IGNORANCE IS A CHOICE
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MEG HARRIS | AUSTRALIA 2020 TOKYO OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST WORLD RECORD HOLDER
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JULY 2022 • VOL 63 • NO 07 FEATURES 010 WORLD RECORD FLASHBACK: MARY T. MEAGHER—HER LEGACY LIVES ON by John Lohn In Swimming World’s latest edition of “World Record Flashback,” we examine the historic 1981 world record of Mary T. Meagher in the 200 meter butterfly. When Madame Butterfly clocked 2:05.96 at the United States National Championships, she produced a standard that was years—even decades—ahead of its time.
012 MENTAL HEALTH IN SWIMMING by Matthew De George Mental health isn’t a new topic for athletes, just like it isn’t new for any group that hits a headline for grappling with emotional and psychological challenges. But the difference in recent years is the willingness to shine a light on it.
016 ONLY IN VEGAS by Dan D’Addona The evolution of the Sandpipers of Nevada Swim Club has grown exponentially in the last two years in true Las Vegas style—from a long shot to a sure thing.
018 NUTRITION: WATERMELON— MORE THAN A FRUIT! by Dawn Weatherwax Watermelon is the third largest fruit produced in the world. It is rich in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and magnesium—a nutrient-dense fruit that provides many benefits.
026 DISAPPOINTMENT = POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY by David Rieder Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, FINA banned all Russian swimmers from international competition through the end of 2022, preventing them from competing in this summer’s World and European Championships. Instead, former world record holder (50 back) and two-time Olympic medalist Kliment Kolesnikov will spend 2022 focused on his training, “preparing for future meets to show that I can be even faster.”
COACHING
024 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: THE EFFECT OF VELOCITY AND TECHNIQUE ON RESISTANCE by Rod Havriluk Water resistance (i.e., resistive force, also called drag) presents a huge obstacle to competitive swimmers. The magnitude of the effect of swimming velocity and technique on resistance emphasizes the importance of these factors on swimming performance. Conveniently, the drag equation calculates resistance based on both velocity and technique (as measured by the drag coefficient and the cross-sectional area of the body that is perpendicular to the flow of water).
040 SPECIAL SETS: DANIEL MATHESON/KEVIN ZACHER— AQUATIC EVOLUTION OF COACH AND SWIMMER by Michael J. Stott This month’s “Special Sets” features Santa Clara swimmer, Daniel Matheson, now at USC, and tracks former Scottsdale coach Kevin Zacher’s development as a coach before and while working with Matheson.
043 Q&A WITH COACH BILL ROBERTS, U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY
026 ON THE COVER
In May of 2021 at the European Championships, Russia’s Kliment Kolesnikov became the first man ever to break 24 seconds in the 50 backstroke, smashing his own world record with a 23.80. He also won a second individual gold in the 100 freestyle, his time of 47.37 moving him into the all-time top 15 in the event. Then at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, Kolesnikov won two medals—silver in the 100 back and bronze in the 100 free while also setting a European record of 47.11 in the freestyle semifinals. Later that year, the 21-year-old contributed to a championship performance for Energy Standard in the International Swimming League. (See feature, pages 26-27 .) [Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto ]
JUNIOR SWIMMER 046 UP & COMERS: PETER SHIH by Shoshanna Rutemiller
by Michael J. Stott
044 HOW THEY TRAIN CALEB MAULDIN by Michael J. Stott Submarine posting may be known as the silent service, but there was nothing quiet about Midshipman Caleb Mauldin’s performances while swimming for the Naval Academy. Mauldin completed his academic time in Annapolis with impressive showings at February’s Patriot League Championships, helping the Middies win for the 18th straight year.
COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS 008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT 009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT SOICHI SAKAMOTO? 015 THE OFFICIAL WORD 028 2022 AQUATIC DIRECTORY 047 GUTTERTALK
TRAINING
049 PARTING SHOT
023 DRYSIDE TRAINING: SUMMER SHIFT TO POWER & SPEED by J.R. Rosania With the onset of summer, training has begun the shift to power and speed in the weight room. Now’s the time to zero in on explosive and fast movements. Here are some exercises that will help that process.
021 DEALING WITH DISMAY (Part 2) by Michael J. Stott Last month, Swimming World took a macro look at coach-and-swimmer reaction to disappointing performances. In this installment, we explore how some of the country’s most respected coaches handle that experience.
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016 SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0039-7431). Note: permission to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements. Microfilm copies: available from University Microfilms, 313 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Swimming World Magazine is listed in the Physical Education Index. Printed in the U.S.A. © Sports Publications International July 2022.
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VOICE FOR THE SPORT
“ANYTHING FOR JACK!” BY JOHN LOHN
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hree words. That’s all it took to characterize the meaning of the man to hundreds of individuals. To demonstrate how his athletes—past and present—will leap at the opportunity to speak about his impact. To pay tribute to all he accomplished in a coaching career that spanned more than 40 years in one location. “Anything for Jack!” Those were the words typed by Brittany MacLean in the hours following the announcement that Jack Bauerle, the longtime head coach at the University of Georgia, was retiring from a role he occupied over five decades. An Olympic and NCAA champion coach, the 70-yearold Bauerle stepped down on June 8, noting that it was time to make the move. Not long after that news broke, Georgia seamlessly revealed that Stefanie Williams Moreno and Neil Versfeld would inherit Bauerle’s programs, moving up from their roles as assistant coaches. More, they were both Georgia athletes under Bauerle, groomed for years to handle this transition and carry on the program’s rich tradition. As is the case when any legendary coach departs, Bauerle’s absence from the deck will be strange at first—and difficult to accept. Part of the fabric of the sport has been the Philadelphia native interacting with his athletes, lifting championship trophies and laughing and chatting with fellow coaches. But Bauerle also earned the right to leave on his terms, and his decision must be celebrated and appreciated. And when MacLean, an NCAA champion at Georgia and Olympic medalist for Canada, responded to a Swimming World request for comment on Bauerle’s retirement, her chosen words painted a picture of someone who has had a profound influence far beyond the pool. Sure, he was a coach, and he certainly got the best out of his athletes. Yet, he was also a mentor, confidant, ally and friend. Through the years, numerous pictures of Bauerle and his athletes have made the rounds, whether on social media or accompanying news articles. Some with Kristy Kowal. Others with Williams Moreno. Still more with Jay Litherland. The list goes on. The common theme in the images? Smiles and respect. Close-knit bonds. These are scenes that speak volumes. “So lucky that our paths aligned at just the right moment,” Kowal wrote on Facebook. “There aren’t enough words to describe what you mean to me. Love you, Jack Bauerle. Congratulations on an absolutely stellar career.” For all Bauerle has meant to his athletes on a personal level, his impact on the sport can also be measured through the achievements of Georgia as a program, and the individuals who powered the school to vast success. Consider some of Bauerle’s awe-inspiring feats:
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Seven NCAA women’s team titles and 12 Southeastern Conference championships.
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A 595-139-4 record as coach of the Georgia men and women.
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Sixty-two men and women accounted for 175 NCAA titles during Bauerle’s tenure.
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Head coach of the United States women at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and additional stints on Team USA staffs at the Olympics and World Championships.
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Mentored 87 Olympians from 20 countries, with 38 Olympic medals earned.
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Academic success can be found in 416 scholar All-Americans, 39 NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners and three NCAA Woman of the Year winners.
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Last summer, as evidence that Bauerle was still at the top of the coaching game, nine athletes with current or past connections to Bauerle represented Team USA at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
It’s never easy to watch a great one tie a bow on a career. There’s always a desire for that individual to deliver a few more flashes of brilliance. But Jack Bauerle has surely provided an ample number of special moments, and he’ll long be remembered as an icon in the sport. “When I left Philadelphia for Athens in 1970, I fell in love with Georgia, but I could have never predicted the good fortune I would encounter and the wonderful people I would meet,” Bauerle said. “I will miss being on the deck every day, but I am forever proud of everything we have accomplished at the University of Georgia.” And the sport is grateful.v John Lohn Editor-in-Chief Swimming World Magazine 8
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DID YOU
INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
KNOW ABOUT SOICHI SAKAMATO? BY BRUCE WIGO PHOTOS COURTESY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME
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oichi Sakamoto was, perhaps, the greatest and most successful coach in the world in the 1940s and 1950s, but he was bypassed as an Olympic coach either because of his race or because he had an aversion to politics. And he would be little remembered today if not for Julie Checkoway’s story of The Three-Year Swim Club. On a recent visit to the Island of Oahu, I had the opportunity to speak with several of “Coach’s” swimmers and learn a lot more about this remarkable, Japanese-Hawaiian man. Coach Sakamoto was not a competitive swimmer himself, and he began his career teaching the children of impoverished plantation workers to swim in irrigation ditches on the island of Maui. Amazingly, many went on to Ohio State and Indiana, including Takashi “Halo” Hirose, Keo Nakama, Bill Smith Jr., Ford Konno, Yoshi Oyakawa, George Onekea, Dick Cleveland, Bill Woolsey, Richard “Sonny” Tanabe, Jerry Miki and the girls Thelma Kalama, Katherine Kleinschmidt, Evelyn Kawamoto and Ivanelle Hoe. All became national champions, and most made the Olympic teams of 1948, 1952 or 1956. During this period, Coach Sakamoto was sought out by the best coaches and swimmers from all over the world, journeying to Hawaii in search of the magic touch. They found technique, method, dedication and conditioning, which produced champions at all strokes and distances. One of those who worshiped “Coach” was James Counsilman, who first trained with him while a swimmer in the late 1940s. In 1956, Counsilman returned to Hawaii with a Ph.D. as coach of Cortland State— with his star pupil, George Breen—to train with Sakamoto in the famous WWI War Memorial Natatorium on the beach of Waikiki. Among the 12 other swimmers training with Sakamoto for the Olympic Trials was Tad Devine, a Stanford All-American. Devine and Counsilman became good friends, and Tad remembers asking Counsilman why he came to Hawaii. Devine remembers Doc saying that it was “because nobody has that amount of success without a secret, and I want to find out what it is.” Several years later, Counsilman would tell Devine that among the secrets he learned from Sakamoto was “interval training.” “When Sakamoto had his kids swimming against the current in the Maui irrigation ditches, he had them swim against the current and recover as they floated with the current back to a starting point, and they would repeat this over and over again. He continued that method of swim, rest and repeat when he took the kids to the pool. Without knowing it, he invented ‘interval training.’” “But swimming was never number one for Sakamoto,” says 1956 Olympian Sonny Tanabe. “It was just the focus. His object was to teach reverence, respect and good citizenship, and swimming was the vehicle he used to do that.” That same year, a young high school backstroker from Indiana by the name of Frank McKinney was there to train with Sakamoto and met Counsilman. Frank had wanted to go to Stanford, but his father, a trustee of Indiana University, had another idea. “What would it take to get you to go to Indiana?” the father asked his son when he returned home. The answer was, “A natatorium and a great coach—Jim Counsilman.” Counsilman was subsequently hired, the natatorium was built, and the rest is history. McKinney went on to hall-of-fame careers in both the
>> Coach Soichi Sakamoto with Olympic medalists Thelma Kalama (left) and Evelyn Kawamoto
Olympics and business, and that’s how the Counsilman dynasty began at Indiana. Oh, and another condition of young Frank’s was met: All of Sakamoto’s swimmers at IU were awarded scholarships. In the 1940s and 1950s, Sakamoto’s Hawaiian swimmers won multiple AAU national championships for both men and women, and his teams became so well known that celebrities like John Wayne, Bob Hope and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans sought them out for publicity stills. There was even a trophy—featuring a sculpture of Roy’s horse, Trigger—that was awarded annually to the outstanding Hawaiian swimmer. To learn more about Coach Sakamoto, read Julie Checkoway’s “Three-Year Swim Club,” available through Amazon and other retailers. v Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.
