Swimming World November 2021 Issue

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ANTHONYNESTY

MAKING AN IMPACT

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DAVID CURTISS

BEFORE THE BEEP

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PART 2

J U S T S WI M Le t t he g o ggle s co u n t t h e l ap s T R AI N S MA R TE R Spl i t s o n eve r y l ap F I N I S H S TR O NG E R Elim ina te pa ce clo ck g ue ssi n g– s e e yo u r t i me to a 1 0 t h o f a s e co n d ULT I M AT E AC C O U NTA B I L I TY D i g i ta l j o urna l o f eve r y wo r ko u t i n ap p N O WATC H NE E DE D Tra ck eve r y s e t , l ap & st ro ke SM AR T LO N G - TE R M I NV E S TME NT Pop o ut t he Sm a rt Co a c h , re p l ace o n ly t h e o l d go ggle s

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0:13 Lap 1

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NOVEMBER 2021 • VOL 62 • NO 11 FEATURES

COACHING

012 2021 OPEN WATER SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR

by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha and Germany’s Florian Wellbrock both captured Olympic gold in Tokyo and repeated as the world’s elite open water swimmers in both 2019 and 2021.

016 COACHING IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (Part 1)

by Michael J. Stott In the first of two articles, Swimming World explores how coaches and administrators coped with the recent unpleasantness of COVID-19.

014 2021 OPEN WATER HIGHLIGHTS

by Dan D’Addona Although the Tokyo Olympic Games commanded the spotlight in 2021, there were many other open water highlights throughout the year.

018 ISHOF FEATURE: AQUATOTS MURDER CASE—THE KATHY TONGAY STORY (Part 2)

by Bruce Wigo This is the second of a three-part story about “The Aquatots Murder Case” that first appeared in the October issue of Swimming World. It is about Kathy Tongay, a little girl whose father, Russell, had been training her almost from birth to be an expert diver and swimmer. When she died at the age of 5, her father was arrested for murdering his daughter.

022 PERHAPS OVERLOOKED...BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

by John Lohn As we creep closer to signing off on this Olympic year, Swimming World offers a look at six athletes—all members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame—who hold a special place in history, even if they are not always at the forefront of the mind.

025 CONTINUING TO MAKE AN IMPACT

by David Rieder Anthony Nesty’s accomplishments as a swimmer in the late 1980s and ’90s made him a national icon. But decades after that, he is still making a huge impact on the sport from a different vantage point—as a coach.

028 MENTAL PREP: BEFORE THE BEEP WITH DAVID CURTISS

by Shoshanna Rutemiller 030 NUTRITION: THE IMPORTANCE OF IRON—LOW MEANS SLOW!

by Dawn Weatherwax Iron is a mineral that directly impacts performance.

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036 SPECIAL SETS: AUDREY DERIVAUX—KILLER QUEEN

by Michael J. Stott Young Audrey Derivaux of Jersey Wahoos has turned in comparable times to the 11-12 age group superstars who have excelled before her.

040 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: DISTRUST IN SWIMMING SCIENCE IS NOT A MYSTERY

by Rod Havriluk The fact that general scientific information is routinely ignored provides some perspective about the difficulty in applying science to the sport of swimming. While a single technique element cannot guarantee success, American Lydia Jacoby’s Olympic victory suggests that using science can provide a competitive advantage.

042 SPECIAL SETS: DANIEL DIEHL— DEFINITELY DRIVEN

by Michael J. Stott Daniel Diehl, 15, of the Cumberland YMCA Sea Otters is Maryland’s—and the nation’s— top-ranked male swimmer in the Class of 2024. In recent months, he has either broken or knocked on the door of several national age group records. In October, as the youngest male on the U.S. National Junior Team, he notched seven top 10 individual finishes at the FINA World Cup meets in Germany and Hungary.

044 Q&A WITH SWIM IRELAND’S NATIONAL PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR JON RUDD

by Michael J. Stott 045 HOW THEY TRAIN IRISH OLYMPIAN DARRAGH GREENE

by Michael J. Stott

012 ON THE COVER

Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha (pictured) continues to be the world’s most dominant woman in open water, capturing backto-back titles as Swimming World’s Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year in 2019 and 2021. She surged to the 10K open water gold medal at this summer’s Olympic Games. Germany’s Florian Wellbrock, the Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year, captured the men’s Olympic marathon in Tokyo and, like Cunha, also won SOY honors in 2019. (See feature, pages 10-11.)

[PHOTO BY KAREEM ELGAZZAR / USA TODAY SPORTS]

TRAINING 039 DRYSIDE TRAINING: BACK TO BASICS (Part 2)

by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER 047 | UP & COMERS: AVA BUHRMAN

by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS 007 THE OFFICIAL WORD 008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT 009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT “DO YOU KNOW THAT....”?

032 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 048 GUTTERTALK 049 PARTING SHOT

027 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 November 2021.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN OLYMPIC STARTER

BY DENICE WEPASNICK

EXCELLENCE AWARD JACKY JUGENHEIMER

A

fter 26 years of officiating at meets as a starter—some at the highest levels domestically and internationally—USA Swimming put my name forward to be considered by FINA for the Tokyo Olympics. If selected, I would become the “World Starter” for the Games, which would be the starter for all of the men’s events.

Officials from all over the world are selected for the Olympics, but only one starter. The selected women’s starter is someone from the host country, so it totally boggles my mind that I was chosen as the men’s starter!

After being delayed a year due to the pandemic, the Games were scheduled to be held under stringent COVID restrictions determined by the host country of Japan. Officials were kept in quarantine for the entire time, allowing only for travel to the venue and back to the hotel.

The venue was amazing, but stark reminders were everywhere that this would not be a normal Olympic Games: No one in the stands, no fans, no energy from thousands of spectators. The officials would be some of the only people to personally witness the feats of these incredibly talented athletes. I feel so privileged to have been a part of their journey and would like to think that I helped them to achieve what they accomplished.

A good start is paramount to an awesome race. The swimmers were completely focused when on the blocks, showing us how important their time on this stage was, and they did not want to push the envelope and possibly false-start.

My takeaway from this meet is seeing how resilient these swimmers were despite all the craziness of COVID. Also, the Tokyo citizens were extremely kind and helpful, all the while letting their national pride shine through.v

Jacqueline (Jacky) Jugenheimer of Wisconsin Swimming is a dedicated volunteer, a tenacious advocate for athletes and fairness, and is a mentor to her peers. For a long time, Wisconsin had been the only LSC to have a combined deck referee and starter certification. After noticing that both positions were not performing as well as they could, she gathered national data to present to the officials committee, which eventually split the two certifications and developed a transition plan for people currently certified.

Allowing officials to focus and learn each position separately has improved consistency for athletes and officials. Jacky continues to gain experience by traveling to other LSCs and by participating in the mentoring program. Not only does she work in pool competitions, but she is frequently helping at open water meets as well. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, she has continued to educate and recruit returning and new officials. In addition to her role in officiating, she remains a voice of reason for Wisconsin Swimming.

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VOICE FOR THE SPORT

THANK YOU

BY JOHN LOHN

I

’ve been covering this sport for 20-plus years, most of that time for Swimming World.

It’s been a pleasure, and I feel beyond fortunate to have attended four Olympic Games, multiple editions of the World Championships and numerous events at the national level. Not sure what the future holds, but I am excited to find out.

Truthfully, it has been an unlikely marriage.

I don’t come from a swimming background. Played a bunch of other sports in my younger years, and while my best friend competed for Suburban Swim Center in the Philadelphia area, my pool exposure was largely limited to backyards and hotels.

Sometimes, though, certain doors open, and you don’t know what is on the other side unless you walk through.

Growing up, I knew what I wanted to do for a career. Sports journalism called my name at a young age, and as I started college at La Salle University, I was given the chance to write for a local newspaper, the Delaware County Daily Times. Eventually, I was assigned a winter sports beat. Probably not hard to figure out which one, right?

As I walked into Upper Darby High School to cover my first swim meet, I had no clue what to expect. Heck, I wore a sweater, which didn’t mesh well with the 80-degree temperature inside the natatorium. Times meant nothing to me. I didn’t know if the pool was measured in yards or meters. Oh, yes, there was much to learn.

When the last individual event of the meet was contested, even a novice like myself could figure out someone special was in the pool. That day in the late 1990s, Brendan Hansen touched first in the 100 yard breaststroke while representing Haverford High.

His closest pursuer was about 15 yards back. In a matter of 57 seconds, I realized something: “John, you better learn quick.”

Of course, Brendan went on to deliver a Hall of Fame career, flourishing as a collegiate star at the University of Texas, as a six-time Olympic medalist and as a leader for Team USA. Indeed, I did all I could to learn about the sport. I relied on coaches, most notably Tom Robinson of Radnor High School, officials and parents to educate me. Fairly quickly, I started to know my stuff. Times had meaning. And with Hansen starring, I pitched a feature on him to Swimming World. Initially rejected, I inquired again a few months later, and was given the chance to craft a feature about Hansen and several other rising breaststrokers, including Ed Moses and Kyle Salyards. The work was deemed quality enough for Editor Phil Whitten to continue to hand me assignments, and the rest—as they say—is history.

There is no doubt which moment is my favorite from my time covering this sport.

Seeing Michael Phelps win his eighth gold medal inside the Water Cube at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing is something I will never forget. And watching Katie Ledecky define herself as the greatest female swimmer in history has been memorable, too.

Yet, through a wider lens, being involved in the sport has provided a deep appreciation for the athletes. The sacrifices made—from early-morning wakeups to missing out on social engagements—speak to the discipline and dedication of swimmers. Predominantly, swimmers are excellent students, pushing themselves as hard in the classroom as they do in the water. And most of the time, swimmers are high-character individuals, polite and supportive.

When I look back at how I came to establish a meaningful relationship with this amazing sport, “lucky” is the first word that comes to mind. It may be cliché, but I was certainly in the right place at the right time. Now, a little more than 20 years later, allow me to address the athletes, coaches, parents, officials, fans, meet organizers and support staff I have encountered with two simple words: Thank you.v

PUBLISHING, CIRCULATION AND ACCOUNTING

www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com Publisher, CEO - Brent T. Rutemiller BrentR@SwimmingWorld.com Editor-in-Chief - John Lohn Lohn@SwimmingWorld.com Operations Manager - Laurie Marchwinski LaurieM@ishof.org Production Editor - Taylor Brien TaylorB@SwimmingWorld.com Circulation/Membership - Lauren Serowik Lauren@ishof.org Accounting - Marcia Meiners Marcia@ishof.org EDITORIAL, PRODUCTION, ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING OFFICE

One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 Toll Free: 800.511.3029 Phone: 954.462.6536 www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION

Editorial@SwimmingWorld.com Senior Editor - Bob Ingram BobI@SwimmingWorld.com Managing Editor - Dan D’Addona DanD@SwimmingWorld.com Design Director - Joseph Johnson JoeJ@SwimmingWorld.com Historian - Bruce Wigo Staff Writers - Michael J. Stott, David Rieder, Shoshanna Rutemiller, Matthew De George, Michael Randazzo, Taylor Brien Fitness Trainer - J.R. Rosania Chief Photographer - Peter H. Bick SwimmingWorldMagazine.com WebMaster: WebMaster@SwimmingWorld.com ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND MERCHANDISING

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Americas: Matthew De George (USA) Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN) Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Liz Byrnes (GBR), Camillo Cametti (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR) Japan: Hideki Mochizuki Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR) South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA) South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG) PHOTOGRAPHERS/SWTV

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INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

DID YOU

KNOW ABOUT “DO YOU KNOW THAT....”?

BY BRUCE WIGO ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

P

rior to the ability of newspapers to publish photographs, reporters relied upon artists to illustrate their stories. The advances in printing made most news illustrators search for other lines of work, but a few found a rebirth in the sports sections.

Rather than attending sporting events as visual reporters, they drew upon their imaginations and knowledge of personalities to create amusing caricatures of prominent sportsmen and women of the day. Their works were reflective of an era when the sports section was all about fun and games.

One of these sports reporters/illustrators was LeRoy “Robert” Ripley.

But in 1918, he came up with another idea that launched his “Believe It or Not!” empire that we know today.

Ripley’s cartoons spawned many imitators, and in the 1930s, there was one that focused entirely on swimming. Under the appellation of “Do You Know that...,” artist E.T. Elmo created a fun page for Indera Mills, a swimwear manufacturer and early competitor of Jantzen (years before Speedo came to America) that regularly appeared in Beach & Pool.

Although the magazine covered competitive swimming, it was targeted more toward the businesses that catered to the recreational side of swimming. Elmo’s amusing illustrations ran in the magazine for over a decade.v Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.

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THE INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME IS LOOKING FOR 1,OOO SPECIAL MEMBERS IN THE AQUATICS COMMUNITY

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Commit $10, $25, or $50 a month, or make a one-time donation.

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Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year

BY DAN D’ADDONA

A

na Marcela Cunha continues to be the world’s most dominant woman in open water, capturing Swimming World’s Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year title in 2019 and 2021. (Because of the COVID pandemic, the award was not presented in 2020.)

In the biggest race of the past five years, the Brazilian star was at her best at this past summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, surging to the 10K open water gold medal.

Twenty-five women qualified for the race, which began at Odaiba Marine Park.

She didn’t lead from the outset. In fact, she didn’t even lead for most of the course. It was Ashley Twichell who set the pace and led for most of the race, but Cunha swam right with the American.

Germany’s Leonie Beck went into the top group on Lap 6 of the seven-lap course, but once Cunha got back in front early in the final lap, she never surrendered the lead.

But it wasn’t as simple as all of that.

As Cunha tried to break away late in the race, two swimmers managed to stay close: the Netherlands’ Sharon van Rouwendaal and Australia’s Kareena Lee. Van Rouwendaal, the defending gold medalist from the 2016 Olympics in Rio, had a similar race strategy as Cunha and used a late surge to earn the silver medal in Tokyo.

In fact, after nearly two hours of swimming, Cunha was able to maintain her body-length lead over van Rouwendaal, getting to the touchpad just 9-tenths ahead of her Dutch rival, 1:59:30.8 to 1:59:31.7—and only 1.7 seconds ahead of Lee at 1:59:32.5.

The gold was Cunha’s first-ever Olympic medal and the second12

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ever medal for Brazil in open water, as Poliana Okimoto took bronze at Rio. “This is my third Olympic Games,” Cunha said after the race.

