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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY | JULY 2018 | ISSUE #14 FEATURES 010
Bitter Taste Motivating Ryan Held into U.S. Nationals by David Rieder
After winning Olympic gold in 2016, Ryan Held thought for sure he would compete at 2017 Worlds. He did not. As he approaches nationals, Held said he’s hungry to regain his spot on USA’s No. 1 international roster.
GRANT HOUSE FINALLY FINDING ANSWERS IN HIS SWIMMING CAREER by Andy Ross
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030 6 SWIM PARENT STEREOTYPES THAT CAN HINDER A SWIMMER’S SUCCESS by Bailey Duran
There are many types of swim parents—from the overzealous parent to the unsupportive parent. Bottom line: support your children and their coaches. Trust the process, and remember that what your swimmer needs most from you is love, encouragement and the opportunity to put their hard work on the line day after day.
After a breakout year in 2015, Grant House, who is training 032 FILM REVIEW: “ROWDY”— better than ever, is finally turning in some best times and appears to be putting the final pieces of his swimming puzzle DOCUMENTARY ON ROWDY GAINES into place. by Andy Ross “Rowdy,” an hour-long feature documentary by ON THE RECORD WITH KRISTIN ESPN’s Hannah Storm, highlights Rowdy Gaines’ career in the 1980s, growing up in Florida, RODRIGUEZ OF USA WATER POLO swimming at Auburn for Eddie Reese and Richard by Michael Randazzo Quick, missing out on competing in the 1980 In this Q&A, Kristin Rodriguez, head coach for the U.S. Olympics, and ultimately winning an Olympic gold Women’s Youth National Team, discusses the challenges medal in 1984. her group of young players faced in the UANA Junior Pan American Water Polo Championships. She was also clear about maintaining a standard of excellence for an American 034 CAELEB DRESSEL OFFICIALLY SIGNS women’s program that has been the world’s best since 2012. DEAL WITH SPEEDO
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ON THE RECORD WITH BRENDA VILLA OF USA WATER POLO by Michael Randazzo
While at the UANA Junior Pan American Water Polo Championships, four-time Olympian Brenda Villa spoke with Swimming World about a variety of topics, including the growth of water polo throughout the world and what a world-class Olympic athlete does when she retires from the game that has sustained her for her entire life.
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HOW TO RESPECTFULLY ARGUE WITH YOUR COACH by Jamie Kolar
A healthy swimmer-coach relationship requires an open line of communication, mutual respect and some compromise at times. When you disagree with your coach, here are three things to keep in mind to help you come to a productive resolution.
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MADISYN COX GIVEN TWO-YEAR DOPING SUSPENSION by James Sica
Madisyn Cox, a two-time medalist at last summer’s World Championships, tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine during a outof-competition test. Acknowledging that Cox “did not act with intention” in ingesting the drug, FINA limited her suspension to two years instead of what would normally be a four-year suspension.
IAN THORPE’S FORMER COACH, DOUG FROST, ASSISTS RISING NEW ZEALANDER, LEWIS CLAREBURT by Dave Crampton
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Doug Frost, coach of five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe, has moved from Australia to New Zealand to work with Commonwealth Games medalist Lewis Clareburt, 19, prior to the Pan Pacific Championships.
by Andy Ross
Two-time Olympic gold medalist and competitive swimming phenom Caeleb Dressel has joined Team Speedo USA, marking his first endorsement since becoming a professional swimmer earlier this year.
037 2018 AQUATIC DIRECTORY 046 TOKYO 2020 LEANING TOWARD MORNING FINALS; CATE CAMPBELL SPEAKS OUT by Taylor Brien
Despite expressions of disappointment and ongoing discussions between television networks in the United States and Japan, who each wanted the 2020 Olympic swimming finals to be aired at different times, it’s likely that the swimming schedule will be similar to that of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where finals took place in the morning.
047 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME AQUATIC COMPLEX GETS $27 MILLION renovation by Taylor Brien After planning to modernize the swimming and diving complex in Fort Lauderdale for more than a decade, the city announced the International Swimming Hall of Fame pool—which first opened in August 1965— will undergo a $27 million renovation.
048 13 THOUGHTS EVERY SWIMMER HAS DURING PRACTICE by Isabelle Robuck
Staring at a black line for hours can be pretty grueling. With long sets, the “alone” time gives a swimmer’s mind the chance to wander far beyond just swimming. Here are 13 thoughts that every swimmer has during practice!
028 ALI DeLOOF EYES ANOTHER BREAKOUT AT U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS by Dan D’Addona
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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Bitter Taste Motivating Ryan Held into U.S. Nationals By David Rieder
I
n his own mind, Ryan Held was a presumptuous member of the 2017 U.S. World Championships team. He had the five Olympic rings tattooed on his shoulder. He had followed Michael Phelps into the water on an Olympic gold medalwinning relay, then cried on the shoulder of the 23-time Olympic gold medalist as he received the first gold of his own. Afterwards, he had received a hero’s welcome home to Springfield, Ill. After all that, why would he not cruise onto the World Championship team in the 100 free? It only required a topsix finish in the event at Nationals. He would make it easily, Held believed. Only 12 months earlier, Held had believed in himself, and so had his NC State coaches, but that was about it. He was pretty much an unknown 21-year-old at that point, the second-best sprinter on a good NCAA team. Until he finished second in the 100 free prelims, second in semi-finals and then third in the final to make the Olympic team. Well, just hours into the 2017 meet, Held was humbled. The scoreboard said so, and so did his face. Four events into
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the meet, Held knew deep down that he wasn’t going to Budapest. He had finished seventh in the 100 free in 48.53, four hundredths behind Olympic teammate Blake Pieroni and the sixth-place spot he needed. “Honestly, I probably handled it pretty poorly,” Held said. “I was like, ‘Holy cow. This isn’t me. This isn’t right. I’m supposed to be on this World Championships team. I’m Ryan Held. I’m an Olympian.” Jaded by the results of his 100 free, nothing else that happened that week in Indianapolis changed that—not his sixth-place finish in the 50 fly, not his eighth-place finish in the 50 free, and certainly not what happened in the men’s 50 back, when in a field featuring the two Olympic gold medalists, Justin Ress touched the wall first. When Ress finished his freshman year at NC State in 2016, he was a mid-distance swimmer who made the semi-finals in the 100 and 200 back at Olympic Trials. As a sophomore, he made inroads into the sprinting field, even filling in for Held on the 400 medley relay at the ACC and SEC championships.
[ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
Now, Ress was going to Budapest, and Held was not—and Held admits that he could have handled the situation with a bit more maturity. “I was a little bitter that I got shut out from the team and he made it, and I was like, ‘Man, it should have been me—I should be on that team,’” Held said. “But those feelings were short-lived. Afterwards, I was so happy for him. Like, ‘I’m so happy you’re on the team. It’s a great learning experience. Go out, and kick some European butt.’”
>> JUSTIN RESS
With just four spots up for grabs in that event for this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships—as opposed to the usual six for an Olympics or World Championships—it could easily come down to either Ress or Held for one of the spots. “Sometimes it’s a little hard because he outshines me in my own events,” Held said. “He whoops me at all the in-season meets and beats me all the time. He goes stupidly fast in practice. Sometimes it’s hard because I want to be there, I want to have that speed in-season, do what he does.” So what’s the relationship like between the two? Just like you’d expect: They’re roommates. “We’re good friends—we hang out, we go eat together, we play video games together all the time. He lives right above me, so we just hang out in the living room, watch movies,” Held said. “When we’re at practice, we’re competitors, and at meets, we’re competitors, but when we’re at home, it’s just two college kids hanging out, just being lazy together.” Worth noting, though, that the college chapter of Held’s life—or at least his swimming career—is behind him. Having
finished up his NCAA career with the Wolfpack this year, the only carrots left for him to chase in his career are international teams and medals and, ultimately, another Olympics. He leaves the NC State program as a gamechanger, the one who proved that Braden Holloway’s program could place swimmers on the U.S. Olympic team and win gold medals. Still, Held downplayed the legacy he leaves behind, since “all of my records are probably going to be broken in four years or so.” From Rio, Held carries some of the best memories of his life. He remembers watching closely how Phelps carried himself in the ready room and after his races, both victories and his one defeat. What he saw was a man with his chest held high and an unbreakable spirit. Maybe Ryan Held was cocky as he tried to qualify for his first World Championship team in 2017, but not anymore. After the year away, Held said he’s hungry to regain his spot on the No. 1 American international roster. Maybe there’s a little chip on his shoulder, and maybe we’ll see that this week in Irvine. ◀ [ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
Now, Ress is a sprinter, a threat in both the 50 and 100 back at U.S. Nationals and even in the 100 free. While Held was finishing second in the 100 free at the NCAA championships, Ress took third. Heading into this week’s Nationals in Irvine, Calif., Held has the eighth-fastest time in the U.S. this year at 49.35, and just ahead of him is Ress at No. 6 (49.14).
SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: Blake Benard ]
Grant House Finally Finding Answers In His Swimming Career By andy ross
2
015 was a breakout year for Grant House. He made the team to compete at the World Junior Championships in Singapore in the 4×200 free relay, where he anchored to win gold and set a new World Junior record.
could do it,” House said after the meet on Sunday night. “I just had to go out, put it out there. We’ve done the training, day in and day out, the coaches knew I could do it. It was just a matter of if I told myself I could do it.”
He was 17-years-old and his best time in the 200 free was a 1:49.53. But it stayed that way for nearly three full years.
House swam his best time by nearly three full seconds. Breaking four minutes for the first time since 2016 YMCA Nationals with a 3:55.98, and beating his best time from four years ago when he was only 16.
It wasn’t until this last weekend in Columbus, when House, now 20, finally went a long course best time. House was in the B-Final of the 400 free on Friday night. In the morning he had his best 400 free prelim swim, but he “didn’t go out for it” like he should have. At night, the Arizona State coaches told him to go for it by giving him “the green light.” “I didn’t really care what happened, but the coaches knew I 12
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“It was definitely a big confidence boost,” House said about the 400. “It’s exciting to see those results pop up, even when you’re not shaved or by any means tapered.” In the 200 free on Friday night, House swam in the A-Final, and lowered his personal best for the first time in three years going a 1:49.13. It was the first time he had even broken 1:50 in the event since 2015 Summer Nationals, when he made the Junior Worlds team.
But not improving in his best events in three years was obviously not easy for House, who relied on his support system to get him through the tough times. He credited both his parents and his sister, but gave a special thanks to his older brother, Kyle.
[ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
And he’s not even tapered yet.