>> (From left) Sonny Tanabe with the author prior to delivering a Memorial Day talk on Hawaiian swimming history at the WWI War Memorial Natatorium JULY 2022
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[ Photo Courtesy: Donald Graham ]
MARY T. MEAGHER
HER LEGACY LIVES ON In Swimming World’s latest edition of “World Record Flashback,” we examine the historic 1981 world record of Mary T. Meagher in the 200 meter butterfly. When Madame Butterfly clocked 2:05.96 at the United States National Championships, she produced a standard that was years—even decades—ahead of its time. BY JOHN LOHN
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ore than 40 years have passed since, in relative quiet, a 16-year-old Mary T. Meagher delivered one of the greatest performances in the sport’s history. To make that statement is not hyperbole, as is often the case when specific moments are considered against time. No, in this case—and the facts serve as proof—historical defiance is the only way to properly classify what Meagher produced in the 200 meter butterfly at the 1981 United States National Championships in Brown Deer, Wis. As Meagher climbed the blocks on August 13, the possibility of a world record certainly existed. After all, she was the current record holder, having set four standards in the event between 1979 and 1980. Yet when she surged through the water in 2:05.96, her competition battered, eyes could hardly fathom what the scoreboard offered. A sub-2:06? Seriously? It wasn’t even 14 years earlier in which a man—some guy by the name of Mark Spitz—first breached the 2:06 barrier. Three days later, Meagher broke the world record in the 100 butterfly, in the process becoming the first woman to go sub-59 AND sub-58 in the event, thanks to a swim of 57.93. Both standards endured for more than 18 years, but it is the record in the 200 butterfly that has best stood the test of time, its transcendence evident in the fact that it would have placed fourth at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. To reiterate, what Meagher managed in 1981 remains world 10
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>> What Meagher managed in 1981 remains world class today. “I was joyful, happy, all those words,” she once told Swimming World about her 200 butterfly record. “At that point, I was still taking my success for granted. I didn’t know I would never swim that fast again.” [ Photo Courtesy: Tim Morse Photography ]
class today. “I was joyful, happy, all those words,” she once told Swimming World about her 200 butterfly record. “At that point, I was still taking my success for granted. I didn’t know I would never swim that fast again.” JOY AND HEARTACHE On the road to that day in Wisconsin, Meagher experienced both joy and heartache in the sport. As a rising teenage phenom, she long seemed destined for greatness. She made her international breakthrough at the 1979 Pan American Games, where she won gold in the 200 butterfly and set her first world record, behind an effort of 2:09.77. The showing was supposed to be the precursor to the next summer’s Olympic Games in Moscow, where Meagher would be among the most-heralded athletes. But instead of shining on the biggest stage, Meagher became a victim of politics, one of hundreds of American hopefuls robbed of their impending Olympic glory. In response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter announced the United States would >> At the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials, Mary T. Meagher had her own special cheering section who wore boycott the Moscow Games. The decision matching T-shirts that read, “This is a MARY T shirt.” [ Photo Courtesy: Budd Symes ] left Meagher obviously stung, used as a political pawn. At the Olympics, East Germany’s Caren considered one of the greats in the history of the 200 butterfly. She, Metschuck won gold in the 100 butterfly with a time that was a too, was given the nickname of Madame Butterfly. second slower than Meagher from a few months earlier. The gap Given its 18-year status as the world record, Meagher’s 2:05 was even more extraordinary in the 200 fly, as East German Ines marker stands out on its own. Still, some additional perspective Geissler won gold in Moscow in 2:10.44, more than four seconds reveals just how remarkable the performance was. The record was slower than what Meagher clocked nine days later in Irvine, Calif. posted without any of the technological supports of the current age. Had Meagher been in Moscow, gold would have been a certainty, No tech suit. No goggles. A pool not in touch with present-day her races primarily duels against the clock. standards for speed. Meagher’s world-record time not only would “I was feeling sorry for myself,” Meagher said of the boycott. have qualified for every Olympic final through the current day, it “On the one hand, I feel so lucky, so blessed, that God chose me to would have medaled at every Olympics through the 2008 Games. have that surreal experience of winning and traveling the world. But Despite a lack of exposure to the aforementioned advantages of the timing (of the boycott) wasn’t ideal. According to the times, I the modern athlete, Meagher’s career-best outing would have scared would have won in 1980.” the podium at the most recent Olympics. In Tokyo, China’s Zhang The boycott had varying impacts on the athletes who were Yufei was the runaway champion, a time of 2:03.86 comfortably affected. Some retired. Others had reached their prime. A handful beating silver medalist Regan Smith (2:05.30) and bronze medalist were mentally devastated and opted for retirement. For Meagher, she Hali Flickinger (2:05.65). The fact that Meagher’s world record of was young enough to forge ahead and turn in the best performances 1981 would have been in contention for hardware is a testament to of her career, most notably that spectacular world record in the 200 the swim’s ahead-of-its-time nature. butterfly. In the other 200-meter distances, the existing world records More, Meagher was in position to eventually receive her of Meagher’s era would have been well out of touch. The 200 Olympic opportunity. Although her finest days were in the past by breaststroke would have been a bottom-five time in preliminaries in the time the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles rolled around, Meagher Tokyo, while the 200 backstroke standard would not have advanced impressively captured titles at a home Games in the 100 butterfly out of heats. Meanwhile, the 200 freestyle would have been 16th in and 200 butterfly, along with gold as a member of the American prelims, narrowly advancing to the semifinals. 400 medley relay. She even stayed in the sport long enough to add a bronze medal in the 200 fly at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. *** “I guess I’ll always envision them as a kind of heaven, sort of a dream world,” Meagher said of the 1984 Games. “Only this dream When digesting what Meagher accomplished, an initial reaction world was real.” is awe. Nonetheless, Meagher once suggested she could have been faster. IN PERSPECTIVE “I always felt I could do a 2:04,” she once said. “When I did It took until 2000 for Meagher’s world record to go down, at 2:05, I wasn’t pushed at all, and the last 25 meters felt real easy. At the hands of Australian Susie O’Neill and her time of 2:05.81 at the the finish, I thought, ‘I’m not tired, I could’ve kept on going.’” Aussie Olympic Trials. Really, it was appropriate that O’Neill broke the record, as she had the mark in her sights for several years and is Her legacy certainly has. v JULY 2022
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MENTAL HEALTH In Swimming
Mental health isn’t a new topic for athletes, just like it isn’t new for any group that hits a headline for grappling with emotional and psychological challenges. But the difference in recent years is the willingness to shine a light on it. BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE
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or all he accomplished in the pool, Michael Phelps’ most lasting legacy might be outside of the water. Every few months, as Phelps navigates life as a retired athlete in his 30s, he’ll pop up with an interview ahead of his latest dip into the spotlight, whether that’s a non-swimming athletic endeavor or a documentary chronicling his life. The topic invariably turns to arguably the most resonant part of his journey, his openness about his mental health while he was accumulating 28 Olympic medals and 39 world records. Phelps’ profile affords a privilege few have. He’s been in the global spotlight for two decades, from the time he stepped on the deck at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as a gangly 15-year-old butterflyer. The world has seen him grow, and with time, he’s offered his fans insight to the pains of that growth, from his youthful indiscretions to the triumphs of stardom to becoming a husband and father. We’ve seen him reflect on the costs and rewards of his ascent to athletic superstardom at different points of his life, as a teenager coping with ADHD, as a twentysomething struggling with depression, and as an adult with greater distance from the toughest times.
In exchange for that privilege, Phelps has made a mission of bringing others along for the ride. And it’s undeniable that when a star of his caliber disclosed that he once felt “like I didn’t want to be alive anymore”—as in a recent interview referencing his second DUI in 2014—it holds a certain power. Six years after his retirement, Phelps is still swimming’s biggest star, more rhetorical device—see marketing copy calling someone “the Michael Phelps of (blank)”—than person. But Phelps’ insistence on infusing his humanity—with all its messiness—into the narrative has long been a priority. Phelps provides a constant reminder that athletes, even the very best of them, are people. No amount of proficiency in the water or on the field exempts them from the pressures of daily life. He’s long been at the forefront of the conversation of mental health in swimming, and the sport has, more than most, been willing to engage with the complex conversations around mental well-being of athletes. For all that progress, there’s work still to do. With Phelps as an avatar, it’s a process that’s well underway.
