We've had a very successful 2006-2007 season.  Both the girls and boys teams came in second in their division and then won their conference championship dual meets.  We sent a vary large squad to the Suburban Aquatic League (SAL) Championship meet, which did very well.  Then at Middle Atlantic JO's (USA Swimming) we broke six team records.  In other words, we were successful as a team, we were successful in developing a larger core of top level athletes, and we were successful individually.  Everybody deserves a pat on the back: our swimmers and divers, our staff, our board members and our parents.  We hope to see you all next season!

Listed below are our recognition awards for the 2006-2007 season:

2007 Recognition		Girls
Girls	High Point	Most Improved	Most Dedicated
6/under	none	Sophia Fischer	Bryn DePaul
7 year olds	Lindsey Harkins	Jessica Taylor	none
8 year olds	Deanna Shuster	Olivia Kylander	Amy Moran
10/under	Alexa Fabbri	Madison Bender	Kelly Moran
12/under	Meredith Allen	Hannah Bullard	Megan Alpaugh
14/under	none	Marissa Sanderson	Melissa Barahona
Boys	High Point	Most Improved	Most Dedicated
6/under	Perdoch, Connor	Maccarella, Wyatt	Liam White
7 year olds	Delisle, Gerry	Christian, White	Wilson, Matt
8 year olds	Kawoczka, Ted	Doyle, Connor	James Calcagni
10/under	Jeronis, Nick	Mackenzie, Ethan	Tomkovicz, Joe
12/under	Sears, Lewis	Millan, Max	Garzon, Juan
14/under	Griffin, Pat	Gosek, Daniel	Jeronis, Taylor
	High Point	Most Improved	Most Dedicated
Boys Diving	Karen Caruso	Alison Stewart	Alicia Raffle
Boys Diving	Will Bellevue	Jesse Rosenfeld	John Wagner
Records:	Name	Event	Event
	Whitney Gould	13/14 500FR - 5:34.76	13/14 1000FR - 11:16.54
		13/14 1650FR - 19:39.83	13/14 Medley Relay - 4:26.25
	Bridget Perdoch	9/10 200BR - 3:15.83
	Acacia Raffle	9/10 500FR - 7:21.50
	Ryan McHenry	9/10 100BR - 1:26.76
	Scott McHenry	13/14 500FR - 5:16.26	13/14 200FR - 1:55.28
	Alexa Fabbri	9/10 200FR - 2:20.70
	Maria Ciaralli	13/14 Medley Relay - 4:26.25
	Catherine Reeves	13/14 Medley Relay - 4:26.25
	Meredith Allen	13/14 Medley Relay - 4:26.25
Under 17 Club (8/U)
(under 17 for 25 Free)	Connor Doyle - 16.28	Phillip Chrzanowski - 16.72	Teddy Kawocka - 15.74
High School Participation	Joe Pocetti (SAL Scholarship winner)	Jeff Widtfeldt	Matt Chrzanowski
(Bold are Seniors)	Rich Deley	Sean Corcoran	Drew Keck
	Scott McHenry	Brian Gemberling - D	Mike Montemarano
	Sarah Barlow	Sophia Yi	Marissa Sanderson
	Nicole Pocetti	Emily Howard - D	Ashley Disbrow
	Vicky DeTample	Hillary Style	Maria Ciaralli
	Catherine Reeves	Amber Schweitzer	Nicki Cuthbert
	Heather Urban

Looking Foward to the 2006-2007 Season

The coaching staff looks forward to seeing you this fall/winter season! Over the last decade, an upward trend in record setting performances has reinforced our belief that technique and conditioning are "the only approach" to fast swimming. Last year over 1,000 best swims were achieved and over 30 team records for the third year in a row.

We continue to improve as a team because our dedicated coaches provide a positive atmosphere for our athletes, helping them develop the self-confidence and personal skills that will serve them well in the pool and in later life. Most of our coaching staff will be returning though their may be some changes and additions. Watch our website for updates about our staff.

PAC competes at both Suburban Aquatic league (SAL) and USA Swimming meets. Each of these associations offers unique opportunities to our athletes. Though SAL has been the heart and soul of PAC for many years, and remains so, we encourage our athletes to try USA Swimming competition in addition to the SAL schedule. We also provide high school swimmers with flexible options for supplementing their training schedule.

