T H E
O P E N
WAT E R
2013
OPEN WATER
I S S U E
+
SWIMMERS
OF THE
YEAR
THE
TOP 5
OPEN WATER
MOMENTS
OF THE
YEAR
NOVEMBER 2013 - VOLUME 54 - NO. 11
SHAPING
LIVES:
TAYLOR HUNT—
AND HER
FAMILY—FIND
STRENGTH
IN SWIMMING
*NYAD’S
RCP
TIBURON
MILE:
THE END OF THE ROAD:
DIANA
MAY THE
CURRENTS
BE WITH YOU
SW
IM
M
IN
G
W
O
(S RL
EE D
PA MA
G G
E AZ
33 IN
FO E
R SPE
DE C
TA IA
IL L O
S) F
F
ER
IN
SI
DE
!
CONQUEST
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FEATURES
2013
NOVEMBER
011
Top 5 Open Water
Moments of 2013
by Jeff Commings
014
011
018
May the Currents Be
with You
022
038
Persistence Leads
to Success
040
2013 Open Water
Swimmers of the Year
by Steven Munatones
Brazil’s Poliana Okimoto and Germany’s
Thomas Lurz turned in stellar performances
at the 2013 World Championships and were
named Swimming World Magazine’s Open
Water Swimmers of the Year.
030
by Michael J. Stott
032
022
Lessons with the Legends:
Randy Reese
The Healing Power
of Swimming
by Shoshanna Rutemiller
Taylor Hunt was involved in a hit-andrun accident five years ago when she
was 13, and her father strongly believes
that swimming not only strengthened his
daughter, but the entire family.
035
AthleticFoodie/
Let’s Live a Healthier Life:
Staying Healthy during
the Holidays
by Garrett Weber-Gale
by Shoshanna Rutemiller
Poland’s Mateusz Sawrymowicz and the
USA’s Ashley Twichell navigated the most
favorable routes across the San Francisco
Bay to win their respective men’s and
women’s divisions of the 14th Annual RCP
Tiburon Mile, with each earning $10,000.
by Shoshanna Rutemiller
American Diana Nyad, 64, became the
first person to swim from Cuba to Florida,
accomplishing the feat without the help of a
shark cage. On Sept. 2, she walked wobblylegged onto the beach of Key West, Fla., after
swimming for 53 consecutive hours from
Havana, Cuba—a distance of approximately
110 miles.
014
018
036
Ask Dr. Shannon:
Hamstring Stretches
by Shannon McBride
039
Q&A with Coach
Allison Beebe
by Michael J. Stott
How They Train
Simone Manuel
by Michael J. Stott
042
Paddles: Why They Work
by Michael J. Stott
Paddles are an important training aid
that can help swimmers reinforce proper
technique and build strength.
DEPARTMENTS
008
A Voice for the Sport
025
Holiday Gift Guide
044
Up & Comers
046
Gutter Talk
048
Parting Shot
ON THE COVER
It took American Diana Nyad a lifetime to achieve
her dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida without
the use of a shark cage. Her first attempt came 35 years
ago in 1978, and on her fifth try—at the age of 64—she
reached her goal, teaching us all a very valuable lesson:
never give up! (See stories, pages 8, 11 and 18.)
Dryside Training:
Strength for Speed
by J.R. Rosania
SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0039-7431). Note: permission to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without permission from the
publisher. The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements. Microfilm copies: available from University Microfilms, 313 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI
48103. Swimming World Magazine is listed in the Physical Education Index. Printed in the U.S.A. © Sports Publications International, November 2013.
6
[ photo
by dawn l
.
blomgren ]
November 2013
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A Voice for the Sport
I
SIX THINGS WE LEARNED FROM DIANA NYAD
did not expect to get emotional while watching the live television coverage
of Diana Nyad completing her swim from Cuba to Florida. The emotion that I
was experiencing was a combination of respect, inspiration, passion and human
triumph. I must admit that I am easily inspired when athletic achievements
touch my soul. Diana Nyad’s lifelong quest should inspire us all.
There are six things we all should learn from Diana Nyad’s feat:
• Set high goals. We all should set high goals. When I think of setting goals,
I am reminded of the poet, Robert Browning, who once wrote, “Ah, but a man’s
reach should exceed his grasp—or what’s a heaven for?” To me, it means that we
should reach for more than we can see, grasp or touch. If you are going to set a
goal, set it high. Nyad set a goal that no human had ever achieved.
• Follow your heart. If you don’t feel it, it will never happen. When you feel
something in every fiber of your body, you must act on it. Inside this month’s
issue of Swimming World, Nyad is quoted as saying, “When I turned 60, my mom
had just died, (and I) experienced a deep reckoning. (I began) to wonder if I
was the person I wanted to be,” said Nyad. “I wanted to find something that
challenged me, that made me reach my deepest potential. It wasn’t a matter of,
‘Do I want to break (the endurance swimming) world record?’ Cuba was at the
peak of my imagination—the swim that really touched my soul.” Nyad taught us
to look deeper into ourselves and listen to our hearts and souls.
• Be self-motivated. Motivation is the underlying cause for all result. Selfmotivation is the strongest of forms. If you are not self-motivated, chances are
slim that you will ever achieve your goal. Nobody had to motivate Nyad. Nyad
taught us that self-motivation is the primary source for all accomplishments.
• Inspire others around you. People want to be associated with those
who set high standards and high goals. When they see someone moving toward
accomplishing a high goal, it inspires everyone around them to be a part of that
goal. Nyad’s never-give-up attitude inspired those around her. Eventually those
same people became her biggest supporters and eventually her team. Nyad led
by her actions, and as a result, she inspired others around her.
• Acknowledge those who support you. One of the first things that
Nyad did when she set foot on the Florida beach was to acknowledge those
who supported her in her 53-hour journey traversing 110 miles. Instead of
soaking up all the limelight, she acknowledged and thanked her support crew
repeatedly. She voiced appreciation and gratitude that made her team feel
more like a family than volunteers. Even though Nyad swam alone, she showed
us that accomplishments are never really a solo effort.
• Never give up. Watching Nyad swim the last 100 meters to shore was
surreal. There was no grand finish line. People from all walks of life came to the
beach that morning for a relaxing Labor Day holiday. Most had no idea that they
were about to witness history. When word spread that Nyad was approaching
the shore, people flocked to the beach. Many waded out into the surf, creating
a human channel for her to swim through. Everyone cheered her to the finish.
