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| | Championship Season Edition
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| Get in the Spirit to RACE
There’s no reason a championship meet can’t be a whole lot of fun! In the spirit of fun, and all things Ensworth Aquatics, we will be doing a few new things for the coming meets.
This weekend, groups at the Region Meet will be competing with other teams, but they will also compete with each other to see who can make the longest Best Time chain. Every time an athlete in the Stingrays, Dolphins, or Sharks swims a best time, a new link will be added to the best time chain (worn by the coach!).
Swimmers at the Region Meet who earn a Southeastern Championship qualifying time will have their picture taken at the meet, and the pictures will be displayed on our scoreboard leading into SES Championships!
Athletes competing in Huntsville will also be competing to accumulate the most Bling. We will be handing out Heat Winner and Best Time medallions at the meet. Meanwhile, event winners will have the distinct honor of donning the Super Spirit Cape until the next event winner comes along!
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Region 1 Championships
Championship season continues this weekend in Nashville! The upcoming Region meet is officially a Championship meet for 8 & Under swimmers, while also serving as a final opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Southeastern Championships.
Be sure to pack your athlete extra towels, goggles, caps, and plenty of Ensworth Aquatics gear. With more than 110 athletes signed up to swim, we have an opportunity to make a huge statement in the water with our performances and on the deck with our team spirit and support.
Warm-Ups
Ensworth Aquatics 10 & Under swimmers will warm-up at the following times:
Saturday 10:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Ensworth Aquatics 11 & Older swimmers will have the following warm-up times:
Saturday 2:20 a.m. - 2:55 p.m.
Sunday 12:05 p.m. - 12:40 p.m.
Please be sure to get to the pool 15 minutes before warm-up begins!
Parking
There is a huge hockey tournament at the Sportsplex this weekend, as well as part of the course of the Hot Chocolate 15K on Saturday morning. Parking around the complex will be extremely difficult. Allow plenty of time to get to the pool and plan to drop off your swimmer and then find parking. Metro asks that you take Charlotte Avenue to 23rd Avenue to get to the Sportsplex. To view the road closure map, use this link.
Meet Information
- Heat sheets will be sold at the meet.
- Click here to access Psych Sheets.
- Enter the pool through the main entrance.
- Session details are outlined in the graphic below
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Southeastern Championships
The entries are in for the 2020 Southeastern Swimming Short Course Championships. Ensworth Aquatics will step onto the deck in Huntsville as the defending champion, having won the meet for the last three consecutive years.
This meet is a rare opportunity for the athletes in every age group to compete together in an all-ages championship meet.
We want to make sure we look like a team - so pack the right shirts to wear on the right day.
We need to ensure we act as a team. This means everyone who is in Huntsville each evening of the meet should be at the pool supporting our athletes in finals!
We will make sure we compete as the best team possible. For relays, this means putting together the BEST relays we have next weekend in Huntsville. Relay spots are never a given and often depend on performance at the meet itself. Please help your athlete make sure they are supportive of their teammates whether or not they are on a relay.
It is the expectation that every athlete who makes it into finals competes in that final. This is true even on Sunday night, when some may wish to head back to Nashville after the morning prelims. Stay at the meet. Support the team!
Session details are outlined below, click on the image to access meet information.
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Team Gear
Custom Silicone Swim Caps are ready for pick up from the swimmer’s ribbon file folder. Ribbon folders are located on the spectator level of the natatorium.
If you ordered Latex or Dome custom caps they will be ready this week and can be brought to the Region meet. Please contact Naomi if you wish for this to be done. Otherwise, they will be filed in the swimmer’s ribbon folders.
Championship t-shirts: For those participating in the Region meet, the shirts will be brought to the meet. Southeastern participants can collect their shirts next week during practice. Parents that ordered shirts will be notified how to pick up. Click here to email Naomi.
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A Statement at State Championships
Every team has better years than others. What is important to look at is trends over time, and by all accounts, the trend for Ensworth Aquatics is definitely moving in the right direction.
Our high school swimmers were downright impressive at the State Championship last weekend in Knoxville. Take a look at this spreadsheet showing Ensworth Aquatics State Championship scoring swims for the last four years. This past weekend was, far and away, the absolute best we have ever done at the state meet.
With more than 30 of our swimmers competing for different schools, it is nearly impossible to have a perfect meet. There will be disappointing performances. We had some of those, but many of the athletes who didn’t perform to their expectations in one event came back and put up best times in their next events.
We had too many highlights to truly name them all.
We had one event winner, Kallie Chelsvig in the 500 Freestyle. Kallie earned automatic All-American honors with that swim while also earning All-American in the 200 Freestyle.
Jake Mason earned consideration for All-American honors with his time in the 500 Freestyle (where he finished 2nd).
