Nitro Swimmer of the Week for September 29th – October 4th, 2014

Intro to Nitro

Cedar Park: Paige Armstrong, Nigel Nielsen and Lily Weipert – All the swimmers at the Nitro at the Races meet this Saturday did a phenomenal job! We had over 150 participants and I saw a lot of fast races & good team spirit. These three swimmers really stood out to me for several reasons: Paige let me know she was feeling nervous before her event & we talked about what to focus on. She did a great job facing her fears like an athlete, and was determined and excited throughout the rest of the meet! Nigel pushed through a 50 yard freestyle race like a champ! And even though he was tired, he finished strong to the very end! Lily is relatively new to Intro, but decided she was up for a challenge and registered for the 100yrd IM!! She had a great race, and I saw her give 100% on all four lengths of the pool! Great job to Paige, Nigel, Lily and all of our team mates who raced strong this weekend! Proud of you all! – Coach Jessie

Bee Cave: Terra Balentine – Terra has really been working hard lately, and it is time that she gets some recognition! He always comes into practice ready to go. Not only does she work hard, but she had become such a great leader for her group! She is willing to help others if they ask her and does a really great job of supporting her teammates! Terra, keep working hard and being a great teammate! So proud of you! – Coach Meghan

Bronze

Cedar Park: Nidhi Hegde – She has done a fantastic job since arriving in the group. During our test set this week she was one of the fastest in the group. She capped off the week with a great performance at the meet this weekend. Congratulations and keep up the good work! – Coach Travis

Bee Cave: Arohi Majmudar – Arohi really impressed me this week with her leadership and positive example for the rest of her teammates.  We had a tough week with some of the sets we were doing and Arohi emerged as a leader of her group.  She was encouraging teammates, helping them stay on task, and setting a great example for them.  I am very proud of you Arohi!  Keep up the great work!!! – Coach Jared

Technique & Fitness

Cedar Park: Mackenzie Hunninghake & Kevin Huang – Both athletes know how to get the job done. They show up, lead their lane, listen to directions, watch the clocks, demonstrate for the group and overall have a positive attitude. Great job you two thanks for being a part of Nitro and we’ll see you at the pool – Coach Steve

Bee Cave: Katelyn Lieb – Katelyn works diligently at all practices and she’s had just a great week.   Really nice streamlines, a great freestyle, and her starts are looking really great!   Other coaches are noticing too!  Keep up the great work! – Coach Linda

Silver

Cedar Park: Luka Herceg – Luka is one of our youngest swimmers who had at times really been a bright light in the group, and other times settle for a middle of the road effort.  This past week he brought his ‘A’ game every single practice.  Between his ability to take in corrections and the stellar work he’s put in over this past week we see big improvements for Luka in the near future.  Keep it up! – Coach Dakota

Bee Cave: Jacob Ferguson – I’ve watched Jacob grow into the strongest swimmer, his freestyle is smooth, he swims the 100 as easily as the 50, sharp turns, good underwaters, tight streamlines, his backstroke has all the same characteristics, but what has really impressed me is how smooth and long the breaststroke and butterfly have become, he is showing great patience with these strokes, he has the makings of a great IMer, and every time I put a watch on him he never fails to impress, I look forward to seeing him swim at the UT pool very soon! Great work Jacob! – Coach Chuck

Advanced Silver

Cedar Park: Ramsey Foote – Ramsey has been having a great season so far.  He went from hanging back to leading lanes, and now he’s sometimes even leading sets!  We expect big time drops for him this season.  Keep it up, Ramsey! – Coach Alex

Bee Cave: Cassandra McCallum – Cassandra started in Advance Silver approximately six weeks ago. At first, it was a tough road for her to get used to the demanding trainings but she never once thought of giving up.  In the last two weeks, we’ve seen a very different Cassie.  She has taken a lead role in her lane and she’s accepted new challenges on each main set. An example of this, and I must say it really caught my attention, was when last Saturday she decided to do the set on the butterfly lane.  Having other options, she decided to challenge herself with that style. The results of her hard choices and dedication are starting to be seen, which is why I encourage you to keep up the enthusiasm and keep going with the outstanding work. You’re on the right path to success. See ya on deck. #happycoach!! SI SI SI!! – Coach Felix

Gold

Cedar Park: Graciela Uriegas – This week she has made some great progress and changes in her butterfly. Her focus on trying to make those changes while still working hard is something that we want all swimmers to strive for. I hope you keep up the good work and striving to make yourself a little better every day. – Coach Travis

Bee Cave: Tailyn Schaufelberger & Daniel Li – Watching Tailyn come in to her own in the pool has been fun, Coach Adrian and I have noticed her superior stroke work for quite some time but were wondering when she would truly have a race breakthrough. I believe it is coming right around the corner, Saturday she swam her heart out, back to back 1:12 for timed 100 IMs, faster than any other Gold Swimmer, these two swims showed her focus, light and quick fly, tall fast arms on the back, a breaststroke that reminded me of Julia York, and a monster kick on the free, that put her in front of even the older boys in the group! Tailyn this is going to be a great short course season young lady! Super job! – Coach Chuck

Daniel consistently comes to practice ready to work hard! He is always focused on getting faster underwater. No matter what the set is, he always wants more. Daniel did a great job on our 30 minute kick challenge this week! Congratulations on a great week and keep up the good work! – Coach Jason