GMA Captain's Log

GMA Team Captains Championships 2011

2011-07-21T08:18:00.001-07:00

Our GMA Team Captains share their championship wisdom as we head into the long course championship season. GO GMA!

2010-12-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

Hey GMA!

The GMA crew back in Burlington is having a great weekend and working hard! All the practices have been completed and have been done with quality and positive attitudes. We've been motivated to do this hard work by the great meet results coming back from New England Senior Championships at Boston University. While the National Group is missed, we've also been feeding off each other's energy.

Today, the Senior Group added 600 yards to their workout because they took the initiative and rolled through the sets with little rest. The Sectional Group completed their workout with five minutes to spare since they stayed on schedule throughout the workout. Everyone took turns with leadership today; Alexy and Galen did a great job per usual, Morgan was super training in her new lane, Molly moved up as well (and trained fabulously). GMA alumni, David Wood, trained with us on Friday. He enjoyed his active rest set and was impressed by Alexy's effort.

Great job team, and good luck at New England Seniors! Go GMA!

Sincerely,
Your GMA Captains,
Maya and Galen

GMA Captain's Video Blog November 2010

2010-12-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

Our GMA Captains explain IMX racing and why it's important for our TEAM that GMA swimmers embrace ALL of the events. Enjoy the video footage from our November meets throughout this video as well!

GMA Captains Review Key Team Policies

2010-09-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

In their first ever video-blog, our new GMA team captains review some of the team policies that they think are most important for our success as a TEAM.

PLEASE NOTE: In the second segment of the video, the team captains do review our team drug and alcohol policy and briefly discuss the pressures one may face as a high school student.

GMA Captains Candidate Speeches 2010

2010-08-31T09:27:00.001-07:00

Attention GMA Senior, Sectional and National swimmers! Now is the time to choose our team captains for the year. We want EVERYONE to have a voice in the voting process, so here are the speeches delivered by your teammates interested in serving YOU!

Voting ballots will be available on Wednesday and every Senior, Sectional and National swimmer will be allowed to vote for a team captain. Happy 2010-2011 short course season!

Captain Taylor recaps the Quebec Cup

2010-07-06T07:52:00.001-07:00

While the majority of GMA swimmers were in the States training hard and enjoying the July 4th weekend, a group of GMA’s most elite athletes were in Montreal swimming at the highly competitive Quebec Cup. This was GMA’s second and most successful appearance. This year’s most elite athletes at the meet included Olympians Elizabeth Beisel, Cullen Jones, Garret Weber-Gale, Darien Townsen, and Victoria Poon.

The meet started out with a splash on Thursday night as Tasija Karosas and Taylor Grey swam the 200 IM in season and personal best times, respectively. This set the standard for the rest of the weekend as GMA athletes including Merritt Boardman, Michael Ubert, Haley Booher, Tasija Karosas, and Taylor Grey achieved nearly 90% season best times. Breakout swims included Karosas’ 100 back (1.06.29) which qualified her for USA Swimming Short Course Junior Nationals and put her within one second of qualifying for USA Swimming Long Course Junior Nationals. Grey also missed qualifying for Summer Nationals in the 100 breast, but had a breakout swim with a time of 1.05.98. Other great swims included Boardman’s 200 free and Ubert’s 800 free.

Overall, this meet served as a slingshot to Junior and Senior Nationals, which is less than four weeks away. Athletes will continue their rigid training regimen for the following weeks as they prepare to swim their fastest in either California or Boston. LET’S GO GMA!!!

- Taylor Grey

GMA Team Connections

2010-05-06T05:40:00.001-07:00

The GMA Coaches and Captains invite ALL of our GMA team members to take the following survey to tell us more about the strengths of our team.

Click HERE to link to the confidential survey. Answers collected and reviewed by Laura Matuszak.

It's Long Course Time!!

2010-04-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hi team!

Long Course season 2010 is in full swing. The captains will continue to keep you posted on how the season is going throughout the spring & summer. We were going to do a blog for New England Age Groups and Florida Sectionals, but we realized that it was too much to do at a trials finals meet. Instead we focused on our races, our goals, and enjoying the time with our team mates. As a result, we performed very well as a team and achieved many of our team goals. One of the most important things about this blog is to keep the captains and everyone involved with GMA connected. So each captain will have an opportunity or two to post up on how things are going.

