Ashland = Winter Wonderland

What do you get when you mix swimmers starting to taper with an uncharacteristic Virginia snowstorm?

Fun times, of course.

Most of the team gathering for a post-practice photo op.

Several swimmers' attempts to make snow angels in their suits.

This will make for good storytelling down the road: "When I was a college swimmer, we had to walk to practice, in the snow, in the dead of winter, uphill both ways, in our swimsuits!"

DISCLAIMER: No swimmers were harmed during the making of this post. All swimmers pictured voluntarily chose to make the ill-advised trek out into the snow.  

Turning the Corner

We're close. We're not there yet, and there's still some work to do, but we're getting there. As time passes and we move from early January to mid/late January, I can see our swimmers starting to come out of the performance sapping fog that annually results from the heavy training loads of mid-December through mid-January. Now that the training peak is behind our swimmers, and volume is starting to come back down, I'm seeing all the signs that point to fast swimming in the near future. Bodies seem to be recovering better, morale is rebounding, and practice performances are starting to be more indicative of what our swimmers are capable of. Meet times aren't quite there yet, but they will be soon. Our swimmers are on the verge of looking sharp once again. Late January and early February dual meets are frequently where many swimmers put up their best in-season efforts, and I'm expecting this to hold true for our team in the last dual meet of the season, and the last chance to gear up for championships, next Saturday.

Here's to fast swimming in late January and February. It's not a matter of 'if' it will happen. They're already turning the corner. The only question is 'when.'


My educated prediction: Soon. 

Buckley Earns Conference Honor

Lizzy Buckley became the second swimmer R-MC swimmer this year to grab the ODAC Swimmer of the Week distinction on Monday. The award follows Lizzy's performances at the Hollins meet over the weekend, in which she won two individual events and took part in a first place relay (that swam exhibition). Individually, Lizzy won the 50 freestyle in 26.30 and then made her debut in the 200 fly, winning the race in 2:26.57. She also teamed up with fellow sophomores Virginia Mauch, Ellie Shea, and Sarah Almond to finish first in the 200 freestyle relay to close out the meet.

R-MC's Lizzy Buckley Named ODAC Swimmer of the Week

Next up for the swimmers is a 1 pm matchup against Bridgewater this Saturday, January 16th. With just two more home dual meets before the conference championships, we're looking to sharpen up the performances and improve upon some season bests/seed times.