PSA: Tap your resources.

Good morning. This is your friendly reminder to tap your resources.

It's great to be back after several days off. And to those of you who still have your "Out of Office" replies up - bravo! Thank you for going the extra mile for all of us. 

While many countries are tapping into oil reserves and some are tapping into maple syrup reserves (looking at you, Canada), we are here to remind you to tap your resources as well. This could be reconnecting with a mentor following the long holiday weekend, spending some extra time reflecting on past successes, or diving into some professional development opportunities. 

The best part about tapping your resources? Ultimately, it benefits Y-O-U. 

Other big news this week: 

• Paige Madden is among many top-tier swimmers slated to compete at the 2021 US Open in Greensboro, NC this week.

• Roșie Brennan finished sixth at the World Cup stop in Ruka, Finland.

• Mick Dierdorff grabbed a sixth place finish at the Snowboardcross Olympic venue in Zhangjiakou, China.

• Mandy Marquardt completes the 2021 track racing season ranked 15th in the UCI Sprint World Rankings.

P.S. Nervous about missing upcoming news from CG Sports? Follow us on Instagram (@cgsportsco), Facebook (CG Sports Management), and, of course, our weekly newsletter.

WHAT'S HOT
A roundup of the CG Sports Teams' favorite weekly content from the most 🔥 athletes in the biz.

McKenzie Coan was among several Olympic and Paralympic athletes that were honored and recognized at Sunday night's Baltimore Ravens game. Pictured above is McKenzie with fellow Paralympic swimmer, Jessica Long.

Catch up more with McKenzie Coan on the "Live Your Personal Best" podcast.

Haylie McCleney is one of 11 members of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic softball team invited to participate at the 2022 Softball Women's National Team Selection Trials. The event will take place January 1-6, 2022 in Vero Beach, Florida and the participants will be competing for 1 of 18 spots on the 2022 World Games team.

Benjamin "Benji" Alexander has a very specific goal in mind: to become Jamaica's first Olympic Alpine skier at the Winter Olympics. From a career in finance to DJing at Burning Man to Alpine skiing, Benji has no shortage of exciting anecdotes. Catch up with him and BBC Sport here.

CEJIH EXPLAINS
Part 2 - Examining the Rate Card

Now that you're set up with your brand, it is time to move on to the biz stuff.

To help make it super easy and transparent on what you should be paid for various requests, your team will create a ‘rate card’ specific to you. This is based off what’s in the market, where you are at in your career, and also leaves room for your team to do some negotiating.

Check out the rest of Cejih Explains and a sample rate card online.

DEMAND YOUR BRAND
Gotta say it...

We are officially in December. You may be seeing holiday branded items, or altered company logos to cater to the change in seasons. You may have even seen logos throughout the year to celebrate national holidays or special occasions like Pride Month or Black History Month...And you might be asking yourself, Should I create a holiday logo?

Yes and no.

When you are in the stages of developing brand consistency and awareness, you may want to keep it as is and use a seasonal campaign to build that awareness. If you feel confident that your logo is recognizable, and your market will see the changes, go for it. Implementing a seasonal logo does have a few benefits:

• It shows brand activity and that you are making timely changes;

• It calls attention to a potential seasonal sale, item, campaign, or product;

• It can spark an emotional connection associated with the holiday season.

This holiday season make sure that any decisions you make regarding your brand is consistent with your story.

SPONSOR
CG Sports Swim Clinics
Curious about hosting a swim clinic? Recently, the Perry Swim Team hosted the PAWS Swim Clinic in Des Moines, Iowa with guest Ella Eastin. Following the clinic, the team shared the following testimonial about their experience:

As soon as we saw Ella coming down the escalator at the airport with her big wave and beautiful smile, we knew it was going to be a great weekend! Ella spent an hour with the swimmers and their parents Friday evening at a Meet and Greet session. She shared a brief overview of her life touching on her family, friends, years of swimming, and dedication. Swimmers of all ages were engaged the entire talk! The last 15 minutes of the Meet and Greet were spent answering questions from the kiddos. Ella was a natural in the large group setting and shined with maturity, intelligence, and passion.

Prior to Saturday's clinic, our team held a Shake and Tea Bomb fundraiser. Without prompting, Ella jumped right in helping me set up. She engaged immediately with families as they arrived making for a relaxed and friendly environment. I was so impressed!

The first session of the clinic was spent with a very intimate group of only 12 swimmers while the second session had just shy of 30 younger swimmers. Each session started with a quick recap of the Meet and Greet as well as expectations for the 2 hours together. As you can see in the pictures, Ella had their attention the entire time! She was in the pool and on the pool deck demonstrating and giving direction. Her communication skills and ability to reach a wide range of swimming abilities were outstanding. She had appropriate expectations of the swimmers and was attentive to the younger group when they were in need of a break. Overall, our time spent with Ella surpassed our expectations and we are truly grateful for the opportunity for this experience.

If you think a swim clinic is something your team is interested in, the next step would be to reach out to Rachel Draffen at rachel@cgsportsmanagement.com for more information.

We hope to work with your club soon!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

What’s better than a memoir? A memoir signed by the author! ☺️

ARTICLES YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ
A collection of the CG Sports Teams' favorite random news of the week. 📚

• Everything you need to know about the history of MLB labor stoppages.

• The NHL has provided us the content we all need post-holiday: a ranking of the best team dogs in the NHL.

• Moving company, College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk, has signed a NIL deal with the Howard University men's basketball team.

PODCASTS
Champion's Mojo: Episode 133, "Rachael Lilienthal: Open Water Swimmer Survives Alligator Attack"

Could you relearn everything in your life after losing a limb? Could you do it with a positive attitude?

Alligator-attack survivor and Masters swimmer Rachael Lilienthal joins the show to share the details of her attack, her road to recovery and the silver linings she recognized along the journey.

Catch up on EVERY episode at ChampionsMojo.com.

FINANCIAL FITNESS
CG Sports is partnering with Nav.it to bring weekly tips to navigate your finances, increase money mindfulness, and better your financial health.

How to Keep Utility Bills Down by Maddelynn Horn

The average family in the US spends $2,000 each year on utilities.

Cutting utilities out of your budget isn’t exactly an option, but there are plenty of simple and effective ways to save money on your bills. Bonus: these hacks will also help you reduce your environmental impact.

Here is one final way to save money on your electric bill:

Change your cable and internet plan.

Compare rates of different plans and providers to try to find the best deal for yourself. Considering cutting out cable altogether and just sticking to a cheaper streaming service. It's also possible to negotiate a lower rate by calling your cable provider.

Check how much internet speed you really need to see if you can switch to a cheaper plan. If you qualify for Emergency Broadband Benefit, you can save up to $50 a month on broadband internet.

Tune in next week to learn about fighting inflation and the rising cost of living!