I have started my last lacrosse season at Essex High School as varsity goalie. Balancing lacrosse, school and swimming takes a lot of work, time, and focus. I have been coming to morning workouts and Saturday practices. Four practices a week simply isn't enough, as I miss seeing my team mates and training with them.

Senior year is wrapping up. Spring is finally here, AP exams are in a few weeks, and teachers have started slamming tests on us as they scrape to get enough exam grades in before the semester closes. Seniors are buzzing about college decisions and plans for the summer. Its just an exciting time!
As exciting as spring is for a senior, it is also an exciting time for GMA. We are in the thick of training and this time is the 'December' of long course. In this week's team meeting, we shared our primary goals for the long course season and the personal goals that we would be "willing to fight for." We also started brainstorming about our long course team goals. That means it's time for us to stay tough, stay focused, and keep going strong.

Let's go GMA!

Captain Becky Anderson

Congratulations GMA on an Outstanding Regional Meet 2010

2010-02-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

Dear GMA athletes, coaches and families,

GMA closed out the Regional Meet today with many best times, new qualifiers, and inside jokes.

Coach Nick described the performances of the Regional Group swimmers as “Amazing, tons of best times”. Some standouts include Nolan Davis who had 100% best times at the meet. Congratulations to him for staying strong for the entire weekend. That’s not easy to do. Caitlin McClellan, who was very sick today, still decided to come and swim. It paid off because she got 2 personal best times and also supported her teammates by swimming fast in the relay. Jacob Crock dropped 7 seconds in the 50 breast today breaking 1:00 for the fist time. I can say from experience that reaching a milestone like that is exciting and rewarding.

The Age Group swimmers had a good day at the pool as well. Sean Chamberlain went a 1:15 in his 100 fly which was 3 seconds faster than his personal best. Sarah Winget had a great 200 backstroke with beautiful dolphin kick. She went a 2:34, dropping 6 seconds. Coach Maria pointed out that Cameron, Grace, Natalie and Nathan all “got cut times and had great races”.

David Wood had another great day in the pool. He dropped time in all of his events and got his second NEAG cut time in the 100 fly. Brandon Philbrick finished off a great weekend of racing as he went best times in all of his events. Brandon also made the decision to time trial the 200 fly as redemption for his race on Saturday. Thanks to his warm-up and cool-down habits throughout the entire meet, he had the stamina to drop 2 seconds.

I would like to extend BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all of our GMA teammates. While I may not have included every GMA team member in my blogs, I know that we each had great swims! What a great weekend filled with fantastic GMA great racing!

There was also exceptional team support at this meet. The ends of GMA lanes were always filled with loudly cheering teammates. This enthusiasm and energy will surely carry through with those of us going on to other championship meets this season.

Dylan

Captain Dylan's Regional Report: Day 2

2010-02-14T04:09:00.001-08:00

Dear GMA athletes, coaches, and families,

Its been another successful day of racing her at the UVAC pool.

First off, I would like to apologize for a misprint in yesterday’s blog. When describing my friend and car pool buddy, Lindsay McNall’s, 500 Free I accidentally referred to her as a 13-14 girl when in fact she is 15 years old. My bad Lindsay. However, undaunted by my mix-up, Lindsay had a one-of-a kind-day of racing today. She got 3 NEAG cut times in the 200 IM, 200 Fly, and the 100 free. That performance could only have been created by a 15 year old swimmer.

Emma Hartswick had a great day as well, posting all best times and dropping 5 seconds in her 100 breaststroke with a 1:19. When it comes to team spirit, Emma is the leader on GMA. She makes it her priority to ensure every member of the team feels like a part of the group, especially when it comes to the younger swimmers.

One of the day’s successful heats was the final heat of the Boy’s 11-12 100 IM. Ian Griffith (1:14), Kevin Hancock (1:14), and Chris Ubert (1:12) all dropped time and qualified for NEAGs. Its exciting to see athletes who challenge each other everyday in training to come to their championship meets and have fun and success racing fast with their teammates.

