicants must be available for the majority of the summer season June 17-August 10, and first-year applicants must also be available the first two weeks of summer June 17-28. Returning coaches who are interested in becoming Lifeguard certified should contact Carolee at [email protected].

Trent will be holding a Lifeguard class during spring break (March 27-29); class is limited to the first 10 applicants. Cost is $215. You must be a second year coach and age 15 by March 27 to be eligible.

Seasonal Program Information

Springdarts will be offered in March, April and May. There is a 12-week option (March 11-May 31) or an 8-week option (April 8-May31). If you have younger children or friends who wish to join our program for our Springdart session, information is now on the website on www.aquadarts.org. Registration opens on Feb. 13. If your child is currently swimming in our program, they do not need to register for Springdarts but can just continue with their regular session through the spring. If you have a swimmer currently in Bronze or Silver and wish to join the April and May 5:00-6:00 Bronze/Silver offering (must be 2nd-5th grade), notify [email protected] prior to Feb. 13 to reserve a spot.

Dart Swim School which offers lessons for swimmer 18 months-10 years old, will be offered TWTH April 9-May 30. Spring Minidarts are offered through Dart Swim School. Registration is open and more information can be found on our website or by emailing Coach Jamie at [email protected]

NEW THIS SPRING – Pre Bronze! Offered through Dart Swim School, this is for swimmers in K-3rd grade and is designed for swimmers who wish to develop the skills needed for advancement to the Aquadart Bronze group. The primary focus will be on kicking, freestyle and backstroke with additional emphasis on streamlines, turns, and starts. Swimmers must have the following skills to be in this group: • Kick 15 yards with a kickboard unassisted • Swim 15 yards of freestyle with breathing, unassisted • Swim 15 yards of backstroke, unassisted

There are few spots left in the first session April 7-May 2. Classes are at Community Pool from 5:15-6:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

As you might have heard, USA Swimming has passed a new rule regarding tech suits. This rule will not go into effect until September 1, 2020. Once it does, swimmers age 12 and younger will no longer be allowed to wear certain kinds of suits unless they are at one of the following meets: Junior Nationals, Pro Swim Series, US Open, National Championships, and Olympic Trials. Suits that have bonded or taped seems will not be allowed and suits made of a woven fabric that extend to the knees will not be allowed. I am not an expert on materials, but my understanding is that practice suits and some racing suits are made of a knit fabric, this would mean those suits will still be acceptable for racing. At this time we still don’t have all the information. In the next two years we expect to have a list of suits that are and are not acceptable for 12 and younger swimmers to wear at meets. Until September 1, 2020 there will be no change to the existing rules.

Let’s talk about tech suits in general.

Do you need one to swim fast?

The simple answer is no, a tech suit is not required to swim fast. Swimmers on our team swim fast without tech suits all the time. Many of our swimmers swim at or below best times in practice. Eventually swimmers will get to a level when a tech suit can really make a difference physically and mentally. At higher level meets, Sectionals, Futures, Jr. Nationals, Nationals, etc., you will see almost every swimmer wear a tech suit. These swimmers have worked for years to get to this level and in some cases, Jr. Nationals, and Nationals, swimmers are given a free tech suit through their team’s partnership with a suit manufacturer. Anecdotally, there are some swimmers I know who never purchased their own tech suit. They started wearing them when they got to a high enough level to get them for free.

What meets should I wear one?

If you do decide to get a tech suit, the best meet to wear one at is a championship meet. Particularly one with trials and finals. Tech suits have a limited lifetime, so the suit should be saved for when it counts the most. If you can swim fast at your in-season meet without a tech suit, then you know that when you do wear a tech suit you will be ready to go even faster.

What kind is the best?