Below is a summary of Ensworth Aquatics athletes who finished in the top 16
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Top 16 Finishes
- Women’s 200 Free: Kallie Chelsvig 2nd, Emily Harris 8th, Reese Dismukes 11th
- Men’s 200 Free: Jack Flanagan 9th, Christian McIntire 11th, Noah Lucy 13th
- Men’s 200 IM: Jake Mason 5th
- Women’s 50 Free: Morgan Carteaux 2nd, Parker Lynch 15th
- Men’s 50 Free: George Mabry 4th, Oliver Pilkinton 7th, Jonathan Henschel 9th
- Men’s 100 Fly: Rob McCall 7th
- Women’s 100 Free: Morgan Carteaux 7th
- Men’s 100 Free: Jack Flanagan 8th, George Mabry 10th, Noah Lucy 12th, Jonathan Henschel 13th
- Women’s 500 Free: Kallie Chelsvig 1st, Emily Harris 7th
- Men’s 500 Free: Jake Mason 2nd, Kas McIntire 4th, Christian McIntire 5th
- Women’s 100 Back: Reese Dismukes 7th, Addison Wright 10th
- Men’s 100 Back: Rob McCall 2nd, Oliver Pilkinton 4th
- Women’s 100 Breast: Hannah Neilsen 2nd, Lexi Stewart 4th, Lindy Hunter 6th, Ally Solomon 9th, Caroline Johnson 14th
- Men’s 100 Breast: Patrick France 14th, Aylor Huneycutt 16th
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Dining Out for Athletes
The season of hard work is winding down. Hopefully, you are resting more and fine-tuning details to help you swim as fast as possible during the upcoming Championship Meets. Yet, all of your hard work can be wasted if you don’t properly fuel your body for performance during your meet! Listed below are a few things to consider:
Plan your menu now. Write down (or make a list on your phone) where and what you plan to eat. This will save time and help you fuel properly. Think through this carefully-some of you will have 11 meals out.
Thursday Lunch, Thursday Dinner
Friday Breakfast, Friday Lunch, Friday Dinner
Saturday Breakfast, Saturday Lunch, Saturday Dinner
Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Lunch, Sunday Dinner
Aim to include bright colors (fruits and vegetables) with every meal. These contain vitamins and minerals that help you perform at the highest level.
Pre-competition meals should be relatively low in fat and protein. Focus on carbohydrates which will give you energy. Your plate should consist of 50% carbs, 25% lean protein, 25% veggies, plus fruit and healthy fat (1-2 tablespoons healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil)
Breakfast examples: Whole Grain toast, nut butter, banana, berries and/or apple sauce. Yogurt with granola and berries. Oatmeal with berries or dried fruit.
Lunch examples: Sandwich with whole wheat bread, lean meat, greens of choice, tomato, plus carrots, grapes and apple slices.
Dinner examples: Quinoa/Rice Bowl with chicken or salmon, choice veggies and fruit. Whole wheat pasta with meat sauce and salad. Salad with lean meat and choice fruits/veggies, baked potato, whole grain bread.
Think ahead. If you grab a sandwich for lunch, order two. Save one for a snack before finals or even lunch the following day. You can rest more if you aren’t spending extra time eating out. Grab fresh fruits and veggies for your hotel room to supplement when dining out.
Order water for your beverage. Sodium content is often much greater when dining out. Get a refill of water to-go for extra hydration.
Avoid high-fiber foods such as broccoli, beans or high fiber cereals which may take longer to digest and can cause an upset stomach. Avoid high-fat content such as fried foods, ice cream, nuts, and excess cheese. Avoid sugary drinks. Never try new foods during a meet.
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| Early Arrival to Practice / Behavior
We are going to begin implementing a new system for our younger athletes when it comes to arriving early to practice. There are now six sets of bleachers on the pool deck. Athletes in the Sharks, Dolphins, and Stingray groups will be assigned a bleacher to bring their bags to and sit on until their coach is ready to take them for either a pre-practice game or to begin practice.
We have consistently had a rule in our handbook stating that swimmers are not to arrive more than 15 minutes prior to practice. However, that 15 minute period still needs to be supervised. Many of our coaches are busy coaching groups when their athletes arrive. The best way to ensure your children are safe is to put them in a space that is easily seen and where there is little chance of misbehavior.
Please reinforce to your athletes that they are expected to be in that space until a coach tells them otherwise.
Locker Room Usage
Parents, we ask that you help the coaching staff by reminding your children that use of the locker room is a privilege. We have had some complaints regarding behavior in the locker room. The locker room is a space for changing and using the restroom only. We are hopeful that having our younger athletes seated on the deck prior to practice will help alleviate some of the reported issues. However, if there are continued problems then the locker room privilege may need to be revoked.
