Quote of the Day

 

What has been will be again, what has been

done will be done again;  there is

nothing new under the sun.

King Solomon

Quote of the Day

 

I swear to hold my tongue about it till the end

of your worship's days, and God grant I

may be able to let it out tomorrow.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Imprimis

 

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Quote of the Day

 

The fault lies not with the mob, who demands

nonsense, but with those who do not

know how to produce anything else.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Quote of the Day

 

The truth may be stretched thin, but it

never breaks , and it always surfaces

above lies, as oil floats on water.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Quote of the Week

 

Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown.

 

Charles de Gaulle

Quote of the Week

 

A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.

 

William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey

Quote of the Week

 

Our streets are the new asylums.

 

 Jonathan Choe

Enjoy:

Quote of the Week

Good questions outrank easy answers.

Paul Anthony Samuelson

Quote of the Week

We must dare to be great;  and we must

realize that greatness is the fruit of toil

and sacrifice and high courage.

 

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt Jr.

 

Coaching Freshmen?

 

Quote of the Week

 

It is amazing how complete is the

delusion that beauty is goodness.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, a.k.a. Leo Tolstoy

New TISCA Site

 

I've just updated the link under "High School" for TISCA.

 

Visit the new site here

Quote of the Week

 

May the forces of evil become confused

on the way to your house.

 

George Denis Patrick Carlin

 

Success usually comes to those who

are too busy to be looking for it.

 

Henry David Thoreau

 

Quote of the Week

 

When you find yourself on the side of the

majority, it's time to pause and reflect.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain

How'd We Do?

 

 

The final 4A swim poll of the 2022-23 season was sent out in January.

 

Here's how our committee's rankings compared to the team standings in the 2023 UIL 4A championships:

 

Girls Poll

 

1. Great Hearts Monte Vista

2. Decatur

3. Panther Creek

4T. Andrews

4T. Davenport

6T. El Campo

6T. Gateway

8. Burnet

9. Monahans

10T. Boerne

10T. Hudson

 

Also receiving votes:  Calallen & Tuloso-Midway

 

2023 Girls UIL 4A State Meet*

1. Great Hearts Monte Vista

2. Panther Creek

3. El Campo

4. Davenport

5. Gateway

6. Andrews

7. Decatur

8. Burnet

9. Boerne

10. Hudson 

 

Boys Poll

 

1. Andrews

2. Tuloso-Midway

3. Decatur

4. Alice

5. Davenport

6. Great Hearts Monte Vista

7. El Campo

8. Burnet

9. Wichita Falls

10. Gateway

 

Also receiving votes:  Boerne, Hudson, Monahans, Pecos, Ranchview, & Stafford

2023 Boys UIL 4A State Meet*

1. Andrews

2. Tuloso-Midway

3. Decatur

4. Wichita Falls

5. Alice

6. Great Hearts Monte Vista

7. Boerne

8. Davenport

9. El Campo

10. Ranchview

*Bullseye!

 

Quote of the Week

 

The possibilities are numerous once

we decide to act and not react.

 

 George Bernard Shaw

 

Quote of the Week

 

Fortune knocks but once, but misfortune

has much more patience.

 

Laurence Johnston Peter

 

 

Quote of the Day

 

Mountains are like the great equalizer.   It doesn't

matter who anyone is or what they do.

via Jimmy Chin

Jimmy Chin

Quote of the Day

 

Fear urged him to go back,

but growth drove him on.

John Griffith "Jack" London

Quote of the Day

 

Intelligent men are cruel.  Stupid

men are monstrously cruel.

John Griffith "Jack" London

Quote of the Day

 

To be able to forget means sanity.

John Griffith "Jack" London

Swimming Against the Tide

 

In case y'all haven't gotten the memo, our fall TISCA clinic is no more.

 

The reason we've been given?

 

Weekends in September are inconvenient for water polo coaches*.

 

How did this happen?

 

It's possible (probable?) that polo coaches filled out the Google Form and chose the April option, while non-polo coaches didn't give a hoot.

Why does it matter?  What is so important about a fall clinic?

• Coaches are eager for ideas to train swimmers & divers for the upcoming season.
• New coaches may be desperate for help in planning their practices & season.
  
• TM & MM issues are often discussed, helping us smooth out the tech side of our sport.
• In-person votes for district & region reps are held.
• New NFHS & UIL rules are discussed.
• Coaches with gaps in their schedules are often able to fill in those open dates.
• Quality speakers are offered in swimming, diving, and water polo tracks.
• Vendors demonstrate & take orders for equipment, suits, warm-ups, parkas, etc.
  

Those are just a few reasons a fall clinic is critical for swim & dive coaches.

 

There's little doubt in my mind that TISCA founders put our clinic in September for good reason.  Moving it to April is going to hurt our organization and our athletes.

 

In the short-term, I suggest swim coaches take advantage of the ASCA World Clinic in Dallas this September.

 

Long-term?  If our membership doesn't come to its senses and bring back a fall clinic, it might be time to change our acronym to TIPCA...

*There's also a move to force our coaches into a THSCA-run clinic.  In recent years, THSCA has begun to form a monopoly** of sorts, bringing "minor" sports into their "fold".  We're their next "victim".  No fall clinic for you swim/dive coaches?  Come to our mega-all-sports clinic in the summer!

 

**Remember what you learned back in school, kiddos:

 

MONOPOLY = BAD

 

Episode XXXVI

 

 

 

Time for another episode of SwimTalk A2B.  Another former swimmer of ours, Andy Korda, chatted it up with us.