There are many different tech suit manufacturers. Adidas, Arena, Speedo, Tyr, Finis, Mizuno, Blue Seventy, Jaked, and more. In general, swimmers seem to find a suit that they personally prefer. I think the the first two things to consider for most of our swimmers are durability and fit. Cost can also be a factor. Some brands are more expensive than other brands. Some brands have a range of suits with different prices. The most expensive suit is not necessarily the best. Again, I think fit and durability are what matter most for most of our swimmers. The price of the suits makes the durability important and the fit makes the suit function well.

How to size one?

Most suit manufacturers have a sizing chart, each brand makes suits with different dimensions. Before purchasing a suit online, be sure to check the companies' size chart. I would recommend rounding down in cases where you are in between sizes. If you can, go to a store where you can try on multiple suits to find one that fits correctly and feels right to the swimmer wearing it. “Fits correctly” does not mean comfortable, tech suits should probably always feel uncomfortable. They are not something you should hang out or take a nap while wearing. The fit should be tight and snug without room for the suit to pull away from any part of your body easily.

Using a tech suit at a meet:

A tech suit is meant to be worn for a short period of time. The top swimmers in the world may have different habits because they get suits for free, but the fact is tech suits will eventually stretch out and lose their advantage. This means that they should be worn as little as possible at a meet. Ideally swimmers put the suit on after their race warm up, race in it, take it off and then warm down. This is not always an option. Sometimes events are back to back or the meet is running quickly. In these situations it is ok to wear the suit for warm up and/or warm down. Swimmers should not be spending an hour or more sitting around in their tech suit at a meet. This will wear the suits out and possibly cause damage to them, tears, stretching, etc.

What should a swimmer be able to do before they get a tech suit?

I think an interesting idea to consider is setting a standard for a swimmer to achieve before they start wearing a tech suit. This is not a rule for everyone, but to me, as a coach and former swimmer it makes a lot of sense to have standards in place that a swimmer can achieve in order to “earn” a tech suit.

1.Here are some standards that I think should be consider before getting a tech suit:

2. Practice attendance: Does the swimmer attend 100% of all practices? Does the swimmer attend 90%? Does the swimmer meet their groups practice requirement?

3. Streamline: Does the swimmer streamline off the wall every lap?

4. Time standards: Has the swimmer achieved AAA, or AA or a time standard for a specific championship meet?

5. Dolphin kick : Does the swimmer always dolphin kick completely past the flags, 7 meters, in meets and practices?

6. Set and know their goals: Does the swimmer set their own goals and can they recall them and tell you what they are?

Achieving these standards will help a swimmer improve significantly. Probably much more so than wearing a tech suit. In my opinion if a swimmer has achieved all of these they have definitely earned the option to wear a tech suit. Maybe there are other standards that swimmers should have in place such as, good nutrition, improving sleeping habits, perceived high levels of effort at practice, etc. I am sure you could come up with some yourself.

Finally if you have any questions please reach out to your swimmer’s coach or one of our other coaches. We would be happy to talk to you about tech suits and try to help you with your questions.

AGE GROUP UPDATE FROM COACH CAROLEE

February and March Events February 11, Holiday Practice schedule at Civic: Bronze, Silver and AG 1 3:45- 18 4:45. AG 2 4:30-6:15. All other practices remain same schedule. 22-24 SASO Last Chance meet at Solano Jr. College 13 Springdart and Dart Swim School registration opens March 1 DARTCamp Summer sessions registration opens 7 JO Fire Up Party (for all JO qualifiers) 8-10 JO’s Folsom (must have qualifying times) 11 Community Pool opens; Bronze, Silver and Gold move to Community 21-24 SWAGR Roseville (must have qualifying times) 25 No practice; Dart Day Off 30-31 Vacaville Meet (for non-SWAGR swimmers)

Upcoming events: Community Pool will reopen on March 11. Practices will continue as they have been in January until Community reopens. When it reopens, practices will be as follows through April 5: Bronze: 3:15-4:00; Silver: 4:00-5:00; Gold: 5:00-6:30. AG 1 and AG 2 will remain at Civic.

