Category: News

A note from Badger Parent Advocate, Mike Conaton:

Swimming from inspiration can be very different from swimming “for” someone else. When the kids are mature enough to understand the nuance, experts believe it’s important for them to swim for themselves, for their own reasons and goals: putting in the hard work for themselves and enjoying their own challenges and rewards. We have all read the warnings about parents being careful not to put the burden and pressure on the kids to try to please US and appease OUR hopes and dreams for them. It should be THEIR hopes and dreams…and inspirations…that motivate their dedication and hard work.

It is certainly natural and can be very beneficial for a swimmer to be INSPIRED by another person, coaches, parents, swimming heroes, events…using other people’s experiences, characteristics, accomplishments and stories as motivation and stimulus.

This story about Glenn Mills will help me explain my thoughts on this subject better. Many vintage Badgers and swimming world types know Glenn – a 1980 Olympian, NCAA breaststroke champion, and today the founder and owner of GoSwim Productions, the leading producer of swimming technique videos. Above all, we all know Glenn as an outstanding human being, tireless swimming advocate and loyal friend.

Glenn was recently named one of The Top Ten Most Impactful People of 2015 by Swimming World Magazine for launching his new GoSwim online teaching platforms and coaching aids and being picked as the official video training partner of USA Swimming.

My favorite story about Glenn involves his inspiration – his older brother Kyle. During Glenn’s middle school days, Kyle lost his leg to a rare cancer. Kyle’s struggle with his illness and his courageous recovery from that bout made a huge impression on Glenn as he describes it. “If I had a tough practice one day, I would just think of Kyle getting along with his one leg and somehow practice wasn’t so tough anymore”, he once told me. Glenn loved and admired his brother even more from the experience. Which is all the more reason why Glenn was so devastated when Kyle passed away from his recurring cancer when Glenn started high school. Swimming took on a new dimension for Glenn. The article linked here  from 1981 about Glenn and his family includes the following quote:

“I’m probably always thinking of Kyle. A lot of times I’m swimming for him and myself. I’m always thinking about Kyle because I like to have some extra incentive. He helps me out a lot.”
Glenn dedicated his training to Kyle and made the 1980 Olympic Team. It was even more impressive as Glenn was just an 18 year old on his way to the University of Alabama.

Of course Glenn had to be a great swimmer and dedicated athlete to achieve such a feat. I also know of the sacrifices he and his family made which contributed to his training and success, including moving to another city and switching high schools to attend an elite swimming program 250 miles from home. But there also can be no doubt that Kyle was Glenn’s greatest motivation and inspiration contributing to this story book ending.

 

Michael Conaton, Badger Swim Club Inc. and Badger Swimming Inc. accept no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.

In keeping up with the fast swimming taking place in Federal Way WA by our National Qualifiers, the swimmers who attended the Montreal meet returned home with a total of 128 Medals.

The meet held at the Olympic Park the home of the 1976 Olympics was attended by 21 clubs and 709 swimmers.

Badger Swimmers,  were all making numerous appearances at finals each night with the swimmers all looking to medal  each night.

The energy of the team was extremely high fueled by fast swimming.

We look forward to this meet next season and continued success in the upcoming meets.

 

 

 

 

