Swimming Test

Yesterday the girls had their swimming tests.  They both are doing well.  It is nice to have a formal evaluation to know how they are doing. 

Sofia's evaluation shows the following:

1.  She can dive off block in streamline position although she needs to focus more on getting her head between her arms
2.  Freestyle - 50 yards with streamline off the wall, bilateral breathing with flip turns but she has to focus on not breathing from the flags to the finish. - She said she tried this but felt she was going to explode.  I'm not surprised becuase it is probably 7 strokes long so she will just have to get used to the feeling and/or swim that part faster.
3.  Backstroke - 50 yards with streamline off the wall on back to the flags then release one arm then stroke, her head is back and she has a continuous flutter kick (needs to focus on always keeping her feet up).  She also now counts her stroke from the flags to the finish so she can swim hard right to the wall.  She needs to work on her flip turn to make sure she always pushes off the wall on her back and make sure when she starts her back stroke off the wall that her head is back.
4.  Breaststroke - 25 yards with pull out/streamline, proper kick, proper pull onlyto chest with continuous motion to stream line.
5.  Butterfly - This is where Sofia needs work.  She can do 25 yards  with dolphin kick in streamline with correct timing and breaathing but needs to focus on keeping her knees and feet together and getting her elbows clear of the water.

So, she is doing great.  She will stay with another session of the prep team through March and then we will see where the coaches think she should go.  There is another girl in her class, Chloe, who she is friends with and I am friends with her mom who also needs work on her butterfly so we will get together and have Sofia and Chloe have 2-3 private lessons to get their butterfly stroke up to snuff.

Alessandra's evaluation showed the following:

1. Freestyle - This needs work.  Her instructor said that he knows she can do it but yesterday on the test she went out to fast and had to stop half way so he couldn't pass her on it.  I am not surprised that she rushed this on the test day since she was already exhausted before we even got to swimming. She has made big strides on her freestyle though and is no longer doggie paddling every third stroke.
2.  Backstroke - Complete with good body position, leaning back and relaxed.  She has a consistent flutter kick with proper arm pull, elbows straight and her pinky enters tha water first.
3. Elementary Backstroke - Complete with proper kick and arm pull in a glide position.
4. Breaststroke - This needs work.  She needs to coordinate the timing of her arm pull and kick.
5. Sidestroke Kick - This needs work.  She needs to improve her scissor kick and make sure she doesn't roll onto her stomach.
6. Butterfly - She needs to work on her breathing
7. Diving - Complete with a standing dive off the side of the pool.
8. Treading water - Completed with treading water for one minute.
9. Swim underwater - Completed streamline to flags
10. Open Turns - Completed.

So, Ali still has a lot of work to do in the next session of lessons but even though she has not completed all the items in the level four list she has made huge improvements in her swimming.  She has a different instructor on Thursday who will also be giving her a swimming test so we will see if there are any differences in the evaluations.  I'm hoping she will not be as tired on Thursday and will get the complete on the freestyle on Thursday.