Week #7 Recap; Bring on Week #8

We had a thrilling win against Armstrong on Thursday night! The girls are learning how to compete while tired, focusing on mindset and not letting factors outside their control—like environment, heat, water temperature, or quick turnarounds between races—dictate performance. The meet came down to the very last event, a reminder that every single point in every single event matters.

The tone was set right away by our divers, who dominated at the Plymouth Lifetime Pool and gave us a 13–3 lead heading into the swimming events at Armstrong. While this was incorporated into the score after the 50 Free, their momentum carried through the rest of the meet and helped secure the team victory.

This week we look forward to our final home dual meet against Coon Rapids on Tuesday, September 30th—also our Senior Night! This will be our last conference dual as we battle for the top spot in our division. I’m excited to celebrate our seniors and see the girls compete at home one more time. 

We transition to late practices this week. With the weather turning colder (and unpredictable!), please remind athletes to dress warmly and cover wet hair when leaving the pool. We also talked as a team about planning ahead—balancing academics, rest, and training—so we stay healthy and avoid burning the candle at both ends. Please note we diverge from the normal late practice schedule on Thursday, October 2nd, as Rogers hosts their final home meet. We will have an early practice that day which will end at 4:30pm for all athletes as we have to be out of the pool at that time. 

Looking ahead to Week #9:

• Tuesday, October 7th – Dual meet at STMA
• Saturday, October 11th – True Team Invitational at Brainerd

The True Team lineup will be finalized and posted early next week. If your athlete is unable to attend, please let me know right away. While entries are limited, we are allowed four swimmers per event (including relays - 16 individuals for each relay are needed), which gives us the opportunity to bring a larger group. True Team is just as it sounds, a true team event as every place earns points. This is always a highly competitive meet against many of our Section 8AA rivals—and a valuable chance to race in the Brainerd pool, which will also host the 2025 Section 8AA Championships. Timelines will be shared as soon as they are available.

Here is the link to our ERGSD Master Schedule. 

Have a wonderful evening!

Coach Odegard