THE
PREP
SCHOOLS
ISSUE
ELECTRIC PERFORMANCES FROM THE 2013 FINA WORLD CHAMPS
OCTOBER 2013 - VOLUME 54 - N O. 10
*JUNIORS Waiting In The Wings:
TOP USA
THE ART OF THE START: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
TURNING PAIN INTO A LESSON:
THE ZAC FOUNDATION’S MISSION TO MATTER October.indd 1
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“The foil movement is the difference, guaranteed to result in better finishes and faster times.” –Bob Gillett, World-Renowned Swim Coach
FOIL THE
COMPETITION
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FEATURES 2013
OCTOBER
010
FINA World Championships: Life after Phelps by Jeff Commings The words, “Michael Phelps” and “world records,” dominated the headlines of this summer’s World Championships, as the absence from the sport of the Greatest Olympian of All Time sometimes overshadowed the electric performances in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
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Connecting through Sport by Garrett Weber-Gale The Maccabiah Games hosts many competitions around the world that are all focused on bringing Jewish athletes together for competition and to take part in a cultural event unlike anything else...anywhere!
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Dryside Training: Cross-Training Activities by J.R. Rosania
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Ask Dr. Shannon: Neck Stretches by Shannon McBride
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The ZAC Foundation: Saving Children’s Lives by Shoshanna Rutemiller Karen and Brian Cohn, who lost their 6-yearold son, Zac, to a drowning accident, want to ensure that no other family endures the death of a child in a water-related tragedy.
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USSSA: Water SMART Babies by Lana Whitehead Water SMART Babies is a program in which pediatricians actually prescribe swimming lessons for children.
USA’s Promising Talent by David Rieder American swimmers have dominated their sport for years. But who will carry the torch internationally in the years to come? The performances at this year’s U.S. Junior Nationals in August show that there are plenty of top-notch athletes waiting in the wings. Here’s a quick look at four of those potential stars.
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DEPARTMENTS 008
A Voice for the Sport
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Holiday Gift Guide
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Prep School Listings
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Parting Shot
ON THE COVER [ photo
by peter h
.
bick ]
There were several swimmers from the U.S. Junior Nationals in August who showed promise as potential American stars of tomorrow. Among them: Gunnar Bentz, 17, of the Dynamo Swim Club in Georgia. After winning three events at juniors, he won both IMs with championship records (1:59.44, 4:14.97) at the World Junior Championships in Dubai. (See story, page 16.)
Q&A with Coach Stu Kukla by Michael J. Stott
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How They Train Mike McBryan and Emily Kosten by Michael J. Stott
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Art of the Start by Michael J. Stott With races decided by hundredths of a second, it’s important to practice the start on a regular basis and try to be first off the blocks.
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, October 2013.
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A Voice for the Sport
O
Are Caffeinated Energy Drinks a Gateway to Performance-Enhancing Drugs?
ne of the hot topics at the American Swimming Coaches Association’s World Clinic in New Orleans last month was the use of energy drinks by young swimmers during competition. I talked with some coaches, and they confirmed the proliferation of Red Bull, Monster and Rock Star drinks throughout their programs. All confirmed that it was the parents—not the coaches—supplying these drinks to the children. John Leonard, executive director of ASCA, said that the proof is everywhere: “Just look at the trash left on the deck and in trash cans after swim meets.” On Aug. 1 of this year, I listened to a United States Senate hearing on energy drinks and the industry’s advertising practices. The goal of the meeting was to learn to what extent energy manufacturers were marketing to children 12 to 18. The industry executives claimed that they were targeting young adults, but the evidence clearly proved that they were targeting the pre-teens and young teenagers. Search “Senate hearing on energy drinks” on the Internet to learn more about this important discussion. Caffeine used to be one of the substances banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed caffeine from its list of banned substances in 2004. Although not banned, caffeine is still being monitored. If WADA finds enough athletes with elevated levels of caffeine in their systems, WADA will revisit its policy to determine if caffeine should go back on its list of banned substances. Even if caffeine does go back onto the
banned list, current methods for testing drugs are extremely expensive and are limited to elite athletes. Swimming World Magazine supports the use of high-throughput screening (HTS) procedures, which would allow for mass testing, including caffeine, for just pennies on the dollar (estimated to be 22 cents vs. $90 per current testing procedures) and recommends that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) implement high-throughput screening procedures as a pretest to existing procedures. With an inexpensive screening procedure that can be administered to the masses, our sport will easily be able to detect early abnormalities that could then be followed up with more rigorous testing procedures. WHO’S RESPONSIBLE? The industry executives at the Senate hearing took very little responsibility for their products falling into the hands of youth, saying that it was up to the parents to police the use of their product. If this is true, then is it only a matter of time before the parents’ medicine cabinet also comes on the pool deck? Many parents in the United States use human growth hormones (HGH) to stop aging, reduce fat and rebuild muscles. This trend, along with the fact that one out of every 12 adults has an inhaler, makes the household medicine cabinet a modern-day dispensary for performance-enhancing substances. What is stopping parents from sharing the benefits from these “everyday” drugs with their children? With no proof in hand, other than an onslaught of national age group records being shattered in 2013 all across the country, suspicions are mounting that parents are providing more than just moral support to their children. v
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
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:
Brent T. Rutemiller Publisher, CEO 8
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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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pedersen , denmark ;
( below )
katie
ledecky , usa ; ruta meilutyte , lithuania
FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS sponsored by
LIFE AFTER
PHELPS by jeff commings
photos by joan - marc bosch
The words, “Michael Phelps” and “world records,” dominated the headlines of this summer’s World Championships, as the absence from the sport of the
pictured
> ( from
top ) rikke moller
pedersen , denmark ; ruta meilutyte , lithuania ; katie ledecky , usa
Greatest Olympian of All Time sometimes overshadowed the electric performances in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. BARCELONA, Spain—Many wondered how the swimming competition of the 15th FINA World Championships, July 28-Aug. 4, would fare with Michael Phelps not in the pool to draw fans to the event. This was, after all, the first World Championships since 1998 without Phelps. The year after his Olympic debut in 2000, Phelps started blazing his path toward greatness with a gold medal in the 200 meter butterfly, the first of 26 World Championship gold medals and 33 overall that he would go on to win. But sports lose their legendary stars every year and still continue with a flourish. This year, Phelps’ successors to the throne included two familiar names and a teenager from Japan who overtook a high-flying compatriot who was unable to cash in on his promise of multiple gold.
flocked to the arena to watch their favorite stars. Naturally, Spaniards made up a large percentage of the crowd, but neighboring France also brought large numbers to cheer the French team on to a four-gold-medal performance. On the women’s side, the breaststrokers made it a meet to remember—with all three women’s breaststroke world records falling (one twice). The USA’s Katie Ledecky also added two distance freestyle marks.
WOMEN BREAK SIX WORLD RECORDS And with six world records broken—all by women—the meet didn’t disappoint swimming fans, who 10
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( below )
katie
meilutyte , lithuania
FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
pictured
> ( from
left ) sun yang , china ;
matt grevers , usa
Ruta Meilutyte was responsible for taking sprint breaststroke to new heights, as she broke two world records initially set by the USA’s Jessica Hardy in the 2009 techsuit era. On the meet’s second day, the Lithuanian lowered Hardy’s 100 mark of 1:04.45 to 1:04.35 in the semifinals, then won the event 24 hours later in 1:04.42. Then on the next-to-last day of the eight-day meet, Russia’s Yuliya Efimova first broke Hardy’s 50 record of 29.80 with a 29.78 in prelims. However, in semis, Meilutyte lowered the record to 29.48. But it was Efimova who won the gold medal the following day when she beat Meilutyte by 7-hundredths of a second, 29.52 to 29.59. In between the two sprint breaststroke races, another world record came tumbling down in the 200. When America’s Rebecca Soni slashed through the 2:20 barrier in the 200 breast at the 2012 Olympics, few believed it would be broken in just one year. Yet, Rikke Moller Pedersen of Denmark blasted right through the barrier—and Soni’s world record of 2:19.59—with a 2:19.11 in semifinals. However, she had to settle for the silver medal, as Efimova showed
remarkable range by not only winning the gold medal in the 50, but in the 200 as well, edging the world record holder, 2:19.41 to 2:20.08 in finals. Efimova is the only person to go under the 2:20 barrier twice, having clocked 2:19.85 in semis. Soni is taking the year off from competition, but was in the building to watch Meilutyte succeed her as world champion in the 100 breast, as well as watch Pedersen and Efimova join her in the sub-2:20 club. In speaking with Swimming World Magazine, Soni said she got a twinge of excitement watching the swims and wished she had been a part of it. The crowd seemed less appreciative—though still excited— about Ledecky’s astonishing world records in the 800 and 1500 freestyles. The 16-year-old American got some help in both races, being chased up and down the pool by Denmark’s Lotte Friis. Ledecky and Friis both shattered Kate Ziegler’s (USA) world record in the 1500—a non-Olympic event—by more than three seconds, with Ledecky posting a 15:36.53 to Friis’ 15:38.88. Both returned in the 800, with Ledecky uncharacteristically holding back on her pace and letting Friis take early command. The tactic paid off