Badger Swim Club INC.
Gold	42. Men, 50m Freestyle	15 years and older	HUBER, Christian P	15	24.16
	108. Boys, 50m Freestyle	8 years and younger	LOVELESS, Ryan	8	41.63
	122. Boys, 100m Freestyle	8 years and younger	LOVELESS, Ryan	8	01:37.4
	46. Men, 50m Backstroke	13 – 14 years	SEIBOLD, Finn J	14	29.41
	6. Men, 100m Backstroke	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	01:03.1
	30. Men, 200m Backstroke	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	02:16.7
	28. Men, 50m Breaststroke	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J	13	31.38
	28. Men, 50m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	SPERES, Nicholas C	11	37.21
	44. Men, 100m Breaststroke	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J	13	01:11.8
	118. Boys, 100m Breaststroke	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	01:58.9
	10. Men, 200m Breaststroke	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J	13	02:34.5
	10. Men, 200m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	02:59.2
	120. Boys, 50m Butterfly	8 years and younger	LOVELESS, Ryan	8	51.75
	24. Men, 100m Butterfly	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	01:01.7
	4. Men, 400m Medley	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	05:00.2
	36. Men, 4 x 100m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 2		04:13.8
	20. Men, 4 x 50m Medley	13 – 14 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 2		02:04.4
	20. Men, 4 x 50m Medley	11 – 12 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		01:51.2
	18. Men, 4 x 100m Medley	13 – 14 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 2	12	04:49.8
	41. Women, 50m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R		29.59
	107. Girls, 50m Freestyle	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	36.98
	11. Women, 100m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	01:02.9
	121. Girls, 100m Freestyle	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	01:22.3
	21. Women, 200m Freestyle	15 years and older	LANTIN, Alexa	16	02:09.1
	21. Women, 200m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	SHERIDAN, Kerry	14	02:13.4
	21. Women, 200m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	02:17.3
	101. Girls, 200m Freestyle	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	02:56.3
	13. Women, 800m Freestyle	15 years and older	LANTIN, Alexa	16	09:22.0
	13. Women, 800m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	SHERIDAN, Kerry	14	09:50.0
	13. Women, 800m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	09:53.8
	31. Women, 1500m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	SHERIDAN, Kerry	14	18:34.1
	31. Women, 1500m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	18:44.7
	45. Women, 50m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R	12	34.3
	115. Girls, 50m Backstroke	10 years	LEE, Kaitlyn H	10	39.71
	115. Girls, 50m Backstroke	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	46.42
	5. Women, 100m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	01:09.1
	105. Girls, 100m Backstroke	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	01:38.7
	29. Women, 200m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	02:27.9
	27. Women, 50m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	38.43
	103. Girls, 50m Breaststroke	10 years	LEE, Kaitlyn H	10	41.79
	103. Girls, 50m Breaststroke	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	52.96
	43. Women, 100m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	01:23.3
	117. Girls, 100m Breaststroke	10 years	LEE, Kaitlyn H	10	01:32.2
	117. Girls, 100m Breaststroke	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	01:52.9
	9. Women, 200m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	03:00.9
	7. Women, 50m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	31.62
	119. Girls, 50m Butterfly	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	42.62
	23. Women, 100m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	01:08.4
	25. Women, 100m Medley	11 – 12 years	PABBY, Anya	12	01:12.5
	109. Girls, 100m Medley	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	01:40.0
	47. Women, 200m Medley	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	02:39.1
	113. Girls, 200m Medley	10 years	LEE, Kaitlyn H	10	03:00.6
	113. Girls, 200m Medley	8 years and younger	KLEIN, Neala J	8	03:32.7
Silver	1. Women, 4 x 50m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 3		01:58.7
	35. Women, 4 x 100m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 2		04:27.8
	19. Women, 4 x 50m Medley	11 – 12 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 2		02:17.6
	17. Women, 4 x 100m Medley	11 – 12 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 3		05:04.1
	42. Men, 50m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	SEIBOLD, Finn J	14	26.6
	12. Men, 100m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	57.66
	22. Men, 200m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	RAMJOHN, Jalen K	14	02:02.0
	14. Men, 800m Freestyle	15 years and older	LOVELESS, John J	15	08:37.1
	14. Men, 800m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	10:51.8