>> PICTURED ABOVE: Michael Phelps has long been at the forefront of the conversation of mental health in swimming, and the sport has, more than most, been willing to engage with the complex conversations around mental well-being of athletes. For all that progress, there’s work still to do. With Phelps as an avatar, it’s a process that’s well underway. [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
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“Younger fans who are watching are seeing some of these athletes show incredible courage and vulnerability in sharing a very normal part of being human, which is having any type of mental health or mental wellness struggle,” says Dr. Melissa Streno, a licensed clinical psychologist and expert with TrueSport. “...We’re seeing a lot more stories come forward that people can relate to, and then it doesn’t feel that scary to acknowledge their own and share what their experience has been at.” ALL ABOUT VISIBILITY One word comes up often in conversation with Streno: Visibility. Streno’s practice, Lantern Psychology, is based in Denver, where she’s an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s Sport and Performance Psychology Program. She also works with TrueSport, an initiative from the United States Anti-Doping Agency that provides coaching resources, certifications and strategies to look after holistic well-being in athletes. Streno’s primary focus is in disordered eating and body image, but she’s worked with a number of athletes from youth to the Olympic level as a certified mental performance consultant. When athletes like Phelps or gymnast Simone Biles—not just outstanding athletes but icons of their sports—show the courage to speak about their ailments, it signals to others that they aren’t alone in what they’re fighting. If athletes at that level are having a difficult time, then it can feel less scary for younger athletes to have those same feelings and to seek help. The stature of such exemplary athletes allows that message to transcend their sport or even sports in general, connecting with athletes and non-athletes alike. The many athletes who have been forthcoming creates what Streno sees as a snowball effect, ensuring that these discussions won’t return to the shadows. “I think just for visibility, it’s great when these high-profile athletes are willing to do that,” she says. “They’re known for their incredible athletic ability, but it’s one more layer to what incredible people they are that they can talk about these things. I think it opens the door for more people.” That kind of vulnerability has a feed-forward mechanism. Allison Schmitt is a perfect example. The four-time Olympian battled depression after the 2012 Olympics, an ordeal she has been very public with. She overcame those bouts to qualify for two more Olympics, including the Tokyo Games in 2021 at the age of 31, where she added a pair of relay medals to her 10 total Olympic medals. A psychology major at the University of Georgia, she has paired swimming with work as a counselor to college students at Arizona State, where she trained for Tokyo with her former North Baltimore Aquatic Club coach, Bob Bowman. She’s also become a sagacious mentor of national teams, a valued perspective on the many dimensions of being an elite athlete. “It is OK to have those down times and OK to reach out. You feel like you don’t want to be a bother to someone else,” Schmitt said last summer after qualifying for Tokyo. “I have been shown how much people care for me, even when I feel like I am losing hope or don’t know what is next.” TAKING DOWN THE STRUCTURAL BARRIERS Addressing mental health in athletes defies one-size-fits-all solutions, but Streno breaks it down into multiple parts. Athletes have to recognize the problem and be willing to address the issues. Resources have to be available, and while access is improving, that’s not uniformly true in all areas for all populations or for everyone’s schedule or finances. Having role models like Phelps and Schmitt to lessen the stigma eases some of the friction in these difficult steps. But from a structural perspective, organizations erect barriers
“I think just for visibility, it’s great when these highprofile athletes—like Michael Phelps or gymnast Simone Biles—are willing to (show the courage to speak about their ailments). They’re known for their incredible athletic ability, but it’s one more layer to what incredible people they are that they can talk about these things.” — Dr. Melissa Streno that can seem prohibitively daunting. The recent allegations regarding the conduct of Coach Teri McKeever at the University of California-Berkeley provide a chilling example: Athletes are going to be reticent to address their mental health challenges if they fear being ostracized for it or having it held against them. It’s not just having the resources to reach out to, but feeling empowered and supported to do so. When Streno zooms out those kinds of patterns, it becomes so obviously ludicrous. You wouldn’t hold it against someone for being injured and physically unable to complete a practice. Why isn’t mental health regarded in the same way? If an athlete can miss a session with no repercussions when they feel tightness in a muscle, why wouldn’t they be free to do the same when they feel anxiety spiking? Recognizing mental health as being as valid as physical health disincentivizes athletes to hide problems or let them fester until they become inflamed. To that end, treating mental health with the same preventative measures as physical health—regular checkups, guarding against CONTINUED ON 14 >> JULY 2022
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MENTAL HEALTH IN SWIMMING / Continued from 13
>> Four-time Olympian Allison Schmitt, who battled depression after the 2012 Olympics, has become an insightful mentor of national teams, providing a valued perspective on the many dimensions of being an elite athlete. “It is OK to have those down times and OK to reach out,” she says. “You feel like you don’t want to be a bother to someone else, but I have been shown how much people care for me, even when I feel like I am losing hope or don’t know what is next.” [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
overloading, etc.—could help alleviate pressures before they become problems. “My hope would be that all athletes are surrounded by that supportive structure and there’s a framework of people who really believe in that and see that as important and are doing everything they can to promote the importance of these athletes being the experts on themselves and checking in and reaching out when they need it,” Streno said. “I think it’s one less barrier, and it’s a huge barrier that something you work so hard for is going to be compromised, whether that’s playing time, a starting spot, becoming a captain— just your perception and how you view yourself being perceived among the team and among coaches. “I think if we could eliminate that barrier, that would be a really crucial part in making seeking help a more tolerable step.” BURNOUT AND THE PANDEMIC The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly brought changes for athletes, amid the larger societal upheaval. Streno doesn’t see them as uniformly negative, though. One effect of the calendar fluctuations has been on burnout, the tendency of athletes to saturate themselves to the point of being unable to continue. In an endurance sport like swimming, the pandemic has produced results that can appear paradoxical. Being out of the water for several months in the spring of 2020, in what was supposed to be an Olympic year, brought uncertainty. Some athletes chose not to ride out another year to the next Olympics. Others set 2021 as their stopping point. Lacking a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel and being isolated from a community was difficult. So was the compressed and hectic schedule that unfolded when sports resumed semi-normally. But many of the athletes who came out of that, Streno says, were galvanized by a sense of accomplishment. Streno saw a great deal of resilience. Part of the reason is a sneaky benefit of the stoppage: When the pandemic forcibly removed athletes from their day-to-day grinds, they had rare time 14
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to reflect, to explore interests outside of sports and to craft an idea of what they wanted, not just from sports, but from life in general. “I think having to adjust and having to re-evaluate what training looks like and communication with athletes and teammates and coaches and all of that, that had a huge impact,” Streno says. “I think it caused a lot of people to pause and consider their why for doing sports and really challenge them with what, I hope, was one of the biggest challenges in their athletic career.” In addressing burnout and the pandemic, Streno falls back on the same core principles. If an athlete feels like they’ve had enough, it’s important to trust them to know what’s right for themselves. Communicating openly, being willing to be vulnerable—and seeing others doing the same—models that behavior and makes it easier to make tough decisions like major changes in training. Sometimes, taking a step back is the right move. Instead of trudging through in the short term, taking a break for a day, a week, a month might be the best way to attain long-term goals. Several high-profile swimmers, among them Ryan Murphy and Caeleb Dressel, did just that. On the heels of the condensed prep for Tokyo, they took unusually long breaks last fall—Dressel in particular was vocal about being mentally and physically spent after winning five golds—and have returned at a high level this year. The changes in this space leave Streno encouraged. Many of the pressures of the unrelenting connection of social media and the existential crises of living in 2022 aren’t abating any time soon. But athletes have the tools to navigate this world. Having the time and space to utilize those resources is being continually reinforced as never before. “I think there’s a push, and I strongly encourage the training and protecting and taking care of the mind equally as much as the body,” Streno says. “I think if we do that, we’re going to eliminate or maybe minimize some of the issues so it doesn’t feel as severe or sudden later on. I hope that organizations—from top-level managers and CEOs—are prioritizing mental health and funds and time to address it.” v
WORLD RECORD APPLICATION PROCESS
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ongratulations! You’re the meet referee at a meet where a world or world junior record has been broken! No sweat, we can just follow the same process that is discussed in the Rulebook for American or U.S. Open records, right? Well...not quite. Article 104.2 of the USA Swimming Rules & Regulations discusses requirements and conditions for records across four pages of the rulebook. However, that is all preceded by 104.1, which specifically covers world records, but with just two paragraphs. The most important part is 104.1.2, which states: “...Supporting evidence must be filed on official FINA world record application forms, which must be in the national headquarters within 21 days following performance.” The FINA world record and world junior record application form is a one-page document, but it is essential to complete it properly. Many of the items are straightforward, such as stroke, length of event and name and country of swimmer, among others. However, care must be taken in gathering some of the items. Those include: • Date of Birth. Include a copy of the athlete(s) passport(s) or state-issued ID. •
Was the course measured by a qualified person in accordance with FINA SW 12.5 and FINA SW 12.6? FINA SW 12.5 states: “All records must be made in scratch competition or an individual race against time, held in public and announced publicly by advertisement at least three days before the attempt is to be made. In the event of an individual race against time being sanctioned by a Member, as a time trial during a competition, then an advertisement at least three (3) days before the attempt is to be made shall not be necessary.” FINA SW 12.6 states: “The length of each lane of the course must be certified by a surveyor or other qualified official appointed or approved by the Member in the country in which it is situated.”
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Was the water still (no currents)?
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Indicate the following relating to the swimsuit: manufacturer, model, FINA reference number. Note: You will need not just the model of the suit(s), but a photo of the actual suit(s) the athlete(s) competed in with label showing the appropriate FINA markings is encouraged. If a suit rips, make sure the swimmer doesn’t throw it away! The photo including the code from the FINA label is also extremely useful for finding the reference number of the suit, and the recommended website to use for the suit reference number research is https:// approved.swimwear.fina.org/.
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EXCELLENCE AWARD JIM STROMSKI James (Jim) Stromski of Niagara Swimming became an official more than 15 years ago. He has always been active, officiating at the smallest of local meets to the Phillips 66 National Championships. In 2011, Jim was asked to take over as officials chair of Niagara. He then won elections for two successive two-year terms. During his tenure, while USA Swimming was transitioning to the Officials Tracking System, he was instrumental in transferring old paper records into OTS. Jim also stressed recognition of officials during this time. Under his leadership, Niagara instituted several local awards, and he also began a program to get name tags for Niagara officials. He also was able to find national evaluators for many sectional and zone meets that were held in the Niagara LSC. Many officials, including Jim, advanced to N3 in multiple positions. When Jim’s term as officials chair was ending, he was asked to run for general chair of Niagara. He was the unanimous choice. Under his leadership, Niagara improved its bylaws and policies and procedures, becoming more viable. Although Jim doesn’t have any current swimmers in his family, he still is an active official, most recently attending the 2022 Sectionals in Ithaca, N.Y. The week before that, he was the meet referee at Niagara’s 14 & Under Championships. v
PROUD SPONSOR OF THE HASTY EXCELLENCE AWARD
Doping control. This must be done within 24 hours of the race, also noting where it took place as well as the supervisor. Results need to be included when USA Swimming submits the application.
Remember, there is going to be a ton of excitement surrounding the swim. Just like the swimmer, enjoy the moment, but also remember there’s a lot to do before the record can be ratified! v
Hastyawards.com | 800.448.7714 JULY 2022
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The evolution of the Sandpipers of Nevada Swim Club has grown exponentially in the last two years in true Las Vegas style—from a long shot to a sure thing. BY DAN D'ADDONA | PHOTOS BY PETER H. BICK
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he Sandpipers of Nevada Swim Club, led by Coach Ron Aitken, hit the jackpot at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials. One by one, the Sandpipers loaded swimmers onto their first Olympic team: Erica Sullivan, Bella Sims, Katie Grimes and Bowe Becker. “I was shocked at how well they did—like everyone else—but also, not really,” Sullivan said. “It made sense to me because they put in the same amount of work that I did.” That was a year ago. Fast forward to the present, and the Sandpipers have continued to show the world just how good they are. SWIM CITY Coach Ron Aitken took over the Sandpipers in 1994. He was named the U.S. Developmental Coach of the Year for 2021 by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee after four Sandpipers made the Olympic team. All of his swimmers performed well at Tokyo: •
Sullivan: silver medal (1500 free)
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Sims: silver medal (800 freestyle relay/prelims)
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Grimes: fourth place (800 free, just 1.03 seconds from the podium)
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Becker: gold medal (400 freestyle relay)
Of that group, Sullivan decided not to compete at the USA International Team Trials last April that decided who would represent
the United States at the World Championships in June at Budapest, and Becker didn’t final in the men’s 50 and 100 freestyle. Sims and Grimes, however, repeated as national teamers, along with a newcomer to the Sandpipers—and Team USA—Claire Weinstein. Last September, she moved to Las Vegas from the Westchester Aquatic Club in New Rochelle, N.Y., to train with Aitken and his Sandpiper distance group. The result? The 15-year-old—with a strong foundation laid by Coach Carle Fierro and with new guidance from Coach Aitken— succeeded at the next level and became the youngest swimmer to qualify for the World Championships since 2007. Interestingly, teammate Grimes was the youngest American Olympian last year at the Tokyo Olympics (also 15 at the time)! “It’s really fun because everybody in our group is very motivated, so we just motivate each other. It’s definitely a great team environment,” Weinstein said after qualifying for Worlds. Last year at Olympic Trials, Weinstein was the youngest swimmer in the meet, the only athlete born in 2007 or later. She finished 20th in the 400 free, 28th in the 200 free and 34th in the 800 free. At Winter Junior Nationals in Austin, she placed second behind Grimes in the 1650 yard freestyle and third—behind Sims and Grimes—in the 500 and fourth in the 200, continuing the Sandpipers’ freestyle success at the national level. Weinstein started 2022 with a huge swim before turning 15, tying the 13-14 200 free national age group record set by Sippy Woodhead in 1978 (1:58.53).
>> PICTURED ABOVE: Claire Weinstein (right, second in 200 free) and Bella Sims (fifth) both qualified for Team USA’s 800 freestyle relay at the World Championships.
