Check out our new website

Middle School Girls need to go to the new site and see all of our conference info. Also, I will be posting results from past meets there!

Coach K : )

Off to the new site

Please bookmark THIS page for future updates on Hamilton Swimming and Diving. All new information will be posted on the googlesites page.
Thanks
T

Address for Pasta Party, After Conference Meet Pizza, and New Website update

The pasta party for tonight will be at 4210 132nd Ave. just south of Hamilton and east of M40. The girls will be ready to be picked up by 7:00 pm unless they decide to watch a movie or something else.

Your daughters will be given a sheet with the explanation and cost of the post-conference meet pizza dinner. Please make sure that you see this handout.

If you have a chance check out the new website that I am in the process of creating. I am starting to get some information on it and will try to keep adding to it. You can view the website HERE. Let me know what you think or what you would like to see included/added on the site.
Thanks
T

Varsity Girls Conference Meet Week

Here is the run-down for the week:
Tuesday:
Conference Practice, 3-4:45
State Practice, 3-5:30
Wednesday:
Conference Practice, 3-4:15
State Practice, 5:45-7:00 am and 3-5:30
Thursday:
Conference Practice, 2:50-3:50, Then shave down, then head to the Aalderink's house for the pasta party (we will leave the pool between 5:15 and 5:45). Make sure you bring shaving supplies with you.
State Practice, 2:50-4:20ish + possibly 5:00-5:30, then head to the Aalderink's house for the pasta party (we will leave the pool between 5:15 and 5:45).
The girls should be ready to be picked up from the Aalderink's by 7:00. I will post the address by Thursday morning.
DIVERS: Will leave from the high school ASAP Thursday afternoon. Make sure to bring snacks/drinks for the afternoon/evening. Diving warm-ups start at 3:00 and the meet starts at 5:00.
Friday:
Swimmers will leave right after school from the high school lower lot. We will be the last bus in the line. Get there quickly so we can leave on time. Warm-up starts at 3:00 and the meet starts at 5:00. Pack a CHAIR and snacks and drinks for the afternoon/evening. You can leave an extra swim bag in the high school office if needed.
Divers will have practice on Friday and will probably be done a bit early.
Saturday:
There will be the opportunity for a wake-up swim 9:00-9-30 am at our pool for those that are interested. We will be meeting at our pool at 10:50. Warm-up starts at 11:00 and the meet starts at 1:00 pm. We may not have transportation home from the meet on Saturday, depending on who our bus driver is. I will let you know as soon as I know. After the meet we will be heading back to the middle school for pizza and some social time.

SECOND SHAVE MEET:
The Second Shave Meet is next week Tuesday at the Holland Aquatic Center. Any swimmers interested in going need to attend practice on Monday after school. I will send entries in during practice on Monday. All state qualified swimmers will attend the Second Shave Meet. We will meet at the Holland Aquatic Center at 5:15 pm for a 5:30 pm warm-up and 6:30 pm meet start. That will be our only activity for the day.

I will probably update with more information throughout the week.

I am looking forward to having a lot of fun this week and watching our girls swim really fast!
Thanks
T

Middle School girls...

We are well under way for our season and I just have a couple quick reminder notes.

Tomorrow and Friday we are practicing from 10 to noon. I would really like as many girls there as possible because we will have the entire pool and I hope to work on turns!

Also, next week Tuesday there is a winter parent meeting with Mr. Gelmi and myself. It starts at 6:00 in the gym.

And I know its hard to believe, but we already have our first meet in about a week. So, practices are crucial right now. We have a lot to still work on. We are off to a good start though and I am sure it will be a great season ; )

Results from Zeeland meet

Results are posted HERE. Overall a good meet. A new team record by Liz VandeWege in the 200 IM. A new state cut by Maddy Kempkers in the 200 Free. 26 lifetime best times tonight! That totals 92 lifetime best times in the last 3 meets! Great job ladies.
Thanks
T

The Meet is on for tonight

The meet tonight is a go. We will be swimming unless some other weather "emergencies" pop up between now and the start time. I will see you on deck by 5:10 and parents lined up by 6:20.
Thanks
T

Meet tonight with Zeeland, Post-Conference Meet Gathering, HC meet results, and OK Green Conference Info

As of right now the meet is still a go for tonight. The only way that it will be cancelled is if they extend the tornado watch to within two hours of the start time of the meet. Same timeframe with 5:10 on deck, 5:20 in the water and lined up for parent night by 6:20. If things change I will update here.

I sent home a sign-up sheet from Todd Ritter about the gathering that will take place after the Conference Meet next Saturday. We would like to have those returned by tomorrow, October 27th at the end of practice. If you haven't seen one from your swimmer or diver, please ask them to get one, see me tonight for a copy, or get one HERE.

I also noticed that I never posted the HC meet results. They are HERE.

Also the OK Green Conference info is posted HERE. This info includes all facility information for Byron Center including start times, parking info, etc.

Be sure to check the post below if you haven't already for information from our Monday meeting.
Thanks
T

Items for the week

We have Parent Night tomorrow with our last dual meet against Zeeland. I ask that the parents be lined up and ready to go by 6:20. We will be lining up alphabetically by grade level down the hallway on the west end of the pool stands. Girls need to be on deck by 5:10 and in the water by 5:20.

Thursday and Fridays practices will be 12-2:00 pm for conference taper girls and 12-3:00 pm for state taper girls. Saturdays practice will be 12-2:00 pm for everyone. I would like to use these days as an opportunity for the girls to practice getting up on time (by 9:30 am), eating a good breakfast, having a snack around 11 am, and getting ready to swim fast at noon.