“In 2008, I had no chance, in 2012 I didn’t qualify, and Rio 2016 was not the result we expected.

“We arrived here in Tokyo wanting—as much as you can—this medal, and around 10 days (before the race), I said to my coach that for my opponents to win this race, it will be very difficult because I want it so hard, so much...and I’m really well-prepared.”

Still, van Rouwendaal finished right with Cunha. “I think I did the best race possible,” van Rouwendaal said. “I was one of the favorites here, and that’s really, really hard in open water because everybody’s looking at you, and every round I couldn’t come up a little bit more in the front.

“I had to be smart, and I didn’t want to swim in front because as the favorite, people would maybe pull me back, so I tried to stay second and third. Then I saw Ana and thought it would be best to let her stay in front, then maybe I could come back and win...but it got really hard.”

And Cunha was able to take the torch from van Rouwendaal as the Olympic gold medalist. Her performance was the culmination of a strong week and Olympic quadrennial—or quinquennial in this case.

In addition to her Olympic gold medal, Cunha also won the FINA/CNSG Marathon Swim World Series last March in Doha. Taking place in the Qatari capital, the event was the first international marathon race for more than a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brazilian touched first in 2:01:30.30, ahead of Oceane Cassignol of France (2:01:30.80) and German swimmer Lea Boy (2:01:31.90). v

[ Photo Courtesy: Kareem Elgazzar / USA Today Sports ]

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[ Photo Courtesy: Kareem Elgazzar / USA Today Sports ]

Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year

BY DAVID RIEDER

I

n 2019, Florian Wellbrock was the world’s premier distance swimmer both in the pool and in open water. The German was actually competing in open water for the first time at the World Championships, and he emerged with a gold medal in the 10K race, edging out France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier by just 2-tenths to capture the world title. A week-and-a-half later, Wellbrock outdueled rivals Mykhailo Romanchuk and Gregorio Paltrinieri to win the world title in the 1500 freestyle. He set himself up to head to the Tokyo Olympics as a favorite in both events after finishing just 32nd in the 1500 at his first Games in Rio. But Wellbrock’s Olympics did not get off to the best start in his first event, the 800 freestyle. It was no surprise to see Wellbrock battling Romanchuk and Paltrinieri for the majority of the race, and Wellbrock took over the lead with 50 meters to go. But on the last length, American Bobby Finke stormed from a second-and-a-half back to steal away the gold medal. At the same time, both Paltrinieri and Romanchuk passed Wellbrock, so he was denied a chance to win his first Olympic medal.

Three days later, Wellbrock swam in the 1500 free Olympic final, and he led for most of the race. With only 50 meters to go, the margin was 7-tenths over Romanchuk and Finke. But then, Finke went crazy once again and sprinted ahead of the field to win gold— and Romanchuk, too, turned on the afterburners. Wellbrock hung on to win bronze, but it was a rough end to his week in the pool.

But Wellbrock still had to race in the open water 10K, and this time, he finished. Wellbrock went out hard and held the lead for most of the race, only briefly surrendering the lead to France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier. A pack of about six swimmers were close heading into the last of seven laps of the course, but Wellbrock just

annihilated the field at that point and pulled away to win gold—by an incredible 25 seconds!

And for that accomplishment, winning gold in the single most important race in open water swimming every four-year cycle, Wellbrock wins the honor of Swimming World’s Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year.

After the Olympic race, Wellbrock claimed that his biggest obstacle was not any of the other 25 swimmers in the race, but rather the extremely warm temperatures in Tokyo Bay. The event was conducted in water around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The first 7 kilometers was really easy,” Wellbrock said. “The water wasn’t really warm, so then I keep up the pace, and the last leg was horrible. The temperature today was the biggest competitor.

I beat it, and I beat everything in this race.”

Even after leading for so long and having no others to draft off, Wellbrock had kept his stroke so smooth and efficient that he was able to shift his tempo and his kick into another gear down the final 1,000 meters. And after touching the pad first, Wellbrock needed a few moments to process all the emotions.

“I need five minutes to realize what happened today. Crazy.

Really,” he said.

With the win, Wellbrock became just the third male swimmer to earn Olympic medals in both the pool and open water following his 1500 free bronze five days earlier. When Paltrinieri touched for bronze, he became the fourth man on the list, with his 800 free silver from Tokyo and his 1500 free gold from the 2016 Games. The other two are Great Britain’s David Davies, who took bronze in the 1500 free in 2004 and then silver in the 10K in 2008, and Tunisia’s Ous Mellouli, the 1500 free Olympic gold medalist in 2008 and then the 10K gold medalist and 1500 free bronze medalist in 2012.

Wellbrock also became the second German to win a medal in the 10K, being held in the Olympics for just the fourth time after making its debut at the 2012 London Games, but he was the first to win gold. Previously, Thomas Lurz won bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012. v NOVEMBER 2021

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A LT H O U G H T H E TO KYO O LY M P I C G A M E S C O M M A N D E D T H E S P OT L I G H T I N 2 0 2 1 , T H E R E W E R E M A N Y OT H E R O P E N W AT E R HIGHLIGHTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

BY DAN D’ADDONA

>> James Savage swims across Lake Tahoe

ELIZABETH BEISEL MAKES HISTORIC SWIM, RAISES $130K Olympic swimmer Elizabeth Beisel became the first woman to swim to Block Island, a 10.4mile trip off the coast of Rhode Island. The Block Cancer swim, done in memory of her late father, raised more than $130,000 for cancer research and awareness via a partnership with Swim Across America.

Beisel’s swim lasted five hours, 19 minutes, departing from Matunuck Beach just after 6 a.m. on Sept. 26. She was greeted on the island by her mother, Joannie, and brother, Danny. A group of supporters also awaited her at Ballad’s Beach Resort.

“I felt amazing the first three hours,” Beisel told the Providence Journal. “I was like, ‘Ah, this is cake.’ Then the current started to pick up. The swell started to pick up. There was a bit of a (riptide) coming into Block Island, and that’s kind of when I started to get discouraged.”

The 29-year-old Beisel, who had never participated in an openwater race before, is a native of Rhode Island. She won a silver medal in the women’s 400 IM and a bronze in the 200 backstroke at the 2012 London Olympics. The former University of Florida standout also swam at the 2008 and 2016 Olympics.

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Beisel’s father, Ted Beisel, died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer. After her work commentating on the Tokyo Olympics for NBC, Elizabeth Beisel turned her attention to the Block Island swim.

“I just wish my dad was here, honestly,” Beisel said. “I know that he’s here in spirit. Everybody who has fought cancer and who’s beat cancer—this is for them.”

>> Alligator Lighthouse BROOKE BENNETT WINS ALLIGATOR LIGHTHOUSE SWIM More than 460 national and international participants competed in clear ocean waters off the Florida Keys, Sept. 11, during the

[ Photo Courtesy: Bob Care/Florida Keys News Bureau/HO ]

[ Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Beisel / Instagram]

[ Photo Courtesy: Jillian Savage]

women’s race with times of 1:57:05.80 to 1:57:08.30. A pair of Italians dueled for bronze, with Giulia Gabbrielleschi, 1:57:13.00, winning by 2-hundredths over Ginevra Taddeucci.

ERICA SULLIVAN, DAVID HERON WIN 10K OPEN WATER NATIONAL TITLES Erica Sullivan (Sandpipers of Nevada) and David Heron (Mission Viejo) took the 2021 USA Swimming Women’s and Men’s 10K open water national titles, April 16, in Fort Myers, Fla. Sullivan, 20, a University of Texas commit, led the women’s race from start to finish, winning in 2 hours, 2 minutes, 43 seconds. >> Erica Sullivan Teammate Katie Grimes, 15—the youngest American Olympic swimmer since Amanda Beard (14) in 1996 and who finished fourth in the 800 free in Tokyo—took the 18-and-under national title with her 2:05:25 fourth-place showing at nationals.

Heron, 26, held off 20-year-old Brennan Gravley in the men’s race by one second, winning in 2:05:24.

JAMES SAVAGE, 14, YOUNGEST TO COMPLETE LAKE TAHOE TRIPLE CROWN On Aug. 1, 14-year-old James Savage of Los Banos in northern California became the youngest person to swim the entire length of Lake Tahoe—a distance of 21.3 miles.

Savage, who completed the crossing in about 12 hours, has now successfully swum all three distances of the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown: the length, the width and Vikingsholm, which transverses the southern portion of the lake, known for its pine tree-lined beaches and ski resorts. Each swim is more than 10 miles.

“I had no doubts whatsoever,” mother Jillian Savage told the Tahoe Daily Tribune after her son’s most recent accomplishment.

“He’s been swimming almost every day—six, seven days a week— since he was 8. With open water, it’s just what he does. But mentally, even though it takes a whole bunch of us to make the swim possible, he’s really out there by himself.”

Savage swam the width of the lake last year at age 13, also becoming the youngest to do so. And at age 8, he swam in the San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco, achieving his very first open water goal!

GERMAN DUO SWEEPS LEN OPEN WATER CUP The German duo of Florian Wellbrock and Jeanette Spiwoks won the men’s and women’s titles at Leg 3 of the LEN Open Water Cup Series, Sept. 27, in Barcelona. The field featured four of the six medalists from the 10K race at the Tokyo Olympics.

Wellbrock, fresh off his gold medal performance in Tokyo, covered the course in one hour, 48 minutes, 20.10 seconds, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of Italy’s Domenico Acarenza.

As he did in Tokyo, Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri captured bronze, 7.7 seconds behind the pace of Wellbrock, but just ahead of Olympic silver medalist Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary.

France’s Marc-Antoine Olivier, who won Leg 1 of the Series in Ohrid, North Macedonia, Aug. 14, finished 10th.

Spiwoks and Lea Boy made it a German 1-2 finish in the

[ Photo Courtesy: Kingdom Games]

[ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick]

Swim for Alligator Lighthouse, an 8-mile open water challenge.

Tampa Bay, Fla., resident Connor Signorin, 29, emerged from the Atlantic Ocean as the top individual swimmer with a time of 3 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds. The top female finisher was Olympic champion Brooke Bennett, 41, of Clearwater, Fla., who completed the race in 3:19:20. The distance star captured three Olympic gold medals during her career, with titles in the 800 freestyle in 1996 and 2000 plus a gold in the 400 free in 2000.

>> James Penrose JAMES PENROSE COMPLETES TRIPLE CROSSING OF LAKE WILLOUGHBY IN VERMONT At 69, Great Britain’s James Penrose, who now lives in Paris, France, completed a triple crossing of Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vt., Sept. 1, becoming the oldest swimmer to do so— and just the third swimmer ever, joining Charlotte Brynn in 2017 and Greg O’Connor (four-way crossing) in August.

Penrose completed the 15-mile swim, organized by the Kingdom Games and ratified by the Northeast Kingdom Open Water Swimming Association, in nine hours, 30 minutes.

Water temperatures ranged from 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit with air temps in the mid-60s.

OLYMPIAN NIDA ELIZ USTUNDAG WINS 2021 BOSPHORUS CROSS-CONTINENTAL RACE Turkey’s Nida Eliz Ustundag, a 2016 Olympian, and Polat Uzer Tunali were the women’s and men’s winners at the 33rd annual Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, Aug. 21.

The event, which has taken place annually since 1989, is sponsored by Samsung and organized by the Turkish Olympic Committee. The race is 6.5 kilometers from Kanlica on the Asian side of Istanbul to Kurucesme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side.

Ustundag, who placed 22nd in the women’s 200 butterfly (2:10.02) in Rio, finished the course in 40 minutes, 55 seconds, while Tunali won with a time of 38:22.

This year, the race attracted 2,465 athletes from 55 countries, although no spectators were permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Both numbers were far more than the 2020 race, which drew 1,765 swimmers from 34 countries in October. v NOVEMBER 2021

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COACHING IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (Part 1) In the first of two articles, Swimming World explores how coaches and administrators coped with the recent unpleasantness of COVID-19.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

n the bleak midwinter of 2020, COVID-19 came calling in the United States. The world and competitive swimming as we know it ground to a halt. While aquatics and the global population are now regaining their footing, “Going forward, it’s going to be another weird year,” says SwimRVA’s (Richmond, Va.) executive director Adam Kennedy. “We didn’t come out of COVID. There’s no linear return to normal.”

On a macro scale, COVID created a litany of troublesome micro-operating issues for swimmers, coaches and administrators.

Pool availability, social distancing, masks, scheduling, design and execution of practices, design of season plans and competition were thrown into disarray.

Kennedy experienced COVID from an unusual perspective. As a former college coach and executive director at a facility with a growing age group team, active swim lesson program and popular meet site, he was keenly aware of the daily problems COVID posed.

SwimRVA controls its environment and, therefore, is beholden to fewer restrictions than many teams. “What if you are a club coach at a facility you don’t own, operate or make decisions about?” he asks. “You could be renting from a school district, city parks and rec or whatever. Whoever owns and operates the facility is going to be making decisions by which you will have to abide.”

One such club was Don Henshaw’s Gulf Coast Swim Team (Fort Myers, Fla.). It was locked out of its primary Florida Gulf Coast University site for almost a year and experienced severe restrictions on a Lee County parks-and-rec pool from May to September. “We did a lot of open water swimming in the Gulf of Mexico at Bonita Beach during the early days of the shutdown until they closed the beaches,” Henshaw says. “Once the beaches reopened, we went back into the gulf for more open water swimming until it got too hot in early June,” he says.

SO FAR APART

“Our biggest threat to how coaches coached was social distancing,” says Kennedy. “It altered the very fabric of practice, from practice size to positioning of swimmers and coaches and everything in between. Social distancing drastically affects how you write and coach a practice, what kind of sets you do, swimmer behavior in the water, number of lanes for distance, for sprints, etc.

What about station-based training—more, less?”

Masks were a close second. “Our coaches felt they couldn’t coach effectively wearing masks. “Two problems,” says Kennedy: “Audibility and feedback. Missing was the nuance brought by face-to-face interaction. They couldn’t communicate well or get feedback through expressions, tone, excitement, disappointment, and that created emotional/effectiveness roadblocks.

“What happened was coaches wore masks while walking to and fro, but when engaging an athlete—even if the mask was a requirement—they almost always pulled the mask down. In December when masks were prevalent, our staff was right on top of coaches saying, ‘You cannot do that.’ Coaches had to spend a lot of time policing mask-wearing, and they hated it. And as a facility, we 16

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[ Photo Courtesy: U.S. Naval Academy ]

I

>> At SwimRVA, executive director Adam Kennedy shared that the biggest threat to how coaches coached during COVID was social distancing. Masks were a close second, creating problems for audibility and feedback.

had a COVID officer that became a mask policeman. We even lost a coach over COVID protocols.”