It took Nyad, age 64, a lifetime to achieve her goal, and with that, she taught us
the greatest lesson of all: never give up! v
Brent T. Rutemiller; Publisher, CEO
8
PU B L I S H I N G, C I RCU LAT I O N
A N D ACCO U N T I N G O F F I C E
P.O. Box 20337, Sedona, AZ 86341
Toll Free in USA & Canada: 800-511-3029
Phone: 928-284-4005 • Fax: 928-284-2477
www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com
Chairman of the Board, President — Richard Deal
e-mail: [email protected]
Publisher, CEO — Brent T. Rutemiller
e-mail: [email protected]
Circulation/Art Director — Karen Deal
e-mail: [email protected]
Circulation Assistant — Judy Jacob
e-mail: [email protected]
Advertising Production Coordinator — Betsy Houlihan
e-mail: [email protected]
E D I TO R I A L, P RO D UCT I O N,
M E RCH A N D I S I N G,
M A R K E T I N G A N D A DV E RT I S I N G O F F I C E
2744 East Glenrosa Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Toll Free: 800-352-7946
Phone: 602-522-0778 • Fax: 602-522-0744
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E di torial and Prod u ct ion
e-mail: [email protected]
Senior Editor — Bob Ingram
e-mail: [email protected]
Managing Editor — Jason Marsteller
e-mail: [email protected]
Graphic Arts Designer— Kaitlin Kelly
e-mail: [email protected]
Staff Writer — Shoshanna Rutemiller
e-mail: [email protected]
Fitness Trainer — J.R. Rosania
Chief Photographer — Peter H. Bick
Staff Writer — Michael Stott
SwimmingWorldMagazine.com WebMaster
e-mail: [email protected]
M ar k e t ing and A dv ert ising
[email protected]
Marketing Coordinator — Tiffany Elias
e-mail: [email protected]
M U LT I - M E D I A
Writer/Producer — Jeff Commings
e-mail: [email protected]
I N T E R N AT I O N A L CO R R E S PO N D E N T S
Africa: Chaker Belhadj (TUN);
Australia: Wayne Goldsmith, Ian Hanson;
Europe: Norbert Agh (HUN), Camilo Cametti (ITA),
Federico Ferraro (ITA), Oene Rusticus (NED),
Steven Selthoffer (GER), Rokur Jakupsstovu (FAR), Tom
Willdridge (GBR);
Japan: Hideki Mochizuki; Middle East: Baruch “Buky”
Chass, Ph.D. (ISR);
South Africa: Neville Smith (RSA);
South America: Jorge Aguado (ARG), Alex Pussieldi (BRA)
PH OTO G RA PH E R S/S WTV
Peter H. Bick, USA Today Sports Images,
Reuters, Getty Images
official magazine of:
endorsed by:
publisher:
P.O. Box 20337
Sedona, AZ 86341
Phone: 928.284.4005
Fax: 928.284.2477
www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com
November 2013
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CHIEF JUDGES NEED
TO HAVE
“FIN”
by john c . gagliardo , pacific northwest swimming
A
re you contemplating being a chief judge
and wondering what to do? A good chief
judge keeps things interesting from
the moment officials walk in the door. I
suggest the “FIN” approach. Simply put,
whether in briefings or on deck, try to
keep things Fun, Informative and New.
Nothing makes meets seem longer than need be than
when it’s not fun. When officiating becomes work, we
tend to lose the focus on why we’re really there (for the
athletes, of course). A great place to start this Fun is in the
briefings. A balance of humor and professionalism to keep
your meetings light is a great place to start building your
smiling team of officials.
Next, share Information before sending everyone out
on deck. Resolve with your meet referee what protocols
to follow and what jurisdictions are in play for strokeand-turn judges. Nothing hurts effectiveness like trying
to manage things on the fly after briefings have ended.
Do you remember meets where you’re told something for
the first time after swimmers are in the water? Covering
information in briefings rather than on deck is vital.
Finally, try something New. Ask a seasoned official (or a
new one) to give the stroke briefing. Sometimes hearing
stroke briefings in a new light keeps everyone engaged.
Approach briefings by keeping things light and fresh—
your audience will appreciate it.
Every meet has something different to offer us all. From
a record to an equipment malfunction—or anything in
between—no two meets are the same, offering everyone
new experiences to enjoy.
I urge all chief judges to try and utilize the “FIN”
approach at your next meet...it will be a kick! v
10
MAXWELL
MEDALS & AWARDS
Excellence Award
J
ayne Spittler,
who began
officiating
in 1997, has
participated at all
levels of USA-S, high
school, YMCA and
collegiate swimming.
However, one of her
favorite positions is
working the bullpen
for the 8-and-unders
at a Halloween
meet, where she
demonstrates the
breaststroke with
a “giant spider.” Spittler works diligently to improve
the standard of local and national officiating by
working on training, mentoring and inclusiveness.
She also participates on USA-S committees, where
she has created standardized training, updated deck
evaluation forms, established standards for on-deck
sessions and mentored a new set of trainers. Those
who attended the 2012 Illinois officials recertification
clinics, led by Spittler, called them “the best ever.” She
is an advocate for open water swimming and has
worked and trained others in this discipline since
2008. Spittler is a dedicated, enthusiastic official
whose focus is to provide the best meet experience
for any level of swimmer by ensuring excellence with
a sense of fun and camaraderie. v
PROUD SPONSOR OF THE MAXWELL EXCELLENCE AWARD
CALL FOR YOUR FREE FULL-COLOR
MAXWELL CATALOG:
1.800.331.1383
November 2013
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TOP 5 OPEN WATER MOMENTS OF 2013
F
1
DIANA NYAD SWIMS FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA
by jeff commings
or the first time, Swimming World
Magazine is picking the top open
water swims of the year. Unlike
pool swimming, each open water
race has its own personality and
challenges for the athletes. That
makes each event vastly different, with the
only common trait being the unpredictability
of the open water.
With that in mind, we consulted a few
open water swimming experts. What
surprised us is that no two of the experts
picked the same five open water moments
of 2013. That left us in a quandary that
made creating this list even more daunting:
How does one open water swim trump
another? It’s easier to rank pool swimming
performances because the environments
are more or less the same. But is a 110-mile
swim inherently “better” than a 25-kilometer
swim?
