THE MARSIAN MONTHLY
November 2016
Upcoming Events:
- Nov 4th 2016 - Nov 6th 2016 -- MAC L2 meet
- Nov 4th - Nov 6th 2016 -- LAC L1 Fall Classic Meet
- Nov 13th 2016 -- MARS Intra-Squad Meet
- Nov 20th 2016 -- 11 and over Time Trial
- Nov 28th - Dec 9th 2016 -- MARS Board Game Collection
- Dec 2nd - Dec 4th 2016 -- MAC BB and under meet
- Dec 2nd - Dec 4th 2016 -- COR Winter Classic
- Jan 12 - Jan 15 2017 -- The 36th Annual SPEEDO Greater Southwest Invitation.
Mid-Cities Arlington Swimming
Email: officemanager@marswim.org
Website: marswim.org
Phone: 817-271-1537
Facebook: facebook.com/Mid-CitiesArlingtonSwimming
Coaches Corner:
Who is the Most Successful Amongst Us?
Success, what is it, and how do we get there?
We tend to simplify success into the one moment of exhilaration during which we stand as the victor. Moments such as these should be enjoyed, but they are not the moments that define success. In fact, those moments in which everything clicks and falls in our favor are easy moments. Who, amongst us would fail to appreciate a moment like this?
True success should be measured in the expanses of time between such moments. The person who improves has achieved success, and the first step toward that is a commitment to that work which leads to improvement - hard work. Hard work is not an easy thing or a thing that is achieved in brevity. In the same way that the majority of us naturally appreciate moments of exhilaration, most of us can look toward a goal and offer up our best for a workout or maybe even a few. This is work, but it is not hard work. Work takes us to our limits and then confirms those limitations. Hard work takes us beyond our limitations into places that are not comfortable or natural, places where we are bound to fail. The opportunity for success is not found at our perimeters or even when we carefully tip-toe outside of those perimeters before quickly returning to them. No, there is no opportunity for new successes until we push beyond our current limitations, push the package as far as possible, and come crashing down. It is in this crashing moment that we find the opportunity for new success.
For swimmers success will usually not result in a moment of exhilaration. On the contrary, we may have just gone one of their slowest times of the season; we crashed. Success or failure is determined by what we do with this moment. Some will retreat back behind the walls in which they feel comfortable leaving the good that was beyond those walls with the bad, and those that do have let failure define them. It is those who stand back up, regroup, continue to move forward, and make it slightly further before crashing again that have seized the opportunity and found success; they have improved.
The successful person is not the person who never experiences failures. It is the person who does not allow those failures to become the thing that defines them. Thousands of wins may make for many things, but they do not make for a successful person. Thousands of failures from which a person gets up and pushes forward does.
Success is found in the face failure.
Coach Eric
Ask MARSian Parent
Q: My son is a novice swimmer and I am a novice swim parent. We are going to our first swim meet. How do we get ready for our first swim meet?
A: We have a wonderful document created by the original Super Parent Rebecca Dark.
Q: How many board games equal 1 service hour?
A: Every 2 board games you bring between Nov 28, 2016 - Dec 9, 2016 you will receive 1 service hour.
Q: How much and what type of foods do I purchase and make for my swimmer?
A: USA Swimming has a Super Tracker that you can use to ensure your swimmer is getting the right foods. Click on the following link.
Q: I learned from last months Q&A about breakfast foods. However, I need help with meals and how much is enough per meal...
A: An article from USA Swimming -
When a Meal is a Meal
By Jill Castle, MS, RDN
When I wrote Growing Swimmers May Need a 4th Meal, I noticed a lot of comments on USA Swimming’s Facebook page indicating that 4 meals wasn’t nearly enough food for a swimmer.
Take a peek at some of the comments:
More like six meals... I used to get out of morning practice and eat a whole Costco box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Then had to stop doing that and ate three eggs and toast before school.
4th meal before noon ;-)
5, 6 or 7 meals depending on the day!
A FOURTH?! Try fifth, sixth... in fact, my swimmer eats all day long.
4 meals? That's a joke, right?
The comments spurred this article, something I hope clarifies what defines a meal, and how to go about planning ones that satisfy the young swimmer’s appetite and the associated nutrient needs for growth and sport.
Let’s define a meal
Young athletes should strive to eat a meal that contains at least 4 food groups. This ensures a wide variety of nutrients are provided, particularly protein and carbs, which helps keep the young athlete fueled for exercise and recovery, while covering his growth needs.