STRUTTING YOUR STUFF

Kennedy admires the coaches that could design effective season plans in face of an uncertain competition environment. “Normally coaches will design season plans and daily practices around competition, right?” With the uncertainties regarding training environments, and especially meets, coaches were left wondering just where their athletes were going to get meet experience.

GCST ran a few intersquad meets, says Henshaw, and then expanded into doing small three-to-four-team meets. “We run a lot of meets so it was kind of nice giving everyone a break, but the loss of meet revenue affected us financially.”

As resident tenant, SwimRVA had more latitude than most teams. “We ran a lot of USA Swimming meets this year,” says Kennedy, “a U.S. Open in November, TYR Pro Series in January, three LSC championships, a Super Sectional in May, Eastern Zones, Futures and others. All of our meets hit their caps, “ he says, “and

we determined what that maximum allowable athlete cap was based on the rules of Virginia. We had demand for 1,100 swimmers for Futures and accepted 700. The problem was that if you wanted to come to Futures in 2021, you essentially had to qualify in 2019 because we hit our cap on July 5, 2021.”

COVID also had a different financial impact for teams that could not find competition in their home locations. “We had teams from Ohio and Connecticut come to our meets that normally attract central Virginia teams. Why? Because their jurisdictions didn’t allow competition. Metropolitan New York teams Badger and Westchester Aquatic Club came to a lot of our meets this year,” says Kennedy. “It’s not cheap to be traveling that much. You can’t get out of Richmond to the Northeast on Sunday night. That’s a hotel every Sunday.”

[ Photo Courtesy: Jen Seluk ]

GAINING TRACTION

>> Gulf Coast Swim Team was locked out of its primary Florida Gulf Coast University site for almost a year and experienced severe restrictions on a Lee County parks-and-rec pool from May to September. “We did a lot of open water swimming in the Gulf of Mexico at Bonita Beach during the early days of the shutdown until they closed the beaches,” says head coach Don Henshaw.

>> At Swim Atlanta, Chris Davis, the club’s co-founder, reopened practices in May 2020 with all the appropriate measures to ensure a safe working environment. The team has since evolved to a more normal pre-COVID schedule. “In essence, we are trending back to normalcy, but are not quite there yet,” he says.

COVID resurgence aside, coaches are trying hard to regain lost footing. Chris Davis, co-founder of Swim Atlanta (Ga.), reopened practices in May 2020. He recalls, “We initially did all the appropriate measures to ensure a safe working environment. All doors open, no need to touch anything. Two swimmers per lane, one at each end. Come dressed with no changing in the locker room.

Bathroom use only. No parents in the building. Wear a mask in and out, take it off upon entering the water. Coaches wore masks until the kids got in the water and then took them off to coach. Revised schedules to accommodate everyone. This meant many, many more hours on the deck for coaches,” he notes.

“Now, we have evolved to a more normal pre-COVID schedule.

Masks are still strongly encouraged but not mandated. Kids are still encouraged to come with suits on, but not mandated. Parents are asked to mask up, but are not asked to leave if they are not.

We are back to a dryland program but with limited numbers and outside whenever possible. So in essence, we are trending back to normalcy, but are not quite there yet,” he says.

With COVID likely to affect at least some training during the 2021-22 short course season, it is instructive to wonder how the pandemic affected coaches in other ways. “I think everyone had to adapt and try new things,” says Henshaw. “Scheduling was very tough, and we had to be creative with our groups.

“For dryland, we used a lot of VASA trainers at our San Carlos Pool during the pandemic, and when FGCU let us back in, we were not allowed to do any dryland on campus. We started back with our normal dryland program in May 2021—running, stairs, stretch cords and basic dryland work. Outdoor dryland in the afternoon is very challenging in Southwest Florida in the summer due to heat and thunderstorms,” he says.

As a traditional distance and IM-based team, GCST mostly did what they had done training-wise in the past, notes Henshaw. “We do balanced training based on time of season and cycles. I have a good group of coaches who know what has to be done to get kids going, and as a staff, we believe that good old-school hard work always pays off!”

While that approach works for GCST and others, it begs the larger question: “How willing are teams going to be to experiment with new training cycles?” v In next month’s Part 2, Swimming World takes an expanded look at club response and some of the challenges that lie ahead.

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer.

His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

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INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

AQUATOTS MURDER CASE:

THE KATHY TONGAY STORY PA R T T W O

BY BRUCE WIGO | PHOTOS BY I NTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

This is the second of a three-part story about “The Aquatots Murder Case” that first appeared in the October issue of Swimming World.

It is about Kathy Tongay, a little girl whose father, Russell, had been training her almost from birth to be an expert diver and swimmer.

When she died at the age of 5, her father was arrested for murdering his daughter.

K

athy Tongay and her older brother, Russell “Bubber” Tongay Jr., were known around the world as “The Aquatots” for their performances in water shows, their failed attempt to swim the English Channel and for starring in an Esther Williams film. Then on May 6, 1953, after a morning training session, Kathy went into convulsions and died en route to the hospital—just two weeks shy of her sixth birthday.

When police saw little Kathy’s body, they noticed there were multiple bruises over her chest, abdomen, both thighs and buttocks.

It appeared to officers that they were caused by “an extremely brutal beating,” so homicide detectives were called in to investigate.

After hearing of the girl’s death, a next door neighbor of Russell and Betty Tongay told investigators that—through the thin walls that separated their apartments—he heard Kathy cry out the night before she died: “Please don’t, Daddy.” Her cry, he said, was accompanied by sounds as if the child was being spanked or whipped.

Tongay and his wife both denied that he beat his daughter and insisted that the bruises were the result of “a bad dive.” But the police didn’t believe them, and he was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder for beating his daughter to death with “hands and fist.”

However, with no witnesses who actually saw Tongay hit his daughter in the days leading up to her death, prosecutors reduced the charges to manslaughter for causing his daughter’s death by “forcing (her) to execute and perform such dangerous and hazardous feats without regard to her safety and welfare.”

Upon the advice of his attorney, Louis Jepeway, Tongay refused to testify at the preliminary hearing. But at the conclusion of the state’s case, his wife, Betty, a first-grade school teacher, stood up and quietly asked to read a brief statement.

She said she wanted “everyone to know” that her husband was “a 18

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>> Publicity shot of Kathy Tongay and her brother, Bubber, taken shortly before her death

loving father and that together they had always had the best wishes of their children.” It “was possible,” she said, that “he might have been a strict teacher,” but that she was at all times present and “fully approved of everything he did.” She said that she wanted to make it clear that if her husband was subjected to any blame, she “was equally to blame.”

Jepeway got Tongay released on $1,000 bond, and as he left the courtroom, the attorney told reporters that the charges came as “an awful shock on top of losing their daughter.” He also told them that he was “a friend of the family” and had previously represented

Tongay in several other “unfortunate incidents” that had befallen him.

“UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS” The first such incident to come to light was in 1945, when the Tongay’s 18-month-old son, Russell “Rusty” Tongay Jr., had also died under suspicious circumstances.

Like Kathy, the baby had been admitted to the hospital bruised and suffering from convulsions. The father was arrested after Mrs. Tongay reportedly told police that her husband had “slapped the baby on both sides of the face and held his nose under water while trying to teach him how to float.”

At the coroner’s inquest, however, Mrs. Tongay categorically denied that she ever said that to doctors, and she swore that her husband “had a deep love for the baby and was always nice to him.” She claimed that the blue marks around the baby’s neck and face and his fractured skull were the result of a fall down a flight of stairs the night before.

The conflicting testimony led the coroner to conclude there was not enough evidence to send the case to the grand jury. The baby’s death was attributed to an accidental fall. Russell was released, and the Tongays would have two more children.

Another “unfortunate incident” occurred in November of 1949, two months after 3-1/2-year-old Bubber and Kathy, only 23 months, had made national headlines for swimming five miles in the Mississippi River.

Two women were stopped in their car at a red light in Miami. There was no air conditioning available in cars back then, so everyone’s windows were down. They heard a man in the next car yelling and saw him hit a little girl with his fist and throw her onto the floor of the car. When one of them yelled at him to stop, he cursed her and told her to mind her own business.

As the man sped off, the women noted the license >> Russell Tongay in Coast Guard uniform with his wife, Betty, at the inquest of their first son in 1945 plate number. Police traced the number to Russell (The Miami Herald, Oct. 16, 1945) Tongay, and he was arrested on a charge of “unlawful punishment of a child by excessive chastisement.”

Tongay’s Aquatots were never in greater demand. Bubber was “Thank goodness” began a letter to the editor of The Miami featured in a Ripley’s “Believe It or Not” cartoon as a 4-1/2-year-old News. “Mrs. Hargrett had the courage and sense of moral obligation able to swim 200 yards under water. Then came the announcement to report the disgraceful incident and his two tiny children. When that the Tots would star alongside Esther Williams in the film, Skirts I read last summer about his exhibiting his children by having Ahoy. Greater celebrity and stardom seemed assured until little them swim five miles in the Mississippi River, I wondered what Kathy died. manner of father could do such things to children only two and four years old.”

CASE GOES TO TRIAL At that trial, lawyer Jepeway successfully suppressed All of the pre-trial publicity made it difficult to impanel an “prejudicial” evidence about “Rusty.” From the witness box, Tongay impartial jury for the trial, but finally, a jury of six—including five denied it happened and claimed the women were lying and tied them fathers—was selected, and the prosecution opened its case before a to local church groups who believed he was exploiting his children. packed courtroom on Jan. 21, 1954.

While admitting that Tongay was a demanding parent, witnesses on Barred by the judge from presenting evidence of the prior his behalf said that he was also a kind, caring and responsible parent “unfortunate incidents,” the state opened its case with Paul of two truly remarkable and gifted children. The all-male jury of six McDonald, the swimming and diving instructor at the McFaddenvoted to acquit.

Deauville Hotel pool on Miami Beach. He testified that he saw Within days of his victory, Tongay slapped the two women Kathy training on the 33-foot (10-meter) tower at his pool in the accusers with a $100,000 lawsuit for “malicious prosecution.” He days leading up to her death, and he never saw her enter the water followed that with an announcement that the Miami Elks’ Club perfectly. One time, he said, “the impact when she struck the water sounded like a small firecracker.” would sponsor the Tots attempt to swim the English Channel the McDonald’s assistant was his wife, Marilan. She testified to next summer and that a portion of the proceeds from their exhibitions watching Tongay train Bubber and Kathy at the pool over a period would go to support Florida Elks’ Home for Crippled Children.

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KATHY TONGAY / Continued from 19

of four years. She said that she often saw Kathy crying as she was ascending the tower while telling her father that she didn’t want to dive, but when her father said, “Go,” she went.

Gustaf Peterson, a guest at the hotel, testified that earlier in the week, he saw her wait on top of the tower as long as five minutes before going off; that her brother would at times go up and spend the time with her before she went off; and that she would whimper at times as she was going to the tower.

Then, on the morning of the day Kathy died, he saw her execute two or three dives, and once “she surfaced, she let out a yell, Tongay jumped in the pool, and they both got out of the pool and left.” He was told the dives she was practicing were a back dive in the layout position with 1-1/2 twists and a forward 2-1/2 somersault.

Richard Kohler, lifeguard at a pool where Tongay took his kids for a second practice later that same day, testified that “her body was covered with golf-ballsize bruises.” He saw Kathy put on her suit, but after he saw her vomit, he had her lay on a lounge chair and not go in the water while he trained Bubber. When Bubber was done, they left.

Peter Desjardins, a two-time Olympian and gold medalist in both springboard and tower diving at the 1928 Olympic Games, was then called as an expert witness. At the age of 46, he was still possibly the best show diver in the world. When asked if Russell Tongay was qualified to teach advanced dives to anyone, let alone his 5-year-old daughter, Desjardins angrily declared that “if Tongay had been qualified, he would not have let that child go up on that tower.”

That elicited an outburst of cheers and applause from the spectators in the packed courtroom. The judge hastily reprimanded the audience. “This is not a picture show,” he said, and he told the bailiff that if there was any further demonstrations to arrest all who took part.

Earl Clark was next to take the stand. Earl had been known as the “King of Platform Diving” during his years at Ohio State and had won 12 AAU national diving titles before turning professional in 1942. He testified that Kathy would have been traveling at 30 to 35 miles an hour when she hit the water.

In answer to a hypothetical question as to whether or not a child of Kathy’s age, although considered an excellent diver, would have the necessary physical strength and muscular coordination to execute advanced dives from a 33-foot height, he answered that she would not because her body development was insufficient to withstand the shock of repeatedly striking the water at that height.

Jepeway’s defense offered little substantive or convincing evidence to counter the state’s charge. Several of Tongay’s friends were called to attest that he was a good parent and deny that he mistreated his daughter. To counter the testimony of Desjardins and Clark about Kathy’s capabilities and her father’s expertise, Jepeway called his own “experts”: two local hotel pool lifeguards.

Tongay’s wife, Betty, tearfully defended her husband, and over objections from the state, claimed for the first time that Kathy’s bruises were the result of a tricycle accident the day before she died.

Tongay did not take the stand, and Jepeway closed unconvincingly. << PICTURED : The 10-meter tower at the McFadden-Deauville Hotel pool (TOP), A Spanish-language poster for the film, Skirts Ahoy, featuring the Aquatots (BOTTOM)

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>> The state’s case rested on the expert testimony of Hall of Fame divers (from left) Earl Clark and Pete Desjardins.

Then it was the state’s turn.

But just as the prosecutor began his scathing denunciation of Tongay, he was interrupted by a commotion in the back of the courtroom. The door had opened, and 8-year-old Bubber Tongay was pushing his way through the crowd and found his way to the defense table, where he sat on his father’s lap.

A stunned judge shouted to Jepeway: “We will try this case on its merits! And we’ll have no attempts to work on sympathy.”

It was a chaotic scene with Jepeway protesting his ignorance at the grandstanding theatrics as the judge was ordering the boy to be removed from the courtroom.