for Ledecky, who surged ahead after 700 meters to knock off Rebecca Adlington’s world record and win in 8:13.86. Ledecky’s accomplishments propelled her to take Female Swimmer of the Meet honors, with her world records giving her the edge over teammate Missy Franklin. BUZZWORTHY STORYLINES AMONG THE MEN Though the men were unable to break any records, the storylines were still buzzworthy. In the final men’s event, the 400 medley relay, the United States finished the race clearly in front of runner-up France, but less than a minute later, the foursome was disqualified after technology ruled that breaststroker Kevin Cordes left the blocks 4-hundredths of a second before backstroker Matt Grevers finished his leg. With the rules allowing for a leeway of 3-hundredths, the United States, in effect, lost the gold medal by 1-hundredth of a second. “A relay disqualification is not a particular person’s fault,” relay anchor Nathan Adrian said after the race. “It’s Team USA’s fault. It’s sitting on all of our shoulders. It’s up to all of us to — continued on 12 October 2013
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FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WORLD CHAMPS — continued from 11
help bring Kevin back. If the four of us ever step up again, we are never going to have a disqualification— that’s for sure.” In terms of the numerous reports of Phelps’ comeback, it’s unclear if the times posted in his signature events sparked any notion of returning to the 50-meter jungle. Phelps showed up in Barcelona to fulfill obligations to his sponsors, so he was at poolside when South Africa’s Chad Le Clos officially took his place as the global king of butterfly. Almost one year to the day after snatching the gold from Phelps at the Olympics in the 200 fly, Le Clos won his first long course World Championship title in the event (1:54.32), then backed it up a few days later with gold in the 100 fly (51.06) over established sprinters— and the USA’s Ryan Lochte, who surprised many by qualifying first after semifinals, only to slip to sixth in finals. But Lochte was able to collect a couple of gold medals of his own. He dominated the 200 individual medley (1:54.98)—beating silver medalist Kosuke Hagino (Japan) by a little more than a second—and took his third world title in the 200 backstroke (1:53.79) over a surging Radoslaw Kawecki of Poland. Lochte said he had low expectations of collecting multiple gold medals in Spain, given his lack of concentrated training in the months following the Olympics. And after his swims in Barcelona, he said his motivation to train in the three years leading up to the next Olympics was stronger than ever. Lochte has said since the spring that he’s changing training locations, moving from Gainesville, Fla.—after about 10 years there—to work with the elite training squad at SwimMAC Carolina as well as taking a trip Down Under to train with Denis Cotterell— all under the “long-distance” guidance of head coach Gregg Troy, who will remain in Florida. With the 400 IM seemingly out of Lochte’s grasp, the door was opened for two newcomers on the world 12
pictured
> ( from
top ) cameron van der burgh , south africa ; ryan lochte , usa
scene to make sparkling debuts. Just one year after racing each other in the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, Japan’s Daiya Seto and the USA’s Chase Kalisz were going head-tohead again, this time as the two best distance IMers in the world, regardless of age. Seto collected his gold in 4:08.69 to Kalisz’s 4:09.22, marking first sub-4:10 efforts for both men. The race had been billed as an inauguration for Hagino after he had posted an untouchable 4:07 in April. But the weight of multiple events throughout the week had taken its toll, and Hagino faded badly down the stretch, falling from second to fifth in just 25 meters. Other top moments in Barcelona included the gold medals by Cesar Cielo and Cameron van der Burgh after various knee ailments threatened to keep them off the medal podium. Brazil’s Cielo
recovered from two knee surgeries last fall to successfully defend his world titles in the 50 fly (23.01) and 50 free (21.32), and the emotion of beating the odds had Cielo shedding tears on the medal podium. As for van der Burgh, the South African suffered a knee injury in late June that forced him out of the Paris Open, a move that had many speculating the injury would be too serious to allow him to compete in Spain. Not only did he show up, but he also won the 50 breast (26.77) and took silver in the 100 breast (58.97) behind Australia’s Christian Sprenger (58.79). ODDS ’N ENDS The crowd roared whenever a Spanish swimmer walked to the starting area, and was celebrating with gusto the three medals (two silvers and a bronze) won by Barcelona native Mireia Belmonte in
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FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS both women’s IMs and the 200 fly. Though those were the only medals won by Spain in the swimming pool, Belmonte’s success trickled down to the rest of the Spanish team, who qualified other swimmers into the championship finals. Though many of the competitors at last year’s Olympics complained of a loss of motivation following the exciting and emotional Games in London, 10 of the Olympic champions were able to back up London gold with similar medals in Barcelona. The USA’s Missy Franklin was the headliner on that score, winning six gold medals in eight events: 200 free (1:54.81), 100 back (58.42), 200 back (2:04.76), 400 medley relay (3:53.23/58.39 backstroke leadoff), 400 free relay (3:32.31/53.51 leadoff) and 800 free relay (7:45.14/1:54.27 anchor). She became the most-decorated woman ever at the World
Championships and won the most gold medals at one Worlds by a female swimmer. Only Phelps’ seven from 2007 outrank her. China’s Sun Yang, who captured Male Swimmer of the Meet honors after taking the distance freestyle events—400 (3:41.59), 800 (7:41.36) and 1500 (14:41.15)—was emotionally all over the spectrum after the meet. With a year’s worth of drama surrounding his non-swimming exploits splashed on the front page of nearly every Chinese newspaper, Sun was able to appreciate his World Championship medals even more. He didn’t approach any world records, but with more consistent training, could be back to his record-breaking ways soon. The Olympic champion who seemed to suffer the biggest fall in
Spain was China’s Ye Shiwen, who had been the subject of constant speculation that chemical assistance pushed her to sweep the individual medleys in London. This year, Ye finished a surprising fourth in the 200 IM and was 10 seconds off her world record in placing seventh in the 400 IM. ••• The next World Championships is slated for summer 2015 in Kazan, Russia, and the swimming community will look to see which of 2013’s stars can continue their successes into the pre-Olympic year and set the stage for what should be another spectacular meet. The Russians won two gold medals in Barcelona and could be even better with a home crowd supporting them two years from now. — continued on 14
SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to see Swimming World’s complete coverage of the World Championships.
pictured
>
china dominated the
diving competition at the world championships , winning nine of the 10
events . it also won two silver and two bronze medals , including a third - place finish by cao yuan and zhang yanquan
( left
and below , from left ) in the
men ’ s 10 - meter synchro competition .
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FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS WORLD CHAMPS — continued from 13
pictured
>
russia won all seven gold
medals in synchronized swimming , led by svetlana romashina
( left
and above ),
who won four gold medals in the solo and duet events . svetlana kolesnichenko
( duet / team )
won three gold medals , as
did seven of her teammates , who swept the team events . spain also won seven medals : three silver and four bronze .
pictured
>
in water polo , hungary ’ s men
defeated montenegro 8 - 7 in the gold - medal
game , finishing with a 5 - 1 - 1 record through
( 2 - 0 ), semis ( 1 - 0 ) and finals ( 1 - 0 ). meanwhile , the barcelona fans were ecstatic when spain ’ s prelims
( 1 - 1 - 1 ),
quarterfinals
women took the gold medal over australia ,
8 - 6 . they won six of their seven games , losing only to russia , 7 - 6 , in prelims .
14
pictured
>
tunisia ’ s ous mellouli
( left
and above , middle )— last year ’ s olympic
10 k marathon gold medalist — won
the men ’ s 5 k open water race over eric hedlin , canada
( above , left ) and ( above , right ). brazil — led by poliana okimoto cintra ( first , 10 k ; second , 5 k ) captured the championships trophy as the best team , ahead of germany and the usa . thomas lurz
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U.S. JUNIOR NATIONALS
USA’S PROMISING TALENT by david rieder
photos by peter h . bick
American swimmers have dominated their sport for years. But who will carry the torch internationally in the years to come? The performances at this year’s U.S. Junior Nationals in August show that there are plenty of top-notch athletes waiting in the wings. Here’s a quick look at four of those potential stars.
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KATIE M c LAUGHLIN Mission Viejo Nadadores, Calif. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Katie McLaughlin swam in four events, though she admits now that she didn’t hold out much hope for making the team. But she also says, “The Olympic Trials was such a good experience! Honestly, when I was there, I wasn’t all too focused on swimming because I was so young (she was only 14). It just motivated me.” McLaughlin’s best finish was a tie for 28th in the 100 meter fly...and she was disqualified in her best event, the 200 fly. One year later, however, she returned to the national level with a vengeance, qualifying for the final of the 200 fly at the World Championship Trials, June 25-29, in Indianapolis. McLaughlin says that she didn’t really know what to expect in her first big final: “It was really exciting. I went in there oblivious because I had no idea what was going on, and I had no idea I could place as high as third!” With a time of 2:10.41, McLaughlin finished behind Cammile Adams and Maya DiRado. A little more than a month later at the Speedo Junior National Championships in Irvine, Calif., Aug. 5-9, she improved her time to 2:09.68. Then at the end of the month at the World Junior Championships, Aug. 26-31, in Dubai, she lowered her 200 fly time even further to 2:08.72 to win the gold medal. She also placed 15th in the semifinals of the 50 free, qualified 10th in prelims of the 200 free and finished fifth in the 100 fly with a time of 1:00.16. McLaughlin also came home with a gold medal in the women’s 800 free relay and bronze medals in the 400 free relay and mixed 400 medley relay. McLaughlin, who just turned 16 on July 9, ranks third among Americans this year in the 200 fly—only 44-hundredths off No. 2 DiRado’s 2013 best time (2:08.28). “I think I broke out in the 200 fly this year,” she says. “I made a lot of improvements that have led to some major time drops.”
pictured
> ( previous
page )
the 2013 u . s . junior national
championships in san jose ,
calif .;
( current
page from
top ) katie m c laughlin , mission
viejo ; andrew seliskar , nation ’ s capital
In 2014, USA Swimming will select three swimmers per event to go to the Pan Pacific Championships—a real opportunity for McLaughlin. ANDREW SELISKAR Nation’s Capital Swim Club, Va. Andrew Seliskar, who arrived at junior nationals as a “swimmer on the rise,” quickly raised some eyebrows in the final of the men’s 200 fly. He had begun the year never having broken two minutes in the 200 fly, but he finished fifth at senior nationals, held in Indianapolis six weeks before juniors. There, he swam a time of 1:57.48, less than a second behind runner-up Tyler Clary, who went on to make finals at the World Championships. Seliskar qualified first at juniors by more than a second-anda-half, but he knew he would have a race on his hands in the final.