Schedule Updates
Live Practice Schedule is updated with current practice information. Click here to view the schedule. Please pay close attention to the practice schedule for the next several weeks. With a number of Championship meets going on, there will be changes to the schedule.
Post SES Championship Season
Most of our team will go into a competition hiatus following the SES Championship meet. 14 & Under athletes who qualify for the Sectional meet in Atlanta will have the opportunity to compete there from March 12-15. The rest of our team will not have another meet until our Spring Splash long course opener in April.
The pool dynamics will change immediately after the SES Championship Meet. We will begin running long course practices every week along with short-course swimming in the middle of the week.
As we look ahead towards summer we are finalizing our summer meet schedule. The finalized summer meet schedule will be out in our next Newsletter, but you can always check the home page on our website for added meets.
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Swim Meets & Events
Click on the swim meet links to access meet and hotel information.
Region 1 Championships
Spring Chicken Development Meet
Ensworth Natatorium
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Registration Deadline is February 22. Click here to register!
Olympic Training Center Trip
Colorado Springs, CO
March 16 - 21, 2020
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Olympic Training Trip
Ensworth Aquatics will be bringing a group of swimmers to a training camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs over spring break. This is the first time our team will visit the facility. It is also an incredible time to be there. With the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, there will be potential Olympians there from a multitude of sports. The trip will serve as a training opportunity at altitude combined with a host of team-building exercises.
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Ensworth Aquatics Swim Squad Registration is Open
Ensworth Aquatics wants to help your kids’ school teammates fall in love with swimming! That’s why we’ve created a new group called the Swim Squad, and we would love for you to share the information with your kids’ school friends.
Swim Squad is for kids 11 and up who enjoyed their Middle School or High School season and want to keep swimming without worrying about meets or getting to more than 2-3 practices a week. The idea is to piggyback off the fun of the Middle/High School seasons and help prepare them for summer league.
Who knows, maybe one will be a teammate of your child’s come this fall? There are plenty of talented kids who’s first exposure to swimming is for their school, but who might be nervous about “club swimming.”
This group will run for two sessions, meaning no long term commitment, and provide these swimmers the tools to not only prepare for summer league but discover if year-round swimming might be right for them.
There’s more information on our website, click on the image below!
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Birthday Shout Outs
Here are upcoming birthdays for athletes through March 2020. To all these amazing athletes, Ensworth Aquatics wishes each of you a happy birthday!
First off, a very happy belated birthday to Mollie Black, who celebrated her birthday on February 22.
March 1 - Maya Gemignani
March 1 - Tennysen Webb
March 2 - Carter Galbreath
March 2 - Katherine Wile
March 4 - Caroline Cox
March 4 -Abigail Fernandez
March 4 - Kirby Hollister
March 5 - Anna Jackson
March 5 - Jake Mason
March 7 - Ava Massey
March 12 - Hannah Mosher
March 13 - Elaina Massey
March 14 - Margaret Hundley
March 15 - Elizabeth Davis
March 16 - Olivia Solimine
March 16 - Omeed Irani
March 18 - Jordan Williams
March 20 - Kallie Chelsvig
March 20 - Ava Fetting
March 24 - David Longley
March 27 - Elizabeth Russell
March 27 - Mary Logan
March 28 - Lindsay Sanford
March 28 - Christian McIntire
March 28 - Kieran Wray
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GroupMe App
If you have not already joined your swimmers' GroupMe, please consider doing so. Parents, coaches, and staff use GroupMe to communicate last-minute updates, traffic issues, practice changes, lost and found, carpooling and much more. Each practice group has its own group text, and we believe if you ask any returning team members, they will confirm that GroupMe is an invaluable communication tool as it enables them to ask specific questions and plan activities particular to their practice group. Use this link to download the GroupMe app.
Click on the links below to connect with your swimmer's practice group and parent reps:
Parent Reps
Stingrays - Jessica Horne & Maureen Kolton
Dolphins - Lindsey Sanford
Sharks - Fran Spurrier
Juniors - Margaret Mason & Susan Emrhein
Marlins - help needed
Senior1/Senior - Margaret Mason
Team Website & OnDeck
We are confident that everyone on our team has visited our team website by now, but beyond registration, it serves as the primary information tool for our team. Through our website, parents and athletes will commit to competitions, enter events, sign up to volunteer, access newsletters, review practice schedules, much more. Be sure to "Sign In" to the website to view all content. Go ahead and visit www.ensworthaquatics.com and bookmark it!
OnDeck is TeamUnify's supporting app that allows our staff to communicate through our website directly to team members' mobile devices. OnDeck also presents our website content to users with improved mobile device usability. What this means is you can enter into swim meets and signup to volunteer more easily on your mobile devices. Use this link to download OnDeck.
Social Media
Ensworth Aquatics is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Click on the icons below to connect with us through social media.
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