Intro to Nitro
Cedar Park: Mihika Mula and Mattias Traube
Backstroke was the focus in CP Intro this week, with a lot of attention on confident, tall arms. Mihika really took that to heart and had a great hand entry that resulted in a powerful stroke. She also did a good job of going underwater and sliding those arms up into a streamline for her pushoff. Mattias and I worked on that very skill at the beginning of practice–sinking underwater first and then leaning back and pushing off–and I was impressed with his commitment as he continued to work on that off every single wall without being prompted! He even got his arms up into a full streamline at the end of practice. Mihika and Mattias, way to go! —Coach Lindsay
Bee Cave: Liam Wenglar
Liam started Intro in the spring, took a break this summer but swam with our summer rec program, and came back a new swimmer! Liam is more focused and stronger. He always pushes off from ready position, under the water, and in a tight streamline. This week Intro worked on breaststroke. Liam slowed down and demonstrated patience while practicing the glide aspect of breaststroke. While it might not be his strongest or favorite stroke, he still gives 100% effort and shows the desire to get better. Thank you Liam for all your hard work and being a great leader for your teammates! Keep it up buddy!!! —Coach Raven
Technique and Fitness
Cedar Park: Conner Ek
Conner is a new swimmer with our Technique and Fitness group and he always shows up on time with our evening group asking questions and wanting to know what the workout will consist of. We love engaged athletes who are present and want to be active. Nice job on the circle swimming this past week and heading up to lead your lane. Great job this past week and thanks for being part of the Nitro family and we will see you at the pool. —Coach Stephen
Bee Cave: Stuti Nagda
Little Miss Stuti had the best week of her life in the pool! I’ve never seen her streamline so far with such speed and confidence. I couldn’t believe how long her stroke was while breathing to the side more competently than ever before! Stuti had one of those weeks where everything just falls into place, and I couldn’t be more proud of her! I expect that success will continue as she no longer flies under the radar 🙂 —Coach Jonny
Bronze
Cedar Park: Jake Bailey
What an outstanding week of butterfly for Jake! Jake really understands the nuances of the stroke, making it look easy. He has a great body wave, he starts his stroke at the perfect time, and keeps the breath long and low. Jake even did some 25’s without fins while the rest of the group swam with them. Jake is a funny young man who is headed for great things. Way to go, Jake! —Coach Adam
Bee Cave: Sawyer Lassberg
Great week for Sawyer, he has done great job working on bodyline, his turnover and hand speed have improved so much watching him lift the shoulders you can see the power of his backstroke. This should be a big help towards his IM, I can’t wait to see him race itinerary his next meet. Making a change is all about changing the feel of the stroke, things not all Swimmers do easily, Sawyer has made a big jump and this will change all of his strokes. Great Job Young Man. —Coach Chuck
Silver
Cedar Park: Julia Eun
Julia came to Silver not too long ago, and has improved phenomenally in that short span of time. This week she worked hard to make sure that her backstroke was on point. She paid attention to the details of bodyline, rotation in the water, hand and arm position on the entry, and consistent kick. Way to go, Julia! —Coach Claire
Bee Cave: Andrew Pataky
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success, have no meaning” —Benjamin Franklin.
When I think of the swimmer Andrew Pataky, I can’t help but to allow these words to linger in the air. Andrew has always been the kind of swimmer, who does everything you ask of him. You give him some notes, and he’ll apply them to the best of his ability, no questions asked. No arguing, just a smile, and nod, and back to work. Although he can be a quiet and gentle soul, over the past few weeks, something new has caught my eye – SPEED! He is beginning to learn what he can do in the water, and that it’s ok to make a little noise in finding that next gear. But watching him get stronger is only part of this equation.
What really put it over the edge, was during a challenging IM set. Andrew started comfortably with getting 10 seconds rest. But as the set went on, it dropped to Nine. Then eight, then seven, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and by the end of the set, he was literally doing an open turn on the wall and leaving again. BUT, never once, did he stop. Never once, did he try to fix his goggles, or take a breather, NO! He treated the last few as if he was in the middle of a race, and bounced off the walls with intensity! Needless to say, it got me dancing on the deck! With all he’s worked for, all his efforts, and the fight that I saw during last week, I can’t think of a better swimmer to represent the path of progress, the value of hard work, and the meaning that comes from both, in this week’s swimmer of the week. It’s all coming together. And I can’t wait to see what comes next. Great job Andrew. Keep on fighting! —Coach Nick
Advanced Silver
Bee Cave: Jackson Ledbetter
A spark of curiosity and drive ignited early in the week that compelled him to really take ownership of his stroke technique and attitude during practice. By cleaning up his hand entry while developing a greater awareness of just where those fingertips are pointing and how it connects to his breath, he is well on his way to eradicating the crossover in his freestyle pull. Yes, especially into his turns. This will ensure maximum power in the middle of the stroke! I see big drops in the near future and with more aerobic conditioning great long-term success. Look out 100 Free minute barrier! —Coach Bobby
Gold I & II
CP Gold I: Chloe Issa
Chloe is one of the younger athletes in the group, but that doesn’t stop her from swimming like one of the big guns. She is always ready for a challenge, and she takes the challenge head on with a great big smile. Her attitude towards everything swimming related is infectious, and you can tell her teammates want to work harder when they are around Chloe. Chloe really stood out with some of our backstroke sets this week, making intervals I never expected! Awesome job, Chloe! —Coach Adam
CP Gold II: Simone Koret
Simone has been making some big changes in her freestyle lately. She did a great job last week increasing her body roll and lengthening out her stroke. We’ll be working on some backstroke this week and I’m sure many of those long-axis skills will transfer over for her. Great job and let’s make this another great week, Simone! —Coach Alex
Bee Cave: Walker Bried
I decided on Tuesday this week that Walker was going to become our Gold SOW. He joined Nitro a few months ago, and has fully immersed himself into our practices and Nitro culture. I was able to have a few more conversations with him this weekend, outside of the typical day to day. I have enjoyed working with him and getting to know him better as a swimmer and person. I am sure he gets quite tired of me always talking to him, but I am hoping he is enjoying getting better and better each day. I hope you are enjoying Nitro as much as we are having you, Walker! —Coach Allison