Tis the Season by Coach Julie Harrington

Tis the season… With Thanksgiving looming this week I cant help but be thankful for all that I have in my life and my journeys that have led me to the amazing city of Fort Worth.
- First and foremost I am thankful for my family and friends. They are the most amazing people I know!
- For finding this opportunity at TCU. Not only do I get to do something I love like coaching but I am also getting my masters as well. I never thought I would be able to go back to school but it’s been a pretty smooth transition and a state of art education as well.
- My co workers. I have worked with many groups over the years but I think the coaching staff here at TCU has something special going.
Richard: One of the most knowledgeable coaches I know, he has been doing this for over 30 years and I can see why the program has been so successful over the years. He is also one the most generous people I know.
Bill: My morning coaching buddy. He is such a great coach and I have learned a lot from him. Bill is going to be an amazing head coach someday; his only downfall is he is a dolphins fan.
Keegan: Has made the transition to Texas so easy. She knows her stuff when it comes to swimming and it’s been great learning from her too! She is amazing head coach material.
Matt: aka tripod aka my officemate. He makes it easy to share our office space with our jokes and videos. He is going to do big things someday… remember his name!
Wayne: A remarkable diving coach. Our male diver Kyle has two divers of the week honors under his belt, an overall funny guy and pleasure to work with.
Laura: The glue that holds us together. She is truly part of our coaching staff and we would be lost without her.
Kendall: She puts us back together when we are broken (even me) and does it with a giant smile.
Theo and Heather: our faithful Managers… they work so hard to make our lives easier.We all have one goal: making this program the best it can be and we are almost there.
- The TCU swimming and diving team: These kids work their butts off. There is hardly any complaining and they work well together as ONE team. The guys are undefeated and the girls have notched five wins in their belts. I am so excited to see what these kids will do at championships. I think we will be turning some heads in the Mountain West Conference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- TCU Football: what a ride they have had this year. I hope the stars align and they can play for a National Championship.
- The Athletic Department at TCU: They truly know how to treat their student athletes. They are a first class operation. I know how hard everyone works and its definitely paying off.
- Joe T Garcias: They have the most delicious Mexican food I have ever tasted. Ok I have rambled on long enough; I have a lot to be thankful for.

I hope that when you are sitting around the table come this Thursday you appreciate who or what is special to you! HAPPY THANKSGIVING and GO FROGS!!!!!!!!!!!

The Thrill of Competition

As I was sitting in the packed Amon G Carter stadium last Saturday night watching the #4 TCU football team roll over #16 Utah in front of an over-capacity crowd (50,307), I realized why we do what we do. For anyone in athletics, all of your work and effort is focused on experiencing that highest level of competition and reaching your peak. It is something that you put in hours of practice for, only to experience a few times a year. When you come upon these moments you must rely on your training because once the adrenaline starts flowing all you can do is enjoy the ride.

College swimming is a little different than club swimming in that it truly becomes a team sport. In a collegiate dual meet it is all about racing the person next to you. Your time becomes a little less important and the push for victory becomes a driving force. This an event where the crowd plays a big role, performances from your teammates can inspire you, and a 1-2-3 finish in an event is enough to shift the momentum at any point of the meet. In short, every single dual meet provides you that opportunity to experience the ultimate high of competition.

The Mountain West Conference provides a unique situation in which every school must compete against one another in a dual meet each year (home one year, away the next). They crown a regular season (dual meet) champion in addition to the end-of-year conference meet champion. This places the sport in line with other sports that may have a conference tournament or championship game. However, it also provides some interesting fodder for coaches and swimmers who have always been focused on end-of-year tapered performances. I would argue "Why can't you have both?!" Place your emphasis on racing hard in your dual meets because those competitions are what makes college swimming so great. If you are following your season's training plan, your taper and end-of-year performances will still be great! Enjoy both aspects of what makes college swimming so great and unique from other levels of swimming.

We are continuing on our journey this Saturday with the first home meet against MWC foe Wyoming. The men look to improve to 2-0 and the women to 2-2 in conference. We also look forward to showing this to our newly signed 2010 freshmen next year: Michael Franz (Carmichael, CA), Ryker Saunders (Franklin, TN), Emily Rose Creighton (Newmarket, Ontario), Michelle Fleming (Whitby, Ontario), Taylor Bentley (Georgetown, TX), Christine Riddle (Colleyville, TX), and Mandy Vincent (Woodbridge, VA).

GO FROGS!!

What a time to be a Horned Frog

I don't think we can say it enough this week, but "WHAT A TIME TO BE A HORNED FROG!" Our Football team is ranked #4 in the country, Volleyball is riding an 8 game win streak while breathing down the neck of first place Colorado State, and we have the Mountain West Conference Male Swimmer & Diver of the Week (Edgar Crespo & Kyle Callens).

As most typical sports fans, I start day dreaming about what could make an already amazing week even better. First, I envision College Gameday with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard gracing the commons on Saturday morning. It's a picturesque scene with Frog Fountain in the background, a sea of purple horned frog fanatics throughout the commons, and not a cloud to be found in a perfect rhody blue sky.

Continuing to dream about what could make an already great week even better, I enivision Amon G Carter stadium completely full BEFORE THE STAR SPANGLED Banner. Now I know I must be dreaming, if the stadium is completely full before kickoff. The same sea of purple horned frog fanatics which was on the commons earlier, has now flooded into Amon G Carter, and painted the whole stadium purple.

Finally it's time for our Horned Frogs to take the field, but with all dreams I decide to take it one step further. Our TCU Horned Frogs come out in special edition Nike Pro Combat Uniforms specifically designed for our team! Our DONT BACK DOWN logo can be found on the gloves, shoes, and inside the collar of the jersey. And what really makes a Horned Frog Gnarley in the Animal Planet, we SPIT BLOOD from our eyes, no lie, we SPIT BLOOD from our eyes. The helmets will have streaks of blood as if its coming from our own eyes. Oh man, even though I'm dreaming I have goosebumps thinking about these Uni's!

To cap this whole dream off, we end up beating Utah 44-0 while Florida, Alabama, and Texas all lose! As I come out of my day dream because some is yelling at me "TRIPOD, TRIPOD!" I realize this wasn't a dream at all, well except for the last part, it's actually all taking place at TCU this weekend! Man, do I feel lucky to be a Horned Frog!