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THE TEAM THAT NEVER SLEEPS June’s TYR Pro Swim Series stop in Mission Viejo was the Sandpipers’ personal showcase. The team’s leaders all competed in multiple events, including several swims each day as they prepared for Worlds and nationals later this season. Their performances proved they are continuing on the right track. Without the same rest and taper of a big meet, the Sandpiper stars proved they will be a factor on all stages the rest of the year and beyond. Sullivan made her long-course return after her first NCAA season at the University of Texas, and won the 1500 free in 16:34.91, her first 1500 since winning the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the event, going 1-2 with Katie Ledecky. “This was my first mile back since Tokyo,” Sullivan said, “and I hurt my shoulder at open water a couple months ago and had bronchitis a week ago! This is a meet of being really kind to myself and just getting a good starting point.” The domination continued as Grimes, Sims and Weinstein went 1-2-3 in the 400 just a few minutes after Sims (who has committed to Florida) also took second in the 100 free. “I’m happy with it,” Grimes said. “I’m just listening to what my coach told me to do. It was a little bit faster than what I went a couple weeks ago, so it’s a good sign going into the summer.” Grimes then won the 200 back in 2:09.52 after Weinstein claimed victory in the 200 free (1:58.31), just ahead of Sims (1:58.97). Grimes defeated backstroke specialist Isabelle Stadden in the event, something that shows she and the Sandpipers are not just about distance freestyle. “I was just trying to keep the tempo up and just trying to get my hand on the wall,” Grimes said. “Isabelle is a great competitor, and I love racing her. She’s just a stud,” Grimes said. “I just wanted to get it under 2:10—that was really my goal for the race.” If that wasn’t enough for the day, Grimes (4:36.77) and Sims (4:43.46) went 1-2 in the 400 IM, as all three swimmers performed extremely well with a difficult and quick double. On the final night in Mission Viejo, Grimes (8:27.72) and Sullivan (8:47.54) went 1-2 in the 800 freestyle. “I was just trying to finish off a strong weekend,” Grimes said. She and the Sandpipers did just that...and then some. VIVA LAS VEGAS The most remarkable thing about the rise of the Sandpipers is that they are not a pro or post-grad team loaded with professionals. This team is mostly composed of high school kids and a college freshman. Perhaps it’s a bit too early to refer to Las Vegas, home of the Sandpipers, as “the entertainment capital of the (swimming) world,” but the swim team’s legend is growing as more young stars emerge and remain in the country’s elite group of swimmers. Sullivan earned All-America honors in her first year at Texas. She will be joined in the college ranks next year by Sims at Florida, while Grimes and Weinstein still have some time before making their college decisions, but should look to be as strong as their older teammates at the NCAA Championships in the future. *** But it will never quite be the same for what the Sandpipers did in 2021. Their rise at the Olympic Trials put them in the nation’s spotlight for the first time. The club looks to remain there in the future, but they are now established as one of the best clubs in the country. As the club’s stars look toward the World Championships, the 2024 Olympics and beyond, they should continue to build the remarkable legacy of the Sandpipers. v >> PICTURED RIGHT: THE STARS OF VEGAS: (from top) Sandpiper of Nevada’s Coach Ron Aitken, Bowe Becker, Katie Grimes, Bella Sims, Erica Sullivan and Claire Weinstein. JULY 2022
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NUTRITION
WATERMELON:
MORE THAN A FRUIT! BY DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS
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atermelon is the third largest fruit produced in the world. It is rich in many nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and magnesium. Potassium and magnesium impact regulating heart rate along with proper cell, muscle and nerve functions, while vitamins C and A strengthen the immune system and maximizes bone health. Watermelon also contains a non-essential amino acid, citrulline, which is used in the nitric oxide system that promotes blood flow by dilating arteries and relaxing the body’s blood vessels. This includes penetrating the muscles in our arteries. This increase in circulation and oxygenation of the blood improves energy and stamina, and also reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, which impacts an athlete’s recovery time. The research is still working on possible outcomes. WATERMELON FOR HYDRATING Did you know if you are 1% dehydrated, your performance can decline up to 12%! Thirst does not kick in until a person is 2-4% dehydrated. The rule of thumb is to drink at least half your weight in fluid ounces a day plus the fluid needed for activity. Watermelon is over 50% water per one cup serving! It is a yummy way to rehydrate! WATERMELON FOR NUTRIENT TIMING Watermelon also contains simple carbohydrates that provide energy for a workout, and it is light on the stomach. Some could even have watermelon during competitions, pending on the activity. Watermelon is definitely a great post-recovery snack. It is cool and refreshing, and it also helps rehydrate and replenish the fuel in the muscles for optimal recovery! WATERMELON SUPPLEMENTATION Watermelon juice is also available if you don’t want to buy a whole watermelon or if the fruit is not in season. SUMMARY Watermelon is a nutrient-dense fruit that provides many benefits! When in season, try to add it to your daily routine or a team meal. Implement before, during or after trainings when appropriate. Enjoy! *** Here is a sample training menu that includes several options for watermelon. Remember: this article is educational only and should not be used in place of medical advice. 3,000 to 3,500-CALORIE TRAINING MENU Pre-Swim Practice (4:30-5:15 a.m.) Watermelon pancakes Resource: https://www.watermelon.org/recipes/watermelonpancake-sandwiches/
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 Watermelon pizza Resource: https://www.tastemade.com/recipes/watermelon18
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breakfast-pizza Have at least 1 cup high-protein yogurt, 1/4-1/3 cup nuts and 2-3 cups of watermelon Optional: Multivitamin and mineral tablet Fish oil capsule (very high in EPA/DHA) Vitamin D3 Probiotics Lunch (11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) Watermelon, tomato and feta salad Resource: https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a6408/ watermelon-recipes/ Make sure you add some grilled chicken or cold shrimp, and add any healthy fats to get enough calories 16 oz Water with 1-2 NUUN electrolyte tablets Afternoon Snack (2-3:30 p.m.) Watermelon skewers Resource: https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a6408/ watermelon-recipes/ 16 oz Water (optional: add one NUUN 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 min: Watermelon smoothie Resource: https://www.wellplated.com/watermelon-smoothie/ Consume 1-2 servings 1-3 T Flax or chia seeds 1-2 cups Greek Yogurt 1 lg Banana frozen 1-1/2 cups Watermelon 16 oz Almond milk/milk/soy milk (If you can have dinner within that time, then this snack is optional) Evening Meal (6-8:30 p.m.) 4-6 oz Organic chicken/shrimp 1-2 cups Rice 1 Avocado or 1 T olive oil or 3 T organic butter 1-2 cups Watermelon salad Resource: https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a6408/ watermelon-recipes/ 16 oz Water Optional: 1
Multivitamin and mineral tablet Omega-3 capsule high in DHA and EPA
Evening Snack—OPTIONAL (8-10 p.m.) 2-3 servings Banana watermelon muffins Resource: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/recipebanana-watermelon-seed-muffins/ v Dawn Weatherwax (RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS) is a registered/licensed dietitian with a specialty in sports nutrition and founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go and Dawn Weatherwax Sports Nutrition Academy. She has been working with swimmers for over 25 years and has launched an online nutrition program for swimmers at Dawnweatherwax.com. She is also a boardcertified 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.
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DEALING WITH
(Part 2) Last month, Swimming World took a macro look at coach-and-swimmer reaction to disappointing performances. In this installment, we explore how some of the country’s most respected coaches handle that experience. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
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ogan Redondo, Mission Viejo Nadadores co-head coach has a been-there-done-that résumé. A University of Minnesota kinesiology graduate with an emphasis in psychology, Redondo was a Big Ten and two-time Olympic Trials swimmer who worked with Mark Schubert and Bill Rose. “A prelude to any talk about fears, failures and disappointments requires consistent face time with each athlete. Having an environment of trust and a place where conversations can be held in a safe and honest place is paramount,” says Redondo. “My primary role as a coach is to provide athletes with the tools to better navigate life. In many cases, swimming setbacks help create the opportunity to do that. To help put a positive spin on a disappointment, we as coaches have to create a safe environment and culture where failure can be welcomed. Offering tough workouts to the point of failure without consequence is something we do on a regular basis to help understand that failure is part of the process,” Redondo says. ON WISCONSIN On the surface, Brent Boock’s Elmbrook Swim Club hasn’t encountered many setbacks recently. Witness the establishment of 10 senior girls SCY team records since March 2021. This year, his females won NCSA Juniors by 322.5 points (second in 2021), and three (Campbell Stoll, Lucy Thomas, Maggie Wanezek) finished in first, third and seventh in the NCSA Spring Invite highpoint standings. Stoll and Wanezek are currently USA Swimming National Junior Team members and are a part of four 15-18 NAG medley relay records. Not all Boock’s swimmers win every event, so he arms them with coping strategies. “We talk constantly from a young age on how to work a meet. We teach them that coaches, teammates, parents and even competitors support them for the people they are—not just for a place, time or performance in a meet. That said, having a healthy separation between sense of self and performance helps swimmers—and the coach—maintain perspective. A positive performance does not make you a good person, nor does a bad one make you a bad person,” he says. “Great or bad practice? Take what you can and move on to the next session. And...leave it in the pool when you leave. “Athletes need to know that you are invested in them and that they are not alone. Each athlete/coach relationship is its own individual ‘team.’ I’m with them in the highs, the lows, the necessary soul searching and figuring the path forward.
>> Bill Barrett—a 1980 Olympian, world record holder, NCAA team champion, World Championships silver medalist and Swimming World’s 1980 Male American Swimmer of the Year—sits by himself in the warm-up pool after just missing making the 1984 U.S. Oympic team. [ Photo Courtesy: Tim Morse Photography ]
“Racing is fun! That means entering a race with the hope that your competitors are the best they can be. It’s not always about winning or even a best time. It’s about the opportunity—to be your best and help your competitors be their best. That’s the fun! Not every race will be one for the ages, but if you enjoy each one, the great ones will come, “says Boock. AT THE MEET Michael Brooks is one of the country’s most respected age group coaches. He’s coached beginners, NJT swimmers, national team members and an Olympian. His seminal book, Developing Swimmers, belongs in every coaches’ library. He has served as a coach on numerous USA international teams and presently coaches “in poor French,” he says, at Neptune Natation in Montreal. “After a subpar swim, the goal becomes to ensure the next one is better. Is it a short-term tweak (i.e., tactic, breathing pattern, etc.) that can be fixed by tonight’s final? Or is it a longer-term problem that probably results from not having done something in practice? And if so, that’s my fault. Or...has the swimmer ignored something I wanted them to do? “Most of the time my suggestions are tactical, technical or even psychological. The longer-term stuff that can’t be resolved in the CONTINUED ON 22 >> JULY 2022
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DEALING WITH DISMAY / continued from 21
without athlete input, I have jumped on someone who’s been really happy with their swim, and then I’ve ruined any goodwill I had with them for the rest of the meet. I’ve gotten much better at not being so foolish!” THE TEXAS TAKE This past season, Lady Longhorn coaches noticed tension at early season meets. They found a solution to swimmer apprehension through a common language, a three-field diagram and a mantra they called, “Let Her Rip.” Let her rip:
>> To help reframe swimmer response to in-season swims, women’s team coaches at the University of Texas developed acronyms: “‘FUSE’ was Fastest Unsuited Swim Ever. ‘BOSS’ was Best of Season Swim,” says assistant coach Mitch Dalton (pictured, center). “It helped us move forward so results weren’t viewed as best time or bust. You always need to be building toward something. That’s the journey.” For the Texas women, that “something” was a season-ending NCAA second-place finish—the team’s best since their last title in 1991. [ Photo Courtesy: Texas Athletics ]
moment is probably best not brought up at all. I don’t want the swimmer thinking, ‘I haven’t been training well...therefore, the next races are going to be bad for the same reason.’ If my swimmer is really emotional, I postpone any discussion and send them to the warm-down pool. When they are calm, we can talk. “Another issue,” he says, “is distinguishing between an everyday disappointment—i.e., second vs. first, slower than wanted, etc.— and an existential disappointment—i.e., third at Olympic Trials, which will haunt you for the next 80 years. In the latter one, as a coach, you need to understand the level of disappointment and help the swimmer judge by the body of work rather than just one single race. For me, it’s about getting better. “Most performances are less than perfect. If the only thing that will pass muster is an Olympic gold medal or world record, there will always be a level of imperfection and disappointment. The secret is to live with and be motivated by that,” says Brooks. “And knowing your swimmer is key. I can be a lot harder on some swimmers. Others I handle with kid gloves. With gender, it’s more individual. Some guys are not as strong; some girls are tough as nails. Older swimmers are more predictable because you are familiar with their patterns. Younger ones may have different issues with different races. With youngsters, you can suggest something and then send them to the warm-down pool. Then before the next race, you can address the problem they didn’t know they had. “You can almost always find something good about a race. If you’ve talked about meet management—i.e., what/when to eat, etc.—tactics, visualization and clearly worked on that in practice, you’ve solved a lot of problems before you’ve even gotten to the meet. That comfort helps swimmers be more self-reliant. It also enables the more sophisticated ones to give me a pretty good answer to my competition-related questions. In those cases I’ll say, ‘That sounds like what I saw, too; let’s go out a little quicker this evening.’ “Asking ‘How was it?’ is important because sometimes my expectations are much higher than the swimmer’s. Occasionally, 22
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Having fun
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Swimming free
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Swimming for something
“As coaches, we talked about holding on to the excitement, letting go of expectations and finding places to which the athletes could return whether they swam well or not. The approach resonated,” says assistant coach Mitch Dalton. “Taking advantage of the physiological and psychological space afforded by warm-down swims, we asked questions of swimmers and then listened. • What went on out there? •
That didn’t look like you, did it?
