Intro to Nitro
Cedar Park: Cynthia Zimin and Ryan Ahuja
Wow, did these two show off their breaststroke skills this week! Cynthia demonstrated for her whole group. She had a smooth glide and did especially good at keeping her arms and back towards the top of the water. Ryan has been swimming with Intro for a few months now, and at first he needed some encouragement to complete a lap without stopping. He really shone this week with his breaststroke kick, and then with a few corrections he got the breaststroke timing down too. He’s come a long way! Both of these kiddos show up to practice with a smile ready to swim, and their work is paying off. Proud of y’all! —Coach Lindsay
Bee Cave: Emmanuel Velasquez
Wow! Emmanuel’s butterfly was stellar this past week! Intro worked on strong butterfly kicks and straight-arm recovery. Emmanuel knocked it out of the park. Not only did he focus and demonstrate for his teammates long reaching arms and a quick, low breath, he worked hard to continue improving his underwater butterfly kicks…and those streamlines!!! I cannot wait to watch Emmanuel race butterfly at the next Nitro at the Races! Way to go! Keep it up Emmanuel! —Coach Raven
Bronze
Cedar Park: Cayden Seaberg
It was a great week of breaststroke work for Mr. Cayden! He focused really hard all week on getting a lot of power to his kick, keeping his head stable, and staying long with an excellent body line when he was gliding. Cayden has done an awesome job mastering the clock, also, so he can lead his lane with confidence and help out his teammates. Way to go Cayden! —Coach Adam
Bee Cave: Ella Mitchell
Ella had a great week working on butterfly, you have to feel this stroke must be one of her favorites, because she puts so much focus into the recovery of her arms but holds the top of the stroke allowing the kick to finish. She swims so tall in the water and every length seems that the stroke count is that of a much older swimmer. Being the best starts with the thought of how to be smoother, longer, and taller, Ella has all of these elements in her training! Great Job Young Lady! —Coach Chuck
Technique and Fitness
Cedar Park: Amber Chung and Michael Shehan
Amber, Amber Amber NITRO is going to miss an amazing swimmer. Amber started with NITRO five years ago and had myself as her coach during those years. We’ve seen her go from a nine year old new to the sport and is leaving a confident young adult with great leadership skills and always a great sport for the entire duration at the pool. She always has had a gregarious personality and an incredible positive attitude with myself and the group. We are going to miss you but I know that you’re going out into the world with skills that are lifelong. One more time for you Amber….THANKS FOR BEING A PART OF THE NITRO FAMILY AND WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE POOL!! Michael came to practice with a broken toe this week. He toughed it out and pulled the entire week. He didn’t let his minor injury stop himself from getting better as a swimmer. He shows up with a smile and really enjoys being at practice. Michael keep working hard and enjoying this sport, it’s a fun sport for a lifetime. —Coach Stephen and Coach Flo
Bee Cave: Shane Bookbinder
Shane is the kid every coach wants around – respectful, polite, hardworking, and mature beyond his years! I’ve known Shane for a few weeks now, but I can’t say enough about him already. Sure his work ethic is incredible, and his attitude is always positive; but, what sets this guy apart from the rest is his respect. He respects his authorities, he respects his teammates, and he respects himself. What an incredible young man with a future brighter than if you looked straight at the sun without eclipse glasses! Shane is my inspiration. —Coach Jonny
Silver
Cedar Park: Katherine Votruba
This week Katherine demonstrated great understanding and mastery over her freestyle technique. We talked about how the hand enters the water on Free this week as well as staying away from the dreaded cross over stroke. Katherine seemed to process this really well making sure her arms on free were nice and long, placing the hand in the water in line with the shoulder, and rotating through her stroke so she elongated her body. Katherine understands what makes good technique and always brings her best to practice. Way to go, girl! —Coach Claire
Bee Cave: Sophia Rodgers
Ever since I can remember, Sophia Rodgers has always been focused on one question – How do I get better? No matter the subject – kicking, stroke focuses, drills, turns, I always seem to hear a familiar voice, drift up from the pool and over to my ears, asking “Hey Coach, can you watch this one?”. No matter if she was having a good day or a hard day, she wanted to know: 1) what it was, 2) what she was doing, and 3) what she could do to bridge the gap and get it right. And no matter the note, she’d take it, apply it, and then start again. With such an attitude and work ethic, you could tell it was all going to come together. A few weeks ago, during a challenging set, I believe I saw her rounding that corner – I recall her being a bit hesitant to be in the front of her lane, but during the set, she just kept getting stronger, kept pushing, until she finally jumped out front, and never looked back. Since then, she’s been lights out, putting on that same clinic during practice, and tapping into speeds and gears I didn’t know she had. So lets recap, impressed by the effort she puts forth, the focus and urgency she consistently maintains, and the amount of eager positivity she brings with it (did I mention that one yet?). Either way, Great Job Sophia! It’s certainly a privilege to coach you, and I’m glad to see all your work paying off. Keep on workin, and keep bringing the heat! —Coach Nick
Advanced Silver
Bee Cave: Weiyi Huang
Our Advanced Silver Swimmer of the Week is Weiyi Huang. This young man has really become a standout swimmer in our group, highlighted by his hard working mindset and focus. In addition to having outstanding swims at the Round Rock meet, Weiyi’s freestyle technique is one of the best in the group due to focusing in understanding the “why” of the movements. This maturity is light years ahead of his peers, which makes me even more excited about his future in our sport. Keep up the quest, Weiyi! —Coach Paige
Gold 1 & 2
Gold 1 CP: Haley Tisdale
Haley is quickly picking up on the fact that Gold likes to swim fast a lot, and she is learning to step up to the new challenges every day. Whether it’s a fast kick set or going all out from the blocks, Haley is pushing herself everytime. Haley also had a couple of breakthroughs on her butterfly this week, figuring out the body and kick timing. Keep it up Haley, great things will come to you this season! —Coach Adam
Gold 2 CP: Abram Rheinheimer
A word we use a lot in Gold II is consistency, and there is nobody as consistently great as Abe. He has perfect streamlines off every wall, goes past the red zone every underwater, and always puts in the level of effort asked of him. Some swimmers have good days and bad days, but it’s almost as if every day is amazing for him. I want to thank Abe for setting the bar so high and I am certain he has a great future in this sport. Way to go, Abe! —Coach Alex
Bee Cave: Grace Koch
Grace has been having a great start to her short course season. She came back from time away this summer and has been rocking it day in and day out at practice. She is a definite leader of the group, and is a kind teammate to everyone. Her had work has paid off too! Her times at the Red vs Black meet all improved, and she is getting stronger and stronger. Keep smiling Grace! —Coach Allison