GREGG TROY: TRAINING PROS, THEN AND NOW
UNIVERS TEXAS S� & DIVING
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GIRLS' WATER POLO IN THE GATEWAY CITY
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Q&A WITH JOE PLANE
JAMES GUY 2X OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST, WORLD CHAMPION
MALLORY WEGGEMANN PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST
CAMERON MCEVOY 2X OLYMPIAN, OLYMPIC BRONZE MEDALIST
OLIVIA SMOLIGA OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, WORLD CHAMPION
ANTHONY ERVIN 3X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, WORLD CHAMPION
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CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2021 FEATURES 012 THE PRIDE OF GIRLS’ POLO IN THE GATEWAY CITY by Michael Randazzo When COVID-19 lockdowns last spring stopped polo, Rob Peglar and Abby VerMeer didn’t hesitate: they focused on getting girls water polo untracked in the Gateway City. The result: the St. Louis Lions, the city’s first all-girls team. 014 ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL by Dan D’Addona The popular motto of The Musketeers, built on supporting each other as well as the group, is just one of many reasons why the University of Texas remains among the strongest in men’s college swimming and diving. 020 READY FOR A BREAKTHROUGH by Andy Ross Melanie Margalis is an Olympic relay gold medalist and a three-time relay champion at Worlds, but a podium finish in an individual event has eluded her on the world’s biggest stage. After ranking No. 1 in the 400 IM and No. 3 in the shorter medley for 2020, her turn to win a medal for the United States could take place this year in Tokyo. 022 PERSEVERANCE AND HARD WORK PAY OFF by David Rieder After not qualifying for Australia’s Olympic team in 2012, Emma McKeon was ready to quit...but over the next several months, she had a change of heart and understood what was necessary to compete at a higher level. Since then, she has become a significant international force, a consistent podium presence and one of the world’s most impactful relay swimmers. 026 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: TARNISHED GOLD by John Lohn East Germany’s Kristin Otto will long be remembered as a highly decorated athlete, and for turning in one of the greatest Olympic outings in history, winning six gold medals at the 1988 Games. But because of the links to her and performance-enhancing drugs, what she accomplished—before and in Seoul—will always be tainted.
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ON THE COVER : It’s a good thing that Emma McKeon changed her mind about quitting the sport after she missed qualifying for Australia’s Olympic team in 2012. Since then (2013-19) at major international meets such as the Olympics (2016), LC World Championships (2013-15-17-19), Pan Pacs (2014-18) and Commonwealth Games (2014-18), she has collected 40 medals (17 gold, 12 silver, 11 bronze)! She also was a six-time medal winner at Worlds and Commonwealth Games twice plus the Pan Pacs once. (See feature, pages 22-25)[PHOTO BY DELLY CARR, SWIMMING AUSTRALIA]
029 WHO “SHOT” THE SWIMMERS? (Part 2) by Bruce Wigo Shortly after the 1936 Olympics in a lab in Boston, Harold “Doc” Edgerton, an electrical engineering professor at MIT, began tinkering with equipment that would change the way science explains natural phenomena—and with it, the art of aquatic sports photography—forever. 032 NUTRITION: TO BE THE BEST, YOU NEED TO EAT THE BEST! by Dawn Weatherwax Each year really does build onto another— nutrition is an imperative part of the process, even at an early age.
040 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING THE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE—THEN AND NOW by Michael J. Stott In his lengthy career, Gregg Troy has mentored athletes of all ages and abilities, which has given him a unique perspective of how to prepare post-college grads for excellence at the international level. 042 Q&A WITH COACH JOE PLANE by Michael J. Stott 044 HOW THEY TRAIN ANDREW IVERSON by Michael J. Stott
COACHING
TRAINING
016 SELLING PROCESS TO SWIMMERS (Part 2)
035 DRYSIDE TRAINING: TIME TO GET STRONG...AGAIN! by J.R. Rosania
by Michael J. Stott In 1993, psychologist Anders Ericsson wrote that greatness wasn’t born, but grown. Fifteen years later, author Malcolm Gladwell suggested that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a skill or field. Known by the term, “process,” swim coaches use that learning curve to improve the performance of their swimmers. 036 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE FOR SPRINT AND DISTANCE (Part 2) by Rod Havriluk Optimal freestyle technique for sprint and distance is identical with respect to the arm motion throughout the stroke cycle, but the arm coordination is different. While a swimmer can swim a wide range of velocities with opposition coordination, a swimmer will only achieve his/her fastest velocity with superposition coordination.
JUNIOR SWIMMER 038 GOLDMINDS: JUST GO WITH THE FLOW by Wayne Goldsmith How can you control—and even master— your emotions? The answer is by learning to become a more resilient swimmer. Here’s how... 046 UP & COMERS: RICHARD POPLAWSKI by Shoshanna Rutemiller
COLUMNS 010 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT 011 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT FREDERICK LANE? 047 GUTTERTALK
049 PARTING SHOT
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A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
WHATEVER IT TAKES... BY JOHN LOHN
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s I sat down to write this column, the city of Tokyo remained in a state of emergency due to COVID-19. This virus has wreaked havoc on the world for more than a year, and while a vaccine is now being distributed, thousands continue to die or are forced to fight off the terrible symptoms associated with the illness. The loss of life caused by COVID-19 is, of course, the focal point of this pandemic. The fact that loved ones will be missing from the dinner table from one holiday to the next is tragic. That men and women must be hooked up to ventilators to breathe is heartbreaking. And knowing some individuals may have their dreams—ones they have pursued for years— squashed is also difficult to accept. The Olympic Games were supposed to be held last summer in Tokyo until COVID-19 forced the International Olympic Committee to delay the spectacle for a year. Now, as we creep closer to the 2021 reschedule date, there is real concern that another postponement or, even worse, a cancellation is a grim possibility. With Tokyo operating in a state of emergency, there is obvious reason for panic and doubt. It’s been 41 years since President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would boycott the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Through that decision, the dedication and focus of Rowdy Gaines, Mary T. Meagher and Tracy Caulkins—among others—was shoved aside by a political gesture. Now, as COVID-19 remains a damning foe, I can’t help but fear that a new generation of athletes will be robbed by a force beyond their control. It is sad to consider, but these are some of the thoughts crossing my mind: • Will Caeleb Dressel be denied the opportunity to become the first man in history to capture Olympic titles in the 50 freestyle, 100 free and 100 butterfly in the same Olympiad? Will Dressel, easily the sport’s headliner, be denied a chance to join the elite club of Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi as a seven-time medalist (or more) at a single Games? • Will Australian Cate Campbell get her chance at redemption in the 100 freestyle? In 2016, Campbell entered the Rio Games as the favorite in her prime event, only to miss the podium. A determined Campbell, though, has again positioned herself to chase gold, all while speaking out against those who used social media to beat her while she was down. • Will Daiya Seto be denied the chance to race on home soil, where he is expected to be the favorite for gold in the 200 and 400 individual medley? • Will Katie Ledecky, already the greatest distance swimmer in history, have the opportunity to chase the first 400-800-1500 freestyle triple, thanks to the introduction of the longest event to the women’s program? • Will a yet unnamed athlete from—say—the Marshall Islands wear the biggest smile after racing in the men’s 50 freestyle and being able to call himself an Olympian for the rest of his life. The truth is, I have no idea what the swimmers affected by the 1980 boycott felt. I can only imagine. Yet, having read Sippy Woodhead’s comments from the past—those which discussed her depression—the last thing anyone wants is to see another group of dedicated athletes have their dreams turn into nightmares. A decision concerning the fate of the Tokyo Games will be made in the next month or two, and for a positive outcome to surface, the Japanese city will have to free itself from the siege it is currently under. Meanwhile, some measures might have to be taken to ensure a successful and healthy Games, such as limited spectators. Whatever it takes for the Olympic Games to be held needs to be seen through. The athletes seeking invitations to Tokyo have made too many sacrifices to be dealt a fate similar to what some experienced in 1980.
John Lohn
Associate Editor-in-Chief Swimming World Magazine 10
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INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
DID YOU
KNOW ABOUT FREDERICK LANE? BY BRUCE WIGO PHOTOS BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
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n his fantastic new book, “Splash! 10,000 Years of Swimming,” Howard Means describes the swimming side of the second Olympiad, the 1900 Games in Paris, as being “more like an aquatic carnival”—not only because events were held in the Seine River, but because organizers added a number of “novelty events” that were not included in the Inaugural Games in Greece in 1896. Among the new events were the 200 meter backstroke, considered the “upsidedown crawl,” underwater swimming for distance and the 200 meter obstacle race, where competitors first had to climb over a pole, then climb over a row of boats and then swim under another row of boats! Paris 1900 was the first and only time the obstacle race for swimmers was ever held in Olympic competition, and the winner was Fred Lane, Australia’s first Olympic swimming champion. Lane, from Manly, New South Wales, was 4 years old when his brother saved him from drowning in Sydney Harbour, whereupon he decided to learn to swim. Unlike today’s stars, “Freddie” was physically unimpressive, standing just 5-4 and weighing less than “9 stone” (126 pounds). Lane’s victory in the obstacle race came just 45 minutes after he won the 200 meter free. In neither race was Lane the favorite. In preliminaries the day before, Lane had qualified seventh in the 200 free, 35 and 25 seconds behind the top qualifiers, Karl (Charles) Ruberl and Otto Wahle of Austria. In the prelims for the obstacle race, Lane had qualified second, with Wahle first and Ruberl third. Apparently, the two Austrians made a tactical decision that they thought would guarantee Austria two Olympic champions. So Wahle scratched the final of the 200 free to focus on the obstacle race, leaving the 200 free to Ruberl. The Austrian strategy backfired when Lane dropped 34 seconds to win the 200 free. His win was credited with his ability to swim a double-overarm stroke for the entire race, while fatigue forced Ruberl and the other competitors to use the sidestroke when they tired. While the 200 free has been on the Olympic program ever since, this was the first and only time the obstacle race has appeared on the Olympic program (although it is interesting to note that the Life Saving Sport Association is seeking admission to the Olympic program, and one of their events is a 200 meter obstacle race that has eight underwater obstacles). Twelve swimmers representing Australia, Austria, France, Great Britain and the USA competed in the obstacle race final, Aug. 12, 1900, following three qualifying heats the day before. In what was clearly the closest and most exciting swimming race in the Seine, Lane shaved nearly 25 seconds off his qualifying time to outtouch Wahle for the gold medal by 1.6 seconds.
> Frederick Lane
> Lane emerges from the Seine
*** Lane passed away seven months before his induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in December of 1969, and Wahle was inducted into ISHOF in 1996. An interesting side note is that shortly after the Paris Games, both Wahle and Ruberl emigrated to the United States and became members of the New York Athletic Club. Both became U.S. champions, and in 1912, Wahle was chosen to lead the American swimming team as head coach at the Stockholm Olympic Games.
> Among the memorabilia donated to ISHOF was one of Frederick “Freddie” Lane’s Olympic medals from 1900, which is on display in the ISHOF museum. FEBRUARY 2021
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WATER POLO
> St. Louis Lions with Coach Rob Peglar (back row, center)
THE PRIDE OF GIRLS’ POLO IN THE
GATEWAY CITY When COVID-19 lockdowns last spring stopped polo, Rob Peglar and Abby VerMeer didn’t hesitate: they focused on getting girls water polo untracked in the Gateway City. The result: the St. Louis Lions, the city’s first all-girls team. BY MICHAEL RANDAZZO | PHOTOS BY ST. LOUIS LIONS WATER POLO
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he launch last year of St. Louis’ first-ever all-girls water polo club was a development to cherish during a pandemic. Prior to the pivotal year 2020, would-be girl water polo players either competed on coed squads or struggled to stay out of the shadow cast by boys-only polo. Then came the St. Louis Lions, the culmination of decades-long advocacy for girls to have a team of their own. Before the COVIDrelated lockdowns last March that paralyzed communities across the U.S., a handful of St. Louis high schools had agreed for the first time on a girls-only league, one that would officially crown a Missouri girls’ state champion. The coronavirus changed all that. According to Rob Peglar, a long-time St. Louis coach, the shutdown of 2020 was “depressing.” With no polo for an extended period, Peglar and his fellow coaches brainstormed about how to continue their girls-only dream. Their solution: the Lions, a club by and for girls. “Considering all of this happened during the pandemic, it’s all the more amazing,” he said. “I don’t know if the Lions would have formed without that catalyst.”
WHAT TOOK THEM SO LONG?
The 1904 World’s Fair, an unusual combination of exposition and Olympic Games, drew attendees and athletes from all over the world to St. Louis—except for polo. Top European water polo teams declined to attend, allowing the American men to capture gold, their only top finish in Olympic polo competition. St. Louis clubs were regular contenders at the AAU Indoor Championships, and the 1960s saw the emergence of the Clayton and Daisy clubs—among the country’s oldest. Then growth stagnated. 12
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According to Miguel Figueras, a Clayton age group coach and regional coach with USA Water Polo, despite being sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA), growth of polo in the “Show Me” state has barely nudged. In 1990, the city had 16 high school teams; 30 years later, only five more have been added. Peglar, who began his polo career in 1973 at what is now called Ladue Horton Watkins High School, recently retired from a decadeslong career as a coach and referee. What bedeviled him and others: how to convert girls’ swimming in St. Louis high schools into a viable all-girls polo program. “The (main) impediment to all-girls water polo was that no one believed it could thrive, so no significant attempts were made to start a club or form a high school league,” he explained. “Few realized... (that) there was a mostly unspoken feeling high school girls didn’t want to play with the boys; they wanted to play against each other.” Figueras pointed to structural obstacles. Carefully brokered arrangements with the MSHSAA allowed adventurous girls to compete on boys’ teams. But there was a restriction that prevents those playing with the boys from also participating on all-girls squads. Pool time made scarce due to existing aquatics programs also seemed insurmountable—that is, until last year, when sheer persistence resulted in six high schools (Ladue, Lafayette, Lindbergh, Marquette, Oakville and Parkway North) agreeing to conference play and a state championship tournament for the top four finishers. Once COVID shut down their dreams, Peglar, Michael Clay (head boys’ polo coach at Ladue) and two of Clay’s assistants— Jacob Jagodzinski and Abby VerMeer—realized there was only
one thing to do: pick up the pieces and start over. “We wanted the opportunity for the girls to play, (which was) taken away due to circumstances totally out of our control,” Peglar said. “The St. Louis Lions were ‘Plan B’ to give the girls the opportunity to play.” Plan B was launched last May with no players or pools—and a pandemic raging!
COED OR GIRLS-ONLY?
