The SC season had some great results from all NYAC groups. The articles highlighting individual
achievements from the championship meets were welcomed by the membership and read with
enthusiasm. Thank you coaches for your efforts to dig through the results and showcase some ex-
citing swims that deserved to be mentioned - well done.
Before we go into the LC season, I would like to share some thoughts on athlete development that
pertain to performance. Fast swimming will always be the determining factor on success. This fact
holds true for age group and senior level swimming. The question in age group swimming is can
you get faster but not get any better. The answer is yes, getting faster is time definitive, getting
better is not. Athletes in their formative stages need to be more concerned with getting better;
learning is the key word here. Can you split races correctly; descend intervals in training, or how
about time management with regards to school work? Our coaches know that factors like growth
and physical strength increase as we get older. This fact alone accounts for a lot of drops in time.
Our focus needs to be on the skills that make you better so when growing stops, you have some-
thing else to fall back on. Stroke technique and turns are crucial and by practicing a lot helps set a
blue print for the future, so you'd better get it right fast! Go fast and get better while you're doing
it is my message to all of you for the LC season - good luck.
National Group News
Over the last ten years at NYAC my thoughts go back to each generation that made an impact not
only in my mind but also on the whole of Canadian swimming. The thrilling team won eight years
ago in Quebec where Thomas Zockowski, Kyle Smerdon, John Calnan and eight others won the
Junior National title for NYAC setting a career path towards other achievements. This group is the
third generation thus far and two years into a four-year cycle. Already it is quickly becoming one
of my favourites because of the performance and the personalities of the swimmers. The girls
highlighted by Michelle Williams who is quickly becoming a top sprinter and the efforts of Re-
becca Chud (enclosed article) are signs of great things to come. The boys are very young with two
or more years before university age and what a talented bunch they are - wow! We have not had
this much talent in one generation for a very long time. National times will be just a small step-
ping-stone for most of these boys. Finally, I do not get the chance very often to thank the swim-
mers for making my job so enjoyable, moreover, to the parents who bring me such fine young peo-
ple to work with.
From the
Head Coach
Page 2
NYAC