For the first 100 meters, Justin Lynch set the pace from lane 3. But Seliskar used splits of 29.75 and 30.17 on his final two laps to win the event. He touched the wall in 1:56.54, good for 21st in the world at the time and the third best among Americans. With that one huge effort, Seliskar had vaulted himself into a legitimate contender on the national stage and a threat to qualify for senior national teams as early as next summer. The 16-year-old attributed his rapid rise to improvements in his race strategy: “The 200 fly was an event that I was never really able to put together last season on the back half, but I’ve felt much stronger this year,” he says. On the meet’s final day, Seliskar outdueled Gunnar Bentz in an exciting 200 IM final. Seliskar touched in — continued on 18 October 2013
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u.s. junior nationals — continued from 17
pictured
> ( from
top ) ella
eastin , socal ; gunnar bentz , dynamo
2:00.21, taking down the boys 15-16 national age group record—a mark that stood at 2:00.86 and belonged to Olympic legend Michael Phelps. Seliskar’s coach, John Flanagan, applauded the effort: “I thought Seliskar’s best event was the 200 IM. He broke a 13-year-old record, and it was pretty spectacular. He was cautious at the beginning of the race and had plenty left at the end. He’s had the record in his sights for a while, and he was talking about it all spring.” Seliskar also swam the 400 IM, but was disqualified in prelims. “I had felt really smooth and relaxed that morning in my prelim swim and had a lifetime best, 4:19,” he said, “but I was DQ’ed for a fully submerged back-tobreast turn. “I would have loved to have raced that event again at finals and, hopefully, drop a few more seconds.” 18
Seliskar continued to lower his times in the 200 fly and 200 IM at the World Junior Championships. His first challenge came in the medley, where he again battled Bentz, with both swimmers dipping under two minutes. This time, Bentz took the gold medal with a 1:59.44, while Seliskar finished fourth (1:59.84). On the meet’s fifth day out of six, Seliskar won the 200 fly with another personal best time of 1:56.42. Even before the meet, Flanagan didn’t have any doubts that his swimmer would swim faster in Dubai than at juniors: “He’s done so much work over the past season. His potential is in his ferocity to race, and that’s what makes him special.” ELLA EASTIN SoCal Aquatics, Calif. At last year’s junior nationals, a 15-year-old Ella Eastin swam in three
finals, but she failed to finish higher than fifth (100 back, 1:02.78) in any of those events. She also finished seventh in the 200 IM in 2:18.73 and won the bonus final in the 400 IM to place 17th overall with a time of 4:51.53. One year has made a world of difference. In Irvine, Eastin won the 200 IM in 2:13.66 and put together a dominating performance in the 400 IM, winning in 4:38.97 for a meet record. Among Americans, only World Championship finalists Elizabeth Beisel and Maya DiRado have swum faster this year. In September 2012, Eastin set her sights on winning at junior nationals in 2013. “I realized that in order to achieve that goal, I needed a change in my training environment and my own attitude,” she admitted. So she moved to train at SoCal Aquatics with Coach Stephen Pickell, who credits Eastin’s newfound intensity and focus for her improvements. “I have been around swimming as an athlete and a coach for over 35 years, and I have never seen anyone work as hard as Ella,” says Pickell. “Her success was due to her talent and her work ethic. She is very easy to coach, rarely complains, and never misses a practice.” Pickell has helped Eastin’s swimming with his focus on both details and racing preparation: “We stress starts and turns daily and rarely go a week without getting up on the blocks for some kind of racing set.” Eastin adds, “Swimming fast in prelims was one of the first things Coach Pickell wanted me to work on. I used to have a hard time swimming fast during prelims, but I’ve had to change that due to the rising level of competition at bigger swim meets.” That focus paid off at juniors, where Eastin qualified first in the 200 IM (2:15.95) and a close second in the 400 IM (4:45.94) to set herself up for her impressive swims in finals. Eastin motivates herself by using the strategies she learned from one of her previous coaches, Rod Hansen, at Irvine Novaquatics.
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“Coach Rod always turned my attention back to improving what I was doing wrong,” says Eastin. “To this day, I still use the mindset of not dwelling on my accomplishments, but always looking for what I can do next to be even better.” After juniors, she won the 400 IM (4:40.02 championship record) and placed second in the 200 IM (2:13.76) at the World Junior Championships. GUNNAR BENTZ Dynamo Swim Club, Ga. Gunnar Bentz set the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center ablaze on the first two days of junior nationals with his swims in the 200 breast and 400 IM, destroying meet records in both events. Trailing Andrew Schuehler at the 150 in the final of the 200 breast, Bentz unleashed a 33.70 final split and touched in 2:12.88, finishing more than a second ahead of Schuehler. The time cut nearly three seconds off his previous lifetime best of 2:15.71. Just 24 hours later, he lowered his best time in the 400 IM by a similar margin, using monster splits on the breaststroke (1:11.56) and freestyle (57.67) legs to touch in 4:14.51. However, Bentz wasn’t fully pleased with his week in Irvine, despite those swims: “The 200 breast and 400 IM were definitely right on the goal times I had set for myself. However, I was disappointed with my 200 free and 200 IM. I was really tired since I had swum at the U.S. Open the week before.” Obviously, Bentz had lofty expectations in those events. After all, he won the 200 free (1:49.57) and finished a close second—by only 25-hundredths—to Seliskar in the 200 IM (2:00.46). At the World Junior Championships, Bentz set championship records in winning both IMs (1:59.44 and 4:14.97). He also placed fifth in the 200 breast (2:13.37) and qualified ninth in the 100 breast semis (1:02.58). He did not swim the 200 free since it was held the same day as the 200 IM. He also collected two bronze medals in the mixed 400 medley and men’s 800 free relays.
Bentz attributes much of his success this season to his training with the Litherland triplets, Mick, Jay and Kevin—teammates at Dynamo Swim Club. “We did some pretty incredible things in the pool,” he says. “Even though we swim at separate locations at Dynamo, we practiced together multiple times per week and always worked as hard as possible when
together. At meets and in practice, it’s always a race. We always sprint the last 50 or 100 of whatever we’re doing, just to get ahead of each other.” v
David Rieder has contributed to Swimming World since 2009. A native of Charleston, S.C., he is currently a sophomore at Duke University.
SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to see Swimming World’s photo coverage of the U.S. Junior Nationals.
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CONNECTING story and photos by garrett weber - gale
through Sport
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The Maccabiah Games hosts many competitions around the world all focused on bringing Jewish athletes together for competition and to take part in a cultural event unlike anything else... anywhere!
or months leading up to the 2013 Maccabiah Games people asked me, “Why do you want to compete in the Maccabiah Games? Why is it important? What actually are the Maccabiah Games?” To be honest, I had a pretty simple answer for each question, but none of my answers really had any depth because I didn’t yet understand the true meaning of the Maccabiah. A few days before heading off to Israel for the 2013 Maccabiah Games in July, Shimon Peres, the president of Israel, invited me to speak at an event held at his house during the Maccabiah. The group attending was a compilation of donors, organizers and heads of Maccabiah delegations from around the world. President Peres and the audience wanted to hear my story, about what it was like competing at the Beijing Olympics and how the Maccabiah Games compare. Upon invitation, I had no idea what the Maccabiah Games were all about, the emotional connection I would feel to the country, the community and the event or how it would compare to the Olympics. Luckily, the talk was more than a week into the trip, so I had time to take in the experience. The Maccabiah Games started in the 1930s as a way
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for Jewish athletes in Europe to take part in athletic competition, since at the time, they were forbidden to compete in other non-Jewish sporting events. This summer, more than 8,000 Jewish athletes from 70 countries came together to compete against each other in 42 different sports. NOT WHAT IT SEEMED So, back to the question of “Why the Maccabiah Games?” My response pre-competition was very generic. I said, “I want to compete in the Maccabiah Games because I want to compete against the world’s greatest Jewish athletes in Israel!” What I thought would be a primarily focused, athletic competition turned out to be something far more complete. The Maccabiah Games are not about the battle, and they are not even really about proving who is best or shouldering the dreams of your home country. The Maccabiah Games is an event that brings together people usually separated by language, region, culture and often skin color to experience the global community and homeland of the Jewish people.
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The Maccabiah Games It sets an example for other minority groups around the world who have faced enormous hardships to believe that their future as a community can still be one of a strong and powerful people, capable of producing great athletes and having a place in this world to call their own. The dream Maccabiah athletes carry on their backs is specifically a world free of anti-Semitism and persecution as well as a world that is free of prejudice and persecution toward any group of people that may be seen as different. EMOTIONS RAN WILD The day prior to the opening ceremony for the 19th Maccabiah Games, I was chosen to be Team USA’s flag bearer. Beyond excited, I walked to the stage to accept the honor and address the 1,100 Jewish athletes who made up the USA delegation. Less than 24 hours later, I was leading the U.S. athletes into the capacity-filled Teddy Stadium of 34,000 in Jerusalem. As I proudly waved the U.S. flag, my emotions ran wild. The Maccabiah was commencing. As protocol would have it, the opening ceremony started with the national anthem, Hatikvah (which, in Hebrew, means “The Hope”). As I stood surrounded by thousands of other Jews from around the world, the national anthem of Israel and the Jewish people rang out across the crowd. My lips started to move as I sang along, and soon I realized I was not alone. To my utter amazement, there wasn’t a single person in the stadium not singing Hatikvah. Never had I seen people put the anthem of their nation of origin aside and all come together to sing something that united a people mixed of different colors, languages and backgrounds in such a uniform way. In reality, we all had at least one thing in common—a heritage we are all proud of—that connects us at the core of who we are. It was an incredible recognition of how powerful a community coming together can be. In the words of President Shimon Peres, “In sport, it’s not about the color of the leg, it’s about how fast it moves. Sporting competition is one of the few venues where people can battle one another without bloodshed.” While the Maccabiah Games is a Jewish-centered event, the focus on bringing people together from all around the world from different backgrounds who look different, speak different and in many ways think differently, proves just how special sport can be. It also proves the enduring power of a culture made of tolerance and strength. If you’re Jewish, I encourage you to look into competing at the Maccabiah Games. If you’re not Jewish, then continue pursuing your path toward faster times and greater competition. There are amazing opportunities to be experienced through sport that allow you to connect to others in this world, crossing bridges both literally and figuratively. Whether you’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, an atheist or anything in between, our ability to connect through sport with people in a community that is bigger than ourselves is truly a gift we must cherish. v
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the maccabiah games unites people of different colors , languages and backgrounds ; ( current page from top ) u . s . athletes arrive in israel for the
19 th maccabiah
games ; garrett
weber - gale
carries usa ’ s flag at the opening
ceremonies .