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What was going on in your mind?
“We found that asking questions after warm-down, when emotions were less raw, gave us better information. A disappointing swim is one thing. Defining success as the best you’ve ever been, is a pretty narrow lane to be in,” he says. The coaches also developed acronyms to help reframe swimmer response to in-season swims. “‘FUSE’ was Fastest Unsuited Swim Ever. ‘BOSS’ was Best of Season Swim. It helped us move forward so results weren’t viewed as best time or bust,” says Dalton. “You always need to be building toward something. That’s the journey.” For the Texas women, that “something” was a season-ending NCAA second-place finish—the team’s best since their last title in 1991. For more on coach response (Eddie Reese, Gregg Troy, Jack Bauerle, Bill Schalz et al.) to disappointing swims, see Michael J. Stott’s previous Swimming World articles, “Poor Performance... The Next Step” (February 2020) and “So Near, Yet So Far”(March 2009).v
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its second printing, and is available from store. Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.
TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO READ HOW OTHER COACHES RESPOND TO THEIR SWIMMERS’ DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCES. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
DRYSIDE TRAINING SUMMER SHIFT TO POWER & SPEED BY J.R. ROSANIA
DEMONSTRATED BY NORIKO INADA • PHOTOS BY EMMI BRYTOWSKI
TRAINING
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ell, it’s summer. And where I live in Phoenix, Ariz., we’ve already hit triple digits. Swim meets are popping up all over the Southwest, and training has begun the shift to power and speed in the weight room. Now’s the time to zero in on explosive and fast movements. Here are some exercises that will help that process. Your training now should include more rest between exercises and less repetitions. Let’s do three sets of six to eight repetitions per exercise. Focus on an increase in speed during the movement. Perform these exercises for the next four to six weeks...and, like always, discontinue the weight training program seven to 14 days away from any major competition.v 1) DUMBBELL SQUAT WITH SHOULDER PRESS While holding dumbbells at your shoulders, drop into a squat. On the way back up, press the dumbbells overhead.
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2) STEP-UP WITH OVERHEAD PRESS Holding dumbbells in each hand, step up onto a box or platform and press the dumbbells overhead. Step off, and alternate legs. 3) BOX JUMPS Standing in front of a box/platform that is six to 24 inches high, squat and then jump to the top of the box. Step off and repeat. 4) OVERHEAD FLOOR SLAM For extra height and distance, stand on top of a box/platform and lift a med ball overhead with straight arms, then slam the ball off the floor. Catch the ball on the rebound and repeat.
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5) ALTERNATING DUMBBELL TRICEP KICKBACK While holding dumbbells, bend over at your waist until your back is parallel with the floor. With your elbows by your side, completely extend your arms, then bend them back in and repeat. 6) BONUS EXERCISE: STABILITY BALL TUBE STROKE Lie face down with your chest and stomach on a stability ball. While holding tubes anchored several feet in front of you, perform freestyle and butterfly strokes. v
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6 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, 43, 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, 3034, 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. JULY 2022
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COACHING
SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.
THE EFFECT OF VELOCITY AND TECHNIQUE ON RESISTANCE
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ater resistance (i.e., resistive force, also called drag) presents a huge obstacle to competitive swimmers. The magnitude of the effect of swimming velocity and technique on resistance emphasizes the importance of these factors on swimming performance. Conveniently, the drag equation calculates resistance based on both velocity and technique (as measured by the drag coefficient and the cross-sectional area of the body that is perpendicular to the flow of water). CALCULATING RESISTANCE WITH THE DRAG EQUATION In its standard form, the drag equation solves for force (in this case, resistive force) and shows that an increase in velocity, the drag coefficient (the overall best measure of technique with a lower drag coefficient indicating a more effective technique), or the crosssectional area of the body will increase resistance.
The effect of changes in body motion and body position is measured by the drag coefficient and the cross-sectional area of the body. Body motion and a body position with limbs that are not in the streamline increase both the drag coefficient and the cross-sectional area of the body, which, in turn, increases the resistive force. THE EFFECT OF VELOCITY AND BODY MOTION ON RESISTIVE FORCE To determine the effect of velocity, resistance (i.e., passive drag) was measured on nine male swimmers in a streamline position who were towed in the water at six different velocities (Clarys, 1978), as shown by the red circles in Fig 1. A regression line through the data points (blue line) confirmed the squared relationship of force and velocity (F ≈ v2). The swimmers’ resistance was also measured while swimming freestyle (i.e., the active drag) at four different velocities (red diamonds). Similar to passive drag, the regression line shows that active drag was also proportional to the square of velocity. However, the resistance for active drag was about twice the resistance for passive drag at every velocity. 24
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FIG. 1 >> The graph shows that resistance increases with the square of velocity for both active drag (red diamonds) and passive drag (red circles).
FIG. 2 >> The graph shows the resistance for three different body positions within a stroke cycle of breaststroke.
The results of the study emphasize the importance of maintaining a swimming body shape as close to a streamline as possible. A swimmer cannot generate propulsion in a streamline so the active drag cannot be as low as the passive drag. However, a swimmer can avoid motions that distort the body position so that the active drag is as low as possible. THE EFFECT OF VELOCITY AND BODY POSITION ON RESISTIVE FORCE A study on breaststroke clearly shows the difference in resistance for different body positions within a stroke cycle (Kent & Atha, 1971). Not surprisingly, the glide position (streamline) had the
least resistance (see Fig. 2). The breathing position had considerably more resistance than the glide position because the head was above the surface, and the torso angle presented a greater cross-sectional area to the water flow. The recovery position had the most resistance because the knees were flexed beneath the torso. The results support using a breaststroke technique that minimizes resistance by changing the body position from the streamline as little as possible. Because a swimmer cannot generate propulsion in a streamline, active drag cannot be as low as passive drag. However, a swimmer can avoid movements that distort the body position so that the active drag values are as low as possible. A goal for swimmers is an active drag value that approaches a passive drag value. THE EFFECT OF VELOCITY AND BODY DEPTH ON RESISTIVE FORCE In another study, resistance was measured on 40 adult male swimmers towed at different depths and velocities (Lyttle, Blanksby, Elliott & Lloyd, 2000). The resistance values for swimmers towed at the surface at six velocities are graphed in the blue circles in Fig. 3. The data again support the squared relationship between velocity and resistance from the drag equation. The data also show that there was less resistance when the swimmers were submerged as opposed to when the swimmers were on the surface. For example, at a towing velocity of 2.5 meters per second, the resistance at a depth of .6 meters (red circles) was 19% less than the resistance at the surface. The study provided evidence for swimmers to improve performance by submerging to .6 meters on starts and turns. In a more recent study, elite adult male and female swimmers were towed through the water at three different depths and four different velocities (Tor, Pease & Ball, 2015). Similar to the Lyttle study, resistance was 20% less at a depth of .5 meters than at the surface (see Fig. 4). The resistance was even less at 1 meter, emphasizing the benefit for a swimmer to adequately submerge on starts and turns.v
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FIG. 3 >> The graph shows that passive drag decreases (less resistance) with depth.
FIG. 4 >> The graph shows the decrease in resistance by velocity and by depth for a swimmer towed underwater.
SUMMARY There are several key points about resistive (drag) force for coaches and swimmers: •
Resistive force (active or passive drag) is a considerable limitation to performance at faster velocities because resistive force increases with the square of velocity.
•
Resistive force when swimming (active drag) is about twice the resistive force when streamlining (passive drag).
•
Resistive force (active drag) can vary considerably within a stroke cycle with changes in a swimmer’s body position.
•
Resistive force (passive drag) is significantly less at a depth of .6 meters or deeper than at the surface.
Dr. Rod Havriluk is a sport scientist and consultant who specializes in swimming technique instruction and analysis. His newest ebooks in the “Approaching Perfect Swimming” series are “Optimal Stroke Technique” and “Swimming Without Pain,” 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. JULY 2022
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[ Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto ]
DISAPPOINTMENT = POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY I
n 2017, Kliment Kolesnikov was July, Kolesnikov won another six Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 17 years old when he swam in his medals at the long course edition of the FINA banned all Russian swimmers from first major international final, the continental championships. international competition through the 200 meter backstroke, at the World In the 50 backstroke, he dominated end of 2022, preventing them from Championships in Budapest. In the the field and claimed gold in 24.00, lane next to him was Ryan Murphy, breaking a nine-year-old world record. competing in this summer’s World and already the Olympic gold medalist in Two days later, he added another gold European Championships. Instead, the event, and on the other side was in the 100 backstroke, his mark of 52.53 former world record holder (50 back) Japan’s Ryosuke Irie, 10 years older establishing a world junior record. In a than the young Russian and a veteran year without any major championship and two-time Olympic medalist Kliment of three Olympic 200 back finals. meets, the world took notice of Kolesnikov will spend 2022 focused on That day, Kolesnikov nearly sneaked Kolesnikov’s accomplishments. his training, “preparing for future meets onto the podium after a sensational “I think my lifelong preparation last length left him only 8-hundredths played a big role. From a very early to show that I can be even faster.” behind bronze medalist Jacob Pebley. age, we worked on my technique and BY DAVID RIEDER His time of 1:55.14 was a world body position in the water. All the work junior record. was done correctly so that I was always Kolesnikov had the looks of a future star in the four-length race— fresh and ready,” Kolesnikov said. “I was very pleased with all the but as it turned out, he would disappear from the 200 backstroke work done. It gave me a very big incentive to train further. I realized soon after. Instead, it was the sprint events that would soon bring that I could do even better and faster.” Kolesnikov to global prominence. The Short Course World Championships that December brought another seven medals, including gold in the 100 IM, but THE WORLD TAKES NOTICE Kolesnikov’s rapid ascendance took a pause when all of the world’s Over the next 18 months, Kolesnikov would build an enormous top swimmers gathered in Gwangju, South Korea, in July 2019, the résumé of international medals. At the European Short Course first full-world event in two years. Kolesnikov earned bronze in the Championships in December 2017, he was on the podium six times, 50 backstroke, less than a tenth away from gold, but he was almost a including two individual golds. Shortly after his 18th birthday in half-second off his world record. In the 100 back, he ended up ninth >> PICTURED ABOVE: At last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, Kolesnikov won two medals—silver in the 100 back and bronze in the 100 free. In the freestyle semifinals, he set a European record of 47.11. Later that year, the 21-year-old contributed to a championship performance for Energy Standard in the International Swimming League.
