8-19-2022
For all those who are planning to participate in the 2022-23 Highbridge program, it is now time to take care of a few things. Here is a list of things you’ll need to do:
*Go to our HA website and fill out a new registration form. It does not matter if you’ve been on the team for 27 years, you must fill out a new, updated registration form. This registration form is due by Thursday, Aug. 25th. You may return this registration form to me electronically, through the mail, or bring it to our first dryland. If you are a newcomer and have already sent a registration form to me, you do NOT have to do this again.
*Pay the $70/swimmer registration fee, also before Thursday, Aug. 25th. You may pay this fee just like you would our normal monthly fees, which are listed on our website. You may include a check along with your registration fee, or send or Venmo directly to Bobby Livesay. Please pay attention to these deadlines. If you are receiving this email and are not planning to return to the team, just please let me know.
*Make sure that your Kroger # is tied to the Highbridge account. Instructions are also on the website.
*Do NOT register your child(ren) with USA Swimming yet. In the past, I have always done this for each swimmer, but USA Swimming is requiring each family to do this for the first time ever this year. Don’t ask me why they are changing this, but I’ll assume it’s a money grab. When HA is set up and ready for each of you to complete this, I’ll let you know. When it does happen, this is when you’ll have to pay the USA and KY registration fee directly to them.
Swim practice will officially begin on Monday, September 12th. Prior to that, like I’ve done for the past many years, I’ll be running some dryland workouts from my house. This is open to all teenagers who have at least started puberty. These dryland workouts will take place from 5:00-6:30 p.m. on the following days:
Thursday, Aug. 25
Monday, Aug. 29
Thursday, Sept. 1
Tuesday, Sept. 6
Thursday, Sept. 8
As a suggestion to those who are able, and for as long as some of these summer league pool stay open, I would get reacquainted with your kickboard. Take your kickboard and a friend or two, and go get some social kicking done after school. I don’t think you have to do any swimming, but I would definitely be walking, riding a bike, jogging, join a yoga or Pilates class, or do whatever you can do to stay in shape.
When we start in the water during the week of Sept 12th, listed here is what our “normal” week would look like. But the Asbury team is teaching lessons for 4 weeks in Sept and Oct, which means we cannot start until 6:45 and it’s a mess. I am refusing to have anyone swim until 9:30 on a school night, so this is why our practice schedule changes for the weeks that Asbury is running lessons. I thought it would be easier to make a list of Sept and Oct at the bottom of this newsletter. You should probably print it out to help keep it straight.
Mon., Sept. 12: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Tue., Sept. 13: 12&U stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-6:45. 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30.
Wed., Sept. 14: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Thu., Sept. 15: 12&U and those who don’t do weights: stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:00. 13&O weights: stretch 4:45-6:00.
Fri., Sept. 16: 13&O stretch 4:45, swim 5:00-6:45. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Sat., Sept 17: 13&O stretch 9:30, swim 9:45-11:15. 12&U stretch 11:00, swim 11:15-12:15.
Practice schedule notes:
*I’ve always called the groups “13&O” and “12&U” and maybe it should be “older” group and “younger” group. There may be some 13YO’s in the 12&U group just like I may have some 12YO’s practice with the 13&O group sometimes. It’s not a line in the sand, it’s more about what is the best group for each swimmer to practice with based on their ability and maturity level. Some 11’s, 12’s, and 13’s may flip-flop back and forth between the two practice groups. This is something I will talk to you about, based on what is best for your child.
*Tuesday and Thursday early morning workouts for the 13&O’s will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 4th. Those who participate in these workouts should stretch at 5:15 and swim from 5:30-6:45 a.m. I am planning on leaving a lane open for adults, if you think you might want to join us!
*If you’re going to be late on any given day, it would be polite to let me know beforehand. I have always believed some is better than none and I encourage you to come even if you have a conflict that will not allow you to be there on time. And, if you know you have to get out early, it might be a good idea to let me know about this before the practice starts.
*Before the season starts, each swimmer should have their own snorkel and fins. For the newcomers, please buy the cheapest, most flexible fins you can find. I would also recommend that each swimmer have their own kickboard and pull buoy. Paddles only for those who have started puberty please.
