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SWIMMING WORLD BIWEEKLY | APRIL 2021 | ISSUE 08 USA NEWS
WORLD NEWS
008 PRO SWIM SERIES THOUGHTS: FINK, MARGALIS, WEITZEIL AMONG IMPRESSIVE PERFORMERS by David Rieder Even though few swimmers swam close to their best times two months out from the U.S. Olympic Trials, the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo provided some strong insight into the upcoming showdown in Omaha.
020 JAMES WILBY INSISTS “EVERYONE CAN BE BEATEN” by Liz Byrnes World Championship silver medalist James Wilby is the fifth fastest performer in the men’s 100 meter breaststroke (58.46). But he swims the same event as Adam Peaty, who holds the world record at 56.88 and is still the only man to break 58 seconds. Wilby, though, refuses to be anything other than inspired by Peaty, and trains day-in and day-out with the self-belief that he can someday eclipse his fellow Briton.
011 KATIE LEDECKY AND HER UNBEATABLE MYSTIQUE PUSHING TOWARD TOKYO by David Rieder At the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo, fans saw a bit of the swagger and mystique that carried the now 24-year-old Katie Ledecky to an Olympic gold medal at age 15, four more golds at age 19 and 14 world records between the ages of 16 and 21. 013 GRETCHEN WALSH POISED FOR EXTREMELY FAST FINISH TO HIGH SCHOOL CAREER by Dan D’Addona Senior Gretchen Walsh of Harpeth Hall High School is poised to throw down some of the fastest short course times in history as she closes the high school chapter of her swimming career at the Tennessee State High School Swimming and Diving Championships. 014 WHAT WOULD IT MEAN IF RYAN LOCHTE MADE ANOTHER OLYMPIC TEAM? by David Rieder By any measure, Ryan Lochte is one of the greatest swimmers in history. In two months, he could qualify for his fifth Olympic team, which would match Michael Phelps and Dara Torres for the most of any American swimmer. But despite his sterling credentials and his legacy in the pool, he is far from a favorite to earn a trip to Tokyo. 017 CLAIRE CURZAN ON THE ADRENALINE AND PRESSURES OF HER SPECIAL WEEKEND by David Rieder In early April, Claire Curzan of the TAC Titans (N.C.) blasted a 56.20 in the 100 meter fly at a meet in her hometown of Cary, taking down the world junior record and becoming the fastest American in the event since Dana Vollmer swam a 55.98 on her way to Olympic gold in 2012. Besides becoming a favorite in the 100 fly at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, the 16-year-old could also make an impact in the women’s 50-100 free and 100 back.
022 HOW THE TSAR, ALEXANDER POPOV, CLAIMED THE SPRINT THRONE by John Lohn The opportunity to examine the career of Russia’s Alexander Popov—accomplishments and approach—is the chance to pay tribute to a man who might be the greatest sprinter the sport has ever seen. 026 AN OLYMPIC MEN’S 400 FREESTYLE RELAY SHOWDOWN: RUSSIA vs. USA by Hunter Kroll While projections slightly favor the United States to win the men’s 400 freestyle relay at this summer’s Olympic Games, the numbers are close enough to indicate an enticing duel is on the horizon. With so many factors involved, there is a real chance that the Russians could take the gold. 028 2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY
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NCAA NEWS 036 GARY TAYLOR COACHING ERA IS OVER AT AUBURN UNIVERSITY; SEARCH ON FOR REPLACEMENT by Andy Ross
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WATER POLO NEWS 038 USA WATER POLO CANCELS MEN’S, WOMEN’S DIVISION III COLLEGIATE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, INTERCONTINENTAL TOURNAMENT by Dan D’Addona 039 PARTING SHOT
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018 MASTERS SWIMMING AFFECTED HEAVILY BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC by Dan D’Addona Masters swimmers maintain a connection to the sport they love as well as to their team and community. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that connection has been missing the past year, but they are ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.
INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS Americas: Matthew De George (USA) Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN) Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Liz Byrnes (GBR), Camillo Cametti (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR) Japan: Hideki Mochizuki Middle East: Baruch “Buky” Chass, Ph.D. (ISR) South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA) South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG)
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On the Cover: Katie Ledecky Photo by: Becca Wyant
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>>NIC FINK
Pro Swim Series Thoughts: Fink, Margalis, Weitzeil Among Impressive Performers BY DAVID RIEDER | PHOTOS BY BECCA WYANT
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ny meet featuring a large collection of the country’s best swimmers just two months out from the Olympic Trials can provide a large swath of information regarding the eventual makeup of the Olympic team. Even if few swimmers are swimming close to their best times at this point in the season, the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo has provided some strong insight into the upcoming showdown in Omaha. Some of the top storylines through the first three days include: 1. Is Nic Fink the Man in the 100 Breast? If the U.S. men want to win Olympic gold in the 400 medley relay—an event they have never lost at an Olympics—they need a breaststroker to hold their own. Of course, “hold your own” in this context means staying within a second and a half of Great Britain’s Adam Peaty. In a field full of veterans in their late 20s, no one has separated themselves from the pack. But maybe Nic Fink, fresh off a strong 59.74 100 breast in Mission Viejo, can be that guy? Fink’s lifetime best is just a 59.40 from back in 2017, but he split 58.57 on a medley relay at the Pan American Games in 2017. He has been on World Championship teams in 2013, 2015 and 2017 but struggled badly at the 2016 Olympic Trials, where he ended up seventh in both the 100 and 200 8
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breast. This time around, Fink believes his experiences will help him perform at Olympic Trials and deal with any ups and downs that come his way over the course of the meet. Given his relay split at Pan Ams and in his in-season performances, he thinks the fast times at the end of the season will follow. “I’m really happy with my progress this year. I’ve never been 59 in season before, and I was able to do that twice in the past 24 hours. I can’t really ask for anything better than that. The fact that it’s within a few tenths of my official best is awesome. I’m looking forward to getting some rest and seeing what happens,” Fink said. “Seven tenths away today is not a whole lot of time to go 58. I’m thinking it’s right around the corner. I’m due for a drop, and I think it can come.” Fink added another solid performance in Saturday’s 200 breast, where his 2:09.73 ranked him as the top American this year by more than a second and a half. 2. Melanie Margalis 2. Melanie Margalis Finally Comfortable with the 400 IM After years spent actively avoiding or swimming but dreading the 400 IM, Melanie Margalis has finally embraced the grueling event in full. She owns the fastest time by an American during the Olympic Trials qualifying period, her 4:32.53 from the Des Moines Pro Swim Series in March 2020, and her 4:35.18 Friday in Mission Viejo was faster than any other American has swum during that time period.
After her race, Margalis explained how she has trained herself mentally to use tough 400 IM sets in practice to build her confidence, rather than simply using such discomfort during practice to give herself an excuse to stay away from the 400 IM. She called the mental aspect “really the most important part for me in the 400 IM,” and the physical side has come around. “I feel more relaxed, and honestly, I am kind of enjoying it more. I realized that I kind of really like the pace of the 400 IM. I like the tempo of backstroke, I like that tempo of breaststroke better than really ramping it up. I’m actually starting to enjoy it some,” she said. 3. Abbey Weitzeil on Overcoming Setbacks since 2016 In the five years since then-19-year-old Abbey Weitzeil took the sprint world by storm and won both the 100 free and 50 free at the Olympic Trials, her road in swimming hasn’t been smooth. After the Olympics and her freshman year at Cal, she missed the final of the 100 free at World Championship Trials and was at risk of missing the Worlds team altogether before she rebounded to finish second in the 50 free. She would go on to deal with significant injuries: during the 2019 NCAA championships, she spent hours at the hospital after jamming her elbow on a finish and had to battle through pain simply to compete the next day. Another arm injury at the 2020 Pac-12 championships knocked her out of that meet.
>>ABBEY WEITZEIL States to the top level, but could that infusion of speed come from Caeleb Dressel? The event fits into his program for Olympic Trials, and so does the 800 free relay for the Olympics. He swam a 1:47.57 on Friday to edge Andrew Seliskar, and that suggests he has the potential to drop into the 1:46-low or even 1:45 range by the end of the season. Russia has been the most impressive country so far this year in the 200 free, with Martin Malyutin, Ivan Girev, Alexander Shchegolev and Aleksandr Krasnykh all swimming in the 1:45 range at their national championships. Fellow gold-medal contenders Australia and CONTINUED >>
Recently, however, she has begun to reemerge as one of the country’s top sprinters. At the 2019 World Championships, Weitzeil split as fast as 52.66 in the 100 free, and she swam a lifetime best of 53.18 shortly after. During her first season in the ISL, she took down American records in the 50 and 100 free. And at the Mission Viejo meet, Weitzeil won the 50 free in 24.57 and the 100 free in 53.68, on both occasions faster than she had ever been prior to the 2016 Olympic Trials. “Everybody’s had some difficulties. Definitely not just me. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. I feel like going into college, I had a pretty smooth ride throughout my career. I always kind of went up. When I got to college, I feel like freshman, something new, coming off Olympic year, all this, I struggled a lot, and that was the first time I really didn’t have everything go my way,” Weitzeil said.