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2013
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
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E
hot off the blocks
adidas performance now available in the pool
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2013
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
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2013
HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
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dryside // training
cross - training activities
MEDICINE BALL PUSH - UPS
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Perform a standard push-up, but place your hands on one med ball to improve shoulder strength and stability. Start with five reps and do both sides.
by j . r . rosania photos by kaitlin kelly demonstrated by samantha caldwell and j . r . rosania
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live and swim in Phoenix, Ariz. at the Phoenix Swim Club. I also train and instruct our Masters team in dryland training. One way I help our team swim faster is by suggesting that everyone adds cross training to his/her swim training. Swimming is really an endurance sport. We swim miles and miles to get faster. But what else can we do to help us improve? Would we benefit from doing activities other than swimming? I see way too often Masters swimmers swimming tons of yardage, but not doing strength work or doing other methods of training to improve athletic ability. Well, in my experience, cross training— in the form of increased strength and conditioning through resistance and conditioning exercises—seems to be beneficial. This month’s article focuses on several conditioning, strength and core exercises that will help produce a stronger, more fit body that can help you swim faster. I will have you do some strength conditioning and a few body strength exercises. Add this routine two to three days a week to your current swim program. Start easy and build. Do one set of each exercise and add another set weekly until you’re doing three sets of each exercise. Stop one week before a “B” swim meet and two weeks before “the big meet.” 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.
JUMPING ROPE
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Jump for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds for a total of three minutes. Perform two sets.
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SPRINTS
Find a football field or park...or you can use a treadmill. Warm up by walking or jogging easy for 10 minutes. Start with a jog and then increase your speed to a hard effort for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat six to 10 times. If you are not currently running, you should be able to jog for 12 minutes straight before trying this activity.
PULL- UPS
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Use a pull-up bar that is NOT taller than you. Starting with your knees bent, grab the bar and fully extend your arms into a hanging position. Pull your body up by using both of your arms and by pushing with your legs if you need them. Do 10 reps.
5 SPLIT SQUAT JUMP INTO A STREAMLINE
Start in a squat position with your legs split. Push into a vertical jump and streamline your arms as you straighten out and leave the ground. Do 10 to 12 reps.
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. . Q
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.
TRAPEZIUS stretch 1. Sit in a chair. 2. Place your right hand on top of your head with your right fingertips almost touching the top of your left ear.
How can I loosen up a stiff neck after practice?
DR. SHANNON ..
Here are four stretches that will help loosen up your stiff neck.
LEVATOR SCAPULAE STRETCH 1. Sit in a chair. 2. Place your right hand on top of your head with your right fingertips almost touching the top of your left ear.
3. Gently grasp the bottom of your chair with your left hand.
3. Gently grasp the bottom of your chair with your left hand.
4. Stretch your right ear toward your right shoulder.
4. Stretch your right ear toward the right shoulder.
5. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat two times.
5. Angle your face slightly downward.
6. Switch to the other side.
6. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat two times. 7. Switch to the other side.
SCM STRETCH 1. Place your hands one on top of the other on your chest. 2. Gently pull down with your hands. Look to the right and slowly bring the chin up diagonally to point toward the ceiling. 3. Keep your shoulders relaxed. 4. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat to the left. Stretch three times on each side. 28
TRAPEZIUS & POSTERIOR CERVICAL MUSCLE STRETCH 1. Interlace your fingers. 2. Place them on the back of your head. 3. Bring your elbows together in front of your face. 4. Gently look down. 5. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat three times.
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Q&A
STU
KUKLA by michael j . stott
photos provided by central bucks swim team
Taking inspiration from Richard Shoulberg at Germantown Academy, Stu Kukla embraced the personal and professional challenge of developing the rapidly emerging Central Bucks Swim Team.
STU KUKLA Head Coach Central Bucks Swim Team Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Stu Kukla (Ursinus College, B.A., history, ’96; Arcadia University, M.A., education, ’04) was an All-Centennial Conference performer in the 100 free and 100 back. He then coached in the northern Philadelphia suburbs at Upper Moreland High School and the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club before spending three years under Dick Shoulberg at Germantown Academy. In the fall of 2005, he founded the Central Bucks Swim Team. Now a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club with an athlete on the junior national team, CBST has grown to more than 195 members, a number of whom have attained Olympic Trials, senior national, junior national, sectional, zone and Junior Olympic qualifying times. Kukla, an ASCA Level 4 coach, has placed a number of swimmers in NCAA programs at all divisions.
Q. Swimming World: After working with Dick Shoulberg, did you adopt his high-volume philosophy? A. Coach stu kukla: In three years, I learned a great deal and watched him work athletes harder than I ever thought possible. Our program may be heavier than average, but we do not hit GAAC’s high numbers. Our national group will do 7,500 to 8,500, while our distance group hits 8,500 to 10,000 per session. SW: How else did he influence you? sk: I learned how to coach an elite-level athlete from him. I quit coaching a high school team to work with Shoulberg. At the very first practice, he told the team that the prior year, no new athlete had achieved senior national cuts and that three or four athletes needed to attain those levels to make the new season a success. I thought he was asking too much, but in retrospect, he was setting a level of excellence in which every athlete felt a part of an elite program. Now at the beginning of every season, I present high goals for the entire team. SW: Any other coaching influences? sk: Many. Nationally, I am influenced by Eddie Reese, Teri McKeever, Todd Schmitz, Mike Bottom and Steve Bultman. In the Mid-Atlantic LSC, specifically I admire Paul Coleman, Michael Brooks, Brian Daly, Sean Dougherty and Greg — continued on 30 October 2013
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Q&A q&A— continued from 29
Fastrich. Wherever I go, I try to talk to coaches about swimming. SW: What was the hardest part about forming CBST? sk: There were many problems and opportunities. In the area were two local dual meet teams, and the mindset was to think small. My goal was to expand the parental and swimmer view of the sport and leave mediocrity behind. It took a few years, but when Megan Lafferty earned CBST its first national qualifying time in 2008, the athletes began to think, “Why not me?”
SW: Any advice for someone aspiring to establish a USA Swimming club team? sk: Believe in your design and stick to it regardless. You will be questioned by parents and athletes. Remember you are the professional and know where you plan to take your team. SW: What is your role in counseling athletes about swimming in college? sk: I have traditionally met with athletes and their parents the spring of their junior year. This year, I am starting in the fall. I try and guide them through questions
HOW THEY TRAIN: MIKE McBRYAN AND EMILY KOSTEN “As a result, he has developed into one of our team leaders to whom our younger swimmers look for guidance. Hard work has allowed him to go 1:52.14 in the 200 yard IM and 59.97 in the 100 meter fly. We do a great deal of underwater fly kick. Mike has really embraced that work to where his fly kicks routinely take him close to the 15-meter mark. That skill has helped him in his non-breaststroke events as well,” says Kukla. McBryan’s goals for the short course season include improving on his 56.12 100 yard breast and dropping his 200 breast time of 2:03.32 to sub-1:58.
For validation that swimming is a process, Central Bucks coach Stu Kukla need look no further than at two rising stars, 18-year-old Mike McBryan and 15-year-old Emily Kosten, who continued their upward rise at the Speedo Junior National Championships in Irvine, Calif., Aug. 5-9. Both carry U.S. Open cuts into the fall season thanks to summer swims for McBryan of 2:17.27 in the 200 meter breast and a 57.00 for Kosten in the 100 free. MIKE McBRYAN A lack of success early on led McBryan to abandon USA Swimming at age 12. After a year’s hiatus, he returned and finished 13th in the 200 breaststroke at the Mid-Atlantic Junior Olympics. Since then, “he has been a dedicated athlete who has progressed dramatically in the past four years,” says Kukla. Two years later, McBryan qualified for juniors in the 200 breast, and the next year, he was first alternate before finishing eighth in 2013 with his 2:17.27. That time places him on USA Swimming’s Top 10 for his age group. Kukla attributes McBryan’s improvement to a great work ethic and dedication to the sport. “He rarely misses a morning practice. He has bought into our program by doing all the dryland, weight room and water workouts to full exhaustion every day. Occasionally, I have to tell him to take a day off, and I threaten him with nonparticipation if he shows up. 30
EMILY KOSTEN Standing nearly six feet tall with “a work ethic to die for, Emily Kosten has really blossomed into a premier, national-caliber sprint freestyler,” says Kukla. “She is still developing into her taller frame, and in the past two years, her confidence has grown to where she knows she can compete at a much higher level.” Kosten’s times have frequently placed her on USA Swimming’s National Age Group Top 10 list. Last year, she anchored the nation’s fastest 13-14 400 meter free relay (3:56.35) with Hannah Zurmuhl, Hannah Blaser and Allie Szekely. This summer, she qualified for the U.S. Junior Nationals in the 50 (26.52), 100 (57.00) and 200 meter freestyles (2:06.66). “In the short course season, Emily placed a great emphasis on developing what were poor walls,” says Kukla. “Her improved core strength allowed her to record 50, 100 and 200 free times of 23.63, 50.47 and 1:50.39 and to advance her 100 fly to 57.86. “There are few athletes who work harder than Emily,” he says. “I doubt she has missed a single yard of our inwater workouts or a single set of dryland exercises. Her height, growing confidence and dedication to technique are allowing her to maximize her considerable potential. Her swimming career is on an upward path with few limits,” says Kukla. v SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to see some of Mike McBryan’s and Emily Kosten’s sample sets as well as their progression of times.