For Grace Brzyski, an 18-year-old senior at Marquette High School and among the state’s best players, a girls-only team offered an opportunity to be a role model for younger girls. Growing up, as far as water polo was concerned, it was “middle school me with high school guys”—and no older girls to look up to. “High school boys have height and strength advantages playing against the girls,” she said. “(We) have to use tactics and skill-based plays to level the playing field.” By honing her skills through dogged persistence, Brzyski has become a player who believes in her own abilities and can >> (From left) Lions’ head coach Abby VerMeer with assistant coach Isabella Boccia. lead by example. “Being a senior, I’ve built more Home-schooled, she switched to polo after swimming with a local confidence; if I get the ball, instead of looking to make a pass, I take high school team. VanMeer was encouraged to continue with polo that shot,” she said. by Dave Miller, the head men’s and women’s coach at Lindenwood There are competitive advantages in playing with the boys. University (2015–20), where she enjoyed a successful club career, Like Brzyski, Harriet Bezzant, a senior at Ladue, cited the higher gaining All-America honors and captaining the squad in 2018 level of competition among high school boys as both a plus and 2019. and a minus. Last fall, she was coaching swimming in St. Louis when Ladue “It’s not easy as a 5-5, 130-pound girl to go after a 6-2, 200-pound boys’ coach Michael Clay offered her a job coaching a new girls’ guy,” Harriet said. “Speed and positioning are essential. I learned team. Then came COVID. how to keep my hips up and arms out because if I didn’t, I would “We were going to have the first-ever state championship—and be crushed.” then it was over,” VerMeer said, then added, “We couldn’t just let Figueras, the Clayton club coach, said coed practices strike a that go; the interest is here, (and) we needed to do something about tough balance. For the boys, it’s, “Are they too physical?” For the it.” girls, it’s how to improve if their male teammates are taking it easy Like Clay and Peglar, she was not deterred when the COVID on them in practice. lockdown hit. VerMeer eagerly accepted the head coaching gig with Andrea Bezzant, a committed parent with two daughters on the the Lions. Her college experience had helped her appreciate the Lions—Harriet and Mary Joyce (or “MJ”)—is a member of the importance of a girls-only program. club’s board. A girls-only club was not only timely, but necessary “When you’re playing with boys, you can get pushed aside,” for her kids’ development. she said. “Playing on a girls’ team (at Lindenwood) gave me the “Harriet is a tough girl and did really well on junior varsity, confidence to be an offensive threat.” but when she moved up to varsity, it became a lot more difficult,” In July, the newly formed team started practicing at Mary Bezzant said about her oldest daughter. “The boys were bigger, Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School. With a gradual easing stronger and faster, and the ball was too big for her hands so she of the state’s COVID restrictions, the club has increased play and couldn’t shoot with as much power and accuracy—and she got less is now engaging in non-contact scrimmages, with a goal of being playing time.” ready for age group tournament play when coronavirus restrictions MJ, a 14-year-old freshman at Ladue, hoped to follow in her lift. sister’s footsteps. Now, she’ll have a very different experience: “Once we started, it was so good for so many of these girls, it’s playing regularly with only girls. “I’m excited to play on the all-girls high school team and with amazing,” VanMeer said. the Lions,” she said. “I hope we inspire other girls’ teams so we can Peglar believes—despite a continued ban on inter-team play— play them.” that the Lions’ future is very bright, indeed. “We’ve proved the concept that girls’ water polo in St. Louis can thrive, and as pandemic conditions gradually ease, we plan to VERMEER STEPS IN expand our club to engage teams from around the Midwest,” he said. Abby VerMeer claims to have had a “weird” polo career—which put her in the right time and place to become the Lions’ head coach. And, fingers crossed, leave the disappointment of 2020 behind. FEBRUARY 2021
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ALL FOR
Head swim coach Eddie Reese (right) knows full well the value of Matt Scoggin (left) as diving coach at the University of Texas: “He is just a very good, caring person at a simple level. If you have a problem, he will help you through it. Whether it be a dating situation or academic situation or injury situation, Matt does all the things—the good, human things—very well.” (Pictured: Scoggin and Reese being interviewed by ESPN after NCAA team championship)
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FOR ALL
The popular motto of The Musketeers, built on supporting each other as well as the group, is just one of many reasons why the University of Texas remains among the strongest in men’s college swimming and diving. BY DAN D'ADDONA | PHOTOS BY TEXAS ATHLETICS
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he University of Texas has seen one of the greatest dynasties in college swimming. The Longhorns have won a plethora of men’s NCAA team championships and have been contenders seemingly every year. One of the biggest keys to their success—and often one of the most overlooked—is the success of the Texas divers. The Longhorns have won at least three NCAA titles with the point-boost they received from their divers. A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON SUPPORT Texas has talented coaches and athletes, both swimming and diving, but what makes the Longhorns unique is the relationship between swimming and diving—in and out of the water. That relationship is built on support. “We have always been in a really good situation at Texas—even before I was coaching,” commented Matt Scoggin, UT’s diving coach since 1994. “When I was a diver here (from 1981-85), I could feel that kind of support.” That support started with head swimming coach, Eddie Reese. “In addition to his support, his interest in us—the team— was great,” recalled Scoggin. “Eddie would sit and listen to the diving staff or the athletes and just talk about life. The swim coaches supported the divers during the good times as well as the tough times.” Scoggin learned this first hand: “When I was a diver, I knew if I hit my last dive at NCAAs that it would push it to the relay and we could beat UCLA. That was 1982. Of course, I missed that dive miserably, but I got so much support from the swimmers as well as the divers,” Scoggin said. “They support us even more when things aren’t going great.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE There have been multiple years when divers clinched a title for the Longhorns... and twice in the past decade. In 2010, Texas beat Cal by 30.5 points with divers Drew Livingston and Matthew Cooper racking up 42 points. The most recent diving coup came in 2018 when Texas was in a three-way battle on the final day with Cal and Indiana. “Jacob Cornish was 14th on 1-meter, then in the prelims of platform, he qualified 16th. Just 15 minutes later, he was bummed he couldn’t get in the top eight,” recalls Scoggin. “But I told him if he moved up, he could make the difference. He moved up to 10th and got 13 points...and we won by 11. It came down to the bitter end. I will never forget that.” Swimmers can have a swim that makes a difference, too, and Scoggin makes sure his divers pass on that support to the swimmers as well. “Sometimes diving will make the difference. But the way we look at it at Texas is that every member of the team can make a difference,” Scoggin said. “As a rookie coach, it became very clear to me that anyone can make a difference— swimmer or diver. We knew we could help anyone become a competitive diver.” “Coming into college, I had no idea of the capabilities of the swim Jordan Windle has been a difference program. I knew the diving program was great...but I quickly found out maker for the Longhorns as well, winning we had the best swim team in the country, too. That drove me to want the NCAA title on platform in 2019 and earning nine All-America honors. He also to compete even harder.” —Jordan Windle, 2019 NCAA 10-meter has been the Big 12 Diver of the Year three platform champion and 9x All-American years running. “Coming into college, I had no idea level. He has all the basics. If you have a problem, he will help you of the capabilities of the swim program. I through it. Whether it be a dating situation or academic situation or knew the diving program was great...but I quickly found out we had injury situation, Matt does all the things—the good, human things— the best swim team in the country, too. That drove me to want to very well. compete even harder,” Windle said. “Honestly, we used to go to NCAAs and diving was a hit-or“The closest way I can explain it is a band of brothers. We are miss situation. It is not anymore. You don’t have to hope someone a huge family—not only the men’s team, but the women’s team is going to have a good day. They are going to have a good day.” as well. I was expecting that with diving, but it has happened in Reese said divers are treated the same as swimmers when it the swimming world as well. The seniors made it their priority to comes to scholarships, which helps. Some are full-ride, some are involve the divers when I was an underclassman. That was huge. partial and some walk-on—just like swimming. “Helping the team accomplish goals like that is something that “We do what it takes to get them,” Reese said. “Divers go we are all looking forward to and want to do. That is the whole point through a lot of what the swimmers do as far as getting tired and of it becoming a swimming and diving program. As long as we stay not performing well. They need to rest and taper, which swimmers humble and competitive, I don’t see that ending any time soon.” definitely do. If anybody thinks it is different, it is definitely different, but they go through the same things we do. The only way PERSPECTIVE FROM COACH REESE to get better is to get tired. We do that. We all do that.” Reese has seen the relationship between swimming and Reese spends more time with divers than most swim coaches, diving grow over decades. It starts with his interest in the divers which Scoggin said makes a huge difference. and coaches. “I go over once a week to help coach the divers. I tell them I “They are easily as good or better than we are. That would know more about diving than any other swim coach in America, definitely play a part. Really, it has to come from the swim coach. whether that is true or not,” Reese said with a laugh. If you don’t have that history—they are in the same program, and “We have a really good swimming program. We have a really are working as many or more hours as you are—it is a real tough good diving program. It is listed as swimming and diving, so sport,” Reese said. everyone is on equal footing when it comes to affirmation and any “We know how good Matt Scoggin is at taking care of people, kind of notice. doing the little things in recruiting, and coaching them. He is amazing at that. He is just a very good, caring person at a simple “To put it simply, we are all one good strong team.” FEBRUARY 2021
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[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
SELLING PROCESS TO SWIMMERS (Part 2)
BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
In 1993, psychologist Anders Ericsson wrote that greatness wasn’t born, but grown. Fifteen years later, author Malcolm Gladwell suggested that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a skill or field. Known by the term, “process,” swim coaches use that learning curve to improve the performance of their swimmers. Last month, Swimming World detailed how age group and high school coaches use process to improve the performance of their charges. This month, three veteran college coaches share their thoughts on this crucial aspect of swim training.
ONE ON ONE
Since taking over as the head men’s and women’s coach at Denison University in the fall of 1987, Gregg Parini has garnered six NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving team titles, 16 runner-up finishes, and has been named CSCAA’s NCAA-III Coach of the Year 11 times. How he’s earned those accolades is a testament to his commitment to his athletes. “When we talk about investing in the process, we’re really talking about investing in relationships: a relationship with the sport...the training...the coach...with teammates. If those relationships are going to be healthy and productive, it starts with a strong foundation of trust,” says Parini. “If your athletes don’t trust the people implementing and involved in the process—coaches, trainers, teammates—investment is marginalized. “Think about it. Who will invest his or her total self into an untrustworthy relationship or process? Too often a lack of trust in the process is the root of underperformance. Developing trust demands the coach invest time and energy beyond simply applying the X’s and O’s of training and competition by spending time getting to know the athlete. What’s the athlete’s history with the sport...with coaches...with teammates? And how do these histories impact the athlete’s interaction with the sport...the team culture...the coach...and the teammate now? “Peak performance,” he says, “demands that we establish a team culture deserving of our athletes’ trust—all of which begins with establishing healthy relationships with our athletes. Two examples... #1. “I dismissed a sophomore swimmer from the team for violating team rules. It was a particularly difficult situation where the swimmer’s history impacted his swimming, academics and health. After a year away and having received professional help, he approached me about being reinstated. I told him that he would be allowed to return and could remain with the team under the following conditions: “He meet and apologize to the coaching staff; he meet and CONTINUED ON 18 >>
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SELLING PROCESS / CONTINUED FROM 16
agreeing to touch base regularly. Later that afternoon, the woman had the best practice of the fall. Her whole demeanor had shifted. She looked comfortable and felt like she belonged. “We continued to talk and meet regularly over the years. She never looked back, and she developed into one of D-III’s best swimmers ever. As she shared with me years later, the key for her resurgence was my taking an interest in her life outside the pool. The experience was a seminal one in my coaching development.”
[ PHOTO BY LINDA STRIGGO, DENISON ATHLETICS ]
THE GANG’S ALL HERE
“When we talk about investing in the process, we’re really talking about investing in relationships: a relationship with the sport...the training...the coach...with teammates.... Peak performance demands that we establish a team culture deserving of our athletes’ trust—all of which begins with establishing healthy relationships with our athletes.” —Gregg Parini, Denison (pictured with KT Kustritz at 2018 NCAAs after she became the first D-III swimmer to break a minute in the 100 yard breaststroke with her winning time of 59.77) apologize with the returning team; he agree to weekly check-ins with me to discuss both positives and negatives; he abide by all team rules/ policies. “He followed through and went on to become one of our most successful student-athletes in team history. Since graduation, he continues to thrive. #2. “I also had a very talented freshman female swimmer who struggled to gain traction in practices and meets. Her body language and verbal cues suggested she wasn’t feeling comfortable. Everything seemed tight. I knew she had more in her, but despite my efforts in practice and meets, we simply couldn’t get her swimming at a level she was capable. “At the suggestion of one of my mentors, I met her for coffee at one of the local coffee houses. My intention was to address the swimming issues. Instead of talking about swimming, we spent the next couple of hours talking about everything but. “Rather, we discussed her adjustments to college, her being homesick, some issues in a class and a family death over the previous summer. We never got to swimming, and we wrapped up our talk 18
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“Each generation of coaches faces challenges capturing the attention of their athletes. Selling process is a vital part of our jobs,” says Tyler Fenwick, associate head coach at the University of Virginia. “As coaches, it’s essential that we know our audience so that we may fully harness their capabilities. At Virginia, we have a young and experienced coaching staff. We recognize that in today’s fast-paced culture, athletes want fun! We take this charge seriously and have a blast playing the roles of coach and entertainer. We call what we do ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’ We do several things to bring out the best in each week. “Swimming is a grind. Why not have fun? In a digital world that moves fast, stimulation comes quickly from all directions. At Virginia, we work hard to create an environment that swimmers can’t wait to join. We’re on deck early to talk, laugh and check in. Once practice starts, the craziness begins. “As a combined program, we have seven coaches at every workout. Each one is assigned to a small group and is actively engaged, providing constant feedback, moving up and down the pool deck, staying vocal and positive. “Music is huge for us. We play it loud—blasting rap, hip hop, EDM, rock and take requests. Music keeps the environment electric, fun and inspiring even during the toughest sets. Our best practices are always when the team gets loud, vocal and supports one another. We encourage this daily. When hard work happens in a setting like this, smiles, laughter and dancing are commonplace, and the team rises to whatever the day demands,” he says. “(Head coach) Todd DeSorbo finds ways to mix things up. Whether it’s using mesh socks, power towers, weighted kickboards or even putting a paddle on your head, no practice is ever the same. He asks that his coaching staff adopt the same creativity. “Swimmer equipment bags have the usual tools and toys, but we switch things up in other ways. We love to play games—whether it is heading up to the gym to play Knockout or blowing bubbles down a pool deck through a hula hoop at the other end. The team is constantly competing before, during and after practice. “Athletes love these quick breaks from the norm. Sometimes they occur when least expected. Last year, while getting ready for dryland, someone accidentally fell into the pool. Suddenly, teammates started jumping in with all their clothes on. Our staff rolled with it, ditched dryland and swam the practice in our dryland clothes. Being adaptable and keeping things light makes our team want to come back for more. “We also keep things interesting through season planning and design. We make sure each athlete spends time with every coach at some point during the week. Our staff assesses athlete needs and then creates a plan that allows for each individual to get exactly what they need. We coordinate before the season to determine each coach’s intention for a given day, week and workout. We share our unique plans and assign athletes to different coaches and workouts based off of potential competition from teammates, targeted energy zones and the overall nature of the practice,” says Fenwick. “This process leaves us with 50 different swimmers with 50 different season plans. Where some swimmers may have similar plans, no two are the same. This takes massive amounts of communication and coordination between the staff, but it’s worth the effort. Our
“Swimming is a grind. Why not have fun? At Virginia, we work hard to create an environment that swimmers can’t wait to join. We’re on deck early to [ PHOTO BY MATT FILEY, VIRGINIA ATHLETICS ]
talk, laugh and check in. Once practice starts, the craziness begins.” —Tyler
[ PHOTO BY HOPE CARPINELLO, NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS ]
Fenwick, Virginia
“If you work hard and lack the ability to see it as a positive, then the sport of swimming will weigh heavily on you, ultimately taking your love of the sport away. If you can flip the switch to see how working hard is a privilege that you GET to do with your best friends and teammates supporting you, the sky can really be the limit to what you can accomplish.” —Katie Robinson, Northwestern athletes love working with a variety of coaches, training with a large percentage of their teammates and taking new approaches. We are constantly evolving to make sure swimming stays fun, exciting and new!”