Our criteria for picking the five best open
water moments of 2013 came down to two
factors. First is the historical significance
of the performance. If no one had done it
before, it belongs at or near the top of the
list. The second criterion blocked out all
external circumstances and focused on the
individual swim.
[ photo
by dawn l . blomgren ]
Thirty-five years after she first braved the waters of the Florida
Straits, American Diana Nyad pushed through the pain, ignored the
negative thoughts and plowed through jellyfish-infested waters to
become the first person to complete the 110-mile swim without
use of a shark cage.
Nyad stepped onto the Florida sand almost 53 hours after
jumping into the water off the coast of Cuba—seven hours earlier
than planned. This prompted criticism of the swim that was
soon dismissed when Nyad proved that an unexpected current
improved her hourly pace. Not long after her swim, Nyad’s sunscorched face was on nearly every television news program,
inspiring not only open water swimmers, but ordinary citizens as
well with her motto of “Never, Ever Give Up.”
Many say no one will try to follow in Nyad’s wake. That remains
to be seen, but there is no doubt that Diana Nyad put up a swim
for the ages.
[ photo
Germany’s Thomas Lurz is a living legend in the open
water swimming community. He’s won medals in every major
championship, and at age 33, he shows no sign of letting up.
Though he’s been a fixture on the open water circuit since 2004
and has won medals of every color, one thing was missing from his
accomplishments—at least until this summer at the FINA World
Championships in Barcelona. There, Lurz won a medal in all four
open water swimming events, something no one had done before at
the World Championships.
Lurz started off with a bronze in the 5-kilometer swim, a full 20
seconds behind winner Ous Mellouli. He stood one step higher
on the medal podium two days later, capturing silver in the 10K
behind longtime rival, Spyridon Gianniotis. He then teamed up with
Christian Reichert and Isabella Harle for the 5K team event, and
celebrated his first gold medal of the meet.
Lurz rarely races the 25K swim, but the decision to swim it in
Barcelona paid off in gold. He hit the finish pad just 4-tenths of a
second ahead of Belgium’s Brian Ryckeman to win his 20th medal at
the World Championships—a record. To add to the accomplishments,
Lurz is the only person, male or female, to win a gold medal at
Worlds in every open water distance.
by joan - marc bosch ]
THOMAS LURZ WINS FOUR MEDALS AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
2
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SYLVAIN ESTADIEU CROSSES ENGLISH CHANNEL
SWIMMING BUTTERFLY
For just the third time in the 138 years since people began
swimming from England to France, someone had the crazy idea
to do the entire crossing swimming only butterfly. Frenchman
Sylvain Estadieu made that crossing, Sept. 23, in 16 hours 42
minutes to become the first man to accomplish the feat by using
butterfly. (Vicki Keith in 1989 and Julie Bradshaw in 2002 also
swam butterfly.) Reports indicate a FINA official was on the boat
to make sure every stroke the 27-year-old took was legal.
by kaitlin kelly ]
provided by loneswimmer . com ]
[ photo
3
5
ASHLEY TWICHELL WINS
TWO BIG RACES
[ photo
TOP 5 OPEN WATER MOMENTS OF 2013
Ashley Twichell has been a fixture in the
open water community for several years,
but in 2013, her name was in the headlines
more frequently than any other American
open water swimmer. It started in July
when she handily won the 10K swim at
the World University Games in Russia in
a strong swim that had her holding the
distinction of lead swimmer for the entire
race. The following month, she announced
that she was departing her longtime home
at the Mission Viejo Nadadores for a new
postgraduate training group in North
Carolina. If the cross-country move was
stressful for Twichell, she didn’t show it at
the RCP Tiburon Mile, where she won the
race for the first time after many years as
the bridesmaid. v
SARAH THOMAS AND CRAIG LENNING COMPLETE
DOUBLE CROSSING OF LAKE TAHOE
[ photo
12
provided by sarah thomas ]
November 2013
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4
On July 18, Americans Sarah Thomas
and Craig Lenning entered the frigid
waters of Lake Tahoe to see which of
them would make history as the first to
complete a double crossing of the lake
without the aid of a wetsuit. Thomas
would earn that distinction 22 hours
later when she climbed out of the
lake in the same spot she started, with
Lenning following behind a few hours
later. Thomas not only earned a place in
history for completing the swim, but she
impressed the open water community
by negative-splitting it. Her first 21.25
miles (34.1 kilometers) was done in
11 hours 38 minutes, while her return
trip was swum in 10 hours 47 minutes.
Completing this swim is extra tough,
considering the lake is 6,225 feet (1,897
meters) above sea level.
10/18/13 12:18 PM
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RCP TIBURON MILE
by shoshanna rutemiller
MAY THE CURRENTS BE WITH YOU
photos by kaitlin kelly
Poland’s Mateusz
Sawrymowicz and the
USA’s Ashley Twichell
navigated the most
favorable routes across
the San Francisco Bay to
win their respective men’s
and women’s divisions
of the 14th Annual RCP
Tiburon Mile, with each
earning $10,000.
pictured
> ( top )
the day begins with all
participants of the rcp tiburon mile meeting
in tiburon , calif ., where they take a ferry
( above )
14
to angel island , the starting line of
the race .
TIBURON, Calif.—Poland’s
Mateusz Sawrymowicz had luck on
his side the morning of Sept. 29.
The 14th annual Robert C. Placak
(RCP) Tiburon Mile marked the first
time that Sawrymowicz, a pool
swimmer, took to the open water.
He won the overall and elite male
division titles after navigating the
best route across the San Francisco
Bay’s tricky currents.
Conversely, elite female winner
Ashley Twichell, USA, needed to
learn from two years of wrong
turns—including a bloody bang-up
in which she nearly beached herself
on the rocks in 2011—to figure out
the best way to secure the win.
The race’s elite group was starstudded, including:
• Oussama Mellouli, Tunisia: 5K
world champion (2013), 10K
Olympic champion (2012) and
Swimming World’s Open Water
Swimmer of the Year (2012);
• Kane Radford, New Zealand:
three-time defending RCP
champion;
• Haley Anderson, USA: 10K
Olympic silver medalist.
(The women’s two-time
defending RCP champion, Melissa
Gorman of Australia, was unable to
race this year because of a shoulder
injury.)
