Leinster Distance and Graded Gala.
Sliabh Beagh A.S.C. swimmers took part in the Leinster Distance & Graded galas at the NAC in Dublin on the 18th & 19th January 2014. We had quite a few members of our Aqua Sprint squads competing in their first major competition. The coaches are very proud of quality of the swims, especially from our newest members. The majority of our senior and intermediate swimmers continue to swim well, with more Division Two times being achieved. Congratulations to Emer Sheridan who achieved her first Division Two time in the 100 Breaststroke. Sliabh Beagh, as always, appreciates the parents who volunteer to help at the gala.
The following swimmers competed for the first time in this gala.
- Katie Bowden, 50 Butterfly,100 Breaststroke, 50 freestyle
- Faolan Campbell, 100 freestyle, 50 Backstroke, 50 breaststroke,100 IM
- Ruadhan Curran, 100 freestyle, 50 Backstroke, 50 Breaststroke
- Olivia Gorman, 50 freestyle, 100IM, 50 backstroke
- Daniel Madden, 100 Freestyle, 50 Fly
- Ellen Mc Geogh, 100 Breaststroke, 50 Freestyle
- Sheena Mc Kenna, 50 freestyle, 100 Backstroke
- Hazel Mc Morrow, 100 breaststroke, 50 freestyle
Well done everyone! We hope to see you all back at the NAC Charity Gala.
Aqua Sprint away to City of Belfast
The AquaSprint team head to city of Belfast on Saturday to compete in the next round of the Forest Feast League. At this stage the team has been picked. The coordinators would ask parents to check the notice board for Allocation of jobs for the gala. The bus will leave the leisure centre at 2.30pm, for warm up in Anderstown pool Belfast, at 4.30. Swimmers should wear club hat and AquaSprint T shirt. Good luck to everyone.
Upcoming Galas
Swim Ulster Valentines Gala 7th to 9th February 2014.
The next qualifying Gala takes place in Lisburn. Entries for this competition are now closed. More details of competitors next week.
Irish Minors schools Competition
The Irish Minors Schools takes place this year in the NAC. Qualifying swimmers from the Ulster schools competition will represent their school and the club. A number of swimmers from Sliabh Beagh will be competing. Full details next week.
NAC Charity Gala on 16th February 2014
This upcoming gala gives new swimmers to competition a chance to swim in a more relaxed atmosphere. The competition has a special section called “Mini Minnows” were there are no starting blocks or electronic timer. All races in this section are 25 metres in all strokes. The competition also offers 50 and 100 metres for all other age groups, with the usual format .Remember your child must be registered with Swim Ireland to swim in this competition. If you think your child is not registered please contact the club secretary as soon as possible to do so. Parents should discuss stroke selection with their child’s coach. More details on the club notice board and web site.
Competition Focus
As the business end of the season starts to evolve all swimmers will have to start making their newly issued lactate training times every set and every session. They will also need to set specific goals for their championship season. For some this is getting to development games and experiencing longer races. For others it is getting Div 1 or Div 2 or open championship times of even qualifying for the Commonwealth games Ulster squad or European events. It is all relative but the common denominator is work rate, technical improvement, fitness, attitude and ambition. It is about going faster in the key areas of underwater and changing direction – making yards on those ‘Any Given Sunday Film “inches”‘. It is also about not looking at the opposition and being negative about your chances, but rather maximising your strengths and slightly fixing your current weaknesses. As a famous 3 Michelin Start Chef said recently “getting the award is the easy bit, keeping it is a lot harder”. So climb the competition ladder gradually, learn and improve as you climb and when you have all the elements in place stepping onto the podium will be automatic.
The 2014 competition season will run for some until June and for others late July. Competitions that are coming up that will get you to these summer galas are as follows; Ulster Development Galas, Leinster Graded Galas, Ulster Qualifying and Age Group and Youth championships and Leinster Distance and Open championships. There are also some national events such as the Dave McCullough and Spring championships. If you are unsure what to enter talk to your squad coach. A meeting will be held shortly to help in event selection and goal setting too.
You are what you eat
All swimmers should now be aware of what they eat and drink and the quantity and type of each. Firstly every swimmer should be bringing a water bottle full of water or very slightly flavoured with orange or Ribena. Eating processed food or take away type food is not recommended. Eating sugar rich food or sweetened food regularly is also a problem as it puts on weight that is hard to shift. This can range from cereals to fizzy drinks from many low fat foods to crisps. So monitor your intake and cut down. Again talk to your squad coach if you need help.