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YMCA Swim Team: Increased practice load expected to pull team on equal footing with rest of state’s elite programs
Season competition arrives on Nov. 15 with trip to Carroll
By Drew Herron
NT Sports Editor
ATLANTIC— Two years ago, the Nishna Valley YMCA Flying Sharks Swim Team sent a handful of their members onwards to the state meet at the conclusion of their inaugural season. Last March, that number was increased almost five-fold.
Now, embarking upon the program’s third season and their second under head coach Dean Junker, those involved believe the sky to be the limit.
“We’re waaaaay ahead of where we were last year,” Junker said this week. “These kids are coming in in better condition than they were last (November). Part of it is we never quit from last year, we just kept swimming.”
Practice officially began for the Sharks Monday with the first competition slated for Saturday, Nov. 15 at Carroll. Numbers have increased to over 50 swimmers this season, up from the mid-30s a year ago.
Quasi-organized summer programs led the way to more training in the fall as many of the athletes kept at it, swimming two or three days a week with a few clinics mixed in for an age group than spans age five to 18.
Furthermore, Junker has upped the ante as far as the official practice load is concerned, demanding at least three days of practice per week (up from two) and offering as many as five days to practice should the athlete desire so.
As the season wears on and the state competition approaches, Junker expects a stronger all-around team.
“I think this will make a huge difference,” he said. “They’ll be able to compete with anybody…they’re reaching that level now.”
One intricate and sometimes overlooked aspect of swimming is the mental facet of doing the little things in the water during the race. That’s one area Junker says his team will be well drilled. Starts, turns, finishes, proper breathing, etc, it’s all a controlled effort.
“There’s a lot of psychology that goes into this,” he said. “A lot of people think you just jump into the water and go as fast as you can. That’s not what we do, we teach them how to use their head.”
Twenty-two swimmers qualified for the state meet last March in Marshalltown, up from five the previous year when a relay team and one individual advanced.
Now, numbers are growing, interest is growing, and so are expectations.
“Our goal is to not only get these kids qualified for the state meet, but for them to finish towards the top,” Junker said. “I know everyone can’t do that, but we’ve got a lot of these kids who can.”
Part of the problem facing the Sharks the past two seasons has been the infancy of their program. Strides were made, but even large leaps forward fell in the shadow of other elite programs from around the state that have been doing this significantly longer than Atlantic’s couple years.
To make up that ground, Junker says they simply have to keep going after the likes of Marshalltown and Des Moines.
“The only way to do that is to get out there and compete against them and get that experience under their belt,” Junker says. “We don’t have that yet and some of these kids are still learning how to race.
“Last year, I didn’t have a clue what to expect. Now, we’re setting goals and I expect us to be one of the better teams when we head up to the state competition.”
Now, embarking upon the program’s third season and their second under head coach Dean Junker, those involved believe the sky to be the limit.
“We’re waaaaay ahead of where we were last year,” Junker said this week. “These kids are coming in in better condition than they were last (November). Part of it is we never quit from last year, we just kept swimming.”
Practice officially began for the Sharks Monday with the first competition slated for Saturday, Nov. 15 at Carroll. Numbers have increased to over 50 swimmers this season, up from the mid-30s a year ago.
Quasi-organized summer programs led the way to more training in the fall as many of the athletes kept at it, swimming two or three days a week with a few clinics mixed in for an age group than spans age five to 18.
Furthermore, Junker has upped the ante as far as the official practice load is concerned, demanding at least three days of practice per week (up from two) and offering as many as five days to practice should the athlete desire so.
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“I think this will make a huge difference,” he said. “They’ll be able to compete with anybody…they’re reaching that level now.”
One intricate and sometimes overlooked aspect of swimming is the mental facet of doing the little things in the water during the race. That’s one area Junker says his team will be well drilled. Starts, turns, finishes, proper breathing, etc, it’s all a controlled effort.
“There’s a lot of psychology that goes into this,” he said. “A lot of people think you just jump into the water and go as fast as you can. That’s not what we do, we teach them how to use their head.”
Twenty-two swimmers qualified for the state meet last March in Marshalltown, up from five the previous year when a relay team and one individual advanced.
Now, numbers are growing, interest is growing, and so are expectations.
“Our goal is to not only get these kids qualified for the state meet, but for them to finish towards the top,” Junker said. “I know everyone can’t do that, but we’ve got a lot of these kids who can.”
Part of the problem facing the Sharks the past two seasons has been the infancy of their program. Strides were made, but even large leaps forward fell in the shadow of other elite programs from around the state that have been doing this significantly longer than Atlantic’s couple years.
To make up that ground, Junker says they simply have to keep going after the likes of Marshalltown and Des Moines.
“The only way to do that is to get out there and compete against them and get that experience under their belt,” Junker says. “We don’t have that yet and some of these kids are still learning how to race.
“Last year, I didn’t have a clue what to expect. Now, we’re setting goals and I expect us to be one of the better teams when we head up to the state competition.”
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| CAM suffers crushing defeat at Coon Rapids-Bayard | Jamie Meek’s runner-up finish highlights Griswold’s trip to state meet |
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