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“Learning through that and learning how to get out of the hole I was in and learning that life isn’t just swimming and learning that you have to enjoy it to swim fast. Make sure you’re enjoying your whole life.” 4. Can Dressel Lead Men’s 800 Free Relay Back to the Top? The U.S. men have won four straight Olympic gold medals in the 800 free relay, with Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte leading the way on each occasion, but the event has been a struggle in recent years. The Americans fell to third at both the 2015 and 2017 World Championships. It’s been evident that new blood is needed to return the 200 free in the United
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>> OLIVIA SMOLIGA Great Britain will also likely post some statement swims at their Trials. For the Americans to have a shot at gold, there must be some massive swims in the next few months. Maybe Dressel can take his sprint speed up to the 200. Maybe Kieran Smith can convert his impressive yards performances to long course. Maybe Seliskar can improve on his current best time of 1:45.71, and maybe Townley Haas can return to his best form and crack into the 1:44 range. Maybe someone like Dean Farris or Zach Apple or Blake Pieroni or even Luca Urlando has a big drop. Any of these scenarios could happen, but the Americans need four of them to put all the pieces together for any shot at top honors in Tokyo. Quick Hits from the TYR Pro Swim Series – The U.S. women lost a tight battle to Australia in the 800 free relay at the 2019 Worlds, but Katie Ledecky returning to her best form and solid depth can give them a chance at returning to the gold-medal podium in Tokyo. Allison Schmitt, in particular, had a disappointing World Championships and was left off the finals relay, but if she swims at her best this year, she could provide an X-factor. “It’s obvious by my performance I wasn’t at my best at Worlds. We’ve looked at that and really changed things around. I’m able to listen to my body more,” Schmitt said after finishing second to Ledecky in the 200 free in Mission Viejo in 1:58.04. “I’m grateful to be still competing, and I look forward to the next few months because I feel like I’m in a very good spot, and I know that (coach) Bob (Bowman) has a very good plan as well.” – The women’s 100 back will be among the most competitive events at Olympic Trials, with world record-holder Regan Smith, former world record-holder Kathleen Baker, 2016 Olympian Olivia Smoliga and Pan American Games champion 10
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Phoebe Bacon all seeded under 59. Smoliga beat out a tight field that included Baker to win the event in Mission Viejo, clocking a time of 59.04 in the process, and she spoke about the need to manage her thoughts and emotions to respond to the pressure of Olympic Trials. “The mental prep has definitely been different,” Smoliga said. “I think just trying to promote as much control of my thoughts as I can and visualizing my races and really just being prepared for anything, anticipating anything, just trying to be a lot more calm and focused.” – On the flip side from the women’s 100 back, the men’s 200 fly looks like one of the weakest events in the United States. The fastest Americans this year are Gabriel Jett (1:57.82) and Nicolas Albiero (1:57.86), from prelims and finals in Mission Viejo, respectively. During the Trials qualifying period, the top American performer is Luca Urlando at 1:53.84, which would have been good enough for silver at the 2019 World Championships, but Urlando has not competed in a long course 200 fly since November 2019. Still, he remains by far the best American hope in the event. – Schmitt has experience with the evening prelims/morning finals format used this week in Mission Viejo and to be used again at the Tokyo Olympics. She is going for her fourth Olympic team this summer, and her first Games came in 2008, when the format was debuted. In fact, eight medalists from the 2008 Games are still competing and have either qualified for or could qualify for the Tokyo Games: individual medalists Cate Campbell, Laszlo Cseh and Ryan Lochte and relay medalists Schmitt, Nathan Adrian, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk and Matt Targett, the 35-year-old Australian who has recently made a comeback. Targett swam in Saturday’s 50 free and took eighth in 22.62. ◄
Katie Ledecky and Her Unbeatable Mystique Pushing toward Tokyo BY DAVID RIEDER | PHOTOS BY BECCA WYANT
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atie Ledecky is not “back.” That would imply she was ever anything but history’s most dominant freestyler and the world’s best female swimmer, which is simply not the case. But this weekend, at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo, fans have seen a bit of that swagger and that mystique that carried Ledecky to an Olympic gold at age 15, four more golds at age 19 and 14 world records between the ages of 16 and 21. Today, Ledecky is 24, which means her third Olympic Trials coming up will mark nine years since she stunned the country by annihilating the 800 free field in Omaha to make her first Olympic team and then stunned the world by knocking Rebecca Adlington for Olympic gold a few weeks after that. The leadup to the 2016 Olympics saw Ledecky go on a record-smashing streak that culminated in Rio. If she had any setbacks along the way, no one ever noticed. But while the post-2016 Ledecky still accumulated wins and gold medals, she didn’t have the same record-breaking edge every time out. After a dominant two years of college swimming at Stanford, she promptly broke a world record in
her first race as a pro. She took down the 1500 free record by five seconds at the Pro Series meet in Indianapolis with a 15:20.48, and she also posted the second-fastest time of her career in the 400 free (3:57.94) and her third-best mark in the 800 (8:07.27) that weekend. But just a year later, Ledecky faced arguably her toughest challenge yet when she dealt with illness at the 2019 World Championships. She suffered her first 400 free defeat in seven years when Australia’s Ariarne Titmus ran her down over the final 100 meters, and then she was forced to withdraw from both the 1500 free and 200 free. Finally, she felt well enough to race the 800 free, and she fought tooth and nail to overcome Simona Quadarella of Italy over the final 100 meters to win her only gold medal of the meet. But the Ledecky that showed up this weekend in Mission Viejo looks more like teenage Ledecky than she has in several years. We saw hints at the last Pro Series in San Antonio, when she swam an 8:13.64 in the 800 free—a time which no one else has ever beaten. In Mission Viejo, Ledecky swam a 1:54.40 in the 200 free, the second-quickest mark of her CONTINUED >> BIWEEKLY
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journey to the Tokyo Olympics, challenges harder than they dealt with in 2016. While it’s still unlikely any other swimmer can challenge an in-form Ledecky in the 800 free or the 1500 free, newly added to the Olympic schedule, she will have to fend off Titmus in a 400 free rematch. Titmus has been dealing with a shoulder injury this year, but expect her to be ready when she and Ledecky face off again in Tokyo.
career behind the 1:53.73 she swam on her way to Olympic gold in Rio. Her previous in-season best came a few months before the 2016 Olympics when she was racing eventual Rio silver medalist Sarah Sjostrom head-to-head. This time, Ledecky crushed the field by more than 3.5 seconds. On Saturday, Ledecky swam a 3:59.25 in the 400 free, a time very much “routine” by her standards. This was the 13thfastest swim of her career, her second-quickest in-season time and—most significantly—her fastest performance in any meet since 2018. Of the 25 occasions a woman has broken 4:00 in the events, Ledecky is responsible for 20 of them. Still, whenever she’s in the pool and swimming fast, you check out the world record pace. Just in case. And on Sunday, Ledecky dominated the 1500 free and swam a time of 15:40.55, the 14th-fastest performance in history. She wasn’t close to world record pace, but only two other women have ever beaten that time, and no one besides Ledecky has been that quick in six years. That’s faster than the 15:40.89 that Quadarella swam to win the 2019 world title in Ledecky’s absence. Finally, to wrap up her weekend, Ledecky swam a 54.22 to finish second in the 100 free. From Ledecky’s perspective, everything is fairly normal this week, on track towards the summer with nothing out of the ordinary. “I feel like I’m in a great spot. Training’s been going great, and I’ve just been getting a lot of really good work in. The last two weeks, we’ve kind of called it a training camp, even though we haven’t been able to go anywhere,” she said. “ It all feels like we’re really gearing up in a good way.” But no one can ignore how good she has been this week and the signs pointing to a return to unfaltering dominance. Katie Ledecky’s Threats and Her Chances at History Still, Ledecky will face challenges that she will face in her 12
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She will face a gauntlet of competitors in the 200 free, including Sjostrom, Titmus, 32-year-old world champion Federica Pellegrini of Italy, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, China’s Yang Junxuan, Australia’s Emma McKeon and, potentially, Canada’s Taylor Ruck. Everyone in that group has swum under 1:54 within the past several years. Finally, the 800 free relay should feature an epic dual between the United States and Australia, and the Americans will need every bit of Ledecky’s 200-meter speed to stay in contention. But in the biggest meets, Ledecky always steps up. Think back to Rio, when she edged out Sjostrom by three tenths to win gold in the 200 free. She needed every drop of energy in the tank to hold off her Swedish rival, and she admitted she felt like throwing up on the last 50. Even if she’s not always perfect, the great ones always deliver at the biggest moments. Ledecky will get that chance in her third Olympics this summer, her most significant opportunity to bolster her already immense legacy in five years. Among Ledecky’s chances for history, a gold medal in the 800 free would make her just the third female swimmer to win three straight gold medals in one event, joining Australia’s Dawn Fraser (100 free, 1956-1960-1964) and Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi (200 back, 1988-1992-1996). In recent memory, only two swimmers have dominated his or her events for a full decade or more: Michael Phelps and now Ledecky. Sure, nothing is certain, especially not in a year when the threat of COVID-19 hovers over anything sports-related. But barring any major unavoidable setbacks, Ledecky has the inseason performances and her old invincible aura that show she should be ready and at her best for Tokyo. ◄
[ PHOTO BY HARPETH HALL ATHLETICS ]
Gretchen Walsh Poised for Extremely Fast Finish to High School Career BY DAN D'ADDONA
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retchen Walsh has been one of the top high school swimmers in the country for the past four years. Her final meet for Harpeth Hall High School will be at this weekend’s Tennessee state championships. Walsh is the favorite to win the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events as she hopes to lead Harpeth Hall to another state championship. But it is not winning that has made Walsh one of the top young swimmers in the country. It is the way she is winning. Walsh, who has committed to Virginia, has continued to get faster and faster despite the roadblocks that came with a year in the COVID-19 pandemic. Expected to immediately contend for individual NCAA Championships as a UVA freshman, Walsh has posted times which are among the fastest in the nation. Walsh swam her best short-course time in the 50 freestyle, clocking a 21.41 at the 2020 NAC Music City Invite, which was part of the virtual 18 & under championships. At the time, it was the secondfastest time in history among the 17-18 age group in the U.S., trailing only Simone Manuel (21.32). It was two hundredth of a second ahead of fellow young gun Torri Huske. In the 100 free, she won in 47.36 ahead of Claire Curzan (47.51) and Huske (47.60).
medals, in the 50 and 100 free and on four relays. She swam lifetime-best efforts of 24.71 in the 50 free and 53.74 in the 100 free, both elevating her into the global top 25 for 2019. “It was amazing. We were at the Duna Arena, and the podium is above the pool, so you get to look out over the entire natatorium,” Gretchen Walsh said. “I was so pumped after all of my races. I felt so much love for my team, too, because you can hear them in the stands. Before you get on the block, they scream your name. It just meant a lot to be up there for them, but also for myself because it just showed that everything had paid off that I had done that season.” Now, Walsh is aiming for a spot on the Olympic team this year in the postponed Tokyo Games. But first, she is poised to throw down some of the fastest short-course times in history as she closes the high school chapter of her career. Walsh has the chance to break her own national high school records in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle at the Tennessee State Champs. The 50 free record sits at 21.59, with the 100 free record at 46.98. ◄
Each member of this remarkable trio has put together astonishing times in the past few months. In fact, it started before the pandemic. Gretchen Walsh also put together a career year in 2019. At U.S. Nationals, she finished second in both the 50 and 100 free, and that qualified her for the FINA World Junior Championships in Budapest. There, Gretchen won six gold
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[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
What Would It Mean if Ryan Lochte Made Another Olympic Team? BY DAVID RIEDER
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y any measure, Ryan Lochte is one of the greatest swimmers in history, a part of any reasonable list of the top 10 male performers ever. His already impressive résumé—12 Olympic medals, six of them gold, plus 18 long course world titles—would likely be higher if not for his unfortunate timing of swimming in the same era as Michael Phelps. It didn’t help that at the Olympics, Lochte’s two best events have been scheduled back-to-back throughout his career. In 2021, Lochte could qualify for his fifth Olympic team, which would match Phelps and Dara Torres for the most of any American swimmer. But despite his sterling credentials and his legacy in the pool, he is far from a favorite to earn a trip to Tokyo. That has nothing to do with Lochte’s welldocumented outside-the-pool issues in recent years. Rather, any time Lochte has competed over the past few years, he has been a shell of the swimmer who once captured four straight world titles in one event. Even at the 2016 Olympics, Lochte was not the old Lochte. After making the very questionable fashion choice to dye his hair white just before the Games, Lochte swam just two events in Rio, the 800 free relay and 200 IM. He was part of the gold medal-winning 800 free relay squad for the fourth straight Games, but he ended up swimming the slowest of the
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four U.S. legs after he was a somewhat controversial choice to swim on the finals squad over Olympic rookie Jack Conger. Two days later, Lochte faded to a surprising fifth in the 200 IM, failing to reach the podium in the event for the first time in four Olympic appearances. He swam more than a second slower than his semifinals time, which would have been good enough for a silver medal. After that came the infamous Rio gas station incident, when Lochte lied about being robbed at gunpoint. The embarrassment led to a 10-month suspension that ruled him out of the 2017 World Championships. The Ryan Lochte Roller Coaster Then, over the next few years, Lochte followed a familiar pattern of returning to competition and insisting he was “back,” spurred on by his two children, Caiden (born 2017) and Liv (2019), only to be derailed repeatedly with more outside-the-pool trouble. Consider this collection of quotes from Lochte: From 2017 Masters Nationals, when Lochte was still suspended by USA Swimming for the Rio incident: “I’m back. I think I found a new love for the sport. The past four
years, my love for the sport kind of drifted away. Now, with my son about to be born, I found a new passion for the sport, and I found it fun again. I guess you could say the old Ryan Lochte is back.” From the 2018 TYR Pro Swim Series in Santa Clara: “He’s my motivation, my son. I fell out of love for the sport and passion and drive back in 2013. I was just hanging on by a thin string. It wasn’t until my son was born that I finally got that motivation, that fire back inside me.” From 2019 U.S. Nationals, where Lochte won the 200 IM national title against a depleted field: “It is fun getting on those blocks and racing again, being happy with the sport. I lost that mojo that I had a while ago. Now, I am finally getting that back. I guess I owe it all to my family because I am doing it for them. Just racing, that competitive edge, I lost it. I am slowly getting it back.”