The food groups are as follows:
Lean protein: beef, chicken or other poultry, pork, eggs, beans, fish, tofu, nuts and nut butters
Dairy or non-dairy substitute: milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, or soymilk, for instance
Vegetable: starchy (potato, corn, peas) or non-starchy (broccoli, green beans, lettuce); these can be in the form of fresh, frozen, canned, or juice
Fruit: any type; fresh, frozen, canned, or 100% juice
Grains: pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, muffins, bagels, crackers, pretzels, popcorn
Healthy Fats: olive oil, vegetable-based oils, avocado; nuts, seeds, and nut butters (these are also considered a source of protein)
Examples of a meal:
- Chicken breast, baked potato with butter, broccoli, strawberries, glass of milk
- Spaghetti, meatballs and sauce, tossed salad, peaches, and milk
- Black beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, and avocado
Ideally, meals are anchored by a source of protein (lean meat, dairy/non-dairy substitute, or high protein grains), with complex carbohydrates (grains, fruit, vegetable, dairy) served alongside.
Reality check
Young swimmers have considerable energy needs—they are exercising and growing, after all. But it’s often the type or combinations of foods a young swimmer eats that stands in the way of being satisfied and energized. Hence, frequent eating may occur.
Thing about this: If a swimmer starts the day with a donut, when does he get hungry again? Does that donut keep him hunger-free until lunch?
Or, if the young swimmer has a healthy salad at lunch, will she feel energized throughout practice?
Unfortunately, meals like toast for breakfast, salad for lunch, or plain pasta for dinner, usually don’t offer lasting fuel for the swimmer, nor do they cover hunger.
And, if a meal is sub-par, then hunger may set in earlier than usual, requiring more eating to feel satisfied and energized.
Athletes can cover hunger and energy needs better by including most of the food groups at mealtime, making sure to include a good source of protein.
A bowl of pasta is not a meal
Many kids think a bowl of pasta is a meal, but it isn’t sufficient to cover hunger, or perhaps even energy and nutrient needs. Pasta is a grain (a carbohydrate), and can be utilized by the body quickly, especially if the athlete is exercising. Throw some tomato sauce, a chicken breast, a variety of veggies, or a few meatballs on top-- then pasta better delivers the nutrition an athlete needs.
Try an experiment
Every young athlete is different in his or her growth, swimming level, exercise demands, appetite, and more, and because of this, what satisfies one athlete’s appetite and nutritional needs may be different from the next athlete.
Try an appetite assessment: Start the day with a full breakfast, including 2 hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, and milk. Take note of how long it takes to get hungry. Compare that breakfast to a day started with cereal and milk. How do these different breakfasts stack up against each other? How does a breakfast with protein and a variety of food groups compare to a granola bar or a bowl of cereal?
Swimmers can do the same experiment with lunch and dinner, and even snacks. The point is to figure out which meal combinations keep the swimmer’s appetite satisfied for the longest and energizes him for exercise.
What goes into meals can be the perfect antidote to constant eating, unrelenting hunger, and low energy in the pool.
Are your meals doing the job they should be doing—keeping your appetite satisfied for three to four hours, and covering the calories and nutrients the young swimmer needs to grow and perform?
Q: If I don't plan to swim with MARS in 2017 what should I do.
A: You should email Coach Lauren or Office Manager with your swimmers 30 day notice.
Q: How many service hours will we owe for 2016?
A: We will each owe 16 service hours for 2016 per family that have swimmers in Bronze and above groups.
Q: How can I see how many service hours I owe?
A: Login to the Mars Team Web Site.
Select My Account on the right.
Select $My Invoice/Payments.
Select the Service Hours tab.
If your number shows a positive value, then that is what you owe.
Do you have a question for the MARSian parent? Email at askmarsparent@gmail.com
Celebrating November Birthdays:
Carlos Sanchez, Josefinelise Gunn, Nathan Seiders, Ethan Gengler, Victoria Uribe, David Dykstra, Aaron Grant, Caroline Robertson, Heidi Reuter, Nidhish Nerur, Edenia Garay, Philippe Lavedan, Stella Anderson, Ethan Clark, Valerie Le, Brian Dangelmaier, Hayden Carey, Anisha Menezes, Ryan Powell, Emily Guo, Joseph Tincup, Alyssa Bramble, Michael Chugito, Judah Gibbs, Isaac Dykstra, John Nguyen, Clara Watt, Lewis Patrick, Clair Uliasz, Claire Gruman, McKenna Wheeler, Abigail Brennan, Adam Raschio, Alice Guo, Isaiah Villarreal, Derek Yang, James Cochran, Eric Johnson, Lauren Black