Online August Swimming World Magazine

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HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR YOUR RUNNERS-UP

AUGUST 2013 - VOLUME 54 - NO. 8

*smoliga olivia FALLING INTO PLACE

ENDANGERED SPECIES NO MORE: UNCW SEAHAWKS ARE HERE TO STAY

HYPOXIC TRAINING: GOT OXYGEN?

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2013

AUGUST

FEATURES 010

The First Test

by Jeff Commings The Road to Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 Olympics, begins with a trip to Barcelona this summer for the World Championships, where 50 swimmers who qualified for the U.S. team at nationals will have the opportunity to compete.

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Being the Best She Can Be

by Jeff Commings In a season when 11 national high school girls’ records were broken, Olivia Smoliga was the only swimmer to set two overall marks and was named Swimming World Magazine’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year.

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High School Swimmers of the Year: The Runners-up

by Jeff Commings and Shoshanna Rutemiller Katie Ledecky and Abbey Weitzeil put together impressive performances this past season to finish behind Olivia Smoliga as Swimming World Magazine’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year. Meanwhile, Joseph Schooling and Steven Stumph both set overall national high school records as the Male SOY runners-up to Ryan Murphy and Jack Conger.

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Save the Seahawks

by Chelsea Howard Thanks to the alumni, parents, studentathletes and the coaching staff of UNCWilmington, the school’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs were saved.

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SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0039-7431). Note: permission to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements. Microfilm copies: available from University Microfilms, 313 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.

Swimming World Magazine is listed in the Physical Education Index. Printed in the U.S.A. © Sports Publications International, August 2013.

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Battling Borderline Personality Disorder

by Shoshanna Rutemiller Swimmer Sasha Menu Courey, who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, took her own life at the age of 20. Her parents are now seeking ways to increase public awareness of the serious mental illness.

Dryside Training: How Will Training with Weights Make Me a Faster Swimmer?

by J.R. Rosania

032

AthleticFoodie/ Let’s Live a Healthier Life: Recruiting Tips

by Garrett Weber-Gale

034

Ask Dr. Shannon: Hip Stretches

by Shannon McBride

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Hypoxic Training: Got Oxygen?

by Michael J. Stott The second of a two-part article about hypoxic training explores the implementation and specific sets coaches are using with today’s swimmers.

Sharing the Success

by Shoshanna Rutemiller Ryan Murphy and Jack Conger tied for this year’s title as Swimming World Magazine’s 2013 Male High School Swimmers of the Year.

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Q&A with Coach Randy Reese

by Michael J. Stott

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How They Train Becca Mann

by Michael J. Stott

DEPARTMENTS 008

By the Numbers

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Twitter Talk

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Up & Comers

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Gutter Talk

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Parting Shot

ON THE COVER Senior Olivia Smoliga of Glenbrook South High School, Ill., who set two overall national high school records this past season, is Swimming World’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year. She became the first girls’ prep swimmer to crack 22 seconds in the 50 yard free with her 21.99 and lowered the 100 back mark to 51.43.

(See story, page 14.) [ photo by alexander ratajczyk ]

August 2013

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P U B L I S H I N G, C I RC U LAT I O N A N D ACCO U N T I N G O F F I C E P.O. Box 20337, Sedona, AZ 86341 Toll Free in USA & Canada: 800-511-3029 Phone: 928-284-4005 • Fax: 928-284-2477 www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Chairman of the Board, President — Richard Deal e-mail: DickD@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Publisher, CEO — Brent T. Rutemiller e-mail: BrentR@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Circulation/Art Director — Karen Deal e-mail: KarenD@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Circulation Assistant — Judy Jacob e-mail: Subscriptions@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Advertising Production Coordinator — Betsy Houlihan e-mail: BetsyH@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com

E D I TO R I A L, P RO D U CT I O N, M E RC H A N D I S I N G, M A R K E T I N G A N D A DV E RT I S I N G O F F I C E 2744 East Glenrosa Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Toll Free: 800-352-7946 Phone: 602-522-0778 • Fax: 602-522-0744 www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com E ditorial and P roduction e-mail: Editorial@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Senior Editor — Bob Ingram e-mail: BobI@SwimmingWorld.com Managing Editor — Jason Marsteller e-mail: JasonM@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Graphic Arts Designer— Kaitlin Kelly e-mail: KaitlinK@SwimmingWorld.com Staff Writer — Shoshanna Rutemiller e-mail: ShoshannaR@SwimmingWorld.com Fitness Trainer — J.R. Rosania Chief Photographer — Peter H. Bick Staff Writer — Michael Stott SwimmingWorldMagazine.com WebMaster e-mail: WebMaster@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com M arketing and A dvertising Advertising@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Marketing Coordinator — Tiffany Elias e-mail: TiffanyE@SwimmingWorld.com M U LT I - M E D I A Writer/Producer — Jeff Commings e-mail: JeffC@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com swim shop Product Manager — Richard Krzyzanowski e-mail: swimshop@SwimmingWorldMagazine.com

I N T E R N AT I O N A L CO R R E S PO N D E N T S Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN); Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson; Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Camilo Cametti (ITA), Federico Ferraro (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Steven Selthoffer (GER), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR), Tom Willdridge (GBR); Japan: Hideki Mochizuki; Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR); South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA); South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG), Alex Pussieldi (BRA)

P H OTO G RA P H E R S/S WTV Peter H. Bick, USA Today Sports Images, Reuters, Getty Images official magazine of:

endorsed by:

publisher:

P.O. Box 20337 Sedona, AZ 86341 Phone: 928.284.4005 Fax: 928.284.2477 www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com

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@SW IMMINGWORLD

>

Notre Dame Swimming @N D w S w imming

The July issue of @SwimmingWorld features a couple of very familiar ND faces...

Check it out!! #goIRISH #NDfamily

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talk

Tory Marilyn

@Tor yM a r ilyn

Out here at Arizona Senior State Championships! @SwimmingWorld

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Alyssa Danielle

@A lys s a _G uppy

Throwing it back huh @RowdyGaines ?

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Katinka Hosszu

@H os s z uKa t ink a

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“@SwimmingWorld: “I want stroke 400s in Olympics!” — D-Train disq.us/8dwtxs “What do you all think of that?” I’d probably try them!

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t s e T t s r The Fi by jef f com min gs h . bic k pho tos by pet er

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iu natatorium

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connor jaeger

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The Road to Rio de Janeiro, site of the 2016 Olympics, begins with a trip to Barcelona this summer for the World Championships, where 50 swimmers who qualified for the U.S. team at nationals will have the opportunity to compete.

I

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ryan lochte

NDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—One of the best things about the first long course nationals of the new Olympic quadrennium is identifying the new generation of talent as the journey begins to the next Games, scheduled for Rio de Janeiro in 2016. There were plenty of fresh new faces among the championship finalists at the USA Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships, June 25-29, which also served as the selection meet for the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.

Five of the winners were first-time national champions.

Four were already well-known swimmers who finally broke through and qualified for Worlds, July 28-Aug. 4.

The fifth was Kevin Steel, who is set to experience his first major senior-level international meet.

The five first-time national champions included: • Rachel Bootsma, who set an American record in the 50 meter backstroke (27.68) after chasing Hayley McGregory’s mark of 27.80 for more than a year. A 2012 Olympian in the 100 meter back, Bootsma used her superior speed to post her first American record in Indianapolis. The win continued a wave of success for Bootsma in 2013, which included nearly breaking Natalie Coughlin’s American record in the 100 yard back at the NCAA Championships.

• Kevin Steel, who set a U.S. Open record in the 50 breaststroke with a 27.26 and will represent the United States for the first time in international waters. Steel has had a great 2013, finishing second in the 100 breast at the 2013 NCAAs behind University of Arizona teammate Kevin Cordes.

• Eugene Godsoe, who won the 50 and 100 butterfly — continued on 12

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matt grevers

the first test— continued from 11

events at his first long course nationals. Godsoe has been a fixture at the national level for many years, winning the 100 back at the NCAAs in 2010 and placing in the 100 back and 100 fly at the 2012 Olympic Trials. But this year, he got his first gold medals in two events that saw him reel in Olympic gold medalists Matt Grevers and Ryan Lochte at the finish.

• Maya DiRado, who overtook Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Beisel on the breaststroke leg and never looked back to win the 400 IM. Earlier in the meet, DiRado had qualified for the World Championship team in the 200 fly, an event she entered only as a way to swim an off-event before racing her primary events.

• Connor Jaeger, who is just one year into his role as the country’s premier distance swimmer. He won three national titles in Indianapolis, capturing the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyles.

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missy franklin

VETERANS IMPRESS Plenty of established veterans also got the crowd into a frenzy in five days of swimming competition. Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin won the high-point awards, each posting impressive double wins in one day in the 200 free and 200 back. Katie Ledecky, who turned 16 in March, secured the Phillips Performance Award for her world record-chasing effort in the 1500, posting a 15:47.15 that broke Janet Evans’ 25-year-old 15-16 national age group record of 15:52.10 that had also stood for 19 years as the world record. Like Jaeger, Ledecky was able to sweep the distance freestyle events. She also finished second in the 200 free, but withdrew from the individual event at Barcelona.

Kevin Cordes also chased a world record, pushing the pace in the 200 breast for 150 meters before falling off in the home stretch and settling for a time of 2:08.34 that, for 24 hours, was the fastest time of 2013.

Fifty swimmers were named to the American World Championships team, with Bob Bowman (men), Dave Salo (women) and Catherine Vogt (open water) picked as head coaches. v

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FEM ALE HI G H SC HOOL SWI M M ER OF T H E Y E A R

BEING THE BEST SHE CAN BE by jeff commings photos by alexander ratajczyk

In a season when 11 national high school girls’ records were broken, Olivia Smoliga was the only swimmer to set two overall marks and was named Swimming World Magazine’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year.

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O

livia Smoliga should thank the announcer at last fall’s Illinois state high school championships for helping her set the national high school record in the 100 yard backstroke.

If not for the announcer incorrectly stating that Smoliga had broken the overall national record after her prelim swim, Smoliga might not have found the extra motivation to dip under the actual record by 1-tenth of a second in finals the next day.

“The fact that the announcer got it wrong pumped me up to actually get it,” Smoliga said six months after her record-breaking day in Evanston, Ill., where the championship meet was held.

