Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/31-2/6

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Monday and Wednesday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite Tuesday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Tuesday and Thursday 7:00-8:15 CST Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:00-8:30 CST Practice Notes: No practice at Riley on Thursday or Friday due to the Girls IHSAA Sectional meet. Swimming prelims are being held on Thursday and diving prelims/finals are being held on Friday. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Group 2 swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Munster Invite Here are our results from Friday's meet, our updated all-time Top 10, and our most current qualifiers page. We had some great swims on Friday night. We had 12 athletes compete, all swam 5 events, in just under 2.5 hours, and every single one of them had at least 2 best times! 9 of our swimmers had 4 or 5 best times!! Some highlights includes 26 of the 70 events we swam were under the Divisional time standard and 3 others, by Addy Szakaly, were under the STATE time standard! We also had several near misses for both Divisional and State cuts. Our swimmers are swimming FAST right now! Addy also now holds all three backstroke records for the 11-12 girls after lowering her own record in the 200 back and breaking a nearly 6 year old record in the 100 back previously held by Autumn Baumgartner. Our last two meets have been so much fun, not just for our athletes but our coaches as well. The SBSC swimmers are dropping time almost every time they hit the water. These young athletes have shown so much resiliency this season and I couldn't be more proud of them. NCISC Winter Championships-Goshen Middle School 2/13 --and-- CON Last Chance Invite Concord High School 2/26-28 We are adding two meets to our schedule and they will have limited numbers. Goshen-3 sessions, 10&U, 11-12, and 13&O. They want to limit each session to 65 swimmers so please indicate as soon as possible if you plan on attending. Concord- This came directly from the CON meet chair: Friday PM - Session 1 - 11-12s (500 Free & 200 IM) Warmups @4, Meet start@445, Meet over by 6pm - Session 2 - 13 & overs (500 Free & 400 IM) Warmups @6, Meet Starts@645, Meet over by 8:15pm This would be about 35/40 minutes of warmup with one shift. We can accommodate 80 swimmers on deck per session. If we have more than 80, we will use the spectator gallery to spread out more athletes and need to extend warm-up times with two shifts. Based on last year's meet, we think we would have less than 80 swimmers in each session. Saturday & Sunday AM - Session 3 & Session 6 - 11-12s - Warmups @7, Meet starts@810, Meet over by 10:15am This timeline plans for 2 shifts of warmups at 30 min each. We would like to allow spectators for our younger athletes. We plan to have a clean deck and all athletes be in the activity center (gym across the hall). All athletes would be clerked. If we have 80 or less swimmers, we adjust this plan. Based on last year, we had 120-130 swimmers. Saturday & Sunday Lunch - Session 4 & 7 - 10 & unders - Warmups @10:45, Meet Starts@12pm, Meet over by 2pm This timeline plans for 2 shifts of warmups at 30 min each. Based on last years meet, we had 160-190 swimmers in this age group. We cannot accommodate this many athletes. We will need to limit this session to no more than 150. We again plan to have a clean deck so we can have spectators. Athletes will be in the activity center across the hall. All swimmers clerked. If we have less than 80, we can adjust the plan. Saturday & Sunday Afternoon - Session 5 & 8 - Open - Warmups @2pm, Meet Starts@330pm, Meet over by 6:30pm This timeline also plans for 2 shifts of warmups at 40 min each. We plan to have no spectators for this session. Athletes can spread out in the spectator gallery and on deck. Last year we had 160-180 swimmers in this age group. This group would not necessarily need to be clerked, but we would like to limit the number of athletes behind the blocks during the meet. We are discussing doing the time trial on Sunday evening. We plan to have relays first to help clear the deck faster but have discussed removing them should the timeline require it. For the 11-12 & 10 & under sessions, with athletes in the activity center, we may ask teams to provide a Marshall or two for there team to help get kids to the clerk as well as off deck after they race. Please make sure to indicate you would like to swim ASAP. High School Swimmers Returning To Club If you are the parent of high school swimmer please email me the date they plan to return to practice. My hope is the Monday following their last high school meet, but I know that is always not the case. The last three weeks in February may require us to find additional pool space based on the number of girls returning. In the past our G3 girls would practice with Group 2 until the boys high school season was completed. We know have 27 swimmers in Group 2 (plus 2 in G1 Elite) it would be a logistical nightmare to try to squeeze another dozen athletes in the same time frame at the same pool. Please email me as soon as you can! Lifeguarding The best time to lifeguard is now! We need your help!! PEASE sign-up in any available spot. USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife

Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/24-1/30

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Tuesday and Thursday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite Monday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Monday and Thursday 7:00-8:15 CST Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:00-8:30 CST Practice Notes: Group 2 swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Zoom Call With Consultant Mark Hesse If you volunteered to be part of the work with Mark remember we have our Zoom call scheduled tomorrow at 8:00 PM Elkhart January Invite I will post all the results later today or early this week. You can follow all the action today with your Meet Mobile app or watching the live stream on the Elkhart Aquatics YouTube channel. Munster Invite Friday 1-29 Our entry is attached. You can also look up your swimmer's events by logging into our website or by using the OnDeck app. Here are the pertinent times for Friday's meet. All times listed are central standard Warm-ups 5:00 PM CST-our swimmers should arrive on deck at 4:45 CST Meet starts 6:00 PM CST I will be the coach on deck. If you are running late or will not be able to make it please text or call, 574-276-6057. Team T-shirts This season shirts are finally in! They will be handed out this week. Not all swimmers will be receiving a T-shirt. After all the delays in artwork we placed our final order on December 10th. If your swimmer joined the team after this date we probably will not have a T-shirt for them. We do order a few extra but not enough to cover the influx of new swimmers. We have had 10 new athletes join since then and not everyone will receive a shirt. If your swimmer does not receive a shirt your swim club account will be credited $12. High School Swimmers Returning To Club If you are the parent of high school swimmer please email me the date they plan to return to practice. My hope is the Monday following their last high school meet, but I know that is always not the case. The last three weeks in February may require us to find additional pool space based on the number of girls returning. In the past our G3 girls would practice with Group 2 until the boys high school season was completed. We know have 27 swimmers in Group 2 (plus 2 in G1 Elite) it would be a logistical nightmare to try to squeeze another dozen athletes in the same time frame at the same pool. Please email me as soon as you can! Lifeguarding The best time to lifeguard is now! We need your help!! PEASE sign-up in any available spot. USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife

Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/17-1/23

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Monday and Wednesday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite Friday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Tuesday and Thursday 7:00-8:15 CST Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:00-8:30 CST Practice Notes: No practice at Riley on Tuesday or Thursday due to high school meets. We are using the Train Heroic App during the RHS Group 2 and the G1 Elite practices. The access code for our Group 2 swimmers is G22020 Due to some of our athletes not being able to use the phones as intended during practice we will no longer asking them to bring/use them during practice. We would still like our athletes to check off the work they are doing and follow the workouts on days we do not have practice scheduled. Swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Elkhart January Invite 1/23 & 24 Elkhart Aquatic Center Our entry is attached. Coach Kelli will be the coach on deck on Saturday and Sunday morning (574-850-1336) and I will be the coach on deck on Sunday afternoon (574-276-6057). If you are running late or will not be able to attend please text the appropriate coach. Our entry is attached here. You can also look up your swimmers events by logging into our website or by using the OnDeck app. Here are the pertinent times for this weekend's meet: Saturday Session 1 (Events #1-#18) Doors open 6:45-our swimmers should arrive at the pool at this time Warm-ups 7:00-7:55 Meet Starts 8:00 Sunday session 2 (10 and under events #19-#46) Doors open 7:30-our swimmers should arrive at the pool at this time Warm-up 8:00-8:55 Meet Starts 9:00 Sunday session. 3 (11 and over events #47-#76) Doors open 11:30-our swimmers should arrive at the pool at this time Warm-up 11:45-12:45 Meet Starts 12:50 Munster Invites Friday 1-29 Our entry has been sent. Due to lack of interest we only sent an entry for our 11 and overs on Friday. Our 10 and under swimmers will not be attending. I will post all the pertinent times in next Sunday's email. Lifeguarding The best time to lifeguard is now! We need your help!! PEASE sign-up in any available spot. USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife

Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/10-1/16

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Tuesday and Wednesday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite-Monday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Monday and Thursday 7:00-8:15 CST Group 2 Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 7:00-8:30 CST Practice Notes: No practice at NPHS on Tuesday and no practice at RHS on Thursday due to high school meets. We are using the Train Heroic App during the RHS Group 2 and the G1 Elite practices. If your swimmer has a smart phone we would like them to bring it to practice. If they do, please have them download the app and create an account. The access code for our Group 2 swimmers is G22020. Swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Consultant Working With SBSC A reminder for those parents who volunteered to be involved in this process our Zoom meeting is set for Monday 8:00 PM CPSC Invite January 8th-10th Crown Point High School Very good first two days. Lots of new best times and a handful of new Divisional cuts. I will post the results to all the pertinent pages on our website as soon as I receive them. Elkhart (1-23/24) and Munster Invites Friday (1-29/30) The deadline to commit to the Elkhart Invite is this Friday February 15. The deadline to commit to the Munster meet is this Thursday, February 14. Remember, for the Muster meet we need to have 5 swimmer commit for each day. As of this morning we are good for Friday but only two have signed up for Saturday. We will send an entry for those swimmers entered on Friday but will need more to register for Saturday to include those athletes. I received a question about event selections last week and I apologize for not addressing this with our newer families. Our policy, and my philosophy, is families can choose which meets to attend but it is the sole discretion of the coaches (typically just me) to select events. If I am unfamiliar with a swimmers ability level I will refer to their coach. This is usually the case with newer swimmers in Group 1. Parents are always free to make suggestions and those will be honored whenever I feel it is developmentally appropriate for the swimmer. We try to avoid having athlete "specializing" in one stroke or distance. Our hope is all of our athletes when they finish their career with us will be equally proficient in all four strokes and can swim a fast 50 and a fast 400 IM or 1650 free. Lifeguarding The best time to lifeguard is now! We have been paying a college student when our athletes have not volunteered but he is returning to school next weekend. We need your help!!! USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife

Weekly Announcements for Week of 1/3-1/9

Dear SBSC families, 
Practice Schedule Here is the practice schedule for this week. Riley HS Group 1 Wednesday and Thursday 6:00-7:15 G1 Elite-Monday 5:30-7:30 Group 2 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 5:30-7:30 New Prairie HS (only for NPUSC students) Group 1 Monday 11:00 AM -12:15 PM CST and Wednesday 7:00-8:15 PM CST Group 2 Monday 11:00 AM -12:30 PM CST and Wednesday 7:00-8:30 PM CST Practice Notes: No practice at Riley on Tuesday and no practice at NPHS on Tuesday or Thursday due to high school meets. We are using the Train Heroic App during the RHS Group 2 and the G1 Elite practices. If your swimmer has a smart phone we would like them to bring it to practice. If they do, please have them download the app and create an account. The access code for our Group 2 swimmers is G22020. Swimmers should come to practice in dryland clothes over their suits. They should also be wearing quality workout shoes as well. Flip flops or Crocs are not acceptable options. Swimmers are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they have one. Swimmers attending New Prairie practices will continue to enter the building through door N17. Everyone entering the building will be required to wear a mask. Parents will not be allowed on deck. Each athlete will need to fill out the attached form and hand deliver to the coach when entering the high school. All swimmers should come dressed ready to practice. There may be limited use of the locker rooms after practice. If you have any questions regarding procedures for NPHS practices please email Coach Ashley at awojtysiak@npusc.k12.in.us Consultant Working With SBSC The previous year with all it's challenges has made more then a few of us take a long look at how we do things, re-evaluate goals, and possibly change some of our priorities. SBSC was not immune to this type self-reflection. Please don't take that the wrong way because I am very proud of our club, for several reasons. But with any endeavor sometimes it takes a year like 2020 to realize that "good is the enemy of great". (This is not my quote, but one from author/researcher Jim Collins in his book Good To Great.). A former coaching colleague of mine, Mark Hesse, has started his own consulting business specializing in youth/Olympic sports. Mark has almost 30 years of coaching club and high school swimming at a very high level. The last 8 years of his professional career he as spent with USA Swimming as part of their Sports Performance Team. Mark has agreed to take a look at our club and help us carve out our path or our direction for the future. What I need from our parents is some participation in the process. I'm looking for parents from all of our practice groups and both locations. I am hoping this can be a mix of new families, SBSCForLifers, and those in-between. I would like parents who won't be afraid to voice their opinion even if it opposes mine. I am certainly not looking for an echo chamber or to be patted on the back. I want parents who can see the value in what our club has to offer and would like to see it continue to make an impact on our young athletes long after theirs have left our program. If you think you'd like to be involved in this process please email me as soon as you can. The first step in this process will be a Zoom meeting with Mark and this Wednesday January 6 at 8:00 PM EST. I realize this is short notice but Mark wanted to start this process before he visits our club later this month. Based on the schedule of high school meets, our meet this weekend, and Mark's travel plans from Colorado, this Wednesday was the best day to have this meeting. CPSC Invite January 8th-10th Crown Point High School Our entry has been sent and you can check your swimmer's events by logging into your account on our website or by using the OnDeck app. Here are the pertinent times for this weekend's meet. All times listed are local times for Crown Point. Crown Point is on CST Friday Session 1 (Events #1-#10) Warm-ups 4:45-5:50 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 4:45 CST Meet Starts 6:00 CST Saturday & Sunday AM -Session 2/5 (9-10 year olds) Warm-up 7:45-8:50 CST-our swimmers should be on be by 7:45 Meet Starts 9:00 CST Saturday & Sunday Mid-Day - Session 3/6 (13 and over/8 and under) Warm-ups 11:15-12:20 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 11:15 CST Meet Starts 12:30 CST Saturday & Sunday Evening - Session 4/7 (11-12 year olds) Warm-ups 4:15-5:20 CST-our swimmers should be on deck by 4:15 Meet Starts 5:30 CST Some of the times listed above are different then the meet letter. The changes are based on numbers for the meet and to allow athletes to exit the pool and have the deck cleaned before the next session arrives. I will be the coach on deck for most of the meet. If you are running late or unable to make it please text or call me at 574-276-6057. You can read the meet letter by clicking here. Lifeguarding There are all but two spots available for guarding this month. PLEASE, if your swimmer owes hours we need them to volunteer. USA Swimming Guidelines-MAAPPUSA USA Swimming issued a directive with regards to electronic communication and social media contact between coaches and athletes. Most of what is being implemented is common sense and falls in line with our club's policies. One new requirement we will need to adhere to is how your minor child communicates with me. For several years I have asked swimmers in Group 2 and Group 3 to text/email me if they would be missing practice. Moving forward, swimmers will be instructed to include a parent on all communication with me.
 If you are the parent of a Group 2 or Group 3 swimmer, and have never sent me a text before, please text me so I have your contact info in my phone. This way if I need to contact your swimmer about missing practice I can be sure to include you. My cell phone number is 574-276-6057.
 I encourage all parents and swimmers to read the full policy. We are required to keep this policy on our website, here is the link. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. -- John VanDriessche Head Coach South Bend Swim Club South Bend Riley High School (574)276-6057 www.southbendswimclub.com #SBSCForLife