am 100 percent family. They changed my whole life and gave me a new perspective on everything.” Over that stretch, it became more difficult to take Lochte at his word about his dedication. Taking care of his family’s needs first was absolutely noble and correct, but his multiple outside-the-pool setbacks over the previous year plus the bravado about being able to flip a switch in training seemed dubious. The Final Push toward Tokyo Had the Tokyo Olympics gone off as scheduled in 2020, CONTINUED >>
Lochte seemed to really be on track in 2018, when he returned to training in Gainesville, Fla., with Gregg Troy, his old college coach, and he said he was enjoying completing 8000-9000 meter workouts again, even if after one of his first workouts, “I almost had to go to the hospital.” But then, just days prior to Nationals, Lochte was suspended one year by USADA after he posted a photo of himself receiving an illegal intravenous IV infusion. That meant he would miss the selection meet for all international teams prior to the Tokyo Olympics. And then, in October of 2018, Lochte made news when his lawyer confirmed he was entering rehab for alcohol addiction. When he finally did return to competition at Nationals in 2019, he won the 200 IM in 1:57.76 and then insisted that he actually hadn’t been training all that much as he had been focused on caring for his children but that he would be redoubling his commitment soon after. Beyond that, he seemed to recycle his talking point from the year before about his newfound commitment to the sport. “I think it is pretty obvious now that I BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
Mission Viejo which was just good enough to qualify for the B-final, where he ended up finishing last. He hasn’t broken 1:50 this year, so a run at an 800 free relay berth for the Olympics seems unlikely. So as far as Lochte and Tokyo, it’s 200 IM or bust.
Lochte would have been 35 during the Games and turned 36 the day after swimming was concluded. In 2021, Lochte will be 36 during Olympic swimming, with his 37th birthday approaching. If he were to qualify for the Olympics, he would be the oldest male swimmer to ever represent the United States. The only other 36-year-old man to swim for the U.S. at the Olympics was Jason Lezak, who was still three months shy of his 37th birthday when he swam one prelims relay at the 2012 Olympics in London. Already, Lochte is the oldest man to compete in a distance longer than a 100 at the Olympics, from his 2016 Games appearance. Typically, swimmers gravitate away from long, grueling events and towards sprints as they get older, but Lochte never established himself as a dominant force in any 100-meter races. So that meant the old standby events, and in recent years, it’s only been in the 200 IM that Lochte has been able to gain any traction. Lochte has competed just a handful of times since the COVID pandemic shut down the country in March 2020. On one of those first occasions, at the U.S. Open in November 2020, Lochte told the Associated Press, “This is probably going to go down as the worst meet that I’ve ever had.” He added, “When I get back home, I’m going to start turning it up again,” implying that his training still was not at the level he desired. In the 200 IM, he has only broken 2:00 once, swimming a 1:59.72 in March. He swam a 2:00.90 in prelims of the event at the Mission Viejo Pro Series meet last week, good for the third-fastest qualifying time, but then he scratched the final. Meanwhile, Lochte swam a 1:51.68 in the 200 free in 16
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During the Olympic Trials qualifying period, Lochte ranks fifth in the United States in the 200 IM, behind 2017 world champion Chase Kalisz, Michael Andrew, Carson Foster and Abrahm DeVine and tied with Sam Stewart. Those behind Lochte in the rankings include the last two NCAA champions in the short course version of the event, Andrew Seliskar and Shaine Casas. What does Lochte have in the tank? He’s still the world record-holder at 1:54.00, but any time close to that realm is implausible. Will he be in the 1:55-range by Trials? Possible, but recent results suggest that’s unlikely. 1:56? More reasonable. Historically, Phelps and Lochte have completely dominated the 200 IM, and the two men combine to hold the 16 fastest performances in history. But the 1:55 range has become much more crowded in recent years. Kalisz has been as quick as 1:55.40 (good for sixth-fastest all-time in the event). Can another man from that crowd of young IMers break through? The powers-that-be in American swimming should hope so: producing just one world-class 200 IM in more than a decade would be a lousy outcome. Lochte, despite all his issues of the past several years, could still bolster his legacy one more time and qualify for yet another Olympics. He could swim his fastest performance since 2015, maybe break into that 1:55-range and earn himself one last Olympic hurrah. That would be a feat worthy of celebration. But if Lochte can only manage an effort in the 1:56-high or 1:57-low range and that is sufficient to qualify for Tokyo, that would mean no young swimmer had stepped up and posted a truly Olympic-worthy performance. As magnificent an accomplishment as it would be to see Lochte qualify for his fifth Olympics, such an outcome would represent an unsatisfactory result for the world’s premier swimming nation, if the past-his-prime 36-year-old can defeat America’s rising talent to qualify for Tokyo. ◄
[ PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK ]
Claire Curzan on the Adrenaline and Pressures of Her Special Weekend BY DAVID RIEDER
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rior to a weekend where she vaulted up the all-time rankings in her signature event, Claire Curzan was simply excited to face off against fellow teenage talent Torri Huske as part of her preparation for a run at her first Olympic team. This was not a focus meet or a taper meet, but the competition from Huske helped her to uncork some magnificent efforts— and as Curzan described it, the key moment of the meet passed in a blur. Prior to competing in the 100 butterfly final, Curzan thought she might actually miss her race because it had taken longer than expected to put on her racing suit. Ironically, she had also struggled to get her suit on before racing the 100 fly at the U.S. Open in November, and that was the swim where she cut almost a second off her best time and became the thirdfastest American in history. After she has gotten to the block at the eleventh hour before two of the best races of her life, maybe the frantic approach has helped Curzan. “That got the adrenaline kicking,” Curzan said. Then, the 16-year-old blasted a 56.20 in the 100 fly, taking down the world junior record and becoming the fastest American in the event since Dana Vollmer swam a 55.98 on her way to Olympic gold in 2012. Huske finished just behind in a 56.69 that moved her to fourth all-time among Americans. And after the race, Curzan said, she almost forgot what she had just done. “I kind of looked up, and I was like, ‘Oh, OK,’” Curzan said. “Later, in the warmdown pool, I was like, ‘Wait, what did I go again? I can’t remember.’ It didn’t really sink in until later. It was weird.” Now, a few days after the race, Curzan has seen all the statistics about how her swim has shaken up the rankings,
and she said, “It just doesn’t sound like me. It’s just weird seeing my name next to that.” The immediate impact of her swim is that Curzan has become the favorite in the 100 fly for Olympic Trials, with Huske right there as a strong contender to make the Olympic team in the 100 fly as well. Curzan’s other key swims from the meet—a 54.40 100 free, a 59.37 100 back and a time of 24.44 in the 50 free prior to a disqualification for going past 15 meters underwater—will put her into contention in those events as well. “I’ve actually been working a lot on my freestyle, really just going back to the basics with technique work. It was fun to be next to Torri, who is such a great freestyler, and to try to keep up with her,” Curzan said. As for her 100 backstroke swim, she said, “It always kind of surprises me. It’s never really a big focus in my training. I’ll do it one day a week as a designated backstroke day and a little bit intermixed but never as much as fly. I always get surprised by those races, and I love backstroke, so I was really happy with it, and it’s nice to go under 1:00 for the first time.” Despite all her recent success, Curzan is taking a mature approach in keeping the pressures of the upcoming Olympic Trials in perspective. She is devoting extensive mental energy toward not being overwhelmed by the weight of the meet just two months away. “I think I’m still going to try to just go into Trials and have as much fun as possible and just enjoy the experience,” she said. “I don’t say that it’s really about making the team, more just seeing if I can have fun, maybe drop a little time and really just enjoy myself.” ◄ BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY U.S. MASTERS SWIMMING ]
Masters Swimming Affected Heavily by COVID-19 Pandemic BY DAN D'ADDONA
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here are more than 65,000 Masters swimmers in the United States representing nearly 1,500 swimming teams across the country, and as with so many other organizations, meets have been postponed multiple times and even canceled altogether. Swimmers around the country have been missing out on competing at the local and national level. Perhaps even more important to them, they are missing out on what happens out of the water at these local and national meets: camaraderie. Camaraderie is something very unique to Masters. Swimmers are there to compete and keep up with one of their passions. But they are doing this with people in their own age groups. Get to talking, and the similarities start to grow. The Social Aspect “A lot of us just do it for the social aspect. That is the one time we see each other—at meets,” said Nadine Day, former president of U.S. Masters Swimming and a current Masters swimmer at Indy Aquatics. “That is our commonality, the swimming part. We meet people and their families. My daughter was basically born on the pool deck. She went to her first meet with me when she was a month old! “There is a lot of social aspect in Masters swimming. I am somewhat competitive in my age group, but that is not my focus. It is the social aspect and growing the sport. That is
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one of the main reasons why I swim. We have missed that.” For months during the pandemic, pools were closed around the country—and the world—as COVID-19 spread around the globe in waves.It has kept practices on hold and also traveling to meets, which, of course, means no competition and no connection with fellow swimmers around the country. “It has been tough. I am used to traveling every month. Zoom helps. It has helped us stay in touch with each other,” Day said. “When I travel internationally, I see my friends that I only see at Worlds every year or every other year, and that has been tough, too.” Promoting the Sport With nearly an entire year of Masters swimming lost, it is now a year of promoting the sport lost. That is one of the biggest challenges of Masters swimming, especially because of its name, which can make joining seem intimidating. “The name is the biggest issue. It is actually adult swimming. It is not ‘Masters’ because you are great swimmers. We have had Olympians, but the majority of our people are fitness swimmers,” Day said. “We also have the crossbreed of the triathlon athletes, which has become big. A lot of the people I have coached have been runners who are swimming to get fit. They were surprised they got more conditioning out of swimming. It was a challenge for them, and people like