The girls that are tapering for the conference meet have started their reduction in training volume. They are keeping a very tight focus on the specifics of racing that they need to nail down in the meets coming up. We will be working very hard on our starts, turns, underwaters, break-outs, race strategy, and race pacing over the next two weeks.

I will update with the conference meet info tomorrow or Wednesday.

I am excited for a fun end of the season. We are swimming really well and will continue to get faster down the stretch.
Thanks
T

Info for this week and a little for next

Tuesday: Meet is at the Holland Aquatic Center. We are meeting at our pool at 4:40 pm. Start FAST and end FAST!!!

For the MISCA Meet this weekend the girls that have qualified will meet at our pool at 7:10 am for a quick breakfast and then we will head out. Warm-up starts at 10:00 am and the meet starts at 12:00 pm. The meet should last between 3.5 and 4.5 hours.

It is only two weeks from this Thursday, Friday and Saturday until the Conference Meet. Four weeks until the State Meet. Make sure that you are staying diligent and focused both at the pool and away from the pool. Stay positive, keep up on homework, sleep, and good nutrition and let your body recover. Time management is more important than ever. And the most important thing...HAVE FUN in the last weeks of your season.

Next week Tuesday is the Parent Night. The swimmers and divers should be bringing home letters to each of their parents tonight.

Next week Thursday and Friday are both days off from school. Practice for SWIMMERS will be State girls will practice 12-3:00 pm and conference girls will practice 12-2:00 pm.

Swim fast and have fun!
T

BC Meet Results

Results are posted HERE. A great meet. 33 lifetime best times and a new state cut for Cortni Ritter in the 100 Free. Keep up the great work.
Thanks
T

Varsity Girls' info and USA Info

A reminder that our meet with Byron Center this week will be on Thursday, not on Tuesday as originally scheduled. Warm-up and meet time are the same.

Our meet next week Tuesday with Holland Christian will be at the Holland Aquatic Center...the site of our state meet.

Our Parent Night will be the Zeeland Meet on 10/26. More info will come.

The Conference Meet will be at Byron Center, not at the Holland Aquatic Center as originally planned. I will have the conference meet info posted as soon as I have it.

USA Swimming: We need to have three or four more swimmers to participate in practices at this time. If any middle school or high school boy or middle school girls are interested, please contact Coach Talsma at 616.886.4303 or at coach_talsma @ hotmail.com . The team would like to start practicing ASAP but we need to have at least 4 in order to make it worthwhile for having a coach there. The practices will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30-7:00 pm and Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00-6:30 pm except for home swim meet dates - October 14 and 26 the practices will be 3-4:30 pm. When age group starts, the practice times will be the same as the 13-14 year old practices with some additional practice time.
Thanks
T

Unity Christian Results

Results are posted HERE.
Thanks
T

USA Swimming, Meet Results, and some items for next week

All swimmers interested in USA Swimming...we will be starting practices on Monday, October 11 at 5:30 pm. Preliminary schedule will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5:30-7:00 pm and Tuesday and Thursday 5:00-6:30 pm unless there is a girls swim meet. I will have more info to post next week.

Hudsonville meet results are posted HERE.

Northview meet results are posted HERE.

For our meet Tuesday at Hudsonville High School against Unity Christian the bus will be leaving at 5:15 pm. All individual state qualifiers will get in at our pool from 4:00-5:00.

Next week Friday morning we will be having a required morning practice from 5:20-7:00 am. There may be an optional afternoon practice if there are enough girls interested.

Our meet against Byron Center that was supposed to be Tuesday, October 12 has been changed to Thursday, October 14 due to the band festival. Same times, etc.

The parent night will be Tuesday, October 26 against Zeeland. There will be more information to come.

Have a great weekend.
Thanks
T

Items for the week - UPDATED MEET TIME FOR THURSDAY

Our meet tomorrow is at Hudsonville High School at 5037 32nd Ave in Hudsonville. We will be leaving at 4:15 pm. We will be dressing up for school and for the meet. Please use your time wisely between school and the bus leave time to get as much of your homework done as possible. The meet starts at 6:30 pm.

The meet for Thursday is at Northview HS at 4451 Hunsberger Ave NE · Grand Rapids. The meet will be a 5:00 warm-up and 6:00 meet start. The bus will be leaving at 3:45 pm. We will be dressing up for school and for the meet.

This is our last week with two meets in it and we need to be diligent with sleep and staying up on homework, etc. Parents, please make sure that your daughters are getting to bed on time and that they are eating healthy food choices. Swimmers and divers, it is your responsibility to be making wise decisions and use your time very wisely. Time management is a skill that you should continually work on. Try to stay one step ahead of the curve.

I am looking forward to some great swimming and diving this week.
Thanks
T

Allegan Meet Results

For meet results please click HERE. Another good meet. Some very good swims (and diving). New state cuts by Emily Bussis in the 500 and Liz VandeWege in the breast. I am really looking forward to our first Saturday practice tomorrow. We have some fun things lined up. Band members that can not make the afternoon practice will practice 7:30-8:45 am. All others will practice 12-2 pm.
Thanks
T

Wayland Meet Results

Results are posted HERE. We may have found some new spots for second swims. A good meet overall. You can swim fast when you are tired! Just think how you'll swim when you get some rest! And how about what's going on in the diving well! Great performances there as well.

