Schroeder YMCA Swim Team
- Great results for Schroeder at the Championship Meets!
- Please know that there is life after college swim! Our masters took 4th place overall at the 2013 Masters National YMCA Swimming Champs in Ft Lauderdale, FL. Lots of parents, coaches and former / current greats show what is possible! Results
- Next week 30 Schroeder Divers travel to the last contest at the ISHOF pools before the facility is razed
- Carpet has been installed - benches to return within 2 weeks. Internet has been upgraded - the “public” password remains: 4143572825, the filter was cleaned and the water seems to sparkle!
- Interest in Officiating: Cindy Raatz will be teaching a stroke and turn officials class Saturday, April 27 at 8:45 AM-12 PM at Badger High School in Lake Geneva. “I currently have one from SSTY signed up. I am willing to carpool, but have a wedding to attend in West Allis on the way back, so carpooling will be arranged from a park and ride on the southwest side unless several of you drive together to that point. 9 folks from both Lake Geneva and PX3 are also attending” Contact Cindy at: raatzharp@hotmail.com
- Parents, please be advised--it is cooler down on the deck in the summer, and you get the occasional refreshing splash as an official! Since we don't host most of the summer meets, your most reliable way to get down there is to officiate!
- A former swimmer of Dave’s, Paul Nelsen, coaches in Vienna, Austria. He has a young swimmer named Manuel who will be a freshman in high school next year and Paul would like to have his boy come to the USA and swim with our team for a year. In the past, we have hosted 3 swimmers from Paul’s team in Austria. Manuel is an accomplished swimmer and if you are interested in hosting an exchange student please contact Dave for more details.
- Register For and Save the Date: The annual Swim Team Banquet will be Friday, May 10 at the Sheraton Hotel by the pool again this year. However this year’s edition will be for athletes from both Schroeder North and South in Groups 3, 4, 5 & 6. Register like a swim meet - your account will be charged $17.00 per eater. Parents and family members interested in eating should make a note in the “note” box.
- 2013 WSAC Bike Kit - Fit Kit is in the office this week! Read more and see designs and make your order.
- The Fifth Annual Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center Golf Outing will be on Monday, June 17 at Fire Ridge Golf Course. More info to follow.
- Two Great Causes; One Big Swim! Todd Jackson's Battle with Laryngeal Cancer / WSAC Elite Athlete Fund. Saturday, April 27 - 1 hour swim fundraiser. Mark it down on your calendars the day on your calendars. The format will be a 1 hour swim and interested athletes will be able to swim during their normal practice time. We will share the pool with outside swimmers who are interested in swimming for these two great goals. Swimmers can collect contributions any way - cash, check (make checks out to either WSAC or Todd Jackson) or by charge (thru the forms linked above). There will be a make up time on Sunday if needed.
- Summer Sectional Meet (speedo) Minneapolis. The Sectional meet in Minneapolis at the University will be a Wednesday - Saturday meet July, 16 - 20. (travel tues and most will return sat PM after finals) There are 3 rooms left in the block. Rooms can be held use this sheet to sign up for rooms - Athletes and Parents can both grab rooms.
Schroeder North
- The summer training schedule is finalized for athletes at the WSAC. We will most likely offer a hybrid schedule during the week of June 9 - 15 and the fully switch to the summer schedule on June 16 - the reason for this is varying school calendars.
- Practice schedule changes for WSAC:
- Saturday, April 27 - Swim-A-Thon
- No Practice - Friday, May 10 - Swim Team Banquet
Schroeder South
1. Practice:
Please check the on-line practice schedule daily.
One dryland change, there is no yoga on Monday, April 22nd. Swim practice as scheduled.
Link: Schroeder South Practice Schedule
2. As We Venture Into The Long Course Season:
The new fee structure is now in effect. Keep in mind that the Greendale and Deer Creek Groups 1 & 2 are now combined; as a result, the old Deer Creek groups now have additional practices available to them. We hope you’ll take full advantage. Please see the South practice schedule for details, and we’ll see you at the pool!!!
3. The Plan as Deer Creek pool gets very cold:
We have just been informed that Deer Creek will be replacing their pool boilers beginning on Monday, 4/15. They may not be up and running until early June.
The pool will be operational but will get very cold. We have let Deer Creek know we will continue with our planned schedule and will see how it goes. However we are anticipating the water will get too cold to run proper practices, especially for Groups 1 & 2. As a result we are putting together a back-up practice schedule that we can immediately put in place if/when we determine Deer Creek pool is too cold to hold a practice.
Once in place, the back-up schedule will alter all of the practices for Schroeder South groups, so all families need to watch for this. We will send emails to everyone if there are changes, as well as post all information in the Schroeder South portion of our weekly newsletter. All changes will immediately be made on the South practice schedule on our website. Everyone should check the schedule on a daily basis.
4. First Meet May 8th:
Our first meet is the SSTY Mini Meet May 8th at WSAC in the late afternoon (after school). You should be able to sign up for it this week.
