Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Bring Some Energy to Meet Gap
1/14/2022 6:27:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Intrasquad scrimmage helps build some confidence
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The energy was dipping, which didn't surprise Christopher Woodard.
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His Colorado State women's swimming and diving team is in the torturous part of the season, where the volume and voracity is peaking and the body is feeling beat down. He could sense it in their movements, even the questions they were asking.
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The team hadn't raced since Nov. 20 in Houston, and the winter training trip to California which included double dual with Fresno State and San Diego State last week was shut down by COVID concerns on other teams. His team needed something to break out of the doldrums.
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"We always face this every year, but if we don't have a meet immediately in early January, you're looking at a two-month layoff. So you have to create opportunities to race and work out, and we've been doing that over the last two weeks, so there's no substitute for going head to head."
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So "Tina's Terrors" took on "Madi's Menaces" at Moby Pool in a full-meet slate off odd-distance swims, a mix of 75s and 150s with the relays in off-set yardage. Captain's Kristina Friedrichs and Madison Hunter split the teams as evenly as they could and lined up and raced, with Friedrichs team coming out on top.
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Which was the least most overlooked outcome of the day.
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"I think this was really important because we lost the chance to do it at training trip and get really hyped as a team, even if it was some tough teams to compete with," Amanda Hoffman said. "I think having this opportunity to get up, even at odd distances, it showed each other we've been working hard and we're ready for championship season.
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"I think everybody deserves to feel confident about themselves. At the beginning of the season, I was out, which was unfortunate. It's important to me everybody feels confident in what they have to give, because I watched them put in the work from the very beginning and I'm so invested in each and every person on this team. I'm so excited to watch them crush it. This practice was really great because we all got the chance."
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Times weren't as important as the ability to step up to the blocks and cut it loose, but some of the times hit the mark with what Hoffman talked about. Confidence.
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Swimmers are used to training, but they're also used to being tested in a meet to see where the training is leading them. The Rams have not had those for a while, and it doesn't take a leap of faith to know a really good 75 will lead to good things when an extra 25 yards is added to the end.
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Like Hoffman, Kendra Preski has missed some time, and being able to put together two really good freestyle swims felt great to her.
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"I think I needed some more confidence, so today definitely helped," she said. "Both of my races helped me today. I try not to worry about the times, because if I do that, I'll get in my head. I liked how I swam them, and I feel like I'm not afraid to go after it in those races."
Â
Preski figured it out on her own, finding she could attack her races more aggressively than she had been, which was the part of the day Woodard liked best. He was on deck, stopwatch in hand, but he was able to take in the competition without a lot of questions.
Â
Nobody asked him how to go after a race, what their strategy should be; a good sign of a maturing team, one that even at 13-0 on the year, still needed to test itself and find reassurances the plan is working.
Â
"There were no complaints, there were no breakdowns," he said. "Nobody came up to me and said they were worried about the race or how to strategize it. They didn't approach the coaches, they handled it as a team, so the racing was on them, and that's impressive."
Â
The jolt of energy to training was welcomed, as was the ability to shake off some cobwebs with a double dual this coming weekend at Air Force. There was some good-natured trash talk and a bit more team bonding.
Â
It also served as a necessary reminder. The long break had started to lead them mentally in one direction, but the intrasquad meet brought back the reality the championship season is fast approaching and they can shoulder a bit more training before they start to taper.
Â
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His Colorado State women's swimming and diving team is in the torturous part of the season, where the volume and voracity is peaking and the body is feeling beat down. He could sense it in their movements, even the questions they were asking.
Â
The team hadn't raced since Nov. 20 in Houston, and the winter training trip to California which included double dual with Fresno State and San Diego State last week was shut down by COVID concerns on other teams. His team needed something to break out of the doldrums.
Â
"We always face this every year, but if we don't have a meet immediately in early January, you're looking at a two-month layoff. So you have to create opportunities to race and work out, and we've been doing that over the last two weeks, so there's no substitute for going head to head."
Â
So "Tina's Terrors" took on "Madi's Menaces" at Moby Pool in a full-meet slate off odd-distance swims, a mix of 75s and 150s with the relays in off-set yardage. Captain's Kristina Friedrichs and Madison Hunter split the teams as evenly as they could and lined up and raced, with Friedrichs team coming out on top.
Â
Which was the least most overlooked outcome of the day.
Â
"I think this was really important because we lost the chance to do it at training trip and get really hyped as a team, even if it was some tough teams to compete with," Amanda Hoffman said. "I think having this opportunity to get up, even at odd distances, it showed each other we've been working hard and we're ready for championship season.
Â
"I think everybody deserves to feel confident about themselves. At the beginning of the season, I was out, which was unfortunate. It's important to me everybody feels confident in what they have to give, because I watched them put in the work from the very beginning and I'm so invested in each and every person on this team. I'm so excited to watch them crush it. This practice was really great because we all got the chance."
Â
Times weren't as important as the ability to step up to the blocks and cut it loose, but some of the times hit the mark with what Hoffman talked about. Confidence.
Â
Swimmers are used to training, but they're also used to being tested in a meet to see where the training is leading them. The Rams have not had those for a while, and it doesn't take a leap of faith to know a really good 75 will lead to good things when an extra 25 yards is added to the end.
Â
Like Hoffman, Kendra Preski has missed some time, and being able to put together two really good freestyle swims felt great to her.
Â
"I think I needed some more confidence, so today definitely helped," she said. "Both of my races helped me today. I try not to worry about the times, because if I do that, I'll get in my head. I liked how I swam them, and I feel like I'm not afraid to go after it in those races."
Â
Preski figured it out on her own, finding she could attack her races more aggressively than she had been, which was the part of the day Woodard liked best. He was on deck, stopwatch in hand, but he was able to take in the competition without a lot of questions.
Â
Nobody asked him how to go after a race, what their strategy should be; a good sign of a maturing team, one that even at 13-0 on the year, still needed to test itself and find reassurances the plan is working.
Â
"There were no complaints, there were no breakdowns," he said. "Nobody came up to me and said they were worried about the race or how to strategize it. They didn't approach the coaches, they handled it as a team, so the racing was on them, and that's impressive."
Â
The jolt of energy to training was welcomed, as was the ability to shake off some cobwebs with a double dual this coming weekend at Air Force. There was some good-natured trash talk and a bit more team bonding.
Â
It also served as a necessary reminder. The long break had started to lead them mentally in one direction, but the intrasquad meet brought back the reality the championship season is fast approaching and they can shoulder a bit more training before they start to taper.
Â
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