In the finals, Smoliga broke Rachel Bootsma’s two-year-old overall national record of 51.53 seconds in the 100 back with a 51.43. About an hour earlier, she became the first high school female swimmer to crack 22 seconds in the 50 free with a 21.99. That time bettered the 22.04 record that Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce had set in 2002.

Smoliga is Swimming World Magazine’s 2013 Female High School Swimmer of the Year, based on those two record swims. The Glenbrook South High School product, who is prepping for her freshman year at the University of Georgia, beat out a talented crop of high school competitors that included Olympic champions Missy Franklin and Katie Ledecky. Propelled by her overall national high school record swim of 4:31.38 in the 500 free, Ledecky, a sophomore at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (Md.), wasn’t far behind as this

season’s runner-up. Saugus High School’s (Calif.) Abbey Weitzeil held off Franklin for third place.

In a season that saw 11 national high school records broken on the girls’ side (nine independent and two public for six overall national records), Smoliga was the only swimmer to set two overall marks, though Ledecky came within 15-hundredths of setting a second overall record when she clocked 1:42.96 in the 200 free (a

national independent school record).

Knowing that the list of record breakers included Olympians humbled the energetic and bubbly Smoliga: “It’s an honor. I feel like I’m very blessed to be a part of that list,” she said.

A SPECIAL DAY Those who watched Smoliga swim to fourth place in the 100 meter

back at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials might have seen a record run coming in the short course event during the upcoming high school season. But nearly no one—including Smoliga herself—believed she could break Joyce’s record.

“I had my mind most on the 100 back,” she said. “It’s my favorite event of all time. But with the 50 (free), everyone thinks it’s so exciting to watch, and I wanted to put on a show.”

Smoliga described the Illinois state championships as a “carnival,” complete with cheerleaders and loud music in the packed facility at Evanston Township High School.

Though the pool has its drawbacks in providing for championship-level performances with the depth at the turn end only about three feet, Smoliga credited the atmosphere as giving her the confidence to swim faster than any other high school girl in history.

“I had prior experience in that pool,” she said.

“The walls are slippery and it’s dark, but you adapt to that experience.

They were two great races in an awesome pool.

It’s probably a total fire hazard with the number of (spectators) packed in (the natatorium)!”

Both swims marked major time drops for Smoliga. Before last November, her best time in the 100 back was 52.44 from the 2010 U.S. nationals. And she dropped a remarkable 7-tenths off her 50 free time—from a 22.69 that she also had done in 2010.

“To do what I did is awesome, and I couldn’t have done it on my own,” she said. “You need an entire team, a group of people to push you along.”

She gives credit to her coaches for — continued on 16 August 2013

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FEMALE H.S. SWIMMER— continued from 15

their hard work in the high school season, when it is not easy for swimmers such as Smoliga to excel.

The Illinois High School Association doesn’t allow swimmers to train with their USA Swimming clubs during the high school season. But Smoliga said she wasn’t concerned because Glenview Titan Aquatic Club head coach Steve Iida and Glenbrook South coach Kelly Timson kept the lines of communication open and guided the entire team to a successful season.

“We did doubles, just like any other high school, and dryland, too,” Smoliga said. “Kelly is such a great coach that there wasn’t a need to make sure my training was the same. My club coach was totally fine with handing things over to my high school coach.”

Proof of Glenbrook’s team depth came in the freestyle relays at the

state championships, where they won both events. The 200 freestyle squad clocked 1:32.98, ranking them third in the nation.

A MEMORABLE YEAR Even if Smoliga had not broken any national high school records, 2012 would have been one of her most memorable seasons. That fourth-place finish in the 100 back at Trials—while initially disappointing— gave her the motivation for the fall season, which started with the state championships and continued to the U.S. nationals and short course World Championships.

After wrapping up competition at the high school state meet in November, Smoliga raced at the U.S. nationals before heading to Istanbul, Turkey, for the short course Worlds. As

[photo

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by peter h. bick]

one of the lesser-known names on the team, Smoliga was simply happy to gain crucial international racing experience. A medal in the 100 back was a goal, but Smoliga only allowed herself to believe one of the silver or bronze variety was possible.

“I went in trying to be the best backstroker that I could be, and that (win) was icing on the cake,” she recalled. “I remember going into the ready room and seeing people from different countries, and it was a surreal experience.”

Smoliga believes that the best athletes are able to step up and perform well when the pressure is greater. That thinking, she said, paid off in Turkey, where she earned three more medals and an American record in the 50 meter back.

“With the help of my teammates and with the coaches believing in me...everything fell into place, and I was able to show them what I had,” she said.

Iida, who has worked with Smoliga since she was 10 years old, sees no limit to her potential in the sport.

“She has just scratched the surface of her potential,” he said. “The streamline is her weapon. No one can beat her to the middle of the pool. It’s just a matter of whether she can hold on.”

If she has a weakness, it’s her clumsiness. Iida joked that shortly before this summer’s U.S. nationals, he advised her parents “to wrap her up tight in bubble wrap.” Smoliga said she played other sports but never found the ideal coordination, though her height likely gave her an advantage in volleyball and basketball.

“I sprained my ankle once in a corn maze,” Smoliga says with a hearty laugh. “I am literally the clumsiest person in the world!”

And maybe the most energetic as well—Iida says Smoliga is one of the few swimmers at Glenview Titan who gets excited about morning workouts, and says her enthusiasm about the sport is what enabled her to thrive this year.

“We took a chance during Trials and I saw a few things that needed to be

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changed,” Iida said, highlighting her catch and hand placement as two problem areas. “We took a couple of months to do it, and it worked pretty well.”

WHAT’S NEXT? Smoliga will be heading to Athens this month for the start of her freshman season at Georgia, and she got a taste of campus life and the swim team environment during an orientation weekend in June.

“I got to talk to (head coach) Jack (Bauerle), and I really got to understand more about what the team is like there at Georgia,” she said.

“It’s going to be a great fit for me, and

I can’t wait to swim with this amazing team.”

Smoliga will be one of the swimmers who will try to fill the void created by the graduations of superstars Allison Schmitt and Megan Romano. Her scoring potential at the NCAA Championships is high: her 100 back national record swim would have placed second at the 2013 championships (behind Bootsma), and her 50 free time would have put her fourth.

The key to Smoliga’s improvement, Iida said, will be the addition of a weight program to her dryland routine.

“She can barely do a pull-up, and

her push-ups are terrible,” said Iida with a laugh. “Part of that was by design because she never stopped growing (she now stands 6-2). Once she gets to Georgia, they are going to pile the weights on, and she’ll only get stronger.”

And Smoliga won’t let the fact that she is a two-time national high school record holder get in the way of her progress. “I just go out there to be the best swimmer I can be,” she said.

“Records are nice bonuses.” v

[photo

by peter h. bick]

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Ryan Murphy and Jack Conger tied for this year’s title as Swimming World Magazine’s 2013 Male High School Swimmers of the Year.

R MALE HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR

SHARING

the

SUCCESS by shoshanna rutemiller photos by peter h . bick

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yan Murphy hopes that he’s on his way to becoming the world’s best backstroker. But before he reaches the level of Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Tyler Clary, Bolles School’s Murphy keeps his mind on the task at hand—even if that means forgoing an individual event at his high school state meet.

“During the high school season, we make the goals about the team and not about the individual,” Murphy said. “I think that’s unique and special about Bolles. So, (giving up an individual event) wasn’t a hard decision for me.” Instead, Murphy swam on three national high school record-shattering relays (200 free, 400 free and 200 medley) at the Florida High School Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.

In retrospect, swimming a second individual event might have secured Murphy a solo spot as Swimming World Magazine’s 2013 Male High School Swimmer of the Year.

Still, Murphy earned big points in the rankings for breaking the overall national high school record in the 100 yard back (45.36) in the prelims of the state high school championships. He swam a full 1.4 seconds faster than the second fastest high school time posted by Our Lady of Good Counsel’s (Md.) Jack Conger. Murphy also racked up points with his top-ranked 50 free (19.54) and second-ranked 100 freestyle (42.95) times. When all the

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points were added up, Murphy and Conger (see pages 20-21) ended up in a tie for the coveted title.

While the two high school stars are take-no-prisoner rivals in the pool, they are good friends once the last race has been swum.

“Jack and I—we get along really well,” said Murphy. “He’s a great buddy.

I guess that kind of sucks—you have to race your friend all the time. But we’re good competitors and it’s always a good race. I hope we stay close in college and never let the swimming get between us.”

Murphy has been on the swimming community’s radar for several years.

In 2010, Murphy broke multiple Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Aaron Peirsol’s 13-14 boys national age group record in the 100 meter backstroke. Two years later, just before his 17th birthday on July 2, Murphy placed fourth in the 200 back at the U.S. Olympic Trials, only two places away from earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

told my parents), ‘Hey, your kids have some pretty good talent—you should check out swimming year-round.’ ” After summer league, Murphy and his older brother, Patrick, continued their swimming careers together at the Bolles School. In his four years swimming under head coach Sergio Lopez, Ryan has come to appreciate the idiosyncrasies of the worldrenowned coach.

“Sergio is a character. I’ve developed

BEGINNINGS But if Murphy’s parents hadn’t relocated to Florida when Murphy was a youngster, the superstar may never have taken up swimming.

“My parents both grew up in Chicago, and moved down here when I was 6 months old,” said Murphy. [ photo by murad sezer , r e u t e r s ] “Neither of them knew much about swimming when we got a friendship with him,” said Murphy. “I started, but they both got educated definitely respect him as a coach, but throughout the years. They liked the it’s easy to switch on and off between weather and wanted to always go coach and friend. He’s awesome. to the pool, so they dragged the kids I mean, he’ll show up to morning along. practice, and you’ll never know if he’ll “I was 2 when my brother and sister be quiet or hyper and dancing and started swimming,” Murphy continued. whistling.”

“When I was 4, I began getting swim “We are very lucky,” said Lopez. “We lessons and swam with a summer have a good group of kids who believe league team. The coach of the (team in themselves and what Bolles is all

about. I think (Murphy) understands that if he keeps training the way he trains and thinking the way he thinks, he can be one of the top guys. He’s more than ready for the next level.”

