Lights, Chlorine, Action...!

Our Favourite Number

Words: Maurice McCrohan

It doesn’t seem like there has been much of  a break since the July National and International Galas!

I was going to say we are back with our swimmers now that summer is over. But as our summer weather was actually on the second week of April that would not be right.  It could be worse, we could be involved in outdoor sports!!

And so it begins! the 2011/12 season. Those who luckily escaped to the sun have returned to milk bottle white. The swimmers seem to be energised and the Age Group have all taken a stretch . Those extra inches and power will help PBs , but we assume their competitors are growing too!  I don’t know the precise numbers, but having been around the bank last week there must be over 25 age groupers and 25 seniors. With the minnows under the surface, thats 100 plus swimmers!

It’s some feat of organisation going on behind the scenes. With an AGM coming up the club are always on the lookout for volunteers to help out (hint, hint). More fairy godmothers are needed to take a theme from my last article! In Westwood, the mad scramble for the showers goes on at the end of the session. Twenty swimmers chasing eight showers I am reliably informed!The Westwood car parking angst goes on! At ALSAA, parking is obviously ok for the early morning. But Saturdays at about 10.30am a perfect storm hits as masters, seniors,  age groupers, minnows and lessons all come together! Now that’s a day to car pool (no pun intended)!

A couple of the coaches are doing swim courses, an element of which is looking the swimmer’s nutrition. Sinead, Megan , Eilbhe, Ali and Andy have been diligently documenting their food intake for the last week. Having to write it down concentrates the mind! Generally when the swimmers are in training the energy drinks and bars are on every shopping list. The right nutrition is a minefield of truths, urban myths and a dash of old wives tale.

For every snake oil salesman palming off  the next thing in power drinks , someone else will say what’s wrong with good old fashioned H2O? Something tells me our swimmers won’t settle just for water,  they ingest enough of the stuff already. One of my own running mates is dismissive the power of recovery drinks! Nesquik does it for him with all the protein you need in a “recovery drink”.

A few weeks of training before galas kick in, both club and schools! Same swimmers, different hats! Same parents on the bank jumping into cars early doors with the same coaches giving their expertise! It’s all starting to bubble up nicely.

Now we just need to find some different coffee outlets to give us parents an early morning java boost!