Meet schedule:
Date Meet Location Who
Oct. 15-16 Barracuda SC Pumpkin Patch Invite Kingsport, TN All
Nov. 4-6 or
Nov. 11-13 LEXD Fall Invitational Richmond, KY All
Dec. 2-4 Ensworth Aquatics Holiday Classic Brentwood, TN All
Jan. 20-22 SKY Winter Fest Bowling Green, KY All
Feb. 10-12 Lakeside Dare to Care Louisville, KY Those not in HS meets
Mar. 3-5 LEXD Dolphins Race to State Versailles, KY All who are not in State meets
Mar. 10-12 KY 12 & Under State Championships TBD 12 & Unders with cuts
Mar. 17-19 KY 13 & Over State Championships TBD 13 & Overs with cuts
Meet schedule notes:
*I’ll add an intrasquad Mock Meet like we did last year scheduled for early November. More on this soon.
*It’s probably impossible to beat the meet in Kingsport as a place/meet to open up our season, so this meet is a repeat on our schedule. And, of course, if the weather cooperates, we’ll definitely do our hike up to the fire tower on Saturday afternoon. I do have a suitable backup for each of these meets, in case something changes.
*Since we are traveling to a meet in October and December, I wanted to stay local for a meet in November. The LEXD team says they’re going to be hosting a meet on the 1st or 2nd weekend in November (I’m hoping for the 2nd weekend), so we will attend this one. It will be held at EKU in Richmond, like they did 2 years ago.
*I’d be crazy not to attend the meet at Ensworth for our rested/suited up meet before Christmas, so this one is on our schedule again.
*Last year, most of us loved the little meet in Bowling Green, and loved the new pool, so we’ll do this one again.
*And the last place to get a meet in before the March “goal” meets will be the Lakeside Dare to Care meet.
*State meet locations are still TBD. High school regional and state meets typically are held one weekend before and one weekend after our Lakeside Dare to Care meet. HS swimmers usually do not attend this Lakeside meet. In addition to our Mock meet, there will be a few other functions I’ll add to our calendar, such as our HA Halloween party, and our Christmas party (swimmers and parents play musical instruments, or sing, so be prepared).
In my opinion, our long course summer season officially ended on a great note. For a very small team, HA actually took (7) swimmers to the USA Swimming Futures Championship meet in Cary, NC during the week of July 27-30. Most of you have read about how well we did in the 12&U meet in Louisville, and the 13&O meet in Etown on the two weekends before this Cary meet. But we also did extraordinarily well in this Futures Meet.
*The “Swim of the Meet” for us had to come from Lili Elayi in the 100 Fly. For any swimmer, it is a big deal, and a tremendous accomplishment to finish in the Top 32 and have a chance to come back for the finals. Lili was seeded 38th, but dropped enough time in the prelims to qualify 8th!! That night, she dropped even more time and ended up 7th overall, which means she medaled. Her time of 1:01.42 was amazing and it is only about .6 tenths off of an Olympic Trial cut. Lili is now off to attend and swim for Rice University in Houston.
*For these Future’s swimmers, it was our goal to have lifetime best times between this meet and the Etown meet, and I am happy to say that they ALL did. Caroline Lee, however, was not able to swim at the Etown meet, so going 2-3 in Cary was huge, and a wonderful way to finish up her age-group career. Caroline is now off to attend and swim for Centre College in Danville.
*Matt Menke was another HA swimmer who did very well in this meet. Matt actually had (2) lifetime bests in this meet, medaled 3 times, and WON the 100 Back!! Matt is now back to finish up his senior year at the University of Alabama.
*Libby Livesay added two more lifetime bests, and Amelia Lee (competing in this meet as just a 14YO) and Lou Elayi also added a lifetime best swim in Cary.
*Lily DeLong, Lili Elayi, Amelia Lee, and Libby Livesay swam a wonderful 400 Free Relay and set a new team record in the process. Their overall time of 4:00.66 broke the HA team record of 4:04.34. This old team record was set in 2013 by Maggie Patterson, Madison Winstead, Courtney Younger, and Emily Davis.
*Lily DeLong, Libby Livesay, Lili Elayi, and Caroline Lee also broke the team record in the 400 Medley Relay. They posted a 4:26.26 which broke the team record held by the same four girls above from 2013. Those 4 girls from 2013 were really great swimmers, so it says an awful lot about these 5 girls who teamed up to set two new team records!
*I would really like to thank Caroline Short and Andrew Menke for attending this Cary meet, as well. I was proud of the swimmers for doing so well at the end of this LC season, but my trip to Cary was really made by being able to hang out with Caroline and Andrew. Seeing the movie “Where the Crawdads Sing” with the team was also a highlight. And to Caroline Short, I’m sorry that Andrew and I made you hike so far at the state park. I hope you’re feeling better by now.