TEACHING WITH AUTHENTICITY
Katie Robinson became director of Northwestern University’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs in June after two years as associate head coach. “I’ve learned that swimmers actually enjoy and relish a good challenge,” she says. “It’s in our DNA. As a coach, the process for us is to find what challenge is good for them in our weekly lineup of
practices. If someone is having a hard time that week with their primary stroke, maybe switching up the focus of the practice—or even switching which group they train in— serves as the challenge for the day instead of trying to hit pace in the main set. “Swimming as a sport can be too much of a grind when someone is chronically given a challenge they are not prepared for (physically or mentally). Instead, I like to create the majority of our practices where each swimmer can enjoy some amount of success with various challenges. “I love creating situations in practice that allow for a lot of hype on deck. Not only is it fun for the whole team, but it’s also a great way to simulate performing under pressure to help them build their skill sets to attack these situations, better preparing them for meets. We work to create an atmosphere of competitive curiosity where it’s fun to see what you can do with each challenge. When practice becomes the fun thing, they look forward to each day, they buy in, and their overall experience is improved tenfold,” says Robinson. “Another way that I’ve built buy-in through the tough parts of the season is to wear hard work as a badge of honor. This has more to do with the mindset around working hard than anything else. “If you work hard and lack the ability to see it as a positive, then the sport of swimming will weigh heavily on you, ultimately taking your love of the sport away. If you can flip the switch to see how working hard is a privilege that you GET to do with your best friends and teammates supporting you, the sky can really be the limit to what you can accomplish. “I stress doing hard things together as a way to strengthen the bond on our team. This brotherhood or sisterhood can be so strong that it is palpable. It is one we’ve really grown at Northwestern,” she says. “With my swimmers, I make a point to teach with authenticity. I come from a family of teachers so I view coaching much like I view teaching—to help by providing information. My education in kinesiology allows me to provide the ‘why’ behind training systems and practices. The authenticity for me stems from my natural strengths of building connection. “I love the phrase, ‘They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’ This moves me to coach from an authentic space grounded in attention and care for our studentathletes. When they see and feel this, the buy-in can be a natural outcome,” says Robinson. And isn’t that what every coach wants.
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award. FEBRUARY 2021
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READY FOR A Melanie Margalis is an Olympic relay gold medalist and a threetime relay champion at Worlds, but a podium finish in an individual event has eluded her on the world’s biggest stage. She finished fourth in the 200 IM at the last two World Championships and the 2016 Olympics, but after ranking No. 1 in the 400 IM and No. 3 in the shorter medley for 2020, her turn to win a medal for the United States could take place this year in Tokyo. BY ANDY ROSS | PHOTOS BY PETER H. BICK
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fter establishing herself as one of the top IM’ers in the United States as an undergrad at the University of Georgia in 2014, Melanie Margalis had full focus on the 200 IM heading into the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. With Maya DiRado and Elizabeth Beisel leading the charge in the longer distance, Margalis had become one of the top 200 IM’ers in the world, finishing seventh at the 2015 Worlds and fourth at the 2016 Olympics. After Rio 2016, Olympic gold medalist DiRado (200 back, 800 free relay) retired after earning silver in the 400 IM and bronze in the 200. The other Olympic finalist, Elizabeth Beisel, was on a farewell tour in 2017. At the World Championships in Budapest that year, Leah Smith made her 400 IM debut for the U.S. with a sixthplace finish while Beisel closed out her career in seventh. Margalis was at that meet, capturing gold in the 800 free relay and placing fourth in the 200 IM. But part of her knew that she could have been a factor in that 400 IM race had she trained for it. “After the 400 IM, Coach (Gregg) Troy pulled me aside and told me, ‘You need to start doing the 400 IM. You need to start swimming it.’ Jack (Bauerle) was telling me all along that I should be doing it, but when Troy added that seed into my brain, I was like, ‘OK, maybe I can give it a shot.’”
LONG AND COMPLICATED HISTORY
Margalis, who turned 29 on Dec. 30, has had a long and complicated history with the 400 IM, widely regarded as one of the most difficult events in swimming. She had made two NCAA A-finals in the event, finishing as high as third as a senior in 2014. Later that summer, she was third at U.S. Nationals, and had swum it periodically over the next two years, but hadn’t been up to speed with DiRado and Beisel, and elected not to swim the race at the 2016 Trials. By 2018, Margalis was reluctantly training longer IM sets with Bauerle at Georgia and was consistently swimming under 4:40. By 20
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the end of that summer, she swam 4:35.50, ranking her eighth in the world. Flash forward to 2020, and she had jumped to No. 1 in the world. “There was so much work mentally to be done,” Margalis said of the longer race. “I knew in my head that the 400 IM would be my best event, but I couldn’t get there mentally, and it would just tear me apart. It was almost to the point where it wasn’t healthy for my mindset at meets for me to do it because it would just explode my mind. I really had to do work in seeing it as a positive. “There’s also been so many girls who have stepped up in the U.S. in the 200 IM, and I felt that if I can have another shot to put myself on the team (by swimming both events), then I should take it. But it took a lot of work to get past my mental block with how hard that race is.” In 2019, four American women were ranked among the top 10 in the world in the 400 IM. Margalis finished the year at 11th, but three months into 2020—two weeks before the Olympics had been postponed—she swam a 4:32.53 at the TYR Pro Series stop in Des Moines, Iowa. She led the world rankings by three-and-a-half seconds! “I told myself all day that I needed to stop ‘being a baby,’ so that was pretty much my race plan,” Margalis said in her TV interview after the race. “At that meet, I was like, ‘We are going to go for it.’ “I just needed to go out there and push the front half. I was telling myself, ‘Don’t just swim an easy 100 backstroke in the middle— like actually put some effort into it.’ That was me not being a baby— actually doing the first half of the race. “The 400 IM is probably the biggest reason I was the most sad about the Olympics being postponed because I just had that swim (in Des Moines). I was like, ‘OK, this is perfect timing. I won’t have to do another 400 IM before Trials, and I’ll go into the meet with a really good mindset.’”
INSPIRATION FROM U.S. PEERS...AND KATINKA HOSSZU
Margalis draws a lot of inspiration from her American peers in the IM events, with names such as Emma Weyant, Brook Forde, Ella Eastin, Madisyn Cox and Ally McHugh all pushing her to be better. But one of her biggest inspirations comes from a rival that she has watched smash seemingly unbeatable world records during her career. “The person who helps me the most in swimming is Katinka (Hosszu of Hungary)—just because of all the incredible things she has done,” Margalis said. “I feel that any time she is in the pool, it makes me want to be the best swimmer I can be just because of how good she is and how much she has done for IM events over the last five years. “Every time she has been in major competitions since 2013, she has set the standard so high in IM...and you’ve got to love that! A 2:06.12 200 IM (2015 Worlds) is insane, and her 400 IM (4:26.36, 2016 Olympics) is also very, very insane. I would think that it’s not just me that feels so driven by her successes.”
SETTING HER SIGHTS ON 2021
During the pandemic, Margalis had been training with her club team, St. Petersburg Aquatics (Fla.), and long-time coach Fred Lewis. While there this past summer, she picked up little tidbits from Lewis that she took with her to the International Swimming League season in Budapest, Hungary. “He gave me a lot of little things that I could add in my swimming, and I think that was really helpful. He made me work my underwaters more, and that helped me in the 400 free. Last year when I was swimming the 400 free in the ISL, I could not do kicks
off the walls. I was just doing whatever I could to keep swimming. And this year, I was able to take two dolphin kicks off each wall in the 400 free without really having much issue about it.” After only three meets in the league with the eventual team champs, the Cali Condors, Margalis had the top-ranked time in the 200 and 400 IM (SCM) as well as the 400 free. But with lingering concerns over her training and her health, Margalis returned home to the United States before the end of the regular season. “Jack (Bauerle) felt it would be better for me to come home and train for next summer. (Besides training for the 400 IM), I had been having some health issues on and off, and Jack wanted to keep an eye on me. He felt me being away the whole season would be a long time. After the third meet, it became apparent it was time for me to go home and get myself straightened out to go into 2021.” *** Now Margalis heads into another Olympic year in 2021, where she is hoping to qualify for her second team. In the 200 IM, she has been fourth place at the last two Worlds and the 2016 Olympics, and she would want nothing more than to break through and reach the podium. “I’ve been stuck at No. 4 for a while. At 2019 Worlds, (Kathleen) Baker said something to me, joking about how many fourth places I had gotten and how the next time I would be due for a podium spot. In the 200 IM, I haven’t reached my potential yet. “I’m still trying to figure out how to get there. I think it has a lot to do with the first 50—and once I can figure that out, I will hopefully earn a medal for the U.S. That would be pretty cool to finally do.”
In 2019, four American women were ranked among the top 10 in the world in the 400 IM. Margalis finished the year at 11th, but three months into 2020, she swam a 4:32.53 at the TYR Pro Series stop in Des Moines, Iowa. She led the world rankings by three-and-a-half seconds! “I just needed to go out there and push the front half,” she said. “At that meet, I was like, ‘We are going to go for it.’” FEBRUARY 2021
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PERSEVERANCE & HARD WORK
PAY OFF
After not qualifying for Australia’s Olympic team in 2012, Emma McKeon was ready to quit...but over the next several months, she had a change of heart and understood what was necessary to compete at a higher level. Since then, she has become a significant international force, a consistent podium presence and one of the world’s most impactful relay swimmers. BY DAVID RIEDER PHOTOS BY DELLY CARR / SWIMMING AUSTRALIA
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t Australia’s Olympic Swimming Trials in 2012, Emma McKeon, then 17, finished seventh in the 100 free, one spot away from qualifying for her first Olympics in the 400 free relay. That same week, she watched her older brother, David, win the 400 free and place third in the 200 free to qualify for London. She was ready to give it all up! “I was really upset when I missed that team—obviously because my brother made it, and our other training partner, Jarrod Poort...he made it as well in the 1500. I was really upset after that, and then I actually stopped swimming not long after the Trials,” McKeon said. “I knew I wanted to go to the Olympics, but I didn’t want to wait another four years, so I was like, ‘I’ll just stop.’” But over the next several months, around the time she traveled to London to watch David compete, McKeon began to understand the level of effort necessary in order to qualify for international meets and to become one of the world’s best swimmers. So when she returned to the sport in late 2012, McKeon said, “I guess I just knew that you have to be showing up to training every day and doing everything properly to be able to perform at the level I wanted to perform at.” And then, less than 12 months after London, McKeon found herself in a key spot on an Australian relay battling for a World Championships title—and she has been in that same central role each year since.
A SWIMMING FAMILY
Speaking of McKeon’s family, her father, Ron, was a two-time Olympian for Australia—in 1980 and 1984—and he won four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, including gold medals in the 200 and 400 free in 1978. McKeon’s mother, Susie, swam at the Commonwealth Games in 1982, and McKeon’s uncle, Rob Woodhouse, swam at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics for Australia. 22
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During her childhood, McKeon grew up constantly around the pool and the beach, and her parents ran a swimming school in Wollongong, New South Wales. So, quite literally, the only life McKeon knows centers around swimming. Ron actually coached both Emma and David through the early parts of their careers, so the family had to find balance between the swimmer-coach and parent-child relationships. But during Emma’s late teenage years, both McKeons decided to move to Queensland to continue training. Putting his ego aside, Ron gave full support to Emma and David making that change. “I loved having my dad as my coach, but he also wanted the both of us to know what it was like to have a coach that wasn’t your dad. He wanted to let us have that opportunity,” Emma said. “It was hard because it was just what I was so used to, but it was also good for me to grow and also work harder.” Concurrent with Emma’s success, David became one of Australia’s best in the middle distance events. He qualified for both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the 400 free and 800 free relay. He won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2014 on the 800 free relay and a silver in the 400 free, and he qualified for the 400 free Olympic final in 2016, finishing seventh. In Rio, David and Emma became the first brother-sister combination to represent Australia in Olympic swimming since John and Ilsa Konrads in 1960. Emma remembers feeling nervous as she watched her brother compete in between her own swims in the 100 fly semifinal and as part of Australia’s 400 free relay. The two siblings trained in different squads for a time, but both swam in Michael Bohl’s group on the Gold Coast prior to David’s retirement in January. Bohl previously coached three-time Olympic gold medalist Stephanie Rice, and the group now includes Australian standouts Emily Seebohm, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Georgia Bohl and Taylor McKeown. On the Gold Coast, the McKeon siblings
actually live together, and Emma called the dynamic positive and supportive—even if she occasionally wishes for a little more of her own space.