“Any time a meet didn’t go the way I wanted, he would keep saying, ‘head up, the best is yet to come.'” House also credited his dad for reassuring him that “the hay was in the barn,” and that was the kind of help he needed to get him through meets and seasons when he wasn’t seeing improvement. “It might not be the results I want that one day, but in some aspects the work is totaled up. The hay is in the barn.” And that’s why House came to Arizona State. To find answers. “ASU was everything I asked for and much much more,” he said. “I learned more than I thought was possible in less than a year.” House was a very promising young age group swimmer. He was dubbed Swimming World’s featured age grouper of the month in June 2013, was a high school All-American as a freshman in 2014, and on the Junior Worlds team in 2015. But after 2015, House didn’t see much improvement. He wasn’t going best times after two big summers in a row. He was close to last place in the 2016 Olympic Trials in his lone event, the 200 free. It was around that time that he started training other strokes to take a break from freestyle, as well as to try something new. In 2017 for his senior year, he went a best time in the 200 yards free (1:34.52), but couldn’t quite put it together that summer at World Trials, only managing a 1:51. When he went to Arizona State in the fall of 2017, he knew
that things would start to turn around. The coaches in Tempe were giving him the confidence he needed to swim fast. House began to raise the level of training he was at. He became more focused on his swimming and raised his own level of excellence he needed to succeed every day, making every length of the pool worth something. “That’s the whole reason I came to Tempe, to find that new level of excellence. And I thought no better way to find that level than to be with, in my opinion, the greatest coach of all-time.” House just finished his freshman year, where he was an Honorable Mention All-American in the 200 freestyle, placing 14th overall at NCAA’s in March. But this past season was just a steppingstone for House, as he believes the final pieces of the puzzle are being put in place. Has he found any answers yet? “We’re starting to. In the words of Coach Bowman, we are starting to see some ‘man swims’ out there.” What the final completed puzzle looks like is unknown. But House is training better than he ever has, and he might be seeing that completed puzzle soon. ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence / USA Water Polo ]
On The Record with Kristin Rodriguez of USA Water Polo By Michael Randazzo
A
t last week’s UANA Junior Pan American Water Polo Championships, the U.S. junior girls’ squad had an unfamiliar experience: a humiliating loss to a bitter rival. After a lopsided 19-9 loss to an older, more experienced Canadian team—which went on to win the UANA Cup title—Swimming World spoke with Kristin Rodriguez, head coach for the U.S. Women’s Youth National Team. Rodriguez, who has extensive experience with coaching age group players, both with USA Water Polo as well as at Foothill Club Water Polo in Southern California, was blunt about the challenges her group of young players faced in this tournament. She was also clear about maintaining a standard of excellence for an American women’s program that, since capturing gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, has been the world’s best. – Given the success of the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team and the need to develop potential Olympians, how hard is it to balance expectations? The average age for the U.S. youth girls squad at UANA is 15.4. But that’s not the point. Going into that game and going into the tournament I wanted to be sure that the girls weren’t setting excuses for themselves. We are building on a legacy and have expectations. Bringing our top 19 and under team, with Aria Fischer, who has a gold medal [from the 2016 Olympics]; it includes Paige Hauschild [68 goals in her freshman year at USC] and a bunch
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of girls who have traveled several times [internationally]. For this [tournament]… yes, we’re young, and yes, winning was going to be a challenge [but] … [t]aking a loss makes winning so much more valuable during a career. If we brought our top 19U girls and they win every game by several goals, they would not gain much out of that experience. Having a physically and mentally tough game for these girls is something that is relatively new. They’re coming from a good high school team, a good club team, and to come together in a very short time frame and play against talented [opponents]… Canada is talented, Brazil is talented. Both teams present different styles of play. Bringing together top talent, forcing them to play together and trust their teammate, playing with high intensity, playing within a system, and performing in front of a crowd where several countries are constantly cheering against you is something I don’t know they have ever experienced. I don’t feel that we have taken the drive out of winning with the loss to Canada, I think that we have strongly fueled these girls to never want to lose to them again. – Of course, as a coach, your goal first and foremost is to win. Absolutely! Coming into this, you announce your roster the day before the tournament starts. You don’t necessarily know what country is bringing whom. We have three athletes that came from last year’s Pan Am [Games], and the group
[ Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence / USA Water Polo ]
that we have are girls that we see [have] Olympic potential, from the Olympic Development Program (ODP). I believe that all of the girls came with the intention to win too. The coaching staff was able to meet with every player and get some of their thoughts about the tournament and the games. Naturally they had the most to say about the Brazil and Canada games [both losses]—and all wish we could play them again. Many tournaments on US soil have ways that allow you to play an opponent early and then potentially see them again in a semi-final game. This tournament was a huge eye opener in that you do not always get second chances. We need to be better prepared and perform from the start. We’re not highlighting the fact that we’re young in terms of average age, and we don’t want to have that lingering as an excuse. We picked some very talented athletes, and I think that they now know how to dig a little deeper to be prideful and represent the letters across their chests. – Given the size and scope of ODP, from year-to-year athletes and circumstances can change drastically for U.S. age group teams. From last year’s Pan Am team, most of our roster have gone to a higher level, and looking at the rosters for Canada and Brazil—there are several familiar faces, so those girls have been playing together for a while. I don’t know what their practice schedule is like, but they had at least one international tournament together from last year, and that makes a difference. We felt that last years team had a great experience and several of those athletes tried out for the next level and are doing very well. This year, it was time for others to gain an experience so our roster is much different. For our girls, we had training for four days but we also had it with the Cadet team, so it was a mixed group. We’re okay with that—we’re developing those girls as well as these girls—so we had a little bit of time together. From what I understand Canada spent a whole week training together in Canada and Brazil came out a week early, so their team dynamic is likely more developed than ours. – This competition is about pride but the reality is that
the rivalry between the American and Canadian women is fierce. We felt that our top 19U team would have done very well. We do not get many chances to play international water polo, so we have to evaluate the pros and cons of each roster. There has always been a strong rivalry between us and Canada; this is my sixth UANA games. I have seen and felt it every time. We did not bring a roster that we thought would lose to Canada—we brought one that would be challenged by this tournament, have potential to be great players for the USA, and have the ability to put up a fight in all games. Canada brought a very talented team and we came out flat and couldn’t recover within that game. Looking at the big picture; [first is] qualifying, which we did; placement is important and you have to have pride in representing your country. That’s a big lesson to learn. Seeing Brazil and Canada celebrate after their wins against us taught each of us a lot about pride and coming together as a team to fight for each other and for our country. – What makes this discussion compelling is the choice to include 12-year-old Emily Asmus on your roster for the UANA Cup. How did you make this selection—especially considering that a 15, 16 or 17-year-old was left off the squad in favor of Emily? When you go into training and you look in the water and there’s no standout, in terms of a weak player; at no point did I think there was a 12-year-old in the pool. Even in competition; she’s very composed in her play. Her personality, her character—she’s mature enough to handle this tournament and level of play. We have our regional [ODP camps], we have NTSCs [National Training continued on 16
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[ Photo Courtesy: Peter Laurence / USA Water Polo ] >> Emily Asmus
and Selection Camps] each to help our coaching staffs pick the top athletes. In all of those she stood out as being one of the top players with the 15 and 16-year-old girls. If she’s able to do that then she deserves a spot—I do not feel that it is about taking one away from someone else, she’s earned that opportunity. – Next week many of these players will be back in California playing for their club teams in the Junior Olympics. How does this intersect with your focus on developing their skills? I don’t directly talk to all of their coaches—I don’t directly know all of them so it is hard to see all of them play all of the time. Moving forward for these athletes, I always tell the girls that we are a resource, and are always welcome to contact me and our coaching staff. If you’re going to be an Olympian you have to have the drive to work on quads upon quads, hopefully—you have to have a huge mental drive. We had a camp at the beginning of June to get ready for this event, from the time that camp concluded to the time we met at the airport training was placed on the girls.
get this far and we have several club/high school coaches that do a phenomenal job building this talent —especially if they’re outside of California. Athletes that are out of state do not have the advantage that Californians do. There is less water polo, which usually means less training and fewer games. There’s never been a tournament in Tampa. They have this beautiful facility and USAWP heard about this pool and donated goals, balls, everything to make this happen. One of our athletes here, Paola DominguezCastro—from Miami—does not [play] as much water polo as the rest of her teammates. Miami has water polo, coaches, other teams to play, high school leagues, which is great. But in order for Paola to play in a large tournament she has to leave her state.
– Which brings us to the state of the sport in Florida and Ms. Dominguez-Castro, a local girl made good (so far)! How does she stay in the mix for a spot on the senior national team? It’s about trying out. We did integrate the academy team because, in the pipeline you’re at the tournament and then generally we won’t see you until tryouts for our next cycle which is 2 to 4 months after the tournament. But we understood these gaps so we have integrated an Academy training once a month for a day or two. It’s not a lot but Paola has been flown out for those, that way she’s practicing with elite athletes. It’s a mixture of our top youth girls with a few Cadet-aged girls, so she’s getting that training with the youth staff and me. There is also Kayla Yelensky from Connecticut who made last year’s roster and who we took on the Academy roster as well. She was also able to be flown out for trainings. It’s us trying to give them opportunities to train with other elite athletes.
Based on their experience here and our conversations about what we feel they need to work on, it is up to the athlete to take that home, process, and get to the work using the resources they have in their hometown.
Another resource is film. We filmed every game while here, we’re tagging it, we’re uploading it so [athletes] have access to it. It allows them to see and process the game in a different way. If Paola is planning on staying with the national team and in our system, this is how we play. By watching film, she can have an advantage in that she can process the game and ask questions; this is something that we are using more and more.
We would limit ourselves and our talent pool if we forced all of our ODP athletes into one club. They’ve done well to
Aside from the games from this tournament there is plenty of film on YouTube that athletes can watch and break down too.
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Resources out of the water can be a huge benefit for Paola. She might be one of the top players for her high school, she’s very good at faking an entry pass, she is a strong shooter and her defensive game has improved greatly. Plus, she has a flair to her game and that’s a huge benefit. Her style helped us out tremendously last year. The pride that she brings to the table for us and her will to win is impressive. We got stuck in a press last year and some of her teammates were struggling she [rallied us]; she has a fire inside that is hard to stop. That was a huge momentum changer and led us to a gold medal last year. – Because polo is currently a regional sport dominated by Californian, how does anyone outside of the West Coast have a chance at progressing along the ODP pipeline? Our Hawaiian center, Christina Hicks, is playing up in Northern California this summer and has been there since May. There are several athletes that come to California for the summer to play because there’s so many practices going on, they’re not in school and it’s available to them. Right now, that is a solution, but we don’t want it to be long-term. When I pick an athlete, I want to follow them and make sure that they’re going on the right path. Kayla had a great showing in Peru and this speaks very highly of her. So far what she has done has been enough to get her noticed. Now moving into the youth age group, she has to improve her game even more, something she is very capable of doing. She still has so much potential. She is not here, we went with two inexperienced center defenders (meaning inexperienced in international water polo), to build that position.
athletes that might not get the pool time, athletes that are still physically growing and learning how to play the game differently due to how they are growing. When looking at an athlete from out of state we consider that if we take them to NTSC and they make it to our June camp, could they improve quickly in a short period of time? We are in the water for 6-8 hours per day during those trainings, for some it might be equivalent to months of training due to limited resources where they are from. oming back to Kayla, an athlete that does not play competitive water polo 4-5 days a week with competitive tournaments on weekends. But an athlete that shows up to academy training and made last year’s Pan Am games because she works hard and has grown exponentially due to increasing the amount of high level water polo she has been exposed to. Kayla is a hard worker and she’s very coachable—which is huge on my chart. That’s something that you have to have if you’re coming in from another state. Paola’s very receptive to what I ask her to do, and she already has this style that’s distinct—a new spice to our game—due to these characteristics we’re going to take them. We’re going to invest time into them. ◀
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! NEED HELP
GETTING INTO THE TIGHTEST OF SWIM
– So, what’s an Eastern player to do to stay in the mix for the National Team? We’d love to provide more resources and figure out how to expand [our programs] and I think this is a big piece of it. By USAWP placing this tournament in Tampa and trying to build the sport here there is a new location for East Coast athletes. If I am from the Northeast area and I can fly down to Florida instead of all the way to California for a tournament or to train that is much more feasible than Southern California.