	32. Men, 1500m Freestyle	15 years and older	LOVELESS, John J	15	16:26.1
	46. Men, 50m Backstroke	15 years and older	TOWNE, Garrett B	15	27.51
	116. Boys, 50m Backstroke	8 years and younger	LOVELESS, Ryan	8	51.26
	6. Men, 100m Backstroke	15 years and older	TOWNE, Garrett B	15	01:00.4
	6. Men, 100m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	01:18.0
	28. Men, 50m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	38.74
	44. Men, 100m Breaststroke	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	01:22.2
	120. Boys, 50m Butterfly	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	51.67
	40. Men, 200m Butterfly	15 years and older	LOVELESS, John J	15	02:10.4
	26. Men, 100m Medley	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J	13	01:04.6
	110. Boys, 100m Medley	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	01:56.1
	110. Boys, 100m Medley	8 years and younger	LOVELESS, Ryan	8	01:47.5
	4. Men, 400m Medley	15 years and older	LOVELESS, John J	15	04:42.0
	4. Men, 400m Medley	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J	13	05:01.5
	36. Men, 4 x 100m Freestyle	15 years and older	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		03:43.8
	18. Men, 4 x 100m Medley	15 years and older	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		04:00.1
	107. Girls, 50m Freestyle	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	38.96
	11. Women, 100m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R	12	01:04.0
	121. Girls, 100m Freestyle	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	01:24.4
	21. Women, 200m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	02:17.5
	101. Girls, 200m Freestyle	10 years	ANDERSON, Kate E	10	02:46.1
	115. Girls, 50m Backstroke	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	47.36
	5. Women, 100m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	01:13.7
	105. Girls, 100m Backstroke	10 years	LEE, Kaitlyn H	10	01:24.6
	105. Girls, 100m Backstroke	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	01:41.8
	29. Women, 200m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	02:37.1
	9. Women, 200m Breaststroke	13 – 14 years	VICTORY, Margaret M	14	02:57.1
	23. Women, 100m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	01:11.7
	25. Women, 100m Medley	15 years and older	NEUBAUER, Marie	15	01:08.3
	25. Women, 100m Medley	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R	12	01:14.6
	109. Girls, 100m Medley	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	01:40.5
	3. Women, 400m Medley	15 years and older	NEUBAUER, Marie	15	05:04.3
	35. Women, 4 x 100m Freestyle	15 years and older	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		04:09.7
	123. All, 4 x 50m Medley	12 years and younger	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		02:46.1
	111. All, 4 x 50m Freestyle	12 years and younger	Badger Swim Club INC. 1		02:27.0
Bronze	108. Boys, 50m Freestyle	10 years	BREEDEN, Cayden J	10	34
	122. Boys, 100m Freestyle	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	01:37.0
	22. Men, 200m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	HARDART, Max	12	02:26.5
	102. Boys, 200m Freestyle	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	03:26.5
	6. Men, 100m Backstroke	13 – 14 years	SEIBOLD, Finn J	14	01:07.3
	6. Men, 100m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	KLEIN, Evan M	11	01:19.5
	30. Men, 200m Backstroke	15 years and older	TOWNE, Garrett B	15	02:10.8
	30. Men, 200m Backstroke	13 – 14 years	SEIBOLD, Finn J	14	02:27.3
	104. Boys, 50m Breaststroke	9 years	LEE, Cooper C	9	56.96
	8. Men, 50m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	KLEIN, Evan M	11	34.68
	120. Boys, 50m Butterfly	9 years	KORVYAKOV, Michael	9	54.19
	24. Men, 100m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	KLEIN, Evan M	11	01:16.9
	40. Men, 200m Butterfly	15 years and older	TOWNE, Garrett B	15	02:13.6
	110. Boys, 100m Medley	9 years	KORVYAKOV, Michael	9	02:01.2
	48. Men, 200m Medley	13 – 14 years	LOVELESS, Liam J Badger Swim Club INC. 1	13	02:24.5
	2. Men, 4 x 50m Freestyle	15 years and older	Badger Swim Club INC. 2		01:41.9
	2. Men, 4 x 50m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	OTT, Elke J	12	01:56.0
	41. Women, 50m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	30.67
	11. Women, 100m Freestyle	11 – 12 years	OTT, Elke J	12	01:05.7
	45. Women, 50m Backstroke	11 – 12 years	PENNINGTON, Caroline	12	34.67
	115. Girls, 50m Backstroke	9 years	HARDART, Annabel M	9	47.52
	105. Girls, 100m Backstroke	9 years	HARDART, Annabel M	9	01:41.8
	43. Women, 100m Breaststroke	13 – 14 years	VICTORY, Margaret M	14	01:23.8
	117. Girls, 100m Breaststroke	9 years	HARDART, Annabel M	9	01:51.1
	9. Women, 200m Breaststroke	15 years and older	LANTIN, Alexa	16	02:42.1
	119. Girls, 50m Butterfly	8 years and younger	BARR, Fiona P	8	48.35
	23. Women, 100m Butterfly	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R	12	01:12.6
	109. Girls, 100m Medley	9 years	HARDART, Annabel M	9	01:42.3
	47. Women, 200m Medley	11 – 12 years	ARNOLD, Lauren R	12	02:41.9
	1. Women, 4 x 50m Freestyle	13 – 14 years	Badger Swim Club INC. 4		02:07.2