challenges such as that.” Day said after she was a college swimmer at Northwestern, she didn’t even know Masters swimming existed. She actually joined to help one of the high school swimmers she was coaching. “I was coaching high school, and one of my swimmers was injured. I was a PT at the time as well. She fractured her pelvis and her ribs in a car accident. Her goal was to get back and swim her senior year. She wanted me to swim with her and get back into it, too. I was injured in college as a freshman and was able to come back and swim a bit my senior year. So I swam Masters and had my first meet in Evanston,” Day said. “I just started getting involved more and volunteering more.” A Life-Changing Activity Laurie Hug got into Masters swimming after college, and it has been life-changing.“I graduated from University of Maryland in 1987 and failed to get the Olympic Trials cut that summer, so I retired (from the sport), started working, and I put on weight. I got back into lap swimming at the local YMCA about a year later, but I had no idea that there were competitions for adults. I started training with a small group of former college swimmers there and found out about USMS. “I went to my first meet in 1989 and have never looked back,” Hug said. “Had I known, I would have started as soon as my college swim career had ended. My last meet was December 2019 (because of the pandemic), so this is the longest I have gone without competing in a meet since the break after college.”S
but they did not. It has been incredible to see how adaptable everyone has been. “Some could swim at local Ys, but they love the camaraderie of our group. One of the highlights is at the end of our Sunday morning workouts, several swimmers do race-25s or 50s. We miss racing, so this is a lot of fun. The blocks are icy now, so we are doing it from a push, but we did do a race off the blocks in our first snowstorm.“It has become a bonding experience for us. We have such a great swimming family that I think has become strengthened by this.” A Need to Grow the Sport Hug’s club is adapting, but not every club is as fortunate to have an outdoor option during the pandemic, and numbers could dwindle.The biggest challenge will be to keep that recognition going. Without a national championship meet, the individual recognition was not there to show possible future Masters swimmers.But without the camaraderie, the group recognition also is on hold. That might not be an issue for the so-called Masters “lifers,” but it is a big deal as far as growing the sport.“It is the people we have lost that we need to get back. Our people who are the diehards are going to be there, but we need to get back and grow the sport and remind people what brought them to swimming in the first place,” Day said. “It is a struggle. We need to figure out a new norm and help people find that direction.” ◄
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he is part of the GAAC (Germantown Academy Aquatic Club) Masters in Pennsylvania, which is a training group for the Colonials 1776 team.“We had to be shut down after our March 6 (2020) practice because a student from Germantown Academy had a family member who had the first COVID case in the Philly suburbs,” Hug said. “All the other pools started shutting down over the next week, so our program was put on hold. We held weekly Zoom ‘happy hours,’ and I sent links for different dryland options out to the team, including a few scavenger hunts, where we looked for various items while running/hiking/walking. The weekly meetings were the highlight of the week for a lot of us.” The club is now back on a limited basis because of COVID-19 protocols in an outdoor pool. Just being together has been huge and worth braving the weather, Hug said.“Some of our regular swimmers travel from over 45 minutes away to swim with us,” she said. “We have also welcomed members from other clubs who have had issues getting pool time. We’ve been holding practices regardless of the weather as long as the roads are passable. I’ve coached in snowstorms, icy rain and high winds! When the weather has looked bad, I asked the swimmers if they wanted to just cancel (the practice),
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[ PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU / ISL ]
WORLD NEWS
James Wilby Insists "Everyone Can Be Beaten" BY LIZ BYRNES
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s it a privilege or a burden – or a bit of both – to be competing at the same time in the same event as one of history’s pioneers? Something James Wilby knows only too well going into the British Swimming Selection Trials. Wilby is the joint fifth-fastest man all-time over 100br, stopping the clock at 58.46 to claim silver at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju. He also shares the water – in competition and in training at the Loughborough National Centre – with a man in the form of Adam Peaty who has smashed through barriers, shown what is humanly possible and rewritten the 100m breaststroke. So much so that he has lowered the world record to 56.88 while no man has yet gone inside 58secs. Peaty is looking to become the first Briton to defend an Olympic swimming title in Tokyo come July. Should he do so he would be only the second swimmer – after the great Kosuke Kitajima – to win gold over two lengths of breaststroke on more than one occasion. Peaty first won a senior international title at the 2014 Commonwealth Games when he had already started to rewrite the British record books. Since then he has won three straight world titles over 50 and 100m, a feat matched in a European pool and defended his
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100br Commonwealth crown – although Cameron Van der Burgh took 50br gold on Gold Coast in 2018. Then there are the world records. Peaty set his first global mark over 100m in the same lane four of the London Aquatics Centre in which Van der Burgh won gold at the 2012 Olympics when he became the first – and still only – man to go inside the 58-second barrier in 57.92. Since that evening of 17 April 2015, the Briton has lowered it a further four times including twice en-route to gold at Rio 2016 which he won in 57.13. Wilby though refuses to be anything other than inspired by Peaty and trains day-in, day-out with iron self-belief that he can eclipse his fellow Briton. He cites the example of Michael Phelps who was in a threeway tie for second in the 100 fly with Chad Le Clos and Laszlo Cseh at the 2016 Games with an unexpected winner beating the trio. He said: “I think every athlete in the end can be beaten at some point. “The classic one that I think of is Michael Phelps: I think it was Rio and the three of those absolute legends kind of ended up getting joint silver and Joe Schooling got the gold. “That’s the classic one whenever people say so and so in this
event is untouchable. “I always kind of reflect on that one and be like, you know, it’s possible for everyone to be beaten. “It takes a perfect race, but you know it’s always just in the name of good competition and good sports.” Wilby Takes to the Water on Day One Wilby will take his place in the 100 breast at the British Swimming Selection Trials which begin on Wednesday at the London Aquatics Centre. He is one of four swimmers – along with Peaty, Duncan Scott and Luke Greenbank – who have already been named on Team GB with the quartet all individual medalists at the 2019 Worlds. It also marks 100 days to go until the Olympics are due to get under way in Tokyo. The event is going ahead with a vastly-reduced program. It was reduced in length by one day to run from Wednesday 14 to Sunday 18 April with the junior-specific element removed and numbers limited.
decade. The spotlight on day one will fall on the fourth event of the session where Olympic champion Peaty takes to the water with Wilby. Peaty has already gone 58.52 this year in Manchester although Nicolo Martinenghi tops the rankings in 58.37 as the Italian went third-all time a fortnight ago at the national championships. Despite being pre-selected, Wilby – the Commonwealth 200br champion – noted that the quartet still had to confirm their slots in their individual events although it is, he admits, a “slight safety net”. Tokyo will be the 27-year-old’s first Olympics, coming a year after first scheduled following the postponement as coronavirus wreaked deathly havoc across the world. Much is made of landmarks on the path to the Games and Wilby says the start of the trials coinciding with 100 days to go brings it all a little closer.
The 800 and 1500 free will be heat-declared winners.
“It’s always been one of those ones that has seemed a long way off, particularly with everything that has gone on over the last year.
Put simply, should swimmers come in the top two and equal or better the qualification times then they will be considered for nomination to Team GB.
“When it gets below the triple figures, and goes into the 90, 80 and so on and keeps counting down, with any competition that I have done in the past it always gets really real then.
Should swimmers not qualify in London, then there will be further opportunities at next month’s European Championships in Budapest or at designated meets in May/ June.
“It’s almost like looking down the barrel of a gun and we are ready to get racing.
There will also be selections made at the “complete discretion” of the head coach Bill Furniss and national performance director Chris Spice. Freya Anderson heads the entries for the 200fr ahead of Abbie Wood who has continued her ISL form in the long-course pool at the two British Swimming Meets in Manchester in February and March. Dan Jervis and Tom Dean meet in the 400 free, Alys Thomas heads up the 100 fly with 0.65 separating the swiftest four entries while Scott will have his first outing of the meet in the 200IM. Aimee Willmott and Hannah Miley are targeting a place in the 400IM – the pair having performed consistently in international waters for more than a
“It is just exciting to see it finally happening and that is what we are most looking forward to, which is actually hopefully getting out to Tokyo and doing some racing. “That is made quite exciting by the 100 day marker.” ◄
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How the Tsar, Alexander Popov, Claimed the Sprint Throne BY JOHN LOHN
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e knew how to play the all-important mental game of high-level sports with the skill of a chess master. Every move was calculated. As Alexander Popov scanned the ready room before a major race, it was not unusual for the Russian star to chat up the opposition. He would throw out a joke or two, a few laughs generated along the way. But in the laughter he elicited, Popov was already gaining an advantage over his foes, as he planted a seed of doubt here and a distractive thought there. With that part of his job done, he would then shift personas, the affable jokester replaced by a fierce competitor with an icy stare and a take-them-out mentality. The moment Popov walked onto the deck, it was all business. He knew his goal, and it was simple: Destroy. From an athletic standpoint, Popov was the epitome of perfection in the sprint-freestyle events. He boasted a flawless stroke, one that is still revered. The relationship he shared with coach Gennadi Touretski was as much father-son in its dynamic as it was mentor-pupil. Then there was his inner drive, so high in its intensity that it is difficult to describe. As we continue our Takeoff to Tokyo series, the opportunity
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to examine the career of Popov – accomplishments and approach – is the chance to pay tribute to a man who might be the greatest sprinter the sport has seen. The Rise of Popov In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was no question that Americans Matt Biondi and Tom Jager ranked as the sport’s Kings of Speed. While Biondi captured the Olympic title at the 1988 Games in Seoul, Jager was a two-time world champion and the world-record holder. As dominant as Biondi and Jager were, though, there were rumblings that a young challenger was on the way. Of course, Popov was that man, and when he captured the European crown in the 100 freestyle in 1991, his presence became bolder. A year later, at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Popov fulfilled the expectations placed upon his shoulders. In his first Olympic appearance, Popov swept the sprintfreestyle events, prevailing in 21.91 in the 50 freestyle and 49.02 in the 100 freestyle. It was the one-lap sprint that truly solidified his status as the Sprint Tsar, as Popov beat Biondi and Jager in comfortable fashion. The fact that there was a changing of the guard was not lost on the Americans.