When order was restored, the prosecutor continued. He >> Russell (left) and Betty (right) Tongay huddle up with their attorney, Louis Jepeway (center), before the final verdict was announced. pictured Tongay as an “irrational ( The Miami Herald ) and inhuman” taskmaster. No father in the history of the immediately announced their plan to appeal, as the decision was world, he said, ever forced his daughter to perform such feats as without precedent in American court records—for it involved a making her dive repeatedly from the McFadden-Deauville tower. father forcing his child to take an action that exposed her to death, “That little girl never had a chance,” he said. “She made one and if the ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court, it would establish faulty dive after another, and at last the law of averages caught up grounds for many future prosecutions. v with her and Russell Tongay.”

Next month in the final episode: Tongay’s appeal, what happened to Bubber, and the impact the case had on age group sports in THE VERDICT America.

It took the all-male jury less than an hour to reach a decision: “Guilty!” And Russell Tongay was sentenced to “10 years hard Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming labor.”

Tongay and his wife appeared stunned by the verdict and Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.

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PERHAPS OVERLOOKED...

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN How could they be forgotten? Or overlooked? It doesn’t make sense, not with their credentials and the success they managed during their illustrious careers. Yet, there is a routine state in sports for some athletes—as elite as they might have been—to find themselves overshadowed by the exploits of others... or victims of the passage of time.

Don’t be mistaken. Diehard fans are going to know these names, and they might be able to specifically identify their achievements. Even a wellversed follower of the sport, though, might not have the appropriate acknowledgment for where these individuals rank on a historical basis.

As the Bible of the Sport, Swimming World places significant emphasis on history, and providing its readership with an appreciation for those who paved the way for the current generation of stars. So, as we creep closer to signing off on this Olympic year, we offer a look at six athletes—all members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame—who hold a special place in history, even if they are not always at the forefront of the mind.

DUKE KAHANAMOKU, UNITED STATES

Guys like Hungary’s Alfred Hajos, American Charlie Daniels and Great Britain’s Henry Taylor came before him, but Duke Kahanamoku can be considered the first global star of swimming.

The Hawaiian-born sprinter captured back-to-back Olympic titles in the 100 meter freestyle, but with a caveat. His crowns arrived in 1912 and 1920, the 1916 Games wiped out by World War I. Had international conflict not emerged, Kahanamoku would have been the overwhelming favorite for the 100 free title in 1916 and could have been the first swimmer to win an event at three consecutive Olympiads. Instead, a three-peat was not registered until 1964, when Australian Dawn Fraser won her third straight gold medal in the 100 freestyle.

For good measure, Kahanamoku secured a silver medal in his prime event at the 1924 Olympics, where Johnny Weissmuller 22

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[ Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame ]

BY JOHN LOHN

>> In his biography of Duke Kahanamoku, David Davis writes, “Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz splashed into the pool, Duke Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America’s first superstar swimmer. The original ‘human fish’ won Olympic gold medals, set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade

captured gold and became swimming’s headliner. Really, it was the emergence of Weissmuller that largely left Kahanamoku as a secondary figure of the sport’s early days. The positive for Kahanamoku is the fact that he excelled in a second sport and was known worldwide as the Father of Surfing.

“Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz splashed into the pool, Duke Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America’s first superstar swimmer,” wrote David Davis in his biography of Kahanamoku, Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku. “The original ‘human fish’ won Olympic gold medals, set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade.”

MURRAY ROSE, AUSTRALIA

To Australians, who revere their distance stars, Murray Rose is a household name that is adored. But Rose, especially on the global scale and to the non-hardcore fan, is one of those athletes who doesn’t receive proper recognition. In part, that short stick can be connected to the rich tradition of distance swimming in the Land Down Under, and the more recent greatness—with enhanced media attention—of Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett.

At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, a 17-year-old enjoyed a breakout competition, as he won the 400 freestyle and

Which approach should we take when analyzing the career of Shirley Babashoff? Should we appreciate what she accomplished?

Or should we assess what could have been? Truthfully, a combination of those vantage points is what is necessary with Babashoff, who can be argued as the most-affected athlete by the East German systematic-doping program that was in operation from the early 1970s through the late 1980s.

As a nine-time Olympic medalist, with five of those medals from individual duty, Babashoff is an all-time great. She set multiple world records in freestyle events and was a hammer in relay action for the United States. Still, her hardware ledger could be much more, if not for the impact of performance-enhancing drugs by the East German machine.

At the 1976 Olympics, Babashoff was victimized in all three of her solo events, where she earned silver medals in the 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle. In all three races, an East German captured gold. Babashoff, too, was beaten for gold by doped-up East Germans at the World Championships.

To Babashoff’s credit, she spoke out against the super-fueled status of the opposition. She knew something was amiss and had the courage to vocalize her concerns. Sadly, Babashoff’s words were used against her, as she was dubbed “Surly Shirley” by the media and branded a sore loser. In reality, she was the opposite. At a time when administrators of the sport were afraid to investigate and act against what was a clear problem, Babashoff was a hero.

“We would like to get what we earned,” Babashoff has said.

“We were going for the medals, not the cash. We were amateurs.

We worked so hard. We earned it, and it was stolen right in front of everyone’s face—and no one did anything about it. It was like watching a bank robbery where they just let the crooks go and then say, ‘It’s OK.’”

TAMAS DARNYI, HUNGARY

The shadow of Michael Phelps is powerful, capable of darkening out even the brightest stars. When someone collects 28 medals in Olympic competition, as was the case with Phelps, the measure of greatness can be skewed. Consequently, what Hungarian Tamas Darnyi pulled off during his reign in the 1980s and early 1990s is not as respected as it should be.

Before Phelps came along, Darnyi was considered the finest individual medley performer of all-time, a man who flourished equally over 200 and 400 meters. While Phelps supplanted the Hungarian as Medley King, we must continue to revere a multistroke specialist who knew no peer.

At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Darnyi secured medley sweeps, victories that cemented his status as

[ Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame ]

SHIRLEY BABASHOFF, UNITED STATES

>> A world record setter in the 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle, Murray Rose defined distance swimming. Fellow Aussie swimmer John Konrads paid tribute to him after Rose’s 2012 death: “There’s Mark Spitz in the sprints and so on and Michael Phelps, but they’re short-distance swimmers in the professional era. I think taking into consideration the amateur era, Murray was the greatest of all.

[ Photo Courtesy: Lorraine Rorke]

1500 freestyle and was a member of the victorious 800 freestyle relay. At a time when Australia had experienced a dropoff from its previous success, Rose proved to be a spark for the future, and a rekindling of Aussie excellence.

Rose moved to the United States after the 1956 Games and enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he led the Trojans in NCAA action. In his next Olympic foray, at the 1960 Games in Rome, Rose repeated as champion in the 400 freestyle and was the silver medalist in the 1500 free, defeated by fellow Aussie John Konrads. A world record setter in the 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle, Rose defined distance swimming.

“Murray Rose was certainly one of the greatest of all-time,” Konrads said after Rose’s 2012 death. “There’s Mark Spitz in the sprints and so on and Michael Phelps, but they’re short-distance swimmers in the professional era. I think taking into consideration the amateur era, Murray was the greatest of all-time.”

>> Shirley Babashoff swam during a time when administrators of the sport were afraid to investigate and act against what was a clear problem: East German systematic-doping program that was in operation from the early 1970s through the late 1980s. “We would like to get what we earned,” she said, “(but) it was stolen right in front of everyone’s face—and no one did anything about it.”

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[ Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame ]

OVERLOOKED / Continued from 23

[ Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame ]

>> Before Michael Phelps came along, Hungary’s Tamas Darnyi was considered the finest individual medley performer of all-time. During his reign in the 1980s and early 1990s, the Medley King was the first man to crack two minutes in the 200 IM, and his 4:12.36 world record in the 400 IM, posted 30 years ago, would still be competitive today.

[ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick]

>> From the late 1990s into the mid-2000s, Ukraine’s Yana Klochkova won 55 international medals. In 2004, she became the first woman to win consecutive pairs of Olympic gold medals in the same events (200-400 IM).

She also earned an Olympic silver medal in the 800 freestyle (2000) and was a four-time world champion.

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the premier all-around swimmer in the world. Those doubles were not limited to the Olympics, as Darnyi also swept the medley events at the 1986 and 1991 editions of the World Championships. The Hall of Famer also earned a bronze in the 200 butterfly at the 1991 World Champs and was a European champion in that event.

Darnyi was the first man to crack the two-minute barrier in the 200 individual medley, and his world record time of 4:12.36 in the 400 medley, posted 30 years ago, would be competitive in today’s international waters.

YANA KLOCKHOVA, UKRAINE

With 55 medals from major international competition, Yana Klochkova was a tour de force in the pool from the late 1990s into the mid-2000s. It was in the individual medley events, however, where she excelled greatest and rose to another level.

At the 2000 Olympics, Klochkova swept the medley disciplines.

In addition to capturing gold in the 200 IM by nearly two seconds, Klochkova set a world record in the 400 medley by more than two seconds. As evidence of her versatility and endurance, she also picked up a silver medal in the 800 freestyle.

Four years later, at the 2004 Games in Athens, Klochkova defended both of her crowns. Repeating as Olympic champion is never an easy feat, largely due to the target worn and the difficulty of maintaining peak hunger, but Klochkova fended off all challenges to enhance her legacy. Nonetheless, she remains underappreciated, perhaps due to the lower profile of her homeland. If Klochkova hailed from the United States or Australia, her star power would have been magnified.

Beyond the Olympic realm, Klochkova was a four-time world champion, including once in the 400 freestyle, and was a World University Games champion in the 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly.

KIRSTY COVENTRY, ZIMBABWE

The most recently active athlete on our list is Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe. A seven-time Olympic medalist, Coventry might come from a nation that does not have a spectacular track record in the sport, but she proved that anything is possible. And isn’t influence a major factor when we discuss legends of the sport?

Each of Coventry’s Olympic medals is of the individual variety, and the same can be said for the eight medals she won at the World Championships. A product of Auburn University, Coventry walked away from the 2004 Olympics in Athens with a gold medal in the 200 backstroke, silver in the 100 backstroke and bronze in the 200 individual medley. For a woman from an African country, it was a dazzling performance.

Four years later, Coventry was even better and demonstrated a high level of perseverance. A contender for gold in each of her events, Coventry won silver medals in the 400 IM, 100 backstroke and 200 IM. Although her performances were sensational, Coventry wanted another gold medal. By the time the 200 backstroke was over, she had it, along with a world record.

Coventry was lauded as a sporting hero in her country, and she relished her ability to inspire.

“I’m proud that I was able to represent my country for so many years at such a high level—especially when Zimbabwe was going through hard times,” Coventry said, referencing political issues.

“Just because you might be from a landlocked country in Africa and didn’t have the same opportunities as some other people in first-world countries, it doesn’t matter as long as you keep pushing yourself and working hard.” v

<< Seven-time Olympic medalist Kirsty Coventry was lauded as a sporting hero in her country of Zimbabwe, and she relished her ability to inspire: “Just because you might be from a landlocked country in Africa and didn’t have the same opportunities as some other people in first-world countries, it doesn’t matter as long as you keep pushing yourself and working hard.”

CONTINUING TO MAKE AN

IMPACT Anthony Nesty’s accomplishments as a swimmer in the late 1980s and ’90s made him a national icon.

But decades after that, he is still making a huge impact on the sport from a different vantage point—as a coach.

BY DAVID RIEDER

E

[ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick]

ven as a teenager, Anthony Nesty was already the finest swimmer Suriname had ever produced. He was winning races around the Caribbean and in South Africa, and he had even qualified for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where he placed 21st in the 100 butterfly.

But Nesty knew that sports careers in Suriname were typically finished right around the time an athlete finished high school, so Nesty’s father decided that they should look to the United States to help Anthony take his career to the next level.

That led Nesty to the Bolles School, where he swam for Coach Gregg Troy.

Thinking back on his first experience in the U.S., Nesty remembered a moment during his senior year championship meet when >> This past summer, Anthony Nesty served as an assistant coach for the men’s U.S. Olympic team. he swam the 50 free and missed out on a Two of his University of Florida swimmers shined in Seoul: Bobby Finke won gold medals in the 800 victory. Nesty believed he should have won (American record) and 1500 freestyles, and Kieran Smith earned a bronze in the 400 free and became the race, and after he finished, he realized he the third-fastest American ever in the 200 after leading off the men’s 800 freestyle relay. needed to walk off by himself for a moment to collect himself. When he raced again in the 100 fly, he broke the national record. tough to get there. Getting there is one thing, and performing when “The resilience of an athlete screwing up one of his events you get there is another.” and coming back and putting that event aside and kicking that Nesty came through, and he won the first Olympic medal in any second event into another gear, I think that was one of the biggest sport for Suriname. In fact, he is still the only athlete from Suriname breakthroughs of my swimming,” Nesty said. to stand on an Olympic podium. He did so twice, as he returned to the Games four years later in Barcelona and picked up a bronze in A MIRACLE FINISH IN SEOUL the 100 fly, less than a tenth behind gold medalist Pablo Morales.

Nesty’s rise culminated at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, by which time he had enrolled at the University of Florida.

COACH NESTY He was already a gold medalist at the Pan American Games, an When Nesty graduated college, he quickly ended up back on the established swimmer at age 20. He qualified for the 100 fly Olympic pool deck as a coach. final, and after a slow start, he put himself in position to win a medal “I didn’t know what to do,” Nesty said of his career choice. “I with 25 meters to go. Coming down the stretch, Nesty was locked wanted to stay in the sport as best as I could, just to give back and in a battle with Australia’s Jon Sieben and Great Britain’s Andy help an athlete experience the same things that I went through. I just Jameson for silver as American Matt Biondi pulled away. Even with wanted to help kids get better.” five meters to go, Biondi still had a half-body length lead.

Nesty returned to Bolles to coach for a few years, and then he But then, in a miracle finish, Nesty got in ahead of the famed ended up as an assistant at Florida in the summer of 1998. One year American. Biondi glided to the wall and picked his head up while later, Troy was hired as the head coach of the combined women’s and Nesty took an extra stroke to help him finish on the right cycle. He men’s programs, and he retained his former swimmer on the Gators’ swam a time of 53.00, an Olympic record. He was a gold medalist. staff. During that time as Troy’s assistant and then as associate “I always felt I was capable of doing special things. I’m not head coach, Nesty helped coach the many legendary swimmers saying that to be cocky,” Nesty said. “The Olympics is the pinnacle who passed through the Florida program, including Ryan Lochte, Gemma Spofforth, Elizabeth Beisel, Caeleb Dressel and more. of our sport. Any athlete, that’s what they want to do. Obviously, it’s CONTINUED ON 26 >> NOVEMBER 2021

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25

Along the way, he refined his coaching philosophy and tactics. He followed Troy’s leadership, but also considered how he would manage a program should he ever have the opportunity. “Throughout the years, I’ve had a lot of notebooks, things to do and not to do,” Nesty said.