It will be a good first meet for both our returning and new swimmers, and it’s exclusively for Schroeder swimmers. We’ll have a good variety of events to swim, and the meet is designed for our Groups 1, 1.5, and 2 swimmers. Parents, this is an excellent opportunity for you to time or otherwise help out, gaining valuable experience at a number of different jobs, at a very low pressure meet. So this will be an important, short, fun meet at the aquatic center for both our swimmers and parents, and we hope all of you will be able to attend.
5. Why Meets Are Important:
Here are a number of reasons why it’s important to sign your child up for swimming meets.
a. Meets are fun for swimmers and parents alike!
b. Your swimmers will have a time for each event they swim.
c. The kids gain valuable experience when they swim in meets.
d. They experience an important aspect of their sport.
e. The coaches’ determine the “Swimmer of the Meet” from Groups 1
& 2, based on improvement, performance, leadership, etc.
6. The 5/19 Sprint Meet @WSAC:
For Groups 1 & 2, the coaches have made a list and checked it twice, and we have contacted you if we feel this meet is appropriate for your swimmer to attend.
7. Does Your Swimmer Have His/Her YMCA Youth Membership In Place?
Just a reminder that Schroeder swimmers are eligible for a youth membership for the Milwaukee Metro YMCA’s. You need to get a signed application from Coaches Ann or Dan, then take the application, along with your swimmer, to the Rite Hite YMCA in Brown Deer to get it activated. You cannot do this at any other Y. The initial set-up has to be at the Rite Hite YMCA in Brown Deer.
8. Intro to the Schroeder South Long Course Season Group
Restructure:
As we head into the next season (long course), there are some very important changes you need to be aware of. The information that follows details some group program and fee changes for the Schroeder South program beginning April 1st. If you have any questions, please contact us.
The schedule for the rest of the long course season should be posted on-line next week.
Please make sure you read the team's weekly newsletter to stay up to date. We have included our meet schedule for the spring/summer season in the last few newsletters. (See # 10 below).
Finally, we still have some room in all of our groups. However we feel Groups 1 & 2 will be at their maximum number soon. If you know of anyone interested in joining our program, they should contact us as soon as possible to make sure they have a spot.
9. Schroeder South Long Course Season Group Restructuring Details:
As we have said from the inception of Schroeder South, the program is constantly evolving. It is remarkable that we have gone from 0 to almost 80 swimmers in just a matter of months. In analyzing the program after our first short course season, Dan, Ann & Bob feel the time is right to reorganize and streamline the SS program based on our numbers and pool time. This involves restructuring Groups 1 & 2 and adjusting our fee structure.
Groups 1 & 2:
Beginning April 1st, Groups 1 & 2 Greendale and Groups 1 & 2 Deer Creek will be combined into simply Schroeder South Group 1 and Schroeder South Group 2. This gives us right now approximately 25-30 swimmers in each group. The maximum will be 36 swimmers in each group. We feel we will reach that number soon and max out for the long course season.
Each group will generally practice 3-4 times a week, dividing the practices whenever possible equally between Greendale and Deer Creek (there may also be some practices at Wilson Park and Pulaski County Pool). Practices will usually be 1 hour for Group 1 and 1-1.5 hours for Group 2. We will maintain our coach:swimmer ratio of 1:8-12 for each group.
The benefits of combining the groups are:
- Streamlines the program, reducing pool rental (and your fees)
- Maximizes pool space making scheduling easier
- Increases the over-all group quality and competition which creates a better environment for improvement
- Eliminates confusion for parents, swimmers, and staff regarding multiple Schroeder South Groups 1 & 2
Maximum number of swimmers in each group will be 36.
Each group will be divided into 2 levels based on ability (essentially creating a Group 1.5 and Group 2.5, or 4 ability levels within the two groups at each practice).
The fee structure for Groups 1 & 2 has also been restructured so that we are in line with other competitive swim programs in the area. In essence we have reduced the monthly fees for Greendale Groups 1 & 2 while maintaining the number of practices per week. We have maintained the monthly fee for Groups 1 & 2 at Deer Creek (slight increase for Group 2), but we have increased the number of practices.
We know these changes will improve the program for our swimmers while keeping the cost of the program down. If there are any questions or concerns regarding the changes, please contact Dan.
Groups 3, 4 & 6:
Also beginning April 1st, there will be some changes that involve Groups 3, 4 & 6.
The only program change will be that only Groups 3 and 6 will be offered our yoga program. Group 4 will no longer have yoga as an option.
The real changes involve a reduction in fees for all three groups. We are not anticipating any complaints regarding this :)
We initially set the fees the same as Schroeder North, but we feel a fee reduction for Schroeder South fees is justified, fair, and necessary because:
- There are generally fewer practice hours offered per week/month for each group at Schroeder South than Schroeder North
- Schroeder South facilities & equipment are not nearly the quality of WSAC (pools, locker rooms, seating, pace clocks, lanelines, backstroke flags, starting blocks…)
- Our fees need to be more in line with other swim programs located in our south side area to be able to attract new families to the program
If there are any questions regarding these changes, contact Bob or Dan.
