Junior Nationals Day 1

I talk a lot about the pitfalls of swimming and I think I have kids figured out. Then days like today happen and you question everything.

I am a firm believer in confidence and that it is the fuel by which athletic achievement lives. Swimming has been a living breathing experiment to this over the past few years as we moved into and then quickly out of the Suit Era. Kids went fast in those suits, they helped, no argument, but they dealt with it differently. Some pointed to the suit as their savior and when it was taken away, they faltered. Others realized that they swam that fast, aided or not and continued on that path post suits. They either gained confidence or lost it.

We went to DU with the National kids for a couple of events. They swam partially rested and unshaved and we went fast. The girl's relay splits and times were solid and they gained a ton of confidence for this meet. maybe too much. We started today with the 200 Free relay...and tanked it. There were really no good swims on it and we ended 21st. 1 place out of the finals. I got on the girls after the race and was met with the same answer. "We were overconfident after last weekend. We thought it would just happen." They stopped focusing on the swim and just swam. Ooops. We've talked of that on this blog. You can't just go fast or just go swim. you have to have a plan. They didn't.

Now they did the rest of the day. The 200 IM's were smoking as were the frees. This time they had a strategy and a plan and they executed it. Done and done. Fast.

Day 1 results
200 Free relay
Siobhan 24.3
Anna 23.6
Caroline 25.0
Kourtney 25.0
1:38.09

200 IM
Anna 2:05.58
Caroline 2:09.06
Amanda 2:09.34
Rin 1:57.0

50 free
Siobhan 24.09

100 free
Kourt 54.61