Hello!

Great job by our swimmers at Manning on Saturday!

Woodbine Meet 12/9

The Woodbine Meet is this coming Saturday, December 9th. If you plan to swim, you must sign up by the end of the day on Tuesday! For this meet, swimmers can swim 4 individual events and there are no relays. Sign up by using the swim portal. If you have any questions, contact Coach Matt at 712-571-0528 or harlanswimclub@gmail.com.

Here's how you sign up for meets:

1. From the harlanswim.com website, click the link for the Swim Portal

2. With the same login you used to sign up for the season, sign into the Swim Portal

3. Once signed in, click the menu option to VIEW MEETS

4. You will see Upcoming Meets and will see Manning Meet 12/2/23. Under that meet, you will see the swimmers tied to your account. 

5. Click the button for Attending or Not attending for your swimmer. Clicking the + button near your swimmer will allow you to select the events your swimmer will be swimming. 

6. In addition, to marking your attendance, you can select the events your swimmer wants to swim.

7. Click SAVE when finished.

Goal Setting

We'd like for swimmers to set three goals for the 23-24 season. There are two reasons for this: swimmers generally make more progress when they have goals to work towards and this will help coaches work on things more specifically with swimmers as the year goes on.

When setting your three goals, here are some guidelines to follow:

• Make SMART goals! Examples below:

  • Specific - I want to swim under 40 seconds in the 50 Free. NOT: I want to swim faster in the 50 Free.

  • Measurable -  Should be time based or trackable. Good examples would be achieving a certain time, qualifying for state, setting a team record, or completing an event without being disqualified at a meet.

  • Attainable - No one on our team is advancing to the olympics, at least not this year. Make goals you can achieve THIS season!

  • Relevant - Don't set a goal unless you want to achieve it. You shouldn't aspire to be the fastest swimmer on the team if your goal of joining swim team was to get in better shape for track season. 

  • Time-Bound - My goal is to have perfect attendance at every practice THIS SEASON. Not: A goal that that ends after March 9th of 2024 or does not have a set deadline.

• Goals based on things YOU can control. Comparing yourself to others is not something you want to do as all of our swimmers have varying levels of experience. Make goals with the main idea in mind to make yourself better as each week goes by during the season. Other teams we swim against may practice more than we do or have more resources. Set goals that you can make happen with hard work! You can't control who you swim against at meets, so making a goal to finish 1st in every event you swim is probably not realistic.

• Sample goals:

  • Have perfect attendance at all practices.

  • Earn a personal record in the 50 back at every meet.

  • Qualify for two state events in the 100 Breaststroke and the 50 Butterfly.

  • Complete the 500 Free at a meet.

  • Break a team record in the 25 Butterfly for my age group.

  • Compete in the 50 Breaststroke at a meet without being DQed.

• If you need help setting 3 goals, ask a coach for suggestions! Email harlanswimclub@gmail.com or text Coach Matt at 712-571-0528

• Goals are between swimmers and the coaches and we won't make them public to everyone. Please fill out this form by December 16th!

Harlan Swim Club Goals 23-24

State

Many of our swimmers have goals of obtaining state qualifying times to swim at the Wellmark YMCA on March 9th. Here's a few observations if you want to earn a state qualifying time.

• Something other than Freestyle - Unless you are already close to a state qualifying time in the freestyle, try to improve your backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly. Freestyle has the hardest standards to obtain because everyone starts swimming with freestyle and there is a lot of competition for free events. You might have an easier path to a state time if you work hard on the other three strokes. I'm not saying to avoid the freestyle, but if you have a feel for another stroke, work towards improving your time in the event. For example, we have a lot of swimmers close to a state backstroke time and they should continue to work on improving to get a state time.

• Get to work, NOW! - Every year, we have a few swimmers that tell us in February that they are really going to start working to earn a state qualifying time. By that point in the season, it is too late to start working hard.

• Be patient and just work on improving - Some of our swimmers have swam on our team since we started in 2017. Many of  our swimmers this year are brand new to swim team. A state time is obtainable for new swimmers, but just make your focus on getting better each practice and fast times will come. Don't compare yourself to others on the team, just the version of yourself from last week!

• If you have questions, just ask the coaches!

Apparel

If you ordered team apparel, it can be picked up at practice this week! Embroidered items are a little behind and will be coming soon. 

Lost and Found

The cup below was left in our camp at the Manning Meet on Saturday. Please claim it if it is yours at practice this week!

That's it! See everyone for GET BETTER TUESDAY and GET BETTER THURSDAY this week!

Hello!

We had a great first week of practice! We are excited to continue improving this week!

Apparel Order

The team apparel order closes at the end of the day! Please your orders now if you want Harlan Swim Club gear!

https://cishirts.com/shop/stores/harlan-swim-club-2023

First Meet 11/18/23

Our first meet is Saturday at Des Moines East at 9 AM. This is very early in the season, but will be a good to establish a starting point for the upcoming season. For those new and experienced, here is how you sign up for meets:

1. From the harlanswim.com website, click the link for the Swim Portal

2. With the same login you used to sign up for the season, sign into the Swim Portal

3. Once signed in, click the menu option to VIEW MEETS

4. You will see Upcoming Meets and will see EAST V HARLAN AND MANNING. Under that meet, you will see the swimmers tied to your account. 

5. Click the button for Attending or Not attending for your swimmer. Clicking the + button near your swimmer will allow you to select the events your swimmer will be swimming. 