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they should ask themselves on how to find the perfect school and swimming program for them, suggestions on how they should contact prospective colleges, questions they should ask about academics and the swim team and what role they can play. I also tell them that I will be honest with them and prospective college coaches. Then I stay available for conversation and questions until they make their decision. SW: Explain the concept of Senior FLASH. sk: Senior FLASH was established three years ago to support any high school athlete who does not want to participate on the high school team or is allowed to practice with the club and not the high school. The group typically numbers eight to 12 athletes. We practice either at night at our home pool or in the afternoon at the local gym, where we rent two lanes of space. I require dedication because I limit the space, and the schedule is irregular. We have had athletes produce Trials, U.S. Open, junior and sectional cuts from this program. SW: What advice do you have for parents of USA swimmers who are in programs so large that they cannot get individual stroke technique instruction? sk: If a swimmer is not getting stroke instruction, then they are in the wrong program. Stroke instruction is the core element in our sport. Without it, you are simply treading water. I insist that my staff provide some type of instruction to our athletes at every opportunity and that every athlete should be given some form of feedback at least once at every practice. In our age group practices, every group will do at least one technique-driven set every day. Swimmers should be thinking about some aspect of their swims—whether it is technique or race strategy—at every point of practice. This mentality then should filter up as they join the senior program. SW: Do you video your own swimmers? sk: I am a huge proponent of using video to help athletes with their technique as well as race strategy. We routinely use an iPad to video athletes at practice and video our stronger athletes as examples for other team members. We also have a series of videos of the best swimmers in the world. I believe young athletes learn the most through examples and by seeing what they should be doing. SW: How do you manage the development of a prodigy such as Allie Szekely? sk: Working with young athletes has its ups and downs. This is where balance is important. Every meet and every swim is not going to be an athlete’s best, so both athlete and coach need to trust one another. The hard part is keeping a swimmer moving forward in a nonlinear sport. With an athlete such as Allie, you begin with a great family life. She has supportive parents and three swimming siblings. Then you need to make sure her only pressure is self-induced and not that produced by social media and
the Internet, where a young athlete can unfairly have the nation’s eyes constantly on them. Allie has a tremendous ability to bounce back from disappointments and stay grounded after high achievements. After breaking the 200 breaststroke NAG record this past winter, her first concern was if a teammate had achieved her goal time. SW: How do you manage her training in terms of weights and dryland? sk: We have not introduced weights yet to Allie’s dryland routine as I usually don’t have athletes use the weight room until they are 15. But we do have a very strenuous dryland routine that incorporates running, med balls, body weight exercises (TRX bands, pull-up bars, push-ups, burpees, etc.) and various abdominal exercises. She is aware she needs to improve her core strength. SW: CBST is a USA Swimming Silver Medal Club. What do you see in five, 10 years? sk: I am constantly reassessing our team and setting higher goals for our athletes and coaches. We have already far exceeded my initial five- and 10-year expectations. I would like our program to grow to 220-plus and raise the general level of team excellence. That means producing 15 to 20 Top 10 NAG swims a season, having eight to 12 athletes attend national meets annually, placing an athlete on the national team, having 40 or more athletes attend JOs and beginning a capital campaign to build a second facility. Most importantly, I would like an 85 to 90 percent improved time rate for all our athletes at championship meets. SW: What are your points of emphasis in practice? sk: I am a huge proponent of working the legs daily—1,000 to 1,500 yards of high-intensity kicking every day. Kicking should not be simple base-pace kicking, but should last the length of any particular race. We race various lengths in practice. Athletes need to step up and race when they are tired and to navigate and push through the pain they will feel at the end of their races. We do numerous sets to focus on race strategy while fine-tuning technique when tired. We also explain the design and rationale behind sets as opposed to letting swimmers slog out “garbage yardage.” SW: Do your varied pool distances affect your training? sk: We have an eight-lane, 40-yard pool with a movable bulkhead that can be adjusted to 25 yards or 25 meters. We train at 40 yards as much as possible because it best mimics a long-course facility, allows for overdistance training, creates more training space and minimizes athlete stress concerning times. v SW SEPTEMBER CORRECTIONS: “The Sub-3:00 Super Six” (page 18): the Eastern Interscholastic Championships was open to public schools until 1986 before becoming a prep school-only meet. “Up & Comers” (page 43): Andrew Knoell led off Aquazot’s 13-14 boys NAG record 400 medley relay in 1:01.32, not 1:02.32. October 2013
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ART OF THE
START by michael j . stott
photos by peter h . bick
disclaimer : to ensure maximum safety , practicing and perfecting racing starts should be done only under the direct supervision of a qualified professional coach / trainer .
With races decided by hundredths of a second, it’s important to practice the start on a regular basis and try to be first off the blocks.
D
ave Robertson, International Swimming Hall of Fame coach (New Trier High School, 194676; Waubonsie Valley High School, 197787) and founder of the Illinois Swimming Coaches Association, always espoused, “Be first off the block, then improve your position.” While start techniques have changed in recent years, the basic concept has not. ••• David Marsh, CEO and director of coaching at SwimMAC Carolina, produced a DVD series (Swimming Faster) while winning 13 NCAA team titles at Auburn. In the video, “Starts for All Strokes,” he details start essentials that allow an athlete to be proactive by carrying the proper body line and power into the water and maintaining it through the breakout. “Off the blocks, the separate elements are pulling arms, attaining and maintaining the line, establishment of the kick, separation from the water and transition into the swim. These days, no one should come up before 10 meters,” he says. SwimMAC swimmers do starts religiously, practicing in 10 feet of water, learning positioning, mastering angles and modifying techniques until comfortable. Marsh has beginners progress from the knee to the deck to jumping drills from the block. “These days, so many kids crawl to the blocks,” he says. “They need to spend time getting comfortable there, standing tall, taking deep breaths, focusing on the other
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end and getting ready to go.” ••• At the University of Cincinnati, Monty Hopkins coached 2010 NCAA 50 free champion Josh Schneider. He believes the start “is a symphony beginning with the walk toward the blocks—or even the ready room—to when you remove your warm-ups to when you finally reach free swimming speed.” He recalls seeing a swimmer the day before a national meet, sitting on the bench behind the blocks fully dressed. “Next, he prepared the block to his preference, wiping off the top and edges. He went through everything from taking off his sweats and folding them to checking last-second details before approaching the blocks,” says Hopkins. “Then he got up, did a start, swam a little, got out, got dressed and repeated this whole sequence a couple more times. I was impressed that he was leaving nothing to chance. Of course, on race day this should all be automatic.” Hopkins suggests that athletes: • Do starts on a regular basis (UC swimmers do five starts in at least three practices per week). • Choose a style and perfect it. Design your start around what you do best. • Be relaxed and comfortable pre-start. • Have a clear mind on the block, and then just react! • Emphasize quickness, leading to explosiveness, in all the little things. • Have the head lead the body with hips in front of the feet moving on the flight line. • Stand tall on the block prior to the command, “Take your mark.” Hopkins believes reaction time is important, but not to the exclusion of hitting swimming speed as far down the pool as possible.
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“THEY NEED TO SPEND TIME GETTING COMFORTABLE THERE, STANDING TALL, TAKING DEEP BREATHS, FOCUSING ON THE OTHER END AND GETTING READY TO GO.” -DAVID MARSH
“If you have a swimmer who gets off the platform under .6, that’s great, but if that same swimmer is already swimming at 10 meters, it’s probably not worth it,” he says. “My first mentor coach, Mike Arata (Mariemont High School, Cincinnati, Ohio), used to say, ‘The last thing you want to do in a swimming race is swim.’ ” ••• Brian Reynolds has coached at Drury University for 31 years and has won 20 men’s and women’s NCAA Division II titles, including both in 2013. Strength, physics and film are intrinsic to the Panthers’ success. Like Marsh, Reynolds emphasizes a chest-up and flat upper back angle alignment as swimmers leave the block. “You have to be strong to generate force off the block, and the two essential physical elements for a good start are good core strength and strong back muscles. We are in the weight room a lot,” he says. Reynolds uses film—especially freeze-frame—to address specific athlete weaknesses: “I like swimmers to pull themselves off the block, throw their hands back and have the arms come up under the body and out front upon entry, moving into a dolphin, then a flutter kick to a strong breakout.” This year, Drury’s Vladimir Sordikin won D-II titles in the 50 (20.05), 100 (43.28) and 200 (1:36.77) yard freestyles. “He was a big strong guy,” says Reynolds. “With him, I worried less about reaction time (.71 on his 100 and .73 on the 200) than his angle of entry and his speed to the 15-meter mark.” HISTORY LESSON Rowdy Gaines was the only swimmer to use the track start in the 1984 Olympics. “I changed my start dramatically in 1982 after they instituted the no-falsestart rule,” he says. “I did it primarily to give me stability on the blocks. It enabled me to get more power off my back foot and use my arms to gain propulsion.” While Gaines agrees that proper alignment, entry and speed into the water are important, he is adamant that reaction time is paramount: “If you don’t have good
reaction time, you are not going to have a good 15-meter time. There was nobody better in the world in the first 15 meters than Bill Pilczuk, and it all started with his reaction time. I’ve always felt that first breakout stroke was the most important because it sets the momentum for the length. That’s another reason he was so good. Bill had an explosive first stroke.” Pilczuk, Savannah Swim Team junior national coach, is a former Auburn swimmer who knocked off Alex Popov in the 50 free at the 1998 World Championships. He notes that the wedge has altered the starting paradigm: “The wedge is showing us how to start using the force of the back foot with an arm pull. I’m a big believer in track starts because I’ve never seen a legal grab start with a faster time to 15 meters.” Pilczuk’s keys begin with flexibility of the hips, legs and back. “If you can’t get into a start position and remain loose and ready to fire out, you will not get a good jump or fast reaction,” he says. “To do that, you need to work on jumping. And then it is all about power and velocity off the block with angle of attack on entry and transition, holding speed. “Reaction time isn’t nearly as important as velocity off the blocks—and even less with the wedge. Now you’ll find that everyone is about .5 to .6 on reactions at the top end with the wedge. Take the wedge away, and it’s a little more critical. The best starters need about .6 to develop the velocity with the pull without the wedge; .8 is considered slow for the big guys. “Anything below .8 is good, .6 is great, .7 is average, but the key is holding a lot of velocity into the hole, then holding that speed through the transition. At breakout, swimmers need to hold transition speed and not slow down until they are actually about three strokes up. “Men and women have slightly different starts. Technique depends on an individual’s center of gravity— how strong their arms and legs are so they can move that CG,” he says. Pilczuk maintains drills for starts depend upon swimmer needs: “I like dryland starts and dive-andglides. All swimmers over age 14 should be able to make it to 15 meters with no movement. Drills that focus on the arm pull and back foot push are also great. Runners, if done properly, help maintain the speed in the water.” — continued on 34 October 2013
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GOING BACKWARD Excellent reaction time and explosive first strokes are critical for the backstroke as well. Two-time Olympic medalist Nick Thoman offers these tips for excelling at dorsal starts: “When starting, I try to keep my hands, shoulders, hips, knees and feet in line. This is especially important for young women as they have a tendency to put their feet wide and knees in close. That makes it virtually impossible to get a powerful jump. “I like to keep my head and spine in line on my start so I have much less to uncoil. That way, I am already in my streamline body position so I don’t over-extend in the air. “Reaction time can be hit or miss, so I’m all about getting myself in a good setup on the wall for a powerful start and a great body line so I can get to 15 meters efficiently and quickly. “Without a good start and entry, you cannot have a great angle for the breakout. You don’t want to be too steep or too shallow because angle of entry and resulting streamline dictate the angle of your breakout,” he says. There are many exercises to hone the backstroke start. Two Thoman favorites are the in-water “seat-drop” drill that accentuates distance off the wall. On land, he favors streamline squat jumps, touching the ground on each rep at the bottom and seeking a perfect streamline during the jump. Pilczuk notes that initial block position on the backstroke start varies a lot, depending upon swimmer size. “I’ve seen a flat back and high pull work very well for athletes six feet tall, but lower traditional starts tend to be the preference for taller athletes. Either way, it’s about getting into the dolphin kick and getting up on the water with speed,” he says. “All the little details need to fit and arrive in a common point of effectiveness,” asserts Hopkins. He favors swimmers who completely clear the surface, commit to an aggressive ‘upside-down’ dive and excel at all underwater techniques, especially kicking. So, is there a difference in starts for a sprint versus mid or long distance? “The start is always about maximizing time until the swimmer arrives at free swimming speed,” says Hopkins. “For sprint races, that is a larger proportion of the total race time. A sprinter who swims the 50 meters in 22.0 may spend 15 to 20 percent of his race before degrading to swimming velocity. 34
“A distance swimmer doing the 1500 in 15:00 only spends .004 percent of the race before arriving at swimming speed. It may be more important for the distance swimmer to smoothly and cleanly get into the water with as little stress as possible, while for the 50 sprinter, the start is potentially 20 percent or more of the total outcome.” Adds Pilczuk, “I can’t see why anyone would want to be behind by .8 seconds at the start of a race, even if it is 15 minutes long. Psychologically, it seems more advantageous to be ahead without using any swimming. If you just lost by .5 after 15 minutes, it was probably a turn or the start that could have made the difference,” he says. BACK TO THE FUTURE Swimming has come a long way since Doc Counsilman’s primitive use of film for stroke analysis. These days, thanks to digital advancements and social media, there is a plethora of visuals for coaches and swimmers. Championship Productions offers tutorials from Richard Quick, David Marsh, Eddie Reese and Frank Busch, among others. Their new David Marsh: Next Wave Technique series with wedge and Thoman backstroke starts debuts in the fall. Teaching the Forward Start: The Coach’s Guide with Trip Hedrick is a must for educating young athletes. YouTube is loaded with instructional snippets. USA Swimming high performance consultant Russell Mark at www.usaswimming.org is a very good resource, as is anything by Brett Hawke and Sam Freas. The 1982, 1983 and 1991 John Trembley talks from the ASCA World Clinics are also superb. Hopkins views general athleticism as a beginning platform for teaching great starts: “After establishing and mastering the basics, coach and swimmer should strive to custom-tailor techniques to an individual swimmer’s skill set. Subsequent repetition and purposeful practice will elevate a swimmer from reactive to proactive.” “The start is never going to be perfect,” says Gaines. “It is one of those things that you have to practice over and over.” v Michael J. Stott, one of Swimming World Magazine’s USA contributors, is based in Richmond, Va. pictured
> ( previous
u . s . open ;
( above ,
page ) a start off the blocks at the 2012
left to right ) allie szekely , jason coombs ,
danielle nack and amanda nunan at the 2013 u . s . junior national championships .