[ PHOTO BY TIM MORSE ]
“Popov obviously had the courage to stand up to Matt Biondi and Tom Jager and take them down,” Jager said. “The first person in the world to do that. I take my hat off to Popov. He has a great career ahead of him.” Jager’s foresight was perfectly on target. After supplanting the American legends on the sprint scene, Popov sandwiched sprint sweeps at the European Championships around a sprint double at the 1994 World Championships in Rome. There was no letup from a guy who wanted to take his opponents’ will and desire with his mere presence. As he surged to untouchable status, Popov also claimed the first world record of his career when he fired off a 48.21 clocking in the 100 freestyle in 1994, a standard that endured for six years. The work he put in came under the guidance of Touretski, who took Popov with him when he accepted the
head-coaching position at the Australian Institute of Sport in 1992. “When I go to competitions in Europe or America, or even here in Australia, I am always looking for potential challengers,” Popov said. “If I see any, I have to swim faster and make them feel sick. If they have a little potential, you must get on top of them and kill that enthusiasm right away so they will lose their interest in swimming.” Greatness in Repeat Ahead of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Popov was cemented as the heavy favorite to mine gold in the 50 free and 100 free. But repeating on the Olympic stage had proven to be one of the most-difficult tasks in sports, and nothing was a given – even with Popov. Aside from the pressure of the situation, Popov had to deal with the latest American sprint star, Gary CONTINUED >>
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[ PHOTO BY KAI PFAFFENBACH, REUTERS ]
Hall Jr. Hailing from a family with a rich lineage in the sport, headlined by Gary Hall Sr.’s three Olympic trips, Junior was armed with considerable talent of his own. At the 1994 World Champs, Hall Jr. was second to the Russian in both sprints, performances that noted he would be a factor in the ensuing years. The first duel between Popov and Hall Jr. at the Atlanta Games was in the 100 freestyle and while Hall gave his rival more of a push than expected over the two-lap distance, it was Popov who emerged on top, 48.74 to 48.81. Three days later, Popov got the job done again, this time winning the 50 freestyle in 22.13, with Hall grabbing silver in 22.26. By retaining his 100 freestyle title, Popov became the first man to go back-to-back in the event at the Olympics since American legend Johnny Weissmuller doubled in 1924 and 1928. More, the rivalry with Hall Jr. was on, with the men exchanging barbs at various times. It was Popov who hurled the first grenade. Not only did he take umbrage with Hall’s relaxed and colorful style, one that included shadow-boxing routines before races, he took a shot at Hall’s family. “He doesn’t work hard,” Popov said of his rival. “He’s doing 1500 meters? That’s what I swim in warmups. “(Hall) says he will be at the Sydney Olympics and that he will win both sprint titles. I don’t know how he can say that. His father was 24
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never an Olympic champion, and he never will be either. It’s a family of losers.” Not surprising, Popov’s words got back to Hall, who vowed to become an alchemist and turn his silver medals from Atlanta into gold at the 2000 Games in Sydney. He also felt the need to defend his family and father, an inductee into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. “(Popov) is the epitome of unsportsmanlike conduct,” Hall said. “In the world of swimming, Alexander brings a new definition to the word shallow. What really upsets me is that in order to make himself feel better, Alexander must put down the Olympic accomplishments of his opponent’s father. I am embarrassed for this coward of a man. He ought to quit now because that road is going to be a long and hard one. Or, he can learn the words of the Star Spangled Banner because that’s what Olympic audiences will be hearing for years to come.” Bad Timing On the road to Sydney, Popov found that Hall was the least of his concerns. In August of 1996, just weeks after he swept the sprint-freestyle events at the Atlanta Olympics, Popov was walking with friends on a Moscow street when members of his party got into an argument with watermelon vendors. The exchange of words quickly escalated into a physical altercation and one of the vendors stabbed Popov in the stomach. Popov was rushed to a hospital where he underwent
following the Sydney Games, but the legendary sprinter, whose stroke has been described as a piece of art, proved otherwise while remaining in the sport. At the 2003 World Championships, Popov emerged once again as a doublesprint champion. With two more world titles collected, Popov figured to be a factor at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Instead, the meet was a disaster for the Hall of Famer, as Popov failed to advance out of the preliminaries of the 50 freestyle and was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100 freestyle. As quickly as Popov moved through the water, his career was over.
Popov spent 45 days in the hospital and resumed training three months after the incident, with his return to major competition arriving at the 1997 edition of the Santa Clara International Swim Meet, 10 months after the stabbing. After winning the 50 freestyle in Northern California, the only hint of his near-death experience was the six-inch scar on his chest. “You know, we probably could have gotten out of the situation if it had been handled differently,” Popov said. “But they approached us, and somebody started talking with them, and they misunderstood us and started to fight. The men didn’t know who I was. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Simply, he had a special relationship with the pool. “The water is your friend. You don’t have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move,” he once said. “If you fight the water, it will defeat you. We were born in water. It’s like home to me.” ◄
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a three-hour surgery to treat damage to his lungs and kidney.
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>> GENNADI TOURETSKI AND ALEX POPOV
When he is remembered, Alexander Popov will be recalled for his perfect stroke. He will be lauded for his ability to deliver under pressure. He will be appreciated for etching himself as one of the greatest sprinters in history, perhaps the finest.
Having dodged death, Popov went on to win gold in the 100 freestyle at the 1998 World Championships, in addition to earning silver in the 50 free. Meanwhile, just a few months before the Sydney Games, Popov crushed the world record in the 50 freestyle at the Russian Olympic Trials, going 21.64 to break Jager’s 10-year-old world record by .17. In Sydney, Popov knew he had the opportunity to make history, and become the first man to win the same event at three straight Olympics. It was a goal Popov wanted badly. “If you win the Olympics once, you’re good,” Popov said. “Win the Olympics two times, you’re great. Win the Olympics three times, you’re history.” Ultimately, Popov didn’t have the same magic he spun in Barcelona and Atlanta. In the 100 freestyle, Popov captured the silver medal behind the Netherlands’ Pieter van den Hoogenband. In the 50 free, Popov missed the podium and was forced to watch Hall Jr. claim the gold medal, which he shared with American teammate Anthony Ervin. Not Quite Done If it looked like Popov was on the downside of his career BIWEEKLY
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[ PHOTO BY MINE KASAPOGLU / ISL ]
>> KLIMENT KOLESNIKOV
An Olympic Men’s 400 Freestyle Relay Showdown: Russia vs. USA BY HUNTER KROLL
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he United States has been on a tear in the men’s 400 freestyle relay in recent years. After taking gold at the 2016 Olympic Games, the U.S. followed that performance up with gold at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Led by 100 free world champion Caeleb Dressel, the U.S. sports a deep lineup of sprinters, making it appear to be the favorite as we head toward the Olympics in Tokyo. However, Russia took the silver medal in 2019, and may be even better in 2021. At Russia’s recent Olympic Trials, Kliment Kolesnikov reset the national record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.31. He was joined by world junior record holder Andrei Minakov in qualifying individually for Tokyo in the 100 free. The relay will likely also include Vladislav Grinev, the bronze medalist in the 100 free from the last World Champs, and longtime international standout Vladimir Morozov or Evgeny Rylov. Could the Russian team potentially dethrone the USA? We will try to figure this out by looking closer at the times. Note: Although the Russian team name and national anthem have been banned from the Olympics, it will still be able to field a relay under the name “Russian Olympic Committee.” Flat Start Comparison The simplest way to look at this topic will be to compare the fastest four flat-start times on each team since 2017. These are shown in the table. For the Russian team, the four swimmers included are the ones who will be selected for the Olympic team based on results from Trials. The result here slightly favors the USA, with Dressel’s 46.96
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USA
RUSSIA
1
Caeleb Dressel
46.96
47.31
Kliment Kolesnikov
2
Ryan Held
47.39
47.43
Vladislav Grinev
3
Maxime Rooney
47.61
47.57
Andrei Minakov
4
Zach Apple
47.69
47.75
Vlad Morozov
3:09.65
3:10.06
Total
making up most of the difference. The other three legs appear to basically be a wash. However, we do know that three of these swimmers will go from relay starts, so we may be able to calculate a more accurate prediction by using the fastest flying splits from each side since 2017. Additionally, there is a good chance that when the United States has its Trials, faster times are produced. Comparison with Relay Starts For the USA, Caeleb Dressel has consistently led off, so he stays in the leadoff position, and the other three legs have been altered to reflect the fastest flying splits by American swimmers. On the Russian side, both Kolesnikov and Minakov have dropped significantly, so their relay splits are not reflective of their actual speed. For this exercise, I left Minakov’s split as his flat-start time, and put Kolesnikov as the leadoff leg. Further, it was impossible to leave Evgeny Rylov off the relay following a 47.0 split in 2019. I used him to replace Grinev, who had two subpar leadoff legs in 2019. Here, we see the United States gaining a bigger advantage. Notably, 3:07.98 would break the world record. However,
[ PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT]
>> CAELEB DRESSEL USA
RUSSIA
1
Caeleb Dressel
46.96
47.31
Kliment Kolesnikov
2
Dean Farris
47.08
47.31
Vlad Morozov
3
Zach Apple
46.86
47.57
Andrei Minakov
4
Nathan Adrian
47.08
47.02
Evgeny Rylov
3:07.98
3:09.21
Total
there are a few factors to consider. First of all, the United States has many different options on relays, meaning that they will not necessarily be able to nail down a perfect order (which this simulation assumes). Russia, on the other hand, has basically five options for four spots, so their lineup is more set in stone. Further, the Russians have Minakov’s time from a flat start, which could easily be a half second faster from a flying start. A few adjustments could be made to the above model for a more realistic simulation. Adjustments On the United States’ side, a couple adjustments could be made for a more realistic time prediction. First of all, while Dressel swam his personal best of 46.96 in 2019, he was a bit slower leading off the relays. He was just 47.63 leading off the men’s relay, and 47.34 leading off the mixed medley. For this exercise, we will take the faster of the two splits, and USA
RUSSIA
1
Caeleb Dressel
47.34
47.31
Kliment Kolesnikov
2
Dean Farris
47.08
47.31
Vlad Morozov
3
Zach Apple
46.86
47.07
Andrei Minakov
4
Nathan Adrian
47.08
47.02
Evgeny Rylov
3:08.36
3:08.71
Total
have Dressel lead off in 47.34. Further, there is the consideration that the U.S. will not have this exact lineup at the Olympics. Both Adrian and Farris were outside the top six nationally in 2019, which would leave them outside the Olympic roster. Ultimately, there are no guarantees, and there is no good way to adjust for which swimmers will or won’t make it. However, with the U.S.’ depth, it may be safe to assume that it will have three legs of 47-low or better. Because of this, I chose to leave the other three legs in place. For Russia, the main adjustment would be Minakov, who we can assume would be about half a second faster going from a flying start. This would put him at a 47.07. Everyone else will probably be around the same. This projection once again has the United States ahead, but by just 0.35. The results all slightly favor the U.S. on paper. Conclusion While the projections slightly favor the United States, the numbers are close enough to indicate an enticing duel is on the horizon. There are many considerations, such as whether the swimmers are having an on meet, or even what swimmers will qualify for the U.S., that could drastically change the outcome. However, what we can say for sure is that Russia is a real threat. The 0.35 margin in the final projection is miniscule, and indicates that the race could really go either way. Although the Americans may be the favorites, there is a real chance that the Russians could take the gold. ◄ BIWEEKLY
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SWIMMING WORLD PRESENTS
2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY The listings on pages 28-34 are advertisements.