After the 2018 season, Troy announced his retirement from college coaching, and Nesty interviewed to replace him. “I went into the interview like I was swimming the 100 fly at the Olympics. I was prepared. I knew this was the job I wanted.”

At that point, Florida decided to split its women’s and men’s programs, and Nesty was named head coach of the Gator men.

Nesty’s coaching philosophy includes very specific ideas about the paces he wants swimmers to achieve in practice, and each practice complements the one before. “You miss one of those, you missed the boat,” he said.

In his first year, Florida won its seventh straight SEC title, and that streak has now reached nine. Despite graduating Dressel and fellow lights-out seniors Jan Switkowski and Mark Szaranek the season before Nesty took over, the Gators dropped only from fifth to sixth at the national championships in 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 meet, Florida improved to place third at the meet in 2021, an effort spearheaded by a pair of impressive juniors, Kieran Smith and Bobby Finke.

In 2021, Smith won the national title in the 200 free. He finished second in the 500 free (an event where he is the fastest swimmer in history) and sixth in the 100 free. Finke won national titles in the 400 IM and 1650 free, just missing his American record in that mile, and he was sixth in the 500 free.

[ Photo Courtesy: Tony Duffy, Allsport]

ANTHONY NESTY / Continued from 25

>> With five meters to go in the men’s 100 fly at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Matt Biondi had a half-body length lead. But while Biondi glided to the wall and picked his head up, Anthony Nesty took an extra stroke to help him finish on the right cycle and edge the American for gold by 1-hundredth of a second.

ON TO TOKYO Three months after that, both of those men qualified for the U.S. Olympic team, Smith as the winner of the 400 free and 200 free at Olympic Trials and Finke as the dominant swimmer in the 800 free and 1500 free. And Nesty would be there in Tokyo to watch and to guide his athletes. He had become a U.S. citizen in 2006, and for the first time, he served as an assistant coach on the U.S. staff for the Tokyo Olympics.

“I knew if they swam well at Trials, they would have a good shot of making it,” Nesty said. “Once they made the meet, now we’re thinking, ‘OK, can we get to the next level?’”

The early analysis of those four races was not pretty for the U.S. team. No American had won a World Championships medal in any freestyle event 400 meters or longer in either 2017 or 2019, and no American even qualified for the 200 free final at the 2019 World Championships. So Nesty created a training plan for Smith and Finke designed to help them visualize reaching the times they would need to win Olympic medals.

“Those two guys, in Hawaii (at training camp), they were smoking. Number one, they had a chip on their shoulder because everybody said, ‘Ugh, distance.’ But those guys knew that it only 26

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matters how you do at the swim meet,” Nesty said. “I told them, ‘You guys are the two most prepared guys on this team. Not only fitness-wise, pace-wise, but mentally, physically.’”

NESTY’S BOYS At the Olympics, Smith and Finke delivered their best performances. They outperformed even the most optimistic expectations. Smith qualified for the 400 free final, and as Nesty said, “The bigger the show, the bigger Kieran shows up.” He hung with the pack the entire race and closed hard to earn a bronze medal, swimming more than a second faster than he had at Olympic Trials.

Over the next few days, Smith finished sixth in the 200 free and then, leading off the U.S. men’s 800 free relay, he swam a 1:44.74 to become the third-fastest American ever in the event behind Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.

At that point, Smith was done for the meet, but Finke was just beginning. As he swam in the 800 free final, he was in fifth place most of the race before moving up to fourth at the final turn. At that point, his medal chances were extremely slim. But then, Finke pulled out one of the all-time great laps in swimming history, a 26.39 that brought him from 1.5 seconds behind to a gold medal.

“I think Bobby probably could have put the 800 away earlier if he wanted to. It would have been better for my heart,” Nesty said.

And even at the 750, Finke’s coach did not believe he could come

[ Photo Courtesy: International Swimming Hall of Fame]

>> When Anthony Nesty won the men’s 100 fly at Seoul in 1988, he became the first athlete to win an Olympic medal in any sport for Suriname. In fact, he is still the only athlete from his country to stand on an Olympic podium. He did so twice, as he returned to the Games four years later in Barcelona and picked up a bronze in the 100 fly. As he was then, he remains a national hero in Suriname.

back and win the race. “Of course not. But at the 775, it was game over.”

That finish produced one of the most special moments Nesty has experienced as a coach.

“I went up to Kieran, and Kieran was in tears. I went down to the deck, and of course, I was in tears, too. I saw Bobby, and he gave me a big hug, and you could tell he got choked up a little bit,” Nesty said. “It was a special moment for everybody, his family, the U.S., the University of Florida.”

Nesty added that it was definitely a “Gator day,” as Finke’s win fired up Dressel a little extra to add another gold medal in the 100 freestyle a few events later.

On the meet’s final day, Finke repeated his remarkable feat and picked up a second gold medal. He stuck a little closer to the leaders in the 1500 free, but he unleashed the same final surge—faster, actually, at 25.78—to capture a second gold medal.

A NEW ASSIGNMENT, ANOTHER CHALLENGE AND SPECULATION FOR THE FUTURE So Nesty left Tokyo and returned home to Gainesville, Fla. as one of the hottest names in coaching, and deservedly so. His fourth round at the helm of college swimming’s top programs would come with a new assignment, head coach of the Florida women. After women’s head coach Jeff Poppell departed for South Carolina, the women’s and men’s teams were recombined under Nesty’s leadership. That’s one new challenge for the 53-year-old coach to handle.

“I think the team is pretty good,” Nesty said. “We have a lot of talented athletes we need to develop. That’s what I’m expected to do, so I will do my best to get it going.”

Another challenge is the arrival of a new star to his training

group, three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky, considered the premier women’s distance swimmer ever. After five years swimming at Stanford, Ledecky was looking for a change as she pursues a fourth Olympics in 2024 in Paris. After observing Nesty and his swimmers at the U.S. training camp before the Tokyo Games, she decided upon Gainesville as her next stop.

What her presence offers the Florida program, Nesty says, is validity. He is excited to coach Ledecky, although he admitted that he might have to change his personal approach just a bit. “My focus is always a 10. Now, it’s a 10-plus!”

Now, with Nesty coaching Finke, Smith and Ledecky, plus overseeing a strong combined college program, there has understandably been speculation that he will be considered as the head coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic team in 2024. No doubt, Nesty is capable of handling such a role, and he certainly is deserving.

“An athlete wants to go to the Olympics. Any American coach wants to be on the staff of a U.S. Olympic team. Getting to be the head coach is like winning a gold medal. It’s the top job there is every four years,” Nesty said. “If the time comes and they ask me, of course I’ll think about it.”

Pause for one moment: This is the same man who, 33 years earlier, was the 20-year-old who came from way behind to win an Olympic gold medal for a country that had never produced an Olympic medalist in any sport.

Now, he is among the country’s greatest swim coaches, possibly in line for the top honor of any swim coach in the world’s top swimming nation. He remains a national hero in Suriname, and yet, his coaching accomplishments are close to eclipsing his incredible highlights as a swimmer. v NOVEMBER 2021

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BEFORE THE BEEP WITH DAVID CURTISS

BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER PHOTOS BY PETER H. BICK

T

hree-time U.S. national team member and 50 freestyle national high school record holder David Curtiss has achieved incredible feats, but has also faced disappointing losses. Curtiss became one of the fastest sprinters ever when he clocked an incredible 19.11 in the 50 yard free last March as the lead-off swimmer on Pennington School’s 200 freestyle relay.

After the high school senior’s performance, all eyes were focused on Curtiss at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. But he admits that he was out of his element in Omaha. It was his first time competing at Trials against the biggest names in the sport, and his mental game wasn’t on point.

Upon reflection, Curtiss felt that “Olympic Trials was not my meet. I didn’t perform to the standard I knew I could. It was great to experience the distinction of the people there and the cameras and lights. So in that aspect, it was successful because it helped me shake off the ‘newbie’ vibes.”

Still, the 18-year-old finished sixth in the 50 meter freestyle, which would seem to portend great things for the North Carolina State freshman. For now, he is taking things one step at a time and moving at a reasonable pace with the ultimate “end of the tunnel” being the Olympics.

Now 19, Curtiss took time to discuss his personal mental preparation with Swimming World. From the self-proclaimed “superstitious” pre-race day rituals to the need to keep his mind “blank,” Curtiss gives us some insight into the mind of a worldclass sprint phenom.

HOTEL Curtiss is a man of habit. Once he found the routine that worked for him to get centered and focused before a big race, he stuck with it.

“The night before (a big event), I have my superstitious rituals,” 28

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says Curtiss. “I eat the same meal, go to bed at the same time, indulge in a nice soap bath and listen to some music.”

His go-to meal is salmon with fries and broccoli from a nearby chain restaurant. He started eating this meal as a kid before his races, felt like it worked, and continued to do it. Bedtime is between 7 and 8 p.m. so he can prime his body with 12 hours of sleep. “(Sleeping) is more of a mental thing. I like knowing that sleep isn’t a problem going into the next day of racing. Four- or five-day meets take a toll on you mentally.”

Curtiss recognizes that the same routine helps him decompress and take his mind off the next day. Like so many swimmers, consistency means there is one less thing to worry about in an already highstress environment.

WARM-UP As with many swimmers, Curtiss’ warm-up style has evolved over the years. Different coaches have different recommendations, and many athletes merge the styles into their own perfected warm-up routine. The classic warm-up many young athletes adhere to is the tried-and-tested “two hours before your race.” While Curtiss used to do this type of warm-up, now he has his own unique way to prepare.

“I don’t really recommend my warm-up for other swimmers,” he says. “Basically, I do tons and tons of 25s. With this warm-up, I can focus on each individual lap or each individual stroke. Doing 25s gives me a way to reset with each lap and make sure every box is checked going into my race.”

Also unlike many other athletes, Curtiss wears his tech suit into warm-up. “I want to feel like I race. The best feeling in warm-up is slicing through the water effortlessly. It makes me smile and laugh when the water feels like air because that is when my mind realizes my body is ready.”

“Instead of thinking about my race, my main focus is to black out my mind and not think about anything. (When I swam my) 19.1 (for the national high school 50 yard freestyle record), I didn’t think about a single thing before or during the race. I let my body take over.”

READY ROOM Curtiss arrives 15 minutes before the actual call to the ready room.

Like many athletes, he listens to music in the ready room, but unlike many athletes, music isn’t just a 15-minute “hype” for Curtiss.

“Music is the biggest part of my athletic career. I listen to music 90% of the day,” he says. The young athlete has a 450-song playlist consisting of all his favorite songs from all genres (except country), with five or six songs in the mix that he can listen to repeatedly.

That consistency once again helps him get into the right headspace to dominate in the pool.

“Instead of thinking about my race, my main focus is to black out my mind and not think about anything. (When I swam my) 19.1, I didn’t think about a single thing before or during the race. I let my body take over.”

swimmers can take their mind out of the race because they know they are prepared, then they are halfway there.

“I’ve been a victim of being shaky on the blocks, looking at others and thinking they’re so fast,” admits Curtiss. “I’ve swum against the best in the sport. But trusting in yourself helps you get to where you need to be.” v

BEHIND THE BLOCKS The “blackout” continues as Curtiss approaches the blocks. In an ideal situation, he will be able to keep everything out of his mind, to focus totally on how his body feels in the water. While some athletes like to raise their heart rate by jumping or doing other physical activity behind the blocks, Curtiss swims best when his heart rate is low going into the race. Of course, those ideal racing situations don’t always happen.

“At Olympic Trials, there were external factors and fears that were going through my head, so my heart rate was high,” reflects Curtiss.

“The best races are when I feel like I’m asleep without dreams, basically a complete blackout.”

Before his 19.11 50 yard freestyle in March, Curtiss was in what many people refer to as “the zone.” He admits that he doesn’t even remember what happened before or during the race. This mindset is especially important during his 50 freestyle, which goes by so fast, it’s sometimes hard for an average swimmer to remember what they are thinking!

“Most of my races, I don’t really remember because my mind is totally relaxed and focused,” says Curtiss. “When I think about my race, it should be just as blank as my mind when I’m in the ready room.”

That need to keep his mind blank goes hand-in-hand with the core of Curtiss’ mental training philosophy: trusting yourself. If NOVEMBER 2021

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NUTRITION

THE IMPORTANCE OF IRON:

LOW MEANS SLOW! [ Photo Courtesy: Ella Olsen / Pexels.com]

Iron is a mineral that directly impacts performance.

BY DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS

I

t’s improbable to always know if your physical condition and performance is at an optimal state. Some issues have unspoken outcomes. Your body’s system can be observed by blood testing to help achieve utmost results whether you’re training for a competition, pursuing an individual goal or improving general health.

One of the most common, but silent issues that can arise in swimmers is low ferritin levels.

What Is Ferritin?

Ferritin is a protein found principally in the liver, skeletal muscles, spleen and bones. It stores iron in these areas so your body can use it in the future. The preponderance of iron stored in your body is found in ferritin. Because of this, the ferritin test is the preferred measurement to determine the amount of iron in your body.

Why Is Iron So Important to Performance?

Iron is a trace mineral that has many important roles. The main ones for sports are getting enough oxygen to the lungs and into the muscles while also supplying oxygen for energy production! Less oxygen and energy production leads to slower times. So, it is a very big deal!

Signs of Low Iron/Ferritin Levels in Sports • Tired all the time even with proper sleep and calorie intake • Struggling during hard sets or repetitive hard practices • No energy left—brain wants to go faster, but the body doesn’t follow • Shortness of breath during the activity • Not recovering as quickly between sets or intense workouts • Decreased exercise performance • Increase heart rate during activity • Headaches • Dizziness • Anxiety • Depression • Hair loss • Weakness Why Is It Detrimental to Check Yearly at an Annual Physical or Health Check?

Iron/ferritin levels usually go down slowly. They might be OK this year, but if you see a downward trend in your lab values the next year, you can quickly make changes in your food intake to start to go upward again. The last thing you want is to start feeling tired and slow. If you get to that point, it takes supplementation, extreme focus on iron-rich foods and TIME to get it back up to ranges that are more ideal!