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Prep Schools
Prep schools can help young men and women become better swimmers as well as confident students who are prepared for college and for life’s challenges. The listings on pages 36-42 are paid advertisements.
Baylor School
The Bolles School
College Preparatory; Enrollment: 1,070 Co-ed Boarding and Day; Grades 6-12
College Preparatory; Enrollment: 1,700 PK-12 Co-ed Day; 7-12 Co-ed Boarding
171 Baylor School Road l Chattanooga, TN 37405 Coach Dan Flack: 423-267-8506 x 279 dan_flack@baylorschool.org l www.baylorschool.org
7400 San Jose Boulevard l Jacksonville, FL 32217 Sergio Lopez–Head Coach: 904-256-5210 lopezs@bolles.org l www.bolles.org
Swimming World Magazine’s 2009, 2011, & 2012 Girls National High School Champions, and 2008-2009 Boys Independent School Champions. For more than 100 years, Baylor School has been one of the leading college preparatory schools in the South. Located on a spectacular 670acre campus, Baylor provides a challenging curriculum featuring small classes and 19 AP courses. The Class of 2013 was offered over $12.4 million in merit-based scholarships and were accepted to the country’s top universities. Our swimming program has produced an Olympic Gold Medalist, NCAA Champions, National Junior team members and high school All Americans. Our swim teams won 45 Tennessee State Championships. Five Baylor students competed in the 2011 World Junior Championship, and alums competed in the World University Games and World Championships. Both teams were recognized by NISCA for academic excellence in 2013. Baylor’s state-of-the-art Aquatic Center features a 50 meter by 25 yard pool, an endless pool, and a $1.2 million sports performance center. Head Coach Dan Flack has been named Tennessee Men’s or Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year 8 times since 2007. See display ad on page 36.
Founded in 1933, Bolles is a nationally recognized Pre-K–12 coeducational college preparatory school with a boarding program for grades 7-12. The School’s excellent offerings in academics, fine and performing arts and athletics attract students from all over the world to participate in the boarding program. Bolles and its year-round United States Swimming program, the Bolles Sharks, have developed several nationally and world-ranked swimmers including 56 Olympians since 1972. Bolles has claimed a combined 16 National High School Championships and 59 high school state championships. The Bolles Sharks earned recognition as a Gold Medal Club through USA Swimming’s National Club Excellence Program each year since 2010. The program facilitates training and stroke instruction in Bolles’ 50-meter and 25-yard pools, as well as the Aquatic Center with dry land and weight training equipment. The Bolles School welcomes students without regard to race, religion, gender or national origin. See display ad on page 37.
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Our program has produced an Olympic Gold Medalist, US National Finalists, Olympic Trials Qualifiers, Junior National Champions, National Junior Team Members and High School All-Americans. 2009, 2011 and 2012 Swimming World Women’s National Champions 2008 and 2009 Swimming World Men’s Independent School National Champions Over 40 Tennessee Team State Championships 2009 Eastern Prep Boys and Girls Champions State-of-the-art Aquatic Center, including a 50-meter by 25-yard pool A diverse program promoting national, international and high school excellence in swimming (423) 267-8505 | www.baylorschool.org 36
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PREP SCHOOLS — continued from 36
Eaglebrook School College Preparatory; Boys Boarding and Day school Grades 6 – 9; Enrollment: 253 271 Pine Nook Road PO Box 7 l Deerfield, MA 01342 Theodore Low–Director of Admissions: 413-774-9110 tlow@eaglebrook.org l www.eaglebrook.org Bo Tanner, Aquatics Director Head Coach Swimming, Diving & Water Polo 413-774-9263 l btanner@eaglebrook.org Eaglebrook is a world leader in boarding and day school education for middle school boys. Located on 750 acres in historic Deerfield, MA, 100 miles west of Boston, our diverse student body represents twentytwo states and eighteen countries. Our students benefit from: a vigorous curriculum that prepares them for secondary school; a student to faculty ratio of 5:1; average class sizes of 8 – 12 students; and outstanding secondary school placement assistance. The aquatics center, opened in 1997, has a six-lane 25 yard state of the art pool with an electronic timing system. We have both Junior Varsity and Varsity level teams for Water Polo and Swimming and Diving. Our teams compete with secondary school JV and Varsity teams in the New England Prep School league. The team has earned four Division III championship titles for the Western New England Prep School league, one division II title in the same league and one division III Championship title in the New England Prep School Championships. Varsity athletes go on to participate on secondary school varsity teams including Deerfield Academy, Peddie School, Mercersburg Academy, Suffield Academy, Phillips Exeter, Phillips Andover, Choate Rosemary Hall, Hotchkiss and college teams including Harvard, Columbia, Middlebury College, Dartmouth, Bates College, Univ. of Florida, SMU, Claremont McKenna and Connecticut College.
Fork Union Military Academy College Preparatory; Boys Boarding Grades 6-12 and Post-Graduate; Enrollment: 550 PO Box 278 l Fork Union, VA 23055 Steve Macek–Director of Admissions: (434) 842-4205 1-800-GO2-FUMA l maceks@fuma.org Chris VanSlooten, Head Swim Coach: 434-842-4210 vanslootenc@fuma.org l www.forkunion.com Fork Union Military Academy is one of the premier college preparatory
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schools in the country. Founded in 1898 the school has a tradition of educating young men in “Body, Mind and Spirit.” The Academy is located in Central Virginia near the town of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. FUMA has been nationally recognized as a sports powerhouse by producing multiple Olympians, two Heisman trophy winners, and over 150 professional football, basketball, and baseball players. Our Swimming & Diving program alone has produced 26 All-Americans, multiple State Champions, current State Record Holders, and National Qualifiers. In 2013, 2011 and 2010, our team won the Virginia Independent Schools State Championship and Virginia Prep League Swimming & Diving Championship. Our 2009 team also won the Virginia Prep League Swimming & Diving Championship and received the 2009 Virginia State Championship Sportsmanship Award. Between 2005 and 2013, our team had four members named National Commended Scholars, posted an overall team GPA of above 3.40 (five consecutive years), and had over 30 swimmers and divers inducted into the National Honor Society. See display ad on page 39.
Gulliver Schools College Preparatory Co-ed Day; Grades Pre K3–12 Enrollment: 2,200 6575 North Kendall Drive Pinecrest, FL 33156 Jeff Poppell–Head Coach: 305-666-7937 poppj@gulliverschools.org l www.gulliverschools.org Established in 1926, Gulliver is a private, non-profit, co-educational college preparatory day school with an international reputation for excellence. Located in metropolitan Miami, the school enrolls more than 2,200 students in Grades PreK3-12, on four campuses. The School’s Aquatic Center is a premier training and competition facility with a state-of-the-art Olympic-size pool (50 meters x 25 yards) locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a classroom with video SMART board technology and a team exercise room. Gulliver and its year-round USA Swimming program, the Gulliver Swim Club, and guided by Head Coach Jeff Poppell, who formerly led the Bolles School to National High School Championships in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. Poppell was named the National High School Coach of the Year in 2004 and has coached U.S. national champions, athletes ranked in the top 25 in the world and medalists at the European Championships, Commonwealth Games, South American Championships and Southeast Asian Games. See display ad on page 40.