WHAT’S MY LINE?
Mellouli took an early lead off
the starting line on Angel Island,
making a beeline for the finish
line at Tiburon’s Corinthian Yacht
Club. Radford swung to the far left,
hoping to let the tide (which was
flowing south from the Golden
Gate Bridge) slingshot him into
the finish. A pack of swimmers—
including Canadian open water
Olympian Richard Weinberger,
female elites Anderson, Twichell
and Keri-Ann Payne of Great
Britain—followed the three-time
RCP champion’s lead. Sawrymowicz
chose a path directly between
Radford and Mellouli.
“If (Mellouli) can hold his
line, he can win by 20 seconds,”
proclaimed open water expert
Steven Munatones, director of the
International Marathon Swimming
Hall of Fame. “We’ll see if he can
once he hits the open channel and
starts to feel the current push.”
However, when forming a race
strategy, the swimmers need to
consider much more than the
currents. The RCP Tiburon Mile
is notoriously chilly, with water
temperature always measuring in
the low 60s (F).
Cold temperatures cause the
body’s capillaries to constrict,
causing the heart to work harder to
November 2013
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RCP TIBURON MILE
pictured
> ( top )
participants of the rcp
tiburon mile started the race on angel island .
( bottom
from left ) keri - anne payne
( two -
time world 10 k champ and an olympic 10 k
silver medalist ) and kane radford
( three - time
defending rcp champ ) both finished third in
their respective divisions . swimming world
interviewed them after the race — check it out
on www . swimmingworld . com .
deliver the same amount of blood
supply to the body. This is why RCP
participants are allowed to race
the course in wetsuits—but don’t
be surprised if you overhear other
swimmers jokingly call them “wusssuits!” If a swimmer wants a shot at
the big check, he or she has to race
in a FINA-approved swimsuit.
“The first two minutes are the
worst,” said Twichell. “It’s kind of
shocking. But then you forget
about it and race. The middle is
kind of chilly, but (enduring the
cold temperatures is) worth the
$10,000!”
Twichell came close to an elite
women’s win the last two years,
placing second to Gorman in 2011
and tying for third with Rebecca
Mann, USA, in 2012. Gorman’s
absence this year left Twichell with
a winning opportunity.
“I’ve always gotten caught up
at the beginning behind a lot of
guys,” she said. “(This year), I got out
quickly and swung to the left to
get some clean water. My strategy
was to latch onto one of the guys
if I could, but they took it out pretty
quick. I just kept my head down and
swam all the way to the finish. I
didn’t have to sight much because I
could see the guy’s splashes ahead
of me.”
BEGINNER’S LUCK
Halfway through this year’s
race, a new leader emerged. It
was Sawrymowicz, recognizable
by his yellow cap bobbing above
the water. The lanky blonde went
into the race as a wild card, but
the middle line he chose seemed
to serve him well. He was visibly
ahead of Mellouli, who began to
struggle with the mid-channel
current.
“I was struggling with the
current a little bit, but I think
I picked up a pretty nice line,”
Sawrymowicz said. “I knew it
was going to be hard at the end
because these guys are really
experienced.”
Although 26-year-old
Sawrymowicz is a beginner
to open water, he has already
made a name for himself in pool
swimming. He rose to prominence
in 2007 after he became the first
non-Australian to win a world title
in the 1500 meter freestyle since
1991. He was named Swimming
World Magazine’s Male European
Swimmer of the Year that same
year. Then, in 2009, after facing a
difficult bout with mononucleosis
and a torn ACL, Sawrymowicz fell
out of the limelight.
He decided to enter this year’s
RCP Tiburon Mile after a recent
move to Los Angeles to train with
Mellouli at the Trojan Swim Club
under acclaimed coach Dave Salo.
Sawrymowicz is hoping to use
the event to kick-start his career
in the open water: “I think open
water is going to build my selfconfidence—(especially after)
beating an open water Olympic
champion!”
That confidence, admittedly,
came with a bit of luck. The tides
were in Sawrymowicz’s favor along
the middle line.
Defending champion Radford
acknowledged he swung too far to
the left, arching out approximately
150 meters. That decision caused
him to swim more than 100 meters
farther than Mellouli, who swam in
— continued on 16
November 2013
November.indd 15
15
10/18/13 12:19 PM
RCP TIBURON MILE
RCP — continued from 15
a beeline. Radford banked on the
tide pull to give him a 10-second
advantage.
“I kind of just go by what I’ve
done in previous years, and it
just comes down to the line and
how the current is out there,” said
Radford. “It’s such a lucky go. This
year, there were three of us—three
different lines—and it ended up
that the middle was the best line.
This race especially changes day to
day, so you just have to be aware of
that.”
For his part, Mellouli gambled
that his speed, strength and
direction would be enough to
secure him the win.
“I just (tried) to get out of the
harbor the quickest so I wouldn’t
be distracted by anyone around me,”
Mellouli said. “I thought I had the
perfect line today, but once I hit the
channel in the middle of the course,
the currents started to hit, and I
could feel it. They were pushing me
to the right, and I had to fight the
current the other way. The other
guys were a little luckier than I
was—I would say—and they just
sort of slingshot it inward toward
the harbor.”
TO THE FINISH...AND BEYOND!
Once the athletes approached
the docks, it was clear that neither
Radford’s nor Mellouli’s strategies
were ideal. Sawrymowicz had
forged his own line between
the two experienced open
water swimmers and ended up
approaching the shore without
another swimmer in sight. Pulling
himself out of the clear water,
Sawrymowicz shakily got to his
feet and thrust his fist into the air
in celebration. About 20 seconds
later, his Trojan teammate Mellouli
pulled himself ashore. The two
embraced, smiling and patting each
other on the back.
“I’m really happy for Mateusz,”
said Mellouli. “It was his first time
here, and he’s buying me dinner
tonight, so it’s a win-win situation!”
After the race, athletes and their
16
pictured
>
the top three male
division finishers —( top from
left ) kane radford , ous mellouli
and mateusz sawrymowicz —
joined event founder bob placak
( third
from left with son ,
robert , jr .) for the awards
presentation , as did the top
three female athletes —( middle
from left ) ashley twichell ,
keri - anne payne and haley
anderson . placak also competed
in the race , finishing 30 th
overall
( bottom
right ).