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and out of the final, missing his lifetime best by more than a second. Kolesnikov had been sick shortly before those Worlds, so he called the setback a “passing stage.” Still, he entered the Olympic year slightly off the radar, and that was before the one-year delay of the Tokyo Games. Then, when major long course swimming competition returned in the fall of 2021, Kolesnikov had a new trick in store for the world: He was also an elite sprint freestyler.
[ Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia/Insidefoto ]
AN OLYMPIC PODIUM DOUBLE In May of 2021, at the same Budapest pool where Kolesnikov had made his debut and nearly gotten on the podium as a 17-year-old four years earlier, he became the first man ever to break 24 seconds in the 50 backstroke. He smashed his own world record with a 23.80. Later in the meet, he swam in the 52-low range in the 100 back while leading off medley relays. Then, the next day, Kolesnikov won a second individual gold in the 100 freestyle, his time of 47.37 moving him into the all-time top 15 in the event. Kolesnikov was not surprised that his freestyle times were dropping significantly. “I never defined myself as a backstroker,” he said. “I train freestyle as well as backstroke.” But the performance in Budapest put him into the mix for medals >> In May of 2021 at the European Championships, Kolesnikov became the first man ever to break 24 in the 100 free at the Olympics, a race seconds in the 50 backstroke, smashing his own world record with a 23.80. He also won a second individual previously seen as a duel between Caeleb gold in the 100 freestyle, his time of 47.37 moving him into the all-time top 15 in the event. Dressel and Kyle Chalmers. In Tokyo, Kolesnikov was just weeks nation’s invasion of Ukraine. That meant that Kolesnikov would miss past his 21st birthday, and he instantly out on the opportunity to swim at another World Championships in found himself thrust into big moments. Minutes after qualifying as Budapest as well as August’s European Championships in Rome. the second seed in the 100 back final, he was tasked with anchoring Kolesnikov was understandably disappointed to lose his chance Russia’s 400 freestyle relay, seen as a medal favorite and a contender for gold, but a fatigued Kolesnikov could only manage a 48.40 split at world titles because of an international incident outside of his as Russia faded to seventh place. control. “It’s hard to realize, but nothing can be done now,” he said. However, the next day, Kolesnikov blasted his way to a “I will train and prepare for future meets to show that I can be even career-best performance in the 100 back. He was in contention faster.” for gold until the end, and he ended up with a silver medal, only Six weeks before Worlds began, Kolesnikov lost his 50 back 2-hundredths behind countryman Evgeny Rylov. World record world record to American Hunter Armstrong, who swam a time of holder Ryan Murphy finished 2-tenths behind. “I was very pleased 23.71. A few days earlier, Kolesnikov had swum a time of 23.93 that the two of us from the same country were able to get on the at Russia’s national championships. Speaking before Worlds about podium, especially in this style,” Kolesnikov said of his and Rylov’s his top rivals racing in Budapest, he said, “I hope that the guys will joint accomplishment. show worthy results so that I can then swim with them together in The next day, Kolesnikov cemented his status as a gold-medal one swim. It would be great.” contender in the 100 free as he qualified first in the semifinals in Most likely, Kolesnikov will have to wait until the 2023 World 47.11, and while he could not stick with Dressel or Chalmers in the Championships to show his standing again internationally, but final, he still ended up with a bronze medal. remember that he is only 22 years old as of July 9. He was the “I dreamed of going to the Olympics since childhood,” youngest swimmer in the Olympic 100 back final last year and the Kolesnikov said. “So these medals mean a lot to me because only I third youngest in the 100 free final (David Popovici and Hwang know how much they cost me.” Sunwoo are both teenagers). His young age should still give Kolesnikov a long window in which he can contend internationally, NO INTERNATIONAL RACING IN 2022 even with the current interruption. Kolesnikov followed up his Olympics by contributing to a Certainly, his string of success in the sprint freestyle and championship performance for Energy Standard in the International backstroke events means that he is looming over all international Swimming League, but in 2022, he and all Russian swimmers were competition this year. When Kolesnikov returns, he will be ruled ineligible for international competition. FINA, like most other international sports organizations, banned Russia because of the contending for gold for years to come.v JULY 2022
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PREP SCHOOLS
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strives to consistently exceed expectations and be the total solution provider for your equipment needs. From inquiry to installation, we are here for you and the aquatics community. Spectrum is highly regarded within the pool and spa industry and is acknowledged for: • Quality products with competitive pricing • Expedient delivery • Leadership in innovative products • Friendly and caring customer service • Superior engineering and field sales support S.R.Smith www.srsmith.com.........................................................(800) 824.4387
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[ Photo Courtesy: USC Athletics ]
SPECIAL SETS
DANIEL MATHESON/KEVIN ZACHER:
AQUATIC EVOLUTION OF COACH AND SWIMMER This month’s “Special Sets” features Santa Clara swimmer, Daniel Matheson, now at USC, and tracks former Scottsdale coach Kevin Zacher’s development as a coach before and while working with Matheson. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
I
n September 2021 after nearly 20 years at the Scottsdale Aquatic Club (Ariz.) and four years before that at King Aquatic Club in Seattle, Kevin Zacher became head coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club. While at Scottsdale, he grew the club to 500 members, attained USA Swimming gold medal status, earned three junior national team titles, took 10 swimmers to 2016 Olympic Trials (including Amy Bilquist and Ryan Hoffer) and coached numerous others to NAG records. One of his latest aquatic successes is rising USC sophomore Daniel Matheson. A holder of four summer national times, he scored in four events at the Pac-12 Championships in March. There he registered season best times of 4:14.87 (5th) in the 500 free, 14:51.59 (4th) in the 1650, 3:44.17 (11th) in the 400 IM and 1:35.03 as a member of the Trojan fifth-place 800 free relay. Matheson’s success is due in part to his dedication and talent as well as Zacher’s maturation as a coach. “Over time, my coaching/training philosophy has evolved considerably,” the coach says. Zacher grew up swimming in Roseburg, Ore. There he developed a terrific work ethic and thrived on a diet of high volume and toughas-nails training. “It was a grind; it was tough; I was sore and tired much of the time; and I loved it! My friends and teammates, however, were not as enthusiastic,” Zacher admits. “Many of them came to practice reluctantly, and most stopped swimming before heading to college. ZACHER AS COACH “In my first coaching job and at Scottsdale, I followed what I knew. I trained the swimmers long and hard. Hitting a certain volume in training was more important to me than anything else. At our bigger meets, we were pretty successful in the longer events—1000/1650 free, 400 IM, 200 fly, etc. However, our relays were not competitive.
“After a few seasons, my fellow coaches and I decided to ‘sacrifice’ some of our volume and incorporate more speed work at the end of every workout. This move improved our shorter races, and our relays became more competitive. Over several years, we kept dropping our volume and increasing our swimming at speed/ pace. “While I worried about our distance swimmers, they actually improved more than anyone else. One young man went from 16:20ish in the mile to 15:30 and finished third at juniors. He also had good speed and was on all of our sprint relays. “This experience, along with self-education, really changed my coaching philosophy. I also noticed other swimmers were swimming fast all the time as opposed to grinding it out, tapering and then swimming fast. All of those revelations now factor into how I coach. I want swimmers to work hard, enjoy the process, the sport and look back fondly on their swimming careers. “My first year at SAC, we had three high school seniors graduate and swim in college. During my last several years there, we had 25 to 30 college-bound swimmers in each graduating class. “Now, instead of training in aerobic, power, speed/taper blocks, we train all these areas all of the time. We are always doing some aerobic work and train daily at speed/pace. The speed/pace work varies by day and is relative to a swimmer’s strengths. Distance swimmers do more at 1000/1650 pace, while sprint-oriented swimmers do lots of short maximum speed work along with holding pace through a 200. “Our dryland program is similar: Strength, power, speed are being touched all the time. Certainly, as we get closer to peak season/meets, we lower the volume and increase speed focus, both in the pool and in the gym. “One key piece of all (this) is ensuring that swimmers stay engaged throughout the workout. When I write a practice for a main
>> PICTURED ABOVE: At the 2021 Wave II Olympic Trials, Daniel Matheson posted best times in all of his events: 800-1500 meter free (8:05.09-20th, 15:30.09-12th), 200 fly (1:59.95-27th) and 400 IM (4:23.32-19th). His 800 and 1500 performances earned him a spot on the 2021-22 U.S. national junior team.
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focus or set, I think about a race for a specific training group— distance, IM stroke, sprint. I then design sets that will teach them how to execute desired skills—effective underwaters, etc.—in practice that they will feel in a race. Hopefully, simulating the fatigue and lack of oxygen they will feel at the end of a 200 will pay off come race time.”
SAMPLE MATHESON SETS (Swum during Matheson’s last year at Scottsdale Aquatic Club)
MATHESON AS SWIMMER “Daniel Matheson was one of my last senior swimmers in Scottsdale,” says Zacher. “He excelled, improved each year and made the national junior team before heading off to USC last year. “(When he was) 13-14 years old, I envisioned his best events would be the 200 fly and 400 IM. He trained several days with the distance and IM groups, and one day per week he focused on fly work. He made futures in those events and occasionally swam the 800/1000 frees to check fitness. “As a rising high school junior, Daniel entered the 1500 free at a sectional meet to get a 800 split for junior nationals. In the first 800, he hit the qualifying time, swam 200 easy, and then descended his 100s again. He ended up going right around 16:00—the first time he had ever swum the 1500. It left me thinking about Olympic Trials. “The next season, he went under 15:30 in his first 1650 race. Our approach to training hadn’t changed much. It was still a mix of distance free, IM and butterfly with an emphasis on improving and holding paces during the distance free work. “Daniel continued to work hard and improve each season. At the 2021 Wave II Olympic Trials, he posted best times in all of his events: 800-1500 meter free (8:05.09-20th, 15:30.09-12th), 200 fly (1:59.95-27th) and 400 IM (4:23.32-19th). His 800 and 1500 performances earned him a spot on the 2021-22 U.S. national junior team.”
Kick
Distance Free Practice (SCY): Focus on 500 pace Warm-up: 1500, mix of strokes, drilling, sculling Speed Development Set: 6 x 50 @ 3:00 ALL OUT! 2x {150 @ 2:15 steady {50 @ 1:00 FAST {100 @ 1:30 steady {50 @ 1:00 FAST {50 @ :45 steady {50 @ 1:00 FAST MAIN SET 3x {3 x 75 @ 1:00 (DPS—normal stroke count -1—@ 80% effort) {3 x 50 @ :50 (descend to 500 pace) {100 @ 1:20 (DPS—normal stroke count -1—@ 80% effort) {3 x 50 @ :50 (hold 500 pace) {3 x 75 @ 1:00 (DPS—normal stroke count -1—@ 80% effort) {100 @ 1:30 (500 pace) {4 x 25 @ :30 (ALL OUT! GREAT LEGS!) {200 cruise * Round 3 with fins and paddles Warm-down Workout Total: ~6,500 yards
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CONTINUED ON 42 >> JULY 2022
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SPECIAL SETS / continued from 41
*** Mid-Distance/Stroke Practice (SCY): Focus on 200 pace Warm-up: 800 choice—keep moving 3x {100 kick/swim x 25 @ 1:40 {2 x 75 scull/drill/swim @ 1:10 {3 x 50 @ :50 (descend 1-3 50/70/90%) * Choice stroke by round (have a focus or intent on one skill— catch, head position, breathing, recovery, body position. etc.— for each round...something you need to work on) Speed Development Set 3 x 25 @ 1:30 2 x 50 @ 2:00 3 x 25 @ 1:30 * ALL-OUT EFFORT Swim: 8 x 75 @ 1:05 (steady/smooth free) MAIN SET 3x {2 x 75 @ 1:15 (choice set-up: scull/drill/kick/swim good form/etc.) {50 build @ 1:00 {2 x 25 @ :30 FAST {50 KICK—ALL-OUT EFFORT @ 1:00 {4 x 25 @ :30—FAST SWIM WITH GREAT UNDERWATERS >> Kevin Zacher (left, pictured with Daniel Matheson) coached four years at King Aquatic Club in Seattle and nearly 20 years at the Scottsdale Aquatic Club in Arizona before being named head coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club in September. Although his coaching philosophy has changed over the years, his bottom line remains true: “I want swimmers to work hard, enjoy the process, the sport and look back fondly on their swimming careers.”
