Intro to Nitro
Cedar Park: Ali Nelson-Cook and Mckenzie McFerren
This week Intro worked on a little bit of IM and dives. Ali did such a great job focusing and showing her coaches how hard she has been working. She did a fantastic job with her body waves on butterfly and really got the rhythm of butterfly down. Mckenzie is probably one of the smaller kids in intro but she never lets that stop her. She has been working super hard on all of her kicks and this week it really showed. Both girls competed in Nitro at the Races this weekend and have FANTASTIC swims! Keep up the great work ladies! —Coach Hannah
Bee Cave: Mia Wilson and Graceson Ognoskie
Wowzer! Mia and Graceson rocked the continuation of backstroke week! These two have some of the strongest underwater streamline push-offs on their back. Mia has a big bold personality constantly smiling and having fun, but she is also a hard worker! This past weekend she competed at her very first swim meet (with a little nudge) and truly excelled. Graceson, a much more quiet athlete, also shows tremendous focus and hard work. His determination has paid off and will surely carry on as he advances to Bronze. In addition to making underwaters look effortless, both Mia and Graceson focused on a tall bodyline while keeping a still head during backstroke. Thank you both for always brightening my day! Keep up the great work! —Coach Raven
Bronze
Cedar Park: Tino Ly
Tino is one of those swimmers who is really into the sport. He is always ready to answer questions, eager to go first in his lane, and ready to put forth his best effort. Not only has Tino been working on going fast in practice, he has also worked on slowing down and fixing technique stuff. Way to go Tino! —Coach Adam
Bee Cave: Miguel Gomez
Miguel is becoming a very well rounded swimmer, all four strokes show how hard this young man works every day in practice. Watching his 100 IM you see how strong his fly kick has become, the hand speed on his backstroke is intense, plus he never misses the pullout on the breaststroke, and after the first three lengths you can see how tired he is but still manages to put his head down and go a no breath red zone finish! The best part is that he is only 7 years old and already training and swimming like a veteran of the IM. Great job young man! —Coach Chuck
Technique and Fitness
Cedar Park: Tasneem Fatima and Dylan Cardenas
Tasneem had an AWESOME swim meet at the Nitro at the Races this past weekend. Great job nailing her starts and finishes but more importantly having a great time and just such a positive attitude throughout the meet. Always a pleasure to instruct at the pool. Dylan is always the first to ask what we’re doing, when do we go, how many laps are we doing, what strokes etc. He’s ON IT and totally focused! Great job you two thanks for being a part of NITRO and we’ll see you at the pool. —Coach Stephen
Bee Cave: Aradhana Arora
Aradhana joined our TF group a few months ago with not much prior experience at all. At first I was surprised she was evaluated for TF, but I quickly realized why. She has the supernatural ability to pick up on complex concepts with one explanation. When I share a new concept with the group, Aradhana is the first one to pick it up. Oh and she’ll do it flawlessly on her first try – it’s unreal! She’s already one of the best swimmers in any of my groups. She’s come a long way in such a short time. I’m very proud of her! —Coach Jonny
Silver
Cedar Park: Olivia Pena
Olivia did an excellent job this week as we tackled butterfly. As we discussed getting an early breathe, keeping the elbows high throughout the pull, having a strong kick, and keeping the head low to the water during the breath Olivia was taking a ton of mental notes. I saw as the week went on that her stroke was longer and the tempo was faster. She also made sure to keep up the basics as well such as streamline off the wall, good under waters, and two hand touches on the finish. Also this week Olivia really pushed herself on her test set. I’m proud of you girl! Way to work. —Coach Claire
Bee Cave: Lizzie Gillett
This week’s SOW was an absolute no brainer. Lizzie recently joined the Nitro family, and she has been doing such a great job! Our focus this past week was our flip turns and open turns. Lizzie told me she’d never done an open turn before, but after just one drill her open turn was one of the best in the group! Coach Raven and I were marveling at how quickly Lizzie picked up on it. It’s not surprising though, because every time I explain something to the group, Lizzie is laser focused absorbing the information she’s been given and applying it to her swimming. It’s been such a joy having her at Nitro, and I’m excited to see her continue to improve! Great job, Lizzie! —Coach Peter
Advanced Silver
Bee Cave: Sabrina DeFranco
At the meet the last weekend, Sabrina not only dropped several seconds of time in the IM but did it with correct technique, specifically on her pull out and flip turns — which bodes well for a promising future. Also, the butterfly arm position has been a challenge for Sabrina; however, she has found the way to keep those arms straight and have an early exit. Congrats, Sabrina! —Coach Paige
Gold 1 & 2
Gold 1 CP: Maddie Davis
If you want someone to motivate the rest of the group, Maddie is your girl. In my absence last week, I heard reports that Maddie was one of the swimmers who pushed the group and pumped everyone up. This isn’t out of the ordinary, as Maddie works her tail off day in and day out. Keep it up Maddie! —Coach Adam
Gold 2 CP: Aidan Embestro
Aidan is fairly new to Gold II, but he’s already making a big impact. Aidan is great about taking on challenges and putting in the amount of effort expected of him. He took to the training snorkel last week and is already a pro. He certainly has a bright future in this sport. Keep up the hard work, Aidan! —Coach Alex
Bee Cave: Robert Schaab
Robert and I had a great discussion this past week. We talked about the next step in his swimming. I was even more impressed with his maturity to begin the conversation himself. He is learning more and more about balancing his swimming, school, and other activities, and he is looking to do what is best for himself in that situation. After our talk at the beginning of the week, Robert came into every practice he was able to make and did a great job of attacking the sets. Many times we split into different interval groups, and Robert chose to challenge himself, and did a great job of pushing through being uncomfortable. Way to go! —Coach Allison