November 2013
November.indd 16
10/18/13 12:19 PM
RCP TIBURON MILE
pictured
> ( left )
mateusz
sawrymowicz said ,
“( winning
the $10 , 000 check ) feels really
good , especially since i only
have $1 . 35 in my
( checking )
account right now . i have to
pay my october rent !”
( above )
cal - berkeley won
shark ”
for the second year in a row ,
“ the
trophy for its overall team
achievement .
families mingled around the food
and vendor tents, taking in the
picturesque San Francisco harbor
view. Olympians were interspersed
among the local Tiburon
community as the sun pierced
through the morning chill. Twichell
and Sawrymowicz excitedly
accepted their $10,000 prize-money
checks from Placak.
The day had provided the
opportunity to celebrate open
water swimming while giving the
participants the chance to rub
elbows with the best in aquatic
sport.
In fact, the outcome of the 14th
annual RCP Tiburon Mile might
have permanently converted
Sawrymowicz to open water
swimming—and it wasn’t solely
because of the purse.
“(Open water) is more fun,” said
Sawrymowicz. “Swimming in a pool
is a little bit boring, but here you
get to run on the beach and have
currents, waves. It makes it so much
more interesting.” v
November 2013
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17
10/18/13 12:19 PM
PERSISTENCE
LEADS TO SUCCESS
by shoshanna rutemiller
photos by dawn l . blomgren
Thirty-five years since her first attempt—and on her fifth try—64year-old Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to
Florida, accomplishing the feat without the help of a shark cage.
She completed the approximately 110-mile journey after swimming 53
consecutive hours.
18
November 2013
November.indd 18
10/18/13 12:19 PM
I
n 1978, one year after the
United States lifted its President
Kennedy-era ban on travel to
Cuba, 28-year-old American
marathon swimmer Diana Nyad
set her sights on the small island
country.
“I wanted to go for the longest
swim in history. I saw Cuba on the
map and my heart skipped a beat,”
Nyad recently told Swimming World
Magazine. “I knew that was it. All of
the mystique, all of the history, it just
hit me: Cuba.”
Thirty-five years later, she finally
accomplished her dream. Nyad, 64,
walked wobbly-legged onto the
beach of Key West, Fla., Sept. 2, after
swimming for 53 consecutive hours
from Havana, Cuba—a distance of
approximately 110 miles.
On her first attempt in 1978, Nyad
swam for 76 hours in a shark cage
before winds blew her off course.
She couldn’t obtain a travel visa to
Cuba the following year, so Nyad’s
athlete—didn’t have the opportunity
to continue her swimming career
collegiately.
“There were no scholarships
for female swimmers at the time,”
said Nyad. “A friend said to me, ‘You
know, a lot of times when 500- and
1000-meter runners are done with
their careers, they bump up to the
marathon.’ So I decided to bump up to
marathon swimming.”
Nyad immediately fell in love with
the sport and the small international
group of people she met while
marathon swimming.
“(The sport) has grown
exponentially, but in our day, it was
just a contingent of Argentines,
Egyptians, Canadians. There weren’t
too many Americans,” she said. “We
got to know each other and travel
from lakes to oceans. It’s not a sport
that is immediately fun while you do
it, but the rewards and the characterbuilding and the travel and the
people involved made me love it.”
sport 30 years later? Had her failed
attempt at swimming from Cuba to
Florida haunted her dreams for three
decades?
“I’m not going to tell you that
every day over those 30 years I woke
up and had a burning regret that I
never made it from Cuba to Florida.
(Returning to marathon swimming)
wasn’t about swimming,” she said.
“When I turned 60, my mom had
just died, (and I) experienced a deep
reckoning. (I began) to wonder if I
was the person I wanted to be,” said
Nyad. “I wanted to find something
that challenged me, that made me
reach my deepest potential. It wasn’t
a matter of, ‘Do I want to break
(the endurance swimming) world
record?’ Cuba was at the peak of my
imagination—the swim that really
touched my soul.”
REKINDLING THE DREAM
In 2010, Nyad began training for
her second attempt at traversing
“I wanted to go for the longest swim in history. I saw Cuba on the map and
my heart skipped a beat. I knew that was it. All of the mystique, all of the
history, it just hit me: Cuba.”
team switched the course route. She
started her swim at North Bimini,
Bahamas and ended at Juno Beach,
Fla....a swim that—at 102 miles in
27.5 hours—put her in the distance
swimming record books.
“Then I was 30, and it was time for
me to retire,” said Nyad. “I had done so
many hours, first as a sprinter, then as
a distance swimmer. It was 20 years
of swimming. I was burnt out. It was
time for me to quit swimming and
move on.
“I didn’t swim again for 30 years,”
she continued. “I didn’t swim a stroke
anywhere, except for boogie boarding
in the ocean.”
A HISTORY LESSON
Before she made national headlines
in her 20s for marathon swimming,
Nyad was an age group swimmer in
Florida with talent in sprint freestyle
and backstroke. Nyad qualified for
national and junior national meets in
the 1960s, but—as a pre-Title IX era
Nyad first came to national
attention in 1975 at age 26 when she
swam 28 miles around the island of
Manhattan in just under eight hours.
By completing the swim, she broke
a 45-year-old record for the fastest
swim around Manhattan Island.
Today, NYC Swim hosts an annual
28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon
swim every June. The event is a full
counterclockwise circumnavigation
of the island of Manhattan. It is
considered one of the legs in
the “Triple Crown of Open Water
Swimming.” Members of the Triple
Crown club have also successfully
completed the 21 miles across the
English Channel (between England
and France) and the 20.2 miles across
the Catalina Channel (between Santa
Catalina Island and the Southern
California mainland).
So, with one record to her credit,
Nyad decided to retire from marathon
swimming.
But what drew her back to the
the treacherous strait. Endurance
swimming training is nearly as
grueling as the actual event. Nyad
would spend eight-, 12- or 24-hour
stretches swimming continuously
along the shore, depending heavily on
her team for support.
Nyad failed in 2011 and again in
2012. Swarms of box jellyfish—whose
sting can induce paralysis—left Nyad
severely weakened on both of the
attempts. Then, just as people began
to wonder if the feat was impossible,
Nyad announced her fifth attempt at
conquering the crossing.