Re-loading for tomorrow night and a chance to swim some new events again or work on getting stronger/faster/smarter in an event that we have some experience in.
Thanks
T

GR Christian/HC Meet Results

Results are posted HERE. We had some really good swims (and diving) Thursday night. We need to open up our meets the way that we finished this one. We had a quite a few season best times and even quite a few lifetime best swims. That is exciting to see at this point of the season with the heavy training that we are doing. Be aware that your work that you do today pays dividends weeks down the road. That means that we need to continually do what is required of us in order to continue to get faster. Focused practice is required to become a better swimmer/athlete. Continue doing the little things correctly and with purpose and the big picture will fill in.

This week we have two home meets. Tuesday against Wayland and Thursday against Allegan. We need to be on deck ready to roll at 5:10 for both of these meets. We will be doing a bit of extra warm-up work before each. We will be trying some different events and getting a bit of a break from our normal swims.

The MISCA Clinic this weekend was a great opportunity for me to connect with coaches that I don't get to see very often. It is really fun to hear some of the different things that people are trying and share some of the things that we do as well. I also had the opportunity to hear some great talks from Eddie Reese of the University of Texas and Dave Salo of USC.

I am looking forward to a great week of training and racing. I hope you are too!
Thanks
T

This Week

Thursday - GR Christian and HC at the Venema Aquatic Center at Calvin College.
A link to the Calvin College Map, Directions, and parking instructions is HERE. Easiest access will be to take Burton St. West off of the East Beltline (M37)to the Burton St. entrance to the campus. Continue down the drive to the Spoelhof Athletic Complex. The bus will be leaving at 4:15 pm to ensure that we get to the meet on time. Warm-up is at 5:30 pm and the meet starts at 6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to swim in a fast pool against good competition.

I will be at the MISCA Clinic this week Friday and Saturday. There will be no morning practice on Friday and the girls will have a guest coach for Friday afternoons practice.

Thanks
T

West Michigan Relays results

For the results please click HERE. We finished in a tie for 8th place which is our highest finish to date for the girls. Overall not a great meet but our depth definitely had a chance to shine through.

I will update later with new for the week.
Thanks
T

West Ottawa Meet Results

West Ottawa meet results are HERE. Some very good swims throughout the meet. I hope you are all looking forward to a fun and fast Saturday!
Thanks
T

Items for the week

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.

Pictures are Wednesday right after school. Please make sure that you have your team suit for the pictures. If you need an extra order form I have some left over in my office.

Thursday nights meet against West Ottawa is the normal program. 5:15 pm on deck, 5:30 warm-up, and 6:30 meet start.

Saturday is the West Michigan Relays at Rockford High School. The divers will be leaving in the early morning. Coach VandeWege will let you know when. Diving warm-ups start at 8:00 am and the diving starts at 9:30 am. Swimmers we will be meeting at our pool at 10:15 am. Warm-up starts at 11:30 am and the meet starts at 1:00 pm. There will be no transportation home from the meet.
Thanks
T

Grandville Quad Meet Results

Results are HERE. Good meet overall. Some very impressive swims and some that were a bit of a letdown after last Thursday. We learn from each race and move on. Final scores were:
Byron Center 67, Hamilton 119
Grandville 90, Hamilton 96
FH Central 104, Hamilton 82

Great practice this morning. I am looking forward to some great team time tonight and tomorrow!
Thanks
T

Items for this week

Welcome to another great week of high school swimming.

MEET TOMORROW - BUS LEAVES at 4:00:
The bus leaves at 4:00 for the quad meet tomorrow at Grandville (this is a change from the 4:15 that is listed on the calendar). The meet will begin at 6:00 pm. This will be scored for us as dual meets between us and Grandville, Forest Hills Central, and Byron Center. Please remember that you should not be using cell phones on the way to the meet, at the meet, or during any portion of the meet. You may use your cell phone to call for a ride 15 minutes before we arrive back at our pool on the way home.

OVERNIGHT CAMPOUT:
Wednesday night to Thursday we will be having our annual overnight campout. If you are interested in helping with food please contact Laree Wanders - phone number is on the list that you all should have now. Everyone needs to bring a sleeping bag and pillow as well as extra clothes you don't mind getting dirty, tennis shoes and socks, and a great attitude. We will use some of this time to go over our goal setting for the season - both dual meets and championship meets, and we will establish our Core Covenants for the year. We will head out after practice Wednesday afternoon and we will return to the pool Thursday morning before practice. Be ready to go for the overnight by the start of afternoon practice on Wednesday and we will be done with practice on Thursday by 12:30 pm.

PARENT T-SHIRTS:
An order for parent t-shirts is in my office. If you are interested, please have your daughter put you down for the size that you would like. Cost will be around $9 per shirt. I will also bring this along to the Grandville meet tomorrow night. Orders need to be in by this week Thursday, September 2. You can also email me the sizes that you would like to coach_talsma@hotmail.com .

TEAM PICTURES:
We will be taking our team pictures on Wednesday, September 8 (yes the first day of school) right after school. We will be wearing our team suits for the pictures. I will have picture order forms by Thursday at the latest.

Thank you to those that have donated food and drink for after practices. It really makes a difference for our girls.

I am really looking forward to a great swim meet tomorrow night.
Thanks
T

Meet Results vs Otsego

Click HERE for meet results.
Thanks
T

Quick Update

Speedo backpack order forms went home yesterday afternoon. I would like them back by the end of practice tomorrow for those that would like to order them. They can order either a black or a gold bag.