TECH SUITS?
LUBE UP!
But to place out of state athletes on one individual club team in California, that’s not necessarily going to improve those athletes—and it could take away from developing other athletes that are native to that area. The nice thing about coaching Cadets—and I coach ‘03s [born in 2003], so I’m looking at 14 and 15-year-olds—is that I pride myself and my coaches on finding the potential
available at: and other locations www.sbrsportsinc.com SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE ]
On The Record with brenda villa of USA Water Polo By Michael Randazzo
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atrolling the Long Center pool deck last weekend in Clearwater, Florida, was Brenda Villa, a four-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished athletes in U.S. water polo history. When Villa and her Team USA teammates scored a decisive finals victory over Spain at the 2012 London Games, they not only captured Olympic gold, they realized a decades-long dream. In her post-polo career, Villa has become an ambassador of the sport and a much-revered figure. Recently inducted into the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame, Villa is also a member of the executive committee for the Union Americana de Natacion (UANA)—which is why she was in Clearwater for the UANA Junior Pan American Water Polo Championships. Speaking with Swimming World, Villa explained why South Florida was an ideal location for a multi-national tournament of boys’ and girls’ teams from the Western Hemisphere, the challenges faced by a young U.S. women’s team, the growth of polo throughout the world and what a world-class Olympic athlete does when they retire from the game that has sustained
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them their entire life. -Why did UANA look to spread its brand in South Florida, where water polo isn’t that well known? One of UANA’s missions is to promote water polo in all of the Americas. Another is to put on professional tournaments for athletes at the youth and the junior levels. We awarded this bid to the U.S. and trusted that they would make it happen. It’s always a little bit of a challenge to get everyone in the Americas hosting on a certan level, so that’s UANA’s goal— to have everything be consistent. We realize that different countries have different resources, so we are trying to support different initiatives. Everyone has a chance to host because it is special to be able to bring the world to your country, to be a great host and to have a home crowd. I never had a home crowd behind me at any major international events, so I would have loved this—it’s an athlete’s dream.
[ Photo Courtesy: Don Utas ]
At UANA, we have a dual mission we are trying to fulfill. It’s a challenge, but we see our counterparts playing in Europe and how established they are. One day we hope to get to that level.
– One of the tournament’s great stories was the Argentinian women’s team, which—by beating Puerto Rico on Saturday—qualified for the 2019 FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships. I think what’s really both impressive and inspiring is that their program doesn’t have a history of a lot of >> Brazil vs. Canada in UANA Cup Fina success, but they’re now going to a higher level international tournament hosted by FINA. More importantly, this weekend, those girls need that experience. you can see, in terms of their reactions, how much joy and satisfaction and excitement [they have]. Yes, they’re playing against an older team and it’s It’s a success for water polo in general and also for women’s international and more physical but they’re going to take that water polo back with them. And if they ever get the opportunity again in a tournament against older girls, they’ll be okay. I think any time we get younger levels and age groups qualifying, being excited and then going to the major tournaments, it’s a win. There’s five women’s teams and then eight men’s teams [in Clearwater]; my dream is to have eight and eight. We’re working towards that, but to see these young Argentinian girls getting another opportunity to represent their country and get another chance to play, that’s only going to help girls younger than they are. That keeps that dream alive, that they can compete at that level, that their hard work is paying off. You see these moments and think: “Great! This is what we need!” But sometimes we have to be patient and realize it is happening, just very slowly. – An experienced Canadian squad dominated the American women in a UANA Cup semifinal. Could it be that the U.S. coaching staff was more focused on player development than outcomes? I wouldn’t say that the U.S. isn’t concentrating on outcomes. The goal of this tournament is to qualify [for FINA World Women’s Junior Water Polo Championships]. If you finish first, second, third or fourth, you qualify. To your everyday person tuning into this tournament, you’d be surprised if the U.S. isn’t in the final game. But, one of the reason our women continue to be dominant is because of the pipeline. For years they’ve been able to send different age groups to different tournaments—which gives you the international experience you need. And, from the outcome
We were a little surprised at the final score—not the outcome—but, it’s a learning experience. How many times in the past have you seen Team USA learning from adversity? It’s not happening as much anymore, so any time [our girls] can get those experiences it’s going to help everyone. It’s adds to the hunger [for success]. You see how other teams are celebrating, which reminds you that anytime you’re representing Team USA. you’re going to get anybody’s best shot. It doesn’t matter to them what age group; if you’re wearing the red, white and blue, you’re the top team in the world so you have to be ready for that. – Emily Asmus, the 12-year-old who’s in the water for Team USA at this tournament, has gotten attention because of her youth. As a teenager, you also got significant minutes on the national team. What’s it like playing with significantly older players? For me, playing on a boys’ team in high school definitely helped in accelerating my career. At 15 I was at Junior World Championships, which is a little older than Emily, but it wasn’t a Pan Ams, it was a world championship. Having the experience of playing with the boys, who were bigger and faster, I had to be thinking about how to prepare two or three plays before. Or make sure that my size or my age or my experience wasn’t a weakness. Now we’re lucky enough that girls don’t have to play on continued on 20
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[ Photo Courtesy: Michael Randazzo ] >> ArgentinA triumphant – in water polo!
co-ed teams, they have their own all-girls teams. But there’s something my generation learned—getting roughed up by the boys. One way we can still add that element is by playing up. – Given the depth of talent in the Olympic Development Pipeline, it’s easy for girls to get discouraged about their shot with the national team. What would you say to them to keep them in the mix? We have the NCAAs and the college system. That’s a few years where you can be competitive against the best in the country, [or] even in the world, because some of the top talent in Europe comes to play NCAA polo. It’s exciting to play for your college, so that will hold them over for a bit… but you never know. Annika Dries might have been the second or third youngest on the London team. She only played one Olympics. I wouldn’t be discouraged if I were a youngster—it gives you another goal. I’m interested to see how many girls play more than two Olympics. If you think of the girls on the team now, there are some that have won two golds. Heather Petrie and I stayed for so long because there was the one thing we hadn’t 20
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achieved. I don’t know how it would have played out if Sydney and Athens were gold. I’m interested to see how long this next generation sticks around. You can’t make a life out of playing water polo, so you have other ambitions and goals, you want your career to get started. – I imagine you’re busy with many different things, but you obviously keep your hand in the world of water polo as much as possible. I knew after London that I’d be done. JT [John Tanner], my college coach at Stanford, has always been a mentor, friend. In discussions with him I said: “I’m done, what should I do now?” I knew it would be a tough transition. How do you dedicate your life to something, you’re at the top for so long and then you have to create a new identity? He reminded me how I talked about giving back and passing it forward because of the program I came from in Commerce–and how much they invest in their youth. I knew I wanted to do something like that and he suggested that I do it in Northern California.
I’ve been doing that and I also work full time at Castilleja. My position is equity education coordinator, so I do a lot of stuff in our department about awareness and compassion engagement—things that I was already doing, but didn’t know there was a name for it.
[ Photo Courtesy:Peter Laurence / USA Water Polo ]
We tutored in Palo Alto as a college team [and] I remember feeling at home the most in that neighborhood that I tutored in. He connected me with a few people and that’s how I started my non-profit Project 2020. It’s giving access and opportunity to kids that usually don’t get it, mainly minorities and lower income families.
It’s an all-girls private school in Palo Alto. I never thought I’d be at a private school, but the girls there are definitely motivated. The thought process of why it’s important to give women a space to grow, is something I love and enjoy. >> Brenda Villa (right) with Blair McDowell It’s been great. Of course, my husband says: “You’re not even many firsts for women and the city always supported that. playing anymore, but you’re still on a pool deck all the time.” I just feel lucky that I was born at the right time to take advantage of Title IX and to have these role models that I’ve never really left water polo. I’m coaching, I’m on the didn’t get all the opportunities I did. I was always inspired in board of USA Water Polo. I want the sport to be diverse, I that sense. Then I got the chance to play overseas and I got to want it to be global, but if I’m not willing to put in that time, see their model. It made me feel luckier that we have sports how do I expect others to? I know I can’t do it by myself, but I still have to be invested past my playing career in order that are associated with school, they don’t really do that in to encourage others to do the same. Some day we will be a Europe. global sport and more diverse, so those are the things that keep me interested and keep me involved in so many different I think [the U.S. is] dominant because we have all these areas of the sport. opportunities that other countries don’t, especially on -There’s so many attributes and accolades that you’ve earned both individually and with your teammate, but one of the most compelling is that you were one of the group of women that transformed the sport, both in this country and internationally. There was definitely a lot of work and commitment, but I was incredibly lucky because Commerce was so instrumental the development of the women’s game. They hosted the first women’s international tournament in the US, they did so
the women’s side. I love being connected now and seeing teammates of mine overseas doing clinics—the things we’ve been doing in the US for years, but it’s just a way to keep female players coaching and staying in the game. It inspires me and makes me happy to see other women coaching and being assistants on men’s teams and coaching club teams. We need more of this. If we’re not, no one else is going to do it. ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
How to Respectfully Argue With Your Coach By Jamie Kolar
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n swimming, just as in all other aspects life, there are several relationships at play. Arguably, the most pertinent relationship that will propel you to your goals in the swimming world is the swimmer-coach relationship. To put it simply, this can be a complicated relationship that requires some give-and-take with clear feedback and direction. All strong relationships require an open line of communication, mutual respect and some compromise at times. Not one is perfect – not even Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman. Phelps has spoken openly about the arguments he and his longtime coach have had, and many haven’t been pretty. Some resulted in them not speaking for a few days. However, they have a closer bond and trust formed now because neither one has held anything back from the other in the past. It can be hard to go about situations in which you disagree with your coach or vice versa, and it’s even more challenging to resolve the problem when you have so much of your energy and resources invested in the sport. However difficult the conflict, here are three things to keep in mind in order to
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come to a productive resolution. 1. Express your feelings tactfully. You are not going to agree with everything your coach says. When you find this situation arising, make sure to express your feelings and concerns in a clear manner. Be totally honest with how you are feeling and what you are thinking so that all the cards are on the table. It is important for your coach to understand your full line of thinking and the root of the issue with the understanding that you’re on the same team and want what’s best. Then, the both of you can have a thoughtful discussion together rather than a power struggle against each other. When you are expressing your feelings, it is also important to remain calm. In a heated discussion, it is easy to let your emotions run high. This is not the most effective way of letting your voice be heard and understood, and it usually doesn’t end in a positive resolution. The best way of coming to any kind of agreement is to be clear and calm when discussing any issue.
The best way to go about conflict resolution is to first take a deep breath if you feel yourself getting upset. Then, think about what you are about to say before you say it. You can get your point across to your coach and be respectful at the same time. When the argument is over, your coach will respect you even more for how you handled the situation with such grace and composure as opposed to empty jabs and anger. 3. Don’t just agree with your coach to end the argument. If you have been arguing for a long time, it is easy to say “You’re right,” and walk away. However, this will leave you with unresolved issues that your coach will not understand, which might result in a bigger problem later on.
[ Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada ]
2. Take a deep breath and maintain a tone of respect. In the heat of the moment, it is easy to say something that you do not mean and is spiteful to the other person. If you are arguing with your coach, it is important to remember to do so respectfully. You have been through a lot together and it would be a shame to damage this relationship that took so long to build with a few careless words.
disagreements in any good relationship, but it is important to know that one argument does not detract from your overall relationship. In a way, it shows a level of trust and comfort with one another. Keeping an open line of communication will help you understand your training and have a clearer focus on where you are going – together. ◀ Commentary: All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Instead, it could be beneficial to take a step back and pick up the discussion later. That way the both of you have time to cool off, clear your heads and gather your thoughts. This will probably lead to a more efficient discussion the next day and will prevent any misunderstandings in the heat of the moment. You will feel that you have been heard and understood without building frustration that may surface later. The relationship between a swimmer and a coach is possibly the most powerful tool to yield a successful season and one swimmers hold dear to their hearts. There will be SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
Madisyn Cox Given Two-Year Doping Suspension By James Sica
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.S. National Team swimmer Madisyn Cox has been handed a two-year doping suspension according to a report that appeared on FINA’s website. The doping panel decision details that Cox tested positive for the substance Trimetazidine during an out-of-competition test. The substance, which Chinese swimmer Sun Yang also tested positive for back in 2014, is listed as a Class 4.5.4 (Hormones and Metabolites) according to the WADA Prohibited Substance List.
Series meet in Atlanta. Cox was a two-time medalist at last summer’s World Championships, earning a gold medal as part of the United States’ 800 free relay and an individual bronze medal in the women’s 200 IM. Cox was scheduled to compete in five events at next week’s 2018 U.S. National Championships, including an entry as the #2 seed in the 200 IM. Cox released the following statement:
According to their full report, the FINA panel does acknowledge that Cox “did not act with intention” in ingesting the drug, and consequently limited her suspension to two years instead of what would normally be a four year suspension. Notably, Sun Yang was only given a three-month suspension for his positive test.
FINA made public earlier today that I’ve been sanctioned for two years because I unintentionally ingested a prohibited substance, Trimetazidine, an unfathomably low amount of which was detected in an out-of-competition urine sample provided on February 5, 2018. I had never heard of this substance prior to receiving the test results.
The two-year sanction started on March 3, 2018 (the last day she competed) and will end on March 2, 2020. All of the results past February 5th will no longer be official, and she will be forfeiting her prize money from the Arena Pro Swim
The FINA Hearing Panel reviewed all of the evidence, including lab reports demonstrating very low parts per billion concentrations of the prohibited substance in my sample. A world-renowned biochemist who reviewed my case compared the extraordinarily low
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level detected equal to “a pinch of salt in an Olympic size swimming pool.” At such a trace level, the substance provided me with no performance benefit of any kind.
of pharmaceuticals in the Austin, Texas water supply. I currently am looking into whether such testing is possible. I also am considering whether to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The FINA Hearing Panel considered (1) the low level in my urine, (2) that no Trimetazidine was detected in my hair sample, and (3) my in-person testimony. The Panel found that I was “an honest, very hardworking and highly credible athlete who is not a ‘cheat.’” They believed my testimony, stating that my case was “highly credible.” As a result, the Panel reduced the sanction from a potential four year period to two years – which has happened only one other time in history.
Since my test result, I have learned the hard way about the harshness of the anti-doping rules. Because a microscopic amount of a prohibited substance was detected in my urine, I am sanctioned for two years despite the FINA Hearing Panel finding that my ingestion was unintentional and that I am not a “cheat”.
Unfortunately the Panel determined that I was not eligible for a finding of “No Fault” because I could not prove the “likely source” of the 0.1 ng/ml of Trimetazidine in my urine. While the scientific expert who reviewed my case believes that I unknowingly ingested the Trimetazidine through tap water consumed the night before the test, the Panel determined that more scientific evidence was needed to prove this. The presence of pharmaceuticals like Trimetazidine in U.S. drinking water is well documented, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has studied the levels of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water of certain cities across the United States. Also unfortunately for me, there haven’t been any studies like this done in Austin, Texas, where I live and train. The Panel noted that “contaminated water” was certainly a possible source of the banned substance, but it could not find that it was the “likely source” without more testing data on the presence
I am devastated. I honestly believed through this entire process that I would receive a No Fault ruling, due to the strength of my case, a completely clean hair sample, dozens and dozens of clean tests and a history of carrying myself with honor and integrity throughout my academic and swimming career. I stand on my personal and competitive reputation. I have not taken and will never take short cuts to be the very best. I have been training this entire past year to compete at U.S. Nationals with the goal of representing my family, team and the United States at the Pan Pacific Championships and the 2019 FINA World Championships. As I endure these next weeks and months, I would anticipate and appreciate your understanding, and hope you respect that this statement is complete and stands as my only public comments at this time. ◀
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Ian Thorpe’s Former Coach, Doug Frost, Assists Rising New Zealander Lewis Clareburt By Dave Crampton
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oug Frost, coach of five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe, has traveled from Australia to New Zealand to work with Commonwealth Games medalist Lewis Clareburt prior to the Pan Pacific championships next month. Clareburt, 19, is coached by Gary Hollywood, who will be the New Zealand coach at the Pan Pacific Championships. Both Clareburt and Hollywood received the 2018 swimmer and coach of the year awards respectively at a Swimming New Zealand awards presentation this month. When Hollywood got in touch with his mentor Frost to see if he would coach Clareburt and the rest of his squad for a few weeks while on leave, it was a no-brainer. “[Hollywood] asked, ‘will l come over’. I said, ‘when? I’ll be over whenever you need me’.” Frost said. Frost, who lives on a golf course in Australia and coached
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Thorpe from the age of nine, still coaches part time, and also mentors several other coaches. He believes Clareburt has the potential, and all the qualities to do well, at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. But he doesn’t think much of the facilities in New Zealand. He is training swimmers in a 33m pool until Hollywood returns at the end of this month – but he believes Clareburt needs more time in a 50m pool. “If you want to produce world champions you need to have the facilities.” Hollywood has run a good program since starting at the Capital Swimming Club in Wellington, just over two years ago, Frost says. “His program has developed considerably. I think the way it is going, there’s no reason why it cannot be the number one
club in New Zealand.” In 2002, after assisting with the coaching of Olympians Corey Main and Glenn Snyders, Hollywood left New Zealand owing to lack of adequate training facilities, in particular a 50m pool. He now has weekend access to a 50m pool. Frost is currently working on Clareburt’s breaststroke, his backstroke, as well as the flow of his stroking, in preparation for the Pan Pacific championships. He says Clareburt may well be able to lower his 400m individual medley time of 4:14.42 set at the Commonwealth Games. “With confidence, I think he can drop his best times.” Clareburt is relishing an opportunity to be under the hand of Frost, who runs a similar program to Hollywood in Australia. “He’s awesome- it’s a great opportunity, he’s pretty casual.” “It’s just his presence, knowing that he has got so much knowledge coaching top swimming.” But he is also clear what he wants to do. “My goal is to get an Olympic medal.” He is not the only one in New Zealand with that goal – Hollywood is also similarly focused. “I`d like to bring an Olympic medal back to New Zealand – that’s the big focus for me with Lewis,” Hollywood said. “We are tracking well, we have got an opportunity, and we just want to see how fast we can have him swim – and hopefully that might mean a medal.” If that hope turns into a reality, it will elevate Clareburt into swimming royalty in New Zealand. Just four New Zealanders have won an Olympic swimming medal in an individual event; the most recent 22 years ago. Clareburt knows he has to drop his 400IM time to at least 4:09 to do it. That’s a five second drop – but he lowered his personal best by four seconds at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games for bronze. While Frost, 75, is enjoying coaching the young squad in New Zealand – Clareburt is one of the older ones – it means longer hours poolside than he is used to. “I miss my golf – you just can’t walk off pool deck.” ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: peter h. bick ]
Ali DeLoof Eyes Another Breakout at U.S. National Championships
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By Dan D’Addona li DeLoof went in to the 2016 Olympic trials uncertain of the future.
She had already graduated from Michigan and knew this meet could have been her last. She certainly had a shot to make the U.S. Olympic team in the 100-meter backstroke, but with a field packed with names like Olivia Smoliga, Kathleen Baker, Natalie Coughlin and Missy Franklin, it was going to be tough. DeLoof didn’t end up making the team, but finished high enough to qualify for the U.S. national team. Things started rolling from there for the late bloomer. “In 2016 at trials, I was just going to swim the 100 back and see what happens. I did not think I would make the national team and I didn’t know I could be as good as I am today. I still have a lot left in the tank,” DeLoof said. “I really think that meet let me know there was something I could still do to be up there with the top swimmers.” She went out and proved that by setting a short-course American record in the 50-meter backstroke in 26.57 to win at short-course worlds later in 2016 and was also part of a world record medley relay. She then won the event at the 28
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World University Games. “The international competition helped shape me a ton. Being a part of short-course worlds was amazing and my first international meet, even though it was like 15 minutes from my house,” DeLoof said. “Winning the 50 back at WUGs was great. Having that international competition has given me a lot of confidence.” Now, DeLoof is eyeing another breakout meet at the national level when she heads to the Phillips 66 USA National Championships from July 25-29 in Irvine, California. “Nationals is going to be the big meet of the summer. I am looking forward to that, especially the 100 back,” she said. DeLoof is coming off of a successful tune-up meet at the USA TYR Pro Swim Series in Columbus, Ohio, winning the 100 back. “I think it is great,” DeLoof said of seeing so many other late-bloomers in the sport, something that didn’t happen in generations past. “USA Swimming has a lot of opportunities for us (postgrad swimmers) like these Pro Series meets. It is exciting. There are more people to race and swimming is getting exponentially better.
“I love doing something bigger than myself, which is why I am getting into teaching. I took four months off at the beginning of the year because school was crazy. I got back into training in December,” she said. “It was definitely hard to get back into shape. I definitely focused on lifting more and getting stronger. Doing pilates outside of the pool has helped a lot, too. It was definitely hard at first. I liked being on a team and the team atmosphere. I definitely like training with the college team because it is better to train with people. I definitely have been working on my finishes. They have not been the best this year. They have been really long and I just haven’t been hitting them.”
[ Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant ]
It was a big momentum boost heading into nationals, especially since she took four months off in the fall and early winter to focus on school and student teaching in a fourthgrade classroom.
Nationals will be a huge meet for DeLoof to gauge herself against the rest of the country, but it isn’t quite the career crossroads that the 2016 Olympic trials was.
getting ready to teach when I was done with swimming. I feel like I would have regretted it if I didn’t continue to swim. At nationals, I have gotten fourth, so I know I can be up there. My focus is having fun and still enjoying it. You can’t swim if you don’t like it,” she said. “I never really thought about being done with swimming because I have gotten so much better.I will swim until 2020. I want to try for the Olympics and see what happens. I don’t know anything past that.