Fun events: • Our swimmers enjoyed a fun Holiday Party in December, complete with silly pool games, a gift exchange and lots of food! There were two Movie Nights at Civic, with swimmers enjoying dinner and a movie in the Brady Room after practice. Swimmers earned a Polar Bear Party which was held on Feb. 1. Swimmers earned the party by attending lots of practices and meets in the cold weeks of winter. Ice Cube relays and Polar Bear games, as well as Ice Cream Sundaes were enjoyed by all! Special congratulations to the swimmers with the top attendance during the PB Challenge: Bronze: Mariah, Vicka, Linden. Silver: Shuzhi, Jeffrey, Jace. AG 1: Aiden, Gabriel, Irelan, Kowen. AG 2: Maddie M, Isaac, Abby, Avery. • JO Fire Up Party: All swimmers who have qualified for JO’s can join us at our annual JO Fire Up party on Thursday March 7. It will be in the evening, with a pasta dinner, and fun activities for all. More info coming soon!

Learn more about Luca Urlando

Urlando’s path to choosing swimming was fairly textbook – so what took him to the next level over the past few years? “The difference with Luca is twofold,” Doughty said. “First, he works the details when instructed. If I ask him to kick 8 kicks off a wall, he does it and continues to do it. It becomes part of his routine. Second thing is he works hard on all sets. Some swimmers work hard only on the sets that their coach has a watch. I watch Luca do great things as we build up in warmup. He holds himself accountable.”

Read the rest of the article at https://swimswam.com/luca-urlando-swimming-beyond-his-years/

Developing New Skills From Coach Reed

There are several skills we hope children will develop as they get older that will help them be successful. How to set and reach goals is high on that list of skills. If we want a specific result then we have to work on specific things. Swimming is a useful tool for teaching this skill because the results are objective. The time is the time. It doesn’t matter what anybody says about it. Once we know the result we want, there are a few resources we can use to work toward it.

1. Look to those who have done it before you. Chances are someone has done what you want to be able to do. Seek them out. Watch them and pay attention to what they’re good at. Ask them questions about how they have had success. It doesn’t mean you’ll have the same path as them, but maybe you can adjust it to fit your plan to get closer to your goal. 2. Be willing to change the way you do things. Being able to adapt when circumstances change is key. Being able to make adjustments is a skill in and of itself. Something that helped you be successful at one stage may not help you get to the next level. Don’t get too attached to something that is no longer working just because it did at one point. 3. Have benchmarks to know when you’re getting closer. The swimming specific benchmarks are pretty straight forward. If you can lower your stroke count then you have better distance per stroke. If you can lower your stroke count and maintain the same tempo, then you will go faster. If you can increase your tempo and hold the same stroke count then you will go faster. Best times are benchmarks as well. Challenge yourself to be close or faster than those at practice. 4. Work hard. Ultimately, you have to be willing to work your butt off to see results. The best metric that we discuss at the individual level is a simple question. What are you doing better than you’re ever done? If you aren’t doing something better than you’ve ever done it then you will not have a result that is better than you’ve ever had.

Age Groupers Achievements

SWIMMERS OF THE MEET: Congratulations to the swimmers selected by their coaches as Swimmers of the Meet for our December and January meets .These swimmers earned this recognition for both swimming well at the meet and also for their hard work at practice. Arizona: AG 2: Avery Wolk

DART Winter Invite: AG 1: Irelyn Kennedy AG2: Shurui Li and Isaac Carsel AG2: AG

STAS Invite: Bronze: Reno Sakai AG1: Layla Wolk AG 2 Abby Cenizal

HIGH POINT WINNERS DART WINTER INVITE:

8-U G: Irelyn Kennedy, 5th

8-U B: Kowen Tavares, 2nd; Konrad Wisniewski, 3rd 9-10 B: Isaac Carsel, 1st; Drew Erickson, 5th 11-12 G: Applejean Gwinn, 1st; Ava Bautista, 2nd; Yurika Sakai, 4th; Catalina Taylor, 5th 11-12 B: Evan Marzak, 1st; Tyler Vong, 3rd; Michael Wang, 4th; Dylan Bonilla, 5th 13-14 G: Valarie Vong, 1st; Audrey Portello, 3rd; Maddy Ching, 4th; Sara Kos,5th 13-14 B: Martin Uriarte, 2nd; Jackson Harris, 4th

Coaches have randomly chosen one swimmer from each group to be part of the meet the swimmer for this month. Each newsletter we will highlight new swimmers! Alex Erickson Alex is 12 years old and is in 6th grade at Cesar Chavez. This is his 3th year with Dart and swims in AG 3. “Alex Facts”: • He won Best of Class in the California Sate Fair. • He likes Math. Alex’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Book: Big Nate Movie: Inifinity Wars Event: 50 fly and 50 breast Athlete: Michael Phelps and Joel Embiid

Skye Bertain Skye is 13 years old and is an 8th grader at Holmes Junior High. She has been swimming with Dart for just over a year and is in the Gold group. “Skye Facts”: • She is one of 7 sisters! • She likes Math. Skye’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Chocolate Book: Six of Crows Movie: Mama Mia Athlete: Katie Ledecky Stroke: Freestyle

Skyler Carmelich Skyler is 17years old and is in 11th grade at Vacaville High School. He has been on Dart for two years, prior to this he was on Vacaville and Terrapins swim teams. He swims in SR 2. “Skyler Facts”: • He has a hamster named Mistletoe. • He enjoys doing art and his favorite subject is World History. Skyler’s Favorites: Book: Bully by Ben Shapiro Movie: 21 Jump Strreet Event: 100 Breast Ice Cream: Cotton Candy Athlete: Nathan Adrian

Anna Essex Anna is 11 years old and is in 6th grade at Ceasar Chavez Elementary. She has been swimming for 9 years and swims in the Silver group. “Anna Facts”: • She has a cat named Carly. • She loves imitating Severus Snape from Harry Potter. Anna’s Favorites: Book: Harry Potter Movie: Crimes of Grindelwald Ice Cream: Caramel Toffe Crunch Stroke: Fly or Back Athlete: Missy Franklin

MaKenzie Walsh MaKenzie is 8 years old and is a 2nd grader at Cesar Chavez Elementary. She has been swimming with Dart for 1.5 years and is in AG 1. “MaKenzie Facts”: • She has 6 cats: Radio, Pixie, Ruby, Graffiti, Babies and Jose and 2 fish: Goldie and Pebbles. • She wants to be a YouTube star MaKenzie’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Mint Chips Movie: Teen Titans USA Swimmer: Chloe Sutton Book: Captain Underpants Stroke: Butterfly

Victoria Soshnikov Victoria is 6 years old and is in 1st grade at North Davis Elementary. She has been swimming with Darts since the fall and is in the Bronze group. “Victoria Facts”: • She has fish, 2 birds, Kiwi and Dina and they are getting fox terrier puppy. • Her birthday is a day after her teacher, Mrs Huser, birthday Victoria’s Favorites: Subject: Math Movie: Dolphin Tale, Boss Baby and Small Foot Book: Mumintroll Family Series Stroke: Breaststroke Athlete: Her Brother, Vanya, he plays water polo

Anastasia Flamik Anastasia is 9 years old, and is in 3th grade at Patwin Elementary. She has been on Dart for 4 years and swims in AG 2. “Anastasia Facts”: • She has 7 chicken, a dog named Teddy and a cat named Kitty. • She likes bowling. Anastasia’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Cookies and Cream Movie: Secret Life of Pets Book: Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen Event: Backstroke Athlete: Missy Frankin Subject: Math

Kayla Chan Kayla is 15 years old and in 10th grade at Davis High School. She has been swimming for Dart for 9 years and swim in the SR High School group. “Kayla Facts” • She has two dogs named Berry and Ginger. • She loves baking, cooking and hanging out with swim friends. Kayla’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Cotton Candy Stroke: Backstroke Subject: Chemistry Athlete: Dana Volmer Movie: Soul Surfer

Ella Lapuz Ella is 14 years old and in 9th grade at Harper Junio High. She has been swimming for Dart for 4 and before that was on SASO. She is in SR 1. “Ella Facts” • She has a dog named Brock • She likes California Rolls Ella’s Favorites: Ice Cream: Vanilla Event: 500 Free Subject: History Athlete: Katie Ledecky

Meet Results

Bronze Darts Abby C., Drew E., Gota S.