ON TO CAL That next level is collegiate swimming. Come September, Murphy will part ways with Lopez and take up training under Dave Durden, the head coach of the men’s swimming team at the University of California, Berkeley.

Murphy is looking forward to the transition.

“I think I was a lot more thorough in my college search than a lot of kids my age,” said Murphy. “I wanted a good school, and I figured out toward the end of the recruiting process that I wanted an all-men’s team. I wanted a team that was prominent in both short course and long course. I also felt that a lot of the men on the (Cal) team shared the goal of making the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. I also think Dave Durden is a great role model, and there are a lot of guys on that team who have good values.”

Murphy is excited to sit down with Durden at the start of his freshman year to map out a four-year plan while swimming at California.

“I definitely want to be a big factor in NCAA swimming,” said Murphy.

“My big goals are the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. 2024 might be a stretch with age, but all three of those Olympics are goals of mine. I don’t want to say I’m on a fouror an eight-year plan right now. Once I get to Cal, Dave’s a big planner. I know we’ll sit down and map out a plan for 2016 and come up together with some lofty goals for Olympic Trials and maybe the Olympics.”

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MALE H.S. SWIMMERs — continued from 19

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F

or the second year in a row, Our Lady of Good Counsel’s (Md.) Jack Conger was named Swimming World Magazine’s Male High School Swimmer of the Year (this year, sharing the title with Ryan Murphy—see pages 18-19). Despite the success he’s seen in his senior year of high school, Conger seems to be his own biggest critic.

At the 2013 D.C. Metro Championships in February, Conger broke Jeff Kostoff’s (Upland High, Calif.) national high school record in the 500 yard freestyle that was set nearly 30 years ago in May 1983.

But because Conger wasn’t fully rested, he knows he could have swum faster: “So much media attention focused on me toward that one race, so there was a lot of pressure,” said Conger.

But he also realized that he was the only one who could put pressure on himself, and he knew he had put in all of the work.

“It was time for me to swim that race as best I could,” he said.

Conger lapped the competition, winning by five seconds while racing to a remarkable 4:13.87 on only a 50to-60 percent taper. “If I were fully tapered, I think I could have done better,” said Conger.

Still, his time obliterated the previous record of 4:16.39 by 2-1/2 seconds. It also bettered by nearly four seconds his own, yearold independent high school record of 4:17.51. His time would have placed seventh at this year’s NCAA Championships.

The Rockville, Md. native also swam the fastest high school time in the 100 yard free, setting an independent school record

in 42.81—a full second ahead of runner-up Kyle Gornay (Redlands, Calif.) at 43.89.

EXTREMELY VERSATILE But probably what’s most impressive about Conger is his versatility. Besides his No. 1 rankings in the 100 and 500, he also ranked among the top 10 in the 50 free, 100

back (second only to Ryan Murphy), 100 fly and 200 IM. And despite earning a spot on the United States World University Games team in the 100 fly, Conger considers the 200 back to be his best event.

“I think my best event is the 200 back, but (that event is) pretty stacked right now with Ryan Lochte,

Tyler Clary, Ryan Murphy and Jacob Pebley,” said Conger. “There are some top studs who will be hard to knock off, but you never know what will happen.”

FUTURE OF USA SWIMMING One key name in that mix is Ryan Murphy, this year’s co-Male High School Swimmer of the Year. Conger and Murphy have both been described as the “future of USA Swimming.”

Not surpisingly, both swimmers were also heavily recruited.

“Throughout the recruiting process, we were in a group with four guys all trying to go to the same school,” said Murphy. Reed Malone and Kyle Darmody rounded out the group, and the four ended up committing to different schools: Conger to Texas, Malone to USC, Darmody to Auburn and Murphy to Cal. “(We) are all good buddies—it would have been ridiculous if we all went to the same school,” Murphy continued.

Eddie Reese will have the opportunity to develop Conger as a collegiate swimmer over the next four years. It’ll be interesting to see which events Conger will swim, and whether he will transition to the shorter stroke events or keep his focus on the 500.

“I’ve never considered myself a distance swimmer,” said Conger.

In fact, after his 500 free at the D.C. Metro Championships, Conger called up Eddie Reese. “I said I was disappointed, and he kind of chuckled a little bit.”

If breaking a national high school record is a disappointing experience, then we’ll just have to wait and see what it takes to make Jack Conger happy. v August 2013

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HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR

THE RUNNERS-UP photos by peter h . bick

pictured

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katie ledecky

GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL

by jeff commings

A

lthough Olivia Smoliga stands alone as Swimming World Magazine’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year, plenty of other swimmers contributed memorable performances that made the 2012-13 high school season among the best ever: • Eleven national high school records were broken by the girls this season in six events.

• Smoliga and Olympian Katie Ledecky broke multiple marks, with Smoliga setting two and Ledecky notching three in two events.

• The national independent school record in the 200 yard IM was reset an astonishing three times over a four-month period.

• In the 400 free relay, three teams lowered the overall national record.

Katie Ledecky: In her first season representing Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Ledecky set her sights on making history in the pool.

She had already done that at the Olympics, winning the 800 meter free with the second-fastest performance 22

in history. When she began racing for her school during the Maryland high school season, everyone knew national high school records would be in jeopardy.

Ledecky didn’t wait until the finals of the D.C. Metro Championships to make an assault on the record books. She blasted through the 500 yard freestyle prelims, breaking the overall national high school record with a 4:33.14. That time surpassed Kate Ziegler’s 4:33.35 from 2006, which, incidentally, was swum at the same meet and had stood for a time as the American record.

Ledecky wanted to do what Ziegler did in 2006 and post an American record time in a high school meet, but she fell short of Katie Hoff’s 4:30.47 in the finals with a 4:31.38. It was still the third-fastest performance in history—not bad for the 16-year-old sophomore—and would have won the NCAA title in 2013.

Ledecky is becoming a rising star in the 200 free, evidenced by her long course performance at the recent USA Swimming nationals. At the D.C. Metro meet, she proved her

Katie Ledecky and Abbey Weitzeil put together impressive performances this past season to finish behind Olivia Smoliga as Swimming World Magazine’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year. Meanwhile, Joseph Schooling and Steven Stumph both set overall national high school records as the Male SOY runners-up to Ryan Murphy and Jack Conger.

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worth in the short course pool with a 1:42.96, just missing Dagny Knutson’s overall national high school record of 1:42.81. Very few distance swimming aces have been able to perform so well in the 200 free, including Ziegler and Janet Evans, which could factor into conversations in a few years about dubbing Ledecky as the greatest female distance swimmer in history.

These two swims alone helped propel Ledecky into second place in the Swimming World Magazine rankings of the top female high school swimmers of the 2012-13 season. She was in a close battle with our Female High School Swimmer of the Year, Olivia Smoliga, with Smoliga’s two overall national records to Ledecky’s one making the difference in naming the winner.

With Ledecky making her breakthrough in 2012, few imagined how low Ledecky’s times could drop in 2013. She had won USA Swimming national titles in the 500 and 1650, making major time drops in each outing that were deemed astonishing at the time. Two months later, she sliced three seconds off her 500 free time to break the national record, and 1.5 seconds off her 200 free time.

Abbey Weitzeil: With Missy Franklin

pictured

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abbey weitzeil

opting out of her primary events in her final high school season, choosing the 200 IM and 500 free, the race for third in the Swimming World Magazine rankings was tight. Getting the edge for third place was sophomore Abbey Weitzeil, who earned national runner-up finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyles. Representing Saugus High School (Calif.), she posted lifetime best times of 22.25 and 48.83 (in a relay leadoff) at the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I meet.

The 16-year-old had a 21-second 50 free in her sights this past season, and will make it her primary goal for the 2014 high school season. Though 3-tenths of a second would seem like a Grand Canyon-like gap to overcome in the 50, Weitzeil has been making huge time drops in the sprint in the past 12 months. She broke 23 seconds for the first time in December 2012 with a 22.93 at a USA Swimming sectional meet, and continued to shave time off her best through the high school season.

“It’s easier to believe you can do certain things, and I know I have the capability to” break the 22-second barrier, Weitzeil said.

Weitzeil credits the improvements to Coley Stickels, her coach at Canyons Aquatic Club for nearly a year. The renowned sprint coach has been working on Weitzeil’s speed in the pool, and most importantly, her mental approach.

“Hearing all the positive things he says about my swimming gives me a lot of confidence,” she said.

There is still more work to be done. Weitzeil admits that her start and turn

in the 50 free are not as strong as they could be, but recently, she found motivation after attending the U.S. nationals and racing against the best in the country. Noticing that being 6 feet tall wasn’t enough to stay with the field on the start, Weitzeil had the drive to return home and start working on her weaknesses.

“As I get faster and watch higherend swimmers, I notice (my weak points) a lot more,” she said. “Those are things you only find out when you start racing at the top level.”

Indications are that Weitzeil will soon be a gauge for other swimmers to notice their own weaknesses in the pool.

BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL

J

by shoshanna rutemiller

oseph Schooling: Junior Joseph Schooling finished in a tie for third place with Steven Stumph in the rankings for Swimming World Magazine’s 2013 Male High School Swimmer of the Year. Schooling set an overall national high school record in the boys’ 100 yard fly (46.50) and was a key member on three record-setting Bolles School relays during the 2012-13 high school season.

A native of Singapore, Schooling credits most of his success to his move to the United States when he was 13 years old to train with Coach Sergio Lopez at Bolles.

“I came to the U.S. in the eighth grade,” said Schooling. “I was a boarder, and my parents were back in Singapore. That was the first time I was living in a different place by myself. It was a huge change, and I had to adapt to a new society, new culture.”

Following a rough first year, Schooling eventually adapted, and his swimming took off. Now a star at Bolles, he is proud of everything his teammates have accomplished.

“Last year was a great high school season,” he said. “We broke five national records and all of the relays, so we pretty much did what we had planned.

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THE RUNNERS - UP— continued from 23

“To be part of that team was a great experience. I don’t think things like that come around very often—maybe once in very many years. Being part of that team and breaking all of those records and making history was really something very special to me. In maybe 20, 30 years from now, I can look back and say, ‘Yeah I was part of that team, and we did all of that.’ It’s pretty cool.”

Outside of high school swimming, Schooling represented his native Singapore at the 2012 London Olympics in the 200 fly. He hopes to follow in the footsteps and eventually surpass the accomplishments of Michael Phelps, the world’s most successful 200 flyer.

