October 2013

WELCOME TO THE 2013-2014 SEASON WITH MJKFF! On behalf of the entire board of the Flying Fins, welcome to all new and returning families for an exciting new season! At the end of our 2012-2013 year we said good-bye to our head coach Monty Smith as he and his family moved to British Columbia after nine years with us. However, we are very excited to welcome our new and highly experienced head coach, Gord Shields, who brings a wealth of knowledge and swim experience to our club! As well, we welcome our returning coaches Tammy Myers, Teddi Barnett, Kendal Paulson, Lauren Armbruster, and Allison Bradish. We have a number of new coaches including Karran Grill, Christy Winquist, Keisha Abbott, Mandy Pollock, Karla Terry, Christine Deal, Brittani Duxbury, Katie Matys, Kaden Abbott, Sheryl Deal and Lark Lessmeister. After an unfortunate closure of the main pool at the Kinsmen during our last season which resulted in the cancelation of our Mini Fins program, we are happy to have our Mini Fin program back and running! The Board members of the MJKFF are a group of parents who volunteer their time and have been working very hard to make this another fantastic year. We invite you to check our website at www.mjkff.ca regarding any questions or concerns you may have and where you will also find our contact information. We also remind you to periodically check the website for upcoming events, fundraising, calendars and general information. Todd Booth, President, MJKFF

REGISTRATION We’re happy to report that our lanes are full! We have 55 competitive swimmers, and about 100 Minifins in the water. Thank you for all your patience in getting your child registered—especially for those of you in the Minifins beginning stages. We realized that you went through a hectic hot wait to get your children in. We’re already making plans to change things up for next year so that things are more streamlined. Heather Gobbett, Registration 1

FROM THE HEAD COACH Hello Everyone, It is very exciting to get back on deck coaching again and having the opportunity to be back in Moose Jaw as the head coach of the Flying Fins. My coaching career started here in 1990 and I have experienced and enjoyed so much over the years the time I have spent on the pool deck with the swimmers. The board for the Flying Fins have been very supportive of my coaching philosophy and the numerous changes I made with the programs and scheduling. I thank everyone for their kind patience. I do feel the team is getting on track in a short period of time and by the end of September all the programming, scheduling and coaching will be firmly established. We have a number of new coaches joining our coaching staff this year and I am very pleased with their attitudes and the skill set they bring to the team. With so many coaching changes, we are all on a learning curve but we are working well together. All the coaches are engaged and interactive with the swimmers and the results are already showing with the improvement in their technique. There is a long way to go yet, but we are moving forward in the right direction. We have been in the water for just over 2 weeks and I already feel the swimmers and I have developed a relationship of trust and respect for each other. Most of our time in the water so far has been on technical aspects of strokes and turns. We will soon be moving into other areas of their training as the main focus while always spending some time during practices on technique and skill acquisition. To the parents, I ask for your patience. Swimming is a very difficult technical sport as we are land animals and when in the water, our co-ordination is not what we wish or expect it to be. I have years of experience in working with swimmers at all levels from learn to swim to high performance. I am a certified facilitator, assessor and evaluator with Swim Canada and have taught numerous coaching courses and been the lead coach at many training camps. With that knowledge I bring, it will be passed on to the assistant coaches. However, it all takes time. The results will be there, not today, nor tomorrow. There is no rush, we have plenty of time and lots of work to do. Over the long term you will see the technical improvement of the swimmers, great results at swim meets and hopefully the swimmers will have lots of fun in the process. As an additional note to the parents, I do ask that you refrain from coming on to the pool deck to talk to the coaches or swimmers. While on deck the coaches are very busy and any interruptions just upset the flow of the practice and the coaches mindset. If you need to discuss anything with a coach, please do so before or after practice in the main hallway. You would not be pleased if we walked in where you work and interrupt you or try telling you what to do, so show us the respect we deserve and do not do that to us. Over time, I will be passing my knowledge on to the assistant coaches and that is the direction the club will go. As parents, you have entrusted us with your most valuable possession, your children, and as coaches we do not take that lightly and treat your children with the utmost respect, care and safety. Thank you and I look forward to a rewarding and exciting season of swimming! Coach Gord 2

OFFICIALS & VOLUNTEERS WANTED! As with all youth sports, our club depends the help of our swim families! In order to have our swimmers and swimmers from other clubs take part in meets hosted by us, we need your help! Officials are a crucial part of all swim meets, not to mention a fun and easy way to obtain your volunteer points! We are hosting our first swim meet of the season November 16th & 17th, 2013 and absolutely NEED officials and volunteers. It takes approximately 100 people per day to run a swim meet. We will be hosting the following clinics beforehand at the Kinsmen: Timer Clinic - October 1st, 2013, 5:15 p.m. Clerk of Course - October 16th, 2013, 5:00 p.m. Stroke & Turn - October 24th, 2013, 5:15 p.m. In addition to officials, we will also be seeking volunteers for many other requirements of the meet. If your swimmer is involved with the Minifins at this time, we also welcome your assistance with our meets as it is a great way to see what your swimmer may become involved in soon! Please contact either Amy at [email protected], or Aaron at [email protected] for further information. Sign up sheets will be posted by the MJKFF office. Amy Erickson, Meet Manager Aaron Olson, Point Co-ordinator/Officials

NUTRITIONIST This is a reminder to all parents with swimmers in teams Gold, Silver, and Bronze that there is a nutritionist from Regina coming to inform our swimmers on proper nutrition. Heather Hynes has confirmed her availability to do a nutrition presentation to the swimmers on October 4th from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. A meeting room at Mosaic place has been booked for this time. Thank you, Paul Merifield Vice President MJKFF

“I never thought a small town kid from Saskatchewan would travel to more than 30 countries and pursue a dream. My swimming career was a great journey and that's what I'll cherish the most.” Mike Mintenko

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EQUIPMENT Welcome back to another year of swimming. With new coaches and a great bunch of kids, it should prove to be a good year! As in the past, the MJKFF is pleased to offer a small shopping outlet to our swim families. It is located at the Kinsmen where the MJKFF office is. We offer bathing suits and caps with our swim logo as well as goggles in a variety of sizes. In addition, we have a few other items available including shampoo and conditioner, swim suit cleaner, backpacks and flutter boards. We are NOT offering a $20 credit for being an annual MJKFF member but prices for our products have not gone up. This “store” is open at least one evening per week and the hours usually coincide with times our kids are swimming. All hours will be posted on the door for your convenience. In addition, it is run by volunteers (you can earn points towards your volunteer hours for working in the “store”). If you are interested in working, please contact me. In addition, because we cannot supply the “store” with “everything swimming”, we have created an account for our families can order SOME of your swim supplies directly from the supplier. You can shop online at the Team Aquatic Store AND save 20% off the retail price (plus applicable taxes and shipping costs). The office will continue to offer the usual supplies, suits, caps, goggles...but this way you can meet your own needs...instantly. Here's what you do: 1. Go to the www.team-aquatic.com/store website. 2. Type in user name: mjkff 3. Type in password: flyingfins 4. Let your fingers do the "shopping" Lastly, every fall we are pleased to offer a variety of MJKFF clothing items available for purchase for our swimmers to proudly wear...shorts, t-shirts, hoodies and warm-up suits. We will set up a booth for families to shop, choose sizes and place orders. The order might be an opportunity to start your Christmas shopping! Please watch for signs for dates, and, please, no late orders as this endeavour is a lot of work. Again, if you are looking to earn your volunteer points, contact me to help out with this task. If you need something, please don't hesitate to contact me at 694-6094 or text me at 690-9234. Joanne Equipment Manager

THANKSGIVING AND REMEMBERANCE DAY As always, please be sure to check our website under "Schedules-Calendar" for days in which there will be no swimming due to holidays!

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