The food schedule for after home swim meets is going home today. If you don't get one please make sure to ask your daughter to grab one tomorrow at practice.

Looking forward to a fast meet Thursday night. On deck at 5:15, warm-up at 5:30, and the meet starts at 6:30.
Thanks
T

Couple things coming down the pipe

September 1-2 we will be doing our campout. During this time we will be finalizing our team and individual goals as well as developing our Core Covenants that will define our team through the season and off-season. We will also have some team bonding time with games, etc. There will be opportunities to help with providing food and drinks for the team, if you are interested in helping out, please email me.

Our first meet is already coming next week Thursday. I am excited to see the girls in a meet situation. Linda Aalderink is putting together the schedule for providing meals for after our home meets. The delay in the food schedule is my fault as I dropped the ball getting Linda the roster.

A schedule for post-morning practice breakfasts will be coming soon as well. If you are willing to help out with morning practice breakfasts, please email me.

The after practice snacks and drinks have started up again. Each swimmer is given a snack and drink after practice in order to start the recovery process as soon as possible. We have found that this helps us recover much quicker. If you are willing to donate high carbohydrate drinks and/or snacks, please drop them off in the pool office. We have drinks and snacks that will last us probably through next week at this point.

A bunch of girls were interested in ordering Speedo backpacks with our team name and their name embroidered on them. I will be putting together an order form shortly for those that are interested. The cost will be $50.

Anything else I can do, please let me know.
Thanks
T

Next week at Bouws

A great first three days of practice. I am excited with the potential for our team.

Next week the swimmers will be at Bouws' Pool every morning starting at 7 am each day. We will be doing some dryland training after each practice so remember to bring some shorts and shoes. Afternoon practices will be at our pool. In case of bad weather be sure to check the blog before you leave home. No news is good news. At present it looks like we should have good weather.

Website update: I am working on a new site that will hopefully be a little easier to follow. I am hoping to have it running around the start of the school year.

Looking forward to a great week of practice next week. Have a great weekend!
Thanks
T

Practice Times

Practice for divers is at 3pm.
Swimmers have practice at 9am.
Sorry for the mistake earlier. :)

Pretty amazing video - Technique and Inspiration

I want to just post the video but can't get it to fit on screen. Here is the link - HERE. Not much of a YouTube watcher but this video is something else. This guys goes a 32 point 50 LCM with no arms. What can we learn from this? Keep this in mind while your slogging through another practice!
Thanks
T

Girl's Calendar

Our season gets underway on Wednesday, August 11. The calendar is available HERE. The only things not updated on the calendar - the West Michigan Relays will be at Rockford, and October 28 and 29 with no school we will be practicing at 12:00 pm.

I am looking forward to a great season!
Thanks
T

B Conference Meet Help and 13 and Over Meet

We will be hosting the summer B Conference Meet next week Tuesday, July 20. Warm-up starts at 2:30 pm and the meet starts at 3:30 pm. We could use help with marshalling the kids and running cards. If you can help, please be there by 2:30 pm to help get things rolling. I will start working on setting things up by 1:00 if you would be available to help with that. This meet brings in over $2,000 for our program that we can use for many different things. If parents would like to help with timing, meet hospitality or marshalling that would be great too. We'll see you Tuesday.

The 13 and Over meet will be next Wednesday, July 21 at Zeeland Natatorium. Warm-up starts at 4:00 pm and the meet starts at 5:00 pm. You need to be checked in and ready to roll by 4:10 pm. All summer age group swimmers will be entered into the meet unless I am told otherwise.
Thanks
T

Long Course State Meet Entries

If you are planning on swimming at the Long Course State Meet hosted by MLA at the Holland Aquatic Center, your entry form and payment must be turned in by Monday, July 19 by 10:30 am. If your qualyfing time was not swum at a USA sanctioned meet and you need to provide proof of times, entries need to be turned in by Tuesday, July 13 by 10:30 am. If you need help with proof of time, see Coach Talsma or Coach Hermann.
If you make a new cut at your age group championship meet on July 21 or 22 there is a process in place to get you into the state meet in that event.
Thanks
T

Tulip City Tiny Tri is Tomorrow!!!

Anyone that can make it tomorrow, please plan on meeting at the gazebo behind Bouws' Pool at 8:15 am. There will be bagels and juice provided for breakfast. See you tomorrow.
T

USA Meet Entry Due Dates

EGR Senior Meet at Calvin, July 8-10: Due June 13 at the conclusion of the Jenison ABC Meet. Cost is $7.50 per event plus $5.00 for the meet. This is a morning prelims, afternoon finals meet. Top 24 from the prelims will swim in finals.

MLA ABC Meet at Holland Aquatic Center, July 17-18: Due end of practice Friday, June 24. Cost is $4.00 per event plus $5.00 for the meet.

Please use the meet entry form found HERE. Download the entry form and print.

Meet information along with events can be found HERE. Click on the ZIP button in the Invite column and download the file. It will give you the option of opening in Word or PDF.

If you are not already registered with Michigan Swimming and would like to attend either of these meets or the LC State Meet you should get registered at least one week before entries are due.
Thanks
T

Jenison Meet Info

The First Chance Meet info is posted HERE.

7:45 am Warm-up
9:00 am Meet Start

Summer Diving Info - Updated times

1st session: June 15-July 1
2nd session: July 13-29

Tuesday 3:30-5 pm
Wednesday 6:30-8 pm
Thursday 6:30-8 pm

The cost is $30 each session.

