NOVA News
October 16th, 2023
David's View
Welcome back! Hope you all enjoyed some time away from the pool and are feeling refreshed and renewed. It certainly looks like Spring has sprung and that gets me thinking about the summer and the exciting things to come in the next 4 months and beyond. Our Carnival themed swim-a-thon on April 19th embodies the wildly fast pace nature of this time of the year. Before you know it, July will be here with more opportunities for you to shine in championship pools across the state and possibly earn the chance to compete postseason! And l know you are as excited as me to hear the noises in the upper deck and imagine watching your swimmers compete from a prime seat!
Near term, what does the end of spring break bring? Long-course! It is the season and pool in which legends are born.
What’s the hype? Long course uniquely helps build endurance and highlight the strengths and weaknesses to be refined in our technique with each stroke. While the swimmer can rely on their strengths in and out of the walls and underwater in short course, long-course takes things up a notch. It highlights what a swimmer can do between the flags while they are swimming each stroke. Because of this, swimmers who train and compete throughout the long-course season are better prepared for the next short course season.
We are privileged to have our very own long-course pool in which to practice for this fun season. We are taking advantage of that pool across the entire program and have made adjustments to our practice schedule beginning this week, so all NOVA swimmers can train and learn to race long-course!
Speaking of racing, the long-course season is fast and furious, meaning meets come quickly and committing to attend early is paramount. Because of the size of our program, we send in our entries for long-course meets well ahead of the short course time line to ensure our swimmers have a spot to compete. So when you see those meet entry notifications, please pay attention to due dates and act promptly! If you miss an entry we may not be able to get you into the meet.
We can’t wait to get started this long–course season in helping you realize your goals and taking your swimming experience to the next level during this exciting season! See you at the pool!
Open Water Nationals and Junior Nationals were held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL over spring break this year. NOVA had 5 current swimmers and one alumni race in events throughout the weekend.
Brantley Patterson participated in the Women's Junior National 5k, Owen Miklos and Caleb Coyne participated in the Men's Junior National 5k, Jonathan Payne and Cole Nelson raced in the Men's Junior National 7.5k, and alumni Claire Stuhlmacher raced in the Women's National 5k and 10k.
Friday race conditions were very windy causing some rough waters for the 10k swimmers, however by Saturday the wind settled in and our Junior National 5k participants had great races. Unfortunately, mother nature wasn't done yet and whipped up even harder wind gusts for Sunday and the 7.5k races, creating what most coaches and officials thought was the most difficult course of the weekend for Cole and Jonathan.
Overall it was a weekend of tough, gritty racing and fun experiences for all.
-Coach Sean
Results:
JR National 5k
Brantley Patterson 28th
Caleb Coyne 23rd
Owen Miklos 4th
JR Nations 7.5k
Cole Nelson 10th
Jonathan Payne 28th
Here at NOVA we are extremely fortunate to have our own 50 meter pool, and we encourage all age groups to both train and compete long course. For Novice swimmers, we focus heavily on technique and getting comfortable swimming in the 50 meter pool. This early exposure keeps swimmers from developing a fear of long course and sets them up for success as they move through the program.
We are looking forward to our first LC Novice practices this Friday at Regency!
-Coach Laurel
April 10th Construction Update:
Lots of progress to report over the past 2 weeks! After the pre-construction meetings and planning mentioned in our first update, our General Contractor, EDC, has hit the ground running. Here is a snapshot:
Demolition: Getting the space prepped for construction takes some effort in a 45 year old former Department Store. Crews have been removing old fireproofing and grinding concrete flooring to get both surfaces back to their original states. A very loud and messy task for sure!
Plumbing: Plumbers are core drilling between floors across the space for new pipe connections and the spectator restrooms are taking shape (more below on this week's 2nd Floor New Amenity Spotlight!).
Masonry: Crews have started installing the framing for future walls - it is amazing to see designed spaces jump from the plans on paper to real life. We are creating a truly incredible and SPACIOUS space for generations of future NOVA families to enjoy.
2nd Floor New Amenity Spotlight: Spectator Restrooms
24
24 is the number of toilets and urinals being built in the Spectator restrooms (9 in the men's restroom and 15 in the women's!). We fully understand the availability and lack of a centralized location of the 1st floor spectator restrooms during competitions is not ideal. The design of the 2nd floor space fixes that! Safe Sport considerations are also in mind throughout the design process - keeping our athletes safe is always our goal.
Located on the Northwest corner of the building (above the 1st floor dryland space & Storage Room), the new restrooms will offer ample capacity in a location closest to the majority of the new bleachers. Having easily accessible and ample restrooms are key components to any sporting venue and we are confident that box is being checked emphatically!
Stay tuned for the next update!
Drew
