Welcome to the New Year!
Weekly Practice Schedule
January 5th-11th, 2020
All practices will run as scheduled this week. Please CLICK HERE to visit our website, and view the MAC weekly practice schedule.
There will be practice this Saturday. (EMU meet is Sunday)
Thursday Drill will be working on “Feel for the Water” for all strokes.
Event of the week will be 100 Butterfly |
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News:
1. This week will begin our 10 week individual events focus, before State Meet. Each week we will focus on one individual event. You will also have the opportunity to swim this event during the week, timed off the blocks, so you can record it on the MAC Olympics banner for a Bronze Medal.
2. The Eastern Michigan University Meet is next Sunday 1/12/20. Complete meet details, and registration at: MichiganMasters.com.
 3. USMS 2020 Go the Distance Challenge:
Track your swim distance through the entire year. This is a a FREE, self-directed program. For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.
4. 1-Hour Postal 2020: During MAC practice on Tuesday, January 21st & Saturday, Jan. 25th we will swim the 1-hour postal. Objective: To swim as far as possible in one hour, while someone on-deck keeps track of your time/laps. You can register your individual results by registering with USMS – CLICK HERE. |
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Swimmer of the Week:
 Sarah Craft
Growing up in southeast Michigan (Wixom), I’ve really been swimming all my life. Whether it was swimming in a pool, lake, or waterpark, if it was warm enough out, my family was somewhere close to the water. So, it only made sense that my older sister would join the swim team once she was in middle school, and eventually me and my younger brother followed suite. For a few years we swam in the summer for a country club team out in West Bloomfield, until a few of my friends parents (who were probably sick of carting us all over Oakland County) decided to put together a swim club that ran out of the Walled Lake high schools and, as a bonus, a spring fed pond that a friend’s dad had built four long course lanes in. And that’s pretty much how I spent all of my time through high school.
I think the thing that clicked the most with me in swimming was the personal effort you had to put in. It’s a team sport, yes, but everyone swims their individual events. The same practice could be killer for one swimmer who put the effort in or easy for another swimmer who was just going through the motions. I was lucky to have coaches whose philosophies where more based on bringing out each swimmer’s best effort rather than just focusing on killer yards. I loved being part of a group of people all working at being better, so we could come together as a team and accomplish something even bigger. Although, getting a best time wasn’t so bad either.
In high school I swam the 100 Breast and 200 IM. I was able to swim at the state level and my senior year I set the school record in the 100 Breast. By mid-way through high school I knew I wasn’t ready to be done with swimming once high school was over. I decided to go to Hope College and swimming played a big role in that. I loved the feel of D3 sports; everyone who swims in college at the D3 level just loves the sport and wants to keep going. I ended up swimming the same events in college as high school, with the addition, to my great chagrin, of the 200 Breast (had the 50 breast been a real event, that would’ve been my event). I can’t imagine what my life would’ve been like had I not swam in college. I met some of my closest friends through college swimming and made some of my best memories. Sure, the 5:30AM practices weren’t fun and neither was spending most of Christmas break every year swimming 12,000+ yards every day, but, looking back, I wouldn’t have skipped any of it.
After college, I took a much-needed break from swimming. I did a few triathlons here and there, but didn’t do much in the pool at all for four years. After living in Grand Rapids for a few years, I got married in 2015 and moved to Waterford. That’s when I felt that familiar pull to the pool again. It took another year, but eventually I did a quick google search and found MAC.
 This will be my third season with MAC and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity to keep swimming with such a motivating, kind, and fun team. The pool has always felt like home and has seen me through some really difficult times and ever since I stepped back on deck with MAC I’ve felt that same way–welcomed and supported by the coaches and other swimmers. I haven’t met anyone on the team who hasn’t been inspiring and motivating, and it’s pushed me to do more meets, swim new events, and even seen me through training for my first half ironman, which I did last June.
