​Good morning! I hope everyone got a good night’s sleep after yesterday’s meet. I have a few thoughts I’d like to share:

1) As a team we swam really well. We had a few regional cuts, lots of close races, and many, many swimmers place in the top three in their event or relay. As the meet wore on into the night, swimmers from all teams stopped dropping times, but our kids still fought hard, and many still swim life-time bests!

2) The meet itself was incredibly long, loud, and hectic. We are not used to not having a bull-pen at the conference meet, and, because of this, it was chaotic for swimmers, coaches, and officials. I have never seen as many false starts at a meet than what we saw last night. Thank you all for helping keep the kids out of the stands, staying quiet for the start, and cheering for them. 

3) Too many kids, particularly older, experienced kids, missed their events last night. Swimmers standing behind the blocks didn’t step up to their race. This was true for most teams last night; this was mostly an issue of the loudness of the pool deck.  However, I was really frustrated and let my frustration and anger get the better of me, especially as the meet wore on. I want to apologize to the swimmers and families for my anger and frustration. I certainly could have done a better job. 

4) We got tons of compliments from officials, coaches, and parents about our swimmers' sportsmanship. Most of our swimmers waited in the water to shake hands, and that always stands out against other teams.
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5) Overall, I am pleased with how our swimmers performed. We had a good season, and I am excited to celebrate on Friday!

South Suburban Swim Conference Red Division Championship
Homewood Flossmoor High School
999 Kedzie Ave
Flossmoor, IL 60422
4:00pm - Arrive
4:30pm - Warmup
​5:30pm - Start


Please Read:

• Coaches have let swimmers know who is swimming in conference. Remember, all  swimmers may not get to swim. Entries are limited for conference meet. Non-swimmers are always welcome to come and cheer on their teammates
• Swimmers are chosen based on best times, season growth, and attendance.
• If a swimmer is not in conference, and wants an opportunity to swimmer, the swimmer (not the parent) should talk to the coach, and we will arrange a swim-off.
  
• This meet will be longer than a dual meet!! Plan accordingly. Please bring a blanket or  sleeping bag for your swimmer and something to do (portable games, books, cards etc). An extra towel, robe or sweatshirt is also a good idea to keep warm (fleece is ​better than cotton).  Please tell your swimmers to keep track of all their items!

• This is the biggest meet of the season! Make sure everything is ready to go the evening before and get a good night’s rest and take it easy the morning of. Be sure swimmers have their team suit, goggles, team caps and wear their team swag! 

• Parents are encouraged to join their swimmer(s) in the gym.  Please bring a camp chair or something to sit on
• Each team is required to provide 2 (experienced!) timers on one lane for the entire meet. Please see Karen if you would like to volunteer. 

• Concessions will be sold. No FOOD (only water) is allowed in the spectator area. 

(Swimmer’s snacks must be healthy with plenty of water.  Save the sweet treats for AFTER THE MEET!)

• Admission will be $5.00 per adult. Children under 12 are free. Heat Sheets will be included with paid admission.

• LASTLY, ALL SWIMMERS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEET. Please do not ask if they can leave early. They are a part of a TEAM!

SWIM HARD AND HAVE FUN!  GO SEA DEMONS!

Our meet against HF was full of strong races across the board. HF was probably our strongest competitor this season, but we still managed to race hard, drop time, and win some races. Swimmers of the Meet are: Ruben, Jadyn, Charles, and Corri.

Ruben's perseverance is infallible. He'll swim anything we put him in and he'll work his tail off to do well. Ruben also stepped up by filling in spots in two relays without complaint; he is a role model for the younger swimmers. Jadyn, similarly, was incredibly helpful today. When a teammate was feeling ill and distressed, Jadyn was the first one to bring her a towel and sit with her. She also dropped an impressive three seconds on her 100 backstroke!

Charles swam a great race in the 100 IM, narrowly placing second, but still dropping almost a second off his best time. Competition always brings out the best in Charles, and it was fun to watch him race. Corri not only stepped up and swam as an alternate in the medley relay, but she also dropped two seconds in every individual event she swam! She has been hitting a wall for the last few meets, and she finally broke through it!

Nice job swimmers!

Another fun winning meet for the EASC! We had a great, fast meet against Burbank this past Thursday. As a team, we are looking fitter, faster, and more confident in the water. Swimmers of the Meet are: Tim, Samanta, Galilea, and Victor.

In the past few meets, Tim has had a lot of success in his races, but has been off from his best times. Thursday's meet was a return to form, with Tim's times dropping back down to his old personal bests! It is always great watching an athlete work through a competitive wall! Samanta, who just aged up to the 10 & Under age group, dropped over 5 seconds in her 50 free! It was great to watch her improve her time in an older, faster age group. Gali also dropped a bunch of time in backstroke! Focusing on technique in practice is truly benefiting her when it comes to meets. Victor was named swimmer of the meet not only for his awesome effort in the pool, but for his natural leadership with the younger and novice swimmers. He is incredibly dependable and helpful, always getting the kids ready and helping them read the heat sheet.

Thank you, all, for another great meet!