“A lot of people asked me why I didn’t just go teach. I was
“Hopefully I can make a national team this summer.” ◀
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[ Photo Courtesy: Kalina DiMarco ]
6 Swim Parent Stereotypes That Can Hinder a Swimmer’s Success By Bailey Duran
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wimmers and coaches alike know that it takes several factors to help a swimmer be successful and achieve their goals. One crucial factor that may be a given but underaddressed is the parental role in a swimmer’s achievement. While the swim parent and coach can make a great support team, they also may not see eye to eye on their swimmer’s success. When a swimmer begins the sport, the commitment the child is taking on also becomes the commitment of the parent. This commitment should not just consist of paying for swim team and dropping them off at practice (although these are good things, too). Support and encouragement from parents are vital ingredients to success – it shows that you also support them in life.
instead of celebrating the latest victory. They also get upset when their swimmer does not perform the way they think they should and may try to push their swimmers too hard. Encouragement and challenges are good for swimmers; however, adding stress and pressure as a parent is detrimental. According to Dr. Robert T Muller, “Pressure has a detrimental effect on child health and leaves them feeling distressed and deflated.” Pressure will eventually cause the swimmer to be unhappy no matter how they swim and will take away their enjoyment in the sport.
While most parents want what’s best for their kids, sometimes this “help” ends up hurting the process. Here are six swim parent stereotypes that tend to hinder swimmers more than help. If you are one of these parents, it’s never too late to turn it around!
2. The Under-Involved Parent The under-involved parent is usually categorized by an “I don’t care” attitude. No one really knows who they are except for a few whispered rumors and educated guesses from the swim moms, who know everyone on the team. The underinvolved parents hardly know when practice is and certainly don’t know when the meets are until the last second. They never volunteer and seem to disappear when the call for more timers is announced.
1. The Overzealous Parent The overzealous parent (usually) has good intentions, but they can come across as hyper-critical. When their swimmer has a good race, they can tend to either overshadow their performance by pointing out what they could do better or talk about the next thing they want their swimmer to accomplish
They have no enthusiasm when they see their child swim, and they rarely attend meets by their own choice (not work related). The swimmer may feel unsupported by this parent in their swimming endeavors. Because of this, the swimmer may become disheartened and lose their love and commitment to the sport. Swimmers can usually tell how much their parents
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support them by the interest and time their parents put into it. Teams of Tomorrow cites a survey of professional minor baseball players which found that the majority of the players who had made it to the professional level had parents who regularly attended games, gave them financial help for games, gear, and camps, and encouraged them to keep reaching for their goals. 3. Negative Nancy Negative Nancies takes the negative approach and comes across to the swimmer as if they don’t believe in them. When the swimmer talks about the tough practice, Negative Nancy doesn’t wait to hear about it and begins to say that their practices are too hard and that they are going to get injured. Or, if they have a swimmer who wants to go to the Olympics, they laugh and tell them to be more realistic. When the swimmer qualifies for a championship meet hours away, Negative Nancy doesn’t celebrate her swimmer’s success and instead begins to fret about the travel costs and how the swimmer has swum too many away meets already this year. This constant worry and negativity transfers to the swimmer and causes them to be negative about themselves and the sport. 4. Hold-You-Back Helga Hold-You-Back Helgas hold the swimmer back in a variety of different ways. They may keep their swimmer from going to practice or give their kiddo excessive amounts of sugar with no discipline. They can make their swimmer a sore loser by getting angry or upset when one of their opponents (or even friends in some cases) beats them or gets put on the Sectional relay instead of them. They begin to give the swimmer an entitlement attitude. Perhaps one of the biggest things they do to hold their swimmer back is to ban their swimmer from going to big meets that they qualified and worked hard for. There are many reasons swimmers can’t go to their championship meets (such as finances), but Hold-You-Back Helga keeps the swimmer from going for other reasons, thus preventing their swimmer from going onto the next level. This will cause the swimmer to be disappointed and frustrated. 5. The Overall Unsupportive Parent This parent is not supportive of their child’s swimming in general. They are overly critical and make their swimmer feel guilty for the commitment they have given to swimming. They never watch their child swim. This causes a loss of confidence as the swimmer wonders if they are really doing the right thing. According to a study done by the Youth Development Through Recreation and Sport, the vast majority of feedback
from parents in sports is either used to put the athlete down or to critique instead of to lift up and encourage. Swimmers (and athletes in general) usually cannot perform to their potential if they feel like they are making their parents unhappy or don’t feel the support from those they love. Athletes need someone to celebrate their victories with as well as be told to never give up and try again when they lose. 6. I-Know-More-Than-The-Coach Parent This parent tries to coach their swimmer behind the coach’s back. The coach tells the swimmer to do one thing, yet the parent tells them to do the complete opposite. You can see this parent giving the swimmer technique feedback (even though they may not know swimming themselves) and encouraging their child to not listen to what the coach has to say. This causes the swimmer to disrespect and undermine the coach around the other swimmers. Whether they realize it or not, this parent is teaching their swimmer to disrespect authority figures. Dominique Stasulli of Simpli-faster writes that over-the-top parental coaching causes stress, anxiety, fatigue, burnout, and loss of personal drive. Swim Parents Can Make the Difference Swim parents do a lot for their swimmers. Truth be told, most successful swimmers would not have accomplished their goals without the encouragement and support from their parents. When swimmers set high goals for themselves, the parents have to be behind the athlete. Being successful in this sport takes an enormous amount of commitment from both the athlete and the parents. Swimmers need parents who support the coach, who will get their swimmer to practices, help provide and educate the swimmer on proper nutrition, provide time for needed rest and get swimmers to camps and meets that provide opportunities for experience and growth. When you see an athlete who is successful in this sport, they are most likely dedicated, hard working, and resilient. But if you look closely, you will most likely also see parents who believe in their swimmer and provide opportunities, support and encouragement throughout the process. Swim parents – let your swimmer’s dreams fly and trust their coach. Trust the process, and remember that what your swimmer needs most from you is love, encouragement, and the opportunity to put their hard work on the line day after day. What can you do as a swim parent to help propel your swimmer to success? ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien ]
Film Review: Rowdy — Documentary on Rowdy Gaines By Andy Ross
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ecently, SEC Network aired “Rowdy,” an hour-long feature documentary by ESPN’s Hannah Storm. The documentary highlighted Gaines’ career in the 1980s, growing up in Florida, swimming at Auburn for Eddie Reese and Richard Quick, missing out on competing in the 1980 Olympics, and ultimately winning an Olympic gold in 1984. “Rowdy” was a great refresher on Rowdy Gaines’s swimming career and was a very well-done documentary.
Best Moments
Archived Footage It’s almost impossible to find any non-Olympic footage from before 2006 on YouTube. “Rowdy” showed footage from the NCAA Championships in his career as well as the 1978 World Championships and the 1980 Olympic Trials. It’s always fun to watch how much swimming has evolved over time and what fast swimming looked like forty plus years ago. Rowdy’s passion One thing that everyone knows about Rowdy is how much he loves the sport of swimming. It’s not hard to see that when listening to him call a swimming race at the Olympics or even a Pro Swim Series meet. Rowdy loves swimming, and it definitely showed in this documentary. When standing behind the blocks at the current USC pool, home of the 1984 Olympics, Rowdy still got emotional reliving the 100 free final from over thirty years prior. It seemed like Rowdy was always pumping his fists after every big race in the documentary. Whether it was anchoring a relay at the SEC Championships or anchoring a relay to close out the 1984 Olympics, Rowdy would always be celebrating like it was a big deal. That is the passion that we still see from Rowdy in the broadcast booth, and it was good 32
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for the younger generations who weren’t alive in the 1980’s to see where Rowdy’s passion comes from. 1980 Heartbreak It’s very difficult to explain the heartbreak of the 1980 Olympic boycott to someone who wasn’t alive then (including myself), but this documentary perfectly conveyed the emotions of the athletes who didn’t get to compete in Moscow. Can you imagine if Trump pulled everyone out of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo? It would crush so many athlete’s dreams who were peaking at the right time to try to compete in Tokyo. Rowdy was one of those athletes in 1980. The boycott of 1980 almost dilutes Rowdy Gaines’ career because he will always be known as the 1984 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 free. But what if he could have competed in Moscow? He might be known as the Olympic gold medalist in TWO events, not just one. If he didn’t decide to keep swimming towards 1984, Rowdy’s swimming career would get forgotten over time and would become one of the greatest “what if” stories in swimming. Luckily for Rowdy’s sake, he kept swimming and got to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Lull of life after swimming Rowdy initially retired after his senior year in 1981, claiming he did not have it in him to chase another Olympics in 1984. There was no professional swimming until later in the decade, and only amateurs could compete in the Olympics, until that rule was abolished in 1986. So the idea of swimming after college in 1981 was unheard of. Until Rowdy’s dad told him that he had it in him to go for gold in 1984. But after the 1981 NCAA’s, Rowdy talked about how hard it was to find himself after swimming was over, something that
a lot of athletes have experienced after college. How do you get a job? Where do you get a job? Do I have enough money to support myself? Rowdy perfectly encapsulated that lost feeling that an athlete can get after they are done with college and it’s time to move on in to the real world. But Rowdy ultimately decided to come back and pursue another Olympic dream, after the recommendation of his father. Since he couldn’t make money as a professional, he had to work obscure jobs to make ends meet and to support himself. The film does a great job of showing how hard it was to support yourself as an Olympic athlete in the 1980’s. Rowdy and Joan Jett Wait this actually happened? If only social media was around in 1984. Rowdy apparently met rock star Joan Jett and the two “hung out a couple times” after the 1984 Olympics, perfectly showing the celebrity status Rowdy took on after Los Angeles, and the benefits one gets after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Who won the movie?
Hannah Storm Hands down. This was such a well-directed, well-edited movie and it told a great story. There were no dull spots, no “I can skip this” moments. It moved at a great pace and told the story in a very effective way. Storm chose a great subject in Rowdy Gaines, too. Gaines had one of the most underrated swimming careers and she did a fantastic job at telling Rowdy’s life story. The point of documentaries is to find stories that have fallen through the cracks of public knowledge, and to bring them back into relevancy and refresh people’s minds of why this story is important. Storm did a great job of telling us why Rowdy Gaines is important to the sport of swimming as well as how great he really was.