Hope to see you there!

Coach VandeWege

The Motor City Mile

Anyone looking to give open water swimming a try? Check out the Motor City Mile. This is a great event put on by Different Strokes Swim Shop who we get a lot of our team gear through. All proceeds benifit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. They have a 5k, 1 mile, and 1/2 mile swim. You can check it out on the Motor City Mile webpage HERE or on the Different Strokes website HERE. They also give away some great raffle prizes.

The Tigers also have a home stand against Baltimore that week so you could catch a game Tuesday night before the swim or Wednesday night after the swim!
Thanks
T

URGENT - GLA Summer Solstice Meet Entries due THIS WEEK

URGENT - We just found out that the GLA Summer Solstice Meet (June 18-20) entries are due this week. I will need your entries for that meet by the end of practice this Thursday. This meet is an outdoor meet in Kalamazoo. Info is online HERE .
Thanks
T

Meet Info

All USA Meet information can be found at this page - HERE . Open the files in the "Invitation" column to view meet info and event order and session offerings. Our meet entry due dates will be 24 hours before the posted meet entry submition in the meet packets to allow time to prepare the electronic entry file and submit.

Please get WMS and USA registration forms turned in ASAP - by this Wednesday if you are planning on either Jenison meet.
Thanks
T

Registration and Meet Entries

Please get your registrations in sooner rather than later. If you are planning on doing either of the Jenison meets on May 29 or June 11-13 I need to have your registration on my desk by this week Thursday, May 13.

Below are the meet entry deadlines:
Jenison Meets due May 20 by 5:00 pm.
EGR Senior Meet due by June 10 by 5:00 pm.
MLA Meet at Holland due by June 23 at 5:00 pm.

Meet events for all of these meets are posted on the office window and at the entrance to the stands.

I will get the due dates for the other meets up when I get them.
Thanks
T

Updated Calendar

Updated summer calendar available HERE.

Please check the info in the posts below.
Thanks
T

Links for USA items

Below is a list of links for USA items that were talked about last night at the parent meeting. I will hard post these in a link display on the sidebar shortly. I will also post a complete age group/USA calendar in the next couple of days.

Total fees and where they go.
Hamilton Age Group registration - $75 to Hamilton Age Group
Hamilton USA Team fee - $75 to Hamilton Age Group
WMS Team fee - $20 to WMS - covers the team registration cost and relay entries
USA Athlete Registration fee - $54 to WMS that then gets paid to Michigan Swimming LSC.

All Hamilton-WMS participants will also be members of the Hamilton Age Group Swim Team and will compete in Hamilton Age Group meets. USA meets are optional and entries need to be turned in to Coach Talsma or Coach Herrman with payment 24 hours before WMS entry deadline along with indication of relay preferences.
Thanks
T

Michigan Swimming

WMS - includes the meets WMS is participating in and links to all forms needed.

USA Athlete Registration - send to Shelly Sall or give to Coach Talsma or Coach Herrman with the WMS registration form below.

WMS Registration Forms - You will need to download to print. You do not pay the coaching fee but you do pay the $20 club fee - give to Coach Talsma or Coach Herrman or send to Shelly Sall.

Meet Info on Michigan Swimming page.

Michigan Swimming Summer Time Standards - Scroll down to MS LCM.

Note Today

This is the note that went home with all Varsity Swimmers and Divers today...FYI.
Thanks
T

HAMILTON VARSITY SWIMMING AND DIVING
SUMMER INFO 2010
Tonight, April 26, there is a USA Swimming parent meeting at 6:30 pm in the pool stands. If you think you might be interested or are for sure interested, please have a parent there. First practice will be May 3 for swimmers that are not participating in a spring sport. Even if you are in a spring sport you can still participate in USA Swimming when your season is done. If you are not doing USA the age group season starts on Tuesday, June 1. All USA Swimmers will also participate with the age group team.

Coach VandeWege is putting together summer diving opportunities for our divers. Please check the blog for more updates as things get closer.

Graduation is Thursday, May 27. We have been given the opportunity of helping with directing traffic to open parking spaces leading up to the ceremony. I need to have 10 responsible swimmers or divers to help with this task. Our program will earn some extra money for doing this. Please see Coach Talsma if you are interested.

June 19 is the Tulip City Tiny Tri that we will be volunteering at as a group. Please try to leave that morning open to help at this fun event. More details will be coming later.

Any questions on anything, check the blog or contact me - coach_talsma@hotmail.com , cell phone 616.886.4303, or pool phone 269.751.2459.

Academic All State

Both our girls and boys varsity teams were recognized as Academic All State for the 2009-2010 season. The girls finished with a 3.68 team gpa placing them 4th and our boys finished with a 3.54 team gpa placing them 6th. Full academic all state info can be seen on the MISCA website here.

For Individual Academic All State we had Brittni Ritter and Brad Melpolder both meet the criteria (Senior athlete with a 3.75 or higher gpa).

Great job being exemplary STUDENT-athletes.
Thanks
T

USA Parent Meeting

We are planning on having a USA Swimming parent meeting for all parents of interested swimmers on Monday, April 26 at 6:30 pm in the Hamilton Community Pool stands. Please attend if you have a swimmer that is interested in swimming with our USA program. See below for other information.
Thanks
T

USA Swimming and Spring Practice Opportunities

To get our feet wet in USA Swimming, Zeeland has agreed to allow us to compete with their club team - West Michigan Swimmers. We will register with Michigan Swimming and pay our USA Swimming dues through West Michigan Swimmers. We will also swim our USA Meets with West Michigan Swimmers. This is a great opportunity for our small community to experience USA Swimming. We are very grateful to everyone involved with West Michigan Swimmers to give us this opportunity and we will do our part to make the team successful and help with the work.