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
One year after her near miss in making the 2012 Olympic team, McKeon found herself in a key pressure point on the first day of her first major international meet. Swimming the third leg on the 400 free relay at the 2013 FINA World Championships after sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell, McKeon dove in with the lead and maintained the advantage, splitting 53.19. Australia would end up with the silver medal that day, and McKeon would win two more silver medals at that meet as a prelims relay swimmer. “I always knew that I perform well on relays, and even before that, all my fastest times in relays were well faster than my PBs,” McKeon said. “I knew I could do a good job being a part of those relays, so I wasn’t nervous to be a part of them. I knew I could contribute quite well.”
It’s a good thing that Emma McKeon changed her mind about quitting the sport after she missed qualifying for Australia’s Olympic team in 2012. Since then (2013-19) at major international meets such as the Olympics (2016), LC World Championships (2013-15-17-19), Pan Pacs (2014-18) and Commonwealth Games (2014-18), she has collected 40 medals (17 gold, 12 silver, 11 bronze)! She also was a six-time medal winner at Worlds and Commonwealth Games twice plus the Pan Pacs once.
Emma McKeon has always been a key contributor at international meets on Australia’s medal-winning relays, including three gold-medal teams at the 2019 World Champs in Gwangju. Since 2014, she’s been a part of four world-record relays: three in the 400 free (2014-16-18) and one in the 800 free (2019). (Pictured, from left: Cate Campbell—in pool—Brianna Throssell, Bronte Campbell and McKeon after winning the WC 400 free relay at Gwangju.) CONTINUED ON 24 >> FEBRUARY 2021
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[ PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE McKEON FAMILY ]
EMMA McKEON / CONTINUED FROM 23
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, David and Emma became the first brother-sister combination to represent Australia in Olympic swimming since John and Ilsa Konrads in 1960. David also was a 2012 Olympian. (Pictured: Emma and David with their dog, Jax)
The first taste of individual success came one year later at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. There, McKeon captured gold in the 200 free—her time of 1:55.57 setting an Australian record—and she also won individual bronze medals in the 100 fly and 100 free (behind the Campbell sisters) and helped Australia win gold medals in all three relays to give her a total of six medals. McKeon had the fastest split in the field for the 800 free relay and the fastest fly split in the medley relay, and she set her first world record as part of the 400 free relay team. “That was my first time swimming at that kind of meet doing individual events. I won a lot of medals there, so I think that’s probably a point where I was like, ‘OK, I’m good at this against the world, with everybody else,’” McKeon said. “I think that was probably a big turning point.” Two years later, she would qualify for her first Olympics, and in Rio, McKeon won four medals. On the meet’s first night, she led off Australia’s 400 free relay team that would end up winning gold in world-record time. McKeon touched seventh in the 100 fly final, a disappointing result after she ended with the No. 2 qualifying time, but she rebounded in impressive fashion to win bronze in the 200 free, her 1:54.94 setting a lifetime best and placing her behind only the dynamic duo of Katie Ledecky and Sarah Sjostrom. The following day, McKeon split 1:54.64 on Australia’s 800 free relay, vaulting her country into the lead on the way to a silver medal, and she won another silver for her efforts on the 400 medley relay. In the years since, McKeon has shown remarkable consistency, never winning an individual gold medal on a global level, but placing among the top finishers in both the 200 free and 100 fly at each major international meet. McKeon calls the 100 fly her favorite event, but she considers the 200 free the most stressful for her. “There’s so much more tactic to it. I know exactly how I want to swim it, but just getting it right can be hard at times. I love racing it, but it definitely takes more mind space.” And every year, McKeon plays a key role on Australia’s free relays—always medal-winners, often gold—and handles the fly leg 24
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on medal-winning medley relays. Through many years of handling big moments at significant competitions, McKeon has mastered the mental strategy required to ensure she is always on point. “I’m a lot more relaxed going into big meets, not overthinking things too much,” she said. “I always hit a point in taper where I’m feeling pretty crappy in the water, and now, I expect that and I know that’s part of it, so I just kind of accept that, don’t really think too much about it. I get nervous in the build-up, but I’m more excited to get it started and just get the week going.” In 2018, she captured gold at the Commonwealth Games in the 100 fly as part of a six-medal haul, matching for the second time the record for most medals at that meet. In 2019, McKeon had a down performance individually, settling for bronze in the 100 fly and scratching the 200 free, but she led Australia to a gold medal and world record in the 800 free relay, the country’s first win in that event on a global level since 2008. McKeon swam the anchor leg in 1:54.60 to pass American Katie McLaughlin and win gold by 33-hundredths.
THE BIG PICTURE
Along with her swimming career, McKeon has been working on a bachelor’s in health promotion and public health nutrition since 2014, taking one or two courses each semester. “It’s just been good to have something else away from the pool, even though it hasn’t been much,” McKeon said. “It hasn’t been a huge workload or anything. It’s been quite easy to manage alongside swimming, but it’s just been good to have something else that I’m striving to complete.” She is nearing completion of that degree, but she doesn’t know how she wants to put it to use in the working world. Just as well— she intends to keep swimming for a while longer, particularly with the ISL offering an exciting new outlet for professional swimmers. In March 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed one year due to fallout from the COVID-19 global pandemic, and most of the world’s athletes viewed that decision as necessary. But in the leadup to that announcement, McKeon had never allowed herself to consider such a possibility. So focused was McKeon on her goals for the Olympics that when the news came, she found it hard to dial back and relax. “On the day that it was (postponed), it came as a big shock to me because I was very focused and I didn’t want to think in my head that was going to be canceled and not be putting everything I had into training,” McKeon said. “It also was hard because I couldn’t just switch off randomly one day. I was still very motivated and everything, and I still wanted to keep training, so it was kind of hard to adjust to just taking a break. That took me a few weeks.” McKeon ended up taking a hiatus of nearly three months, during which she returned to her family home in Wollongong, New South Wales. By July and August, she had returned to a relatively normal training routine, but she couldn’t help but dwell on what might have been happening on those same days if she were in Tokyo at the Olympics. Once swimming picked up again, McKeon came out of the gates with a bang. While she and most Australians did not compete in the ISL bubble in Budapest, she did record a blistering 52.46 in the
100 free in December at the Queensland State Championships, just 5-hundredths off her personal best and the fastest time in the world for 2020. She also swam a quick 56.69 in the 100 fly and a 24.55 50 free.
PROUD OF THE PAST, PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE
This June in Adelaide, McKeon will be competing at the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials in an effort to represent her country at the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Currently, she should be a significant medal threat in all of her events. She ranks eighth all-time in the 200 free (1:54.55), seventh in the 100 fly (56.18) and sixth in the 100 free (52.41), although earning the chance to pursue an individual medal in that event will require beating out either Cate or Bronte Campbell at Trials. She should also continue to be a key to Australia’s gold medal hopes in all three relays.
Earlier in her career, McKeon would follow up a successful performance by looking toward what came next. That go-go-go attitude prevented McKeon, now 26, from stepping back to enjoy her accomplishments and be proud of herself, but more recently, she has achieved some perspective on the magnitude of her accomplishments. “I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that it’s good to be able to look back on what you’ve done and be proud of it,” she said. Certainly, McKeon has been overshadowed to some degree, with the likes of the Campbell sisters, Seebohm, Ariarne Titmus and rising backstroker Kaylee McKeown stealing the limelight among Australian women. But every single year, McKeon shows up and performs. Given her talent, her versatility and her clutch abilities on relays, she could very well be carrying the torch for Australia at the 2021 Olympic Games.
EMMA McKEON THROUGH THE YEARS
> Gold-medal teammates (from left) Emma McKeon and Brittany Elmslie (Rio 2016) > Emma; brother, David; and cousin, Alex
> During their childhood, Emma and her brother, David, grew up constantly around the pool and the beach
[PHOTO BY DELLY CARR, SWIMMING AUSTRALIA]
> Best friend, Dom Tobin (left)
> Coach Michael Bohl offering pre-race instruction
[ PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE McKEON FAMILY ]
> Congratulations from Dad
> Cousin, Natalie Woodhouse (right)
> David and Emma
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[ PHOTO PROVIDED BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME ]
chase, immediately worked to cover the story of Johnson’s doping violation, while Johnson boarded a flight out of South Korea. The news of Johnson’s positive test coincided with the last days of the swimming competition, where two storylines stood out. Among the men, Matt Biondi’s march to seven medals—including five gold, a silver and a bronze—drew comparisons to what Mark Spitz achieved at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Although Biondi did not match Spitz’s perfection, he became just the second swimmer to tally seven medals in a single Games. In women’s action, East Germany’s Kristin Otto occupied the spotlight, and headlined her nation’s dominant showing by setting an Olympic standard for individual success. During the eight-day meet, Otto was perfect, her four individual triumphs complemented by a pair of relay victories. If the program had included a women’s 800 freestyle relay, as the men’s schedule did, she almost certainly would have equaled Spitz’s iconic effort from 16 years earlier. Still, her six gold medals set a record for female success at the Olympic Games, a standard that has not been equaled.
East Germany’s Kristin Otto will long be remembered as a highly decorated athlete, and for turning in one of the greatest Olympic outings in history, winning six gold medals at the 1988 Games. But because of the links to her and performanceenhancing drugs, what she accomplished—before and in Seoul—will always be tainted. BY JOHN LOHN
T
he image is iconic in Olympic lore. As he crossed the finish line, index finger pointing to the sky, Canadian Ben Johnson was the most-celebrated athlete on the planet. He had just won the 1988 Olympic title in the 100-meter dash, his winning time of 9.79 almost impossible to grasp. How could a human run that fast? It was a legitimate question, and one asked with significant skepticism. An answer arrived within days, and the Seoul Games fell under a tent of controversy. Johnson, in what was an unsurprising revelation to those who raced against him, had tested positive for the use of an anabolic steroid, and was stripped of his gold medal. Journalists, who were hardly stunned by the news they would 26
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SUSPICIONS FOLLOWED But like Johnson, suspicions followed Otto, who was pegged at a young age to attend one of East Germany’s prestigious sports schools. From the early 1970s through the late 1980s, East Germany was the dominant country in the pool, destroying the opposition at the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games...and all other competitions in between. Even without official proof in the form of positive doping tests, there was little doubt unethical practices were at play. During the first years of the 1970s, the German Democratic Republic was a modest factor on the global stage. Yet, by the 1973 World Championships, they became a superpower, and that status would remain for the next decade-and-a-half. How did such an ascension take place? It wasn’t difficult to recognize the reason: Fingers pointed to chemistry. Not only was East Germany’s sudden and widespread success enough to activate prolonged skepticism, so were the physical characteristics of the athletes: abnormal musculature, deep voices, acne-covered skin. It was also said that the country’s systematicdoping program was so specific, that athletes were monitored prior to competition and removed from action if there was the slightest possibility they would test positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Otto was used to the allegations levied against her and her teammates. “I have never knowingly taken any banned substances,” Otto said. “I have no knowledge of ever having taken something to help my performance.” There is a key word in Otto’s statement: knowingly. Throughout the duration of East Germany’s doping program, the teenage girls who were used as pharmaceutical guinea pigs and pin cushions simply did as they were told. Swallow this pill. Take this injection. Follow this workout. And...do not ask questions. Kornelia Ender did not question the system. Neither did Barbara Krause. Petra Thumer followed the directives that were prescribed. Petra Schneider was obedient, too. And because these women could not say no—or have their careers instantly washed away—they set
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dozens of world records and enjoyed vast international success. A MAJOR FORCE The same could be said for Otto. After being identified as a future star, it did not take long for her to emerge as a major force. As a 16-year-old at the 1982 World Championships, she notched her first international success, capturing three gold medals, highlighted by a solo title in the 100 backstroke. The next year’s European Championships brought three more medals, but the opportunity to shine on the biggest sporting stage was delayed. In retaliation for the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, 14 Eastern Bloc countries decided to skip the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Leading this charge were the Soviet Union and East Germany, and the decision meant Otto had to wait an additional four years to etch her name in Olympic history. Although 1984 was a loss for Otto on the Olympic front, she made the most of the campaign by setting a world record in the 200 meter freestyle and winning After being identified as a future star, it did not take long for Otto to emerge as a major force. As a 16-year-old at five medals at the Friendship Games, a the 1982 World Championships, she notched her first international success, capturing three gold medals, highreplacement meet for the Olympics that lighted by a solo title in the 100 back. She continued winning gold medals in 1983 and 1984 until 1985, when she provided boycotting nations the chance to was sidelined by an injury that left her in a neck brace for nine months. [PHOTO BY LADISLAV PERENYI] experience some level of competition. In 1985, though, Otto was out of the pool for backstroke and as a member of the East German 400 freestyle most of the year, sidelined by an injury that left her in a neck brace relay. The last three days of action produced one gold medal per for nine months. day, with wins in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle sandwiching her However, by the 1986 World Championships in Madrid, Otto had contribution on the victorious 400 medley relay. regained her pre-injury form and set the foundation for two years in In a flash, Otto possessed six gold medals in as many events. the future—the 1988 Games in Seoul. At the World Champs, Otto There were no world records—which was a slight surprise—but collected six medals, four of them gold, with individual titles earned Otto was an individual winner in three different strokes, an effort in the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley. Her triumph in the that prompted five-time United States Olympic coach Don Gambril 100 free arrived in world-record time, and the mark endured as the to compare her to American legend Tracy Caulkins. It was an odd global standard for more than five years. comparison for a U.S. coach to make, considering how Team USA— A year later, Otto was just as superb, as revealed in the five-gold particularly Shirley Babashoff—had long questioned the legitimacy exhibition at the European Championships that included solo wins of East Germany’s success. in the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. There was no Otto simply took the end of her Olympiad in stride, noting that doubt she was prepared to make her Olympic debut, and her ability to win international titles in a variety of events received considerable acclaim. NOW AVAILABLE IN 4 DECK MOUNTING OPTIONS Wolfgang Richter, East Germany’s head FLY WITH VELOCITY coach in Seoul, admired Otto’s mental ANY WAY YOU CHOOSE approach, especially in the face of great pressure to excel: “She’s the best because she works harder than the rest,” Richter Velocity Single Post Velocity Dual Post said. “She’s tough (in the mind). She cannot stand to lose.” SUCCESS IN SEOUL Her long Olympic wait over, Otto immediately shined in Seoul. In the first event of the meet, she won the 100 freestyle by more than a half-second. That win was followed by decisive victories in the 100
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TAKEOFF TO TOKYO / CONTINUED FROM 27
she had exceeded expectations and would fondly look back at the week. When asked about her involvement with doping, she pointed to the fact that she had never tested positive and was one of the most-tested athletes in the world. “Personally, I never gave much thought to this because it would have been too much of a burden if you think of a gold in every event,” Otto said. “I’m 22, and that is not so young anymore in this sport, so I have a very difficult decision to make (concerning retirement). I’m sure we will be very popular (back home). People will stop us in the street. But I’m also sure this will not change my life.” Upon reflection, Otto spurned retirement for a year after Seoul. In what proved to be the bow on her international career, she won four medals at the 1989 European Championships, including a gold in the 100 backstroke. She followed her competitive days by pursuing a journalism degree and has been a longtime television journalist in Germany.