It Doesn’t Discriminate The prevalence of low iron/ferritin levels for females can go as high as 60% in endurance sports and up to 20% for male athletes.

However, because I have been working with male swimmers between the ages of 10-18 years of age for more than 25 years, I 30

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believe the rate is much higher. Very few male adolescent swimmers have met my optimal standards. I just believe the research is lacking with this age group and sport.

What Are Optimal Lab Values?

The minimum levels to reach are 20ng/dL (nanograms per deciliter), but for swimming, I would not aim for anything less than 40ng/dL. At my office, we definitely have even higher standards, so seek out a medical professional to work with to explore these upper levels further.

ALWAYS get your exact lab values. DO NOT rely on comments such as, “We will call you if there are any problems” or “Everything looks fine.” “Fine” can be values as low as 12ng/dL! Timing of Ferritin Testing When scheduling, make sure you do the blood draw before activity. Doing it after can falsely raise ferritin levels.

How Much Iron Daily?

Females should aim for 14-18mg/iron a day through food and if vegan, 28-32mg/iron a day. Males should aim for at least 8mg/day and 16mg/day if vegan.

Each athlete is unique, so please monitor dietary intake and blood levels every six months to a year or even sooner to monitor individual needs and make intake adjustments.

Foods High in Iron Iron-rich foods come from meats and plants. Iron from meat absorbs easier and has much higher amounts than plants. If you are vegan or vegetarian or thinking about it, PLEASE consult a sports dietitian to ensure you are meeting all of your iron demands.

Plant-based foods high in iron are apricots, lentils, white beans, spinach, unsweetened baking chocolate, quinoa, button mushrooms, squash and pumpkin seeds, leeks and cashews.

Meat-based foods high in iron—but not limited to—are beef, bison, chicken, lamb, fish, canned tuna and turkey.

Eating iron with vitamin C-rich foods helps absorb iron, while teas and foods high in calcium (within two hours) decrease the absorbtion of iron in the body.

When to Supplement?

This is not a mineral to be taken lightly or to guess consumption.

Never start supplementing without guidance and/or blood values.

Consuming too much iron has negative consequences.

Summary What you eat and drink matters, but it is not everything. Let

science guide you. Remember: You are the leader of your own health, and being proactive optimizes your chances of living and performing the way you want and being able to SWIM FAST! *** Please find this iron-rich, 3,000 to 3,500-calorie menu a guide to help you achieve ideal daily ranges. Remember: It is only a guide and likely needs to be customized to meet your needs.

3,000 to 3,500-CALORIE TRAINING MENU Pre-Swim Practice (4:30-5:15 a.m.)

Overnight Breakfast Delight: 2-4 Hard boiled eggs Smoothie 8-12 oz Orange juice 1 lg Banana 1/2 cup Strawberries 2 T Grounded flax seeds 0-12 oz Water (with one NUUN electrolyte tablet/optional) 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.)

Berry Power Crunch Bowl: 1/2 cup Cooked oat bran (cook oat bran in 1 cup OWYN RTD pea protein shake) 2T Flax seeds 2 T Chia seeds 2T Hemp seeds 1/2 cup Goji berries 1 cup Berries 2T Cashews 16 oz Water (with one NUUN electrolyte tablet/optional) Multi-vitatmin and mineral supplement Fish oil Vit D3 Lunch (11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.)

1 cup Cooked quinoa (add 1-2 tsp curry powder and red pepper flakes/optional) 3-5 oz Shrimp sauteed in olive oil 1-2 T Olive oil 1-2 cups Cucumbers tossed Add Salt to taste

16 oz Water (with one NUUN electrolyte tablet/optional) Training (3:30-5:30 p.m.)

10-20 oz Water an hour (with one NUUN electrolyte tablet/optional per 20 oz) Post-recovery within 30-45 min: 6-8 oz Greek yogurt with 1-2 cups peaches/mangoes (If you can have dinner within that time, then no need for this snack) Evening Meal (6-7 p.m.)

3-6 oz Pork loin 1/2 cup Beans 1/2 cup Brown rice 2-4 cups Mixed greens with button mushroom 1 cup Halved cherry tomatoes 2-3 T Olive oil dressing or dressing of choice 16 oz Water Evening Snack (8-10 p.m.)

2-3 Organic string cheese sticks 1-2 oz Triscuit Crisps Crackers 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. She is also a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, which is the premier professional sports nutrition credential in the United States. In addition, she is an athletic trainer with a certification in strength and conditioning from The National Strength and Conditioning Association, and she is CEO of Dawn Weatherwax’s Sports Nutrition Academy.

Weatherwax brings a comprehensive and unique understanding of the athlete’s body—and its nutritional needs—to those interested in achieving specific performance goals and optimal health. She is also the author of “The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sports Nutrition” and “The Sports Nutrition Guide for Young Athletes.”

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3-6 dried Apricots 2 T Pumpkin seeds 16-24 oz Water (can infuse with cucumbers) Afternoon Snack (2-3:30 p.m.)

Apple Brawny Bites: 1/2 cup Raw oats 1 scoop Klean Athlete, Vantrition protein powder 1/4 cup Nut butter 1/8 cup Unsweetened apple sauce (add more if needed) 1/4 cup Freeze-dried berries 1 T Honey or maple syrup 1 T Carob nibs NOVEMBER 2021

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SPECIAL SETS

AUDREY DERIVAUX:

[ Photo Courtesy: Jersey Wahoos]

KILLER QUEEN Young Audrey Derivaux of Jersey Wahoos has turned in comparable times to the 11-12 age group superstars who have excelled before her.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

W

hat a summer for Jersey Wahoos Audrey Derivaux! Let us count the ways....

•

At Eastern Age Group Zones, she finished first in seven of eight individual events (second in the other) and was on all four Middle Atlantic-winning relays.

•

At Middle Atlantic Juniors in July while just 11 years old, Derivaux scored 200 points to win the 11-12 girls’ high-point award.

•

At the end of the 2020-21 long course season, USA Swimming had her nationally ranked first in the 100 fly (1:03.38) and 200 back (2:22.71); second in the 50 and 200 fly (31.73, 2:22.76) and 400 IM (5:11.45); and third in the 1500 free (18:24.26), 100 back (1:07.47) and 200 IM (2:24.61).

The kicker is she turned 12 on Aug. 7 the last day of Zones, and was still the fastest 11-year-old in the U.S. in nine events (free,

fly, back, IM), second in three and third in one. All her times meet AAAA or Futures standards.

A comparison of Derivaux’s long-course placing with other USA 11-12 age groupers for the four seasons from 2015 through 2019 (think Curzan, Tuggle, Walsh, Grimes, et al.) indicate she more than held her own, especially in the 100-200 back, 50-100-200 fly and 200-400 IM. Comparative times for just 11-year-olds has her finishing first 24 times, second three times and third once.

As for the short course season, she finished top 30 or better for 11-12-year-old swimmers in all of the free, back, fly and IM events.

In 12 of those 14 events, she posted the fastest times for an 11-yearold while clocking third quickest in the other two (200 and 500 yard freestyles.)

Following are three workouts that Derivaux has done that her coaches Paul Donovan, Bruce Brockschmidt and Jake Shackelford believe have enabled her to perform at her best.

BUTTERFLY WORKOUT

COACH DONOVAN: “Every Friday, all our practice groups train fly. We focus on fly swimming, kicking and drilling, all the while looking for proper rhythm and breathing skills around the walls.”

Distance

Duration

Set Description

EGY TYPE STK Pace

18:00

4x

EN1 EN1

S D

FR FLY

00:45 01:00

{2 x 150 @ 02:10 Free (Last 25 Fly) {4 x 50 @ 00:45 Shallow = Fly; Deep = Free {2 x 150 @ 02:10 Free (Last 25 Fly) {6 x 50 @ 00:45 Shallow = Fly; Deep = Free

EN2 EN2 EN2 EN2

S S S S

FF FF FF FF

00:43 00:45 00:43 00:45

1x

{40 x 25 @ 00:30 S: Fish K; D: Fast Fly!!!

EN2

KSF

FLY

01:00

March 4, 2021 WARM-UP 1,000

{1 x 100 @ 01:30 Free (3-4-5-6 UWK) {3 x 50 @ 01:00 Fly Drill Note: Fly Drill = 25 Body Position Kick / 25 Single Arm (SNORKEL FOR 50's) (FINS OPTIONAL)

Rest: 02:00 FLY DAY 2,200

32:20

2x

Note: Lanes 1-2 = 150's @ 2:15, 50's @ :50 Lanes 6-7 = 150's @ 2:25, 50's @ :55 Rest: 02:00 UW / FAST FLY 1,000 20:00 Note: ALL WITH SHORT FINS Rest: 02:00 KICK SET 600

10:00

1x

{6 x 100 @ 01:40 Streamline Fly Kick (1:50/2:00)

EN2

K

FLY

00:50

Rest: 01:00 100

02:00

1x

{1 x 100 @ 02:00 cool-down

REC

S

FR

01:00

Distance: 4,900 yards | Duration: 01:29:20 | Stress: 88 | Course: SCY | Type: In pool | Author: Jake Shackelford 36

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BEST AVERAGE WORKOUT COACH DONOVAN: “Once weekly, all our groups do a challenge set as a precursor to the kind of work they will experience as they move to higher practice levels. Such multiple repetitions close to race pace help swimmers understand what more advanced training progressions and development involves.”

Distance

Duration

Set Description

EGY TYPE STK Pace

09:20

1x

{10 x 50 @ 00:50 Free/Back

REC

S

FBK

00:50

11:20

1x

{8 x 75 @ 01:25 Free KDS

EN1

KDS

FR

00:57

35:00

1x

{10 x 200 @ 03:30 Free Descend by 3 +15 +10 +5 BT EN3

S

FR

00:53

Feb. 10, 2021 WARM-UP 500

Rest: 01:00 600

Rest: 02:00 2,000

Set Goals: (1-3 + 15 sec of BT / 4-6 + 10 sec of BT / 7-9 + 5 sec of BT / 10 BT) #10 fastest swim of set (i.e., BT = 2:10: #1-3 2:25 / #4-6 2:20 / #7-9 2:15 / #10 2:14 or faster) Rest: 02:00 500

10:00

1x

{20 x 25 @ 00:30 Fast Fly K on BK Max UW

SP2

KS

FF

01:00

1x

{1 x 100 @ 02:00

REC

S

FR

01:00

WARM-DOWN (100) 100

02:00

Distance: 3,700 yards | Duration: 01:11:40 | Stress: 176 | Course: SCY | Type: In pool | Author: Bruce Brockschmidt

500s WORKOUT

COACH DONOVAN: “This is a set that Audrey really enjoyed and remembers as being a great day! On the weekends, the practices for Horizon 1—our top age group—are two hours so we can do longer sets that challenge swimmers in a different way than the rest of the week.

“Horizon 1 swimmers have 10 hours of available water time. We prepare them to best represent Wahoos at the JO level competition within the Middle Atlantic region.”

CONTINUED ON 38 >>

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37

AUDREY DERIVAUX / Continued from 37

Distance

Duration

Set Description

EGY TYPE STK Pace

13:20

1x

{8 x 100 @ 01:40 Free (no air 3stk in/out)

REC

S

FR

00:50

11:40

1x

{20 x 25 @ 00:35 w/ fins (o: Fish K; e: 15m Fast)

SP1

KF

CH

01:10

14:40

2x

{2 x 100 @ 01:40 Back Kick (3,4,5,6 UWK)

EN1

K

BK

00:50

{4 x 50 @ 1:00 Free Dr/Sw (stk count focus)

REC

DS

FR

01:00

{2 x 500 @ 06:15 Free (Neg Split)

EN1

S

FR

00:38

{1 x 500 @ 06:00 Free (Faster) {2 x 500 @ 06:15 Free (Neg Split) {1 x 500 @ 05:50 Free (Faster) {2 x 500 @ 06:15 Free (Neg Split) {1 x 500 @ 05:40 Free (Faster) Rest: 01:00 {1 x 500 @ 06:00 Free FOR TIME!!!

EN2 EN1 EN2 EN1 EN2

S S S S S

FR FR FR FR FR

00:36 00:38 00:35 00:38 00:34

EN3

S

FR

00:36

S

FR

Nov. 28, 2020 1 x 800 800 Rest: 02:00 20 x 25 UW 500 Rest: 02:00 KICK / DRILL 800 Rest: 04:00 10 x 500 5,000

01:02:00

1x

Note: (B) = 2 @ 6:45 / 1 @ 6:30 / 2 @ 6:45 / 1 @ 6:20 / 2 @ 6:45 / 1 @ 6:10,

(C) = 450's @ B Interval

(D) = 400's @ A Interval, (E) = 400's @ B Interval Rest: 02:00 200

04:00

1x

{1 x 200 @ 04:00 cool-down

REC

01:00

Distance: 7,300 yards | Duration: 01:55:40 | Stress: 134 | Course: SCY | Type: In pool | Author: Jake Shackelford v

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38

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TRAINING

DRYSIDE TRAINING

BACK TO BASICS (Part 2)

BY J.R. ROSANIA • DEMONSTRATED BY NORIKO INADA • PHOTOS BY EMMI BRYTOWSKI

2

I

n Part 1 of our back-to-basics training (SW October, page 33/online version), we focused on some basic strength movements. This month, we will look at more advanced strength movements to help progress the strength process. Also introduced in this program are the beginning stages of our power training.

Like last month, the exercises are full-body, multi-muscle movements.

Perform the exercises two to three times per week. Follow a 10-8-6 reps pattern, and try to slightly increase resistance in each set. Be sure you can complete all the repetitions per set.

Train hard and get stronger by getting back to the basics. v 1) MEDICINE BALL ALTERNATING DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS Lying on your back on a stability ball with your legs straight and heels on the floor, hold a light dumbbell in each hand and perform an alternating bench press movement to full-arm extension. Lower arm to shoulder and alternate arms.

3

2) DUMBBELL LUNGE JUMP Holding a dumbbell in each hand, begin in a split-leg position and step forward into a lunge position. Perform a vertical jump and alternate legs in the air.

3) STABILITY BALL FREESTYLE STROKE Lying face down with your stomach on a stability ball, hold a light dumbbell in each hand and perform a freestyle stroke while balancing on the ball.

4) MEDICINE BALL THROW-DOWN While standing on a small, secure platform, raise a medicine ball overhead with both hands. Keeping your arms straight, throw the ball down to the floor and catch the ball upon its return.