My intention for USA Swimming is to give a greater opportunity for our High School and Middle School swimmers. This will allow our swimmers to compete in USA Swimming meets and gain extra experience in different meet formats. All USA swimmers will be expected to compete in the age group swim meets when possible and will need to pay an additional coaching fee based on when they start with the program.


Tentative USA meet schedule can be seen HERE along with further WMS info.

The age group practice and meet calendar will be up shortly.
Thanks
T

GREAT JOB STATE RUNNERS-UP

Another wonderful season has come to a close. The end of season party was fun last night and it was good to talk with everyone. We look foward to getting things rolling again in another couple of months and start the build to next year.

State meet results are posted online at www.mhsaa.com and at www.miscaonline.net .

Have a great break from swimming and we look forward to seeing you in a couple of months!
T

Congrats Ryan

Congratulations to Ryan Overhiser for qualifying for the state meet by finishing in fourth place at diving regionals last night!

State Meet Week and End of season party

The final week of the season. Be sure that you are getting great sleep, eating food that will allow you to perform well, and keeping your stress level low. Here is the layout for the week:

Monday: Practice 3-4:30ish.
Tuesday: Only juniors have to report to school. I will start practice at 2:25 so the guys can be done by 3:30 or 3:45. We have a home middle school meet as well. Ryan will be heading to diving regionals at East Grand Rapids High School. Regionals start at 5:00 pm. I would encourage all swimmers to head to the regionals to cheer Ryan on.
Wednesday: Practice 3-4:15ish. We will then head to the Melpolder's for a pasta party, if you would like to contribute food, please contact Daryl. We will be done by 6:30 or so unless the guys want to watch a movie.
Thursday: Practice 3-4:00 ish. We will be eating at the pool before we leave, if you would like to contribute food, please contact Shelley Scholten. Hopefully on the road between 4:30 and 5:00. I will be taking all of the boys cell phones when we get to the hotel. I will keep my cell phone on and with me if there is an emergency and you need to get a hold of your son. We will possibly order some pizza or something later on if the guys are hungry. In rooms at 10:00, lights out by 11:00.
Friday: Wake-up swim 8:30-9:00 (Ryan will head to EMU for diving warm-ups 9-11 am). Head back to the hotel for breakfast. Head to the pool by 9:45. Warm-ups start at 10:00 and the meet starts at 12:00 pm. When the swimming is done the divers will have one hour to warm-up before the start of diving prelims. We will grab something to eat (probably Jimmy Johns or Subway) quickly after swimming is done then head back to watch some of the diving. We will get more dinner after diving. After dinner we will hang out at the hotel (near our rooms) and possibly watch a movie. In rooms at 10:00, lights out by 11:00.
Saturday: Same as how things went Friday morning. Warm-ups and meet start times are the same except that diving is between the 50 Free and 100 Fly. The meet should last until 3:00 or 3:30. We will stop for something to eat on the way home, athletes choice.
WHAT TO BRING:
*Stuff for shaving down Thursday night and Friday night.
*Plenty of healthy fuel for the weekend (snacks, drinks, etc.)
*A folding camp chair or something similar for on deck at the meet
*Plenty of warm, dry clothes (State Team shirts should be in by Wednesday)
*Money for food (Each athlete will get $30 from the school for food that I will need receipts for)
*Any equipment you need for warm-up, loosen-up, etc.
*A positive attitude (NO FEAR AND RECKLESS ABANDON)
*Ipod or the like, whatever you need to keep yourself loose and relaxed


END OF SEASON PARTY:
Monday, March 15 we will be having our end of season party in the middle school cafeteria at 6:30 pm. We will hand out end of season awards and talk a little about this season and what's to come in the years ahead. A great celebration after all of the hard work of the season. For food, if you are coming with a family of more than four, please bring a hot AND cold dish to share. If you are coming with a family of four or less, please bring a hot OR cold dish to pass. I will have plates and silverware as well as water and some dessert.

Thanks
T

OK Green Results

Click HERE for the results.
Thanks
T

OK Green Prelims Results

Click HERE for prelims results. They are not listed correctly as top 8 and top 16 as only four swimmers per school can score.
Thanks
T

Conference Week Info and beyond

Here is the rundown for the conference meet and the week leading up to it.

Athletes tapering for the conference will be having shorter and shorter practices over the next week and a half to allow for extra rest and recovery. Please use your extra time wisely. Everyone needs to stay on top of homework and sleep during this period. These are the final weeks of the season and we want to keep everyone healthy and keep the stress level as low as possible.

Conference Meet host: Byron Center
Here is the run down for the meet.

Thursday, 2/25:
DIVING Prelims: Divers will leave immediately after school from the high school. Warm-ups start at 3:00 pm and the diving starts at 5:00 pm.

Swimmers shaving for the conference meet will have about a 60 minute practice and then will be given time to shave down. State taper will practice until about 5:00. We will then head to the Voorhorst's for a pasta party. We will have things wrapped up by 7:30 unless the guys want to watch a movie, etc.

Friday, 2/26:
Divers will have normal practice.

