NOVA News
October 16th, 2023
Senior Dev. Bronze- Kelley Hilliker, Amanda Blaha, Allan Collins
Kelley- How many swimmers are in SDB?
We have 67 swimmers in our group currently, which is pretty exciting!
Kelley, What is SDB working on right now?
Right now, a lot of our practice time is dedicated to aerobic base building and kicking, trying to get our endurance up. Additionally, we’re throwing in a few other race-relevant skills. As an example, we’ve been incorporating work on breakout timing into practices.
Kelley, What is your favorite part of coaching SDB?
I love watching our swimmers try new drills or intervals, and seeing their pride when they accomplish something they thought was out of their reach. There’s so many aha! moments with this age, and it makes coaching so much fun.
Amanda, What is your favorite part of coaching SDB?
This year in SDB I have coached all but a small handful of these kids previously, and it’s pretty cool to see their personalities starting to really come through as they’re growing up and becoming teenagers! As for the swimming, I like that the kids begin to learn a new level of toughness in this group as we start moving into longer, more aerobic sets. So many of these kids have big goals, and I love helping them set a strong foundation and take the first steps toward achieving them!
Allan, What is your favorite part of coaching SDB?
One of my favorite things to watch with a group like SDB is seeing the kids learn how to challenge themselves to succeed in and out of the water. Whether that comes from kids who have been a part of NOVA for some time and learning how to advance their technique to achieve time or level goals. Or the kids coming through stroke school, developing strong foundations in habits and technique.
Kelley, what's your favorite part about working with Amanda and Allan?
They both bring so much knowledge to the group. Allan has coached SDB for several years. As a coach new to this group and to NOVA, it’s nice to have someone there who is familiar with SDB, and who knows what has and hasn’t worked in the past. Amanda is incredibly organized and has so much in-depth knowledge on technique. She also connects with the swimmers so well! Working with them makes me want to be a better coach!
Amanda, what's your favorite part about working with Kelley and Allan?
I think the three of us work well together at hitting all parts of the group. We are always splitting up lanes and rotating positions to give what could be an overwhelmingly large group of kids the attention that they need. Sometimes it can feel like too many cooks in the kitchen with three coaches, but I like how seamlessly we work together and around each other.
SDG Creepy Hollow Scream Forest 10/17
Novice Trunk or Treat 10/18
SB Drive Shack Social 10/18
AGDS Bowl America Social 10/19
ADS Bowl America Social 10/19
NOVA Halloween Haunt 10/24-10/26
NOVA Senior Classic 10/31-11/2 Entry Deadline 10/20 Enter HERE
NOVA's 2025-2026 Short Course meet schedule is posted to the NOVA website HERE!
NOVA 12 and unders made a big splash October 4 &5 at the NOVA Short Course Kick off. Swimmers raced hard, had fun and achieved many new best times and time standards! Congrats on a great start to the season coaches and swimmers!
Novice Bronze, Novice Silver, Novice Gold, Age Group Dev Bronze, Age Group Dev Silver, Age Group Dev Gold, Age Group Bronze, Age Group Silver, Age Group Gold, Senior Dev. Bronze, Senior Dev. Silver, Senior Dev. Gold
October 10-12 NOVA's 13 and over swimmers welcomed the TAC Titans to Regency for our second annual TAC/NOVA Dual meet. With both TAC and NOVA being top 10 ranked teams in the country, there were many new best times, time standards and new championship qualifying times in the head to head battle. NOVA's swimmers raced hard in the 4 session meet and the NOVA was victorious. Way to start the season off right!
Senior Dev Silver, Senior Dev Gold, Senior Bronze, Senior Silver, Senior Gold, National
Get ready, NOVA families Trolley Market is coming to Regency! Our brand-new self-serve market will make it easier than ever to grab your favorite snacks, drinks, and everyday essentials right at the pool. Whether you’re heading to practice, watching from the stands, or just forgot that extra Gatorade, we’ve got you covered!
The best part? It’s open all the time with quick and easy self-checkout through the Trolley Market app.
A friendly reminder: the market runs on the honor system and is monitored by cameras, so if your swimmer grabs something, consider it purchased. Please help us keep this awesome new addition running smoothly (and honestly!) so everyone can enjoy the convenience.
We can’t wait for you to check it out and happy snacking!
12 and under PPOW
Julia Meeks for Age Group Dev. Silver is our 12 and under PPOW. Julia works hard every day, making sure her lane remains on task and putting in the effort. Her leadership shows when making sure the rest of the lane knows not just the distance and stroke, but what the focus of the set is supposed to be. Making sure she leaves on time and sets the tone with her effort and hard work! We are super excited for Julia to be this week’s PPOW
13 and over PPOW
Our 13 and over PPOW is Senior Silver's Jackson Van Deren. It is easy to see hard work at the front of a lane in practice and Jackson spends his fair amount of time leading his lane. However, Jackson doesn't let his lane position affect his training and he is constantly pushing his limits from every spot in the lane. When the senior groups split into stations, one phrase that is said with regularity is "man, Jackson really had a great set today". Hard work and trusting the effort earned Jackson this week's PPOW!
Wow – what an incredible effort! Thank you for your patience with all the peanut fundraiser buzz this fall, and a huge THANK YOU to every family who participated. Together, we had 205 swimmers place orders and over 2,000 views on our fundraising page!
The results are in… and while we came just shy of our team goal, we still crushed it – raising an amazing $35,268.60, which is 86% of our goal! That’s a ton of peanuts and a lot of team spirit!
Top 6 Swimmers (each sold over $500):
1. Libby Applewhite, Novice Gold – $1,254.95
2. Rebecca Crady, Age Group Gold – $857
3. Hannah Carpenter, Novice Gold – $686
4. Ford Arrington, Age Group Dev Bronze – $639
5. Parker Proffitt, Age Group Dev Silver – $526
6. Finnegan Cournoyer, Novice Silver – $503.95
Prizes:
Libby will receive a $50 Swim Shop Gift Card, and our other top sellers will receive Chick-fil-A gift cards – congratulations!
Top Groups:
Big shoutout to Novice Gold and Novice Silver, our top-earning groups with over $4,000 each! You’ve earned yourselves a pizza party celebration!
What’s Next:
Peanuts will be delivered to NOVA Regency the week of November 17th. I’ll share detailed pick-up instructions once everything is organized and ready to go.
Thank you again for making our fall fundraiser such a success – your enthusiasm and support keep NOVA strong!
Julie Farney
The Swim Shop is moving upstairs. Please be patient during this exciting time! We are still available for all your swimming needs!
October is Breast Cancer awareness month. The Swim Shop has pink caps for sale that swimmers may wear in meets and at practice.
All Speedo equipment is 20% off everyday and every dollar spent in the VA swim shop goes back to NOVA and benefits the TEAM.