AADVANCED REMOTE SWIM CAMPS
THE ARETE SWIM CAMP & CLINICS
THE BOLLES SCHOOL SWIM CAMPS 2021
Bob Prichard, Director 4 Tara Hill Road Tiburon, CA 94920 415-435-9880 bprichard@somaxsports.com www.somaxsports.com/swimcamp.php
Coach Chuck Warner, Camp Director Arete Swim Camp 1050 Dellwood Rd. Martinsville, NJ 08836 areteswimcamp@gmail.com www.areteswim.com
Peter Verhoef, Coach 7400 San Jose Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32217 904-256-5216 VerhoefP@bolles.org www.Bollesswimming.org
Camp Dates: Feb. 1 - Dec. 31, 2021
Super-Strokes & Skills Clinics: To Be Determined
Elite I Camp: June 6-13 Elite II Camp: June 13-23
Our 2021 private remote camps accommodate up to three swimmers from the same family. Each five-day camp teaches one stroke. We teach swimmers to swim efficiently like world record holders (our swimmers have set 11 world records and have won 43 gold medals) by using frame-by-frame underwater stroke analysis and our exclusive drills, stretches and exercises. Swimmers have reduced their stroke count 30-50%. We teach parents how to teach their kids. A parent will record videos and supervise practices as we talk and watch via Zoom. During dryland sessions at home, we will analyze underwater strokes via Zoom, measure strokespecific flexibility and then teach stretches and exercises to relax muscles that are restricting breathing, shoulders, hips and legs. A complete camp description can be found at www.somaxsports.com/swimcamp.php. The fee for each private remote camp is $13,500 for all instruction, our custommade Powerbelts and a 2,500-yard practice laminated drill card.
Camp Dates: To Be Determined: June 20-24?? at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N.J. We are uncertain whether the ARETE Swim Camp will launch its 24th year due to health considerations around COVID-19. Our intense instruction led by three-time USA National Team Coach Chuck Warner has helped transform more than 4,000 swimmers. For 18 consecutive years, ARETE has sold out most sessions. Our four core objectives are: Immediate Skill Improvement, Self-Esteem Development, Teamwork and “WOW Experiences.” Each swimmer is filmed underwater and has permanent access to their own recording. A coach analyzes each stroke with each swimmer using our camp workbook. A key aspect of our camp is our “Inner Engineering Curriculum,” and we have a coach-to-swimmer ratio of 1:9 or better. Coach Warner’s experience includes: • Four-time Big East Conference Coach of the Year •
Author of …And Then They Won Gold; Four Champions, One Gold Medal; EDDIE REESE: Coaching Swimming, Teaching Life
•
Former president of the American Swimming Coaches Association
For experienced competitive swimmers 13 and over
Camp sessions will focus on elite training in a team environment that includes technical teaching Dryland sessions focus on swimmingspecific strength and conditioning Olympic Camp: June 23-July 3
For experienced competitive swimmers 13 and over
Coaches and athletes will focus on the training, teaching and competitive aspects that make up competing at the Olympic level with daily viewing of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials as they happen Dryland sessions will focus on swimmingspecific strength and conditioning Campers will compete at the Bolles Classic Swim Meet (entry fees/USA Swimming registration included) Speed Camp: July 5-11
For competitive swimmers 13 and over
•
Swimmers will explore the technical and physiological aspects of swimming faster
•
Individual technical instruction and video sessions will be included for each camper, and practices will feature measurable and specific sets to focus on speeds for events ranging from 50 to 800 meters
•
Dryland sessions will focus on plyometric and power movements
2019 Clinic Fees: $215 all three/$85 per. 2019 Camp Fees: $590-710 commuter/$765-900 resident (early registration discounted). Ages: 7-18.
COMBINATION OPTIONS FOR AFOREMENTIONED CAMPS AVAILABLE
CHECK OUT OUR CAMP LISTINGS ONLINE AT WWW.SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/CAMPS 28
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[ PHOTO COURTESY LARRY THORNTON ]
2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY Day Camp: June 8-17 (Day Sessions) Dates: June 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16 and 17 •
Technical one-day camp for swimmers age 12 and under
•
Camp will include teaching, training and camp activities
•
Registration is limited to 30 participants per day
Note: Be assured COVID-19 procedures are in place to mitigate risks and keep campers as safe and healthy as possible.
CAMP CHIKOPI Founded 1920 For Boys aged 7-17 Colette Duenkel 373 Chikopi Rd., Magnetawan, Ontario, POA 1PO Canada 705-387-3811 (In Season) • 954-566-8235 (Off Season) campchikopi@aol.com www.campchikopi.com https://www.facebook.com/CampChikopi/ https://www.instagram.com/campchikopi/
camps in Ontario.” Ahmic Lake is a quiet, pristine freshwater lake. Chikopi has over 2,000 feet of waterfront, offering multiple swimming options; a 50-meter swimming pool built into the lake and three sandy beaches. Our swimming program covers every level— beginning with our respected water safety and learn-to-swim program to our admired and highly competitive swim team. No matter which level of swimming your son is at, he will improve with our personalized program, tailor-made to fit his ability and needs. Located on 400 acres of the Almaguin Highlands, we offer over 30 land and water sports, all of which complement our swimming program. As well as specializing in swimming, soccer and triathlon, Camp Chikopi offers unique activities such as open water swimming, wilderness mountain bike trails, competitive war canoe and canoe tripping. Campers range from boys who are here to have fun playing sports and being outdoors to gifted athletes. We have programs to fit everyone’s needs and fulfill their summer goals. Chikopi is extremely proud of our diversity and inclusiveness. We are very international and welcome every nationality, language and custom at Chikopi. It is an excellent opportunity for boys to be technology-free and immersed in a variety of cultures. Our wilderness location and rustic setting add to the extraordinary experience that a summer at Chikopi provides.
THE WORLD’S FIRST SWIM CAMP FITTER AND FASTER SWIM CAMPS
Two-Week Camps: June 30-July 14 July 14-28 July 28-Aug. 11 Three-Week Camps: June 30-July 21 July 28-Aug. 18 Four-Week Camps: June 30-July 28 July 14-Aug. 18 Five-Week Camps: June 30-Aug. 4 July 14-Aug. 18 Six-Week Camps: July 30-Aug. 11 Seven-Week Camps: June 30-Aug. 18 Specialty session pre-arranged with directors Camp Chikopi is a unique mix of a traditional and competitive sports camp. Chikopi was founded in 1920 by U.S. Olympic swimming coach Matt Mann II. We are renowned for being the world’s first swim camp and the oldest competitive sports camp in the world. Chikopi has a long history of Olympic, national, university and high school champions. It was voted “one of the best boys sports
www.FitterandFaster.com When: Year-round Where: 40+ states, Canada & Bahamas Elite Clinicians: 150+ Fitter & Faster safely produced more than 100 swim camps in 40 states during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company reduced session sizes and practiced detailed safety protocols. Fitter and Faster’s high volume of camps has enabled their clinicians to achieve an experience and competency level that is unmatched in the industry. As a year-round organization that produces swim camps anytime and anywhere—they are able to cap their session sizes at the smallest volume of any swim camp in the world. That means more expert-level attention for your swimmer. • Each camp has a specific, unique curriculum centered around technique and race strategy •
Your instructors are in the water, demonstrating and making corrections.
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Each camp is an enriching experience where swimmers with professional clinicians who have competed in college, World Championships and Olympics.
•
Participants engage in conversations about technique, race strategy, balancing school and swimming, nutrition, psychology, training, taper and other aspects of life in
and out of the pool that have made your clinicians successful. Visit FitterandFaster.com to find a swim camp or to request one near you. EAGLE SWIM CAMPS AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY Contact Camp Director Caroline Rollins with questions 513-515-7371 eagleswimcamps@gmail.com Registration is open www.eagleswimcamps.com June 21-24 & June 29-July 2 Technique Camps June 25-28 Elite Training Camp Eagle Swim Camps at Florida Gulf Coast University focus on providing skill instruction on all four competitive strokes, while also providing an incredible overall summer camp experience. Our campers—ages 8-18 (technique camp), 12-18 (training camp)—will enjoy learning from our championship coaching staff the skills to improve their competitive strokes and turns during their two-water sessions per day. Between sessions each day, campers will experience special guests and events, including Q&A and swimming with Olympic and world champion swimmers, college recruiting, strength and conditioning as well as our special rock wall. Eagle Swim Camps aim not only to educate our swimmers, but also continue to foster a love for fun in the sport of swimming. Registration is open!
GOLD MEDAL SWIM CAMPS AND CLINICS Courtney Hart, Head Coach Georgia Tech Swimming and Diving 404-867-3766 buzzswimming@gmail.com www.goldmedalswimcamp.com Link to registration page: https://portal.campnetwork.com/Register/ Register.php?camp_id=397055 Head coach and two-time Olympic gold medalist Courtney Hart invites you to take part in our Spring Clinics and Summer Camps. The Gold Medal Swim Camp coaches are some of the best in the business. With two former Olympians, former national team members, experienced collegiate coaches and Georgia Tech Swimming & Diving team members, the camp promises to have some of the best technical instruction available in a camp setting. Camp Dates: June 7-10 Session 1 July 6-9 Session 2
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2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY / CONTINUED FROM 29 CAMPS: This year, our Competitive Swim Camp is a commuter-style camp that will include a water session, technical instruction, video work and dryland instruction. Swimmers will be in the water two-plus hours each day and hear from some of the best coaches in the business. Our camp is located at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology at 750 Ferst Drive. Clinic Dates: Saturday April 17 Starts and Turns Sunday April 18 Freestyle and Backstroke Sunday April 25 Butterfly and Breaststroke Saturday May 8 Starts and Turns Sunday May 9 Freestyle and Backstroke
AGES 8-17 | COED
CLINICS: Our clinics are designed to provide competitive swimming technique training for intermediate to advanced competitive swimmers. Our clinics are two-and-a-half hours long, to the point and full of information! Get ready for the summer competition season with one of our focused clinics. Get individualized attention from our former Olympians and collegiate coaches. Our clinic is located at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC) at the Georgia Institute of Technology at 750 Ferst Drive.