“That goal has always been (my No. 1 goal),” said Schooling. “Phelps’ records are phenomenal, but everyone has to have a goal, and my goals are to break his records and be the best butterflyer in history.”

He still has another year to develop under the tutelage of Lopez before he moves on to college.

“Academically, I want a school that is good for swimming, but that is also good for my studies,” said Schooling.

“So I’ve got to balance those two together. Right now, I have a couple of schools in my mind, but I haven’t chosen one school yet. All of the schools I’m looking at have good coaches, so I’m not too worried about that.”

pictured

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Steven Stumph: The boys’ 100 breaststroke was arguably the most exciting event of the 2012-13 high school season. Three California swimmers broke the national high school record in the same pool...in the same heat...in adjacent lanes.

Steven Stumph from Campolindo, Charlie Wiser from Miramonte and Nick Silverthorn from Granada all swam under the overall national high school record at the California North Coast Section Championships in Concord, Calif. Although Stumph came away with the victory, he credits the other two swimmers in helping push him to the record.

“I knew it was going to be really close, but I didn’t know it was going to be that close,” said Stumph. “I had Charlie on my right, Nick on my left.

I knew that they had both saved something from prelims for finals. I knew they were going to push me to break the record. It was just great having them both there right next to me.”

All three swimmers broke the 54-second barrier: Stumph at 53.39, followed by Wiser (53.57) and Silverthorn (53.61). Seattle Prep’s Patrick Fowler owned the previous record of 53.66 since 1998.

Although they all made history, Stumph did something additionally remarkable during prelims when he clocked 53.67, tying six-time Olympic medalist and former world record

holder Brendan Hansen’s 100 breast public school record.

“Just to tie Brendan Hansen’s record is incredible,” said Stumph. “I met him at the junior national team camp, and he was a great guy. He helped me and encouraged me with my breaststroke.

To tie someone’s record like that is incredible.”

But Stumph wanted more. He knew he could do Hansen one better and drop even more time in the finals of the event.

“I watched my video from the prelim swim, and I saw that my underwaters were a little weak. I knew I could change one or two things to push it a little bit quicker.”

Stumph came back and cut nearly three more tenths of a second from his personal best. Hansen took notice, and following the remarkable race, he Tweeted the three swimmers, saying, “Congrats to these three young swimmers; glad to see my record fall.”

Thanks to his overall national high school record, Stumph tied with Joseph Schooling as Swimming World Magazine’s third best male high school swimmer of the year. It’s a remarkable accomplishment for Stumph, considering he underwent major hip surgery the summer before his junior year.

Stumph recovered completely, and is now poised to swim as a freshman in the 2013-14 season at the University of Southern California with head coach Dave Salo. v

joseph schooling pictured

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steven stumph

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by chelsea howard photos provided by chelsea howard

Thanks to the alumni, parents, student-athletes and the coaching staff of UNC-Wilmington, the school’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs were saved.

Thirty-six years ago when David Allen took the challenge of creating the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs at the University of North CarolinaWilmington, he envisioned building teams that would win championships and programs that would carry on the traditions long after he had finished coaching.

Allen fulfilled the first part of his vision, leading the Seahawks to 15 Colonial Athletic Association championships—currently 12 straight titles for the men and three overall for the women.

However, it wasn’t until the university’s chancellor proposed cutting five programs at UNC-Wilmington that Allen began to question the second part of his expectations.

UNCW’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs were at risk, but the alumni, parents, student-athletes and coaching staff got involved, and their efforts saved the programs.

26

CREATING A PLAN “I was in a unique situation because I created the program in 1977 and always wanted to see an end to my tenure,” Allen said. “The alumni have poured their hearts into building this program, and I knew

“My family packed up, and we came back as soon as we could so I could find out what was going on,” Allen said. “At that point, the alumni had already gotten word of what was happening and had organized themselves. A good number live in Wilmington, and they got together to come up with strategies of what we wanted to put forth and how we wanted to approach this.”

Leading the way in creating a plan to fight back against the proposal was Billy Rhinehart, who served as the campaign manager. As an alumnus who swam under Allen from 2001-05, Rhinehart knew he could use his five years of political campaign experience to help save the Seahawks.

“When they announced the cut, it was disturbing to hear,” Rhinehart said. “I can attribute a lot of my success later on in my life to swimming in that program.”

Rhinehart took an approach similar to what was outlined in the book all college coaches receive called, “Saving Your College Swimming Program,” which was developed by Phillip Whitten, Swimming World Magazine and USA Swimming. This plan was designed to organize the people who will help the most, use local media to promote the team and to tell stories from the student-athlete perspective.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

we had to do everything we could to preserve that.”

Allen was out of town when it was first reported that men’s and women’s swimming and diving—as well as softball, men’s cross country and men’s indoor track—should be cut by the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.

In order to keep everyone informed of any updates and what the community could do to help, the athletes relied on social media to play a unique role. In a key decision, Matt Byrd, senior co-captain of the men’s team, decided to use Facebook and Twitter, which had never been utilized so effectively to save an athletic team.

“I knew I had to get the news out as fast as possible,” Byrd said. “I created the group, gave some initial information, then started inviting as many people as I could. It spread like wildfire, and within a few hours, we

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had thousands of members in the group from all over the country. We also used a hash-tag on Twitter and were successful in getting nearly 30 past and present Olympians to show their support.”

With more than 11,000 members in the Facebook group, social media proved to be the most effective way to gain supporters. Junior Sarah Smith created a petition on Change. org that had 14,471 signatures by the end of the campaign, ultimately saving 117 athletes—from all five of the UNCW programs that were proposed to be cut—from elimination.

A SENSE OF COMMUNITY Although the number of phone calls and e-mails showed an overwhelming amount of support, the most astounding part of the campaign was the stories attached to every message sent to the chancellor. These notes revealed the relationships that had been developed from being a part of the program and demonstrated the influence the swimmers and divers had in the community.

“The campaign could have gone either way, but it was the experiences behind each note that made the difference in saving the program,” Rhinehart said. “It wasn’t about saving a swim team—it was about the community itself. The chancellor saw that this would negatively impact the region, and that went against (one of his) principles” that expressed he would work toward creating a strong sense of community. The UNCWilmington swimmers embraced this idea by reaching out to the entire community.

Over the past 35 years, Allen and his swimmers have created a program to teach young children the basics of how to swim, helping 33,000 kids in the process. Many have also become lifeguards at local beaches and have saved 58 lives.

Taking away the program meant taking away an integral part of Wilmington’s community, which led to one of the main reasons that the

proposal to drop the programs were reversed.

SUPPORT FROM THE PARENTS

good base of supporters who believe in him as a coach and even more as a mentor.”

With the help of these supporters and by keeping the public informed through social media, all five sports were saved. In addition, key elements of the swimming community came to realize how important these tools can be in fighting to save a program at risk. v

In order to gain support and push the campaign forward, parents of the swimmers and divers took on an active role. Leading this group were Toni and Ralph Baric, the parents of Michael Baric, currently a senior on the team. They have been supporters of the program for eight years, with Chelsea Howard, an intern three of their children having swum at Swimming World in 2011-12, under Allen.

“This was the first year we decided currently interns as a feature writer for GoPSUsports.com. She is entering her to be parent reps,” Ralph Baric said.

“We were suddenly in the position of senior year at Penn State University, providing some leadership and focus studying broadcast journalism with an emphasis in sports journalism. for the parent group and drafting Howard, from Durham, N.C., was also a a response to the report. Toni and I wrote a letter that clarified what was competitive swimmer for 16 years and swam at Penn State. happening and why. It highlighted the success of the program both academically and athletically, and (the letter) emphasized involvement within the community. My wife spent time calling other coaches such as Dave Marsh out of Charlotte, which was helpful in getting the word out.” pictured > ( previous Baric added, “The amount page ) uncw ’ s men ’ s and of support (we received) is women ’ s team show a testament to Dave Allen. their support for the He works to build strong athletic programs ; interactions with athletes former swimmer laura that last longer than four chinni ( right ) observes years. He had a base of members of the uncw nearly 800 athletes whom swim team ( also shown he has coached as well as below ). administrators with whom he’s worked. That creates a

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BATTLING BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER by shoshanna rutemiller photos provided by mike menu and lynn courey

Swimmer Sasha Menu Courey, who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, took her own life at the age of 20. Her parents are now seeking ways to increase public awareness of the serious mental illness. t is common to experience highs and lows in life. But what happens when those emotional ups and downs are too difficult to handle?

In June 2011, collegiate swimmer and Canadian junior national team member Sasha Menu Courey took her life after years of dealing with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

While most people are able to handle difficult situations, Menu Courey, because of her mental illness, had trouble thinking rationally in stressful situations.

When a back injury left her unable to swim with her collegiate team at the University of Missouri—combined with a relationship that had ended—she found her life too difficult to handle.

Since their daughter’s death, parents Mike Menu and Lynn Courey have made it their mission to raise awareness about the disorder.

“We wanted to make sure that her death wasn’t in vain,” said Courey. “It’s unimaginable to lose a girl who was 20 years old who had so much in front of her.”

So, the heartbroken parents formed The Sashbear Foundation, with the twin goal of raising funds for BPD research and treatment programs as well as raising public awareness of the illness. They also set up an informational website, Sashbear.org.

I

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The impetus for increasing awareness occurred in the months following Menu Courey’s death when her mom realized just how unaware she had been of the severity of her daughter’s illness.

“I said to Sasha, ‘Oh, that’s not so bad—you are borderline,’ ” said Courey. “But it was actually one of the worst diagnoses she could have.”

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, BPD affects between one and two percent of the general population. Although not as well known as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, BPD is just as common.

People with BPD have extreme difficulty regulating or handling their emotions or controlling their impulses.

They are highly sensitive to their environment and can react with intense emotions to small changes in their environment. The illness also seems to impact women more severely than men.

Menu Courey didn’t know how to react after losing the stability she had enjoyed by training and traveling with her collegiate team. After several months of not training and being cut off from her social circle on the swim team, she had spiraled out of control. She checked herself into a psychiatric clinic in Columbia, Mo., in March of 2011, where she was diagnosed with BPD. “She would tell me, Mama, swimming for me is my life,” said Courey. “I want to swim. We realized later that it was more than her life—it was her lifeline.”