SWIMMING Prelims: Swimmers will be leaving directly from the high school right after school. Our bus will be the last in the line. Warm-ups start at 3:00 pm and the meet starts at 5:00 pm. The meet will hopefully be done around 7:00 or 7:30 pm. We will have transportation home from the meet on Friday.

Parking - On Friday night BC is hosting home basketball games. Parking should not be an issue as the meet starts well before the basketball games...but if the parking lot by the pool is full, there will be parking available in front of the school.


Saturday, 2/27:
Our pool will be available for a wake-up swim from 8:30-9:00 am. Those that would like to will head to breakfast. We will leave our pool for Byron Center at 10:45 am. Warm-up starts at 11:00 am and the meet starts at 1:00 pm. We will not have transportation home from the meet on Saturday.


SECOND SHAVE MEET (Tuesday, March 2): The second shave meet will be at Holland Aquatic Center on Tuesday, March 2 starting at 6:00 pm. We have a home middle school meet that day. I would like everyone to attend the second shave meet to get a practice in and swim a couple of events. It will be a great opportunity to get some last races in before the state meet and if needed to make a new state cut. We will meet at the Aquatic Center at 5:30 pm and we should be done by 7:00 or so.

DIVING REGIONALS (Tuesday, March 9): Diving regionals are at East Grand Rapids HS. We also have a home middle school meet that day. Swimmers will practice 2:50-4:00 pm. Regionals start at 5:00 pm and I would encourage all swimmers that can make it to go and support our divers. Divers will be leaving from the HS at a time TBD.

Wednesday, March 10 we will have a pasta party somewhere. We'll figure the details out later.

Thursday, March 11 we will have a short practice at our pool and then head out to our hotel. We will either eat here before we leave, eat on the way, or eat when we get there. I will have a more definite timeline for the state meet as we get closer.

Friday and Saturday, March 12 and 13 is the state meet at Eastern Michigan University. We will be doing wake up swims at a pool TBD on both days. Prelims and finals start at 12:00 pm on both days. Get there early to make sure that you get a seat.

DIVING REGIONAL AND STATE MEET INFO CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE.

I will be posting more info as it comes.
Thanks
T

HC Results

Results are HERE. Great meet tonight. New state cuts by Durham in the 100, VanOss in the 500, Hagen in the Back, and Scholten in the Breast. Excited, honest effort and staying focused on our team and our lanes.
T

PRACTICE UPDATE FOR TODAY, 2/10

We are not able to practice before 2:00 today per the administration.

Swimmers will be practicing from 2:00-4:30 pm.

Divers will be practicing from 3:00-5:00 pm.

We'll see you at 2:00.
Thanks
T

Byron Center Results

Click HERE for the results. New state cuts from Zach Lepird in the 50 Free and Andrew Smit in the 500 Free. Good meet overall on a snowy evening.

Planning on 12:30-3:00 today unless posted otherwise.

Be sure to check a couple of posts below for state hotel info.
Thanks
T

This Week and Next

The bus is leaving today at 4:35 pm. Hopefully the weather holds out and we can get the meet in tonight. If it doesn't happen tonight we will reschedule the meet for either this Thursday or next Thursday. If the meet does not happen tonight we hope to have practice from 3-5:30.

For tomorrow, I will be here in the morning for morning practice if you are comfortable driving in. Normal practice after school. If school happens to be cancelled, we will plan on a 12:30-3:00 pm practice if we can. I will post here if we are unable to practice by 12:00 pm.

Below is the list of swimmers that will be heading to the MISCA Meet on Saturday:
Joey DeGood, Stephen Durham, Austin Fathman, Dylan Harris, John Anthony LaPorta, Zach Lepird, Brad Melpolder, and Andrew Smit. We will be leaving at 7:45 am. Make sure you eat a good breakfast before we leave and bring snacks and drinks along for the day. We will stop for something to eat on the way home so you will need some money (nothing fancy, $10 should do). MISCA T-shirts will be on sale for $12 at the meet. We should return around 7:00 pm.

Next week Tuesday night at our home meet against Holland Christian we will be having our Parent Night. Each swimmer and diver will come home with a note today with two free passes for the meet. We will be starting the Parent Night at 6:25 pm. Parents need to be lined up down the hall on the west end of the pool in alphabetical order by school year of their swimmer or diver by 6:20 pm.

Our conference meet is two weeks from this Friday and Saturday and our state meet is four weeks from this Friday and Saturday. Please stay diligent taking care of yourself outside of the pool. Those that do not have a state cut yet will start their taper on Monday. Those with a state cut will start their taper the Monday after the conference meet. It is critically important to make sure that you are getting enough sleep and eating appropriately during this time period.

Be sure to check a couple of posts down for state hotel info.

It's going to be a fun end of the season!
T

Great Job!!!

The B Meet went very well on Saturday. Our swimmers and divers did a great job. The kids that were here to participate in the meet had a good time and the meet ran efficiently. I received a lot of compliments about how great our varsity swimmers and divers are. Great job and thank you to everyone that was able to help out.
Thanks
T

Unity Christian Results

For results click HERE. Also see post below for state meet hotel info.
Thanks
T

State Hotel Rooms

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for parents at the state meet. All qualified athletes will have rooms provided by the school. For information on parent rooms for the hotel, please email Tena Baukema at tbaukema1@sbcglobal.net.
Thanks
T

Items for this week and next

We're in to February and soon it will be March. Great things are happening everyday in practices and we are starting to really put it together. It will be a great next six weeks.