5) DUMBBELL KICKBACK Holding a dumbbell in each hand, bend over so that your upper torso is parallel with the floor, and position your elbow by your side at a 90-degree angle. Extend your lower arm backward to full extension. Return to your starting position, and alternate arms.

4

1

5

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, 30-34, 3539 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.

NOVEMBER 2021

SWIMMINGWORLD.COM

39

COACHING

SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS

BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.

DISTRUST IN SWIMMING SCIENCE IS NOT A MYSTERY

S

electing swimming technique elements by relying on conventional wisdom rather than scientific fact is unfortunate, but not a mystery. Many people distrust science on existential issues, much less sport issues. The response of Americans to climate change and COVID vaccination are two contemporary and critical examples of distrust in science. Possibly, a recent Olympic success can help persuade the swimming community to trust science.

BELIEF IN CLIMATE CHANGE A recent survey found that only 70% of Americans believe that “climate change is happening” (Leiserowitz, et al., 2021).

This finding is surprising, given the convincing data on global temperature over the last 140 years (NASA, 2021). The graph in Fig. 1 shows that relative to the average temperature for 1951 to 1980, there has been a steady increase in temperature for the past 50 years.

RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC Similar to the controversy surrounding climate change, many Americans deny the scientific data supporting vaccines and their near-worldwide success with preventing COVID-19. Currently, 75% of American adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine (Smith-Schoenwalder, 2021). When verified scientific strategies to deal with a virus responsible for so many deaths are not trusted and not used by a substantial proportion of the population, it is hardly a mystery that scientific strategies to help swimmers swim faster are often ignored.

MINIMAL USE OF SCIENCE IN SWIMMING Unfortunately for swimming, distrust in science limits swimmer performance. There are numerous scientific findings that can help swimmers go faster— although they are seldom used. For example, the measurement of any one of three variables provides information about technique that can improve every

swimmer’s performance: • Intracycle body velocity • Hand force • Index of coordination One of the preceding factors (intracycle body velocity) presents a strong argument for a scientific as opposed to conventional approach to breaststroke breathing. This was illustrated by the recent Olympic success of American Lydia Jacoby using a technique that is less conventional, but more scientifically effective.

INTRACYCLE VARIATIONS IN BODY VELOCITY Jacoby’s underwater hand recovery is supported by research. A comparison of breaststroke with an above- and below-surface hand recovery found that the above-surface recovery was less economical with a greater fluctuation in intracycle velocity and a greater energy cost (Vilas-Boas, 1996). Another study (Leblanc, et al., 2007) reported

FIG. 1 > Global temperature change from 1880 to 2020.

FIG. 2 > The swimmer in the top panel recovers her hands above the surface. The model in the bottom panel recovers her hands below the surface. The swimmer’s change in body position provides a less stable base of support for generating propulsion (left panel) and causes more resistance with a greater frontal surface area (right panel).

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FIG. 3 > These two swimmers have an above-surface hand recovery and a torso angle that is about 80 degrees with respect to the water.

FIG. 4 > These four swimmers have an above-surface hand recovery and a torso angle that is about 70 degrees with respect to the water.

a substantial decrease in velocity as the hands recovered above the surface and the head moved into position for breathing.

HAND RECOVERY The decrease in body velocity is due to an increase in resistance and a decrease in propulsion. In Fig. 2, a swimmer with an abovesurface hand recovery (top panel) is compared to a biomechanical model with a below-surface recovery (bottom panel). The swimmer’s change in body position provides a less stable base of support for generating propulsion (left panel) and causes more resistance with a greater frontal surface area (right panel).

Typically, an above-surface hand recovery is consistent with a torso above the surface that is almost perpendicular to the horizontal direction of body motion. There are seven examples of an abovesurface hand recovery from the recent Olympic finals of the women’s 100 meter breaststroke. Two swimmers had a torso angle very close to perpendicular to the surface of the water, as shown by the yellow lines in Fig. 3. Four swimmers had a torso angle that was about 70 degrees (Fig. 4), while one swimmer had a torso angle that was about 60 degrees (Fig. 5).

In contrast to the swimmers in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, Jacoby recovered her hands below the surface and had a torso angle of 50 degrees (Fig. 6, left image), which is much closer to an optimal angle of 35 degrees (right image). A more level torso reduces resistance and provides a more effective base of support for generating propulsion.

THE FUTURE OF BREASTSTROKE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM The swimming community typically requires that a top swimmer exhibit a specific technique element before it is adopted as conventional wisdom. A scientific basis is usually not enough. It will be interesting to see if an Olympic champion’s unconventional breathing technique (which is more science-based than that of her competitors) is adopted by swimmers and coaches. It will also be interesting to see if Jacoby (or any other swimmer) adjusts her breathing position to be even more consistent with science—like the biomechanical model. 

FIG. 5 > This swimmer has an above-surface hand recovery and a torso angle that is about 60 degrees with respect to the water.

FIG. 5 > Olympian Lydia Jacoby (left) recovers her hands below the surface like the biomechanical model (right). Her torso angle (at 50 degrees) is only a little greater than the model (at 35 degrees).

SUMMARY

The fact that general scientific information is routinely ignored provides some perspective about the difficulty in applying science to the sport of swimming. While a single technique element cannot guarantee success, American Lydia Jacoby’s Olympic victory suggests that using science can provide a competitive advantage.

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

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41

>> Daniel Diehl and Coach Brian Dowling

DANIEL DIEHL:

DEFINITELY DRIVEN

Coach Brian Dowling of the Cumberland YMCA (Maryland) shares some sample sets that he’s given to rising age group swimmer Daniel Diehl, who is ranked by Collegeswimming.com as Maryland’s—and the nation’s—top-ranked male swimmer in the Class of 2024.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

V

ariously attributed to Walt Whitman, Will Rogers and Dizzy Dean, the phrase, “If you done it, it ain’t bragging,” connotes achievement.

Cumberland YMCA Sea Otter swimmer Daniel Diehl has earned the right to tout his achievements. In recent months, the strapping 15-year-old has decimated his competition and has either broken or knocked on the door of several national age group records.

As of November, he remains the 13-14 NAG record holder in the 100 yard back (47.44), and he just missed Michael Andrew’s 100 free mark (43.90) by a tenth of a second. Currently, he has 10 U.S. Open winter cuts along with a host of Winter Junior times.

This summer, he was the youngest male competitor at Wave II Olympic Trials, where he clocked 55.42 in the 100 meter back (31st out of 61 swimmers) and 23.24 in the 50 free (58/64). Those times qualified him for the National Junior Team and to participate in the October FINA Swimming World Cup meets in Germany and Hungary. Later in October, Diehl was officially named to the 2021-22 National Junior Team.

As the youngest male on the U.S. squad (and third youngest athlete on the team), he notched seven top 10 individual finishes, including five top 5’s—all in the backsrokes. In the 50 back, he recorded two fifths (24.24, 24.19), third (52.57) and fourth (51.67) 42

NOVEMBER 2021

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in the 100 and fifth in the 200 (1:54.11). On the 4 x 50 mixed free relay, Diehl’s 22.45 leadoff helped the U.S. team to a first-place finish.

COMPLETELY COMMITTED TO SWIMMING A soccer and baseball player as well as a long jumper before committing completely to swimming at age 12, Diehl is “a very dedicated and self-motivated person with an unstoppable drive to meet his goals in and out of the pool,” says his Sea Otter coach, Brian Dowling.

Dowling, a podiatrist by trade, is the Cumberland Y voluntary coach, but no stranger to swimming. His aquatic background includes swimming for Gregg Troy at Bolles. There he was a 1987 high school All-American and state champion leadoff backstroker on the team’s 1:34.57 medley relay, which included 1988 Olympic champion Anthony Nesty swimming butterfly. As a scholarship athlete, Dowling went on to swim for old-school coach, Don Easterling, at North Carolina State.

Diehl was 11 when Dowling noticed the youngster had a very efficient stroke. Today Dowling continues to guide and manage Diehl’s training in a unique environment. That’s because the Cumberland team, which only became an official USA Swimming team on Sept. 1, numbers just 25 to 30 swimmers, half of whom are

[Photo Courtesy: Christian Dowling ]

SPECIAL SETS

8-and-unders. The Sea Otter “advanced” team is comprised of five athletes.

To say that Diehl is dedicated would be a massive understatement, notes Dowling: “Dan is here every single day; he does not miss. His attitude is positive, enthusiastic and inspiring, his demeanor calm and cool. He knows our sport inside and out and everyone’s names, dates, times and stats. He knows where he ranks, what times he wants to beat and who has done them.

“Dan is a coach’s best listener and does not complain come set time. He takes constructive criticism very well and uses video to correct insufficiencies when we find them. Dan’s competitive drive is what separates him from other swimmers. He is extremely goaloriented with numbers, places and times.

“Motivated? Dan is here doing workouts essentially by himself.

He lifts free weights for an hour on Friday evenings and Sundays, and performs core and dryland exercises every day for about 30 minutes. His resistance training includes GMX, bungee cords, drag sox, ankle weights, stretch tubing, fins and pull buoys,” says Dowling.

In practice, Diehl logs 7-8,000 yards in two hours Monday through Friday with no weekend swimming. “Dan’s favorite things outside of swimming are YouTube videos, lifting weights and biking—in that order,” says Dowling.

Kind, humble and gracious by nature, Diehl attacks sets like the following with a vengeance. “In practice, we try to pace very closely to his goal times with usual intermittent aerobic or strength sets,” says his coach.

• 4 x 100 on 1:30 (25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast double pullout) • 4 x 50 back all about on 1:00, holding 24.5-25.5 *** 3x through: • 500 free @ 1:05 base on 5:25 • 5 x 100 free @ 1:05, holding 55  Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

DIEHL SAMPLE SETS

• 10 x 200 1-5 free descend 2:30, holding 1:55-1:50 6-10 back on 2:45, holding 2:00-1:56 • 10 x 50 back on :44, holding 26.2 • 10 x 100 (50 free/50 back) even-split on 1:30, holding 27/27=54 • 10 x 200 1-5 (100 free/100 back) even-split on 2:45, holding 58/58=1:56 6-10 200 back descend on 2:00-1:54, holding 57/57 on last • 10 x 50 back on :45, holding 26-mid Another day...

• 30 x 100 free on 1:40 1-10 heart rate 17 per 6 sec, holding 54+ 11-20 heart rate 18 per 6 sec, holding 53+ 21-30 heart rate 19 per 6 sec, holding 50+ *** 2x through: • 4 x 300 on 3:15, holding 2:50 • 4 x 200 on 2:10, holding 1:52 • 4 x 100 on 1:05, holding 54 • 4 x 150 back on 1:45, holding 1:30 NOVEMBER 2021

SWIMMINGWORLD.COM

43

COACHING

RUDD

Q&A [Photo Courtesy: Sportsfile And The Olympic Federation of Ireland ]

JON

National Performance Director Jon Rudd has injected new life into the Swim Ireland organization and its athletes. With the addition of a third National Centre, he has lofty goals heading into the 2024 Olympic cycle.

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

Q. SWIMMING WORLD: Aside from your parents, who were some of your swimming influences?

A. COACH JON RUDD: My primary influence was my early, long-standing coach, Ken Douglas, at the City of Hull Swimming Club in England. As swimmers, I think we considered him moody, standoffish and a bit haphazard—and certainly lacking soft skills! Upon reflection, despite some limitations in personability and communication, he was ahead of his time in many respects. He was well-read, had intuition and a natural coach’s eye.

SW: As a swimmer, you were a bit of a plugger. Were you a better coach than a swimmer?

JR: Yes! I found that my tendency as the guy who never won but often worked the hardest transferred readily to my initial direction as a coach. I have a lot of natural coaching instincts, so when I became educated both formally and informally, I progressed in the profession quite quickly.

SW: You instruct your swimmers to be “one with the water.” Were you so as a swimmer?

JR: No! British coaching in the 1980s was more about training, volume, intensity and physiology and a lot less about coaching and making athletes as technically proficient and skillful as their talents would allow. Because I had been coached that way, it took me awhile to learn that the most successful athletes were those with the greatest relationship with the water.

SW: How does a coach inculcate patience and perseverance in his athletes?

JR: One of the trickiest challenges is how coaching/training can allow an athlete to see his/her full potential while still maintaining an enthusiasm for the sport.

The key is to resist the temptation to

deliver a more senior program to junior athletes for short-term gain, but long-term compromise. Unless you can put your hand on your heart as a coach and believe that the athlete’s true moment is “now” or at least imminent—and with female athletes who swim breaststroke or more distance-oriented events, this can occur much sooner—the coach with integrity knows that he has a duty to protect and honor an athlete’s future in the sport.

Constantly talking with athletes about a light at the end of the tunnel that may be a decade or more away doesn’t necessarily keep talented athletes in the sport. That’s because like most humans, they want something now. Deferred gratification without some form of current satisfaction is challenging for most of us in any part of our lives. So it requires a constant sales pitch to athletes and parents about what you’re doing and why—for now and the days ahead. One’s coaching has to be smart enough to identify future challenges and to convince athletes that the required effort will lead to future success in the seasons ahead.

SW: In what ways did John Atkinson and Bill Sweetenham change your views of coaching?

JR: They revolutionized every aspect of my thinking. That’s because they were significantly more knowledgeable and had access to information from sport world leaders. As the world was becoming familiar with email as a communication tool, the availability to articles, reports, research studies and papers on best practices was overwhelming—and I devoured it. We moved around the country and flew internationally to spend time with those at the cutting edge of our sport. It was a golden period that produced most of Great Britain’s leading coaches for the next 20 years.

Jon Rudd National Performance Director (Swimming & Diving) Swim Ireland Performance Program Dublin, Ireland

• University of Exeter, B.Ed., physical education, 1992; National University of Ireland, master’s in corporate governance, 2020; University of Hertfordshire, doctorate, psychology, 2017 • National Performance Director, Swim Ireland, 2017-present • Director of swimming at Plymouth College, 2006-16 • Head coach of Plymouth Leander Swimming Club, 1989-2016 • Coach of 2012 Olympic Gold medalist and world record holder Ruta Meilutyte and 2016 Olympic finalist Ben Proud • Senior international head coach for Great Britain, England, Ireland, Lithuania and Turkey; senior international coach for the Netherlands and Kenya • 2x British Swimming Coach of the Year • First and only coach worldwide to have athletes win gold medals at all 14 major international meets (junior and senior levels) Rudd has served as vice president of the World Swimming Coaches Association since 2019 and has been a member of WSCA’s board of directors since 2016. He also is a member of the Swim Ireland International Selection panel (2018-present) and was chairman of the British Swimming Coaches Association (2014-17).