Since Highbridge became Highbridge again, these last two years have been glorious. I am truly grateful to all of you who have been a part of this team for these past 2 full years, or more. I am anxious to help this upcoming year be as wonderful as the last two have been. Every year, the profile of the team changes as some move on to college and some newcomers join us so every year, of course, will be different. This year, I have an awful lot of seniors in high school who have been wonderful members of this team for a long time, so our banquet next April should be something to work for and look forward to. I can coach; I can get a swimmer from one level to the next, and I can do it safely and effectively. Highbridge swimmers always seem to make more consistent progress than those from other teams, and we seem to have a team culture that makes it more fun than what I see and hear from other teams. But I cannot do it alone. I’ve always said that I don’t need to be surrounded by great swimmers – I need to be surrounded by great people who just happen to enjoy swimming. I will need your help. I need your help with all of the extracurricular activities that go along with making a great team. I need those who volunteer to time, or become officials. I need parents to help with all of our social events. I need people who bring taco meat to our taco parties instead of shredded lettuceJ. I need parents not to coach their own children, and to cheer for all who have the blue or yellow caps on. With the money that Asbury is charging us to rent their pool, I’ll need everyone to support fundraisers when they come around like our team depends on it. And I’ll need you to forgive me and understand when I don’t stay at a swim meet for 12 hours in one day. So if you ever have any questions, just ask me. I look forward to seeing all of you again! Go HA!!
Mon., Sept. 12: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Tue., Sept. 13: 12&U stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-6:45. 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30.
Wed., Sept. 14: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Thu., Sept. 15: 12&U and those who don’t do weights: stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:00. 13&O weights: stretch 4:45-6:00.
Fri., Sept. 16: 13&O stretch 4:45, swim 5:00-6:45. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Sat., Sept 17: 13&O stretch 9:30, swim 9:45-11:15. 12&U stretch 11:00, swim 11:15-12:15. Weights 7:30-8:45.
Mon., Sept. 19: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Tue., Sept. 20: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30 (no 8&unders)
Wed., Sept. 21: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Thu., Sept. 22: 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:00. Weights: 4:45-6:00.
Fri., Sept. 23: All stretch 6:30. 13&O swim 6:45-8:30, 12&U swim 6:45-7:45.
Sat., Sept. 24: 13&O stretch 9:30, swim 9:45-11:15. 12&U stretch 11:00, swim 11:15-12:15. Weights: 7:30-8:45.
Mon., Sept. 26: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:30, swim 7:45-8:45.
Tue., Sept. 27: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:30, swim 7:45-8:45.
Wed., Sept. 28: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Thu., Sept. 29: 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:00. Weights: 4:45-6:00.
Fri., Sept. 30: 13&O stretch 4:45, swim 5:00-6:45. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Sat., Oct. 1: 13&O stretch 6:15, swim 6:30-8:00. 12&U stretch 7:30, swim 7:45-8:45. Weights: 8:45-10:00.
Mon., Oct. 3: : 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Tue., Oct. 4: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30 (no 8&unders)
Wed., Oct. 5: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Thu., Oct. 6: 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:00. Weights: 4:45-6:00.
Fri., Oct. 7: All stretch 6:30. 13&O swim 6:45-8:30, 12&U swim 6:45-7:45.
Sat., Oct. 8: 13&O stretch 9:30, swim 9:45-11:15. 12&U stretch 11:00, swim 11:15-12:15. Weights: 7:30-8:45.
Mon., Oct. 10: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:30, swim 7:45-8:45.
Tue., Oct. 11: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 7:30, swim 7:45-8:45.
Wed., Oct. 12: 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Thu., Oct. 13: 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:00. Weights: 4:45-6:00.
No practice Friday and Saturday due to Kingsport Meet
Beginning Monday, Oct. 17, return to normal weeks:
Mondays:: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Tuesdays:: 12&U stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-6:45. 13&O stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-8:30.
Wednesdays: 13&O stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:30. 12&U stretch 7:15, swim 7:30-8:30.
Thursdays: 12&U and those who don’t do weights: stretch 5:30, swim 5:45-7:00. 13&O weights: stretch 4:45-6:00.
Fridays: 13&O stretch 4:45, swim 5:00-6:45. 12&U stretch 6:30, swim 6:45-7:45.
Saturdays: 13&O stretch 9:30, swim 9:45-11:15. 12&U stretch 11:00, swim 11:15-12:15. Weights 7:30-8:45.
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