WHAT ABOUT OTHERS? Both parents began to wonder if other high-level athletes experienced such extreme responses after being removed from their respective sports.

“When you do sports, it relieves stress, especially when you do sports at a high level,” explained Menu. “When you stop, unless you find a way to replace all of those release mechanisms, you can end up in a hole.”

Although Menu Courey is an extreme example of what can happen when an athlete stops training and

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competing, her parents began to worry about other athletes experiencing bouts of depression in similar situations.

Naturally, when a personality disorder is suspected, the first course of action is to seek professional medical help. Sasha’s parents, however, want to increase public awareness of the serious mental illness before it happens. Based in Toronto, they reached out to a local high-performance school to speak to its students about mental health in athletes.

“We thought it would be good to promote a healthy mind and healthy body among swimmers and athletes,” said Menu. “If you are mentally healthy, your body will perform better.”

They presented their daughter’s story to a thousand students at the school and received a positive response.

However, the parents know this is just the beginning.

They hope to use their daughter’s story to emphasize how important psychological counseling can be for some athletes.

The parents are also trying to develop a system that coaches can implement for athletes who are removed from their sport due to injury or illness, or after they have retired from their athletic careers. Menu believes that coaches should give their athletes warnings about what they may feel after leaving their sport.

“If there is a support system in which coaches can arrange for another activity while (their swimmers) are out, that would help a lot—even if that support system is just a discussion of what an athlete might feel when they are done with their sport,” said Menu. “It is really important that coaches and athletes know that it is difficult to stop ‘cold turkey’ because it is so intense.”

Menu and Courey feel that another solution is, perhaps, to keep the athletes involved in the practices. For their daughter, one of the most difficult parts of being

removed from her team at Missouri was losing her social circle. Both parents suggest that high-level athletes stay socially involved with their team because most of the friends they develop are in the sport.

INCREASING AWARENESS In addition to raising money through The Sashbear Foundation, Menu and Courey hosted their first walk to raise awareness for BPD last May. Nearly 300 people attended the 5K walk on the border of Lake Ontario at Sunnyside Park in Toronto.

“The motivation was and still is to erase the stigma and get talking about it,” said Paige Schultz, one of Menu Courey’s closest friends and former teammate on the Canadian national junior team. “Also, we want to help fund the training of professionals in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is the best method to treat BPD. We’re making a difference.”

According to MedicineNet.com, “DBT aims to help people with BPD to validate their emotions and behaviors, examine those behaviors and emotions that have a negative impact on their lives, and make a conscious effort to bring about positive changes.”

Menu and Courey attended therapy classes with their daughter at the McLean Psychiatric Hospital in Boston.

“I remember writing down that we need to get this information out,” said Menu. “We can’t wait until people are in high-stress situations and try to get treatment. This information and techniques need to be disseminated with early prevention in mind.”

Both parents will continue to seek ways to increase awareness of the illness that took their daughter’s life.

With a course of action available to athletes once they find themselves removed from their support system, Menu and Courey hope that no other parents will ever face the tragedy of losing their child because of BPD. v

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( previous page ) sasha menu courey enjoys her time training in florida ;

( far

left )

sasha prepares to race , then

( left )

celebrates her successful performance .

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dryside // training

HOW WILL TRAINING WITH WEIGHTS MAKE ME A FASTER SWIMMER?

1

While sitting on a stability ball with dumbbells at shoulder height, slowly raise one arm upward to a straight-arm position. Lower and alternate to the other arm.

by j . r . rosania photos by kaitlin kelly demonstrated by j . r . rosania

L

et me describe how weight training can help a swimmer become faster and more efficient in the water.

First, we establish a swimmer’s strong and weak points of the body. The weak points are typically what I call breaking points—the point at which when the body hits fatigue, mechanics and technique breaks down, thus slowing down the swimmer.

Identifying these weak points and improving the strength in those areas will help push back that fatigue and enable the swimmer to last longer at their race pace. Some of the most common weak points I see are: CORE, LEGS and SHOULDERS. So how is this done?

I start with what I call the Swim Dryland Training System: 1. Expert swim power strength and conditioning exercises, specific to each stroke, every distance racing, starts and turns.

2. Individual “weak-point” assessments for every swimmer.

3. Specific power core training exercises.

Why does it make me swim faster? Simply, you develop the ability to create more distance per stroke as well as more power per stroke. As our body ages, it has many effects on our strength and our ability to perform. Weight/strength training, doing specific swim exercises can help us through those changes.

The Result: Competitive advantage, increased stroke power, increased endurance and improved SPEED. Summary: Swim Strength System Training done through dryland training scientifically designed and systematically delivered will create markedly improved performance.

Following are five great swim-specific exercises from my program. When done two to three times a week, these swim-specific exercises will prevent you from getting weaker as you age, and maybe even get you faster! You can do these exercises right at home as well.

Complete three sets of 12-15 reps per exercise. Be sure to use weight that allows you to complete each set and reps. v

J.R. Rosania, B.S., exercise science, is one of the nation’s top performance enhancement coaches. He is the owner and CEO of Healthplex, LLC, in Phoenix. Check out Rosania’s website at www.jrhealthplex.net.

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PHYSIO BALL ALTERNATING DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS

PHYSIO BALL ALTERNATING DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS

2

While sitting on a stability ball, roll to your back on the ball.

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, raise both arms vertically and over your chest. Slowly lower one arm to a position that is parallel with your chest while keeping your other arm in the vertical position. Return to the position where both arms are vertical, lower the other arm and repeat.

PHYSIO BALL ALTERNATING DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL WITH LEG EXTENSION

3

While sitting on a stability ball with dumbbells by your side, begin doing a hammer curl with one arm. At the same time, perform a leg extension with the opposite leg, extending your leg straight out. Return to starting position and repeat with opposite arm and leg.

PHYSIO BALL DUMBBELL PULLOVER

While sitting on a stability ball, roll to your back on the ball. Holding one dumbbell with both hands, raise both arms vertically and over your chest.

Slowly lower the dumbbell behind you toward the floor, keeping your arms straight. Return the dumbbell to the starting position and repeat.

4

5 PHYSIO BALL DUMBBELL TRICEP EXTENSION

While sitting on a stability ball and holding one dumbbell with both hands, raise the dumbbell over your head, arms straight. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head until the tip of the dumbbell is at your shoulders.

Raise it back to the starting position and repeat.

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by garrett weber - gale

W

hile recruiting can be a time As fall approaches, college recruiting will full of joy, fun and excitement, become a constant topic of conversation and traveling to take recruiting source of excitement. There are few times in any visits can also put a damper athlete’s life that are more anticipated than on training as well as stress deciding upon which college to attend. relationships with coaches and even parents.

When I was in high school and looking at colleges, I was swimming with Coach Randy Reese at Circle C Swimming in Austin, Texas. aspirations can make it hard to stay on track toward your Randy had been a college coach at the University big dreams. of Florida for many years, and was a great source of • How much do you want to party? Of course, every knowledge when it came to recruiting and choosing a college in the country has parties. Some schools are bigger college. During my time swimming at Circle C, I was also party schools than others. When I took my recruiting trips, very fortunate to be surrounded by Olympians Neil Walker it was obvious that some of the teams were way bigger and Josh Davis, who provided keen insight into the process. party teams than I was comfortable with, and others were way too stiff and not in the mode of having fun. Finding HELPFUL HINTS IN CHOOSING A COLLEGE the right balance is key, and becoming a member of a team Here is some of the best advice I received that made a that has similar ideals as you will make your experience big difference in my recruiting process and, ultimately, in much more enjoyable. making my college decision: • How far away is the school from your family? Going to • Look at how the athletes on the team treat each college can be a rude awakening and can present times other. Think about whether or not the ways in which they of homesickness. Neil went from Wisconsin to Texas, while interact is in keeping with your personality. When you Josh stayed within the state: from San Antonio to Austin. pick a college to attend, you will be with those athletes They each had different stories to tell about being away constantly. Are these the people with whom you want to from home and how difficult or easy it was to go home. spend most of your time?

How often do you want to go home and/or see your • Do you fit in with the city or town of the college? parents? How often will they be able to come see you?

Living at college is more than just staying in the dorm—it’s These tips became invaluable to me when choosing becoming a part of the town, the city and the community. a college. What I realized is that it is more than just If you’re not a huge city person, going to Los Angeles, New about the swimming program. Looking at the city, the York or Chicago might not be for you. The same could be proximity to home, the academic support system, coaching said for schools in very small towns. philosophy, personalities on the team and even the dining • Does the athletic department provide solid academic halls all play into the decision. support for the athletes? Some college athletic departments don’t even help you register for classes; RECRUITING TRIPS others give you unlimited free tutoring. What are you Once you narrow your search to the schools you want to comfortable with, and what program will help you achieve visit, it’s time to take recruiting trips. Now, the fun begins! the highest level of learning?

A recruiting trip is your opportunity to visit the • Is the coach just a swim coach, or are they a “life school, watch a couple of workouts, talk to the academic coach”? Going away to college is a big step for anyone. If department, party with the team, check out the city and you’re already very independent, you may not need a coach relax for a couple of days. Recruiting trips are often a who can act as a parent figure away from home. What I blast, but can take a toll on your training. Swimming for learned is that it’s nice to have someone there at college Randy Reese, I was given a specific plan that helped me who will look out for you more than just on the pool deck. stick to my training and prepare me for even more fast • No matter what your goals are in swimming, they need swimming in the future. Here are some helpful ideas that I to be somewhat parallel to the goals of other athletes implemented on my trips: on the team and of the coaching staff. Being a part of • Don’t miss practices during the week when you’re an environment that does not have similar goals and at home and not traveling. You shouldn’t be missing

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workouts to begin with, but certainly not if you’re going to be traveling on the weekend.

• Find a pool so you can swim on your trip. The team will already be working out, so take the opportunity to do at least some maintenance swimming—somewhere between 3-to-5,000.

• If you have a bit of extra time, go for a run, do some push-ups, ab work or even some dips on a chair.

• Add an extra workout or two into the week before you leave. Go to an extra morning workout to make up for some work you will miss while taking your trip.