Next up - A GREAT LONG COURSE SEASON!
10. Swim Meet Information (Including Spring/Summer Meets):
The Schroeder South coaching staff has been very pleased with the meet participation and the progress made by our Group 1 & 2 swimmers this season.
To help with your planning for the upcoming Long Course (spring/summer) season, we’ve listed below the meets we are planning to attend for each group.
We want to remind families that the staff does expect swimmers to compete in all of the meets for their group. We are a competitive swim team, and swim meet participation is a part of being on the team.
We hope that by having the schedule in advance of the season, families can plan accordingly and attend all of the meets scheduled for their swimmer’s group.
We do realize conflicts can and will happen. When they come up, we ask the parent to decline the meet online and add a note explaining the conflict. This is a great help to the coaching staff as we do the meet entry for each meet.
If you have any questions at all regarding the meets, please contact your swimmer’s coach.
2013 Long Course Meet Schedule
- Meets marked with an * are held in a 50 Meter pool. Group 1 & 2 swimmers will be allowed to compete in these meets with coach approval when the coach feels the swimmer is ready to compete in a 50 Meter pool. Questions about this should be directed to the swimmer’s coach.
- SSTY Mini Meets are meets exclusively for Schroeder swimmers designed to give the swimmers/parents swim meet experience in a low key situation. It is hoped all Group 1 & 2 swimmers will take advantage of these meets. The meets will only last about 1 and 1/2 hours.
- The 6/7/13 Elmbrook 8 & Under Meet is only for swimmers 8 and younger. It is a very fun meet for these swimmers. Three age groups are offered:
6 & Under, 7 year olds, and 8 year olds, so all swimmers compete against swimmers of the same age.
- The Birdbath Invitational on July 12-14 is in an outdoor park pool and has
been a traditional, fun meet for all Schroeder families. Some families drive
back and forth, some stay overnight and some even camp out at the park. We highly recommend this meet as a great meet for the whole family to attend.
- Wisconsin Silver Championships on July 19-21. This meet is for swimmers of every group who have less than 6 Wisconsin State Championship qualifying times. It is also an opportunity for those with 6 or more state qualifying times to try to qualify for events that they do not have and that might be better state events for them. These are usually longer events that are not offered much throughout the season.
Finally, it is the championship meet of the season for non-state swimmers, as well as the final opportunity for the non-state swimmers to qualify for the state championships. All non-state swimmers and swimmers with less than 6 state times are expected to attend this final meet.
DATE MEET/LOCATION GROUPS
May 8: SSTY Mini Meet @ WSAC (Groups 1&2, 1&2 DC)
May 18: * SSTY Distance Meet @ WSAC (All qualifiers Groups 3, 4, 6)
May 19: * SSTY Sprint Meet @ WSAC
(All qualifiers Groups 1, 1DC, 2, 2 DC, 3, 4, 6)
May 31–Jun 2: * Pabst Farms Meet @ WSAC
(Groups 3, 4, 6; Approved swimmers 1&2, 1&2 DC)
Jun 7: Elmbrook 8 & Under Meet @ Brookfield East HS (all 8 & Unders)
Jun 7-9: * Shorewood Meet @ WSAC (Groups 3, 4, 6; Approved swimmers
Groups 1, 1DC, 2, 2DC)
Jun 19: SSTY Mini Meet @WSAC (Groups 1 & 2, 1 & 2DC)
Jun 25-29: * USA World Championship Trials @ Indianapolis, IN (Group 6
qualifiers)
Jun 28-30: * Western Great Lakes Open @ WSAC (Group 3 & 6 qualifiers)
Jul 12-14: * Birdbath Invite @ Erb Park, Appleton (Groups 3, 4, 6; Approved
swimmers Groups 1, 1DC, 2, 2DC)
July 17-20: * Speedo Sectional Championship @ University of Minnesota
(Group 3 & 6 qualifiers)
Jul 19-21: Wisconsin Silver Championships @ Waukesha South HS
(see above)
Jul 26-28: * 12 & Under Wisconsin State Championships @ WSAC
(all qualifiers)
Jul 30-Aug 3: * US Open Championships @ Irvine, CA (qualifiers only)
Aug 1-4: * 13 & Over Wisconsin State Championships @ WSAC
(all qualifiers)
Aug 2-4: * Zone C Championships @ Topeka, KS
(12 & Under qualifiers only)
Aug 5-9: * US Junior National Championships @ Irvine, CA (qualifiers only)
11. Mail Checks to Matt Miller:
Please mail all checks to Matt Miller rather than give them to coaches at practice. You can mail them to Matt at the following address:
WSAC, 9240 North Green Bay Road, Brown Deer, WI 53209.
12. SSTY SOUTH OFFICE HOURS:
Coaches Dan, Ann, and Bob can usually be reached Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from 9:00 a.m. - noon. You can call us at the SSTY South office (414-897-8932) or email us at: