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...

Annual Blue & Green Team Practices Wednesday & Thursday   With the CVST Blue/Green Meet this Friday, the Annual Blue & Green Team Practices will also take place this week as follows: Wednesday, April 20 - Blue Team 4:30-5:30pm / Green Team 5:30-6:30pm Thursday, April 21 - Green Team 4:30-5:30pm / Blue Team 5:30-6:30pm   The actual Blue/Green Meet will be held Friday, with warm-ups for both teams beginning at 4:30 pm and the meet beginning at 5:30 pm.  Immediately following the meet, will be the Annual CVST Family Relays...

Stimulant, Banned From Sports, Found in Dietary Supplements in U.S. FDA has warned makers of 8 products containing oxilofrine, or methylsynephrine   THURSDAY, April 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A stimulant banned from competitive sports has been found in more than a dozen dietary supplements marketed for "burning" body fat.   Researchers found the stimulant -- called oxilofrine -- in 14 supplement brands sold in the United States. All of the products listed the substance on their labels, but under the alternative name of methylsynephrine.   Experts said the results...

17 Things Every Swimmer Does (But would never admit) By: Olivier Poirier-Leroy   We’re a funny bunch. We dunk our heads into water for hours at a time and have staring matches with a black tiled line (usually losing). We don’t shave our bodies for months at a time, and spend thousands of hours training in order to drop tenths or hundredths of a second.   There are the things that we fully cop to (peeing in the pool, is one glaring example), and a host of others that we...