Two more athletes will be joining the GMA championship team next month at NEAGs for the first time as 15-19 guys. David Wood slashed 9 seconds off of his 200 IM personal best going a 2:09. Not 30 minutes after the conclusion of the race, he had already purchased his championship suit and was firmly objecting to shaving his legs…..yeah right David. I had the opportunity to be in the pool next to Brandon Philbrick when he went a smooth 51.3 in his 100 free. Brandon has had unmatched focus this year and has earned his time twice over. His religious dedication to 6 dolphin kicks and no-breath turns has paid off. We are all thrilled to have these two hard workers join us at MIT for another fast meet.

I wasn’t at the morning session but by the emptiness of the best-time-prize-bag, it must’ve been successful. Marie Collison swam the 25 fly at her first Regional Meet. She breathed every other stroke and did excellent streamline in her dive.

Check back tomorrow for more highlights!

Dylan

2010-02-13T03:53:00.000-08:00

Hey GMA coaches, swimmers and families, its your captain Dylan giving you the daily update from Regional Championships at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center (UVAC).

A strong season of training and a quality taper is paying off as GMA swimmers are the clear standouts at this meet. GMA makes up the top 3 of almost every event. Impressively in some of our trademark events such as the 400 IM and the 200 Fly, GMA swimmers are the top 8 swimmers in the event. Its exciting to see and entire heat of black and white caps step up on the block and put on spectacular performances, with the rest of the team is screaming at the top of their lungs.

A few highlights include:

I can only describe Maya Lazarovich’s 400 IM tonight as the perfect combination of power and finesse. After a season of hard work she cruised to a sweet 4:58 qualifying for New England Age Groups and dropping nine seconds off of her personal best. She had the whole team on their feet and some of us in tears. Maya consistently leads the team with positive attitude and strong work ethic.

Also, the final heat of the MEN’S 400 IM, there were great swims in every GMA lane. David Wood (4:38), Brandon Philbrick (4:37), Kyle Hancock (4:42), David Lazarovich (4:38), and myself (4:38) all posted best times and had quality swims.

Jeremy Collison and Peter Mikheyev had a stellar “One-Two” finish in the Boys 11-12 200 Breast dropping 7 seconds a piece and qualifying for NEAGs. When I congratulated Jeremy he responded by shouting, “OH YEAH, FINALLY!!!”.

I would like highlight the incredible performances of ALL of the Regional Group Swimmers who posted 100% best times tonight. And also, to the joy of their coach, did SLUDK to the flags off of every wall. Way to go you guys, you are the future of GMA!

Some of the highlights from the GMA 13-14 girls include Lindsay McNall’s 500 free. She swam a great race with a time of 5:25, dropping 11 seconds off of her personal best time. She caught her opponent in the last 100 yards of the race with beautiful technique and strong kick. Also with an awesome swim was Kira Hancock who went a 5:29 in her 500 free dropping 21 seconds and had the award for the best post-race smile.

Sarah Winget had a great night of racing with a best time in her 400 IM. She was clearly humbled by her 16 second time drop which demonstrates that her focus lies on continuing to have a weekend of consistent successful racing. The rest of the team here shares her attitude as there were excited shouts of predictions for tomorrow's events echoing through the locker rooms as we left the pool.

Those are just a few highlights from a wholly successful night. Check back tomorrow for another update!

Dylan

Captain Taylor Recognizes Our Successes As We Prepare For Championships!

2010-01-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

GMA Swimmers and Families,

In less than six weeks the majority of the team will be traveling to their championship meets. As Championships approach, the captains would like to share with you some updates from the last month or so.

First, we would like to congratulate all swimmers who participated in the GMA Winter Knights Invitational. This meet served as a great opportunity to qualify for end of the season meets. Overall, GMA swimmers achieved 49% percent best times. GMA swimmers were also able to connect to their buddies cheering them on during each race.

17 Senior, Sectional and National group members traveled to Boston University in the third week of December to compete in the New England Senior Circuit. GMA swimmers represented team honorably. 14 GMA swimmers achieved at least one personal best time at the meet and 12 GMA swimmers achieved 50% personal best times. Our team goal for the meet was to place top 8, but in a valiant effort put forth by each teammate we were able to surpass this goal and place
7th.