I will be getting the fastskin order in tomorrow by 3:00 pm. If you would like a fastskin but didn't order one today, email or call me to gaurantee yours. You don't have to pay until they come in. It sounds like the FSPro's are hard to come by right now but should be delivered by the state meet. The FSII's are available in every size but they are different colors. I just need to see what I can get a hold of. The new LZR Elite's are what I have on hold right now and I will order them tomorrow based on what we need.

A big night tomorrow night. Hamilton seems to be buzzing about the dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully there is a great turnout. It should be a fun night.

Saturday we are hosting the WMSL "B" Conference Meet at our pool. This is the lone fundrasier that we do for the varsity program. The varsity program gets $1,000 for taking care of this. This money helps offset some of the cost of warm-ups, suits, food, etc. We need all hands on deck to help run this meet. Swimmers and divers need to report to the pool by 7:30 am and we should be done by about 12:30 pm. The guys will have a short practice after the meet and will be done at 2:00 pm.

Next week Saturday is the MISCA Meet at Eastern Michigan. We will be going for the day, leaving around 7:45 and returning around 7:30 or so depending on what we do for lunch/dinner. I have a preliminary list of those that are qualified at the pool. Anyone qualified in an individual event is expected to attend. Others may be asked to join us for relay swims. I will have the list finalized by next Monday. The guys will need to have snacks, drinks and money for lunch/dinner.

That should be it for tonight.
Thanks
T

GR Christian Meet Results

Didn't realize I hadn't posted yet. Results are HERE. Good swims, great racing.

I will post more info for this week and next tonight.
Thanks
T

Hudsonville Meet Results

Click HERE for the meet results.

Every time we race we learn something new.
T

Zeeland Meet Results

Click HERE for the meet results. A good meet overall.

This Week

Our meet tomorrow is at Zeeland West High School. Dress shirt, tie, and dress pants to school and the meet tomorrow. The bus will be leaving at 4:40 pm from our pool.

Friday's practice is 12-3:00 pm.

We will not be having practice this Saturday. Enjoy the break. I believe the captains are putting together some activities for the team for Saturday. If you really want to get in the pool, it will be open from 1:30-3:30 pm.

Our training is going very well. We are setting ourselves up well for a great end of the season. It is important for us to stay focused and connected. We need to give the best of ourselves everyday. We have three great meets in a row with Zeeland tomorrow and Hudsonville and Grand Rapids Christian next week. Stay focused.

Our quote for the week is:

"Where your mind goes, everything follows."

I really feel that this holds true. If you are focused on and connected to doing your best at what you are doing at any given moment then you will see better results than someone that is just going through the motions. As an added benefit you will also learn more about yourself as you are going through the process. This is not just true for swimming but also for just about anything else in life. I think we really saw this today with the partner 50's. That was some of the best swimming I have seen all year. Hopefully you felt it as well and it flipped some switches.

Great job with practices and training. Keep up the good work and lets help each other become better everyday.
T

Wayland Meet Results

Click HERE for the meet results. Good meet overall. Lots of new state cuts and a chance to swim around and maybe find some new events.
Have a great night,
T

This Week

A normal week this week.

On deck tonight at 5:15 pm. 5:30 warm-up and 6:30 pm meet starts against Wayland.

Normal practices Wednesday through Friday. Saturday practice is 12-2 pm.

A good showing last weekend at the D3 Invite. I think we all saw areas that we can improve on and get faster. We have two months to prepare. Two months sounds like a long time but it will pass by before we know it. What are we going to do everyday to prepare ourselves for great performances.

Quote for the week

"Proper preperation prevents poor performance."

In the packet of articles that I gave you yesterday, it talks about connecting what we do everyday in practice with what you want to accomplish at the end of the season. We need to make those connections daily.

Let's have a great week,
T

D3 Invite Results

Click HERE for the results. Good swims overall.

Grandville Meet Results

Click HERE for the Grandville meet results.
Thanks
T

This week and next

Tuesday, be on deck at 5:15 pm ready to roll for our meet with Grandville. There will be a sign-up sheet passed in the stands for the dinner at our February 2 meet with Unity Christian. I also have complete programs from last weeks Zeeland Invite that will be available at the meet tomorrow. If you would like a full copy of the program, let me know.

Saturday we will be leaving at 10:15 am. Be here ready to roll at 10:10. Warm-up starts at 10:30 am, the meet starts at 12:00 pm. There will be either 11 or 12 teams there so parents may want to plan on getting there plenty early to get a good seat. The meet should be done around 3:30 or so. THERE WILL NOT BE TRANSPORTATION HOME FROM THE MEET. I will post a copy of the psych sheet when I get it.

Next week Tuesday, we have a home meet against Wayland. Be on deck at 5:15 pm ready to roll.

Everything for next week should be the same as the schedule.

The next two meets will be great opportunities to swim fast with great competition. The important thing to remember is that these are all great opportunities to go fast and set ourselves up well for great performances at the state meet. Learn something everytime you have the opportunity to race.

Remember that if we ignore a problem we are encouraging it. Don't encourage anyone on our team to be less than their best.

Our quote for the week is

"Anything worth doing at all, is worth doing well."

I like the quote...I wish I would have changed 'well' to excellent or exceptional. Let others do things well and we will do them exceptionally. That is our advantage. Not that we are more talented or bigger or stonger. We are just plain committed to doing things better. Let's keep that commitment and build on it every day.

Swim Fun, Have Fast,
T