6. Click SAVE when finished.

7. For this meet, swimmers may swim 3 individual events. Coaches will attempt to form relays based on the swimmers we have signed up. Your swimmer will swim a maximum of 5 events!

If you have questions on what events, you can ask coaches or simply mark as Attending and we will enter your swimmers in the events we think best suit them at this early point in the season. You must mark your attendance on the Swim Portal by the end of the day on Wednesday, November 15th. If you have problems or questions, email harlanswimclub@gmail.com. If you do not sign up, we will assume you are NOT attending the meet.

Looking forward to another great week of practice!

Thanks,

Harlan Swim Club

Practice starts November 7th! We hope everyone enjoys Halloween and can use this week to prepare for the upcoming season. Here are a few informational items that you should know for upcoming season!

Practices

Practices are every Tuesday and Thursday unless otherwise communicated from the team.

• 10 and Under - 4 PM to 5 PM

• 11 and Up - 5 PM to 6 PM

Coach Amber will normally lead our first practice with help with Coach Ainsley, Coach Emeri, and Coach Ben. When swimmers arrive at the Wellness Center, they should get themselves ready in the locker rooms and wait for the pool doors to open at 4. Young swimmers or swimmers needing assistance can use the family locker room if necessary. Any personal belongings can be left along the wall that is next to the party/meeting room on the east side of the pool. We recommend not using the lockers as we can keep an eye on personal belongings on the pool deck and swimmers don't have to worry about locking their belongings in the locker room. Parents are welcome to watch at practice if they wish, but we ask that you sit on the chairs on the south wall near the locker rooms. Kids generally do better without knowing that mom and dad are watching and are more likely to stay focused on practice if they know they can't constantly run to mom or dad all the time. 

Second session practices for ages 11 and Up run from 5-6. Coach Matt and Coach Deb will normally run these practices.

Safety is our number one priority and our coaches watch their lanes closely and our beginner swimmers work with Coach Amber in the lane closest to the lifeguard stand. Swimmers are required to stay in the lap lane area with coaches during practice. Memberships are not required for swimmers on the team, but if you wish to use the facility for other family members during practice or if your swimmer wants to use the other pool areas before or after practice, you need a facility membership and can speak to the front desk if you wish to use the facility outside of the lap lane area during the assigned practice times. Coaches might allow a quick slide break for fun during practice at times, but we ask that swimmers stay in the lap lanes unless otherwise given permission from the coaches.

Locker room use should be for showering, changing and quick bathroom use before, during, and after practice. Please remind your swimmers to use the locker rooms properly and not to play or rough house in the locker rooms. We will remind swimmers of these rules at practice, but it is always good to have reminders from parents on the expectations. 

Equipment

To put it simply, swimmers need to have a suit and towel with them for practice. We recommend the following for all swimmers at practices and meets:

1. An appropriate suit - to start, any suit will work

2. Goggles - it is much easier to properly swim if wearing goggles

3. Towel 

4. Hair management for longer hair (hair tie or swim cap)

If you wish for your swimmer to be the most comfortable, we recommend a one-piece competition suit for females and jammer for males. Baggy trunks for boys can make performing strokes like the breaststroke a little more difficult. However, none of these are required, especially when just starting out. Goggles are really nice to have for all swimmers. Coaches can answer any questions you might have about swimwear. Good quality swim brands are Speedo, TYR, and Sporti.

Swim caps can vary based on how comfortable your swimmer is wearing them. Longer hair should be managed with an elastic hair tie at a minimum. If your swimmer has longer hair, a cap is a great way to make practices easier and help swimmers to perform better at meets. Swimmers with shorter hair often elect to not wear a cap at all, but some like to have them for practices and meets.

Colors and styles of apparel are up to you! We do not mandate any certain type, color or make. Wear what you are comfortable in! A small swim bag with all swim-related belonging is a nice thing to have to help your swimmer stay organized.

School days can get long, especially for our younger swimmers. Pack or eat a small, healthy snack before practice and we let swimmers have water breaks when needed during practice. 

Apparel

Harlan Swim Club apparel is available to order, but we do not require swimmers to buy anything. However, many parents and swimmers like to have team gear.

Our team apparel order closes on November 12th! Items should be ready around the first part of December and make great Christmas gifts for swimmers and parents. If you want Harlan Swim Club swag, this is our only team order for the season! All orders are online through CI Shirts in Harlan and will be delivered to families at practice in early December.

https://cishirts.com/shop/stores/harlan-swim-club-2023

Goal Setting and Progress Charts

Coach Matt is working on a form for swimmers to choose what their goals are for the year. Coaches will work with swimmers on setting three goals for the season to track their progress. Goals can range greatly for each swimmer depending on what they wish to get out of swim team for the 23-24 season and their experience level. Examples are things like having perfect attendance at practices, obtaining a certain time for the year, or qualifying for a state event. More information will come in the next week or so about goal setting.

Progress charts will be made for each swimmer. Charts will have an area to track swimmer attendance, note meets that they obtained a PR (Personal Record), and acknowledge state qualifying times. These will be posted near the lap lanes so swimmers can see how they've performed throughout the year. An example of what a chart looks like is below. 

If you have any questions at all, please email the team at harlanswimclub@gmail.com or contact Coach Matt at 712-571-0528.

We are looking forward to a great 23-24 season!