December served not only as a great month to race, but also to train. Personally, I saw a tremendous effort from our Senior, Sectional and National groups and from our Age Group swimmers as well. During the break from school it would’ve been easy to blow off training, but almost all GMA swimmers increased their practice attendance. The Senior, Sectional and National group also participated in the third annual New Year's Day Challenge. This challenge offered the opportunity for each captain, as well as Coach Laura, to write an hour of the workout. Overall, swimmers did an awesome job staying focused and we had our highest participation ever!

With a great month behind us, let us be confident and excited as we head off to our championship meets. The incredible work and effort put forth by each and every GMA swimmer will help us achieve all of our season goals. LETS GO GMA!!!

December Cheer from Captain Merritt

2009-12-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Team,

I’m happy to be back in the water full time this week. As some of you may know I was involved in Stunt Nite and could not make it to practice as much as I would have liked due to this commitment. I am looking forward to our big meets coming up in December and I am especially excited for Taylor, Tasija, and Michael as they prepare for their national level meets! Seniors will be a great meet and I am glad that we can go as a team and show New England how fast GMA really is.

We have a lot to prepare for this month but even more to look forward to as December brings not only holiday cheer but fast meets and great swims. I am confident that we will have tremendous success if we continue to train as well as we have these past few weeks. If anyone has any questions about anything, or concerns that they have feel free to talk to me at swimming or contact me via email at mtboardman@gmail.com.

-Merritt

Team Captain Becky Shares Her GMA Experiences This Season

2009-10-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hello GMA coaches, parents, and athletes,

The 2009-2010 swim season is well underway. Everyone has something to think about, whether its the season goals we have been setting in team meetings, the skills we have been focusing on in the pool, or the school work that seems never-ending.

As one of the high school seniors on GMA, I am feeling the burden of the whole college acceptance process. Applications are due on Sunday, so I have been busy organizing my letters of recommendation, my college essay(s) and the supplemental applications. The sooner you begin writing your college essays and choosing your prospective schools, the better off you will be. Trust me.

I have finished my recruiting trips, for the most part. For my official (paid) visits, I went to the University of Vermont, Central Connecticut State University, Marist College, and Keene State College. I also visited George Mason University and will hopefully be returning for an official visit soon. In the next few weeks, along with my senior teammates, I will have some tough decisions to make in choosing the right college. Your support is much appreciated.

As for the rest of the team, there is a lot going on as well. Taylor Grey is organizing the Swim-A-Thon again this year, Christa Weaver is leading the Bon Ton fundraiser, and I am organizing a Poinsettia Fundraiser for the Booster Club. The GMA I.M.X. challenge is on November 1st, so everyone should be getting pumped to swim their best to achieve a strong I.M.X. score, as well as to show everyone what we've got! I am excited to see everyone working hard in the water and in school. With all of the leadership, support, and commitment coming from everyone involved in the GMA program, I'm sure this season will be nothing but a success. See you around the pool!

Rebecca Anderson

GMA Captain's Season Opening

2009-10-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hello GMA Swimmers, Coaches, and Parents

I am kicking off the Bi-Weekly Captains’ Blog on gmaswim.com! In case you haven’t heard, the votes are in for the 2009-2010 GMA captains. They are: Merritt Boardman, a senior at Rice High School, Taylor Grey, a senior at CVU, Becky Anderson, a senior at Essex High School, and me, Dylan Hadden, a junior at Colchester High School. On behalf of all of us I can say that we excited to lead the team to another successful season throughout New England, and the country.

It’s been a great start to the 09-10 short course season at GMA. After about 6-8 weeks of technique based, aerobic training, its clear the team is ready to start focusing on their fast mid-season meets in December. Along with making a change in our training intensity, it’s also that time of the season again where GMA begins its goal setting process. Although still early in the process, most swimmers have outlined their end-of-season goal times and are planning what steps they need to take to achieve them. Some of the things said ranged from training goal times in practice to staying healthy outside of practice, and working on specific weaknesses like no-breath turns and SLUDK.

All in all it looks like people are beginning to settle into their school routine and with the next few weeks looking like they should be a challenging increase in training intensity, GMA will be focused and ready to swim fast in December, and at champs.

Let's Go GMA!!

Dylan Hadden