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Jon Alter, Camp Director The University of Texas P.O. Box 7399 Austin, TX 78713-7399 512-475-8652 • Fax 512-232-1273 longhornswimcamp@athletics.utexas.edu www.LonghornSwimCamp.com Four one-week sessions from May 24-June 19 43 years of excellence! Headed by threetime Olympic and Texas head men’s coach Eddie Reese, 2019 World University Games and women’s coach Carol Capitani, former USA Swimming National Junior Team Director and assistant women’s coach Mitch Dalton and 2018 Team USA Pan-Pac and assistant men’s coach Wyatt Collins, the Longhorns Swim Camp is the most exciting camp in the country! Guest coaches and speakers include Olympians and national team members Ian Crocker, Josh Davis, Colleen Lanné-Cox, Garrett Weber-Gale, Townley Haas, Whitney Hedgepeth, Will Licon, Madisyn Cox and Jimmy Feigen. Open to male and female competitive swimmers, ages 8 to 18. Camp is held at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, home to 23 NCAA team champions. Facility includes an indoor 50-meter by 25yard pool, a 25-yard by 25-meter pool and a BRAND NEW 50-meter by 25-yard outdoor pool. Four training groups based on age and ability,
Swim Clinics
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LONGHORNS SWIM CAMP
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with a 1:7 coach/swimmer ratio in technique sessions. Daily training includes challenging longcourse sessions Monday-Friday mornings; technique sessions Monday-Thursday afternoons and evenings, with start/turn work included. Classroom sessions on technique and race strategies held. Underwater video of each camper analyzed by a coach. Daily social activities and field trips offered. Multiple-week stays include planned weekend activities with supervision. Experienced, mature, adult staff provides 24-hour supervision. Cost: Overnight Camp $1,070; Day Camp $970. Complete camp information and online registration available at Longhornswimcamp.com. Per NCAA rules, sport camps and clinics conducted by The University of Texas are open to all entrants. Enrollment is limited only by age, grade level, gender and capacity restrictions as specified by each camp. NCAA guidelines prohibit payment of camp expenses by a representative of The University of Texas’ athletics interest. NCAA rules also prohibit free or reduced camp admission for prospects (9th grade and above).
er t is g e R now! June 20-24, 2021 June 27-July 1, 2021
MERCERSBURG ACADEMY SWIM CLINICS Glenn Neufeld, Head Coach Mercersburg Academy 100 Academy Drive Mercersburg, PA 17236 717-328-6225 summerprograms@mercersburg.edu www.mercersburgsummer.com June 20-24 Session 1 June 27-July 1 Session 2 Mercersburg Swim Clinics are dedicated to improving your technique and helping you develop as a swimmer both inside and outside of the pool. Mercersburg Academy’s storied aquatics program has produced over 30 Olympians and brings a tradition of excellence to their summer program. The primary aim of Mercersburg Swim Clinics is to provide an experience that teaches swimmers the most innovative techniques available while having fun. The philosophy is simple. Swimmers do not just compile distance, but rather work on improvements in starting, turning and stroke techniques. Mercersburg Swim Clinics participants stay in Mercersburg Academy’s state-of-the-art residence halls that are recently renovated, airconditioned with carpeted hallways, and have bathrooms on every hall with individual shower stalls. The swimmer-to-staff ratio is around 5 to 1. Mercersburg Academy’s elite coaching staff and other successful coaches from colleges and club teams will instruct swimmers throughout the week. Counselors are generally current and former college swimmers or Mercersburg Academy graduates with swimming experience. Swimmers will train in the state-of-theart Lloyd Aquatic Center, which includes an Olympic-size, 50-meter, 10-lane pool. See display ad on page 30.
MICHIGAN SWIM CAMP at The University of Michigan 8160 Valley View Drive Ypsilanti, MI 48197 734-845-8596 umswim1@gmail.com www.michiganswimcamp.com or www.camps.mgoblue.com/swimming Four sessions open to any and all entrants, limited to age and 195 campers per session in Canham Natatorium at the University of Michigan. A staff of 60+ and three instructional sessions per day ensure the individual attention necessary for significant improvement. Coaches Mike Bottom, Dr. Josh White, Rick Bishop, Sam Wensman, Nikki Kett, Kurt Kirner and Roger Karns are directly involved in coaching and teaching campers. All campers HD-filmed, 1:1 analyzed, and receive a written stroke analysis. Optional custom video and/or Kistler start-and-turn analysis available for an additional fee. Choose the Intensive Training Track or the Technique
Development Track. World-class staff provides leadership and mentoring that encourage each swimmer to strive for excellence in and out of the pool. While the status of summer camps for 2021 is uncertain, we will resume hosting athletic camps when it is safe to do so. Please continue to follow us on mgoblue.com for the latest updates. Stay safe and Go Blue.
NAVY SWIMMING CAMPS 2021 Bill Roberts, Camp Director Navy Swimming Camps 2021 566 Brownson Rd., Annapolis, MD 21402 410-293-5834, 410-293-3012 Fax 410-293-3811 navyswimmingcamp@usna.edu www.navyswimmingcamp.com or www.navysports.com Facebook search: Navy Swimming Camp June 15-19 Session I June 21-25 Session II Clinics: June 19 & 20 (see website for 2021 clinic offerings) Now going into our 23rd season, expect direct results by being part of the 2021 Navy Swimming Camp this summer! Our principal goal is to provide you the very best in individual instruction, evaluation, camper experience and safety/supervision. The purpose of our camp is to offer you a unique environment to learn and develop your competitive strokes, including all related starts, turns and finishes. Navy Swimming Camp is a stroke-intensive camp. Swimming campers will receive individual attention. Additional training sessions are offered to all needing to maintain conditioning while at camp. Video analysis, dryland activities designed to improve individual fitness levels, performance, training, goal-setting, leadership presentations and the Severn River boat cruise are all part of the schedule for 2021. Also, outstanding and accomplished guest speakers and presenters all scheduled for this year’s edition of the Navy Swimming Camp. Campers will learn, train and reside in an amazingly safe and unique environment on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. Additionally, teamwork and leadership are important points of emphasis for every camper. The Navy camp is led by an experienced camp staff while providing the very best in 24-hour supervision. See www.navyswimmingcamp.com for greater detail, including brochure, application, daily schedule and frequently asked questions. Cost for each camp: $725/commuter camper (ages 8-18), $775/extended day camper (ages 8-18), $825/resident camper (ages 9-18). All campers receive a NAVY swimming shirt & an exclusive NAVY backstroke flag. Go Navy!
2021 NEAL STUDD SWIM CAMP AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY Dan Carrington, Camp Director Florida State University 2560 Pottsdamer St. Tallahassee, FL 32310 850-644-5946 dcarrington@fsu.edu www.fsuswimcamp.com June 14-18 Session 1 June 21-25 Session 2 The Neal Studd Swim Camp at Florida State University is a camp that focuses on giving each swimmer, ages 7-18, the tools to improve his or her overall technique. The camp focuses on fitness, stroke technique, starts, turns, nutrition and mental training. Each camper will receive specific instruction on all four strokes, turns and starts. There will be classroom sessions on these principles as well as talks on nutrition. We will also have champion swimmers come in to talk to our campers. Our goal each session is to give your camper the tools to improve his or her swimming as well as give them a renewed love of the sport! We love to hear from our campers each year that they have a “renewed love of the sport” and/or that they “were so excited to drop time.” We’ve earned a reputation with the clubs of our campers returning to their teams with better technique, improved fitness and more confidence! Additional camp information can be found at: https://www.fsuswimcamp.com/
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO SWIMMING CAMPS Lisa Ebeling, Camp Director University of Northern Colorado 970-451-1476 Lisa.ebeling@unco.edu www.uncswimmingcamps.com June 28-July 2 Session 1 July 12-16 Session 2 UNC Swimming Camps are designed to teach athletes the technical aspects of swimming to help them achieve success at the next level. The main focus of our camp is on stroke analysis and technique for starts and turns through in-depth video review. We also provide elite high-altitude training sessions, team building activities, nutritional education, competition preparation tools and mental training. We group athletes according to skill level, and are able to accommodate swimmers of all levels, ages 8-18. UNC Swimming Camps are open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level and/or gender). Join Coaches Lisa Ebeling and Brody Lewis to learn the techniques used by NCAA and Olympic champions. Camps are filling fast, so register now to reserve your spot! CONTINUED ON 32 >> BIWEEKLY
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2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY / CONTINUED FROM 31 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SWIMMING CAMPS http://www.pittswimmingcamp.com/ Pittsburgh Swim Camp Dates: June 13-17 June 20-24 Our swim camp is designed to inspire competitive swimmers to develop their strokes and training while swimming under the guidance and experience of some of the best collegiate coaches in the country! University of Pittsburgh head coach and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, John Hargis, along with his coaching staff will instruct campers how to develop their strokes, starts and turns. We will also instruct campers on how to maximize daily training while at camp and when they return to their home club. Each day will consist of water workouts plus a classroom session to watch and analyze swimming videos, as well as other topics such as preparing for college, sport nutrition and goal setting. Camp will also include individual stroke analysis and instruction via video review, and a low camper-to-staff ratio. We will be taking additional measures based on guidance from our local health department and the Pitt Athletics department to limit any COVID exposure. Campers can also purchase additional video analysis that includes all four strokes, starts, turns and underwater kick footage. Video analysis is done by collegiate coaches and delivered to the camper digitally for unlimited playback. Cost: $500. Additional camp information can be found at: http://www.pittswimmingcamp.com/
THE RACE CLUB 2021 UPCOMING SWIM CAMPS https://theraceclub.com/swim-camps/swimcamp-details/ Swimmers will focus on all strokes, swimming starts and swimming flip turns while improving freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly swimming techniques. Learn four different types of dryland training, the science of swimming and the five disciplines of fast swimming. Develop seasonal planning, mental training and swim race strategy techniques that are sure to give you an edge over your competition. Whether you’re a beginner, Masters or a competitive swimmer, we recommend that all campers attend every swim camp session to gain a comprehensive knowledge of our methodologies to improve your swimming technique. The Race Club Swim Camps are unlike any other swim camps or clinics. Sign up for the sessions you’d like during a camp. We coach a morning and an afternoon session on each scheduled camp day. Morning sessions are three hours at $250 per session, and afternoon sessions are two hours long at $150 per session. We encourage all campers to attend all
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eight sessions to gain the full benefit of The Race Club methodology. If you register 30+ days before the camp start date, you will receive a $200 discount off the full camp rate of $1,600. Link to camp info: https://theraceclub.com/ swim-camps/swim-camp-details/
SPIRE INSTITUTE & ACADEMY 440-466-1002 info@spireinstitute.org https://www.spireinstitute.org Stroke Camp Dates: June 6-10 June 13-17 June 20-24 Aug. 8-12 Start & Turn Camp Dates: May 28-30 June 11-13 June 18-20 Aug. 13-15 SPIRE offers five-day Stroke Camps and three-day Start & Turn Camps for ages 12 and older. These competitive swimming camps are either boarding or non-boarding and are for competitive swimmers. Stroke Camps are structured around a philosophy of teaching skill acquisition and development in all four competitive strokes as well as starts and turns. Two daily water sessions are led by a world-class staff. Workouts are structured to improve stroke technique with a combination of drills, skills and training. Each athlete will have opportunities to enhance all phases of competitive swimming through individualized attention from our excellent coaches and counselors. Individual stroke analysis, dryland instruction and lecture sessions will give the campers one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date training camp experiences available in the United States. The Competitive Start & Turn Camp will only focus on starts and turns. Emphasis is about turning these often-overlooked skills into a true competitive advantage. Swimmers will receive intensive instruction on the forward and backstroke starts with safety being a priority. Fast, legal turns for all four competitive strokes and the IM transition turns will be covered. Each athlete will receive individual attention from a staff of outstanding coaches and instructors. See display ad on page 33.
STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS USING SCIENCE TO IMPROVE TECHNIQUE swimmingtechnology.com Are you: • looking for a significant time drop? • serious about improving your technique? • hoping to reduce or eliminate shoulder pain? • ready to compete at the next level? • interested in extending your swimming career to college? If you are, then an STR SpeedWeek is your best swim camp option! We are the only camp with scientific studies that confirm the effect of our technique improvement strategies. In the morning classroom instructional session, swimmers learn specific cues to see and feel so they can swim like MONA, a biomechanical model of optimal technique. The following pool session includes deliberate practice strategies to help the swimmers optimize technique—short swims at a slow stroke rate with lots of individual feedback. In the afternoon, swimmers are tested in the pool and analyzed in the classroom with Aquanex—our patented system that captures synchronized underwater video and hand force data. This science-based analysis is unlike anything else in the world of swimming, giving swimmers the information they need to fine-tune their technique and make drastic time drops. You will learn to: • Optimize the non-breathing head position • Control the base of support to minimize resistance and maximize propulsion • Benefit from elbow flexion at the beginning of the pull • Vary the arm index of coordination in freestyle • Minimize shoulder stress on the freestyle and butterfly arm entry • Reduce fluctuations in body velocity in breaststroke and butterfly • Gain extra propulsion on the freestyle push phase • Eliminate wasted arm motion in backstroke • Practice deliberately to make technique changes quickly The STR bottom line: We guarantee we can show every swimmer how to swim faster. SpeedWeek helps you make technique changes based on scientific data rather than opinion. Our campers have incomparable progress and learn practice strategies that help them continue to improve on return to normal training. Each SpeedWeek is limited to 12 swimmers to ensure maximum individual attention by Dr. Rod Havriluk, world-renowned biomechanist and technique expert. Dr. Havriluk is internationally recognized for his unique approach to accelerating skill-learning and preventing shoulder injury. He is a frequent conference presenter (ASCA, ASCTA, BMS, FINA, IOC, ISCA, USAS, USMS, USSSA) and is widely published. In 2015, he was selected by Swimming World Magazine as one of the top 10 individuals making an impact on swimming. Check our website for more info: swimmingtechnology.com CONTINUED ON 34 >>
2021 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY / CONTINUED FROM 32 TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AGGIE SWIM CAMP Shannon Clark, Camp Director aggieswimcamp@gmail.com www.aggieswimcamp.com May 23-28 (Sunday-Friday) May 30-June 4 (Sunday-Friday) June 6-9 (Sunday-Wednesday) TECHNIQUE CAMP The Aggie Swim Camp offers super stroke technique, great counselors, a world-class, newly renovated facility and lots of fun! The Texas A&M head men’s and women’s coaches, Jay Holmes and Steve Bultman, are on deck every day to work with campers one-on-one and in small groups to maximize the camp experience. Campers receive detailed stroke work with a highly experienced coaching staff and a low coach-to-swimmer ratio in every group. Campers also receive extensive filming with voice-over stroke instruction on all four strokes. Filming includes above water, below water, starts and turns as well as one-on-one video analysis with camp coaches daily. Take home your DVD, and watch it with your coach at home. Outside of the pool, campers reside in a beautiful off-campus dorm and enjoy great recreational activities away from the pool as they create new friendships and meet swimmers from all over the world. The Aggie Swim Camp is open on a firstcome, first-serve basis to any individual who satisfies the age, grade level and/or gender requirements set forth in the registration materials. Male and female swimmers (ages 8-18) of any ability level are welcome to attend. It is highly recommended, but not required, that swimmers have competitive experience prior to attending. Visit our website at: www.aggieswimcamp.com to register online.
TOTAL PERFORMANCE SWIM CAMPS AT KENYON COLLEGE & CALVIN COLLEGE 740-398-4464 www.tpscamps.com Competitive Stroke Camp at Kenyon: June 13-17 Session 1: $675 overnight $510 day (space limited to 75) June 17-20 Session 2: $525 overnight $375 day (space limited to 75) June 20-24 Session 3: $675 overnight $510 day (space limited to 50) Competitive Stroke Camp at Calvin: June 13-17 Session 1: $675 overnight $510 day (space limited to 50) Elite Distance Camp at Kenyon: June 20-24: $775 overnight $610 day (space limited to 25) Elite Breaststroke Camp at Kenyon: June 20-24: $775 overnight $610 day (space limited to 25) Elite STRENGTH Camp at Kenyon (NEW CAMP OFFERING FOR AQUATICS): June 24-27: $425 overnight $310 day (space limited to 25) Elite Coaching Camp at Kenyon (NEW CAMP OFFERING FOR AQUATICS): June 25: $99/coach (space limited to 75) Elite Fly/Back Underwater Camp at Kenyon: June 27-July 1: $775 overnight $610 day (space limited to 50) Elite Sprint Camp at Kenyon: June 27-July 1: $775 overnight $610 day (space limited to 50) The Total Performance Swim Camps— hosted in 2021 at Kenyon College and Calvin College—are back! As we have since 1980, Total Performance offers swimmers of all abilities an opportunity to learn how to take their swimming to the next level from some of the nation’s top coaches. This year, we offer two
camp models: the Competitive Stroke Camp and the Elite Camp. NEW in 2021 is the firstever Total Performance Strength Camp and Coaches Camp. COMPETITIVE STROKE CAMPS feature nationally ranked collegiate coaches, two pool sessions per day with a focus on training and technique, critique sessions in all four strokes, starts and turns with personalized takehome video analysis, special guest speakers that include Olympians and top DI coaches, educational classroom sessions and fun social activities. The Competitive Stroke Camps are directed by nationally ranked collegiate coaches and are open to all competitive swimmers, ages 10-18. ELITE CAMPS are intensive, stroke-specific programs that provide elite swimmers, ages 13-18, with cutting-edge training and techniques in each specialty, data-driven classroom sessions and swimming-specific drylands. These camps feature nationally and internationally ranked headliners as well as top collegiate coaches. NEW in 2021 are the Total Performance Elite Strength Camp and Elite Coaches Camp. ELITE STRENGTH CAMP will feature top strength coaches from around the country and will focus on: 1.) How to develop swimmingspecific strength and power, and 2.) How to establish proper technique. Advanced critique sessions for all aquatic athletes. Guest speakers will include Olympians and top coaches, educational classroom sessions and fun social activities. ELITE COACHES CAMP will be a oneday training camp for high school and club coaches. The camp will focus on: 1.) Coach development, 2.) Team development—building a program, and 3.) Culture—establishing a healthy environment for athletes. Kenyon College and Calvin College feature safe campuses and world-class facilities that have been rated in the Top 20 by the Princeton Review. Overnight camps provide 24-hour supervision by our staff of collegiate swimmers and coaches, providing greater opportunities for mentorship during the week. More than most years, space is limited. Call 740-398-4464 or visit: www.tpscamps.com for more information.
CHECK OUT OUR CAMP LISTINGS ONLINE AT
WWW.SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/CAMPS 34
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NCAA NEWS
Gary Taylor Coaching Era Is Over at Auburn University; Search on for Replacement BY ANDY ROSS
A
uburn and head swimming and diving coach Gary Taylor have mutually agreed to part ways, Auburn Director of Athletics Allen Greene announced Monday. Taylor spent three seasons as the Tigers’ head coach. “Auburn is appreciative to Gary for his service to the Auburn swimming and diving program,” Greene said. “We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” A national search for his replacement will begin immediately. Taylor had been hired at Auburn in April 2018 after the resignation of Brett Hawke. Taylor played a vital part in guiding the NC State men to four-straight Atlantic Coast Conference Championship titles and three consecutive top10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including top four finishes in from 2016 – 2018. In addition, the Wolfpack women were crowned conference champions in 2017, tabbing its first conference title since 1980. The women’s team also achieved its highest NCAA finish in program history at the time, placing seventh in 2017. During the 2016-17 season, Gary Taylor coached four athletes to the men’s and women’s NCAA Championships where they earned seven total All-America honors. At the ACC Championships, he led Ipsen to his third-straight title in the 500 free and a runner-up finish in the 1650 free. Adam Linker also tabbed All-ACC honors in the 500 and 1650 free
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events. On the women’s side, Taylor helped Hannah Moore to All-ACC honors in the 500 free and 400 IM and Rachel Muller to a third place finish in the 1650 free. Taylor also played a part in the development of recent graduate Christian McCurdy and Justin Ress’s successful rookie season. McCurdy was a three-time ACC Champion and All-American during his career and Ress was named the 2016 ACC Male Freshman of the Year. Ipsen tabbed the mention in 2015, marking the second-straight year a Wolfpack swimmer earned the honor. On the women’s side Gary Taylor helped the Pack create program history in the 2015-16 season as the team placed second at the ACC Championship and ninth at NCAAs. This marked the highest conference and national finish since 1982. In her first semester with the Wolfpack sophomore Moore earned All-ACC and All-America honors in three events while senior transfer Shelly Craddock earned the first AllAmerica honor of her career as a member of the 12th-place 800 free relay. She also helped the relay squad place second at ACCs. Additionally, Rachel Muller wrapped up the most successful season of her career at NC State as she placed third in the 1650 free at the conference championship and collected four All-America honors from her second trip to NCAAs. ◄
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WATER POLO NEWS
USA Water Polo Cancels Men’s, Women’s Division III Collegiate National Championship, Intercontinental Tournament BY DAN D'ADDONA
D
ue to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, USA Water Polo announces today the cancellation of the postponed 2020 Men’s and 2021 Women’s Division III Collegiate National Championship. In coordination with FINA, USA Water Polo is also canceling the FINA Intercontinental Tournament slated for later this month in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Division III Collegiate National Championships were canceled due to a lack of available teams electing to host seasons during the first half of 2021 while the FINA competition was canceled due to a lack of travel abilities for water polo nations around the world. “Unfortunately, we’ve had to cancel these highly anticipated events. With less than 50 percent of the eligible Division III teams understandably deciding not to hold a season this year, we were left with little choice than to cancel both Collegiate National Championships. That said, we are very
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excited to have our second men’s event this December and to finally host our first women’s championship next spring” said John Abdou, USA Water Polo Chief High Performance Officer. “We were also looking forward to partnering with our colleagues at the Indiana Sports Corporation in bringing high-level international water polo to the Hoosier State. Global travel restrictions made that impossible at this time but we are optimistic about returning to Indiana in the future for another great event.” The Division III Collegiate National Championships are scheduled to return in the 2021-2022 school year with the men’s event this December followed by the inaugural women’s event in Spring 2022. USA Water Polo is also excited to continue our partnership with the Indiana Sports Corporation and will look to collaborate on identifying an event to be held in Indianapolis in the near future. ◄
PARTING SHOT
Andrew Seliskar splashes water in his face prior to his final at the 2021 TYR Pro Series in Mission Viejo, Calif. [PHOTO BY BECCA WYANT]
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