Look for Swimmers of the Month pictures on our new NBAC athletes board at the pool by the office.

October 03 Swimmers of the Month: Merope Griffin and Derek Casados
Our Age Group Swimmers of the Month for October were chosen because of their improved practice performances. In fact, if we had an award for “Most Improved Practice Swimmer” Merope Griffin and Derek Casados would both be nominated!  Merope and Derek have quite a few things in common:  they are both members of the Blue Group and have always had very good practice attendance. In addition, both Merope and Derek have always been really good at racing during swim meets.  However it is not until recently that they have decided to use their speed during practice.  In the past, it was common to find either one of them at the end of their lane or missing laps. Not anymore!!  Now you can find Merope battling to lead Lane 6 and you can spot Derek at the front of his lane, racing to lead the group!  Not only have Derek and Merope made a change in their practice speed, but both have also made huge improvements in their focus on technique. Merope now works very hard to improve her swimming even on butterfly and kicking (2 of her least favorites!)  Derek’s ability to focus on technique continues to improve each day and he has been working hard on his turns and streamlines!  Merope and Derek are beginning to understand that the way you practice truly relates to the way you perform at a swim meet. 
Congratulations Derek and Merope!  

September 03 Swimmers of the Month: Amelia Gutkoska & Scott Mattheiss
 We start off our new season with two September Swimmers of the Month!  Both Amelia Gutkoska and Scott Mattheiss are alumni of the North Baltimore Swim School and the NBAC Stroke Clinic.  Last year, they both became members of the Blue Group.  After spending last year adjusting to the new workload and the new lingo, both Amelia and Scott have made tremendous progress and are now able to do the more challenging workout at practice on a regular basis.  They both continue to improve their technique while they improve their fitness level.  Their consistent attendance (both are 100% members this month) and their desire to improve have helped them make such big leaps in their training!  
Congratulations Amelia & Scott!  Keep up the good work!
February 03 Swimmer of the Month: Carolyn Slife
Setting goals can be easy…but working to achieve your goals every single day is hard work.  However, as our February Swimmer of the Month has learned, the hard work pays off.  Carolyn Slife has proven that if you keep your goals in mind every day at practice, you will enjoy greater benefits when the meets come!

After a disappointing Christmas meet, Carolyn Slife decided that she was going to make a change.  She wanted to t go to a meet and get 100 % best times so she and Rachael discussed what she could do to achieve this goal and there ahs been no looking back ever since.  Although Carolyn has been a longtime and regular member for the 100% club, she knew that just coming to practices wasn’t enough…she had to give 100% at everything she did at practice.  She continued to work on her technique and started to pay attention to her times in practice.  Instead of saying “ I don’t want to do this” Carolyn now gets excited about sets and the challenge of racing her teammates and her times.  Carolyn swam at the Frederick Mini Meet in the beginning of February and for the first time all year, Carolyn was 100% best times!  And she hasn’t stopped there….later in February she went a best time in her 100 breast at practice!

Congratulations Carolyn!

January 03 Swimmer of the Month: Allison Barnes
Allison Barnes started off the season with a mission: She wanted to be recognized as one of the best 13-14 girls in the state. This is not an easy task for a 13 year old. However, Allison is not afraid of hard work or challenges. Since she joined the Senior Performance group, she has proven herself at practices with consistently tough performances. Most impressively, Allison manages to swim fast every day while working to improve her technique. Not only can you spot Allison working on her head position during a breaststroke set, but also she will swim an entire freestyle set without breathing on the first stroke out of a turn! Watch her these days and you will find her working on “two in, two out”. It is because of Allison’s consistently hard work ethic and attention to the little things that she has already met her goal. Allison has listed on the Maryland Top 5 in four different events (100,200,1000,1650 free). Her latest performance in the mile at the ASC senior meet (1/31) secured her spot as third fastest 13-14 girl in Maryland, and made her the 7th fastest 13 year old in the U.S. this year. Congratulations Allison, on being named January’s Swimmer of the Month.  

December 02: The December Swimmer of the Month is 13 year old Kevin Spath of the Senior Performance Group. Like many other Swimmers of the Month before him, Kevin has excellent practice attendance (100 % in December) a great work ethic and a consistently good attitude. Kevin’s consistency has really shown through in his practices as he swims hard each day and never has excuses. Although he can never correctly guess which set Paul will dish out next, he still aims for best times during practice (like the 2:23 200 breast he swam last week—a best time by 5 seconds!)

Congratulations Kevin!

November 02 Swimmer of the Month: Maggie Gallagher
The Swimmer of the Month for November has all of the traits that you would usually find a S.O.M. selection:  she comes to 100% of her practices, she gives it her all at each one, she concentrates on her technique (you should see her streamlines!!), she does her dryland, she has a positive attitude at each practice, and she does all of this day in and day out. She also happens to be one of the youngest members on our team. Maggie Gallagher, who just turned 7 this week, has already developed good training habits that will help her have a successful swimming career. Maggie came to NBAC just before Halloween when her family moved to Bel Air from Virginia. In the short time that she has been here, her hard work and consistency (not to mention her dancing skills) have made a big impression. Regardless of what kind of practice the Yellow Group has planned, Maggie is ready to give it her best! Congratulations Maggie, and keep up the good work!
October 02 Swimmer of the Month
Swimmers of the month are the people who attend practice every day. They are the people who give 100% no matter what they are asked to do. They work hard during dryland and focus on their stroke technique even in the middle of a set. They know their times during a set and they continue to push themselves even when they are tired. Many swimmers display one or two of these characteristics each day, but very few show them consistently for an entire month. Megan Kurtzman is one of these people, and has been named October’s Swimmer of the Month. Megan, who just turned 11 last month, has not let being at the bottom of her new age group stop her. In fact, it seems to have inspired her. Each day Megan comes in she gives her best effort at each task put before her, whether it is during dryland or a set. She keeps her goals in mind and is constantly assessing her own performances in practice. Perhaps Megan’s greatest strength is her ability to push herself, even when she does not feel well, as well as her ability to keep a positive attitude even when she would rather be watching Sponge Bob. Congratulations Megan!

September 02 Swimmers of the Month
When someone swims for NBAC, swimmers who work their buns off day after day surround them. So picking a “Swimmer of the Month” can be difficult. However, in September there were two swimmers who made it their missions to stand out from the crowd. Hope Griffin and Kristina Delp are September’s Swimmers of the month. Hope Griffin started out the new season as a member of the Yellow group, but she had her eyes on the Blue group from the first day of practice. While Hope always works hard at practice, the coaches were not quite sure that she was ready to move up. So, Hope SHOWED us she was ready. Within the first two weeks of practice, Hope had clearly demonstrated the gap between her and the Yellow group. Now in the Blue group, Hope continues to shine as she routinely swims on the faster interval designed for the “older” members of her group. Hope is also a regular member of the NBAC 100% club. Kristina Delp is also a regular at workouts, and she has done a great job of stepping up this month. Kristina has led the workout many times, and has turned in some great workout swims. To become a Swimmer of the Month, the coaches have to see some kind of major improvement – Kristina’s major improvement has been increasing her workout toughness and intensity. Congratulations to both of the fabulous September Swimmers of the Month!