*** Distance Free/IM Practice (LC): High-intensity workout/quality Warm-up: 400 swim, 4 x 100 K/S/D/S (1 of each stroke, 4 x 50 free descend 1-4) Fins 3x {100 kick @ 1:45 {2 x 50 @ :55 (15m kick/20m swim/15m kick descend 1-3) {50 @ :55 (build swim) {25 BLAST SWIM/25 EZ @ 1:00 MAIN SET 3x{8 x 50 @ 1:00 (IM—2 of each stroke—or free) O—Kick/Swim E—Drill/Swim {4 x 50 @ 1:00 FR: Descend 1-4 IM: O—1/2/3/4 (1 stroke fly/2 strokes back/3 strokes breast/4 strokes free) * Repeat through 50; pretty fast E—4 fly/3 back/2 breast/1 free Round 1—400 FAST FROM DIVE * Get time Round 2—200 FAST FROM DIVE * Goal—1/2 of 400 time -5 seconds Round 3—100 FAST FROM DIVE * Goal—1/2 of 200 time -3 seconds {4 x 100 cruise free @ 1:30 {1-min. break Warm-down Workout Total: 5,600 meters 42
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* How do you want to execute at the end of a 200 race? {100 EZ @ 3:00 Warm-down Workout Total: 4,500 yards *** Distance Free Set (LC): Focus on longer races (800/1500) Warm-up: 1,000 various 3x {3 x 50 @ 1:00 (tight descend) {150 cruise @ 3:00 Swim 2x {400 @ 5:30 (80% effort—steady swim) {50 FAST @ :50 (change gears!...up tempo!) {300 @ 3:50 (85%) {50 FAST @ :50 (change gears!...up tempo!) {200 @ 2:30 (90%) {50 FAST @ :50 (change gears!...up tempo!) {100 @ 1:10 (95%) {50 FAST @ :50 (change gears!...up tempo!) {6 x 100 @ 1:30 (steady swim) Pull 2x {400 DPS @ 5:00 {8 x 50 @ :55 Round 1: descend 1-4 Round 2: 1 smooth/1 fast Warm-down Workout Total: 7,100 meters v Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its second printing, and is available from store. Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.
COACHING
BILL
ROBERTS
Q&A
[ Photo Courtesy: Phil Hoffmann, Navy Athletics ]
Navy coach Bill Roberts has helped imbue the Academy’s core values of “Honor, Courage and Commitment” into his athletes as they have sailed to the last 18 Patriot League titles. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: How did you first get into swimming? A: COACH BILL ROBERTS: I grew up doing recreational swimming in lakes and pools in the Village of Aurora by Cayuga Lake in upstate New York. I started competitive swimming in ninth grade. SW: And then into coaching? BR: I always knew I wanted to work in athletics and specifically as a coach. College coaching appealed to me because I liked the concept of building a program and all that it entailed. SW: What motivated you to attend Springfield College in Massachusetts? BR: I wanted a school with a strong PE/coaching reputation. Springfield stood out for its reputation in producing coaches in all sports. Not a lot of college coaches were calling our house for my swimming abilities, so I had to find a program I really liked in case college swimming did not work out. SW: Who were some of your coaching influences? BR: Several coaches had massive influences on my coaching progression. John Taffe at Springfield was instrumental in guiding me out of college into coaching. We maintain a great relationship and am forever grateful for his support and time along the way! Coach Rick Kobe at East Carolina offered me my first Division I position. He essentially handed me the keys to most of the men’s team duties and trusted me as an unproven coach. I learned a lot through trial-and-error and realized nothing comes easy. Ed Bartsch at Villanova was extremely demanding of his athletes and his staff. At the time, I struggled working for him, but he was a fountain of knowledge, and I learned a lot.
I spent the next three years working for Lee Lawrence at Navy, where I learned a ton. Lee was nearing the end of his career, and it was great for me to learn from a veteran coach. One of the many things I learned from Lee was how well organized he was in the office. So much of our workday is taken up by administrative “to-do” lists. Lee was really good at getting this taken care of so he could walk on deck and just coach. Former Johns Hopkins coach and president of CSCAA, George Kennedy, has also been a huge influence. We have shared the deck on many occasions. It’s hard to overstate what a resource he is for our sport and our society. SW: The admissions process for the Naval Academy is extremely competitive and includes a nomination process. Does this restrict your recruiting efforts? BR: No. While it requires more time on the front end, the benefits of a Naval Academy education are endless. Most applicants enter the process with their goals set and are willing to take the extra steps to get there. SW: How do you get your athletes to maintain efficiency in practice? BR: It is a constant sales pitch. If you want to maintain your maximum potential for speed, you have to be fully committed to each and every stroke, every start, turn and finish, etc. You have to ask for—and constantly expect—buy-in. It is in a challenging set, when an athlete is fatigued and the brain is saying back off a little, that is where athletes have the opportunity to affirm their commitment to growth and excellence. They need to master Monday through Friday if they are going to be great on Saturday. SW: Most of your swimmers come from programs with solid summer long
Bill Roberts Head Coach United States Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland
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Springfield College (Mass.), B.S., physical education, 1992 (2x team captain); East Carolina University, M.A., athletic administration, 1996
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Head coach, United States Naval Academy, 2003-present
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Head coach, Colgate University, 2000-03
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Assistant coach, United States Naval Academy, 1997-2000
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Assistant coach, Villanova University, 1996-97
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Graduate assistant coach, East Carolina University, 1994-96
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Women’s head coach, Wells College (Aurora, N.Y.), 1992-94
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Head coaching record at Navy: 192-63
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10x Patriot League Coach of the Year, 11x ECAC Coach of the Year
Bill Roberts, whose Navy teams have won the last 18 contested Patriot League Championships and 12 of the last 13 ECAC crowns, has coached 37 Navy swimmers to the Olympic Trials: 2004 (1), 2008 (3), 2012 (13) and 2020-21 (20). CONTINUED ON 45 >> JULY 2022
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[ Photo Courtesy: Phil Hoffmann, Navy Athletics ]
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NAVY NCAA PREP PRACTICE (March 17, 2022 - SCY) Warm-up
HOW THEY TRAIN
CALEB MAULDIN
BY MICHAEL J. STOTT
S
ubmarine posting may be known as the silent service, but there was nothing quiet about Midshipman Caleb Mauldin’s performances while swimming for the Naval Academy. Mauldin completed his academic time in Annapolis with impressive showings at February’s Patriot League Championships, helping the Middies win for the 18th straight year. In his individual events, Mauldin won the 100 yard back (46.12) and finished third in both the 100 free (43.92) and 100 fly (47.12). For context, he holds eight of the top times in Navy history in the 100 back and three of the top 10 in the 200 back, and he also ranks eighth in the 100 fly. “Where he excelled was on relays,” says his coach, Bill Roberts. “He would often set the tone as a backstroker.” At the PLC meet, Mauldin led off both winning medley relays with backstroke splits of 21.50 and 46.00. “If he swam fly or free, he was one of our most reliable and exciting relay swimmers.” In the 200 (second) and 400 freestyle relays (first), Mauldin registered anchor splits of 19.97 and 43.01. “Caleb is one of the most dedicated athletes I have ever coached,” says Roberts. “He is a terrific student of the sport. He takes any piece of information or idea and pursues it to its fullest. It is the reason he improved in multiple events while at Navy. “He came to us as a very skilled underwater swimmer from Coach Steve Bialorucki’s program at ODAC (Old Dominion Aquatic Club, Va.) and continued to get better. In our kick sets, we had a hard time keeping up with him, as he essentially met any interval we threw at him. Fins or no fins, front side/backside, dolphin or flutter, Caleb was operating in the fastest interval lanes at all times. During his senior year, he began wearing two pairs of socks—one over his feet and one over his ankles. This was a terrific addition and was a challenge he mastered. “One area where he may have struggled was during the middle of a training cycle. His effort was always there. However, with a limited number of meets, he just could not replicate his traditional performances in the midst of high training. “Yet Caleb was very resilient. Freshman year during our winter training camp, he had an emergency appendectomy. After several weeks, he returned to training, nearly regained peak form, and was named rookie of the Patriot League Championships. As a senior against Army, he set pool (breaking Michael Phelps’ record), meet, league and Service Academy records with his 45.82 in the 100 back,” says Roberts.
1500 (Duration: 24:50)
EGY
TYPE
STK
PACE
1x {6 x 50 @ :55 (see note below)
REC
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FRC
:55
{1 x 100 @ 1:30 (excellent turns)
EN1
S
FRC
:45
{6 x 50 @ :55 (see note)
REC
S
FRC
:55
{1 x 200 @ 2:50 (excellent turns)
EN1
S
FRC
:43
{6 x 50 @ :55 (see note)
REC
S
FRC
:55
{1 x 300 @ 4:00 (excellent turns)
EN1
S
FRC
:40
Note: 50s: O: open + inc speed turns, E: 3 turn 50s Add Toe OR agility for group 2, Change paddles for group 3 Rest: 3:00
Pre: hold on the water 800 (Duration: 16:00)
EGY
TYPE
STK
PACE
1x {6 x 25 @ :30 (see note)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 50 @ 1:00 (swim close to where you finished)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 50 @ 1:00 (easy)
REC
S
F-C
1:00
{6 x 25 @ :30 (see note)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 50 @ 1:00 (swim close to where you finished)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 50 @ 1:00 (easy)
REC
S
F-C
1:00
{6 x 25 @ :30 (see note)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 50 @ 1:00 (swim close to where you finished)
EN2
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 100 @ 2:00 (easy)
REC
S
F-C
1:00
Note: 25s: hold race tempo and drop 1 stroke per 26 in pairs 2nd group: hold race tempo & DEC time in pairs 3rd group: SWOLF at/close to race tempo; DEC in pairs Rest: 3:00
Main: 100 race preparation 1800 (Duration: 37:20)
EGY
TYPE
STK
PACE
2x {2 x 50 @ 1:15 (20y fast/30m cruise)
EN2
S
STK
1:15
{2 x 50 @ 1:30 (40 fast/10 cruise)
EN3
S
STK
1:30
{2 x 100 @ 2:00 (60/40)
EN3
S
STK
1:00
{1 x 100 @ 2:30 (80 fast/20 cruise)
SP2
S
STK
1:15
{8 x 50 @ :50 (BC 6/5/4/3 in pairs)
EN1
S
FR
:50
150 (Duration: 7:30)
EGY
TYPE
STK
PACE
1x {6 x 25 @ 1:15 (resistance for 4 of 6)
SP3
D
STK
2:30
600 (Duration: 10:00)
EGY
TYPE
STK
PACE
1 x {8 x 75 @ 1:15 (see note)
REC
S
FRC
:50
Rest: 3:00
Starts
Rest: 3:00
Recovery
Note: 1 & 5: 1st 25 FL, 2 & 6: 2nd 25 FL, 3 & 7: last 25 FL, 4 & 8: choice TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO SEE CALEB MAULDIN’S PROGRESSION OF TIMES. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT
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Total Distance: 4,850 yards (Duration: 1:47:40, Stress: 92, Swims: 9) v
Q&A with BILL ROBERTS / continued from 43
course training. Yet with all the service academy summer obligations, how does Navy help them compensate for the lack of same when they return in the fall? BR: Excellent question. The bottom line is taking advantage of each and every opportunity. We are very honest with recruits and let them know that it may not be a traditional summer in terms of straight training. However, they can still train during most of their Navy summer commitments. In many instances, there is at least a pool, if not a team, associated with most Naval and Marine Corps bases. Often, our athletes are in Annapolis, where we have practices running through the spring and summer. Again, it goes back to mindset and having your goals set. We had a record number of athletes at the 2021 Olympic Trials. It took a lot of LCM training and competition to get that many to Omaha. SW: Does your situation affect your ability to develop top distance swimmers? BR: No. We get guys qualified for NCAAs and Olympic Trials in the longer events. Of course, we would love to train throughout the entire summer. Fortunately, our guys are really good at staying in good shape even when they may not have pool access. SW: You teach Midshipmen swimming classes at the Naval Academy. Does that affect the way you coach at all? BR: It has helped immensely. It has made me a better teacher and coach. Time and again, I get ideas from teaching class during the day.
