Cedar Park
Senior:
Mallika Jade
Mallika started this fall around the time that I took over the senior group and it has been an absolute pleasure to Coach her. Senior group practices every morning at 5:45 so you can imagine some may be lacking motivation on certain days. Mallika always has a smile on her face and pushes through practice with laser focus and determination. I know that I can always count on her to complete each set with her best effort and she is a great leader in the group already. I’m really excited to see what the season holds for Mallika and senior group is extremely luck to have her.
–Coach Daeton
Sectional Development:
Sectional Development Cedar Park: Joseph Kelly. Joseph is a new addition to the SD group this fall and has already made a tremendous impact with the group! He consistently works his tail off every day in practice and has already seen incredible time drops in several events. He quietly takes the group to a new level of work everyday and his teammates benefit from his great effort and attitude! Thanks Joseph and keep it up! —Coach Dan
TAGS 2: Aiydan Schweizer
Aiydan Schweizer is a veteran in the TAGS II group and this season he is really catching the attention of his coaches. Most notably is his grit and determination when it come to putting himself in the fastest training group and challenging himself with the toughest sets. I can always count on Aiydan to set the standard when it comes to his willingness to work hard and all that effort was on display at this month’s Red vs. Black meet as he dropped massive time in every event. Great Job Aiydan, and Go Nitro! —Coach Daniel
TAGS 1: Landon Alarcon
Landon has really stepped up his game in the past month dedicating himself to his training like I have never seen before. First he crushed a set of 20x200s and then had his best ever T-20 by a significant margin. Very proud of his dedication to his craft and look forward to seeing how is effort will be rewarded. His effort makes the difference, not his performance that is just a side product of the effort. —Coach Flo
National Development: Alex Hoang
Alex just joined the group at the beginning of the short course season and has been doing a fantastic job with the skills and challenges that we have been going through this first month. I have been very impressed with his willingness to lead a lane and also push some of the older kids in some of the more challenging practices. Keep up the great work Alex! —Coach Jeremy
National Group: Vincent Ribeiro
Vincent Ribeiro is off to a really strong start to the season. Swimming faster than last year at this point in meets, and performing even better in practice. Vincent has also really attacked his weaknesses and has committed himself to improving his technique. A very solid start! —Coach Elliot
Bee Cave
HS/MS Training: Pranav Bingi
One of the most rewarding things a coach can see is when a swimmer flips a switch and something just starts to click. I’ve seen this with Pranav and his freestyle over the past month or two. We have done a lot of work dealing with the efficiency of our strokes, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a freestyle more efficient than Pranav’s. He does such a great job with the high elbow catch and vertical forearm, ensuring he pulls as much water as possible and in the right direction. I’ve been very impressed with Pranav during his short time in the group, which is why he earns SOM honors this month. Great job, Pranav! —Coach Peter
Senior: Jack Minyen
Jack has come a long way from the Silver group he was in before Senior, just think 2000 yards per practice and jump into 5000 to 6000 per practice, it could take quite some time to adjust, but this last month has seen Jack make tremendous leaps forward. I’ve noticed that Jack’s longer swims are getting better and better, during the groups 10 & 15 minute timed swims he has become much more confident, hanging on to the more experienced swimmers in the group and passing others. One big factor is how he is working on the length of his strokes, he now focuses on keeping a low stroke count, working under waters and good deep streamlines, surprising even himself at times when the stopwatch comes out, Jack never misses an opportunity to race for a best time. Coach Randy and I have had quite a few smiles on the deck watching this young man grow! Great Job Jack! I can’t wait for the next UT meet. —Coach Chuck
TAGS 2: Autumn Forgey
This is always such a hard one to choose! I took a moment to look back on the end of the summer and taking us into our training for the ‘17-18 season. Autumn stood out immediately. I have loved working with her since day 1, but her intensity and love for swimming has grown substantially over the past few months! She rocked LCM season, and the beginning of this season proves that she is only going to get better and better. One of my favorite parts about Autumn is she is always consistently happy, and is a wonderful to any team mate. Makes me proud to coach swimmers like you! —Coach Allison
TAGS 1: Ian Cullicott
Here we go with the Swimmer of the Month for September. And the award goes to, Ian Cullicott! This is the type of swimmer that counts with all the characteristics for a successful athlete, great listener, nutritionally aware, and he’s always taking care of his body to avoid injuries. I’ve seen this kid jumping the rope, doing the foam roller and PVC series without having the coach by his side, just because he really wants to succeed while also developing ownership. Ian, you are the main character on this journey, just continue doing the right thing at the right moment. The good things in life take time, be patient and follow your instincts. Great week for you working on the Butterfly, IM events are waiting for you 🙂 Keep it up Ian, you got this..FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!!! SI SI SI!!!—Coach Felix
National Development: David Rollins
September swimmer of the month goes to David Rollins, 17. David has been an amazing addition to the group. David is in the engineering program at UT and can handle training with the best on the team. We are lucky to have him in the ND group as leader. David specializes in 400 IM, 500 Free, and 200 back. This is his first year of year round swimming, having only competed high school before moving to Nitro from Washington state. David works very hard and has exceptional endurance and focus. He is training to try to make the Winter USA Jr. Nationals. We all look forward to his upcoming meet season. —Coach Randy
National Group: TJ Piercy
September swimmer of the month goes to TJ Piercy, 17. TJ has had an incredible month of September training. September has been TJ’s first experience doing double practices, and he is doing an awesome job. TJ is a Jr. this year and has started his college investigation process. He is pretty sure that he would like to swim in the Ivy League while pursuing his degree. He always brings a fun and positive energy to the deck each day. He is a great teammate to be around. TJ specializes in the sprint freestyles and butterfly events. His kicking has led the group through September. We all look forward to seeing Trent James’ progress over this short course season. Keep it up TJ! —Coach Hans, Isaac, and Randy