by Holly Lickwala, Brent Barnes, and Steve Fogg
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Steve Fogg
We had three TWIMMERS on the PSM roster. Mission Viejo is a great venue with adequate room to spread out. Our tent was in the diving well end of the facility with easy access to everything.
Our PSM TEAM Coach, April Cheadle did a fabulous job all around. Everyone got lots of individual analysis, coaching, encouragement, and great company. After each individual race the swimmer had one on one time with race video input and positive suggestions.
I had some very good races, the 50 Back was a new personal best of 41.14; the 400 IM saw an almost 10 seconds drop from my entry time finishing First in my age group (75-79), and the 200 Back finished about 4 seconds faster than my entry. Each race was a learning experience upon reflection, and I am happy with the overall meet. I had the pleasure to swim on two relays (5th & 6th Place finishes) that were fun and a team building experience for future events, thank you to April for putting these together.
Brent Barnes
The meet was a mixed bag performance wise ranging from setting personal bests in the 50m, 100m and 400m distances to some of the slowest breaststroke (50m, 100m and 200m) times I have swum in this age group. The Marguerite Aquatics Complex is one of my favorite venues to swim at and it did not disappoint. The weather was perfect, the staff and volunteers were super friendly, it was super organized, and the announcers were outstanding. As Steve mentioned above, April was a fantastic coach who always had an encouraging word and feedback for everyone. She recorded all the races and provided some great analysis that I will incorporate going forward!
Holly Lickwala
Ahh, Mission Viejo! There is just so much special about this venue. Early morning warm up, 6:15 am, with the sun giving the first glimmers of sunlight in the background just cannot be beat! The pool is top notch and a pleasure in which to swim. While swimming best times is always fun, that was not so much my focus for this meet. One of my goals was to get through all my events without deciding to no show. Goal achieved. The other was to get through the 200 fly without completely falling apart. The 200 fly was not only physically exhausting but also a mental challenge as it landed on the 5th day of competition and was my 7th race. The comradery behind the blocks between a group of tired 200 butterfliers is as true example of compassion and support. Completing that race and placing 3rd, while not a best time, brought the biggest smile to my face and the most sense of relief. I felt the most honored being chosen to swim in two relays with three other inspiring PSM women, placing 5th and 6th these events. Through all the different challenges of the meet, Coach April was the most supportive and encouraging coach I could have asked for. April, thank you for every moment you spend helping me be a better swimmer.
Thank you to all of the hard-working volunteers, timers, officials, massage therapists for helping to support the Mission Viejo Natators put together a wonderful Summer Nationals.
Next Summer Nationals is in Federal Way. I encouraged each of you to pick one event to swim and experience the excitement of this event. Let’s make it a memorable event.
