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Posts from ‘Weekly Features’
Behind the Blocks: A trial for Trials
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012Michael Flach blogs about his experience at the 2012 British Olympic Trials.
Behind the Blocks: Intensity
Wednesday, April 4th, 2012South Carolina swimmer Michael Flach heads south to train with the elite Gator Swim Club, famed for their brutal practices in and out of the water.
Behind the Blocks: March Madness
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012It is championship season for swimming, and collegiate athletes were on edge during the last two week waiting to see where the NCAA would make their cuts.
Behind the Blocks: Don’t rest on your laurels
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012Athlete bloggers Amanda Kendall and Bradley Phillips are past their first big meets of 2012, but now it’s time to get back to work. Read this week’s blogs inside.
Behind the Blocks: SECs
Tuesday, February 21st, 2012Amanda competed at the four-day Southeastern Conference Championship meet during the weekend. It was a trying meet for her, but she pushed through for some great swims.
Behind the Blocks: On Taper
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012For swimmers, taper means sleeping in an extra half hour, time spent on starts, turns, and finishes, as a jovial feeling pervades practice, teammates in high spirits, excited to “hit their taper” and swim best times.
Behind the Blocks: Mental toughness
Wednesday, February 8th, 2012Few know the pressure that comes with swimming at that elite level like our athlete contributors, who compete in the ACC and SEC, two of the toughest conferences in the country. Bradley Phillips is two weeks away from entering ACCs, but Amanda Kendall is in her final week of preparation for the Southeastern Conference championship. Michael Flach, training this season under an Olympic redshirt, is taking this time, when most of the country’s elite swimmers are resting for championships, to push his practicing to the next level, heading south to train with friends under the Florida sun.
Behind the Blocks: Making strides beyond the pool
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012This week our swimmer bloggers discuss what they are doing outside of the water to ensure success at NCAA conference championships and beyond.
Behind the Blocks: Practice, class, meets, repeat
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Conference championships are quickly approaching for two of our athlete bloggers. Hear more from Amanda Kendall about weekly technique improvements heading into the weekend’s meet against Texas A&M. Also find out how Bradley Phillips and Virginia did against UNC-Chapel Hill in a heated ACC rivalry meet.
Coach’s Corner: Looking for a college team
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012The search for an university can be an intimidating and frustrating part for any student-athlete, throw in the desire to continue your swimming career and you have to take into account a mountain of other factors. Coach Murray has been on both sides of the recruiting trail, having spent many years at the NCAA and club levels. Read his take on the important steps and details to consider when you are making a decision about your collegiate swimming future.
Behind the Blocks: Perspective
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012In their first blog posts, our athlete contributors remind us in their own way that sometimes taking a step back is important in order to look ahead. Read about their experience training over the holidays and preparing for NCAA competitions.
Weekly Wrap-up: Woodson, Yorktown, Oakton alone at the top in Va. with Districts around the corner
Monday, January 16th, 2012Woodson, Yorktown, and Oakton are undefeated on both girls’ and boys’ sides in the Northern Region with one meet to go. Churchill, Wootton, Walter Johnson, and Whitman are battling it out in the MCPS’ top division, and are looking ahead to their first Maryland states appearances.
Behind the Blocks: Introducing Matt McLean
Friday, January 13th, 2012Matt McLean Matt McLean graduated from the University of Virginia last spring, after an exceptional NCAA career for the Cavaliers. His swimming resume is bursting with accolades from NCAA and national competitions. After graduation, McLean relocated to California where he began training under legendary coach Jon Urbanchek at Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team (FAST). He is [...]
Behind the Blocks: Introducing Amanda Kendall
Thursday, January 12th, 2012Former All-Met Swimmer of the Year, Amanda Kendall is having a breakout season at LSU. Get to know her as she tries to make her Olympic dream come true.
Behind the Blocks: Introducing Bradley Phillips
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012Read about Virginia swimmer Bradley Phillips in today’s Behind the Blocks athlete spotlight.
Behind the Blocks: Introducing Michael Flach
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012We’re unveiling our first athlete contributors this week. Read about South Carolina’s Michael Flach.
Weekly Wrap-up: Yorktown, Woodson, Oakton, West Springfield still chasing perfect records on both sides
Monday, January 9th, 2012That list of undefeated teams got smaller over the weekend, as we put 2012′s first week of high school swimming behind us.
Introducing our newest feature, Behind the Blocks: Training for Trials
Thursday, January 5th, 2012Get an inside look at what it takes to make compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.
Coach's Corner: Tapering for championship meets
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012Does the taper process confuse you? Wondering what to do when you have states in February and Setctionals in March? We asked Coach Bill Marlin to break down the tapering process for us as we head towards the high school and Spring championship seasons.
Coach’s Corner: Training tips for the holiday break
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011We asked three local coaches what swimmers should do to stay in prime swimming shape if they have to head out of town during the winter break. Read their responses inside.
December 11-17 Weekly Wrap-up: Va. high schools swim back-to-back meets
Monday, December 19th, 2011Virginia high schools competed on both Friday and Saturday night this past weekend. This week, our featured meet is South County versus Lake Braddock. Read more inside, along with more summaries and results from this all of this week’s high school action.
Introducing new feature: the Coach's Corner
Monday, December 19th, 2011This week we’re introducing a new feature on Reach for the Wall. Have a swimming question to ask? RFTW is here to help.
Weekly Wrap-up: 12/4 – 12/10
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011High school teams were in action again this week despite teams losing key swimmers to holiday invitationals taking place all weekend. Read recaps and check out scores and times here.
High School Swimming & Diving: Nov. 27 – Dec. 3 Weekly Wrap-Up
Monday, December 5th, 2011This week’s featured meet is Yorktown versus Falls Church in a National District showdown.
WMPSSDL Meet Results: For openers, Good Counsel starts strong
Thursday, November 17th, 2011Good Counsel beat paired Stone Ridge School and Gonzaga College High School, 116-70 and 94-91, respectively, with 1st-place performances by several area stars, including three Olympic Trials qualifiers and a recent National Age Group record holder.