BR: By living those core values. We need to be out front and very visible for our team members. We cannot assume or take these values for granted. Living them is a constant process that can be messy and sometimes non-linear. It is important that when they leave here, they are ready to live by and apply those values. SW: And how do these values impact your recruiting process? BR: We can discuss these concepts with recruits and their parents knowing we have a school that backs it up. SW: As a top liberal arts college, how do your athletes balance swimming, classes, study, formal parades and Midshipman officer responsibilities...and still achieve such outstanding results? BR: It boils down to having and knowing your goals. Not only at Navy, but at any school, a collegiate swimmer needs to live most of their lives without balance. There is always going to be more that a person wants to do than they may have time for in all aspects of life. We dedicate a good amount of time to goal setting and guiding our athletes toward being masters of their own schedules 24/7/365. The cliché that we all have the same amount of time in a day is so true. How we use our time is a separating factor for sure. SW: From whence comes the Naval Academy’s obsession about beating Army – at anything? BR: I am sure it began with a slight by a General to an Admiral or vice versa, and
off we were running with a tremendous rivalry. There is no doubt messaging begins long before they get to the pool. SW: If you are caught working out, what would you be caught doing? BR: Draining 3’s on the basketball court at noon. Hopefully, at least four games in an hour and then a 300-400 cool-down swim right afterward. Then onto the back half of the day. Life is good! SW: If your team were to play a walkout song for you when you stepped on deck for practice, what song would you want to hear? And if you could choose one musician to coach with you, who would it be and why? BR: If my team is selecting, they will have American Idiot on repeat. I love Green Day, and they get to call me an idiot, so everyone is happy. If I am picking the song, we are turning up the volume to The Pretender by the Foo Fighters. For the musician, it will be Dave Grohl. He will not stop moving around; he is going to tell stories throughout. He will make you laugh and is not afraid to break a leg. He will most likely go into the pool once or twice per practice, and he has a keen sense of when to use profanity to excite the audience! v Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its second printing, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.
SW: In what do you take most pride at the Naval Academy? BR: For one, working for a school that has a clearly defined mission that coincides with running a successful athletic program. The Naval Academy does a tremendous job of teaching teamwork. Also seeing a Midshipman overachieve as a student, an athlete and a person. This is a challenging environment. It is really awesome to see team members and all Midshipmen excel during their time at Navy. The sense of pride one gets when present for the Naval Academy commissioning week and ceremony is overwhelming. SW: How are the institutional values of “Honor, Courage and Commitment” reflected in your coaching? JULY 2022
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JUNIOR SWIMMER
UP & COMERS AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER
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cottsdale Aquatic Club’s Peter Shih is hard to beat when he enters the pool. The 15-year-old was recently selected to attend USA Swimming’s Western Zone Select Camp. The selection comes in part to the amazing swims he turned in this past year while competing in the 13-14 age group. Shih now holds three individual and three relay club records in both short course and long course. In short course, Shih posted the team’s fastest time in the 400 yard IM with a 4:05.25, while in long course, he holds the club records in three events: 400 and 1500 meter freestyle (4:05.25, 16:47.50) and the 200 butterfly (2:07.23). Shih also helped his Scottsdale Aquatic Club teammates to team records in three long course relays: 400 meter medley (4:10.31) and the 400 and 800 freestyle (3:42.94, 8:11.92). “Peter has an incredible work ethic,” comments Scottsdale Aquatic Club head coach Andrew Nguyen. “He holds himself to a very high standard and is always looking for ways to improve.” Outside of the pool, Shih is a creative and talented incoming sophomore at Desert Mountain High School. He is completing the highest level of the AZ Piano Study program. Currently, he is working toward mastering the renowned Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, Frédéric Chopin, of the Romantic period from the 1800s! WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING? What I do best in swimming is outworking anyone else in the pool during practice. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/ SETS YOU’VE DONE? Coach Bob Platt’s Thursday morning IM sets, 30 x 100s best average or the occasional 10K practice. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT SWIMMING? Pushing the limits of my body every single day.
WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING...AND WHY? I look up to my coach, Bob Platt, because he has been one of my motivators during practice and during meets. He’s taught me and given me great advice that I’m sure I will continue to use long into my swimming career. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES? Reading, writing, piano, video games, watching TV, action sports (but not golf). 46
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[ Photo Courtesy: Huiping Shih ]
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? I’m just looking forward to seeing what the next step is for me in my life, and just trying to enjoy whatever that is.
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GUTTERTALK
BY DAVID RIEDER
WITH JACK BAUERLE ANNOUNCING HIS RETIREMENT AS GEORGIA HEAD COACH, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STORY INVOLVING JACK? All of the following responses are from former Georgia swimmers:
MEGAN KINGSLEY (2014-18) ANDREW GEMMELL (2009-14)
[ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
[ Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott ]
MARITZA CORREIA McCLENDON (1999-2003)
(Pictured, right, with Jack Bauerle & Stefanie Williams, 2002) [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
I came to UGA with the mindset of swimming any event my team needed me to swim. My freshman year NCAA champs, it was the 200 free, 400 free and mile (short course meters). I won the 200 free that year and got eighth in the mile. While I could swim the distance events, I loved the sprints. At the 2001 NCAA Champs in Long Island, N.Y., my team needed me in the 100 free, 200 free and 500 free. I made a bet with Jack that if I did well in the 100 free, that we would trade the 500 free for the 50 free. Sure enough, I got second in the 100 free and dropped two seconds off my best time and pulled off a 47.8 as the anchor on the final relay to help us clinch the national championship. Then in 2002, I swam the 50 free, and not only did I win the NCAA title, but I also broke my first individual American record. All Jack could say was, “Ritz, it’s a good thing I made the right decision to put you in the 50 free instead of the 500 free.” He still, jokingly, tries to take credit for the decision to do the 50 over the 500.
I think it was early fall one year and we were doing some race 50s kick. Jack was giving me a hard time that Jordan (Mattern—then girlfriend, now wife) was kicking my butt on the other side of the pool. I made some sarcastic comment that I would win if we were actually racing, so he made me get out and move next to her for the last one. She supposedly beat me again—I still claim it was a tie—but he wouldn’t let me forget it for the next month. He always just had so much fun with the sport while always knowing exactly how to get the best out of everyone.
Jack never gave up on me when I had double knee surgery after my junior year. He called and checked on me a lot after I had my surgeries and never pushed me too much until I was ready to be pushed. My senior year, I fought as hard as I could to be as good of a swimmer as I was before, but it was challenging. On the last day of NCAAs, I finished fifth in the 200 fly with a best time. I wasn’t sure I would finish my season, but I did. I walked over to the coaches after my race, and Jack pulled me close and said, “Thank you for everything you did and gave to this program.” We both knew my surgeries held me back, but the support he gave me was all I needed to push through to finish my collegiate career.
SWIM MART
SWIM FASTER, S
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KRISTY KOWAL (1996-2000) (Pictured with Jack Bauerle, 2000) [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
2015, he made sure to give me play-by-play updates during every practice. When I lost my club coach, Kevin Thorburn, in 2020, Jack was the very first phone call I received offering his condolences and sharing stories of their time together. Going into each dual meet, we would all stretch together and then have a little chat as a team. Jack always kept us humble, convincing us almost every single time that “on paper, we’re going to lose this thing.” It didn’t matter what team we were racing. It was instilled in us that we always had to earn every point, not just assume them.
most random people in Athens, including the guy who works at the Sam’s Club Tire Center. True story, the guy noticed my UGA swim-and-dive sticker on my car and started talking about Jack. Everyone in Athens knows him and has something positive to say about him. Well, when we went to Croatia for (World Championships) training camp in 2017, Jack almost immediately found someone to copy off his workouts for him, and none of the other coaches had yet. He was trying to give away USA Swimming stuff to anyone who helped him. People started joking he would be the mayor of Croatia by the time we left for Worlds. It’s just who the guy is—kind to everyone, everyone is a friend, and he’s always ready to repay someone for their kindness.
Jack became like a second father to me. There are too many stories during my swimming career to narrow it down to just one. But the relationship that had formed over those eight years with Jack as my coach didn’t end when I retired from swimming. In 2010, I was being inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. The banquet was in Detroit, and they had originally asked Jon Urbanchek to introduce me. Jon told the committee that they should really call Jack and have him come up. I had no idea that MELANIE MARGALIS (2010-14) Jack had flown up to introduce me at the [ Photo Courtesy: Maddie Kyler ] banquet until I saw him AT the banquet. We all always joke that Jack is the And I can’t even tell you how excited he mayor of Athens (Ga.). You can meet the was when he found out that Greg Luzinksi of the Philadelphia Phillies was there, too. Anyone SUITMATE": Keeping swimmers happy since '83 who knows Jack knows he is the BIGGEST Phillies fan. It was such a quick trip that in his rush to get there, Jack actually had accidentally packed his son’s dress shirt and had to run out and get one between the airport and the banquet. But that is just the type of person Jack is— willing to hop on a plane right after Saturday morning practice to support one of his former swimmers. BRITTANY MacLEAN (2012-16) [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
One of Jack’s greatest strengths was focusing on the person behind the athlete—not just in the water, but out. The first thing he would say coming on deck for an afternoon practice was, “Get any A’s today?” He wanted to learn about our passions and would constantly check in on them. Knowing I loved my Canadian sports teams, when the Toronto Blue Jays made a playoff push in 48
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COURTNEY SHEALY HART (1997-2001) Georgia Tech head coach [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]
One of my favorite stories about Jack was when he came to Columbia, S.C., to do a home visit. I had a volleyball match, which Jack came to watch, but I was also required by my coach to stay and watch the JV match afterward, which Jack had to endure as well before we could go out to eat. As a coach, it is a testament to what you have to do sometimes when you are recruiting. Jack has the unique ability to connect with people on a personal level. When I think back, I am always appreciative that Jack stayed to watch that JV match. It meant a lot to me, and I’ll never forget it.
JACK BAUERLE RETIRES AFTER 44 SEASONS AS GEORGIA HEAD COACH
Since 1978, Jack Bauerle, 70, has led the women’s swimming program at the University of Georgia, adding head coaching duties for the men’s team in 1983. During his run with the Bulldogs, Bauerle led the Georgia women to 12 SEC team titles and seven national championships, the most recent coming in 2016. Additionally, Bauerle was the head coach for the U.S. Olympic women’s team at the 2008 Games in Beijing, an assistant on the women’s staff in 2000 and an assistant on the men’s staff in 2016 and 2020. He served as part of the combined staff in 2021 and as a personal coach in 2004 and 2012. Bauerle was also the head women’s coach for three World Championship teams (2003, 2005 and 2011). (See related stories on pages 8 and 47-48.) [ Photo Courtesy: Annie Grevers ] JULY 2022
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