It was mentioned above, but Rowdy’s career may be completely forgotten if he doesn’t compete in Los Angeles in 1984. There isn’t a lot of footage on YouTube of swimming in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I’m sure I’m not the only person who didn’t realize how good Rowdy actually was. The documentary perfectly blended heartbreak, redemption, triumph, politics, and many other qualities into a great film, and Hannah Storm deserves recognition for this. Charles Barkley Any documentary with an interview from Charles Barkley is a can’t miss, even if Barkley is on screen for less than five minutes. It seems any documentary that has to do with anything about Auburn Athletics, Barkley always has to make an appearance, and he never fails. He just makes great television and he delivered perfectly here. Richard Quick Is there any coach out there better than the late Richard Quick? When viewing this, I forgot that Eddie Reese was the coach at Auburn when Rowdy was a freshman. When Reese was on his way out and took a job at the University of Texas, a lot of Auburn swimmers followed him to Austin, and Rowdy wanted to join suit. But who was Reese’s replacement? One of the greatest coaches of all-time in Richard Quick. Auburn really hit the lottery with hiring Quick right after Eddie. Quick was hired in the fall of 1978 and helped coach Rowdy to be arguably the best swimmer in the world in 1980, alongside the likes of Soviet distance swimmer Vladimir Salnikov. Quick accompanied Rowdy to the 1984 Olympics as a member of the USA Swimming staff, and Quick was on staff for every United States Olympic team until 2004. ◀
SWIM MART
䐀刀夀 䰀䄀一䐀 刀䔀匀䤀匀吀䄀一䌀䔀 吀刀䄀䤀一䤀一䜀 䜀䔀䄀刀 䤀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 䘀漀爀洀 ☀ 䤀䴀 琀椀洀攀 簀 䔀渀栀愀渀挀攀 攀渀搀甀爀愀渀挀攀 簀 吀爀愀椀渀 愀渀礀眀栀攀爀攀
一娀䌀漀爀搀稀⸀挀漀洀 簀 㠀 ⸀㠀㠀㘀⸀㘀㘀㈀
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[ Photo Courtesy: speedo usa ]
Caeleb Dressel Officially Signs Deal With Speedo By andy ross
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n an exclusive report from Yahoo Sports and Pat Forde, 2017 World Champion Caeleb Dressel is set to sign a deal with Speedo on Thursday. There are no specifics on the deal yet, but Speedo executive John Graham told Yahoo Sports that there will be performance incentives. “It’s a really good plan to incentivize him to be the best,” Graham said. “We want to enhance the sport of swimming and give Caeleb every chance to achieve his dreams. It’s going to be a cool ride on the way to the Olympics.” Dressel joins Team Speedo in the footsteps of high school teammate Ryan Murphy and fellow sprint star Nathan Adrian. Dressel is coming off one of the most decorated NCAA careers in history for the University of Florida, as he won nine individual NCAA titles in his four year career, as well as one relay. He became the first swimmer to ever break 18 seconds in the 50 free, 43 seconds in the 100 fly and 40 seconds in the 100 free. He is also coming off a very successful 2017 long course season where he won individual gold medals in the 50, 100 free and 100 fly. Although Dressel is pushing aside the hype
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for now. “I had one good meet and people freaked out,” he told Yahoo Sports. “I’ve got a lot more work to do.” Dressel will have a chance to swim in his first (taper) meet as a professional swimmer next week in Irvine, California where he will be vying for a spot on the Pan Pac team to compete in Japan in three weeks. His exact schedule is not known yet. The official psych sheet has yet to be released. Official Speedo USA press release: SPEEDO USA, a division of PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH), today announced that two-time Olympic gold medalist, seven-time FINA World Championships gold medalist and competitive swimming phenom Caeleb Dressel has joined Team Speedo USA, marking his first endorsement since becoming a professional swimmer earlier this year. Dressel bolsters Speedo’s position as swimming’s most decorated brand, with more Olympic medals won in Speedo than all other swim brands combined. He joins an elite Team Speedo USA competitive roster that includes standouts Nathan Adrian, Missy Franklin, Ryan Murphy, Cullen Jones, Kevin Cordes, Katie Meili, Conor Dwyer, Hali Flickinger
and Becca Meyers, who have won a combined 35 Olympic and Paralympic medals, and 43 FINA World Championships medals. Dressel will compete in the Speedo Fastskin line of competitive suits, goggles and caps, and train in the Speedo Turnz line of practice suiting. “Caeleb is a star, plain and simple,” said Speedo USA President John Graham. “Our goal with Team Speedo is to always build a complete, well-rounded roster of world-class swimmers who will embody Speedo in and out of the pool and connect with our fans across the country. The addition of Caeleb is certain to be part of that tradition, and we cannot wait to see how he grows and shines in our brand in the years to come.” Dressel, 21, who won gold in two events at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Men’s 4×100-meter medley relay and 4×100-meter freestyle relay), reached superstar status during the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest. There, he became the first-ever swimmer to win three gold medals in a day and only the second swimmer to win seven gold medals in a single meet, earning him the title of “Male Swimmer of the Meet.” As a senior on the University of Florida’s Men’s Swimming & Diving team, Dressel was named 2017-18 SEC Male Athlete of the Year. He set two stunning records during the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships,
becoming the first-ever swimmer to break the 40-second mark in the 100-yard freestyle (39.90) and go sub-18 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle (17.63). He currently holds seven American long- and short-course records: The Men’s 50-meter freestyle (LC), 100-meter freestyle (LC), 50-meter butterfly (LC), 50-yard freestyle (SC), 100-yard freestyle (SC), 100-yard butterfly (SC) and 200-yard individual medley (SC). “Signing with Speedo USA has been a surreal first step in my professional career,” said Dressel. “The support of Speedo USA and my new Team Speedo USA teammates is going to be incredibly important as I train to reach my goals. I look forward to joining the ranks of the incredible athletes who have worn Speedo when it’s mattered most.” Dressel will be featured prominently in Speedo USA’s yearround national marketing, media and digital campaigns, as well as at point-of-sale with major retail partners in the U.S. Outside of the pool, he and Team Speedo USA’s athletes serve as ambassadors for Speedo USA’s Speedo Fit aquatic fitness program, swim and sun safety initiatives, and as inspirational figures for swimmers of all ages. Dressel will continue to train with his collegiate Coach Gregg Troy, now at the helm of Gator Swim Club in Gainesville, Fla. ◀
Recreational To Elite Swimmers Practice Swims: Nov. 7th-9th Swim Races: Nov. 10th - 11th (1.5K, 3.3K, 5K, 10K) @BarbadosOWSwim SwimBarbadosVacations www.swimbarbadosvacations.com info@swimbarbadosvacations.com SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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2018 AQUATIC DIRECTORY AWARDS, RIBBONS & MEDALS Bag Tags www.bagtagsinc.com..........................(847)424.1900 Bag Tags, Inc. is a design and print manufacturing company specializing in event communications. There is no substitute for clear and effective communication, and our products do exactly that. Our Credentials and Lanyards will amplify event security, improve organization and add grandeur. And our Luggage Tags will build brand awareness and make for the perfect keepsake for your attendees. We also provide beautiful and durable custom wristbands, nameplates, parking passes and business cards! Hasty Awards www.hastyawards.com........................(800)448.7714 Hasty Awards is a family-owned company that has 30 years of success in providing organizations and businesses their every award need. From ribbons, medals, trophies and plaques to crystal, glass, full color acrylics and promotional items, Hasty Awards provides unlimited opportunities for organizations to recognize and reward those who excel. Their creative designs, excellent products and competitive prices have positioned them to be a leader throughout the awards industry as well as being recognized for their high quality
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BACKSTROKE FLAGS Agon Sport www.agonswim.com............................(877)718.9403 Competitor Swim www.competitorswim.com................(800)888.7946
DIVING BOARDS Spectrum Aquatics www.spectrumaquatics.com.............(406)532.6352 EXTRACTORS (WATER) Suitmate® - Extractor Corporation www.suitmate.com...............................(800)553.3353 Extractor Corporation was founded in 1983 for the express purpose of developing an entirely new product, a swimsuit water extractor. Since that time, the SUITMATE® swimsuit water extractor has continued to become a standard and expected amenity in the aquatics industry and something that truly enhances every patron’s swimming pool and spa experience. As a family-owned company, Extractor Corporation has been carefully crafting each SUITMATE® unit in the USA with stainless steel and durable plastic to ensure quality and reliability. Today, over 30,000 SUITMATE® units are serving pool and spa facilities in over seventy countries. CONTINUED on ON 39 41 continued
一娀䌀漀爀搀稀⸀挀漀洀 簀 㠀 ⸀㠀㠀㘀⸀㘀㘀㈀
䘀刀䔀䔀 匀䠀䤀倀倀䤀一䜀 伀一 䄀䰀䰀 伀刀䐀䔀刀匀 伀嘀䔀刀 ␀㔀 吀栀攀 伀刀䤀䜀䤀一䄀䰀 刀攀猀椀猀椀琀愀渀挀攀 匀眀椀洀 吀攀愀洀 吀爀愀椀渀椀渀最 䜀攀愀爀
䌀漀渀琀椀渀攀渀琀愀氀 唀匀䄀 伀一䰀夀
唀匀䔀䐀 䈀夀 䄀吀䠀䰀䔀吀䔀匀 圀伀刀䰀䐀圀䤀䐀䔀
䤀一 圀䄀吀䔀刀 刀䔀匀䤀匀吀䄀一䌀䔀 吀刀䄀䤀一䤀一䜀 䜀䔀䄀刀
唀猀攀搀 戀礀 椀渀琀攀爀渀愀琀椀漀渀愀氀 伀氀礀洀瀀椀愀渀猀 愀渀搀 猀眀椀洀 渀漀瘀椀挀攀猀Ⰰ 猀眀椀洀洀攀爀猀 琀爀愀椀渀 眀椀琀栀 漀甀爀 匀琀爀攀挀栀䌀漀爀搀稀글 椀渀 眀愀琀攀爀 最攀愀爀 琀漀 椀洀瀀爀漀瘀攀 匀琀愀洀椀渀愀Ⰰ 倀漀眀攀爀Ⰰ 匀琀爀漀欀攀Ⰰ 䔀渀搀甀爀愀渀挀攀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 䤀䴀 琀椀洀攀猀⸀ JULY 2018 / SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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2018 AQUATIC AQUATIC DIRECTORY DIRECTORY --CONTINUED CONTINUEDFROM FROM37 39 FINS, MONO FINS & SNORKELS Arena - www.arenawaterinstinct.com FINIS www.finisinc.com..................................(888)333.4647 John Mix and Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Pablo Morales founded FINIS in 1993 with a mission to simplify swimming for athletes, coaches, beginners and lifelong swimmers around the world. Today, FINIS fulfills that mission through innovation, high quality products and a commitment to education. FINIS products are currently available in over 80 countries. With a focus on innovation and the fine details of swimming, FINIS will continue to develop products that help more people enjoy the water.
technique efficiently. The old way of having coaches constantly remind swimmers of their individual problems has proven to offer very little improvement in technique. GOGGLES & ANTI-FOG Arena - www.arenawaterinstinct.com
LIFEGUARD EQUIPMENT Agon Sport www.agonswim.com............................(877)718.9403 Spectrum Aquatics www.spectrumaquatics.com.............(406)532.6352
Dolfin Swimwear www.dolfinswimwear.com.................(800)441.0818
PACE CLOCKS Colorado Time Systems www.coloradotime.com......................(970)667.1000
FINIS www.finisinc.com..................................(888)333.4647
Competitor Swim www.competitorswim.com...............(800)888.7946
Speedo www.speedousa.com..........................(888)477.3336
International Sports Timing (IST) www.ist.com............................................(800)835.2611
Dolfin Swimwear www.dolfinswimwear.com.................(800)441.0818
TYR Sport www.tyr.com..........................................(800)252.7878
Swiss Timing - Omega www.omegatimingusa.com..............(678)463.5678
Speedo www.speedousa.com...........................(888)477.3336
LANE LINES & REELS Competitor Swim www.competitorswim.com...............(800)888.7946 Competitor Swim was established with the introduction of the Non-Turb™ Racing Lane at the 1968 Summer Olympics. This lane set a standard in the industry, as the first flexible swim lane to effectively dissipate turbulent water while creating a wave control barrier. The Competitor Racing Lane eventually evolved into today’s Gold Medal Racing Lane™ whose patented technology was introduced at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games. Competitor’s Gold Medal Racing Lane™ has proudly been the choice of 10 of the past 13 Olympic Games, most recently at the 2016 Rio Games.
