Intro to Nitro
Cedar Park: Inho Kang, Karen Chen, Daniel Iorgulescu, Inara Woodrum, Daniel Bomba, Athriva Balaji
It’s getting tougher and tougher to select just one or two each week, so this week I splurged and went with these 6 kiddos. I want to say that every Intro to Nitro athlete has been showing tremendous progress each week in their skill levels, and these 6 are included as well, in addition to being phenomenal demonstrators when called upon. It’s been a pleasure working with all of them! Flip Turns this week!! So get some practice in at home doing some forward rolls on some pillows or cushions! —Coach Mike
Bee Cave: Kylie May
This past week, Intro focused on breaststroke kick. Many kiddos start off with pointed-toes or a scissor kick; Kylie focused in and nailed her breaststroke kick! In addition, she showed patience as she practiced a tall glide with her head down and heels together. This young lady has excelled continuous since January in speed, strength, and technique. Because of Kylie’s hard work and enjoyment of the swimming, she will be advancing to Bronze. I cannot wait to see her next great accomplishments as she continues to swim at Nitro! Way to go, Kylie! —Coach Raven
Bronze
Cedar Park: Mary Ligarde
Mary has made quite the splash in her time with the Bronze group. After joining from T/F a couple of months ago, she has really stepped up her game. Breaststroke is her specialty, using her strong kick to propel her forward, but she really has all 4 strokes put together pretty well. This weekend she really impressed with her efforts at Nitro at the Races. Way to go Mary! —Coach Adam
Bee Cave: Hannah Fellers
A great butterfly week for the Bronze swimmers and Hannah was a clear standout! We always talk in terms of swimming downhill, keep your chin low to the water, eyes down with a quick low fast move with the arms. If you had a camera you would have a hard time taking a snapshot of Hannah’s smile. This butterfly is going to really transform how she swims her IM, the drive with the legs takes the pressure off her arms and that energy is going to spark her backstroke! Great job young lady! Looks like a 200 IM is coming soon in your future. —Coach Chuck
Technique and Fitness
Cedar Park: Abigail Utama and Warner Young
AWESOME is all I have to say regarding your week of butterfly AND the NITRO at the Races swim meet on Saturday. Both of you attended Saturday practice and attended the swim meet AND excelled in your events! Great job on your butterfly timing and fingertip hand entry this past week. Really nice working on two kicks per stroke and really feeling the water. Also great job for always putting an arm up when wanting to demonstrate for the group. Signs of a leader! Great job you two thanks for being a part of NITRO and we’ll see you at the pool. —Coach Stephen
Bee Cave: Avni Singh
Avni has flown under the radar for too long now. She may be small, but she is fierce! Her underwater streamlines reach the fruit loops every time – guaranteed. The week, the bronze coach (Chuck) noticed her and asked how soon she could join the bronze group. I wanted to make sure I recognized her efforts before I lose her to Coach Chuck, because that day is coming soon! I am so very proud of little miss Avni 🙂 —Coach Jonny
Silver
Cedar Park: Liam McGowan
Liam did a fantastic job this week as we covered a few key points in our Freestyle. He worked hard to get his breathing lower, streamlines off the wall tighter, and kick more consistent. On Saturday I reviewed with some of my swimmers leaving in ready position and why this is beneficial for our streamlines and underwater body waves off of the wall. I had one swimmer who struggled somewhat with this skill, and I saw Liam step up to help. He said,” Here watch me and then you do the same thing.” He even explained to this swimmer how to place the hand leaving the wall behind the ear so as to stay on the side when leaving. Not only was he listening when I explained it, but remembered it so well that he could teach it to another swimmer. I LOVE this kind of companionship and watching out for teammates amongst the Silver swimmers. I hope others follow your example, Liam. —Coach Claire
Bee Cave: Eva Berry
I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Eva since her days in TF, and man how she’s grown both physically and in her swimming. She is already leading her lane during some sets which is rare for somebody so new to the group, but the part I enjoy the most about Eva is that she is always smiling. Always. She enjoys practice, she enjoys her teammates, and just enjoys everything about swimming. She brings such a great attitude to practice, and that’s why she is my SOW for this week. Great job, Eva! —Coach Peter
Advanced Silver
Bee Cave: Zander Esslemont
Our swimmer of the week is Zander Esslemont! This young man has truly “stepped” up since joining Nitro in the fall. He has learned his skills very well, earned “A” times in the sprints while having a blast and making every coach laugh at his silliness & been committed to attending practice and meets. That is what I believe has made him successful… his drive to do every technique correctly. I am especially proud of his underwater work and the distance his now gets off the walls, all because he is focused on doing the skills well. Congrats, Zander as you take your new “step” in swimming to Gold. —Coach Paige
Gold 1 & 2
Gold 1 CP: Annabelle Chang
Annabelle has been pushing herself each and every day at practice. Whether it’s through a technique based set, or distance Wednesdays, she is always trying to better herself. Annabelle saw her hard work pay off last week as she earned her first 11-12 A time at the TXLA meet. I’m excited to see how far she can go with her dedication to the sport of swimming. Keep it up Annabelle! —Coach Adam
Gold 2 CP: Kyan Allen
Hats off to Kyan! This was Kyan’s first week in Gold II and it couldn’t have been a better one. Kyan not only raced his tail off, he also was quick to make changes in his freestyle and breaststroke techniques. Kyan shows a lot of promise and we’re really excited to see him grow as an athlete. Keep it up, Kyan! —Coach Alex
Bee Cave: Harvey Li
Harvey, you are for sure one of the leaders of Gold group. Within the past few weeks I have noticed a change in your strength and your overall demeanor. This past week I have seen you take a bunch of newer kiddos to gold and welcome them to practice and make jokes, and ultimately make them feel relaxed and like they have been in gold forever. Thank you for being an awesome teammate, and still keep working hard! —Coach Allison