 

Andy wasn't like most swimmers...those who wonder:  "What's wrong with those guys?  Who would ever want to be a swim coach?"

Episode XXXVI:  Andy Korda

 

 

Quote of the Day

 

The Wild still lingered in him and

the wolf in him merely slept.

John Griffith "Jack" London

Episode XXXV

 

 

 

In the latest episode of SwimTalk A2B, we reconnected with a former Katy age-group swimmer of ours, Lawrence "LD" Romine.

 

Lawrence dropped out of our sport at a young age, but is now showing off his swimming skills on the triathlon circuit.

Episode XXXV:  Lawrence Romine

 

 

Quote of the Day

 

When a subject becomes totally obsolete,

we make it a required course.

Peter Ferdinand Drucker

Quote of the Day

 

I was court-martialed in my absence, and

sentenced to death in my absence.  So I

said they could shoot me in my absence.

Brendan Francis Aidan Behan

 

TISCA Awards Nomination Deadline

 

Get your nominations in for the following awards ASAP:

 

Theron Pickle Lifetime Achievement

 

Craig Nolder Diving Lifetime Achievement

 

TISCA COTY

 

TISCA Assistant COTY

 

Nominations close April 15.  Links are on TISCA site here.

 

You'll also find a state meet evaluation form there as well.

Quote of the Day

 

There's no such thing as failure -

just waiting for success.

 

John James Osborne

Quote of the Day

 

It is discouraging how many people are shocked

by honesty and how few by deceit.

 

Sir Noël Peirce Coward

 

Matt Schneider (1960-2023)

Sad news to report.  Last month, former TISCA President Matt Schneider passed away.  Read his obit here.

In the late 1990's, Matt worked closely with UIL personnel with a goal of creating the original 4A/5A divisions for Texas high school swimming & diving.  Once a viable solution to the numerous hurdles were worked out, he led a handful of influential coaches who presented their proposal to the Legislative Council.

After one failed attempt - and a year of "back to the drawing board" work, Matt took his TISCA coaches back to Austin.  The effort he spearheaded was successful and our state meet doubled in size almost overnight.

Since then, our sport has benefitted from outstanding cooperation between TISCA and the UIL.  Matt showed them that we're a pro-athlete organization with no hidden agenda.  When we're lobbying for rule/policy changes, it's for our kids' benefit.

Without Schneider's work twenty-five years ago, do you think our athletes would have opportunities like twenty-four qualifiers for the 5A & 6A state championships?  Consolation finals in all region meets?  A newly created third division for swimming & diving?

I learned a great deal from Matt.  He was a great friend, an outstanding coach, and a fine educator.

Quote of the Day

 

The higher the building the lower the morals.

Sir Noël Peirce Coward

Quote of the Day

 

It's so simple to be wise.  Just think of some-

thing stupid to say and say the opposite.

 

Samuel "Sam" Levenson

 

Bonnie Adams, Round II

 

Newest episode went up yesterday:

Swim Talk A2B XXXIV - Bonnie Adams

Midmar Mile Official Site

OZ Mile Swim Official Site

Quote of the Day

 

A man should live with his superiors as he

does with his fire:  not too near, let he

burn;  nor too far off, lest he freeze.

 

Albert Pike

 

2023 All-State Lists

 

Preliminary All-State lists for 4A, 5A, & 6A individual and relay swimming are posted on TISCA site here.

 

Diving and Academic lists coming soon.

Quote of the Day

 

Words are, of course, the most

powerful drug used by mankind.

 

Joseph Rudyard Kipling

 

Ouch!

 

Lily King Clinic at Swim Houston

 

There are still a few slots available for the Lily King Clinic at Swim Houston Aquatic Center on Saturday, March 25.

Get details and tickets HERE

Quote of the Day

 

Rebellion without truth is like

spring in a bleak, arid desert.

Khalil Gibran

Another Adequate Episode

 

 

Listen to the latest at the link below:

 

Swim Talk A2B - XXXIII - Mike Waldmann

 

 

Quote of the Day

 

Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

John William Gardner

 

Quote of the Day

 

A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong.

 

 

 Tecumseh

 

Quote of the Day

 

Destiny is no matter of chance.  It is a matter of choice.  It

is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

 

William Jennings Bryan

 

Kutztown Men's Program Reinstatement on A2B

 

We chatted w/Kutztown head coach Tim Flannery last month.

Sorry it's taken me a couple of weeks to get this on the blog...I've been busier'n a one-legged man in an a**-kickin' contest...

If you click on the link below, it'll take you to our Swim Talk A2B page on Anchor, where you'll have several options on how to listen.

There, find more episodes of our Occasionally "Adequate", but Not Nearly "Good" podcast.

Swim Talk A2B on Anchor

Quote of the Day

 

Be willing to be uncomfortable.  Be comfortable

being uncomfortable.  It may get tough, but

it's a small price to pay for living a dream.

via Prabook

Peter McWilliams

Quote of the Day

 

Do you want to be safe and good, or do

you want to take a chance and be great?

James William "Jimmy" Johnson

Quote of the Day

 

If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Quote of the Day

 

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one

less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Robert Lee Frost

Quote of the Day

 

Everything you want in life has a price connected

to it.  There's a price to pay if you want to make

things better, a price to pay just for leaving

things as they are, a price for everything.

Harry Edson Browne

Quote of the Day

 

In my own life, as the nearer I get to the end of

life on this earth, the simpler I want to become.

Fred McFeely Rogers