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Mercersburg Academy
Peddie School
College Preparatory Co-ed Boarding and Day; Grades 9-12
College Preparatory Co-ed Boarding and Day; Grades 9-12, P.G. Enrollment: 550
300 E. Seminary Street l Mercersburg, PA 17236 Tommy Adams – Asst. Head of School for Enrollment 717-328-6173 admission@mercersburg.edu l www.mercersburg.edu Swimming at Mercersburg has a long tradition of excellence. The program has fielded 31 swimming Olympians that have won several medals, including 5 gold. Former Olympic head coach, Pete Williams, leads a Mercersburg swimming program that has produced numerous prep school All-Americans and sent countless swimmers to compete at a wide variety of top colleges and universities. Most recently, Mercersburg’s boys’ team clinched First Place at the 2010 Eastern Interscholastic Swimming Championships. Mercersburg also operates a summer swim camp program for swimmers ages 8-18. Plans to build a new aquatic center are currently underway. Founded in 1893, Mercersburg offers a rigorous and dynamic curriculum to 430 students from 40 nations and 30 American states. Distinctive features include: over 160 courses, including AP, post-AP, and Honors levels; 74% of faculty hold advanced degrees; demanding yet adventurous curriculum includes 5 foreign languages, robotics, and 2 different senior capstone projects; varied international study opportunities; $193 million endowment; 26 sports with 25 varsity teams that are recognized regionally and nationally; $5.6 million in available financial aid; exceptional college counseling. The 300-acre campus is convenient to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and New York City. See display ad on page 40.
Raymond Cabot, Director of Admission 201 South Main Street l Hightstown, NJ 08520 609-944-7501 l Fax: 609-944-7911 l admission@peddie.org Greg Wriede, Director of Competitive Swimming/Head Coach gwriede@peddie.org l www.peddie.org Founded in 1864, Peddie School surrounds Peddie Lake on a beautiful 230-acre campus minutes from Princeton, midway between New York City and Philadelphia. Known nationally for its academic excellence and strong sense of community, Peddie’s talented faculty is highly accessible and its technology unsurpassed. The average class size is 12 and the studentto-faculty ratio is 6:1. Peddie’s student body represents 24 states as well as 34 foreign countries. A national swimming power, Peddie swimmers have been represented in every Olympics since 1992 which included double-gold medalist Nelson Diebel. BJ Bedford added to Peddie’s gold medal tally in 2000 in Sydney. Peddie is consistently at the top of the National High School Mythicals and has placed swimmers on the USA National Junior Team. In 2013 Peddie became one of 3 high schools in the country to crack the magical 3:00 barrier in the boys 400 Free Relay. Recent graduating swimmers went on to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Northwestern, University of Pennsylvania, University of Florida and Auburn. Peddie’s substantial endowment provides need-based financial aid for roughly 40 percent of students. See display ad on page 42. — continued on 41
ForkMilitary UnionAcademy Serious about your sport and your studies?
• 2013, 2011, & 2010 Virginia Independent School State Champions • Multiple Current Virginia State Record Holders and All-Americans • Over 30 swimmers and divers have been inducted into the National Honor Society in the past four years
Fork Union Military Academy is a top college prep school for student athletes who are serious about their sport and their studies, FUMA has produced world-class talent for decades. Olympians, NBA players, NFL stars (including Heisman Trophy winners Vinny Testaverde and Eddie George), and many more have chosen to prepare for college by attending FUMA. We send more than three dozen athletes to Division I college programs on scholarship each year, and have a long history of helping young men develop in body, mind, and spirit. Come train in our $4 million aquatic center and be part of a winning team. Boys, Grades 6 - 12 and postgraduate.
Success stories begin here. forkunion.com/swim
1-800-GO-2-FUMA October 2013
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PREP SCHOOLS — continued from 39
The Pennington School
Saint Andrew’s School
College Preparatory Co-ed Boarding and Day Grades 6-12 Enrollment: 488
College Preparatory; Co-ed Boarding and Day Grades JK-12 Day; 9-12 Boarding Enrollment: 1,300
112 W. Delaware Ave. Pennington, NJ 08534 Stephen D. Milich, Director of Admission & Financial Aid 609-737-6128 admiss@pennington.org www.pennington.org The Pennington School was founded in 1838, and is located in the small town of Pennington, New Jersey. The Pennington School seeks to enroll students who have strong academic ability and who are interested in the challenge of a college preparatory curriculum. The average class size is 13 while the student-teacher ratio is 8:1. The Varsity Swimming program practices 8 times a week and has won 16 NJISAA State Championships in the last 18 years (11 Girls and 5 Boys). The Pennington School also has a Varsity Water Polo team in the fall as well as a Middle School Swim Team for students in grades 6-8. This year, Pennington is initiating a new aquatics program offering swimming as part of the curriculum. Head Coach and Director of Aquatics, George Ward, has been coaching at Pennington for 18 years and may be reached at: gward@ pennington.org.
Mind
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Body
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3900 Jog Road l Boca Raton, FL 33434 Kilian Forgus Assoc. Head of School for Enrollment & Planning 561-210-2020 admission@saintandrews.net l www.saintandrews.net Saint Andrew’s School is a nationally recognized JK-12 day and boarding college preparatory school known for its academic excellence and education of the whole child – in mind, body and spirit. An IB World School, it serves 1,300 students from 25 countries and several states. Saint Andrew’s School has 99% college placement with recent aquatic graduates having competed at Harvard, Yale, Florida, Texas, Kentucky, UNC, Miami, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, SMU, Johns Hopkins, William & Mary, UCLA and the U.S. Naval Academy. The swimming program has produced 20 District Team Titles, more than 50 All-Americans, and one National Championship. The year-round swimming, diving and water polo programs benefit from a modern 50-meter outdoor pool and a contemporary cutting-edge fitness center adjacent to the aquatic complex. Head Coach, S.A. “Sid” Cassidy has served on numerous USA Swimming and FINA committees and coaching staffs. In 2013 the SAS club team was ranked as the top team in south Florida and #60 out of more than 2,900 teams nationally by USA Swimming’s 2013 Club Excellence Program. See display ad on page 41. — continued on 42
Spirit
. .. . .. .. ..
Year-round Championship Programs in Swimming, Diving, and Water Polo Modern Athletic, Fitness, and Aquatic Centers
Winter Home to top Collegiate Swimming Programs JK-12, College Preparatory Curriculum Co-ed Boarding Program, Grades 9-12
Saint Andrew’s School
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3900 Jog Road, Boca Raton, Florida
.
.
Episcopal Affiliation; All Faiths Welcome
561.210.2128
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PREP SCHOOLS — continued from 41
Suffield Academy Co-ed Boarding and Day; Grades 9-12 and PG Enrollment: 400 185 North Main Street l Suffield, CT 06078 Terry Breault-Director of Admissions: 860-668-7315 Andy Lowe-Coach: Alowe@suffieldacademy.org Founded in 1833, Suffield Academy prepares young men and women for the challenges of college and beyond. One of our greatest strengths lies in the quality of the academic program and in the continuing personal concern that is shown for each student. Suffield’s program is designed for students who seek academic challenge in a friendly, closeknit environment. Suffield encourages students to take good risks in order to discover the potential they possess. As part of this philosophy, we were the first high school in the country to require every student to own a laptop and we have developed a Leadership Program that explores issues of moral and ethical responsibility. Suffield’s swimming and water polo programs have produced over 50 All-Americans in recent years. Suffield’s boys’ and girls’ swim teams have been consistently ranked in the top ten nationally among independent schools over the past decade. In addition to afternoon workouts, dry land and optional morning sessions supplement training. The water polo teams routinely place in the top echelon of league competition, most recently winning the New England Prep title in 2009. The girls’ team has won four New England Prep School Championships since 2002. In the summer of 2010, Suffield completed renovations to the swimming pool that include a rebuilt locker room, acoustical and aesthetic enhancements, and improved lighting. See display ad on page 42.
185 North Main Street Suffield, Connecticut 06078
860.386.4440
www.suffieldacademy.org
Suffield’s swimming & water polo programs have produced over 50 All-Americans in recent years. The water polo teams routinely place in the top echelon of league competition. The girls’ team has won four New England Prep School Championships since 2002.
Suffield Academy is a school grounded in rich tradition with a healthy respect for community and an eye toward innovation. Come to Suffield and discover endless opportunities for you to create your Suffield experience. . Grades 9-12 (PG)
. 5:1 Student/faculty ratio
.Boarding and day
.Financial Aid available
Suffield Academy does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, physical attributes, disability, age, or sexual orientation. We administer our admissions, financial aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, and other policies so that each student is equally accorded all the rights, privileges, programs, and facilities made available by the school.
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The zac foundation:
SAVING CHILDREN’S LIVES by shoshanna rutemiller
photos provided by the zac foundation
pictured
>
zac camps are weeklong camps that give underprivileged children the
opportunity to have swim lessons and learn the most effective ways to handle emergency situations around water .