When Otto won the 50 free at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul (pictured), she became the winningest woman at an Olympics with six golds—four individual and two relays. In this age of enhanced depth, the notion of another female athlete matching Kristin Otto’s accomplishment is unlikely. [ PHOTO BY SIMON BRUTY, ALLSPORT FROM SW NOV 1988 ]
Rica Reinisch, a three-time 1980 Olympic gold medalist who acknowledged that she was supplied performance-enhancing drugs by her coaches and East German medical personnel, had criticized Otto for not admitting what had been documented by the Stasi, the East German secret police: “When she claims she cleaned up in Seoul without taking anything, then I can only say she didn’t win six golds by drinking buttermilk.” [ PHOTO BY LENNART HALLERBO ]
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SECRETS REVEALED What Otto has not been able to avoid in retirement are links between her and performance-enhancing drugs. Upon the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s, a plethora of East German secrets were revealed, among them the details of the country’s systematicdoping program, known formally as State Plan 14:25. In documents recovered from the Stasi, the East German secret police, Otto’s name was listed among those supplied with anabolic steroids. Even when presented with this evidence, Otto denied her knowledge of the process. Yet, others have copped to the program of which they were a part, including Rica Reinisch, a three-time gold medalist at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. In addition to admitting that she was supplied performance-enhancing drugs by her coaches and East German medical personnel, Reinisch has criticized Otto for not admitting the obvious, and what had been documented. “When she claims she cleaned up in Seoul without taking anything, then I can only say she didn’t win six golds by drinking buttermilk,” Reinisch once said. A 1993 inductee to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Otto’s exhibit now includes a doping disclaimer. The same disclaimer is attached to the displays of Ender, Krause, Thumer and Ulrike Richter, among others. It reads: “In a German court of law, after this swimmer was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, team officials confessed to administering performance-enhancing drugs to this swimmer, who, therefore, obtained an illegal and unfair advantage over other athletes.” FOREVER CONNECTED TO DOPING In this age of enhanced depth, the notion of another female athlete matching Kristin Otto’s accomplishment and winning six Olympic gold medals—four of them individually—is unlikely. When Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals in Beijing, he relied on two miracles to keep perfection alive. And the questions surrounding Otto remain: How much did steroids aid her? What could she have achieved through only her natural talent? These are questions that will never be answered. Instead, she’ll be forever connected to doping. More, her Seoul link with Johnson will keep the two inseparable. The difference? He was caught. She got away. “I’ve been facing (doping questions) for years,” Otto once said. “It is nothing new for me. Unfortunately, I can no longer rule (doping) out. However, I cannot imagine it because I was one of the most checked athletes in the world at the time.” Doubt, however, will always linger.
INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
WHO “SHOT” THE SWIMMERS? (Part 2)
BY BRUCE WIGO | PHOTOS BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
Without cameras and the photographers who have used them, the history of our sports would be nothing but printed words and fading memories. It is through the miracle of photography that the heroes and great moments of the past and present are remembered and will live on. For most of the early years of sports photography, photographers were technically handicapped by primitive equipment, limiting photos to posed images of swimmers. In this second part of a series that highlights an International Swimming Hall of Fame exhibit showing the history of swimming through the eyes of the photojournalists who have covered the aquatic sports for more than 150 years, Swimming World features Harold “Doc” Edgerton.
“Don’t make me out to be an artist. I am an engineer. I am after the facts, only the facts.” —Dr. Harold Edgerton
S
hortly after the 1936 Olympics in a lab in Boston, an electrical engineering professor at MIT began tinkering with equipment that would change the way science explains natural phenomena— and with it, the art of aquatic sports photography—forever. Harold Edgerton was born in Fremont, Neb., April 6, 1903. From an early age, he was fascinated by motors and machines, and he enjoyed taking apart broken things, figuring out how they worked and fixing them. He also developed an interest in photography through an uncle, a studio photographer who taught Harold how to take, develop and print pictures while he was in high school. After studying engineering as an undergraduate in Nebraska, Harold accepted a grant for graduate studies at MIT. It was in the early 1930s that he developed an ultra-high-speed motion picture camera that could expose as many as 6,000 to 15,000 frames per second. When these films were projected at normal speed (24 frames per
After studying engineering as an undergraduate in Nebraska, Edgerton accepted a grant for graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, he became an electrical engineering professor at MIT. Among the many innovations he developed was an ultra-high-speed motion picture camera that could expose as many as 6,000 to 15,000 frames per second and a strobe that could flash light at variable speeds from 2-millionths of a second to 60 per second. CONTINUED ON 30 >> FEBRUARY 2021
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WHO SHOT THE SWIMMERS / CONTINUED FROM 29
Edgerton’s first images of an aquatic athlete in the MIT pool were of Peter Desjardins, who won gold medals in both the springboard and platform events at the 1928 Olympics—a feat unmatched until Greg Louganis did it in 1984. The Canadianborn American diver was billed as “The Little Bronze Statue from Florida” for his perfectly-proportioned, diminutive height of less than five feet and year-round suntan from living in Miami, Fla. Here he stands between Arne Borg (1500) and Johnny Weissmuller (100 free, 800 free relay), who also won Olympic gold in 1928.
To capture Desjardins on film, Edgerton had him dive into the pool in darkness. He timed the strobe to flash evenly at 20 flashes per second with each flash lasting 10 microseconds—or 1/100,000th of a second—while the camera shutter remained open on a single negative for the duration of the dive. Desjardins’ physique, his cut muscles, the highlights of his hair and the splash of the water were all very well defined.
In the mid-1960s, “Doc” Edgerton took a series of strobographic photographs of his long-time friend and MIT diving coach Charles Batterman for Batterman’s book, “The Techniques of Springboard Diving” (MIT Press, 1968). It was the first book to apply and show the principles of physics to the analysis of dives.
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second), very high-speed events appeared—and could be studied— in extremely slow motion. He also developed a strobe that could flash light at variable speeds from 2-millionths of a second to 60 per second—all with the aim of discovering problems in machinery that could not be seen with the naked eye. But according to his biography, Edgerton never thought to restrict his equipment for purely technical subjects: “By the mid-1930s, he was photographing everyday phenomena: golfers swinging at a ball, archers letting the arrow fly, tennis players hitting a serve, water running from a faucet, milk drops hitting a plate—and all sorts of creatures in flight...from bats to hummingbirds to insects.” Before this, photographs of these scenes were blurred or impossible, even with direct sunlight. His stroboscopic photographs illustrated scientific phenomena and sports action in a way that was instantly understandable to millions of people. He also pioneered the use of his cameras and strobe for underwater photography. FIRST IMAGES OF AN AQUATIC ATHLETE Edgerton’s first images of an aquatic athlete in the MIT pool were of Peter Desjardins, a Canadian-born American diver billed as “The Little Bronze Statue from Florida” for his perfectly-proportioned, diminutive height of less than five feet and year-round suntan from living in Miami, Fla. Desjardins had won a silver medal in the springboard at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and gold medals in both the springboard and platform events at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. This was an achievement that was unmatched by any other male diver until the 1984 Games when Greg Louganis also won both events. After the 1928 Olympics, Desjardins was declared a professional for appearing in Miami water shows alongside Johnny Weissmuller and other aquatic stars of the era, thereby ending his chance to continue his diving dominance in amateur and Olympic competitions. However, as a full-time professional diver who dove in water shows around the globe, he was considered to be the
Edgerton designed his camera and strobe lights to work underwater to capture divers breaking the surface (middle). And he photographed Smith College synchronized swimmers from underwater (left) and from the ceiling looking down (right), stopping action in a dark indoor pool.
“World’s Best” when Edgerton invited him to MIT in 1940. To capture Desjardins on film, Edgerton—who was also known as Papa Flash—had him dive into the pool in darkness. He timed the strobe to flash evenly at 20 flashes per second with each flash lasting 10 microseconds—or 1/100,000th of a second—while the camera shutter remained open on a single negative for the duration of the dive, which was less than one-and-a-half seconds. The flashing superimposed Desjardins’ image on itself in the early part of the dive; then as his body accelerated, the space he traveled between flashes increased. Desjardins’ physique, his cut muscles, the highlights of his hair and the splash of the water were all very well defined. PHOTOGRAPHER, EDUCATOR, SCIENTIST Edgerton also designed his camera and strobe lights to work underwater to capture divers breaking the surface. And he photographed Smith College synchronized swimmers from underwater and from the ceiling looking down, stopping action in a dark indoor pool. Working with swimmers and divers, Edgerton became an expert in underwater photographic techniques that brought him to the attention of Hall of Fame scientist Jacques Cousteau. Their collaborations made them much in demand from the 1950s to the 1980s for underwater exploratory and archaeological expeditions. In the mid-1960s, “Doc” Edgerton took a series of strobographic photographs of his long-time friend and MIT diving coach Charles Batterman for Batterman’s book, “The Techniques of Springboard Diving” (MIT Press, 1968). It was the first book to apply and show the principles of physics to the analysis of dives. As an educator, his attitude was to help everybody. According to Sports Illustrated photographers John Zimmerman, Coles
Phinizy and Neil Leifer, Edgerton was very personable and willing to share his knowledge of strobes with other photographers. “He was an MIT scientist,” said Neil, “and he tried to get me to understand the physics and science of it all. That went over my head, but I came away with an understanding of how to use the equipment.” In 1941, Dr. Harold Edgerton’s film, Quicker’n a Wink, won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel) at the 13th Academy Awards in 1941. If you’re not familiar with Edgerton’s work, this short film can be found on YouTube and is well worth the watching.
Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.
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NUTRITION
TO BE THE BEST, YOU NEED TO EAT THE BEST! Each year really does build onto another— nutrition is an imperative part of the process, even at an early age. BY DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS
M
any elite-minded swimmers include sports nutrition to their training regimens early on, NOT because there is a problem in their performance, but to enhance their current and future goals. “Early on” usually means between sixth and ninth grade. However, the majority of swimmers seek out sports nutrition expertise when they have a lull in performance. One of my past clients came to me as a dominant swimmer. He was a freshman in high school and had big dreams. He wanted to finish first in every state event from freshman to senior year, qualify for World Junior opportunities and become an Olympian. He always wanted to understand every step of the sports nutrition process, and he took 100% responsibility for all his choices. Within the first six months of working together, he ended up taking five seconds off his 200 free and made U.S. Olympic Trials cuts in his 200 and 400 free that year. Fast-forward several years: He was a four-year state champion in all of his events and currently has an excellent chance of becoming an Olympian this year! Another one of my Olympic hopefuls started implementing sports nutrition at age 14. We use measurements and science to customize nutritional meal plans monthly, and we add other testing and supplements throughout as the facts become clear to implement. I recently started working with a 12-year-old female swimmer. She was very tired all the time. Her diet was poor. Many sweets, too little protein and distribution of nutrients were off. Just by customizing a nutrition plan that best fits her, including revisions along the way, her body fat went from 30% to 22%. She gained seven pounds of lean weight, lost eight pounds of fat and continued to achieve best times! And her training stayed the same (see chart on page 34, “12-year-old Female Swimmer”)! TIPS TO HELP YOUR PERFORMANCE In the world of swimming, most athletes put training first with nutrition, hydration and sleep as an afterthought. In fact, 75% of swimmers undereat or consume too much added sugar or saturated fats throughout their swimming career. Also, 66% show up to practice or swim meets 1% dehydrated, which can lead to a 12% decrease in performance! Here are eight things to think about that can help lead to improved swimming performance: • Make nutrition, hydration and sleep an important part of your program. • Seek out experts to speak to the team. Create an environment to cultivate sports nutrition success. • Start being aware of what you are eating and drinking. • Lead by example. • What adults need are NOT what growing athletes need. • Start designing weekly food plans. If you write it down, you are 80% more likely to follow. • Start making small changes for the better. • Individual needs vary. Seek out an expert to customize. 32
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As you embark on swimming thousands of meters, make sure you add sports nutrition to your routine. If you don’t, I can say with 100% certainty that you are not maximizing your growth, health and athletic potential! Following is a 3,000-3,500-calorie Vegan sample menu to use as an example...but NOT as an absolute! (Veganism does not automatically equate to success; it is an individual choice that has to be done optimally.) 3,000 to 3,500-CALORIE VEGAN TRAINING MENU Pre-Swim Practice (4:30-5:15 a.m.) 1/3 cup Chia seeds 3/4 cup Unsweetened coconut milk 3/4 cup
Blackberries
1.5 T
Honey
1 tsp
Vanilla
16 oz
Water
Training (5:30-6:45 a.m.) 4-16 oz Water an hour (amount needed depends on sweat rate) Breakfast (6-7:30 a.m.) MUST HAVE WITHIN 30-45 MINUTES AFTER TRAINING Tofu bowl: (To save time, you can make it ahead of time and heat up) Sauté in a skillet 1T
Olive oil
1
Chopped garlic clove
1 cup
Kale
Put the rest in the skillet and mix until warm 4 oz Tofu 1/4 cup Kidney beans/pinto beans Seasonings: soy sauce, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper Put mixture on top of 1 cup Brown rice (pre-cooked) Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper (optional) 2 Mandarin oranges 16 oz Water CONTINUED ON 34 >>
www.halloffameswimshop.com Use code: HALLOFFAME for 10% OFF during the month of February
ALL YOU NEED TO GET IN SHAPE THIS YEAR! International Swimming Hall of Fame 1 Hall of Fame Drive Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316 / 954-462-6536 www.ishof.org
EAT THE BEST! / CONTINUED FROM 32
Trail mix: 1/8-1/4 cup 1/8-1/4 cup 16 oz
Mixed nuts/seed Dried fruit
Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet)
Training (3:30-5:30 p.m.) 4-16 oz Water an hour (amount needed depends on sweat rate) Post-recovery within 30-45 minutes: 10-20 oz soy milk or Garden of Life High-Performance Bar (* If you can have dinner within that time, then this snack is optional) Evening Meal (6-7 p.m.) Bean and avocado wrap: 1 1 1
Multivitamin and mineral tablet Omega 3 capsule high in DHA and EPA B12 capsule
Lunch (11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.) 1 Baked sweet potato 1 T Olive oil butter 2-4 cups Greens 1 cup Mixed veggies of choice 1-2 T Oil-based dressing 1 cup
Edamame
1 1 cup 16 oz
Daiya’s Greek Alternative Yogurt Berries Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet)
Afternoon Snack (2-3:30 p.m.) 1 No Cow Bar
1-2 Organic tortillas 3/4 cup Black beans 3/4 cup Red peppers 3/4 cup Purple cabbage 1 Avocado Season with salt, pepper, chili power—optional 1/2-1 Grapefruit 16 oz Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet) 1 1
Multivitamin and mineral tablet Omega 3 capsule high in DHA and EPA
Evening Snack (8-10 p.m.) 12 oz Almond milk 1 scoop Garden of Life Protein Powder 1 sm Banana 1-2 T Nut or seed butter Dawn Weatherwax (RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS) is a registered/licensed dietitian with a specialty in sports nutrition and founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go. She is also a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, which is the premier professional sports nutrition credential in the United States. In addition, she is an athletic trainer with a certification in strength and conditioning from The National Strength and Conditioning Association. Weatherwax brings a comprehensive and unique understanding of the athlete’s body—and its nutritional needs—to those interested in achieving specific performance goals and optimal health. She is also the author of “The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sports Nutrition” and “The Sports Nutrition Guide for Young Athletes.” TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
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DRYSIDE TRAINING
TIME TO GET STRONG...AGAIN!