Fifty-three hours after she had
begun her aquatic journey from
Havana to Key West last September,
Nyad was shaking out her sea legs
while stumbling onto the shore
of the Florida Keys. Parched and
disoriented, she was immediately
rushed to the hospital for rehydration.
The marathon swimming community
began to fire off questions about the
— continued on 20
November 2013
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10/18/13 12:19 PM
pictured
> ( current
page ) diana nyad ’ s crew could
not touch her during the swim to keep the swim
classified as
“ unassisted ”; ( next
page ) nyad beefed
up her protective gear against jellyfish by wearing
a
“ stinger ”
suit at night . the facial mask , made of
silicone , made breathing and seeing difficult but was
effective against jellyfish stings .
diana nyad — continued from 19
logistics and the swim’s presumed
classification.
“Diana’s swim was unusual
because there was so little precedent
for it,” said Evan Morrison, a San
Francisco-based member of the
American marathon swimming
community and leader of the forum,
marathonswimming.org. “When a
swimmer completes the English or
Catalina Channel, the swim has been
done many times, and there is an
established organization and process
for collecting data. Verification is
embedded into many established
swims, but with Cuba to Florida, the
swim’s data verification is (supplied
by) the swimmer.”
VERIFICATION QUESTIONS;
ANOTHER CONTROVERSY
Verification questions were posed
primarily about the “unassisted”
nature of the swim. One of the oldest
rules in marathon swimming is that
in order for a continuous swim to be
classified as “unassisted,” the swimmer
must not touch or be touched by
any member of his or her crew or
20
any of the boats. However, on-board
observers reported that Nyad was
touched when she required assistance
putting on her jellyfish suit at night
when the free-swimming marine
animals were most numerous. Her
crew helped apply a “sting stopper”
substance, and her medical staff
checked her pulse and vitals.
According to marathon swimming
rules, in addition to not being touched
at any point during the swim, a swim
is only classified as unassisted if a
swimmer has no aid for his or her
buoyancy, speed, heat retention or
endurance. However, since these rules
were drafted primarily as guidelines
for English Channel swims, Nyad
and Steven Munatones, chief of the
International Marathon Swimming
Hall of Fame, have explained why
they feel that different stretches of
water should require different sets of
rules.
“When Sir Edmund Hillary climbed
Mount Everest, there was no official
record because he was the first to do
it,” Munatones was quoted saying in
an article from The Sacramento Bee.
“Diana’s record was an off-the-grid
swim with no organization regulating
it.”
Instead, rather than look at the
swim as the farthest “unassisted”
swim, many are classifying it as the
first Cuba-to-Florida swim without a
shark cage.
In 1997, Australian Susie Maroney
was the first person to swim the
Florida Straits from Cuba to the U.S.
in a shark cage. In 2012, Australian
Penny Palfrey swam 79 miles toward
Florida without a cage before
strong currents forced her to stop
at the 41-hour mark. In June 2012,
Australian Chloe McCardel swam for
11 hours (14 miles) before suffering
excruciating, debilitating pain from
jellyfish stings—she did not wear a
wetsuit during her attempt.
Jellyfish have been Nyad’s biggest
obstacle in previous attempts. On her
fifth attempt, Nyad decided to beef
up her protective gear. In addition to
wearing her “stinger” suit at night, she
worked with a specialist to fashion
a silicone mask that would prevent
facial stings.
November 2013
November.indd 20
10/18/13 12:19 PM
“(The mask) was difficult to breathe
through, difficult to see out of, it was
cumbersome, and it made me seasick,”
said Nyad. “But it was 100 percent
protective against those deadly box
jellyfish. I knew that I wasn’t just
going to put last year’s pantyhose
over my head, because even in the
vast ocean with only a couple of
centimeters of your lips showing,
those animals find you. I couldn’t have
unintelligently come back this year
without something more to remove
that element and that variable of the
jellyfish.”
Another controversy raised by the
marathon swimming community came
from the extreme variations in Nyad’s
average swimming speed. Nyad’s
team reported her average ocean
swim pace at 1.5 miles per hour,
yet for 20 hours, she was reportedly
cruising the ocean at a blistering 4
miles per hour.
“It is clearly not your normal stretch
of water,” said Nyad. “There is a lot
going on out there. If someone else
had made it, I would have asked to
see the navigational data. They had
every right to ask.”
“As a fellow marathon swimmer, I
live for details,” said Morrison. “We all
wanted to learn from what happened
out there, so if one of us wants to
attempt the swim in the future, we
have that information.”
Nyad said that her navigator, John
Bartlett, took advantage of a very rare
south-north Gulf Stream current. The
Gulf Stream typically runs west to
east.
“As for the currents, you can’t
change them, but you can take
advantage of them,” explained Nyad.
“Our navigator, John Bartlett, is a
veritable genius. For three years, he
studied the Gulf Stream currents
and agreed that we got lucky. He
understood where the eddies were,
how to get over to the edges and
sides of them and not in the center of
them to get swirled around.”
END OF THE ROAD
Nyad admitted, “If I hadn’t made
it this year, I don’t think there is
anything else I could have brought
to the test. There is no new jellyfish
protection gear; there is no new
knowledge about the Gulf Stream.
We were at the maximum of what we
could bring to it, and this was the end.
It was the end of the road.”
The end of the road means that
Nyad will return to a life of seminormalcy. One thing is certain for the
64-year-old: “I’m not going to be a
marathon swimmer. I don’t want to
be in that world anymore,” said Nyad.
“I did that in my 20s. Cuba was what
was touching me and moving me, and
now that’s done. I’m not going to be in
the ocean and swimming across the
seas of the world anymore.” v
Dawn Blomgren (BFA, Florida Atlantic
University), the exclusive photographer
for Diana Nyad’s Cuba-to-Key-West
swim, is a vacation-travel photographer
with a wide interest in subjects, including
sports, people, animals, landscapes
and capturing people’s dreams. Her
work has been published in magazines,
and she has appeared on Ellen, Oprah,
CNN and film. She currently resides in
Sarasota, Fla., and can be contacted at
[email protected].
November 2013
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10/18/13 12:20 PM
pictured
>
brazil ’ s poliana okimoto
celebrates after winning the women ’ s
10 k open water race at the world
swimming championships at the moll de
la fusta venue in barcelona .