Karen and Brian Cohn, who lost their 6-year-old son, Zac, to a drowning accident, want to ensure that no other family endures the death of a child in a
E
water-related tragedy.
very parent’s worst nightmare came true for Karen and Brian Cohn in the summer of 2007. The young parents had just installed a backyard pool to ring in the summer season. Their 6-yearold son, Zachary, ran outside to go for a swim. Next thing they knew, the Cohns were trying to pull their son from the pool’s drain trap. It was unimaginable for the young parents that their little boy could drown in their pool’s drainage system. Karen considered Zachary a talented swimmer and had previously enrolled him in swim lessons. “We had many friends and family come to us and say that they didn’t know this could happen,” said Karen. “We thought we were doing what we were supposed to do to protect him. We decided at that point that we didn’t want another family to have to endure the loss of their child to a drowning.” The Cohns are now on a mission
to combat childhood drowning rates, forming the ZAC Foundation in their son’s memory. The Foundation aims to save lives through grassroots outreach, ZAC Camps and school curriculums. “I can’t imagine the horrific tragedy that she experienced,” said 1984 Olympic gold medalist and water safety activist Rowdy Gaines. “As a father, just to know that a child drowned makes me nauseous.” RAISING AWARENESS I met Karen at USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash water safety media tour in New York City last May. She was outgoing and smiling, shaking hands and explaining her goals with the ZAC Foundation to as many people as she could. “If we only knew some of the risks before we lost Zachary,” said Karen. “We’re hoping to raise awareness— even if we can just save one life.” “(The Cohns) could have easily crawled into a hole and never come
out again,” said Gaines. “And you wouldn’t blame them for that. Instead, they decided to take that pain they had and turn it into something that could be a lesson for so many others.” ZAC CAMPS The Cohns have spent years developing the most effective way to deliver the message of water safety through the ZAC Foundation. In 2011, the Cohns launched the ZAC Camps. These weeklong camps give underprivileged children the opportunity to have swim lessons and learn the most effective ways to handle emergency situations around water. “Within each camp, we have inthe-water instruction, in-classroom instruction and a unique piece with the first responders,” said Karen. “So each day at the camp, a different first responder attends, and they talk to the kids. So if they ever are in an emergency situation, they aren’t afraid to approach a first responder.” Gaines has taught swim lessons at a number of these camps, including the first one, held around the corner from the Cohn family in Greenwich, Conn. Throughout the years with his continued involvement, Gaines began to notice a startling trend among the children he’s taught at the ZAC Camps. “A lot of the kids I’ve worked with have a fear of the water, simply because it’s what they were taught. Their parents grew up afraid of the water,” said Gaines. “So the whole week is helping them enjoy the water and show them ways to have fun in the water. We teach them to have a respect for the water, but also all of the things that can go wrong. The water can be your friend, but it can also be a very dangerous thing if you’re not careful.” ZAC Camps are conducted nationwide during spring break sessions and again during the summer months. As an added bonus, the Cohns recently cemented a national partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “After the Boys & Girls organization — continued on 45 October 2013
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the zac foundation — continued from 43
was able to see that we could run a program successfully for two years in a row, we were able to solidify a national partnership,” said Karen. ZAC Camps are now found in sites nationwide, conducted through local Boys & Girls Clubs. This season, the Cohns put together 10 different ZAC Camps and have 25 camps planned for next year. Still, Karen is looking to utilize different avenues to spread the message of water safety.
“(In writing the children’s book), we tried to include other animals where it wouldn’t be so obvious that they would like the water or swim,” said Karen. “It’s about Zeke’s journey of being afraid of the water and then overcoming that fear.” The book is given to every child who completes a ZAC Camp. It is also being sold through Amazon and online through the ZAC Foundation website.
“THE POLAR BEAR WHO COULDN’T, WOULDN’T SWIM” “We hope to expand it even further because we want to reach as many children and their families as we can,” said Karen. “One of the ways we are doing that is through the children’s book that we wrote.” Karen gave me a copy of the hardbacked children’s book, titled “The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim.” The story follows a young polar bear, Zeke, as he learns the A, B, C and D fundamentals of water safety. “The main character was inspired by Zachary’s favorite stuffed animal,” said Karen. “Zachary carried the polar bear around everywhere and slept with it every night. He was a very special friend of Zachary’s.” Brian and Karen Cohn co-authored the book, geared toward beginning and intermediate readers, which is illustrated in bright, primary colors and cute cartoon-like animals. The main goal of the book is to present the notion that swimming can be fun if people follow the proper precautions. Introducing a variety of animals as characters also helps children realize that swimming is a part of life for many creatures.
IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OTHERS As evidenced by the Cohn’s first book, the ZAC Foundation truly has a multifaceted approach to reducing childhood drowning rates and raising water safety awareness. This is one of the primary reasons that Gaines was attracted to the ZAC Foundation. “(The ZAC Foundation) has a different approach to water safety,” said Gaines. “I’m definitely passionate about swimming, but having four children of my own, (I know) it also pays to be passionate about water safety.” Karen was recently awarded this year’s coveted President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award, which is given annually to individuals or organizations who improve the lives of others within their community by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness or nutrition-related programs. More important, by next year, the ZAC Foundation will have provided more than 3,500 children with water safety training and swimming instruction. v
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SWIM MART
rowdy
gaines , who has taught swim lessons at a number of the zac camps , shows the kids different ways to have fun in the water . he teaches them to have a respect for the water , but also to be
aware of the dangers .
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WATER
SMART by lana whitehead
BABIES
photos provided by sarah zinn , usssa
Water SMART Babies is a program in which pediatricians actually prescribe swimming lessons for children. WHAT LED TO THE CREATION OF WATER SMART BABIES? Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for children 1 to 4 years of age, the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for children 1 to 14 years and the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for all ages in the United States. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests “new evidence shows that children ages 1 to 4 may be less likely to drown if they have had formal swimming instruction.” The studies are small and do not define what type of lessons work best, so the AAP is not recommending mandatory swim lessons for all children ages 1 to 4 at this time. Instead, the new guidance recommends that parents should decide whether to enroll an individual child in swim lessons based on the child’s frequency of exposure to water, emotional development, physical abilities and certain health concerns related to pool water infections and pool chemicals. The AAP does not recommend formal water safety programs for 46
children younger than 1 year of age. The water survival skills programs for infants may make compelling videos for the Internet, but the policy states that no scientific study has yet demonstrated that these classes are effective. However, members of the United States Swim School Association (USSSA) see first-hand that children can learn to swim and float at a young age with gentle, loving and nurturing guidance. With this new information in 2009, the Broward County Drowning Prevention Task Force, under the guidance of Kim Burgess and Karen King, developed the Water SMART Babies program, initiating one of the most effective drowning prevention programs in the country. The curriculum was launched in February 2010 with the backing of the AAP Florida chapter. During the 2011 swimming season, Florida’s Broward County saw an 87-percent reduction in its drowning statistics from previous years. Due to the success of the Florida program, the Water SMART Babies project is being launched nationwide. It is now an initiative of the
National Drowning Prevention Alliance and has been adopted by several states. The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona and the Long Island Drowning Prevention Task Force adopted the program in 2011, with Texas and California agencies joining the effort in 2012. Currently, other states coming into this venture are Michigan, Colorado and Wisconsin. WHAT IS THE WATER SMART BABIES PROGRAM? The Water SMART Babies program includes water safety education in pediatric well-child visits. On the child’s nine- or 12-month visit, the pediatrician writes out a “doctor’s prescription” for water safety lessons. The parents are also given the Water SMART Babies handbook that includes information on touch supervision, water safety lesson facilities, CPR classes and home water safety, such as pool fencing, pool covers and door and pool alarms. Handbook information will vary from state to state based on local information. As the child visits the pediatrician in subsequent months, the doctor can follow up to make sure the family is getting their home equipped with the layers of protection and the child is participating in water safety lessons. Proof that this program is working not only comes from the data out of Broward County, but also from a 2009 report in which Ruth Brenner and her colleagues conducted a research project at the National Institute of Health to investigate the connection between swimming lessons and drowning. They discovered that participation in formal swimming lessons provided an 88-percent reduction in risk of drowning in children ages 1-4 years.
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The authors concluded, “Swimming lessons do not increase drowning risk in this (age) group and likely have a protective effect.” They reported that swim lessons “should be considered for inclusion as part of a complete prevention program.” IN ADDITION TO WATER SAFETY, WHAT ARE OTHER BENEFITS OF BABY SWIM LESSONS? Data comes from research at the German Sports College in Cologne. These studies demonstrate that swim lessons for babies and toddlers don’t just save lives, but they can accelerate their development physically, intellectually and emotionally. Compared with a control group that did not take year-round lessons, the children who swam consistently from infancy were significantly stronger and more coordinated. The children also scored higher for intelligence and problem-solving, which carried over into excellence in academic achievement. Emotionally, they were found to be more self-disciplined with greater self-control and an increased desire to succeed. They rated higher in selfesteem and were more independent and comfortable in social situations than the control groups. More recent studies conducted at Norwegian University of Science & Technology in 2009 with Dr. Hermundur Sigmundsson and his colleagues have shown that baby swim lessons improve a child’s physical development. Baby swimmers developed better balance, movement and grasping techniques than non-swimmers. This difference persisted even when the children were 5 years old. At that age, the babies who had been taught to swim still outperformed their peers in balance, movement and grasping skills. Research in Australia has demonstrated that early participation in swim lessons can also accelerate a child’s cognitive development. Starting in 2009, Griffith University embarked on a four-year “Early Years Swimming Research Project” with 45 swim schools across Australia,
New Zealand and the United States. It is the largest study of its kind investigating the benefits of early swim lessons. The results show that children involved in learn-to-swim programs are more “ahead of the game” in their cognitive and physical development than their non-swimming peers. They also show more “marginal benefits to social and language development.” Parents in the study have reported that their children are “well ahead on developmental milestones than same-age, non-swimming peers.” In 2011, researchers in Melbourne, Australia reported the intellectual and physical benefits for early swim lessons. The scientists conveyed that children who were taught to swim by 5 years had statistically higher IQs. The research also showed that the high water resistance strengthens the child’s muscles more rapidly than playing on the floor. Swimming uses all of the large muscle groups, while playing on the floor works only certain muscle groups.
guarantee that a child will not drown. Many layers of protection are needed, including water safety lessons and learn-to-swim programs—and that is still no guarantee. However, the more layers a family has, the less likely a fatal or non-fatal drowning incident will occur. The Water SMART Babies initiative advocates many layers of protection in which water safety lessons are just one of many. These layers include: • Active adult supervision; • Preventing unauthorized entry with four-sided isolation fencing, gates and latches, safety covers and door alarms; • Formal swim lessons; • CPR certification and rescue techniques; and • An emergency action plan creation. Each additional strategy beyond the first could be the one that saves a life. Parents and caretakers should use as many layers of protection as possible to prevent drowning incidents. Prevention is the key. v
CONCLUSION The Water SMART Babies program supports the gentle nurturing lessons that are taught based on building skills upon skills until the movement is learned, according to the research and available data on the subject. Water safety lessons are in no way a
Lana Whitehead, an international speaker and author, is a leading expert in baby/child swimming. She also is the founder of SWIMkids USA in Mesa, Ariz. (www.swimkidsusa.us). Recently, she was on NBC’s “Today Show,” discussing the Water SMART Babies program.
SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com to view the references for this article.
pictured
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studies
demonstrate that swim lessons for babies and toddlers don ’ t just
save lives , but they can accelerate their development physically , intellectually and emotionally .
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pictured > emil y meilus takes a leap into the water at the 2013 u.s. junior nationals in san jose, calif.
parting shot [ photo
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by peter h . bick ]
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