A lot of my college friends have continued to swim, whether on other masters teams or by themselves, and when I talk to them about MAC, it’s clear that what our team has is special. Something like this doesn’t happen by accident, but is a reflection of all the wonderful people who have come together to make MAC happen and keep it going. I couldn’t feel more lucky to be a part of that.
MAC Swimmers are the greatest advertisements of all! We love how you share your stories on social media, with friends, etc. We would like to share your stories as well. Each week we will highlight a MAC Swimmer so we can learn more about the team. |
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Monthly Feature Article:
Mindful Swimming
By: Dianne Johnson
MAC Head Coach
 While swimming a workout, have you ever spent the entire time planning out the rest of your day or the upcoming weekend? Finished a workout and not remembered what you swam? I’ve swam countless laps with a certain song stuck in my head or replayed previous races. Although this is great for getting through that workout and pounding out the yards, problems appear when the habit of mindless swimming leads to sloppy technique. If you aim to improve your strokes or get more out of your workout then mindful, not mindless, swimming should be your goal.
For example, you may want to improve your underwater dolphin kick in order to drop time in your freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly races. The goal is to make not only the kick more efficient but to extend the underwaters off the walls.
First, swim a workout and.. To Continue Reading, CLICK HERE |
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Weekly Featured Workout:
Celebrate 2020
20×25 @:10 rest 5 x through (1. Stroke Count swim 2. -1 stroke from count 3. -2 strokes 4. scull)
- Each set of 4x25s is a separate stroke
- Set #1 FR, #2 BR, #3 BK, #4 Fly, #5 FR
20×50 @:10 rest w/zoomers and/or snorkel (Streamline position w/snorkel)
- 4 sets of 5x50s
- Set #1 4 swim FR Cruise, 1 Kick Fast!, #2 3 swim FR Cruise, 2 Kick Fast!, #3 2 swim FR Cruise, 3 Kick Fast!, #4 1 swim FR Cruise, 4 Kick Fast!
20×75 Pull/swim @:10 rest
- 5 sets of 4x75s
- Set #1 w/ankle strap, bouy, and paddles, #2 w/bouy and paddles, #3 w/paddles (add in kick), #4 No equip. OverKick FR, #5 Des. 1-4 w/:10 sec wall kick for rest
20×100 @:20 rest 4 sets of 5 Descending each set from 1-5 (Mix of FR and IM or BEST stroke)
- 4 sets of 5x100s
- Odd Sets (#1 and #3) 5×100 (1. IM or BEST 2. FR 3. IM or BEST 4. FR 5. FR)
- Even Sets (#2 and #4) 5×100 (1. FR 2. IM or BEST 3. FR 4. IM or BEST 5. FR)
5000
Warmdown |
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 Swim Your Way to Bronze, Silver and Gold!
Earn Bronze, Silver and Gold medals by swimming events in practices, at meets, and at the 2020 State Meet. You can set goals to challenge yourself, race against teammates and even participate in our Medal Ceremony next spring! For complete details, visit our website – CLICK HERE
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS…
CLICK HERE to download a printable PDF worksheet, to keep track of your MAC Olympics progress, events and times, in addition to writing on the banner on the pool deck. |
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Spread The Word:
Share the fun and fitness we have created at MAC!. We now have a flyer available on deck. It gives details about MAC and MAC Lite. Thank you for being a part of the MAC Family! To view the flier, CLICK HERE for a printable PDF. |
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Upcoming Events:
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020 – EMU Coldest Meet
Sunday, Feb. 2nd, Brighton FAST Super Bowl Meet
Saturday, March 7th, South Lyon Spring Swim Meet
Saturday, March 14th, Milford Meltdown Swim Meet
Friday-Sunday, March 27-29, Michigan State Championship Meet in Kentwood, MI. |
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Team Communication:
We use REMIND app/website, to send out last minute schedule changes, or messages. To sign up, and for more information – CLICK HERE |
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