Coaches Corner

Montrose Meet November 4-5, 2023

The Sopris Barracudas performed well at Montrose. Our new swimmers got to experience a different pool in a beautiful mountain town. They also got to experience the referees. One handed touches on breaststroke and butterfly get disqualified. Gliding into turns on backstroke gets disqualified. Swimming the wrong stroke gets disqualified. More than one dolphin kick on a breaststroke pullout gets disqualified. However, the team did very well overall. We are learning to be the first ones to the first wall. Next, we will learn to be the first one to the last wall. Stand out performers were Tatum, Freja, and Henry. Hats off to coach Kelley who did a great job leading the young swimmers through their first competition.

TOPS Colorado Open January 20-23, 2023

Coach Bob's commentary

Team Sopris took a number of swimmers to Denver for the Colorado Open swim meet. For many of the younger swimmers it was their first exposure to a “bigger” meet where there is a “huge” pool, lots of swimmers, and no parents on deck. All the younger swimmers adjusted and performed well. They took a major step forward in their swimming careers. In years to come they will be the “older” swimmers helping the “younger” swimmers to adjust. This is all part of the family atmosphere we try to create on team Sopris. One might notice, for instance, that many of the younger swimmers want to stay after their sessions is over so they can watch their older team mates. Job well done, Sopris!
The older swimmers need to be reminded that there are five competitive racing strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle, and underwater kicking. Every wall in practice is a chance to work on underwater kicking and streamlining. It doesn’t have to be a set dedicated to this idea. Every set includes this idea. Therefore, we need to do a much better job of swimming our practices the same way we need to swim in a meet. The coaches will dedicate themselves toward this end.
Let’s go, Sopris! We are now in the swim super fast time of the season.

Winter Junior Nationals December 8-10, 2022

Coach Steve's Commentary

I was fortunate enough to accompany Amelie and the Ogilby family to Austin Texas for Winter JR Nationals. Amazing, what great family support, and individual focus can accomplish. Amelie has reached a level that few if any Team Sopris swimmers have accomplished. Hard work, consistent practice attendance, wonderful daily demeanor, along with great teammate support resulted in an outstanding meet. Amelie broke team records in the 400yd IM, 200y BR, and the 1650y Freestyle. Amelie now has multiple Winter JR National cuts and is ready to take her swimming to the next level.

Pioneer Open - December 2-4, 2022

Coach Bob's Commentary

Sopris took five swimmers (Bella, Sylvia, Emmagail, Owen, and Henry) to Denver to compete in the DU Pioneer Open swim meet, Dec 2-4. This is great experience for our swimmers because they compete against the swimmers from the bigger programs in the bigger metro areas of Colorado. Most of the swimmers on these metro teams train at least 8-9 times per week, 5-6 swimmers to a lane. This creates great synergy and swimmers get “pulled along” into swimming fast in practice or they simply get swum over. All this makes for great competition. Our goals were best times. Every swimmer had a least one best time. Most had almost all best times. Well done Sopris! You swam well in a “big” pool against “big time” competition. One take away for our Sopris swimmers should be this: We don’t have the numbers to create the synergy the big metro teams do; so, we need to create our own synergy. Our efforts and grit need to come from within rather than from a crowd. A swimmer in a big program has no real choice but to swim hard in a workout. Our swimmers do have a choice. They need to make the right choice every practice. We do have swimmers who do this. Those swimmers do very well on the national level.

Team Sopris Deep Freeze - November 16, 2022

Coach's Commentary

Coaches observations on the Sopris Meet, November 12-13, 2022. The Sopris parents showed out in full force. From running the timing system, to officiating, to marshaling the swimmers, to providing hospitality and safety, and to just plain cheering on the swimmers – the Sopris parents did an excellent job. Well done. The swimmers as a whole continue to achieve greater starts, turns, underwaters, and being the first swimmer to the first wall. There were many notable performances. To point out some performances is always a danger because it risks overlooking other performances that may have been equally notable. Nevertheless, standing out in my mind are: Ashley Cullen with a 24 second drop on her last race of a difficult racing day; Sylvia Duchscher with 6 best times and 6 fast races; Isla Friel with the same; Brigitte Gordon with great competitive grit and 5 fast races; Sylas Jaouen with a total of one minute in total dropped time spread over 5 races; Ryleigh Kimmel with 5 great races; Sam Moon dropping time in 5 races; Henry Sanders dropping time in all 8 of his already fast races; Claire Scarpitti with 6 personal record breaking swims; Rylee Stuemke with 5 best times, and Ainsley Taucher with 7 new best times. Even this extensive list leaves out some great performances. Overall, the Sopris Barracudas are getting the idea that swimming fast is fun and in order to race fast one must train fast. Keep up the good work.

Coaches log - March 8, 2022

State meets - Coach summary

Team Sopris took Henry Sanders and Marc Zwickl to Silver State and Bella Frisbie to AG State over the last two weeks. Almost every swim was a best time! Henry, at 8 years old, swam in the 9-10 age group. Despite the age gap he won the 100 IM and the 100 BR by significant margins. All three swimmers have remarkable traits. They filter all coaching input through the grid of “race.” They all are remarkable “racers.” The sky is the limit for all three swimmers. Team Sopris took 25 swimmers to the Bronze State meet, and across the team, we had double digit time drops. Truly a great showing by all!! Congratulations!!

Go Sopris!

CSI Long Course Invite - June 3-5, 2022 Coach Summary

Taking swimmers down to Denver for stiffer competition is important. The Sopris Barracudas took five swimmers to the CSI meet in Thornton last weekend. While all the swimmers gave great effort and provided great team spirit, two swimmers stood out. Marc Zwickl has been with the team a little less than a year and is already showing great promise. He qualified to swim in the evenings in all three of his events. He is growing in his ability to take instruction, implement it, and compete. In other words, he is growing in grit. As a result he won the B finals in the 50 backstroke and broke a team record in the process. Amelie Ogilby has been growing in grit for some time now. Only grit would compel a swimmer to desire to compete against the best swimmers, including tough college swimmers, in the state. While falling short of first place, nevertheless she swam very well and broke a team record in the 200 IM in the process. There are no limits on a swimmer desiring to compete and growing in grit. Well done, Sopris Swimmers!