TNT Newsletter
The New Team on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay
March 2007
GOING TO THE BIG SHOW
TNT Swimming will send a team record fourteen swimmers to the 2007 Southeastern Short Course Swimming Championships, to be held
March 15 - 18 in Nashville, TN. The team’s previous number of competitors at the annual spring championship was thirteen in 2006 and six in 2005.
Four swimmers had qualifying times when season began last August. Since then, eight more have qualified, and two additional swimmers are making the trip in order to compete as members of TNT’s 11 -12 boys and 13 – 14 girls relay teams.
Southeastern Swimming holds annual Spring and Summer championship meets that attract the fastest age group swimmers from the states of Alabama, Tennessee, and the Panhandle of Florida. This year’s Spring meet is expected to draw more than 700 swimmers from over 50 teams.
The meet features a championship format requiring swimmers to compete during morning preliminary sessions, with the top 8 finishers returning in the evening for finals competition. TNT enters the meet with several swimmers listed in the preliminary top 8.
TNT 2007 Short Course Southeastern Team
TNT BOYS BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS
Congratulations to TNT’s 8 & under boys, who won the boys team championship at the 2007 Southeastern District South Championship Meet, March 10 – 11 at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Their accomplishment marks the second year in a row that TNT has won the team championship plaque. This years’ squad included Hunter Arndt 6, Connor Funke 7, Killian Kahalley 6, Tommy O’Hara 7, Patrick Parish 7, Jack Sledge 7, Christian Stacey 8, Nicholas Szydel 7, Ben Turnipseed 8, and Seth Young 8.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU
Congratulations to TNT swimmers who celebrate birthdays during the month of March: Boyd Turnipseed, 11 on 3/4. Thomas Kinsey, 16 on 3/10. Amanda Rudat, 10 on 3/10. Tommy O’Hara, 8 on 3/16. Abigail Bradley, 7 on 3/20. Patrick Parish, 8 on 3/30. Another year older and faster!
TNT BAGS BUCKS FOR AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
TNT’s Relay for Life team bagged groceries on Sunday, March 4 at the Winn-Dixie in Daphne from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM and raised $644 for the American Cancer Society. Special thanks to the following swimmers who participated: Frances Sledge, Ashley Kinsey, Thomas Kinsey, Kelsie Quale, Jordan Doucet, Lauren Kinsey, Adele Mantiply, Will Anderson, Zack Anderson, Ashley Szydel, Nicholas Szydel.
EXTRA SPECIAL
Tommy O'Hara placed first in the 9 and under division in the SEEDS Classic Rock 5K race. It was his first race, and he finished with a time of 29.12. He has also been competing for the Christ the King second grade basketball team. They are currently 4-3. Tommy took top rebounding honors in their most recent game against St. Ignatius.
Will Anderson was the 1st place finisher in the 2007 SEEDS classic Rock 1 mile Run. He finished 5th in the 5K run in the 10-14 year old male division with a time of 22 minutes and 29 seconds.
Ryan Simpson went on a 3 day field trip to the 4-H camp near Birmingham, without his parents. He had a great time, while his parents hyperventilated.
Phoenix Fisk was elected Historian for the FFA Club (Future Farmers of America) and she will be inducted into the National Honor Society at Daphne High School this month.
Annabelle Kahalley was the first in her class to reach 150 Accelerated Reading points and gets to go to lunch with the principal.
Thomas Kinsey is goalie for the Fairhope High School Junior Varsity soccer team. There are 6 games remaining in the season.
Hannah Denham’s artwork depicting Mona Lisa was chosen to be on display at Thomas Medical Center in Daphne. School art class: Spanish Fort Elementary.
Megan Bradley got 2nd place in the PTA Reflections contest for Visual Arts out of the Rockwell Elementary 3rd - 5th grades.
Conner Funke won the most original cake award in the father and son Cub Scout cake bake-he made a turtle from Mobile Bay-Smelly Shelly. He also participated in the Seeds 1 mile fun run and finished in the top ten runners ages 5-14!
Savannah Cummins and Alyssa Gregory are members of Brownie Troop 62 of Baldwin County. Troop 62 chose to participate in the community service project called, "The Gift of Caring." Cookie Customers purchased cookies as a donation to the Alabama National Guard unit, Company B of the 1st Battalion of the 131st Aviation Regiment based in Mobile. Troop organizers said they wanted to show their support to a local unit which happens to include some close personal friends. The troop has collected more than 420 boxes for the unit.
Savannah Ekelund presented a solo piano recital on Tuesday evening, March6, at Westminster Village in Spanish Fort. Savannah played 14 pieces shehas memorized for the upcoming National Piano Guild Audition and received a standing ovation from nearly 100 residents, who attended her 40 minute performance.
HOW IT WORKS
With summer approaching, families who are new to year round swimming usually wonder whether TNT or a local, seasonal program is best for their swimmer. Since seasonal teams and USA Swimming teams are exclusive of each other, the best course of action is dual participation.
