SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month: September

 

 Catfish

Mercerwood Shore Club: Ziyun (Zoey) Gu

Zoey is the MSC Catfish SMACTASTIC swimmer for September. Zoey has been a quiet leader this month. Zoey shows up to practice with a smile, is ready to swim, listens to the instructions and is always ready to demonstrate a skill to the entire group. The coaches really appreciate Zoey's positive attitude.

Mt. Rainier: Anna Kozhemiako

Anna is an absolute pleasure to work with.  She shows up everyday with a smile on her face, excited that she gets to jump in the water and be part of her group.  She is always excited to learn and be a leader in the group.  She is always listening and on task and understanding what we are doing, even when a new skill is introduced.  She is always excited to be an example of how to do things right.  Way to  go Anna.

Kent/KCAC: Ellie Carter

The September Catfish SMACtastic swimmer of the month is Ellie Carter. Ellie began the season as a leader of the group, showing initiative in the pool by staying on top of sendoffs, giving her best effort, and being inclusive with her teammates. All of this hard work has already paid off with her moving into Stroke Development. Great job Ellie!

View Ridge: Jacob Yong

Jacob has been a very consistent attendant at Catfish practices. He’s timely, attentive, asks good questions, is eager to learn and improve and almost always leads the way on practice repeats. Jacob has demonstrated good mechanics in Free, Back and Breast and is working his way through some Butterfly mechanics that, when refined, will prepare him well for a move up to the Stroke Development group. While working with Jacob on some Butterfly mechanics, we have found him to have a good grasp on the task at hand and, as such, have found him to be very coachable and flexible with trying different ways to advance technique improvement. We are looking forward to seeing Jacob’s results in his first meet of the season this weekend.

Central/MIBC: Liam Bowen

Liam Bowen is the Central SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month for September. Liam started late last season and has come back stronger this season. He models what I look for in a catfish swimmer by knowing when to have fun and talk with friends vs. when it’s time to focus and listen to coach. He does a good job leading lanes by always knowing what drill we’re doing or knowing when to leave the wall. Keep up the great work Liam!

Evergreen: Luca Sacco

Luca demonstrates what coaches are looking for in Catfish swimmers - he steadily works toward making important stroke changes with a great attitude.  Keep improving, and you will move to Stroke Development soon!  Luca has a confident swim family behind him, so success is inevitable.

Fife: Nathan Moyer

Nathan is our SMACTastic Swimmer of May for the Fife Catfish group. Nathan brings a great positive attitude to every practice, and he always comes in ready to get to work. Nathan is consistently focused in practices, and asks questions to be sure he knows how to get the most out of his practices. His performance in practice has helped him to significantly improve his kicking and backstroke since joining the team this season.

Stroke Development

Mercerwood Shore Club: Jeffery Lou

Jeffery is the MSC Stroke Development SMACTASTIC swimmer for September. Jeffery is relatively new to Stroke Development. Jeffery has really been stepping it up as a lane leader always working hard. He reminds others to be quiet and listen when the coaches speak. These qualities embody the SMACTASTIC ideals! Congrats Jeffery!

Mt. Rainier: Lucia Prieto

Lucia has become the leader of this group very quickly.  She is always on task, understands what she is doing.  She has done an amazing job of paying attention to all the little details and understanding what the set is called for.  She is a great leader and example for her group. Lucia always has such a happy and positive attitude when she is at practice.  Way to go Lucia.

Kent/KCAC: Lucia Benavente

The September Stroke Development SMACtastic swimmer of the month is Lucia Benavente Smith. Lucia has already had a large positive impact on the group in her first month on SMAC, and has improved a lot as well. She has taken challenges in stride, improving her kick endurance, and also comes to practice with a positive attitude which is infectious to her teammates. Great job Lucia!

View Ridge: Meleda Miao

Meleda has demonstrated very solid grasp of each of the four strokes and recently showed why she asked “when we were going to be working on butterfly?”: the results showed this week, demonstrated by very good underwaters and good stroke mechanics throughout practices. As we often do in Stroke Development, we ask swimmers possessing certain skills to demonstrate to their teammates or participate in competitions. This week, Meleda won the competition for best freestyle flip turn in the group. We look forward to the future when Meleda starts to ramp up IMX scores and continue her improvement in technique and endurance. We are looking forward to seeing Meleda’s results in her first meet of the season this weekend.