BY J.R. ROSANIA • DEMONSTRATED BY NORIKO INADA • PHOTOS BY EMMI BRYTOWSKI
As we ride out this worldwide pandemic, let’s make sure our strength levels do not drop. For many of us, the holidays and/or the pandemic have shut down our training both in the pool and in the gym. If you have the ability to get back into the gym or even at home to help maintain or gain muscle strength, let’s use these exercises to do just that. Perform these exercises three times a week. Complete each exercise doing three sets of 10 repetitions. Use weight that creates muscle fatigue by the end of the third set. Make sure the weight allows you to do all of the sets and reps. This routine should help you build muscle back on your body and give you more strength to help you get back to full training. Now, get strong again!
< WEIGHTED LUNGE JUMP While holding a dumbbell in each hand, step forward into a lunge position. Perform a vertical jump and switch leg position. Continue alternating the motion.
^ STABILITY BALL DUMBBELL STROKE Lying face down on a stability ball, position yourself so your chest is on the ball. Keep your legs straight with your toes on the floor. Perform freestyle strokes by holding a dumbbell in each hand.
^STABILITY BALL PIKE-UPS >
Lying face down with your waist positioned on a stability ball, “walk” yourself forward with your hands into a push-up position until your ankles/ shins are on the ball. Elevate your hips in an upward motion, then return back down to your starting position. Repeat.
DUMBBELL KICKBACK > Holding dumbbells in each hand, bend over so that your upper torso is parallel with the floor. While keeping your elbows elevated by your side, extend one or both arms backward to full extension. Repeat.
MEET THE TRAINER 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.
MEET THE ATHLETE Noriko Inada, 42, swam for Japan at the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She now swims Masters for Phoenix Swim Club, and owns Masters world records in the women’s 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 and 40-44 age groups.
NOTICE All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.
< HORIZONTAL PULL-UPS Lying supine on the floor grab a horizontal bar that’s elevated two to three feet off the ground. Position your hands shoulder-width on the bar, and while keeping your knees bent, elevate your hips and upper torso off the ground to the bar. Lower and repeat.
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SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS BY ROD HAVRILUK
FREESTYLE TECHNIQUE FOR SPRINT AND DISTANCE (Part 2)
M
any sources suggest that swimmers use a different freestyle technique for sprint and distance events. For example, a “straight-arm” underwater motion is often promoted for sprinting and a “bent arm” is frequently suggested for distance events. As explained in Part 1 (SW Jan), science—both physics and research— shows us that a swimmer can optimize performance in events of all distances by using the same arm motion with a different arm coordination. Part 1 also explained the most effective arm coordination for distance events. This article—Part 2 and the final part in this series—explains the arm coordination for sprint events. OPPOSITION COORDINATION FOR SPRINT OR DISTANCE The Index of Coordination (IdC) quantifies the relative position of the arms in a stroke cycle (Chollet, Chalies & Chatard, 2000). When one hand begins to pull at the same time that the opposite hand completes the push, the arms are in opposition, and the IdC is zero (Fig. 1, left panel). Swimmers can use opposition coordination for a range of swimming velocities by varying the average propulsive force. For example, opposition coordination hand force curves for sprint (solid lines) and distance (dotted lines) are shown in Fig. 2. For both the sprint and distance curves, the duration of the propulsion and nonpropulsion phases are both 0.6 seconds for a stroke time of 1.2 seconds and consistent with the model in the left panel of Fig. 1 and the data presented in Part 1 (SW Jan). The sprint and distance curves are different in the average force generated on each underwater arm motion. For a distance swim— with a peak force of 40 pounds and an average force of 20 pounds per stroke cycle—the velocity is calculated as 1.5 meters/second (substituting values that are typical for fast swimmers: body crosssectional area of 1,000 cm2 and an active drag coefficient of 0.8). For a sprint, fast swimmers often achieve a peak hand force of 65 pounds for an average force of 30 pounds per stroke cycle and a swimming velocity of 1.8 meters per second. TYPICAL ARM COORDINATION FOR SPRINT While a swimmer can use opposition coordination for a range of swimming velocities, his/her strength will limit propulsion and, therefore, velocity. Studies conducted over the past 20 years consistently show that swimming velocity increases with the IdC, as shown in Fig. 3. The data points represent measurements of elite, male swimmers from two studies: in red (Seifert, Chollet, Rouard, 2007) and in blue (Seifert, Chollet, Bardy, 2004). The dotted lines show predicted velocities for higher IdC values. The data also show that swimmers generally increase their IdC over zero as they increase their swimming velocity to sprint pace. 36
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SUPERPOSITION ARM COORDINATION FOR SPRINT An IdC greater than zero is also called superposition. As explained last month in Part 1, swimmers usually have a propulsion phase of about 0.6 seconds, regardless of swimming velocity. For the arms to cycle in opposition, the non-propulsion phase must also be 0.6 seconds for a stroke cycle time of 1.2 seconds, as shown in the left panel of Fig. 1. To increase the IdC to a positive value, a swimmer must decrease the duration of the non-propulsion phase by eliminating wasted time in the entry phase and moving the arm faster on the recovery phase. As shown in the right panel of Fig. 1, the model completes the propulsion phase in 0.6 seconds and the non-propulsion phase in 0.4 seconds for a stroke cycle time of only 1.0 seconds. Since one arm begins pulling 0.1 seconds before the opposite arm finishes pushing, there is a total overlap of 0.2 seconds on every stroke cycle for a positive IdC of 20%. Force curves for opposition (solid lines) and superposition (dotted lines) arm coordinations are shown in Fig. 4. For each underwater arm motion, the curves have identical force values over 0.6 seconds of propulsion time. For opposition coordination, the force for one arm begins when the force for the other arm finishes for a stroke cycle time of 1.2 seconds. The average force is 30 pounds per stroke cycle, and the swimming velocity is 1.8 meters per second. For superposition coordination, the force for one arm begins 1-tenth of a second before the force for the other arm finishes for a stroke cycle time of 1.0 seconds. The average force is 38 pounds per stroke cycle, and the swimming velocity is 2.1 meters per second. The benefit in sprinting with superposition as opposed to opposition coordination is a 100-meter time of 46 seconds instead of 52 seconds.
Dr. Rod Havriluk is a sport scientist and consultant who specializes in swimming technique instruction and analysis. His newest ebooks are “Approaching Perfect Swimming: Optimal Stroke Technique” and “Swimming Without Pain: A Comprehensive Guide to Preventing and Rehabilitating Shoulder Injuries,” and are available at swimmingtechnology.com. Contact Rod through info@ swimmingtechnology.com. All scientific documentation relating to this article, including scientific principles, studies and research papers, can be provided upon demand. TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
COACHING
Time (sec)
Opposition Coordination (Zero IdC)
Superposition Coordination (Positive IdC)
0
0.1
0.2
FIG. 2 > Opposition coordination hand force curves for sprint (solid lines) and distance (dotted lines) events.
0.3
0.4
0.5
FIG. 3 > The data from two studies show the increase in swimming velocity with an increase in the Index of Coordination.
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9 FIG. 4 > Graph of hand force for opposition (solid lines) and superposition (dotted lines) coordination.
1.0
SUMMARY
1.1
1.2
FIG. 1 > The model demonstrates optimal freestyle technique for opposition coordination (left panel) and superposition coordination (right panel).
Optimal freestyle technique for sprint and distance is identical with respect to the arm motion throughout the stroke cycle, but the arm coordination (as measured by the Index of Coordination) is different. While a swimmer can swim a wide range of velocities with opposition coordination, a swimmer will only achieve his/her fastest velocity with superposition coordination.
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JUNIOR SWIMMER
GOLDMINDS BY WAYNE GOLDSMITH
JUST GO WITH THE FLOW
It is relatively easy to prepare to swim fast at a targeted competition: • Attend training regularly and give your best every time you get into the pool for practice and when you turn up at the gym for dryland workouts. • Get plenty of sleep. • Work hard consistently to improve your stroke technique and racing skills. • Eat well. Drink lots of fresh water and juices. • Spend time every day on your mental health and well-being. Swimming fast seems to be a relatively simple task, yet so many swimmers fail to swim at their best when they get to a meet. That’s because meets add one important piece to the performance puzzle: emotions! It’s more than just preparing to swim fast. What really counts is preparing to swim fast IN THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU’LL BE RACING. So, what’s the key to racing to your potential when and where it matters? The key word is “resilience.” RESILIENCE DEFINED Resilience doesn’t mean you’re “bulletproof”—i.e., being impervious to every possible problem and challenge you’ll ever face. Resilience is your ability to choose how to respond to the things that happen to you...and in doing so, being able to bounce back from them quickly and decisively. A resilient swimmer isn’t someone who never feels emotions. Rather, he or she is someone who’s been trained to manage their emotions in important moments and in critical situations: someone 38
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[PHOTO BY MATT RUBEL PHOTOGRAPHY]
How can you control—and even master— your emotions? The answer is by learning to become a more resilient swimmer. Here’s how...
who’s learned to master “the emotions of the moment.” THE EMOTIONS OF THE MOMENT: WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? As human beings, we are creatures of emotion. We feel sad. We get mad. We experience joy, and we suffer through pain and anguish. It’s all part of being human. However, as a competitive swimmer...while it is important to experience emotions, it is also vital to learn how to stop them from negatively influencing your performance. Here’s a wonderful saying that’s so very true: If you don’t control the emotions of the moment, The emotions of the moment will control you. When the emotions come—and if you don’t learn to recognize and control them appropriately—they will often overwhelm you and cause you to race poorly. Even the most well-trained and highly experienced swimmers experience emotions around competition time. Olympic swimmers lining up for the final of their favorite event—even an event that they may have raced hundreds of times in their career—will still experience emotions such as fear, joy, doubt, excitement...and maybe even a touch of terror! However, the important thing is that they’ve learned how to manage their emotions so they can perform when and where it matters. CHOOSING TO CHOOSE The key to learning to manage the emotions of the moment is to understand that you can learn to choose how you will react and respond to them. Thoughts, emotions and feelings start by seeming to fly into your
brain from somewhere “out there.” One moment, you’re feeling great, then a few negative thoughts appear from nowhere and, suddenly, you’re stressed and feeling terrified. In reality, thoughts, emotions and feelings begin and end with you. There are no actual “thoughts” in the water! The starting blocks of a gold-medal race don’t carry any “emotions” with them. The warm-up zone before a big meet isn’t full of “feelings.” The thoughts, emotions and feelings you experience are YOURS. Because YOU created them, YOU—and only YOU—can control them. THE RESILIENCE FLOW MODEL: F.E.L.T. Not everyone can simply shrug off difficulties and laugh away problems and setbacks. But you can learn how to respond to the challenges—and their accompanying emotions—that life sometimes throws at you. The F.E.L.T. (Feelings, Emotions, Language and Thoughts) Resilience Flow Model is a simple way of managing the emotions of the moment by “talking” with yourself and quickly and simply dealing with your thoughts, emotions and feelings as they arise. Here are a couple of practical examples: Challenging Situation #1: Feeling nervous behind the blocks. F.E.L.T. response: • I am feeling a bit uncertain—even doubtful of my race performance today. • My emotion is fear. • I will (self-talk—i.e., language) focus on my breathing and on my leg drive from the blocks.
human being capable of achieving so much. Swimmers are not robots. Even the greatest swimmers are not super-human (although, at times, their remarkable feats make it seem like they’ve come from another planet!). They’re ordinary people doing extraordinary things in challenging situations...and an essential aspect of that is learning to control your emotions before, during and after competition. Wayne Goldsmith is one of the world’s leading experts in elite-level swimming and high-performance sport. Be sure to check out Goldsmith’s websites at www.wgaquatics.com and www.wgcoaching.com.
SUMMARY 1. Bad things happen to good people. Tough times can be experienced even by the nicest humans on the planet. Everyone experiences ups and downs, successes and failures, wins and losses. That’s life. 2. The key to resilience isn’t searching for ways to avoid the tough times. It’s about accepting that, occasionally, you will have to face challenges and difficulties...AND that you will choose how to respond to them. 3. Practice the F.E.L.T. Resilience Flow Model...and take control of your life! The next time you experience a problem or start to feel overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment, apply the F.E.L.T. Resilience Flow Model...and choose how you will respond to the problem. It will change your life!