Seasonal programs, also known as summer league teams, are very popular throughout the USA, with thousands of area participants and millions of others nationwide who ultimately provide the base of year round, USA Swimming teams. Most TNT swimmers gain their initial experience on a summer league team and continue to enjoy participating in them throughout their years in swimming.
Summer league programs, however, are limited in their ability to provide the kind of quality instruction and coaching that parents and swimmers of TNT are accustomed to. This is not because summer league coaches are any less qualified or enthusiastic than year round coaches. Two of our coaches at TNT also coach summer league teams and work extremely hard at what they do.
Simply put, the quality of a normal summer league practice session usually reflects the composition and large numbers of swimmers on the team. Most summer league team members are inexperienced, seasonal participants whose main athletic pursuits lie outside the sport of swimming. The majority of these children are learning the very basic swimming skills that our team members have already mastered. Many parents simply drop their kids off at the pool and use the seasonal team as an extended swimming lesson program, or even as a baby sitting service.
Fortunately, TNT continues to offer swim training and competitive opportunities throughout the summer, participating in area long course meets and concluding with our annual long course awards dinner and Southeastern Championship meet in July. The quality of TNT training sessions is also reflected in the composition of the team, which are mostly experienced, year round participants, for whom the sport of swimming is a priority.
So, what to do? It is suggested that TNT level 1, 2, and 3 swimmers who choose to participate on a summer league team, do so. These swimmers should also practice with their summer league teams, but NOT at the expense of practicing with TNT. If they are unable to practice with both teams on a given day, they should practice with TNT instead. These swimmers should compete with their summer league and also in monthly USA Swimming meets when scheduled.
Level 4 & 5 swimmers should practice with TNT exclusively, attending summer league practices only when required. When these swimmers do occasionally attend summer league practices, they should volunteer to use their expertise and experience to help the coaching staff teach skills to the less experienced, seasonal swimmers. Level 4 & 5 swimmers should compete with their summer league and also in monthly USA Swimming meets when scheduled.
Parents can be assured that those swimmers who choose to participate exclusively with their summer teams are always welcome back to TNT when the 2007 – 2008 short course season begins in August. These swimmers however, frequently spend the summer reinforcing unproductive training habits and can actually regress in their motor skill development.
If you have questions about how to proceed with your swimmer, please see Jan Mittemeyer.
TNT SUMMER PRACTICE SCHEDULE
TNT’s tentative 2007 summer practice schedule begins Friday, May 25 and is designed to accommodate participation in both summer league and USA Swimming. Swimmers who are currently practicing with level 1 will participate in the level 2 program.
GroupDays Time Location Level 5 Level 4A Level 4B Level 4C / 3 Level 2
THE REAL OLYMPIC SIZE POOL
TNT’s Short Course (SC) season ends with the championship meet in Nashville and the Long Course (LC) season begins in April, ending in July. Don’t be fooled by the name. Long Course simply refers to the shape of the pool, or the course that swimmers compete in. LC pools are 50 meters in length, as opposed to the 25 yard (SC) pools that we have been competing in since September. The main difference is that LC races have half the turns. For example, a 50 meter event has no turns. A one hundred meter LC event has only one turn compared to a one hundred yard SC event with three turns. A two hundred meter LC event has only three turns compared to seven turns for SC, etc. Everything else remains the same with monthly competitions held throughout the Southeastern LSC including a championship meet in the middle of July. This summer’s championship meet is scheduled for July 19 – 22 in Nashville, TN.
TENTATIVE LONG COURSE SCHEDULE
April 20 – 22May 4 – 6May 19 – 20June 8 – 10June 16June 22 – 24July 6 – 8July 19 – 22July 31 – August 4 TIME TO GET ROWDY
Olympic Gold Medal Winner and renowned swimming spokesman Rowdy Gaines will be visiting TNT on Saturday, June 16 to present a 4 hour competitive swimming clinic to our team and invited guests. The clinic will be given at the Bounds Family YMCA from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Details including cost of the clinic will be made available soon.
THE GOOD GUYS
TNT thanks those supporters who advertise their business on our web site. Proceeds from advertising sales help us with operational expenses and allows TNT to provide low cost, competitive swimming instruction to children of all ability levels. Please visit http://www.swimtnt.com/advertisers_page_06-07.html to learn more about the services our advertisers offer.
Americas Home MortgageA-Safe Online Backup ServiceBooth - Alberstadt Insurance AgencyBounds Family YMCACricket Realty and ManagementChris Myers AutoMallColdwell Banker, Kitty Ruzic - RealtorCotton’s RestaurantE.G.M., L.L.CGMAC Real Estate - Horst & Co., Inc.James M. Boles, D.M.D., P.A.KONE, Inc. Elevators and EscalatorsFEEDBACK
Please direct questions, comments, corrections, or suggestions regarding information contained in this newsletter to Jan Mittemeyer at swimtnt123@aol.com or by phone: 599-1019 cell.