Central/MIBC: Frances Law

Frances is the Central SD SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month for September. Frances is already making big waves in the pool. She has completely changed from last season by welcoming things she's uncomfortable with such as our daily kick sets, leading lanes and asking a lot of questions on how to improve her stroke. She takes feedback well and tries to make changes right away. Good job Frances!!

Evergreen: Avery Bacci

Avery always pushes off the wall with a great streamline, she leads the group on send-offs, and she pushes herself to swim fast on the challenge sets.  She is working hard to race in big Age Group events like 100 Breast and Back.  Keep up the hard work and positive attitude, Champion!

Newport: Hudson Ma

Newport's Smactastic swimmer of the month is Hudson Ma! It's a treat to have Hudson back with SMAC this year. His mental determination combined with his caring and respectful nature make him the perfect candidate for Smactastic! His strokes and technique continue to grow each practice; while his attitude and listening skills lead by example. Thank you Hudson!

Fife: Naydeen Ledesma

Naydeen is the SMACTastic swimmer of the month for the Stroke Development group at Fife. This is Naydeen’s first year on the team. She is always focused in practice, and asks questions to make sure she’s doing everything right. Naydeen has been taking feedback well, and using it to make crucial changes to her strokes. Naydeens’s focus in practice has helped her to make some great changes to her breaststroke and butterfly so far this season.

 

Age Group

Mercerwood Shore Club: Blythe Grega

Blythe is the MSC Age Group SMACTASTIC swimmer for September. Blythe is the ultimate leader of Age Group.  Blythe always knows the workout sets and watches the clock for the correct interval/send offs.  Blythe also is also one of the first swimmers to step-up at the end of practice to take out the lane lines, help with the pool covers. The coaches appreciate her great attitude and leadership thanks Blythe!

Mt. Rainier: Kenny Lewis

Kenny in this early season has established himself as the leader of the group.  His attendance is very consistent, always one of the first ones in the water, and is very excited to work and challenge himself in the practice.  Kenny is always on top of what he is doing in workout and always executes things at a high level.  I am very excited to see where this season takes Kenny.  Way to go Kenny.

Kent/KCAC: Odessa Falaminiano

Odessa Falaminiano is the Kent Age Group SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month for September. Odessa with has started the season with great focus and willingness to challenge herself at every practice. Odessa is leading her lane daily and is doing a great job of encouraging those in the lane with her. I have also appreciated Odessa’s technique questions at practice, showing her desire to make changes. Congratulations Odessa, keep up the great work!

View Ridge: Jasmine Lannin

Jasmine has stepped into the group leader role seamlessly. She's served as an excellent example for the (many) new members of this group and consistently sets a high standard of behavior, engagement, and effort at practice. She's been absolutely crucial to the early success of the group and will certainly continue to drive its performance.

Central/MIBC: Morgan Hosking

Morgan Hosking is the Central Age Group SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month for September. Morgan is new to the team this season and has started off well. He has shown a great amount of focus and willingness to get better everyday by always asking what he can do better. He welcomes the feedback that is given and applies it right away. Good job Morgan!

 

Evergreen: Camille Dwinell

 

Camille brings a great attitude to practice.  She always pushes off the wall with a great streamline and stretches to swim fast when the sets call for it.  She is unafraid to race even when her heart rate is elevated.  She demonstrates to the group how a Champion practices with consistency.  The sky is the limit for her, and her determination inspires everyone around her.

Fife: Atreju Rae

Atreju is our SMACTastic Swimmer of May for Age Group at Fife. Atreju is at practice early and ready to get to work every day. He has started this season by taking new challenges head on, and has been continually surprising himself with what he’s been able to accomplish. Atreju is always looking for more feedback, and is able to apply it well to make changes. He has become a leader in the group this year, and takes the time to make sure that both he and his teammates know how best to do things so everyone can improve together.

 

Age Group Performance

Mt. Rainier: Evelyn Bernier

Evelyn has come in this season very motivated and goal oriented in wanting to achieve a high level of success.   She has come in and been a leader in and out of the pool and how she goes about improving on a daily basis.  She not only leads by example in the water, but has become a vocal leader and cheerleader for her teammates.  During our group meetings she has been a very valuable contributor to the group and setting the right vibe and attitude this group is working so hard to establish.  I am excited to see the hard work pay off for Evelyn.