• I think that the feelings and emotions will just flow away, and I will race at my best. Challenging Situation #2: 20 meters to go in a tough, competitive 100 butterfly. F.E.L.T. response: • I am feeling pain, and I don’t know if I can keep going. • My emotion is anxiousness. • I will (self-talk—i.e., language) stay relaxed and smooth and build my kick all the way to the finish. • I think that the feelings and emotions will just flow away, and I will finish strongly. The key in both of these situations is noticing the thoughts and ideas and feelings, then choosing NOT to allow them to have any influence over your performance. It’s OK to feel angry—just don’t let your anger affect your backstroke. It’s fine to feel sad—but stop your sadness from impacting your breaststroke turns. EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT... It’s important to feel and to express your emotions appropriately. Life is full of wonderful moments and inspirational situations where feeling joy and happiness and love and surprise will literally take your breath away. But you are so much more than your feelings and emotions. You are a thinking, learning, growing, vibrant, passionate, wonderful FEBRUARY 2021
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SPECIAL SETS
TRAINING THE PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE
THEN & NOW In his lengthy career, Gregg Troy has mentored athletes of all ages and abilities, which has given him a unique perspective of how to prepare post-college grads for excellence at the international level. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
F
or 20 years (1977-97), Gregg Troy coached The Bolles School boys and girls to 25 state team titles and five of the school’s 18 mythical high school national championships (awarded by Swimming World Magazine). He also coached at the University of Florida (1998-2015) and led the Gator women to an NCAA title (2010), served as Pan American Games head coach twice (1995 and 1999/men) and an Olympic assistant twice (1996/women and 2008/men), and was head coach of the 1992 Thailand Olympic team and the 2012 U.S. men’s Olympic squad. Now coaching with the ISL’s Cali Condors and the Gator Swim Club as its high-performance coach, Troy admits, “There is a difference between training college athletes and the professionals. The individual differences are greater, and the planning and scope are much longer. Here we are on a two-year plan.” Troy trained most of his present group as collegians. They are predominantly 200-and-down swimmers (race time under 2:30) with about half representing foreign nations. Familiar names (mostly male) include Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Lochte, Tom Peribonio, Nils Wich-Glasen and Joe Martinez. Ages of the athletes range from early 20s to 36 (Lochte).
WHAT’S DIFFERENT
Unlike collegians, Troy’s present group includes professionals who are slightly more specialized. That means fewer people with greater variety within the practice itself. “While these athletes are putting as much time in the water as before, consistency of training and regular practice attendance remains extremely important,” he says. “It is worth noting the structure of that practice time is age-dependent and event-specific. Swimmers are doing less threshold work, and it is spread out more, especially when we go max volume. “Before they may have been doing between 2,000-3,500 plus threshold; now it’s more in the 1,500-2,000 range. When we do quality, it is higher and better because the athletes are mentally more mature. “The training is much more a cooperative effort because of the smaller group size and maturity of the athlete,” he says. That communication allows each swimmer to get precisely what he needs and is most likely quite different from his lane mates. “We do every bit as much long swimming—generally about 85% 40
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Coach Gregg Troy now works with the Cali Condors of the International Swimming League and is the high-performance coach at the Gator Swim Club, where he trains a group of 15 professional swimmers. [ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
of previous volume,” says Troy. “Group dryland is done in stations, but the bulk is accomplished with other coaches and exercisespecific trainers. In any case, I coordinate what they are doing in the water. “Our training is focused on long course. That said, strength work is really, really important, though not so much as in short course. The swimmers have different strength coaches, so individual programs are modified. One similarity is that the athletes tend to get off weights a bit sooner, given that strength maturity comes with age,” he says.
IN THE WATER
“We are not as race-specific as you might think,” notes Troy. “As they get older, some swimmers become so race-specific that they forget how to train. We have days that are intentionally not racespecific, just with good solid general training. We may do it once a week or in one or two-week blocks. “Training is especially important for the older guys because if they don’t train, they don’t get better. For instance, we might go a shorter series, but x-number of times through.” Following is a major short course set of 350 yards done in early December. Says Troy, “We were trying to challenge them in ways that were slightly different from what they’d seen before.” 4 Rounds: • #1: 1 x 100 (pretty) on 1:20, 75 (strong) on 1:00, 50 (fast) on :40; 4 x 25 (max effort) on :20 •
#2: 1 x 100 (strong) on 1:20, 75 (fast) on 1:00, 50 (max effort) on :40, 4 x 25 (pretty) on :20
Among some of the professional swimmers coached by Gregg Troy is Caeleb Dressel, who produced one of the greatest single-day performances last December at the ISL Grand Final in Budapest. In the span of two hours, he became the first man to break the 48-second barrier in the 100 fly (47.78/SCM), added a world record of 20.16 in the 50 free and shaved 2-hundredths off his own American record in the 100 free (45.18). [ PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU/ISL ]
•
#1: 1 x 100 (fast) on 1:20, 75 (max effort) on 1:00, 50 (pretty) on :40; 4 x 25 (strong) on :20
•
#2: 1 x 100 (max effort) on 1:20, 75 (pretty) on 1:00, 50 (strong) on :40, 4 x 25 (fast) on :20
•
Break
•
Swim 50 EZ
•
Repeat each 15-minute round doing choice stroke at slightly longer interval
Definitions: Pretty: Looking for really, really good technique Strong: Something you could swim for a long time, but get very tired Fast: a really fast swim Max effort: absolutely best effort
A SAGE OBSERVATION
Troy adds, “In some circles, there is a massive concern that you have to swim fast all the time. I don’t believe that’s true. If you are doing so, you are not getting better. You train to get better; you rest to go faster. And if you swim fast all the time, you are not training to get better. With the older guys, it is about getting better, and we are not afraid to challenge our swimmers.” One way he does that—in addition to having Gator Swim Club head coach Robert Pinter on deck—is to add variety by bringing in other different coaches. “Athletes will do the work, but you have to stimulate them a little more,” Troy says. “Doing so makes you a better coach. You have to be thinking of ways to do different things because they’ve seen everything. We are not selling out our principles or compromising our demands, but trying to create new ones,” he says. While not doing high-quality sets as often, Troy does have some favorites, although he may reduce the number of reps or frequency: •
“The set was 2,300 yards total, but the variety kept them engaged and made the work relevant to race speed. Before we might have been a little more consistent on the interval all the way through and descended it. This set is really difficult when done right while being technically sound,” says Troy. Regarding kicking, “Our swimmers are doing even more kicking than they were before—partly because the volume is down. The kicking we do is really fast. As a group, our yardage is between 50-60 kilometers a week. Sometimes we kick more depending upon the cycle we are in, but average kicking is 25% or 1,500 yards per practice.”
THE BODY AT ACTIVE REST
“Swimmers do need a little more recovery time. They don’t spend any less time in the water, but recovery is done by doing things that
are technically sound. Their large volume days are their recovery days working on very technical stuff—i.e., swimming at 120-140 heart rate (HR) as opposed to the 140-160 they would have done before. It is not easy, though. It is very focused. “For instance, Ryan (Lochte) is still a real beast in training. However, he falls apart more,” observes Troy. “Occasionally, I’ll ask for a little less really high quality to make sure his technique is correct. Caeleb (Dressel), however, does way more swimming than the others, and a lot of that is in the 120-140 HR with excellent technique.” Troy has modified the practices to facilitate recovery: “We used to go three mornings a week and double on M-W-F. We don’t double Friday anymore...just go twice M-T-Th. That gives them 24 hours off Friday to Saturday morning and 36 from Saturday to Monday morning. As a result, our Saturday and Monday morning practices have gotten consistently better because athletes are getting the recovery time they need.”
LC = 8 x 50 on 2:00; 2 on 1:30; 1 x 50 from a dive (3 rounds)
“Before we might have gone every other week. Now we may go once every four,” he says. “The biggest variation is how often the athletes go really hard. They still do, just not as often. And when they go an easy day, the technique is outstanding. “Mechanically, this is the best group I’ve ever worked with. They respond really well to direction and for what we are looking.” Sounds like professionals at work. Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award. FEBRUARY 2021
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plane Five years into his time at Iowa Central, head coach Joe Plane has positioned his Tritons to challenge perennial champion Indian River for NJCAA supremacy. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: How did you get started swimming? A. COACH JOE PLANE: I grew up swimming in my grandparent’s backyard pool, but never swam competitively. I quit Boy Scouts in November of seventh grade when a friend and I joined a swim team. I’ve been in love with it ever since. SW: Kelly Kremer was your coach at John Brown University. JP: He was 24, and I was 20. Kelly was mature, professional, excited, highenergy, knowledgeable...and he pushed us to our limits. Knowing he was from Drury College, we knew how fast he was and that he was used to winning nationals every year. He wanted us to perform at the highest level of which we were capable. I swam new events that became my best. Back then, we swam with drag resistance. I went extreme, wearing five briefs, long johns, cut-off long johns and a female suit. At the University of Minnesota, he is only three hours away. We talk regularly and are still very close. SW: With a background in mechanical engineering, math and physics, how did you end up as a swim coach? JP: In 1997 while at an engineering internship, my high school coach John Hamlin called and asked if I’d be interested in coaching a rec team. I coached part time from April 1997 until November 2000 when I was offered my first full time coaching job as the head coach at Wolverine Aquatics in Ann Arbor, Mich. SW: What did you learn from coaches Jim 42
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Richardson, Bob Bowman and John Urbanchek... and from watching Michael Phelps work out? JP: Coach Richardson liked my engineering mindset, and we talked often about the testing and use of the color charts in a variety of practice settings as well as team culture and leadership. He trusted my knowledge of stroke technique, and I often took the women to the diving well and used the underwater camera to make stroke adjustments. Watching Jon work with Olympiccaliber men was enlightening. He related to them personally, and his constant positivity was infectious. Bob was more intense than Jon and Jim, and in some ways, more like my personality. He had fun with the swimmers, but the expectations and the intensity of the workouts were different. I also proctored a Michael workout one day. He was a normal guy with extraordinary talent. SW: What did you learn from Greg Meehan while serving as recruiting coordinator at the University of the Pacific? JP: Greg and I worked very well together. He allowed me to coach my group my way and recruit how I saw fit. We communicated daily on our team goals. We agreed we needed to build the team around studentathletes that would work well with both coaches and one another. SW: The junior college setting can present significant challenges, especially in recruiting. How do you convince American kids and their coaches that junior college is a viable academic and athletic option? JP: Cost is a huge factor. We are less than
Coach Joe Plane Head Men’s and Women’s Swimming Coach/Assistant Athletic Director Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, Iowa • University of Northern Iowa, M.A., mathematics, expected May 2021 • Western Michigan University, B.S., mathematics, 1999 • John Brown University, mechanical engineering, 1997 • Head coach, Iowa Central Community College, 2016-present • Head coach, Cedar Rapids Aquatics Association, 2014-16 • Head coach/owner, The Swim Club of NorCal, 2008-14 • Assistant coach/recruiting coordinator, University of the Pacific, 2006-08 • Head coach, Sylvania Tsunami Swim Club, 2004-06 • Volunteer assistant coach, University of Michigan, 2004-06; volunteer assistant, 2003-04 • Head coach, Wolverine Aquatics, 2000-04 • Head coach, Battle Creek Aquatic Club, 1998-2000 • Head coach, Marshall Community Swim Club, 1997-98 Since 2017, Coach Plane’s ICCC men have finished second once, third twice and fifth once at the NJCAA National Championships. His women have been third three times and fourth once. In 2020, he coached five athletes to 11 NJCAA All-America recognitions.
[PHOTO BY IOWA CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE]
joe
Q&A
$13,000 for the whole year for in-state students, which includes tuition, room and board. Junior college helps alleviate the rising cost of education and student loan obligations. I emphasize the opportunities to save money, to get faster and to get more college-level exposure and possibly earn scholarship money. We do get some students who have struggled academically in high school. This is their chance to start fresh, perform better in the classroom and hopefully move on to a school for which they weren’t originally eligible. We also have numerous career paths for students who aren’t so keen on sitting in a classroom, but still want to swim. At Iowa Central, we have 55 programs in areas such as automotive, electrical, welding, dental hygiene and nursing, just to name a few. I’ve done well attracting good male swimmers to come to ICCC. One big goal is to raise our women’s numbers to take 18 to nationals. I give our team members a true college athletic experience. We swim six two-hour workouts and lift three-to-five times per week. We compete against mostly colleges and universities, and we win more dual meets than we lose. It also helps that Iowa Central is the best junior college athletic department in the country, having won the Daktronics Cup 11 out of the last 12 years and the last six in a row. And we have won the Learfield Directors Cup the last four years.
SW: Knowing your team members will be shorttimers, what do you look for in a recruit? JP: First and foremost, I’m looking for hardworking people who are respectful and do things the right way. I preach family and that we support each other’s goals and dreams. Practices are going to be hard, so athletes need to be open to that. I’m a pretty high-energy guy, so they get to know me a bit during visits when I spend two-plus hours with them giving them a campus tour. I share team stories of good times as well as times when I have had to excuse even our best swimmers who weren’t living up to squad standards. From a scholarship standpoint, we’re looking mainly for swimmers who can score in the top eight at nationals. Scoring in the top 16 earns smaller scholarships. We want to consistently be one of the best teams in the country. Getting student-athletes here that share those goals is important to me. SW: Is the Fort Dodge campus location a plus or minus? JP: I love this question. Each time I get someone on campus for the first time, they are blown away by how nice it is. We have 1,300 students who live in our campus
apartments. The apartments are twobedroom with one or two bathrooms, full living room and full-size kitchen. We also have a wonderful cafeteria where enrollees have access to 19 meals per week. Our campus is on par with any (NCAA) D-III school. Students who come here get a true college experience, just as they would at any school of 1,200+ students. If a recruit is interested in a visit after talking to me on the phone, I’m very confident that they will be even more interested once I give them the full campus tour.
SW: Any plans to expand your recruiting efforts beyond the Great Plains? JP: We have had swimmers from 16 different countries and as far away as Florida and Texas. We do get mostly Midwestern kids, and I would definitely like to increase our recruiting area. I have an assistant coach for the first time in my five years, and she has created a nationwide database. We plan on throwing out a very wide net moving forward. SW: How did you attract Billy Cruz, who became a five-time NJCAA national champion, to ICCC? JP: Billy didn’t perform in the classroom as he needed to in order to be an NCAA qualifier. He’s very competitive, and he didn’t like the idea of sitting out a year. He chose to go to junior college and graduate. We had placed second at nationals Billy’s senior year in high school. His dad gave me a call, we chatted, and Billy decided to come even though I was out of scholarship money. He was a great leader in the water and out. He graduated well from IC and is now at the University of Southern California. SW: How do you build a team culture in the two years you have a student-athlete? JP: Building the culture requires being fully honest with recruits about what we are,
what we want to be and what I expect. It is imperative to empower sophomores to lead by example. I’m a very honest person. I lay out expectations. If met, I am happy. If not, the athletes know the consequences. I assign roommates whom I think will mesh well together based on personality. I try not to put internationals together who speak the same language. The goal is to get them more comfortable speaking English, so they can be more successful in the classroom.