Silver Darts Gold Darts Shurui L. Avery W.

Time Standards

B: Hadley F., Bia H., Cat H., Irelyn K., Koa T., Layla W., Julian A., Luke F., Anastasia F., Celest S., Russell R., Natalie B., Montse P., Alex E., Oliver R., Russell R., Harvey U., Lily C., Natalie N., Celest S., Sophia S., Carol Z., Will C., Forte D., Gota S., Dash V., Maddie TS., Noah B., Barrett D., Henry F., Kathleen S., Sami TS., BB: Esme B., Emma D., Hadley F., Cat H., Natalie J., Irelyn K., Koa T., Kenzie W., Ethan C., Luke F., Kowen T., Taylor A., Katie B., Abby C., Will C., Drew E., Gota S., Ella A., Kyla C., Shurui L., Dylan B., Jackson H., Kevin W., Lily C., Anastasia F., Natalie N., Sophia S., Carol Z., Will C., Drew Silver Darts E., Oliver R., Gota S., Shuxin L., Ava P., Barrett D., Alex E., Emma D., Hadley F., Cat H., Kevin W., Amy S., Gianna S., Nick G., Kenzie W., Ethan C. Reno S., A: Emma D., Cat H., Irelyn K., Ethan C., Kowen T., Sarah Noah M., Harvey U., Taylor B., Yurika S., Nick G., Taylor A., Katie B., Abby C., Drew A., Drew E., Shurui L., E., Ella C., Jenna E., Sam H., Leila M., Dylan B., Justice B., Maddie TS., Aditya S., Jackson H., Vivian U., Lily C., Natalie N., AA: Irelyn K., Kowen T., Adelia B., Ella C., Kyla C., Leila M., Ava P., Yurika S., Catalina T., Evan M., Michael W., Ethan W., Iz M., Jackson H., Gold Darts AAA: Isaac C., Iz M., Evan M., Ava B., Applejean G., Kowen T., Irelyn K., Konrad Yurika S., Catalina T., Michael W., Sarah B., W., Isaac C., Abby C., Will AAAA: Applejean G., Maddy C., C., Gota S., Oliver R. Time Standards B: Natalie J., Layla W., Lily C., Anastasia F., Gwenie A., Henry F., Silver Darts BB: Cat H., Kowen T., Katie B., Maisie F., Avery W., Bronze Darts Abby C., Lily Gota S., Harvey U., Gwenie A., C., Anastasia A: Kowen T., Abby C., Avery W., Drew E., Yurika S., Reno S., Layla W. Maisie AA: Abby C., Tyler V., F., Harvey U. F., Maddie Mo., Gota AAA: Applejean G., S., Henry F.

Team Communication- Coach Contact Information If you have any questions please feel free to Aquadart President - Miriam Fisk email the coaching staff directly [email protected] Head Coaches Aquadart Treasurer – Reed Miller Head Swim Coach—Billy [email protected] Doughty [email protected] Head Age Group Coach— Carolee Gregg [email protected] If you would like to see or contribute something in next month’s Assistant Coaches newsletter, please email Coach Jamie Kerry Halsted at [email protected] [email protected] Andrea Forrest [email protected] Russell Haussermann [email protected] Reed Miller [email protected] Jamie Kiarie [email protected] Trent Richardson [email protected] Jordan Vermette [email protected] Ray Weiser [email protected]