Championship Season: going pretty well

A proud moment for HHBF:

After a rough week and not knowing what to expect on Sunday night, I was releived and very happy to see Kyle arrive for warmup ready to race. I, admitadly, wasn't fully sure what to expect at race time so I didn't record it: Mostly because I wanted to fully emerse myself in the moment. Kyle looked better than I had ever seen him before on the first 25 (split 13.11) and came off the wall without missing a beat. The finish was so fast and tight that I wasn't sure if he was going to steal the silver or finish 6th. Kyle was out-touched for the silver medal by 1 hundreth of a second, but still a very fast race (27.16) and I'll take a National Championship medal any day of the week. In hindsite, I wish I would have recorded the race. It really was great! Before sending him down to the blocks, prior to his race, the message was simple: "No one can make this meaningful for you or give you a reason. Find yourself and do it".

I was pretty happy watching the results from Central Region Team Champs in Etobicoke. I saw a lot of great results and, being the smallest of the medium teams, I think that we did quite well. As with Central Region Championships, We have a lot of athletes over qualified for this meet, so it is a much greater opportunity to swim fast than it is to win a championship. Well done by all involved! I know that this is a tough, confusing and long meet (especially for parents) but thanks for your patience through it. It builds great swimmers going forward.

The Halton Cup is this Saturday. Time for some redemption. Last year's Halton Cup left a sour taste in my mouth because I know that we are a better team. Being beat really stuck in my craw. This year, My message is simple: Be ready and be excited to RACE FAST. Best times will come when people stop focusing on time for a min and just race the field. It sounds silly, but sometimes its easy to forget that. JUST RACE!

I leave with 9 athletes to Ottawa this week for Provincials. The contest lasts from Thursday-Sunday and we stand to do well... possibly the best SC provincials team ever to go. Check the blog and my facebook page for daily (hopefuly) updates and real time results will be available @ http://www.swimnkb.com/html/index.php. These athletes are representing YOU at this meet, lets give them our full support.
Karl Massey and Matt Fox: We will miss you both; you both are a HUGE part of this team and we wont let you down.

When I return, I will be home for less than 48hours, then flying out to Indianapolis with some of the best athletes and coaches from Ontario. Check out the list: http://www.swimontario.com/page.php?id=2351. I'll make sure to take lots of video and pictures to keep you all posted.

See you soon.