Alumni Meet and Parents' Weekend

Last weekend was the annual Whitman Swimming alumni meet and Parents' Weekend.  As usual, we had a great turnout!  Parents of swimmers from all different class years were present at the reception on Friday evening.  Then, on Saturday, over 20 alums from as far back as the class of 1994 donned their swimwear first thing in the morning for some "racing."  There was a great crowd of parents, friends, and family to watch the Whitman Swim Team in action for the first time this season--even though the alums turned 50's into 2 x 25 relays and used fins for just about every race, breaststroke included.  All the same, it was a ton of fun and great first meet of the season!  Many of our current swimmers put together some great swims.  Pictures from the meet will be posted on the Whitman Swimming Facebook page.

Friday evening's reception was a great opportunity to meet and greet all of the new Whitman Swimming families, as well as welcome back all of our returning Whitman Swimming parents and family members.  It was also a chance for our parents to get to meet the team and hear from some of our swimmers about their experiences.  In case you missed it, below are videos of Junior, Dane Kawamoto, and Senior, Keller Hawkins, sharing some thoughts about what the Whitman Swim Team means for each of them and how important our California training trip in January is for the team.

                                          


Saturday's swim meet was followed by lunch outside in the sun on a beautiful fall day in Walla Walla.  As swimmers, alumni, and family and friends all ate lunch and socialized, some old panels from the record board were on display.  For a few of our swimming alums, it was a chance to gather up their old records and take home their own slice of Whitman Swimming History.  Below are some photos of past and present record holders.  More photos of the alumni are on the Facebook page.

Nathan Engman (class of '96) collects his now broken 200 Freestyle and 400 Freestyle Relay records.  Both records have been broken in each of the last 2 seasons. 

Erin Pettersen (left, '08) holds her old 100 Butterfly record, now held by Katie Chapman (right, '13)

On Saturday evening it was time for dinner and wine at Jamie Kennedy's house!  Jamie and his wife Becky (both members of the class of '96) hosted the alums for a feast of smoked chicken, pasta with homemade sauce from Jamie's garden, and plenty of local wine.  It was--according to several alums--worth the trip just for Jamie's food and hospitality!

The Kennedy's also had up a great display of swimming photos from the Whitman Athletics archives, dating all the way back to the mid-1990's.  The photos can be viewed on the team's Facebook page.

Jamie's smoker loaded up with 8 chickens.  What a great night of food and friends!

Half Marathon Weekend

Tazi, Calire, and Teylor after the race

For the second year in a row, three Whitman swimmers took part in the Walla Walla half marathon and 10k run.  It was a beautiful fall day for a running race, with sunny skies and cool temperatures.  Senior, All-American, Claire Collins completed the half marathon for the second year in a row, this time with her Dad, Mike.  They crossed the finish line together in 2:06, personal bests for both of them.

Sophomores, Teylor Greff and Tazi Flory both took on the 10k.  Teylor's dad was in town for the race weekend as well, competing in the marathon.

Claire, and her Dad, Mike, just a few minutes from finishing the half marathon

Technique Week

Last week was all about swimming well.  We believe that fast swimming comes from sound stroke mechanics and self-aware swimmers.  We want our swimmers to train well, not just train a lot.

Throughout last week, we focused exclusively on the quality with which we were swimming.  Rather than worry about speed or yardage, we all focused in on the tiny details that allow us to swim fast and train at a high volume down the road.  We spent an entire 2 hour practice on each of the four strokes, plus a practice on turns, and, finally, a practice that pieced everything together.  After going through drills and beautiful, slow swimming in the pool, we transitioned to the weight room for a major increase in intensity.  The conditioning we missed in the water we made up for in the weight room!

Now that the team is swimming beautifully, we'll slowly start cranking up the intensity.  It's not just practice that makes perfect--good, intentional practice makes perfect!

Here's to a great 2013-14 season!  And here's to being the best technical swimmers around!

Focusing on breath-timing and high-elbow catch in Butterfly