SW: What’s the plan to carry your recent momentum through a delayed 2020-21 swim season? JP: We were lucky to train all of first semester. We had eight hours of contact early on, and then we were allowed 60 consecutive days of full practice. We also had a scrimmage with Iowa Lakes and had several time trials with suits that we streamed on Facebook. The last Friday before Thanksgiving, we rested a second time, got suited, time-trialed, live-streamed and had almost all season bests! Those performances have gotten the swimmers excited for this semester and for nationals. SW: What’s it take for ICCC to overtake Barton and Southwestern Oregon at nationals and challenge Indian River for the national championship? JP: Our men were second at nationals in 2019 and third in 2020, missing second by only 14 points. The men’s goal for now is second. Any year that we can take 18 swimmers in one gender to nationals, I believe we have a chance as much as anyone. Our women were third in 2017-19. With only eight women, we were fourth last year, just 30 points out of third. On the women’s side, we need to build our numbers. I keep getting fantastic women, but it’s been difficult to get more of them to see past the junior college stigma. Last year, we finished with 24 men and eight women. CONTINUED ON 45 >>
SWIM MART
REACH LONG
KICK STRONG
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ANDREW IVERSON
how they train [PHOTO BY IOWA CENTRAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE]
BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
PROGRESSION OF TIMES SCY
2017
2018
2019
2020
100 Free
—
—
52.08
51.72
200 Free
1:59.75
1:53.97
1:55.03
1:48.04
500 Free
5:10.02
4:59.48
4:54.29
4:51.45
1650 Free
17:16.76
16:48.68
16:47.96
16:32.44
“W
hen picking a swimmer to highlight (for the “How They Train” article in Swimming World), it would seem that Billy Cruz would be the logical choice,” offers ICCC coach Joe Plane. “Who wouldn’t want to brag about our five-time national champion, national record holder and coswimmer of the year? “However, there are 400,000+ swimmers in USA Swimming, and very few of them will swim NCAA D-1. While we coaches always value hard work and high expectations, I believe it’s important for the majority of our swimmers to see that there is a place where they can and be successful and fulfill their dreams,” he says. “Andrew Iverson spotted me at a meet in Iowa City. He came over and introduced himself. He had good times for what we are doing here, but he was honest that he wasn’t going to be eligible to swim for a college/university due to his grades in high school. “I told him that if he graduated high school, he would be eligible to swim for us. He would then need to focus on school and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in order to stay eligible. “He was so moved that he would be able to go to college and swim that he nearly had tears in his eyes,” shares Plane. And in two short years, Iverson has made the most of his time as a Triton! The Sioux Falls, S.D. product has embraced— and thrived—at the opportunities he’s found at Iowa Central Community College. In his first season (2019-20), he finished eighth at the NJCAA National Championships in the 500 (4:53.10) and 1650 yard freestyles (16:32.44), and became an immediate team leader in the process.
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South Dakota does not sponsor high school swimming. As a result, Iverson, the state’s second-ranked recruit, landed on the Fort Dodge campus, having swum in the South Dakota Long Course Championships. There he finished first in the 400-800-1500 meter freestyles (4:27.76, 9:11.45, 17:03.23) and 400 IM (4:55.61). He also garnered a second in the 200 IM (2:20.74) and third in the 200 breast (2:48.54) and 200 fly (2:22.81). “Andrew is one of the hardest working swimmers I have ever coached,” says Coach Joe Plane. “He is consistently positive and is much harder on himself than I could ever be. Despite competing and training for distance events, it took him some time to adjust to the way we train here. We graduated our best two distance swimmers ever so this allowed him to be a physical and motivational leader this season. “Andrew could be a poster child for competitive resilience. Last year, he began NJCAA nationals with a subpar 1000 free (10.01.52, 15th). After a conversation, he reset, posting a personal best 200 free (1:49.25, 15th—by 1.2 seconds), 500 free (4:53.10, 8th—by 6-tenths) and 1650 free (16:32.44, 8th—by 15 seconds). For this year, he has set higher goals, and it appears he’s going to exceed them.” Iverson has taken full advantage of his ICCC opportunities, notes Plane. “He is on his way to graduating with a 3.0 GPA and has signed on as a scholarship swimmer at St. Cloud University. I’m extremely proud of him and delighted to have been able to help him achieve his dreams,” says Plane.
SAMPLE SETS “We go VO2 max on Tuesdays with color charts, so each swimmer has times to hit based on their individual chart, which was created during a test set. Following is a late fall set that was part of a 5,400-yard practice: 4 Rounds: • 200 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 4:00 (chart times followed by actual times in parentheses): free 1:59 (1:58/1:59), fly 2:21 (2:15/2:13) • 150 free VO2 max on 3:00: 1:28.5 (1:29s) • 100 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 2:00: free 57.7 (59s), fly 1:08.6 (1:05s) • 50 (odd rounds free, even rounds choice) VO2 max on 1:30: free 26.7 (27s), fly 31.7 (29s) • 100 EZ on 2:00 “Andrew is a very aerobic swimmer, so the short purple times are more challenging for him, “ says Plane. v TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A MORE DISTANCE-ORIENTED WORKOUT FOR ANDREW IVERSON. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
Q & A / CONTINUED FROM 43
SW: What does a mid-season practice week (inwater and dryland) look like for the Tritons? JP: Here’s a sample in-water schedule... Monday: Aerobic, longer swims— nothing overly hard—to get the body ready for the week. Tuesday: VO2 max. We use our color charts, and the majority of the practice is purple (VO2 max)—sets like 20 x 50 best stroke on 1:30 all-out or 6 x 100 free on 2:15. The goals are to make their purple times from the chart or faster. Wednesday: Circuits, power and speed where we use our toys. Resistance swimming, overspeed swimming, etc. Thursday: Anaerobic threshold, fast swimming with shorter rest. Red and blue on the color charts.
Saturday: Depends on how beat up the swimmers are. Usually, we’ll split the group in two and have half do dryland while the other half does a short, highly challenging one-hour workout...then they switch. We sometimes will do another lactate workout, and if they are really beat up, we may do recovery/technique day with underwater videoing. ...and dryland: First semester, we had three days in the weight room, (M-W-F, 4:30-5:30 p.m.). That was challenging going right from a 2-4 p.m. hard swim practice to the weight room. This semester, we are in the weight room M-W-F from 6-7 a.m. First semester, we also did 18-station circuits and went a round of 40 seconds lift, 20 seconds change stations, then two rounds of 30/20 and a fourth round of 20/20. Near the end, we moved to three rounds, where we alternated by days of a set of 15, then 10, then eight...and the next day, we went heavier weight for 10/8/6 or 10/6/4. We alternated between a lifting exercise and abs, so abs were a 25-count if not a timed circuit day.
SW: To what extent do you emphasize strength and conditioning (free weights, machines, power racks, etc.)? JP: We take it very seriously. I’m in my 24th year of coaching, and I’ve never created an injury due to our swimming. That comes from proper technique, warm-ups, IM
[PHOTO BY JOE PLANE]
Friday: Lactate, e.g.: 3x {1 x 100 sprint from a dive 92% of best time or faster, 300 EZ, on 12:00; 1 x 50 sprint from a dive, 100 EZ, on 7:00).
>> Andrew Iverson
training and proper dryland/weight training. One of my boys came in as a 20-year-old freshman at 5-10 and 120 pounds. Two years later, he was 155, still 24-inch waist, six-pack abs and dumbbell pressing 75 pounds before nationals. He dropped three to four seconds in his 100 breast and almost nine in his 200 breast. We don’t do doubles in the pool, so the extra work for strength and athleticism is important.
love to see that number climb to over 20. There are more than 380 NJCAA baseball teams and 430 men’s basketball teams. With that number of junior colleges supporting athletics, I’d like to see an increase in swimming teams.
SW: What about toys, i.e. snorkels, drag sox, monofins, paddles and the like? JP: I provide paddles, Speedo kick/pull, catchup stick, fist tubes, bucket and ankle band for each swimmer. We also have a power tower, and I’m working on a second. Besides the normal pulling stuff, we use our toys mainly during our Wednesday circuits.
SW: How do you see Joe Plane changing? JP: I’m constantly trying to find ways to do things better. If I’m asking them to grow, then I need to grow as well. I listen to my kids—sometimes too much—and I’m willing to make changes to what we do when I feel it is for the better of the team/ athletes. I plan to learn new things about swimming, strength training and personal interaction to offer my student-athletes the best life-changing experiences possible.
SW: How do you see junior college swimming changing within the next five-to-10 years? JP: My hope is that we will see an increase in the number of swimming teams. We have seen some very good coaches bringing up the level of new programs very quickly (i.e., Barton and Southwestern Oregon). I think we have 15 teams for this year. I’d
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach whose Collegiate School (Richmond, Va.) teams won nine state high school championships. A member of that school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, he is also a recipient of NISCA’s Outstanding Service Award. FEBRUARY 2021
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JUNIOR SWIMMER
UP & COMERS AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER [PHOTO BY SURAYAH POPLAWSKI ]
Richard
Poplawski R
ichard Poplawski of Scarlet Aquatics (BMS Jersey City Division, N.J.), is a force to be reckoned with, especially when it comes to the individual medley. The 14-year-old freshman at Seton Hall Preparatory School recently broke his own 13-14 New Jersey state record in the 400 yard IM (3:59.53) at Scarlet Aquatics’ “Fast Times” meet this past November. In early 2019, Poplawski set NAG records in both the 11-12 200 and 400 meter IM (2:13.59, 4:42.54). “I’ve been fortunate to work with Richie starting this past September,” says Scarlet Aquatics coach, Kenneth O’Reilly. Previously, Poplawaksi was coached by Mohamed Abdelaal. “He’s a great kid, works hard and gets along with his teammates,” says O’Reilly. “Richie is ‘one of the boys,’ and he has a great time laughing and socializing with his friends and teammates.” Outside of the pool, Poplawksi is a dedicated student. He is in advanced placement and honors courses, and was accepted into his high school’s Seton Scholars program. Students must score in the top 5% on their entrance exam and demonstrate academic achievement in middle school to receive this honor. Additionally, Poplawksi plays the cello and volunteers at his grandmother’s senior residence center. v
WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING? It’s my ability to stay focused and push myself to meet my goals. I work with my coaches to set goals and put my best into all my practices to reach those goals. When I’m racing somebody, I try to power ahead of my competitors and keep myself at least an arm’s length ahead of them. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/SETS YOU’VE DONE? Some of the toughest sets I’ve done by far were during my training trips, especially on the last day. The coach would have us do 60 x 50s fly long course on 50 seconds. And I would always push myself as hard as I could to try and keep up with the older, faster kids on my team. After completing those sets, I felt superenergized, but equally tired. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? I’d like to qualify for Olympic Trials. I’ve been training really hard since we’ve been able to get back into the pool, and I feel confident, with the help of my coaches, that I will be able to
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bring my A-game when the time comes to compete. Also, I’m looking forward to representing my school, Seton Hall Prep. My school has some of the top swimmers in the state, and I can’t wait to compete at championship meets and take down some meet records with my teammates. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING... AND WHY? It’s difficult to pick just one swimmer, but if I had to choose, it would be Michael Phelps. Ever since I first swam the 400 IM and 200 fly, I have aspired to be just like him. I feel that the longer distance swims take a great deal of stamina, endurance and physical and mental training. And through the years, I’ve trained my body and mind to excel in those events. When I race the 400 IM and 200 fly, I get into a mindset that is unlike any other event that I race. TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MORE Q&A RESPONSES FROM RICHARD POPLAWSKI. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
COLUMNS
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guttertalk
WHO WAS YOUR INSPIRATION IN STARTING A CAREER IN COACHING? BY ANDY ROSS STEVE MELLOR Associate Head Coach, LSU [PHOTO BY LSU ATHLETICS]
I came to help my team a couple of times in the weeks after my athletic career was done when I had shoulder surgery, so I would help with a stopwatch in my good hand and just incorporate feedback when I felt it was necessary. Athletes responded to me, they gave me a feeling in return of “buy in” and “excitement” from the insight I provided, so I would say that it was the swimmers themselves who inspired me to consider coaching. Once I was in the profession, I looked back on my time in
England under the guidance of Sean Kelly and the way he prioritized building a relationship with his athletes, knowing them in ways at times better than they knew themselves. This became my priority once I felt I had a couple of years of experience under my belt of experimenting with training methods that worked best, so I started to insist upon getting to know my athletes from their ambitions and weaknesses, to their favorite things in life and the things they fear most. Sean was always a great example to me of what it meant to put an athlete’s experience first, and I want to believe I have been able to incorporate this influence of his within my coaching. CONTINUED ON 48 >>
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GUTTERTALK / CONTINUED FROM 47
TRACY SLUSSER Women’s Associate Head Coach, Stanford [PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]
I can’t think of any one coach in particular who inspired me to pursue a career in coaching. It was definitely a combination of all the coaches I have had in all different sports. I would say I was inspired to coach by the relationship and the impact that coaches can have on young people. I grew up playing basketball, swimming and running track.
My coaches had such a big impact on me during that time. They taught me about working hard, working together and how important believing in yourself is to all of it. I attribute so much of those foundational skills to the guidance and leadership of great coaches. That is where my inspiration comes from. If we as coaches can use our platform of sport/swimming to foster these skills in our athletes, we have helped set them up for success far beyond their years in the pool!
DAVID MARSH Head Coach, Team Elite (San Diego, Calif.) [PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]
Tim Shead was my coach in 10th, 11th and 12th grade. Tim finished at the University of Pennsylvania and came back to coach the Miami Dade Stingrays club team, and he was there every summer when I went back home. He was young, vibrant and having a good time and had creative ways of coaching. He was probably one of my main inspirations. My mentor was Richard Quick...and still to this day even from heaven. I have been very fortunate to have a number of coaches. There hasn’t been one that has done everything for me. Pat Toner was my first high school coach and made a culture so fun that it made me want to be on the team for the fun element as much as the competitive element.
JOSH CHRISTENSEN Head Coach, Indiana State [PHOTO BY INDIANA STATE ATHLETICS]
Mark Taylor (club), Brad Hering (club) and Pat O’Neil (high school) were three of several coaches who had a big impact on me as an athlete. The common factor among the three was the time and effort they put into the relationships with their athletes. That meant a lot to me, and it definitely influences who I am as a coach today. Once I started coaching, Ryan Killackey and Steve Schaffer each taught me a tremendous amount and also gave me so many opportunities as a very young coach. I’m beyond thankful to have worked under each of them. v 48
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Caeleb Dressel, swimming in the Speedo LZR Racer, originally outlawed in the United States on Oct. 1, 2009, tackled "the sub-20 in 20" challenge in December 2020 in an attempt to see how fast he could go in one of the fastest swimsuits of all-time. On attempt 1, Dressel swam a 20.41, off his best time of 20.16 from the International Swimming League Grand Final the month before, which stands as the official world record. On attempt 2, Dressel swam a 20.42. “The suit doesn’t make the swimmer. The swimmer makes the suit,” Dressel said at the end of the attempts. [ Photo by Mike Lewis ]
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