[ photo
by albert gea , reuters ]
2 0 1 3 O P E N WA T E R S W I M M E R S O F T H E Y E A R
by steven munatones
Brazil’s Poliana Okimoto and Germany’s Thomas Lurz
turned in stellar performances at the 2013 World
Championships and were named Swimming World
Magazine’s Open Water Swimmers of the Year.
POLIANA OKIMOTO, BRAZIL
Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year
Among the elite women at the 2013 FINA World
Championships, Poliana Okimoto Cintra proved that size
is less important in the open water than strategy, stamina
and speed. In the Port of Barcelona, the 30-year-old
Okimoto proved she was well-armed with all three traits
as she scored a trifecta with a gold, silver and bronze
medal in the 5K, 10K and 5K Team Pursuit events.
With one of the lightest physiques among the large
fields, her heart and mindset very effectively made up
for any lack of size and stature. She fought through the
scrum at the turn buoys and turned on her speed at all
the right moments. Her years in the sport, while battling
it out in the trenches in seas and lakes around the world,
have given her a depth of experience that few of her
22
competitors possess. But it was not always this way.
The two-time Olympian has gradually transformed her
initial reluctance to compete in the open water to a worldclass level of savvy that instinctively enables her to move
into position and take the lead at all the right times. With
her 10K victory and the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim to be
held in Copacabana Beach in her native Brazil, gold-medal
expectations are on the rise for 2016.
Coached by her husband, Ricardo Cintra, the Brazilian
with Japanese roots has also very importantly combined
her physical skills with a calm composure. She has learned
to protect herself in the large packs that characterize
top-level competitions. Just as skillfully, she can also slip
inside the draft of her rivals when necessary and has
demonstrated the ability to burst out in the lead when
desired.
November 2013
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She barely lost the gold medal in the 5K to a fastcharging Haley Anderson (USA) on Day 1 of the FINA
Championships. She took over the lead on the second loop
and held on until Anderson just outkicked her by 2-tenths
of a second at the end.
Two days later, she won the gold medal in the 10K by
3-tenths over Brazilian teammate Ana Marcela Cunha and
a tough field of 51 swimmers. As she tussled within the
pack, she was given an early yellow card, which meant that
she had to swim carefully throughout the latter stages of
the race.
That focus gave her exactly what she needed because
there was a large pack of 19 swimmers barreling down
the final stretch. After nearly two hours of racing, only nine
seconds separated Okimoto from the 19th-place finisher,
where the largest gap among the 19 swimmers was a
mere 1.1 seconds! Realistically, no open water swimming
competition could have been closer than the women’s 10K
race in Barcelona.
After all the sprinting and splashing was done, Okimoto
was the first to finish. She admittedly fed off the energy of
Cunha, who was second. They both pushed and protected
each other when needed: “We were looking for each other
in the final stages of the race,” Okimoto acknowledged. “We
were swimming close to one another, trying to build a wall
where no one could break through.”
No matter what the situation, Okimoto seemed to have
the answer. When there was too much physicality in the
scrum around the turn buoys, she came out unscathed.
When the pace was quick in the first half of the races, she
swam without fear. She was never far out of position and
kept up by drafting well. She was patient as necessary
when the pace slowed. When all the races came down to
a furious sprint to the finish, she instinctively picked the
optimal lines without exception.
Calm water or turbulent, swimming in a pack of dozens
or going stroke-for-stroke with a competitor at the end of
the race, no one was consistently better than Okimoto. She
was able to adapt to her situation whenever and wherever
necessary.
Based upon her medal performances, Brazil won the
overall open water swimming team title at the 2013 World
Championships. It was the first time in history that Brazil
climbed to the top of the open water swimming heap,
further promoting the excitement for the Olympic 10K
Marathon Swim to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Teammate Allan Do Carmo explained about swimming
with Okimoto in the 3-person 5K Team Pursuit race in
which the Brazilians earned a bronze medal: “I felt very
good pulling the group all the time. Our strategy was that
Samuel De Bona and I would set the pace for Poliana, and
she would swim strong and stay with us. This medal was
important because we are fighting for first place in the
open water competition. I am very happy because we train
a lot to compete very well here in Barcelona, and our team
worked so hard.”
Commenting on Okimoto’s impact on the Brazilian team,
De Bona said: “I became a little tired at the end, but I
looked at Poliana and felt encouraged by her presence in
the race. It was very exciting and really an unforgettable
moment.”
Okimoto had a flurry of unforgettable moments in 2013
and is planning to keep it up until 2016. Riding on the
slim shoulders of Okimoto, Brazil’s open water swimmers
have every intention of fulfilling their country’s high
expectations in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
THOMAS LURZ, GERMANY
Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year
In addition to a season-long dominance on the FINA
10K Marathon Swimming World Cup circuit, Thomas Lurz
attempted—and achieved—something no one else had
ever done at a FINA World Championships. He competed in
all four races on the open water swimming calendar at a
major international competition: the 5K, 5K Team Pursuit,
10K and 25K. He swam a total of 45 kilometers—nearly 28
miles—during a seven-day span.
While his effort was not quite Spitzonian or Phelps-like,
no one in the history of the FINA World Championships
has raced in such close proximity to his rivals over such
long distances and been as successful as Lurz. His 4-for-4
marathon effort demonstrated unprecedented mastery of
all aspects of elite open water swimming—from drafting
to navigating, pacing to positioning, feeding to sprinting.
When it was all done, Lurz proved why he, at the
advanced age of 33, is the world’s best overall open water
swimmer. After a cumulative total of 8 hours 23 minutes
of mano-a-mano competition against the world’s best open
water swimmers in Barcelona, Lurz won two gold medals, a
silver and a bronze.
Lurz had a very good understanding of open water
swimming history as the week progressed, and he kept on
stockpiling podium hardware: “Before my last race, I knew
I would never get this opportunity again to go for four
medals at a World Championships. This was the reason
why I did the 25K on the final day.”
In contrast, Lurz’s unprecedented week of success started
out with a sprint—at least in terms of the open water.
His meet schedule began with a bronze in the 5K,
trailing just a stroke behind Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia
and Eric Hedlin of Canada. “I was still a bit nervous before
the race,” Lurz said. “But it is important to have this feeling
in big meets. I try to make myself nervous, and this enables
me to focus on racing.”