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TYR Sport www.tyr.com...........................................(800)252.7878 Swimmers Best www.swimmersbest.com...................(770)358.4591 SwimmersBest is leading the way for the future of swim training equipment. The company offers a broad range of solutions for improving stroke technique, kick technique, and breathing technique. They provide swimmers, coaches, and teams with the tools they need to balance technique training with conditioning training. By combining the best drills with the best tools, the SwimmersBest products give swimmers instant tactile feedback so they can adjust their
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Dolfin Swimwear www.dolfinswimwear.com.................(800)441.0818 FINIS www.finisinc.com..................................(888)333.4647 Speedo www.speedousa.com...........................(888)477.3336 Swimmers Best www.swimmersbest.com...................(770)358.4591 TYR Sport www.tyr.com...........................................(800)252.7878 continued ON on 42 40 CONTINUED
Colorado Time Systems is synonymous with precision and accuracy in aquatic timing and scoring. Our Gen7 technology exceeds current swim timing standards by offering you cutting edge technology with unrivaled precision and an all new software-driven experience to run your meets flawlessly.
Contact us today and learn more about the next generation in timing. 800.279.0111 | +1 970.667.1000 info@coloradotime.com
© Colorado Time Systems 2018
JULY 2018 / SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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2018 AQUATIC AQUATIC DIRECTORY DIRECTORY --CONTINUED CONTINUEDFROM FROM39 41 POOL ACCESS EQUIPMENT Spectrum Aquatics www.spectrumaquatics.com..........(406)532.6352 PREP SCHOOLS Baylor School...................................Chattanooga, TN Co-ed Boarding & Day, Grades 6-12 (423)267.8506.....Dan_flack@baylorschool.org www.baylorschool.org
Mercersburg Academy..................Mercersburg, PA Co-ed Boarding & Day, Grades 9-12 (717)328.6173 Admission@mercersburg.edu www.mercersburg.edu Peddie School......................................Hightstown, NJ Co-ed Boarding & Day, Grades 9-12 (609)944.7501.............Admission@peddie.org www.peddie.org
The Bolles School........................…. Jacksonville, FL Co-ed Boarding and Day, Grades Pre-K-12 (904)256.5216................sakovichj@bolles.org www.bolles.org
Phillips Academy .....................................Andover, MA Co-ed Boarding & Day, Grades 9-Post Graduate (978)749.4000..................pmurphy@andover.edu www.andover.edu
Eaglebrook………........................…. Deerfield, MA Boys Boarding & Day, Grades 6 – 9 (413)774-9110...............tlow@eaglebrook.org www.eaglebrook.org
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Fork Union Military Academy.........Fork Union, VA Boys Boarding, Grades 6-12 (434)842.4205 or (800)GO2.FUMA www.forkunion.com
Suffield Academy........................................Suffield, CT Co-ed Boarding & Day, Grades 9-12 and PG (860)668.7315......ALowe@suffieldacademy.org www.suffieldacademy.org
Gulliver College Preparatory ..............Pinecrest, FL Co-ed Day, Grades PK3-12 (305)666.7937x1552....geoc@gulliverschools.org www.gulliverschools.org
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McDonogh School ……............ Owings Mills, MD Co-ed Day & 5-day Boarding, Grades PK-12 (443)544.7021..........sbirdsall@mcdonogh.org www.mcdonogh.org
RESISTANCE BANDS – WEIGHT BELTS Lane Gainer Sports www.lanegainer.com...........................(800)443.8946 NZ Manufacturing www.nzmfg.com....................................(800)886.6621
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Total Performance www.tpiswim.com................................(877)816.8714 SCOREBOARDS Colorado Time Systems www.coloradotime.com.....................(970)667.1000 International Sports Timing (IST) www.ist.com............................................(800)835.2611 Swiss Timing - Omega www.omegatimingusa.com.............(678)463.5678 viviLED www.viviled.com....................................(949)305.4242 viviLED Display Company was founded on and operates under the principle that viviLED will provide the best product possible at competitive prices while exceeding all customer expectations. viviLED has accomplished this by listening to its customers and integrating the latest technology in both product and manufacturing methods. viviLED has provided information display solutions for its customers in various applications at numerous sites, including scoreboards at aquatic centers, large road-side billboards, and supplying expertise and product for three Olympic games. SNORKELS FINIS www.finisinc.com..................................(888)333.4647 Speedo www.speedousa.com...........................(888)477.3336
STARTING BLOCKS Colorado Time Systems www.coloradotime.com......................(970)667.1000 Spectrum Aquatics www.spectrumaquatics.com.............(406)532.6352 Spectrum Aquatics has been meeting and beating aquatics industry standards for more than 45 years. They manufacture a broad array of quality aquatic products used in the construction and operation of commercial swimming pools and spas. Their flagship products include starting platforms, the backstroke start device, pool lifts and accessibility equipment, ladders, standard and custom rails, steps, diving platforms, lifeguard chairs, pool covers, and a broad array of aquatic accessories and parts.
week. Sets include: straight swims, paddles, fins, kicking, and underwater. The Power Tower uses a unique water weight system that calculates pounds of force based on the number of gallons stored in the bucket system whereas the Power Rack has a permanent plate system that has exact units of weight. Both systems are available to meet every program’s need. Vasa Trainer www.vasatrainer.com..........................(802)872.7101
STRENGTH EQUIPMENT Swimmers Best www.swimmersbest.com..................(770)358.4591
SWIM BENCHES Lane Gainer Sports www.lanegainer.com...........................(800)443.8946 LANE GAINER SPORTS has a lot of pull in the world of swimming. Swimmers have been pulling our brand swim belts and dryland tubing for 30+ years. We make the highest quality resistance and assistance tubing gear in the sport. Over the years we have added select new products to fill niche’ training needs. We have products to keep elbows high – like H.E.A.T tubing and drag low – like Kick Sticks™ - all with fast times in mind. Last year we introduced a Swim Fun-nel™ Parachute, new versions of the HALO Swim Bench™ stroke templates, and a Lane Gainer Stretching Strap™
Total Performance www.tpiswim.com...............................(877)816.8714 Total Performance, Inc. produces the most popular water-integrated strength equipment in the world with its proven Power Tower and Power Rack products. Since 1988, Total Performance has sold its products to the top swim coaches throughout the world. Most coaches are using the Power Tower and Power Rack 2 or 3 times a
Vasa Trainer www.vasatrainer.com...........................(802)872.7101 Vasa’s premium quality swim benches help you reveal your weaknesses, so you can make corrections and get Stronger, Better, Faster. For 30 years, Vasa's outstanding customer service and commitment to customer education has served athletes and coaches striving to improve technique, strength, power, and injury rehab. As
Swiss Timing - Omega www.omegatimingusa.com..............(678)463.5678
life-long athletes and coaches themselves, their passion for excellence comes to life in every Vasa swim bench product. SWIM-IN-PLACE Lane Gainer Sports www.lanegainer.com...........................(800)443.8946 NZ Manufacturing www.nzmfg.com....................................(800)886.6621 Total Performance www.tpiswim.com.................................(877)816.8714 SWIM PARACHUTES Swimmers Best www.swimmersbest.com...................(770)358.4591 Lane Gainer Sports www.lanegainer.com...........................(800)443.8946 SWIMWEAR Agon Sport www.agonswim.com...........................(877)718.9403 Agon Sport LLC is in the athletic apparel, accessory, and equipment business. Currently, their customers include swimmers, water-polo players, lifeguards, divers, synchronized swimmers, and triathletes. In the future, they hope to expand the number of sports they serve. Agonswim.com creates value for athletes by creating high quality, custom-dyed athletic apparel, which is their distinctive competency. Their principal objective is to help sports teams build unity, spirit, and pride by providing them with custom team apparel, accessories, and equipment. continued CONTINUEDon ON42 44
[ Photo Courtesy: Patti Rothwell, Lake Forest Swim Club ]
Swimmers Best www.swimmersbest.com...................(770)358.4591
JULY 2018 / SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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2018 AQUATIC AQUATIC DIRECTORY DIRECTORY --CONTINUED CONTINUEDFROM FROM41 43 Arena - www.arenawaterinstinct.com Arena makes and distributes swimwear, and swim apparel. Since their establishment in 1973, their vision has not changed. They strive to create the fastest and most durable products for both competitive and recreational swimmers. No matter how grand or small an individual’s goal is, Arena has the desire to help people achieve their goals in the pool. Their success can in large part be attributed to the extensive research and development they do on all of their products. Dolfin Swimwear www.dolfinswimwear.com.................(800)441.0818 Dolfin has been one of the leading swimwear brands for more than 70 years. It is recognized for offering the best value in the industry with the highest standards of innovation and quality. Founded and operated in Pennsylvania, Dolfin continues to provide its customers with the best quality swimwear at the most competitive prices in the industry. From product development and design to presentation and delivery, Dolfin is committed to customer satisfaction and to our goal of becoming America’s most popular brand of performance swimwear. FINIS www.finisinc.com..................................(888)333.4647 TYR Sport www.tyr.com...........................................(800)252.7878 TYR is committed to cultivating a culture of greatness, both in and out of the water. Founded in 1985, TYR has become an industry leader in both competitive swimming and triathlon. TYR remains dedicated to building the industry’s
most durable, uniquely designed swimsuits, cutting edge equipment and innovative caps and goggles. On a relentless path to push the limits of sportswear, TYR not only reimagines technology for enhanced competitive performance, but also embraces lifestyle markets to accommodate athletes and water enthusiasts at every level Speedo www.speedousa.com...........................(888)477.3336 The world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo is passionate about life in and around the water. The brand’s heritage of innovation derives from its leadership in competitive swimming, where more Olympic Gold Medals have been won in Speedo than any other brand. Building on its authentic base and using the pioneering technology created for the planet’s top swimmers, Speedo brings performance, comfort and style to all who enter the water, whether racing for a record finish, swimming laps for better health or making memories at the beach. TEAM MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Commit Swimming www.CommitSwimming.com @CommitSwimming TritonWear www.tritonwear.com............................(416)357.2839 TETHERED SWIMS – SPEED ASSIST Lane Gainer Sports www.lanegainer.com...........................(800)443.8946 NZ Manufacturing www.nzmfg.com....................................(800)886.6621
NZ Manufacturing, Inc., a leader in high-quality resistance swim training, general sports training and physical rehabilitation tools, celebrates its 33rd year providing innovative exercise products to coaches, athletes, physical therapists, chiropractors and patients. NZ Manufacturing was founded in 1985 with the development of StrechCordz®, an engineered line of high-quality swim training products. Originally designed by a small group of competitive swimmers, StrechCordz Dryland and In-Water tools help improve stroke, endurance and strength through resistance. Today, StrechCordz is recognized as the top swim training product line worldwide, used by swimmers ranging from novice to International Olympians. Vasa Trainer www.vasatrainer.com...........................(802)872.7101 TIMING SYSTEMS Colorado Time Systems www.coloradotime.com......................(970)667.1000 Colorado Time Systems (CTS) provides premier athletic facilities across the world with platinum quality timing, scoring and display systems. Colorado Time Systems’ concept was born in the Test & Measurement division of Hewlett-Packard (HP). HP wanted to explore opportunities in the sports timing industry and chose aquatics because it required such precise measurement. In 1972, four HP engineers spun off from HP and founded CTS. From those very specific aquatic beginnings, an extensive and multi-faced sports timing and display company was born. Throughout the years, CTS has maintained a steadfast commitment to provide cutting edge CONTINUED continued ON on 46 44
Train Smarter
• Automated data collection for teams • Live feedback in training • Long-term tracking and advanced insights
Track • Learn • Improve
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SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE / JULY 2018 SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
TRAINING
“The Feedback Paddle is the first tool that consistently helps to correct one of the most common flaws in technique. I’m amazed at how well it reinforces good habits in just 2 strokes!” - Gregg Parini, NCAA Coach of the Year
“The Kickball is an ideal tool for anything related to stability in the swimming pool: from pulling to kicking or anything in between, the Kickball will help you get a better feel for the water.” - Bobby Bollier - 2015 Pan-Ams Medalist JULY 2018 / SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
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2018 AQUATIC AQUATIC DIRECTORY DIRECTORY --CONTINUED CONTINUEDFROM FROM42 44 scoring and display products for all venues. Colorado Time Systems (CTS) provides premier athletic facilities across the world with platinum quality timing, scoring and display systems. Competitor Swim www.competitorswim.com.....................................................................(800)888.7946 International Sports Timing (IST) www.ist.com.................................................................................................(800)835.2611 IST is a family-owned company that has been in business since 1992. They are swimmers, coaches, swim parents and swimming fans, as well as electrical and software engineers. Their aquatic sports products have been developed by engineers with input from coaches, swimmers and parents to provide the most intuitive, easy-to-use swim timing software out there.
