Here's What an Olympic Athlete's Training Schedule Looks Like (Hint: It's Not Easy)     Training for the Olympics is no joke, and few people have their formula down quite like swimmer Natalie Coughlin. The 12-time Olympic medalist knows a thing or two about consistency, as she's been competing (and winning) for about two decades. This year, she's gearing up for the Summer 2016 Olympics in hopes of qualifying for Team USA yet again via the trials, so she's got quite a busy training schedule.   For the past three...

USADA Information     2016 Athlete Handbook A comprehensive resource providing an overview of the doping control process, athlete rights and responsibilities, and other crucial information. View PDF   2016 Athlete Pocket Guide A condensed resource providing an overview of the doping control process, athlete rights and responsibilities, and other crucial information for young athletes and their parents and coaches. View PDF   2016 Wallet Card A quick reference summary of prohibited and permitted substances under the WADA Prohibited List. View PDF

Wish Team USA Athlete's Good Luck and Win a Trip to the Team USA Awards in October   Hey — want to hang out with Team USA? Here's how: Send a digital postcard to your favorite athletes wishing them good luck in Rio, and you'll be entered to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Team USA Awards in Washington, D.C. this October! We'll collect your card with others from across the country and share them with the athletes at Team Processing. Why is that cool? Processing is the last stop...

4 Questions for Swim Parents About Goals   A former head coach of our team held meetings each season with his senior swimmers to talk about what they wanted to achieve. He had them fill out worksheets spelling out their goals.   He took it one step further—he asked parents to fill out goal sheets as well. He said it was very interesting to match up goals of parents and swimmers. Often, they were not on the same page. What do you suppose happens when a swimmer wants to have...

Sports Scientists Recommend Daily Bar of Dark Chocolate to Boost Athletic Performance   There’s one more reason to reach for a bar of chocolate daily besides losing weight, improving memory and protecting the heart. The reason comes sports scientists who say it boosts athletic performance.   However, a newly released Kingston University London study specified it should be dark chocolate. The research was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, reports The Telegraph.   Rishikesh Kankesh Patel, a postgraduate research student and leader of the team,...

5 Reasons to Love Spring Training   There is a six-week period between returning from spring break and the end of the school year that many refer to as spring training. It’s the time of year where most swimmers don’t have a big meet coming up and you can put all your focus into the finer details of swimming. As we linger somewhere in this part of the year-round cycle (approaching the end for many collegiate swimmers while just beginning for most club teams), here are some reasons why spring training is a favorite:  ...

Blue Rasberries Win 27th Annual CVST Blue/Green Meet   For the first time in years, the Annual CVST Blue/Green Meet didn't come dow to the last few events.  This year the win was by a larger margin.  But even thought the Blue Team, Captained by Meredith Seibold, won the meet, there were great swims by both teams and even some new Meet Records set b yboth teams!   New Meet Records: 8&Under Girls 25 Breaststroke - Morgan Labella - :26.32 8&Under Boys 25 Breaststroke - Bruno Boroweic - :24.25 10&Under...

6 Swim Parent Tips about Hard Work by Elizabeth Wickham   At a high school swim meet, I heard coaches say that kids today don’t like hard work. One coach mentioned that kids are spread so thin with school, homework, volunteering, sports, etc. —and many of their activities are done to check a box. I am thankful for the work ethic my kids gained through swimming in a year-round club program. Many kids who don’t have that experience won’t learn the lessons and rewards of hard work like our year-round...

CVST Releases 2017 Boys & Girls Club Nat's Dates   The Carrollwood Village Swim Team and North Shore Pool have announced the dates for the 2017 Boys & Girls Club National Swimming Championships.  Next year's Championship will be held the weekend before Easter, on April 7-9, 2017, at the North Shore Pool , in St. Petersburg.  Questions can be directed to Info@CVST.org.  

Top Myths About Sugar Substitutes Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RDN, CSSD   Andrew (not his real name) is a 15-year-old swimmer who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 6. He controls his diabetes with insulin shots, monitors his blood sugar, and eats a healthy diet.  At swim practice he was drinking a diet soft drink and was told by another swimmer’s mom that he was “killing himself” by drinking diet soda because the artificial sweetener in the drink was “toxic.”  There are many myths about sugar substitutes, fueled...