College recruiting is fun. Keep an open line of communication about the process between your parents and coaches. Look at all the aspects of each school, and even make a list of positives and negatives of each program on a chart. There’s plenty of time to make the right decision, so take it step by step and enjoy the process. v Olympic gold medalist Garrett Weber-Gale and his family founded AthleticFoodie in 2008 on the belief that delicious food can be healthy, too. The company’s mission is to show athletes—particularly swimmers—how tasty, healthy food and fitness can easily become an important part of everyone’s daily routine. Weber-Gale’s passion is to help others realize how good nutrition can make a difference in their lives. For more information, visit www.athleticfoodie.com.

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.

Q

MY HIPS HAVE BEEN FEELING REALLY TIGHT AFTER A HARD SWIM PRACTICE. WHAT CAN I DO TO STRETCH THEM OUT?

DR. SHANNON ..

Muscle tightness is something every athlete has to face. Here are four stretches you can do without equipment to loosen up those tight hips.

by shannon m c bride photos provided by shannon m c bride demonstrated by shannon m c bride

Dr. Shannon McBride, a licensed chiropractor based in Atlanta, Ga., has been practicing since 2001. She also is certified in Pilates through Power Pilates and the Pilates Method Alliance.

3 FIGURE FOUR STRETCH (Stretches the piriformis)

1. Sit in a chair or hard surface.

1 BUTTERFLY STRETCH (Targets groin, hip flexors and glutes)

1. Sit tall.

3. Slowly lean forward.

2. Place the soles of your feet together.

4. Gently stretch your right knee toward the floor.

3. Gently press your knees down toward the ground.

5. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.

6. Repeat on the left side

4. Hold for 30 seconds.

Repeat three times.

* This stretch can also be done lying face-up.

2 KNEELING LUNGE (Targets hip flexors)

1. Kneel on the floor on both knees.

2. Step your left foot forward, making sure that your left ankle is directly below your left knee.

3. Deepen the bend of your left knee and move your left ankle forward so that it is directly under your left knee.

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2. Cross your right shin over your left knee. Make sure your right ankle is not resting on your knee.

4 CROSSOVER STRETCH (Targets the glutes)

1. Lie on your back on the floor with your legs straight.

2. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees.

3. Grasp your right knee with your left hand and slowly bring your right knee across your body to the left. Your right hip can rise slightly off the floor.

4. Hold for 30 seconds.

Repeat three times.

4. Hold for 30 seconds.

Repeat three times.

5. Repeat on the right side.

5. Repeat on the left side. v

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hypOXIC.

TRAINING . ?

N E G Y GOT OX L ast month, Swimming World introduced its first installment on hypoxic training, defined as “low oxygen training involving the reduction or elimination of breathing.” Part I covered history, role in training, pros/cons and safety concerns. This month, we explore the implementation and specific sets coaches are using

by michael j . stott photo by peter h . bick

DISCLAIMER-Hypoxic training is a workout with limited breathing and a limited intake of oxygen, and, therefore, carries with it inherent risks. This type of training methodology is to be used only under the direct supervision of a qualified professional coach/trainer.

individual optimal breathing patterns; while in training, he suggested they adopt the following breathing patterns: • For butterfly, he espoused breathing every second or third stroke for 100/200s and every third, fourth or fifth for 25, 50 or 75s.

• In breaststroke, he preferred breathing every second or third stroke so as not to disturb stroke mechanics.

• He also maintained that whatever pattern was selected for freestyle should also be used for backstroke.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY (Mid-’80s) with today’s swimmers.

Dave Holland, former men’s ndiana University’s Doc Counsilman was an early and women’s coach at Randolph Macon College (Ashland, researcher into hypoxic training. Not all of his Va.), swam for Counsilman at IU in the mid-’80s. He conclusions are supported today, but through his recalls doing hypoxic training at least three times per studies, he influenced a generation of coaches and week in-season. laid the foundation for many of the sport’s current “Usually, the standard set was 20 by 50 free pull, training practices. breathing every fifth stroke at :35 or :40,” he says. “We In a talk at the 1974 ASCA convention, Counsilman did not do typical ‘lungbusters’—such as a 75 with one offered 12 observations on the subject. Among them, breath on the first 25, two breaths on the second 25 and he suggested that one-half to one-quarter of in-water three on the third...or a 100 where you have to hold your training should be done hypoxically and at controlled breath on the last 25. We did do hypoxic training while speeds. He also submitted that all pulling be done pulling, sometimes b3/b5/b7 by 25s, but never more than hypoxically, breathing every second or third arm cycle. b7,” he says. (Editor’s Note: b3 means you breathe every 3 While racing, he recommended swimmers find strokes; b5, every five strokes; b7, every seven strokes.)

I

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pictured > university of arizona swimmer margo geer uses hypoxic training all season long . geer ’ s coach , rick d e mont , contributes her success in the 50 and 100 freestyles at this year ’ s 2013 ncaa swimming championships to this form of training .

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Michigan coach Mike Bottom allows his athletes to set their own intervals when doing controlled breathing sets, none of which exceeds a distance of 50 yards/meters.

“We’ll go a set of ten 50s—for example, a 50 backstroke and then a 50 no breath,” he says. “Swimmers can go as easily as they want on the 50 back. When they hit the wall, we’ll give them five or 10 seconds (rest), and then they push off. It’s about building confidence so when they do it, they realize they can go 50 meters,” he says.

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA Breath control sets are a way of life in Tucson, Ariz.

“We do it all season long,” says Arizona associate coach Rick DeMont, who has coached some of the world’s best sprinters since 1988. This year, he helped Margo Geer capture both the 50 and the 100 yard free at the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis.

“We’ll do 25s no breath: 2 on :40, 2 on :35; 2 on :40, 2 on :30; 2 on :40, 2 on :25; 2 on :40, 2 on :20—stuff like that. You can do those swimming or underwater kicking on whatever interval you like,” he says.

Another Arizona hypoxic staple is 12 or 16 x 50 on :45 or :50 in which every third one is reduced breathing.

“Perhaps 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 breaths on a 16 by 50. Or do every other one where there is one breath per 50. That can start to get you,” adds DeMont.

He also suggests seeing how slowly one can swim a 25 or kick underwater without a breath: “We do a lot of that.

The secret is to just keep moving.”

The Wildcats also do long 75s: “After a good warm-up, see how long it takes you to do a 75—super, super slowly with correct technique. That’s a good one,” DeMont says.

Other UofA sets involve a 1500 free, breathing every four,

“THE SECRET IS TO JUST KEEP MOVING.” -RICK DEMONT, UNIV. OF ARIZONA

or repeat 100s, breathing every four with no breaths in and out of the wall.

Arizona practices are filled with besnorkled swimmers on long sets practicing perfect stroke. Often, the snorkels are capped to reduce air intake, with some athletes using duct tape to reduce intake even more. “That’s another way to do hypoxic training,” says DeMont.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY “We use the snorkel quite a bit—especially in early season—not only for body position, but also as a way to work breath control into a more AER (aerobic) set,” says Princeton assistant coach Suzanne Yee. “As the season progresses, I like to throw in the option of wearing a snorkel. Most of the team will ask if they can use it, if it is not written as an option.

“I have also found that breath control sets can be more successful when introduced as ‘breaths of rest’ at the wall instead of a set interval. We do lots of specific race training on every five or three breaths. This makes athletes take control of their bodies and minds by learning how to use slow breathing to get maximum rest before and after races. Swimmers who have relaxing issues have a much harder time with this,” she says.

When fine-tuning race technique, Yee often concentrates on underwaters: “If you can go 15 meters off the first two walls of a 100 or 200 and then can’t make it more than three kicks off the rest, then you aren’t utilizing your strengths to the most benefit,” she says. “We focus on which walls to go farther, which to cut shorter, so that in the end when other competitors are struggling, our athletes can finish better and stronger.”

—continued on 38 August 2013

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HYPOXIC TRAINING—continued from 37

Here’s an example of a Princeton breath control distance set ( swim/pull/paddles optional ):

2 Rounds of the Following: • 600 Negative split with snorkel @ 7:15 • 4 x 100 @ 1:15 (last 25 - 3 or fewer breaths) • 200 Kick @ 80% @ 3:30 • 4 x 100 @ 1:25 (lungbuster = breathe by stroke, so 1 stroke breathe, 2 strokes breathe, 3 strokes breathe, etc. - all the way up to the end.)

• 4 x 50 @ :40 (hold :30 or under) • 100 Easy here are examples of princeton stroke sets with breath control: Backstroke • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:05 • 6 x 100 Kick @ 1:45 (MAX underwater @ all walls) • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:00 • 5 x 100 Back Swim @ 1:25 (MAX underwater @ first and last walls) • 4 x 75 aer Free @ :55 • 4 x 100 Back Swim @ 1:15 (MAX underwater @ last wall) Breaststroke • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:05

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• 5 x 100 Breast Kick @ 1:45 • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:00 • 4 x 100 Breast Swim with Flip Turns @ 1:35 • 4 x 75 aer Free @ :55 • 3 x 100 Breast Swim @ 1:25 Butterfly/IM • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:05 • 5 x 100 Dolphin Kick @ 1:45 (MAX underwaters @ wall) OR 50 Dolphin (MAX underwater)/50 Breast Kick (double pullouts @ breast kick) • 4 x 75 aer Free @ 1:00 • 5 x 100 IM Swim @ 1:25 (flyers go fly instead of breast - 15 meters under @ that wall) • 4 x 75 aer Free @ :55 • 5 x 100 Swim @ 1:25 (50 strong stroke/50 weak stroke - MAX underwaters/double pullouts on that stroke) (flyers go 25 fly/50 free/25 fly - MAX underwaters @ fly) “No matter what stroke or distance you are training for, you need to be confident that you can stay under water and skip breaths somewhere in a race—and that comes from training,” says Yee. v Michael J. Stott, one of Swimming World Magazine’s USA contributors, is based in Richmond, Va. Next month, Stott will explore in depth the implementation and specific sets coaches are using with today’s swimmers.

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RANDY

Q&A

REESE by michael j . stott photo provided by gcat swimming

In 44 years of coaching, Randy Reese has won titles at the NCAA, USA Swimming and high school level. These days, he is back in Florida, steering Clearwater Aquatic Team age groupers to national prominence.