CONTINUED ON 46 >>

44

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SPONSORED BY

[Photo Courtesy: Sportsfile And The Olympic Federation of Ireland ]

www.NZcordz.com

PROGRESSION OF TIMES LC

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

1:00.52

59.76

100 breast

1:01.56*

200 Breast

2:16.35* 2:10.53 2:10.05 2:11.09

59.92

59.82

2:10.40

* Before joining the National Centre

maximum speed) • 4 x 150 breaststroke descend 1-4 on 2:30 Rest :60

HOW THEY TRAIN

DARRAGH GREENE

BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

Irish Olympian Darragh Greene has been one of National Head Coach Ben Higson’s prime performers ever since joining him at the Dublin National Centre in 2017. Over the last four years, the “reserved, focused, intense” Greene has emerged as Swim Ireland’s top male in the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes.

Prior to joining the National Centre, Darragh had qualified to race at the 2017 World University Games, where he clocked a semifinal 1:01.89 15th-place in the 100 breast and a lifetime best 2:16.35 in the 200 meter breast, where he finished 22nd out of 50 competitors. In 2018 at the LEN Championships, Greene broke a minute for the first time, posting a 59.92 for the 100. His 27.44 in the 50 breast was good for 12th.

At the 2019 FINA World Championships, he was 10th in the 50 breast (27.14) and became the first man to swim a sub60 100 meter breaststroke (59.82) and fail to advance to finals.

And as one of nine Irish swimmers in Tokyo, Greene went 1:00.30 (28th out of 47 swimmers) and 2:11.09 (23/40) in his signature events to galvanize his nation’s presence on the world aquatic stage.

The 26-year-old Greene has been a welcome addition to the National Centre roster, notes Higson: “Darragh is friendly and mixes well with the athletes and staff. He is a quiet leader who speaks up when necessary and sets a high standard in and out of the pool.

“Prior to his arrival, Darragh’s previous training was fairly limited and characterized by high intensity and low volume. These days, he exhibits a strong, consistent work ethic and pushes his body to complete key sets and practices.”

SAMPLE DARRAGH SETS (Long Course) A.E.C 3 = aerobic capacity 3 (training sets with specific aspects of intensity) • 60 x 50 fast - breaststroke target :31 20 as every 5th 50 fast on :45 16 as every 4th 50 fast on :50 12 as every 3rd 50 fast on :55 8 as every 2nd 50 fast on :60 4 fast on :65 A.E.C 3/A.N.P = A.E.P aerobic power (training sets with more frequency of intensity); A.N.P anaerobic power (short fractions at

1 x 75 FAP (50 split 29.4 - 75 split 45.97) Rest :10 1 x 50 FAP (29.11) A.E.P 2x • 8 x 50 on :60 (1 easy, 1 descend 1-4 stroke count—10-12-14-16) Rest :60 100 push, negative-split on 2:00 4 x 50 hold stroke count from 2nd 50 of 100 on :60 100 FAP, target 200 (race pace back-end speed) 300 loosen A.E.P • 8 x 100 breaststroke 1 @ La5 (lactate) on :90 (1:11.3) 1 @ faster on 2:30 (1:08.1-1:06.5-1:05.7-1:04.3) Coach Higson: On the odd repetitions, Greene had to hit La5 1:11.3. On the evens, he had to start off quicker than the 1:11 pace, and then descend 1-4. The hold times he recorded are listed above.

A.E.C 3 • 2 x 50 on :60 (1 easy, 1 fast, breast - target :31) 8 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 - 1:10.6, 1 breast La3 - 1:18.5) 4 x 50 as above 6 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 - 1:10.6, 1 breast La4 - 1:16.4) 6 x 50 as above 4 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 - 1:10.6, 1 breast La5 - 1:14.2) 8 x 50 as above 2 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 - 1:10.6, 1 breast fast - 1:06.3) Coach Higson: The lactate (La) chart is based on Greene’s aerobic and anaerobic capacities established through completing a physiological test. Roughly speaking, they equate to: La1 = 50-60 beats below max in terms of heart rate La2 = 40 bbm La3 = 30-40 bbm La4 = 20-30 bbm La5 = 10-20 bbm  Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer.

His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby. com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

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Q&A / Continued from 44

SW: You and Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte, who swam for Lithuaina, had a successful partnership. What was so special about her?

JR: Ruta was an exceptional athlete, but beyond that, she was—and is—an exceptional human being. Early on, she saw the bigger picture regarding what she could achieve. It was much more than medals, wins and records. She saw her talent as something that could help support her family and help galvanize a relatively small and newly rejuvenated nation. Her work ethic and performance lifestyle were the best I’d ever seen at that time. She was the first athlete that I had coached who was willing to commit holistically to excellence in all aspects of her life over and above that which took place in the pool and the gym. This is rare...and continues to be so.

SW: In 2016, you felt you had to reinvent yourself.

JR: Post-Rio was a watershed period in my professional life. I had coached at Plymouth Leander Swimming Club for close to 30 years and built the program from scratch. I had achieved all my life’s ambitions as a coach, and I was in danger of just being on coaching autopilot for the rest of my life. The thought that I could ultimately help other coaches experience the elation that I had had gave me new energy. So a role as National Performance Director in an English-speaking nation was the perfect opportunity.

SW: You succeeded Peter Banks as National Performance Director. What are you doing differently?

JR: Peter provided us with a solid foundation and platform to help advance Irish swimming. In this first Olympic cycle since Rio, we have reviewed, reflected and kept that which is working and altered that which did not. We professionalized the National Centres, aligned the domestic competition structure and put strong selection policies and criteria in for national teams and the national program, which supports identified athletes. There were not many big changes, but more an accumulation of micro changes that allowed those within the sport to see and feel a directional change. Peter is an excellent coach, and we’re very grateful for the hard yards he did ahead of us.

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SW: How is your long-term systemic approach to developing a national team working?

JR: A lot of the early months into the Tokyo cycle were spent creating a team of coaches and practitioners that would allow us to be competitive at the World and Olympic levels. With the Paris cycle in focus, our job will be to ensure that the resources, talent and coaches coalesce within one of our three National Centres.

SW: As High Performance Director, how do you get Irish coaches to buy into your vision?

JR: When it comes to visionary change and a culture shift anywhere, you come to an inevitable fork in the road. You have coaches who will buy into what you are collectively trying to achieve for the nation and will support and foster that for the greater good. And you have a minority who believes that the same is best, even if it has not worked before. The key is to gradually reduce the number of the latter and raise the number in the former through constant reinforcement of the message, education and delivering results that give your mantra credence. And we have that.

The vast majority of coaches in Ireland believe that this system is progressive and athlete-centered.

SW: In the grand picture, what constitutes success for Swim Ireland?

JR: Ultimately, Swim Ireland has a desire to consistently win medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games. Our nation has a relatively small population, limited number of pools and a significant rural landscape. It’s one of the reasons why the job is exciting, because it’s never going to be easy!

SW: In the run-up to the 2021 Olympics, Swim Ireland adopted sole Trials. Do you deem that approach a success?

JR: Actually, in the run-up to the 2021 Olympic Games, we deviated from a sole Trials in April and added a second Trials in June because of the COVID pandemic and the concerns we had around our training and racing landscape going into Tokyo.

Our performance team strongly believes in a sole Trials, one which ensures that athletes and coaches alike learn how to deliver in the moment that matters. But COVID forced us to consider whether

athletes and coaches had been given a fair crack to do this, particularly once the Olympics were postponed to 2021.

We will review this, but I couldn’t say that our beliefs and our philosophy have changed. There was some resistance when we introduced the concept—and it remains in some quarters—but it’s significantly less than it was in 2018.

SW: How would you assess the performance by Irish swimmers and the coaching staff in Tokyo?

JR: We were delighted with our outcomes in Tokyo, particularly given the training and competition obstacles that we faced from February 2020 through July 2021. At the Games, we rose through the rankings with virtually all of our swims. We had top-16 and top-8 finishes and fielded our first relay in half a century. The podium feels closer now, and the next three years will be spent ensuring that it gets closer still.

SW: You have publicly stated that “exciting changes and development are in store for the period 2021-24.” Are you at liberty to share some of those now?

JR: Some, yes, and some are still too embryonic to discuss. We have just opened a third National Centre in Ulster, which means that our athletes in Northern Ireland have something of a similar standard for their swimming futures compared to those already in place with our two Centres in the Republic of Ireland.

We’re still working to appoint the head coach for the Ulster site. Our national program for identified athletes who we believe can impact Irish fortunes in 2024 and 2028 has had an overhaul. At this stage. it would be best to leave the answer there! 

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby. com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

JUNIOR SWIMMER

UP & COMERS AGE GROUP SWIMMER OF THE MONTH

BY SHOSHANNA RUTEMILLER | PHOTO BY GUS SCHNELL

A

va Buhrman of the Cumberland Valley Aquatic Club (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) swims with the consistency and tenacity of a swimmer much older than her 10 years. Last summer, she made her mark at both the Middle Atlantic Junior Olympics, July 22-25, and Eastern Zone Long Course Age Group Championships, Aug. 4-7.

Buhrman was the 10-and-under girls’ high-point winner at JOs, earning gold in the 100-200-400 meter freestyle (1:09.22, 2:30.45, 5:22.97), 50-100 back (35.11, 1:18.59) and 50 fly (34.88). Two weeks later, she went even faster at Zones to earn gold in the 200 free (2:27.20) and 100 back (1:18.13) and silver in the 400 free (5:17.92).

“Ava has a natural feel for the water and is very athletic,” says her CVAC coach, James “Gus” Schnell. “She’s worked really hard to refine all of her strokes and has been working on her racing skills. But what makes her special is her consistency in practice sessions. She can dig deep and stay really efficient when tired, especially at the end of long sets. So it’s no surprise that she is able to split very well at the end of races for a 10-year-old.”

Outside of swimming, outgoing Ava also plays water polo for her middle school and surfs with her family on vacation at the New Jersey beaches. When she’s not in the water, you might even find her in the kitchen baking cakes with her parents!

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU DO IN SWIMMING? My best event is backstroke even though I never wanted to do it when I was younger.

My mom signed me up for it, and I found out that I was really good at it. Now I always swim the 100 back as my favorite event. My coaches also tell me that I am a “back-halfer” on longer events. I am able to maintain my splits throughout the race.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST WORKOUTS/SETS YOU’VE DONE? One of the toughest sets I have done is 24 x 50 on 1:30. It is challenging because you have to keep your time consistent through all of the 50s. When I did it, I was just getting back into practice, and I swam a consistent time of 31 seconds.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? I am looking forward to moving up in age groups to 11-12 in January before winter MA Junior Olympics. I’m hoping to qualify for some events in this competition. The higher age bracket of swimmers will push me to swim faster. In USA swim meets this year, I am hoping to meet up with some of the friends I made on other teams at past competitions.

WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN SWIMMING...

AND WHY? I look up to a senior swimmer on my team named Jennifer Bolden. Even though I look up to all Olympic swimmers, I can relate to Jennifer much more. When I see her at practice, I watch and learn from her techniques to see what she’s doing to improve.

She is always friendly, supportive and hard-working. I admire that she has broken many records for Cumberland Valley Aquatic Club. She is a very strong freestyler, which is another one of my favorite strokes. Because she worked hard in school and swimming, she is going to a really good college, Bucknell University. I hope to get into a good college and continue swimming at the next level.  SPONSORED BY

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MORE Q&A RESPONSES FROM AVA BUHRMAN .NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

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COLUMNS SPONSORED BY

GUTTERTALK

BY DAVID RIEDER

HOW WILL FIFTH-YEAR SWIMMERS IMPACT THIS COLLEGE SEASON?

ARTHUR ALBIERO

TYLER FENWICK

Head Coach, University of Louisville

Associate Head Coach, University of Virginia

[ PHOTO BY BROOKE WRIGHT ]

Unquestionably, it will create an even deeper field for NCAAs.

[ PHOTO BY UVA ATHLETICS ]

There’s two areas of impact that I see in the NCAA this season for fifth years: • First, the depth of teams will be affected at the conference level.

Conference meets are about the bottom third of your roster as much as the top third. Multiple fifth-year returners could add a huge boost to teams 1-18 in February. It’s potentially a game changer.

• Next is star power at NCAAs. We’ve seen NCAA championships won with eight swimmers on a roster. It’s evident the power that one star can have on an otherwise ordinary roster.

Returning scorers are a big deal and could really shake up the top 10 in March.

CAROL CAPITANI Women’s Head Coach, University of Texas [PHOTO BY TEXAS ATHLETICS]

I haven’t paid much attention to what studs are using their fifth year and who retired. The landscape will definitely change moving forward with the extra COVID year affecting the next three NCAAs.

WYATT COLLINS Men’s Assistant Coach, University of Texas [ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]

I have a feeling that having the number of swimmers back for their fifth year will end up translating into one of—if not the—fastest NCAA meets we’ve ever seen.

The sheer talent that is coming back in a variety of events is pretty staggering. Add to that another year of maturation and improvement, and it’ll end up being an NCAAs for the ages.

Potentially a huge impact. I can see many top-end performers going another season so the top eight and 16 at NCAAs could be even deeper.

Many will use this opportunity to potentially add a master’s degree or another major or even add a minor.

Let them swim another year, and many teams’ lineup just gets enhanced. It will get harder down the line as teams will then have to figure out the payment of these fifth years if they get the opportunity or opt into the extra year.

RAY LOOZE

Head Coach, Indiana University [ PHOTO BY BROOKE WRIGHT ]

NCAAs will be remarkably faster and deeper. This could be the most electric and competitive season ever.

BRADEN HOLLOWAY

Head Coach, North Carolina State [ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]

SWIM MART

GREG MEEHAN

Women’s Head Coach, Stanford University [PHOTO BY DAN D’ADDONA]

REACH LONG

KICK STRONG

NZCordz.com 800.886.6621

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From a broader perspective, it certainly seems as though fifth-year swimmers and divers will impact conference and NCAA results.

It’s difficult to know exactly what that will look like, but experience and motivation (to come back for an extra year) are two pretty good places to start. 

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO READ ANOTHER RESPONSE..

Kayla Sanchez of the Toronto Titans has a laugh during the ISL meet in Naples. [ Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto ]

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