Their hardware products were designed using their industrial engineering experience to stand up to the harsh environment of swimming pools and minimize maintenance for the busy coach. They are so rugged that they can offer a 5-year warranty on all of their hardware! They make training volunteers easy and running meets simple. All of IST’s products are backed by the best warranty in the industry, ensuring reliable performance and long-term value. Our friendly, helpful customer support is second to none and is available 24/7/365. Swiss Timing - Omega www.omegatimingusa.com...................................................................(678)463.5678 SWISS TIMING and its sister company OMEGA have been the pioneers in proposing innovative solutions for competitive swimming, working closely with FINA and the world's television broadcasters. Swiss Timing products include timing consoles, touchpads, starting blocks, start systems, scoreboards, video backup, TV graphics and a wide variety of additional products targeted at the competitive aquatics sporting events of swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. Swiss Timing’s services and technology meet the needs of the full range of swimming races contested in 25- and 50-m pools and in the open water. TRAINING SOFTWARE Commit Swimming www.CommitSwimming.com @CommitSwimming The #1 workout journal for coaches and swimmers. With Commit Swimming, you can analyze workouts for specific athletes, taking into account attendance and the exact sets that swimmer did in each workout. View training volume by strokes, types, and intensity levels over time. Use this powerful, easy to use tool to help your team reach its full potential. TritonWear www.tritonwear.com.................................................................................(416)357.2839 At TritonWear, we aim to give coaches and athletes the right tools and resources to make better decisions in their training. Sports are becoming more data-driven, and we’re championing this change by providing accurate metrics and analytics tools that have never before been seen in our industry. From our roots in competitive swimming to the sports industry at large, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in technology. T-SHIRTS Hasty Awards www.hastyawards.com.............................................................................(800)448.7714 Swimming on the Wall swimmingonthewall.com..................(928)554.4910 WATER POLO GOALS Spectrum Aquatics www.spectrumaquatics.com............(406)532.6352 WEARABLE DATA COLLECTION TritonWear www.tritonwear.com...........................(416)357.2839 WORKOUT SOFTWARE Colorado Time Systems www.coloradotime.com.....................(970)667.1000 Commit Swimming www.CommitSwimming.com @CommitSwimming International Sports Timing (IST) www.ist.com...........................................(800)835.2611 TritonWear www.tritonwear.com...........................(416)357.2839
VISIT OUR ONLINE RESOURCE AT swimmingworld.com/aquatic-directory
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[ Photo Courtesy: usa today ]
Tokyo 2020 Leaning Toward Morning Finals; Cate Campbell Speaks Out By taylor brien
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few days ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved an almost complete schedule of the Olympic events for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The only sports not approved at the time were the aquatic sports of swimming, diving, and artistic swimming. The underlying reason for the missing schedules were ongoing discussions between television networks in the United States and Japan, who each wanted finals to be aired at different times. The United States pushed for morning finals to enhance prime viewing hours, while Japan wanted to host finals in the evening stating that swimming was one of the country’s favorite Olympic sports. One day later, the FINA Bureau placed their support behind holding the swimming finals in the morning hours in Japan, benefitting prime time viewing hours in the United States. The schedule echoes that of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where finals also took place in the morning.
“Unfortunately, it is what it is. We wanted to show the Japanese fans the swimming finals in Japanese prime time.” While the schedule still has not been officially confirmed by the IOC or the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, many in the swimming community are not surprised to hear that morning finals might take place. Australian Olympian Cate Campbell has spoken out about the decision to host finals in the morning, stating, “It’s not unexpected but I’m a little disappointed that the rights of the athletes are not being considered or there has not been athlete or coach consultation. I have done this before (raced morning finals) in 2008 in Beijing at my first Olympic Games so it’s nothing new.
The broadcasting schedule largely benefits U.S. broadcaster NBC, who signed a deal with the IOC in 2014 for exclusive broadcasting rights through the 2032 Olympic Games.
I think it will be a lot easier than swimming in a midnight final like we did in Rio, so it’s not something that’s worrying or concerning.
Tsuyoshi Aoki, chairman for the Japanese Swimming Federation, expressed disappointment over the decision, explaining,
We have a no excuses policy on this team and it’s just another challenge for us to take and as I said while it is disappointing it’s not unexpected.” ◀
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[ Photo Courtesy: andy ross ]
International Swimming Hall of Fame Aquatic Complex Gets $27 Million Renovation
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By taylor brien
ort Lauderdale’s aquatic complex, also known as the International Swimming Hall of Fame pool, will undergo a $27 million renovation, as voted on by city commissioners on Tuesday.
along with Mayor Dean Trantalis, City Manager Lee Feldman, Aquatic Complex Manager Laura Voet, and the rest of the city commissioners,” said Brent Rutemiller – CEO for the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
The city of Fort Lauderdale has been planning for over a decade to modernize the swimming and diving complex that was first opened in August 1965. The $27 million bid is $7 million higher than the city originally intended, but city officials felt it would be best for the future of the facility.
Ten world records have been set in the facility from nine different swimmers, including ones from swimming legends Mary T. Meagher, Natalie Coughlin and Michael Phelps. Coughlin became the first woman swimmer to break a minute in the 100 back long course at the 2002 Nationals and Phelps broke his first 400 IM world record at the same Nationals.
“This is a special day for the City of Fort Lauderdale and the entire aquatic community, both nationally and internationally. They have been working hard to make this happen for years. All the aquatic sports think of Fort Lauderdale as their second home. Beginning in late 2020, there will be a resurgence of events and activities as this venue returns to its world-class status. “This milestone, along with ISHOF’s commitment to sign a 30-year lease to remain in Fort Lauderdale, accomplishes two important goals that ISHOF’s Board and the community set out late last year. Hat’s off to Commissioner Steven Glassman of District II who was instrumental in the vote
Swimming legends Mike Barrowman, Martin Zubero, Kim Linehan, Andy Coan, Pam Kruse and Catie Ball each set world records in the Hall of Fame pool as well. There was possible talk of the International Swimming Hall of Fame moving to Santa Clara, California but that proposal never passed. The aging facility has been in desperate need of a makeover; city leaders and swimmers and divers who use the pools agree. ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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[ Photo Courtesy: Kathleen Samland ]
13 Thoughts Every Swimmer Has During Practice By Isabelle Robuck
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taring at a black line for two hours can be pretty grueling sometimes. With long sets, the alone time gives our mind a chance to wander far beyond just swimming. Here are 13 thoughts that every swimmer has during practice!
1. Ouch!
This is probably the most universally used word at practice. To get better, you have to work hard; if you work hard, chances are you’ll feel pain. But swimmers know all too well – no pain, no gain!
occasion – have a light-bulb moment.
4. What’s for dinner?
What’s best part of finishing practice? Your post-practice meal! That’s right, there’s nothing quite like your favorite meal after a grueling workout. Although nutritious foods replenish our body properly, it can be fun to splurge on a cheeseburger or pizza every now and then. A delicious reward after a long day never felt so good. But don’t worry, only every once and a while, right?
2. What are we doing next?
Kick? Stroke? Pull? Drills? Sometimes, what we’re doing next dictates how hard we push in the current set (although it shouldn’t). Nonetheless, portioning out our energy saves trouble in the end, and we’re not as gassed for the rest of the day’s endeavors, like weights and dryland.
3. Oh, that’s the answer to the question that was on my test!
During long sets, it’s almost impossible to catch your mind from wondering off into oblivion. “What shirt am I going to wear to dinner tomorrow? What am I swimming at the meet this weekend? Hopefully not the 200 butterfly! What movie are we going to watch tonight? Wait – what number are we on?” Often, you end up reviewing the day and – on the rare 48
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[ Photo Courtesy: Kristina Posnick ]
5. This must be what death feels like.
Swimming is all fun and games until your legs and arms fall off simultaneously. On top of that, you haven’t finished the set yet; you’re only halfway through practice. All that’s left to think is: “Oh, no…”
digits are good, unless they represent rounds.
10. Why are you touching my feet?
[ Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr / Swimming Australia Ltd ]
That’s right – one of the biggest no-nos in the sport is touching the feet. There’s nothing more annoying as your lane mate pushing off just two seconds after you and petting your feet during a set. However bad it seems, we’ve all done it, and we’ve probably all got yelled at for it. You live and you learn!
[ Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports ]
6. *Crying*
Whether it be tears of joy, defeat, or pain, we’ve all shed a tear or two during practice. Sometimes, a good cry helps alleviate some of practices struggles. In this case, cry on! Your goggles will wipe away your tears. On the other hand, if you’ve finally cut time in your best event after six years, you can’t help but cry tears of joy- and a lot of them.
7. I should have used the restroom.
[ Photo Courtesy: Chandler Brandes ]
You’re probably familiar with that painful feeling when you forget to use the restroom before a set begins. Now, not even half way through, you’re regretting your life decisions. Not to mention, knowing that you can’t go for a while makes your remorse that much worse. In addition, the bathroom is a good hide-and-go-seek spot when coach rattles off a rough set.
8. You’re not serious, are you?
“There’s no way that set is possible, coach. I mean, come on! That’s not even a realistic interval, and you want me to do 12 of them? No way, Jose. I’m going to the bathroom now.”
9. Only four? That’s a good number!
Better than 12, right? Whether it be 50s or 500s, the less time staring at a black line, the better! Most of the time, single
11. If I do this now, it won’t hurt as much during a meet, right? While this may be an accurate statement, meets aren’t always peaches and rainbows – all swimmers know that. No matter what, racing is challenging regardless of how hard you train at practice. Sometimes, it just hurts less! Moreover, finishing a difficult set helps give you motivation to chase down your goals!
12. I did it!
Ah, the sweet feeling of success! There’s nothing quite like killing a long, hard set. Your muscles burn of soreness, but it hurts so good! Even better, your already-increasing confidence sky rockets when coach notices you had a killer practice and comments on it. That’s a day maker!
13. We’ve got this!
This is the best kind of motivation for your wonderful teammates. If you’re struggling through practice, you’re all struggling through it together. No one is left behind, and you bet your teammates will be there supporting you, even if you never think you’ll make it. All for one, and one for all – no matter what! Swimming is no easy sport. You spend hours of time with your head underwater, left to nothing but your thoughts. What runs through your mind during practice? ◀ SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY
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