RANDY REESE Aquatics Director

Clearwater Aquatics Team (CAT ) Clearwater, Florida A swimmer and then a freshman coach at Florida State (physical education, ’68), Randy Reese entered coaching’s fast lane (The Bolles School) immediately upon graduation. Subsequent stops had him winning three NCAA championships at the University of Florida and three No. 1 USA Swimming club rankings at Longhorn Aquatics in Austin, Texas. Reese has guided 41 Olympic swimmers (among them, Tracy Caulkins, Mary Wayte, Dara Torres, Matt Cetlinski and Anthony Nesty) to 18 gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals.

If the University of Florida had been a country, it would have placed fifth in the overall medal count at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Reese has also coached six swimmers to 16 world records and has led 79 women to more than 500 All-American honors and 60 men to more than 200. A 1997 University of Florida Hall of Fame and a 2005 ISHOF inductee, Reese served as an assistant coach on the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic teams. He was a two-time Pan-Am Games assistant and has been the NCAA Coach of the Year four times.

Q. Swimming World: Not many coaches leave Bolles for another high school. Why the move to Episcopal?

A. Coach randy reese: An influential Jacksonville area businessman had indicated an interest in bringing another south Florida coach to the Bolles School. The coach had a number of talented swimmers that he was willing to bring with him. The goal, apparently, was to improve Bolles’ chances for a state swim title over Pine Crest in Fort Lauderdale. Concurrently, I was made aware that some parents were working on building a new pool at Episcopal High School. I always believed that developing local swimmers was the best way to strengthen swimming in the Jacksonville area. I knew that Bolles would continue its philosophy of bringing swimmers in from other areas (Bolles had boarding on campus; Episcopal did not). I saw the opportunity at Episcopal as one to build from scratch a brand new program—one over which I would have more control.

SW: You have coached at the high school, college, club, national and Olympic level. What were the challenges and rewards of each? rr: I consider the challenges and rewards about the same. A coach is always working on stroke, conditioning and strength. Seeing a swimmer’s time improve is what I find most rewarding, no matter what the level. Regardless of age level, running a swim practice that incorporates all aspects of training makes coaching enjoyable and satisfying on a daily basis. This transfers to the swimmers so that swim meets are not the only competitive stage for their growth.

SW: Over the years, you have had talented staff members... rr: Yes, I have. These days, program director Rich Rogers and Marc Rios are invaluable CAT resources. Marc handles our day-to-day operations, and as a multi-sport athlete, is focused on developing future CAT swimmers.

SW: What influence has older brother, Eddie, had on your career? rr: Even as kids, Eddie and I were in constant competition. When younger, this came in the form of physical fighting. Eddie was one who enjoyed picking on his kid brother. I learned then that I could win against him if I chose the right size stick or bat! Really, though, I found early on that the harder you work, the better you can be.

Eddie and I have had the opportunity to discuss many training techniques—not that we have always agreed— but it has been beneficial to both of us to share ideas.

SW: You have been characterized as “Old School.” How does the tough approach fly with swimmers today? rr: Many young people today just don’t want to work —continued on 40 August 2013

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Q&A: randy reese—continued from 39

hard or as hard as it takes to be great. It has become increasingly harder to capture and keep their attention and motivate swimmers to reach the training level needed to accomplish their goals. If “Old School” means working hard, that is the only thing I have ever seen that brings most swimmers their best personal results. There are always the occasional very talented swimmers who can reach the top without intense training, but they are the exception. Unfortunately, some coaches are satisfied with one super talented swimmer every five to 10 years.

SW: You are known as an innovator in many areas. What’s been the motivation for innovation in nutrition? rr: With a focus on good nutrition, a swimmer is better able to handle practice, recover faster, lose weight, gain weight and get stronger. Dr. Robert Cade (a Gatorade pioneer) and Dr. John Ivy have been extremely influential in helping me advise swimmers on their daily nutrition.

SW: In training? rr: I try new things with my training methods to keep the interest up and bring faster improvement.

SW: What’s the advantage to the various pulley systems you’ve used? rr: Short course pulleys mainly help in building strength. But the use of these helps in all areas of

conditioning. Long course pulleys mainly help in cardio improvement and strength endurance.

SW: What’s been the benefit to doing wheels up Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, hauling weighted trash cans up a 10-meter diving tower, to swimming upstream in the Ichetucknee River? rr: In each of these training settings, I found that the swimmers were challenged in a different way to maximize their strength endurance. The swimmers did not haul weighted trash cans up the diving tower, but used a pulley system on the pool deck to lift the cans. I felt that the river swims added a change of scenery—no sharks, just a few snakes—and lessened the monotony of daily wall tag practices. This was an early version of open water swimming.

SW: Do you have a favorite offbeat training technique? rr: Yes—long course pulleys.

SW: Explain how you use intensity to gauge training overload. rr: After an overload set, the next practice or two can show if the swimmer has recovered any. Some coaches will wait until taper to address recovery, which is usually too late. Of course, the really great swimmers seldom show overload, so there is less of a chance for adverse effects.

SW: Skill and technical proficiency make for fast swimmers. How was Tracy Caulkins gifted in that way? rr: Tracy was—and still is—the greatest swimmer in the world. No one has held American records in every stroke. Her ability to always do exactly what the coach instructed, along with always thinking about swimming while she was in practice, made every minute of her training count.

She had both the skill and focus needed to compete and win at the highest level. That is a gift not many athletes possess. Unfortunately, today it is a challenge even to have swimmers listen to the coach in practice, much less follow through with instructions.

SW: You retired from coaching in 1990. What brought you back? rr: I still desired to make swimmers go faster. I was living in Jacksonville and was asked to serve on a search committee at Episcopal High School to find a new swim coach. Several coaches later, I was asked if I could continue to do my other job and also coach at Episcopal.

I felt that I could, so I accepted—but it was conditional on a new 50-meter pool being constructed within a given time limit. When that did not happen, I resigned. The job offer to coach in Austin came shortly after, and by that time, I had realized, after coaching again, that I couldn’t

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HOWTHEYTRAIN pass up the opportunity to build a new program and make swimmers go faster.

SW: What has been your most satisfying moment in the sport? rr: I cannot identify just one because I find the most satisfaction daily in all of my practices. It is there I see what my swimmers have a chance to achieve.

The problem is that most swimmers just don’t get how important every practice is. The value of training seriously cannot be stressed enough.

SW: Where are kids today—say, a Becca Mann—in terms of development, physical and mental maturity, as compared to a Tracy Caulkins? rr: It is hard to compare the two as I didn’t train Tracy until she was 18 years old. I worked with Becca some when she was much younger, and I increased training time with her from around the age of 12. Both Tracy and Becca can be classified as extremely hard workers and goal-oriented individuals. Both of these qualities in swimmers lead to success.

SW: Brooke Bennett and Becca Mann training in the same pool—what’s been the payoff for CAT and both women? rr: Both of these athletes, though many years apart in age, enjoy the challenge of training hard. It is always beneficial to have top athletes on board with a program focused on achieving international recognition. Having these swimmers as part of the CAT program gives all swimmers positive role models to follow.

SW: Talk about your involvement with the National Age Group Swimming Association. rr: Doug Fonder, coach of the Virginia Gators, showed me how important a single age group swim meet can be.

The meet concept that Doug created and we helped put on here in Clearwater is the best age group meet there is. It allows swimmers to compete more effectively with swimmers of their own age and physical ability.

SW: What’s the value of having a national competition for 10-year-olds or 9-and-under swimmers? rr: It gives young athletes a chance to compete at a very early age, keeping them inspired. Without this competition at an early age, the opportunity to work toward a larger goal will not exist until much later.

It gives a less talented swimmer the chance to have more time and training to improve to the level of a very talented swimmer. In most cases, the better training background in early years will override the talent of these other swimmers. v Michael J. Stott, one of Swimming World Magazine’s USA contributors, is based in Richmond, Va.

becca

I

mann

by michael j . stott

photo by peter h . bick

n swimming parlance, OTC usually refers to Olympic Training Center. In the case of Clearwater Aquatic Team member Becca Mann, it also stands for “One Tough Cookie.” Here’s why: In 2012 at age 14, Mann finaled in three grueling events at the U.S. Olympic Trials, placing fifth in the 400 IM (4:41.61) and the 800 free (8:28.54, breaking Sippy Woodhead’s 8:29.35 NAG record) and sixth in the 400 free (4:08.65). Later that summer as a member of the open water junior national team, she won gold in the 10K at Junior Pan-Pacs after taking the 5K at the 2011 Open Water Nationals.

This spring, by placing second in the 10K and 5K races at the USA Swimming Open Water National Championships, she earned the right to represent her country at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona.

Her 2:02:16.06 in the 10K placed her just 1.73 seconds behind Christine Jennings. In the 5K (1:00:38.04), she finished a mere 1.53 seconds behind Haley Anderson.

Mann, now 15, currently holds four 13-14 NAG records: the 800 and 1500 meter free (16.11.98) and the 400 IM (4:39.76) as well as the 1650 yard free (15:54.46). While virtually all her training is done in the pool, clearly her love is the open water. At age 10, she became the youngest swimmer to cross the treacherous 9.9-mile Maui Channel, clocking 6:26:46.

Mann, a native of Illinois, is home-schooled and lives in Florida to train with Randy Reese, a suggestion made several years ago by her triathlon coach, Keith Dickson.

This arrangement allows her to focus on Job One: “With Becca, swimming comes first,” says Reese. “Intelligent and highly motivated, she knows exactly what she can do and works hard to accomplish her goals. To that end, she does extensive land-based as well as intensive water training that includes the use of pulleys, all the while monitoring a healthy nutritional diet.” v Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to see some of Becca Mann’s sample sets as well as her progession of times.

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David Clark

Lauren Green

Age 12 Blue Tide Aquatics Kingwood, Texas Gulf Age Group Championships

Age 14 Quicksilver Swimming San Jose, California Far Western Short Course Championships

Sam Pomajevich

Alyssa Watson

Age 14 Nation’s Capital Swim Club Burke, Virginia Potomac Valley Long Course Championships

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Age 10 Irvine Novaquatics Irvine, California Far Western Short Course Championships

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UP & COMERS AGE GROUP SWIMMERS OF THE MONTH

Terrapin’s Justin Lynch made history at this year’s U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials last June when he took down the “Greatest Olympian of All Time’s” historic 15-16 national age group record in the 100 meter butterfly.