This weekend 50 Swimmers from the Junior and Senior Teams of Badger will be traveling to Montreal to participate in the Invitation Provinciale hosted by Neptune Natation at the Olympic Park Sports Centre.

 

 

The team will be competing internationally, a first for many of our swimmers attending the meet in Montreal which traditionally is a Badger stop.  Expectations are high for a strong team showing by all competing this weekend, follow our swimmers  at www.neptunenatation.com

A note from Badger Parent Advocate, Mike Conaton:

I recently attended a presentation by Dr. Alex Diaz, a local sports psychology consultant. Dr. Diaz began by explaining the biological development of the human brain which establishes certain innate tendencies. For example, the section of the brain that controls our motor skills, adrenaline and “fight or flight” instincts actually develops before the cognitive section of our brain which enables our ability to think. This was an “A-Ha” moment for me as I could now better understand the origin of the basic concept of “not overthinking things” and just letting your body perform.

We all know many athletes rely on repetition and muscle memory to help achieve optimal performance (think endless practice of attempting free throws, fielding ground balls, swimming stroke technique).  Derek Jeter has said he used to try not to think about it, “let the moment come to him”, then rely on his instincts and reaction to take over. NFL quarterbacks can “see” the entire field and check off the various passing routes. We hear of their ability to seemingly “slow the play down” enabling then their athletic talent to execute. Emotion is kept out of the equation. The better players don’t seem to over think or overreact. As Yogi Berra used to ask, “How can you think and hit at the same time?” We can see what happens when this notion is tested – when football coaches try to “ice the kicker” by calling timeouts before a big field goal attempt to make the kicker have to think too much about the magnitude of the moment.

Dr. Diaz spoke to us the same night that Serena Williams was defeated in the semifinals of the US Open by Roberta Vinci. The number one seated and heavily favored Williams had a chance to win the elusive Calendar Grand Slam but was defeated by Vinci in what some called the greatest upset in women’s tennis history. Dr. Diaz described the progression of Williams’ body language and growing emotion that manifested itself in more and more unforced errors as the match went on. She began to talk to herself after points as the pressure of the moment mounted and the magnitude of the Grand Slam prospects seemed to be too much. Dr. Diaz concluded that Williams clearly beat herself, allowing emotion and self-doubt to outweigh and overtake far superior innate athletic abilities.

Dr. Diaz also offered up some great advice for parents of athletes, some of which is included in an article he has written on the subject which can be viewed here.

Earlier in the kids’ athletic careers, it is important to have fun with the sport. To enjoy it as a physical outlet with a social component. Yes it’s not always about winning. When the focus of the activity begins to be based on performance, things can become more complicated…and parents run the risk of exerting too much influence. Imposing their own dreams and experiences on the kids instead of allowing the kid to have their own – making their own mistakes, learning their own lessons, and taking responsibility for themselves and their performance. Dr. Diaz also cautions parents to act as parents, providing support and unconditional love NOT based on this performance.

Above all, parents should acknowledge that they are not the coach.  This confuses the kids and potentially causes distraction and poor performance. Dr. Diaz noted the squash players he works with who look back at their parents after every shot.   It is dis-functional.   He said this is one reason why parents are often asked not to attend practices so that the kids are not distracted or made unnecessarily self-conscious. Let the kids develop their own relationships with their own coaches.

Finally Dr. Diaz spoke about the dreaded “car ride home”. He said studies show that the car ride home from a game/meet or practice is the number one time of stress and anxiety for an athlete with their parents. Just as you or I would not like to talk about our bad day at the dinner table, so too would our kids rather not rehash and relive the errant play or bad swim – especially with their parents who are not their coaches and are supposed to be the kids’ biggest fans and advocates no matter how they performed.

The recurring theme: UNCONDITIONAL love and support…
 

Michael Conaton, Badger Swim Club Inc. and Badger Swimming Inc. accept no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.

Wishing all our swimmers a Happy Halloween.

Congratulations to Zane Grothe and Cody Miller on being named to the 2015 Duel in the Pool roster representing the United States on December 11th and 12th at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis as they take on the European All Stars in short course meters.

The full story can be found at SWIM SWAM .