1 down, 1 to go!

Hello again!

First thing - the Lakewood meet is usually good and today was no exception.

When I pulled up at 5:45 a.m. this morning I thought - WOW, my team showed up on time today! Actually, Lakewood was there... Betty may not have the biggest team any more, but by God were they ready to go today.

Our relays swam very well (especially the 15-18 men's 1-2 SWEEP in the Free Relay) and we had a surprising number of best times, considering where we are in the season (i.e. about to begin taper..)

Here's your Sports Center recap with 30 seconds of high-definition, in-your-face action! Err, uh, just read fast and it'll seem more exciting...

Kelsey Tuttle learned to swim fly correctly, finally. I guess it's my fault, I never told her to pull her arms out *cough, except for every week, cough cough* but regardless now she got it down and will probably kick some serious butt tomorrow...

Alex Sutherland got within .2 seconds of the team record in the 100 Breast in a race that could only be described as sassy. And Lauren didn't even yell at me during her IM this week...

Cody's cousin (Lakewood swimmer Dane Kelly) asked me to take my eye out more than Cody usually does... Maybe I'll donate it to the Spencers to hang on the family Christmas tree.

The Giustos (Luke and Evan) decided to come to the ol' league meet next weekend rather than camp with an in-town cousin.. Everyone should do a Snoopy dance to celebrate.

Brian Pak and Casey Zelus swam their last races at The Swamp today, proving that all good things must indeed come to an end. Their class, leadership and companionship will certainly be missed, let's enjoy these two for the last 2 weeks while we can!

Tons of kids swam their last races of the season today. Thanks for ALL your hard work and all of your personal contributions to the team! My experience and the experiences of your teammates wouldn't be the same without you - I really hope you had a great time! Sleep in, but make SURE you come to the pizza party Wednesday!

Congrats to NEW LEAGUE QUALIFIERS Olivia Moore and Carina Wang! That puts our total up at 45 and we've got one more day - let's make it a fast one! 5 more is more doable than you think...

Speaking of one more - let's talk about Last Chance

First - Here's your map! Detail is zoomed in on the Indiana exit off 6th Ave. Just go right on up into the the housing developments, looks very easy to find.

Seond - Warm-up is at 6:20 - please be READY TO GO at that time! Being late to the last chance meet is like forgetting your suede shoes at the dance - just don't do it.

Third - If there's EVER been a meet where you've needed to come talk to your coaches before your races, this is probably it. Rich (wedding) and Julie (Knee-braska) won't be there, but Shelby and I will be. Here's your checklist for the evening (this pretty much applies for league/state too...) -

- Drink TONS of water (I told everyone they needed to pee at least 3 times before they went to bed. You better get on the ball.)

- Stretch tonight and tomorrow morning. Meets tend to lead to some lactic acid build-up, and some of you simply haven't been in the pool at all since you've been out of town.

- Eat something grainy and full of carbohydrates, like delicious pasta and bread. Try not to eat much in terms of fat, grease or sugar.

- SLEEP! Go to bed by 9! Wake up early and stretch! Be on time!

And that's it! Have a great night everyone, see some of ya in the morning.