Michael Phelps’ record, set in 2001, stood for more than a decade before Lynch raced to a winning time of 52.75 in the consolation finals, lowering Phelps’ mark of 52.98. Lynch was also less than a second off the 52.13 championship time posted by Eugene Godsoe.

“I’ve been training for it for the past year now—since Junior (Nationals),” said the 16-year-old Lynch. “So I knew I could get down to the 52 (-second mark). It was just a matter of that last 25.”

Despite countless hours training in his club team’s home pool in Concord, Calif., a little pep talk from Terrapins head coach Paul Stafford put Lynch in the right frame of mind to take down the record. “(He said) don’t be afraid to go out that first 50 and get ahead,” said Lynch.

To put Lynch’s 100 fly NAG record into perspective, when Phelps set the previous mark in 2001, he had already competed for the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games as a 15-year-old and finished fifth in the 200 fly.

Could Lynch become the swimmer to fill the butterfly void the U.S. feels after Phelps’ retirement? Quite possibly, as this isn’t the first time Lynch has broken one of Phelps’ historic NAG records. He also holds the boys 13-14 100 fly NAG mark (54.80) with a time from the 2011 Summer Far Western Championships. That record is nearly a second under the 55.78 that Phelps posted in 2000. Lynch first claimed the 13-14 NAG record in the prelims of that meet, (55.54), qualifying him for the 2012 Olympic Trials as a 14-year-old. v

[photo

JUSTIN LYNCH

provided by joanna pieper]

[ photo

provi ded by swimming world ]

by shoshanna rutemiller

KIRSTEN VOSE

Rose Bowl Aquatics’ Kirsten Vose made a big splash at the 2013 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division I High School Championships last May. After charging to a victory in the women’s 100 yard breaststroke, the sophomore at Flintridge Sacred Heart High School was named the Pasadena Star-News Female Swimmer of the Year. The Los Angeles Daily News also recognized Vose for being named to the All-Area First Team in swimming.

At the CIF Championships, Vose won the girls 100 breast (1:02.57) and finished sixth in the 200 IM (2:05.63). Her 200 IM winning time was a bit off the 2:03.47 she posted in prelims—which ranked her 14th among all female high school swimmers in the event this season in California.

Her 100 breast time ranked seventh.

Vose also swam the breaststroke leg on Flintridge’s 200 medley relay, splitting a 28.96. The relay team raced to a close victory in the event with a final time of 1:44.26, just ahead of University High School’s 1:44.92.

“In CIF, the most exciting race was the medley relay,” Vose said. “It was so close. We knew it would be hard, but we were hoping for the best.”

With Vose’s help, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Tologs finished seventh overall at the championships. And Vose still has two more years of high school swimming yet to come! v August 2013

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20. My favorite sports team of all time is Notre Dame’s football team.

4. My favorite movie is “Law Abiding Citizen.”

22. I have a telescope in my room, which is kind of unusual. I’ve never used it, though.

5. My favorite color is red.

23. My favorite place that I have ever traveled to is Maui—I think the reason is selfexplanatory.

9. The one thing I could NEVER live without is my friends and family.

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10. I have a celebrity crush on Mila Kunis.

11. The most spontaneous thing I have ever done is going on the Slingshot ride in Orlando, Fla.

21. I HATE spicy food!

24. Right now, you can find strawberries and chocolate in my fridge... but I wish there were some chocolate-covered strawberries in there, too.

25. I answered all these questions while I was hanging out on my bed in my room.

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k] h . b ic

8. My favorite chain restaurants are, without a doubt, Bahama Breeze and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

19. I could not travel without my phone. Ever.

er b y p et

7. When I’m done with my races at a meet, I usually sit on the bleachers and talk to people who swam with me.

18. My favorite cartoon character is Captain Underpants.

[photo

6. The absolute, first thing I do after a workout is sit and relax!

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12. When I need to get pumped up, I listen to “Sandstorm” by Darude— but I usually need calming down before races, so I listen to country music when I need to relax.

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SWIM MART

[photo

b y p e t e r h . b i ck ]

RYAN MURPHY’S PLAYLIST: pictured

1. “Forever Now” by Ne-Yo 2. “The Other Side”

by Jason Derulo 3. “No Easy Way Out”

by Robert Tepper 4. “Beautiful Day” by U2 5. “I Could Be the One” by Avicii and Nicky Romero 6. “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot

>

ryan murphy

( right )

with bolles

coach sergio lopez . [photo

provided by ryan murphy]

7. “The New Kings” by Popeska 8. “Set It Off” by Timomatic 9. “Tapout” by Rich Gang 10. “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight” by Randy Houser

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> GUTTERTALK: horoscopes by kaitlin kelly

LEO

(July 24 - Aug. 23) You tend to be the leader of the pack, Leo. People seem to gravitate to you. Working out with your friends brings you enjoyment, but be careful DEFINING TRAIT: Regal

not to annoy them with your constant

need

to

be

the

YOUR TUNE:

center of attention. Don’t get

“Circus”

caught checking yourself out in

by Britney Spears

the mirror in the weight room.

FAMOUS LEOS:

Sometimes people misinterpret

Ryan Lochte (8/13)

your natural-born leadership for

Elizabeth Beisel (8/18)

seeking attention.

V I RG O ( A U G. 24 - S E P T. 23) You tend to drive yourself too hard in the fitness race. Your schedule may be full, but you need to find the time to slow down with some meditation. Pair that with a balanced healthy diet, and you will get results!

Defining Trait: Keen Your Tune: “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer Famous Virgos: Josh Davis (9/1); Cammile Adams (9/11) L I B RA ( S E P T. 24 - O CT. 23) Staying balanced is key, Libra. You need to find a better balance between your social life and workout responsibilities. Don’t forget to schedule time for rest, too.

Defining Trait: Harmonious Your Tune: “Easy Like Sunday Morning” by Lionel Richie Famous Libras: Gary Hall Jr. (9/26); Kristy Kowal (10/9) S CO R P I O ( O CT. 24 - N OV. 22 ) Test your limits, Scorpio!

You’re full of ambition and have a constant need to be challenged with strenous activities to help release your pent-up stress. Be sure to take some alone time!

Defining Trait: Intensity Your Tune: “Disturbia” by Rihanna Famous Scorpios: Jason Lezak (11/12); Dana Vollmer (11/13) S AG I T TA R I U S ( N OV. 23 - D E C. 22 ) You tend to be a little clumsy at times, Sagittarius! You would be wise to pay close attention to stretching properly before your workouts so you don’t get hurt.

Defining Trait: Adventurous Your Tune: “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz Famous Sagittarians: Nathan Adrian (12/7); Rachel Bootsma (12/15) Capricorn ( dec. 23 - jan. 20) Stay patient, Capricorn! Persistence pays off! Remember, no matter what you do for exercise, always do it for selfimprovement, not because of the competition.

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Defining Trait: Accomplished Your Tune: “So Ambitious” by Jay-Z (ft. Pharrell) Famous Capricorns: Conor Dwyer (1/10); Claire Donahue (1/12) Aq uarius ( jan. 21 - feb. 19 ) Aquarius, you really don’t like being told what to do and when to do it! You also find it difficult to settle into a consistent routine.

Don’t sweat it! Go ahead and mix things up!

Defining Trait: Visionary Your Tune: “Natural Mystic” by Bob Marley Famous Aquarians: Chloe Sutton (2/3); Peter Vanderkaay (2/12) pisces ( feb. 20 - mar. 20) The fitness fight is a difficult one for you, but it isn’t hopeless! Surround yourself with positive people because you tend to absorb negativity!

Defining Trait: Idealistic Your Tune: “Emotional” by Carl Thomas Famous Pisceans: Cullen Jones (2/29); Jessica Hardy (3/12) A R I E S ( M A R. 21 - A P R. 20 ) You’re a bit hot-headed, Aries. Go for a dip in the pool and cool down. Exercise naturally boosts your moods! Your constant need to win may cause a few bumps in the road. Don’t lose sight of your goals!

Defining Trait: Ambitious Your Tune: “Headstrong” by Lincoln Park Famous Arians: Matt Grevers (3/26); Breeja Larson (4/16) Taurus ( apr. 21 - may 21 ) You need to focus on your pre-workout routine, Taurus. You tend to hold your stress and tension in your neck, which is a very sensitive area! Take the time to loosen your muscles before diving right into your workout!

Defining Trait: Steady Your Tune: “Soul Survivor” by Young Jeezy (ft. Akon) Famous Taurians: Ricky Berens (4/21); Missy Franklin (5/10) G E M I N I ( may 22 - june 21 ) Gemini, time to spice things up! Sticking to the same routine is losing your interest. Find ways to keep it new, listen to music or switch up your workout! You need variety, so get creative!

Defining Trait: Curiosity Your Tune: “Hot ‘N Cold” by Katy Perry Famous Geminis: Anthony Ervin (5/26); Allison Schmitt (6/7) cancer ( june 22 - july 23 ) Cancer rules the stomach, so focus on your core stretches and workouts.

Water is where you feel at your best because it soothes your nerves.

Defining Trait: Sensitive Your Tune: “Sensitivity” by Ralph Tresvant Famous Cancers: Michael Phelps (6/30); Micah Lawrence (7/20) v

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1. FINIS CENTER MOUNT SNORKEL (FINIS Swimmer’s Snorkel; Originally $39.99, now $35.95; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 2. FINIS POSITIVE DRIVE FINS (FINIS Positive Drive Fins; $29.99; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 3. FINIS NEPTUNE MP3 (FINIS Neptune MP3 Player; $139.99; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 4. SWIMMING FASTER SERIES (David Marsh’s Swimming Faster Series, Four Strokes (4 DVD Set); Originally $171.99, now $135.99; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 5. CORE TRAINING ANATOMY (Delavier’s Core Training Anatomy; $21.95; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 6. FINIS AGILITY PADDLES (FINIS Agility Paddles; $19.99; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) 7. SW T- SHIRT (SW T-Shirt; Originally $19.95, now $14.95; SwimmingWorldMagazine.com) August 2013

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fan at the 2013 u.s. national championships in indianapolis, ind.

[ photo

by peter h . bick ]

parting shot

pictured > miss y franklin’s biggest

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