SAL is a dual meet league for teams in the greater Philadelphia area that competes on Saturdays starting in November. The emphasis at these meets is on the team aspects of the sport with the highlight being the relays.

At USA meets, there is more of an emphasis on the individual swimmer competing against closely matched peers. There are A, B, and C time brackets for each age and event. Swimmers at these meets are able to select from a wider range of strokes and distances. We will attend USA meets approximately once a month with the goal of making the time cuts to swim at JO's or Sectionals the end of March. The USA-Minis (8 & unders) primarily swim against other kids their same age (e.g. 5, 6, 7, or 8). We will attend just 3 or 4 Mini-Meets, including Mini-Champs in early March. The USA programs are open to all swimmers.

Our non-competitive, Seahorse program, accepts young swimmers, ages five through eight, who have completed the Advanced Beginner (Guppy) program of the YMCA or Level 3 of the American Red Cross program. For those nine and above, our Flying Fish program provides the same opportunity to master aquatic skills without the pressures of competition.

As a general rule we suggest that 8 and unders practice just 2 or 3 times per week, 9-10 year olds 2 or more times a week, 11-12 year-olds 3 or more times, and 13 and older swimmers 4 or more times. We also encourage our young divers to attend at least 2 practices per week, and the 11 and over group to make additional practices as well. The days listed on the schedule represent "opportunities" for training.

We recognize the number of practices attended will depend on the child’s level of commitment as well as schedule demands. Many PAC athletes participate in a fall sport such as soccer, practicing with us one or two days a week early in the season and then joining us fulltime in November. We encourage such activities as part of a healthy lifestyle. In addition, families with two or more swimmers at different pools/practices are encouraged to car pool. Please discuss any special scheduling concerns with me.

PAC offers our community and athletes great value. Our proven training techniques, provided in an enjoyable environment, emphasize goal-oriented work, dedication, and team spirit that help build not only athletes but also balanced, self-motivated young citizens. We hope you will join us this season!

Dave Schmidt
PAC Head Coach
coachdave@pennaquatics.com
215-260-3688

GETTING READY FOR SEPTEMBER

With another PAC season just around the corner, it's time to get yourself ready.  Whether you have swum competitively before or not, there are a number of things you can do in advance so you get off to a good start. 

Most important is having a positive attitude.  We believe competitive swimming should be fun, but it is hard work, too.  Would Allen Iverson or Donovan McNabb be able to do what they do if they periodically had to come up for air? Swimmers compete in an alien environment - that's why we're tough!

If you are going to swim well, you are going to have to push yourself.  You will get tired and you will get out of breath, but if you put the effort in you will see yourself improve, maybe a lot.  And as you improve, swimming gets easier.  It doesn't have to take a long time to see results.

Several years ago, Gina Batzer, a high school senior and exchange student from Germany joined our team.  She liked to swim, but had never swum competitively before.  At practice, she got tired. She thought the coaches were crazy with all the drills we made her do.  She even complained a little, but she kept trying.  She told us she couldn't wait for the end of the winter season, but by then she had made tremendous improvement.

When I saw Gina in late June, just before she returned to Germany and over three months since her last practice, she said to me, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm starting to miss swimming."  Her new found abilities are something she will enjoy for the rest of her life.  That's why you need to maintain a positive attitude.  If you do that, and persevere, you will be well rewarded...possibly with medals and ribbons and trophies...but most certainly with the knowledge you have done something special.

The better your physical conditioning, the faster you will adjust to our practice routine.  A major component of swimming relates to aerobic conditioning.  Running, biking and rollerblading are excellent ways to build up your strength and endurance whether you have competitive swimming experience or not.  Thirty minutes of non-stop activity, three times a week will provide you with a good aerobic base.

Of course, swimming laps on your own will help with your endurance and strength.  You don't need to swim fast, but you do need to swim without stopping.  If you haven't swum competitively before, see how many laps you can swim without stopping.  Then take a couple minutes rest and try to add one more lap.   Ambitious experienced swimmers can also get ready by also doing some distance swimming.  For 8 and unders, try to work up to 400-500 yards non-stop.  If you are between 9 and 11, you should shoot for 800 to 1000 yards at a time.  Those of you who are12 and over should try for 1600 yards (4 X 400 or 2 X 800 is fine).   Keep in mind, the thirty minutes, three times a week guideline will apply no matter who you are.  With just a little practice, you will be ready to go when September rolls around