Kent/KCAC: Evelyn Simmons

Evelyn Simmons is the Kent Age Group Performance SMACtastic Swimmer of the Month for September. Evelyn has set a goal of qualifying for Senior Sectionals this year and has been doing the work necessary to accomplish her goal. The effort that Evelyn puts in daily has brought up the level of effort of those around her. Evelyn is also working to make technique changes and her attention to the details is driving positive changes. Congratulations Evelyn, excited to see what you will do this season!

 

View Ridge: Tassie Murray

 

Tassie constantly finds new ways to surprise me with the sheer effort she puts into her training. She consistently embraces both physical and mental challenges in practice: a difficult interval, a lower stroke count, a new technical focus –– no matter what it is, Tassie gives it her all. This extends to her relationships with her teammates, which has helped make View Ridge AGP a great place to be.

Central/MIBC: Eldan Wang

Eldan Wang is the Central/MI AGP SMACtastic swimmer for September. Eldan has started off the season focused, asking the right questions in practice, and has shown commitment to making technical changes to his strokes. Beyond that, Eldan comes to practice ready to work with a great attitude and leads by example. I am excited to see what Eldan accomplishes this season!

 

Senior

Kent/KCAC: Colby Moses

The SMACtastic swimmer of the month from the Senior group is Colby Moses. Colby has done an excellent job of working hard to improve his aerobic capacity and endurance. He leads by example with excellent attendance and by showing up early to practices. His hard work through the first month of the season is sure to pay off over the next few months. Great job Colby!

Central/MIBC: Ian Ament

SMACTASTIC for Senior central is Ian Ament. This is Ian's second year on the team and he has come back hungry to be better. From attacking each set with grit and execution, being a positive force on deck and a friendly face to his teammates, and always striving to get better, Ian is ready to make a big splash this season!

 

Viewridge: Estee Landrum

Estee has established herself as a true group leader following a season plagued by injury. She's an asset to every single practice she attends, due in no small part to her renewed focus and intensity and her consistently cheerful demeanor. It's been such a pleasure to watch her come back better than ever from the challenges of last season, and I couldn't be more proud of her.

 

Fife: Kate O’Leary

 

Kate is the SMACTastic swimmer of the month for the Senior group at Fife. Kate has been making all the right decisions this year. Kate has made the change to be at practice consistently every day, and makes the most of the day when she’s there. She has also decided to participate in a lot more meets this year, and has been locked in on how she can get the most performance out of herself when she’s there.

 

Mt. Rainier: Lars Norman

Lars has shown up to practice with a positive attitude and an eagerness to learn. Any detail that has been stressed in practice from stroke count to underwaters, he has demonstrated incredible focus, always looking for ways to improve. He pushes himself and others around him even when it may seem daunting and can always be counted to bring up group morale.

 

Senior Performance

View Ridge: Cordelia White

Since the first day of practice this season, Cordelia has stepped up her game, and trained with a higher level of purpose that I have not seen from her before. Springboarding off a successful summer season and a great 200 breast at the All Star meet in California, Cordelia, has set high level goals for herself this season. As an incoming freshman at Lincoln High School, she has done a good job of balancing the demands of high school, participating on the Lynx Girls Swim Team on top of SMAC . Cordelia has very recently encountered an injury that has limited her training, but not her practice attendance. Over the past few days, Cordelia is gaining valuable experience in how to navigate her way through a sport injury and along the way is learning how and when to moderate her personal drive to excellence when it’s what her body needs. As she continues to be a teammate who encourages others, leads by example and works her way through those circumstances, she’ll see how every challenge can also present an opportunity.

Central/MIBC: William Frost

Leading off for the year in SP Central is William Frost.  He’s been at practice 100% for September with a high attention to detail and a great attitude.  Kudos to the rest of the group for making this a really tough decision this month as we’ve got a lot of athletes whose actions are reflecting high level execution.
 
National

Central/MIBC: Matilda White

Matilda has embodied the behaviors and standards expected of a National Group athlete throughout the first month of the season. Matilda has organized off deck team building activities, maintained a 94 percent attendance rate, and displayed intentionality, effort, and enthusiasm. That combination has made her a leader for the group and a great example for the younger athletes in the group looking for examples of the attributes necessary for high level performance.