His legacy in the 5K at the World Championships is well
established, as he has won seven previous titles. But his
perspective on the likelihood of an eighth victory seemed
realistic, given the competition. “I considered the bronze
medal a success,” he said. “Younger guys are coming up all
the time...plus longer distances are better for me. In the
5K, there was nothing I could do against Mellouli in the
last 50 meters.”
Two days later, he came back stronger in the 10K,
beating Mellouli and 63 other men in a massive field.
— continued on 24
November 2013
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10/18/13 12:20 PM
open water swimmers of the year — continued from 23
But he was edged out by two seconds by long-time rival,
Spyridon Gianniotis of Greece, for gold.
When watching the two cagey veterans, coaches can
almost sense the two thinking, plotting and deliberating
on how best to position and pace themselves throughout
the 10 kilometers. Their navigational IQ and racing savvy
is textbook, with mistakes rarely made and strategic
advantages nearly always achieved.
After another 48-hour rest, Lurz scored a trifecta with
a dominating gold-medal performance in the 5K Team
Pursuit event. Sandwiched between teammates Christian
Reichert and Isabelle Härle, Lurz was the engineer in
the German train. They won by more than a minute—an
unheard-of margin of victory in the contemporary open
water world that is characterized by close finishes. Unlike
his dependence on his own skills in his solo events, Lurz
raced in synchronization with his teammates. While
leading Härle and trailing Reichert, he melded his stoic
style of leadership with a remarkable sense of teamwork
in the water.
“I realized we were swimming at a very good pace after
1.5 kilometers. We saw our coaches giving us signals. My
job was to see that Isabelle was keeping up to Christian
and me, so I was always looking at her swimming directly
behind me. Then if I judged she could keep up with us, I
would push Christian in front of me so he could pick up
the pace, and we could go faster. It really was a perfect
race.”
And he kept up the torrid pace in the Championship’s
final event—the 25K—with a fierce gold-medal
performance. He won the ultra-marathon in one of the
most exciting 4 hours 47 minutes of open water swimming
ever. He won by only 4-tenths of a second ahead of Brian
Ryckeman, 1.1 seconds ahead of Evegeni Drattcev and 1.2
seconds ahead of Alex Meyer.
The last race of his busy week, the 25K, hurt the most
even as the veteran used every trick in his large playbook
during the 15.5-mile marathon. “It was difficult. I knew
this would be the last time that I would race 25K,” he said.
“It is a crazy distance, and it was so painful. But I used
some good tactics to win. For the entire race, I was always
drafting behind someone except when I made a push (to
the front) during the very last 400 meters. The last 200
meters hurt very much, of course, but I am very satisfied.
And I had a good finishing touch.”
His week-long performance was a tribute to Lurz’s
tenacity in his training, his passion for punishment as well
as his racing savvy. In the tightly spaced course around
the Port of Barcelona, Lurz faced physicality around
the multiple turn buoys, but he never backed down,
demonstrating his high navigational IQ along with his
willingness to push the pace whenever necessary.
And victories never get old: “Always when you win
medals, you are happy, and you can go on (competing like)
this.” v
Steven Munatones writes for the Daily News of Open Water
Swimming and created www.openwaterswimming.com and
www.openwaterpedia.com.
pictured
>
no one in the history of the
fina world championships has raced
in such close proximity to his rivals
over such long distances and been as
successful as germany ’ s thomas lurz .
after swimming a total of 45 kilometers
during a seven - day span , he finished with
two gold medals , a silver and a bronze .
[ photo
24
by albert gea , reuters ]
November 2013
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[ photo
by albert gea , reuters ]
November 2013
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10/18/13 12:20 PM
26
November 2013
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hot off
the blocks
adidas performance now available in the pool
November 2013
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27
10/18/13 12:20 PM
THE RUNNERS - UP— continued from 23
28
November 2013
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November 2013
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10/18/13 12:20 PM
Sponsored by
LESSONS
.
with THE LEGENDS
by michael j stott
Swimming World continues
a series in which coaches
share secrets of their
unparalleled success. This
month’s featured coach:
Randy Reese.
Q. What made Tracy Caulkins tick?
A. Intelligence and a desire to
follow instructions. She understood
stroke technique and could apply
corrections instantly, making
our training sessions easy and
beneficial. Tracy had a strong
desire to excel in all aspects of her
life. She had a fine character and
demonstrated a wholesomeness
rare in today’s society. She was
never distracted by college social
temptations.
Q. How did she maintain her
versatility while handling the
training load?
A. She achieved academic and
athletic greatness by applying
an intense self-discipline. Tough
meet competition never changed
her plan. She overcame pressure
through her hard training.
Q. Is it hard to find swimmers
willing to commit to that kind of
regimen?
A. Yes, because today’s multiple
distractions interfere with serious
swim training.
Q. Might Becca Mann be such a
swimmer?
A. I began training Becca at a
much earlier age than Tracy. She is
also exceptionally dedicated and
takes instruction/coaching very
seriously. Like Tracy, she is easy
to coach because she listens and
works every set in practice to her
absolute best.
[ photo
pictured
>
by peter h . bick ]
in his 44 years of coaching , randy
reese , currently the aquatics director of the
clearwater aquatic team , fla ., has won titles at
the ncaa , usa swimming and high school levels .
as an olympic coach , he guided 41 olympians to
18 gold , eight silver and nine bronze medals .
while at the university of florida , he coached
the versatile tracy caulkins , who won 16 ncaa
championships and earned 21 all - american
citations . in all , caulkins set 63 american
records in all four strokes throughout a
range of distances while winning 48 national
championships and setting five world records .
30
Q. Was Tracy one of a kind?
A. Yes. There has never been any
other swimmer who has held
American records in every stroke.
It is rare to find an individual
willing to maintain the mental and
physical focus over the time that
Tracy did.
Q. What made her so unique?
A. A keen desire to win and
an innate sense of what was
needed to achieve her goals. She
understood each practice was a
building block to the end goal. She
strove to ensure her practice sets
built her strokes and strength. Tracy
made every practice count by being
self-disciplined and totally focused.
Q. Is it hard for swimmers today to
maintain focus?
A. Today’s kids have to be more
self-disciplined than ever! All
athletes need to eliminate the
existing technology distractions
that interfere with concentration.
They need to allot a specific time
to enjoy entertainment without
allowing it to consume them. Time
management is key. Total focus
during swim practice will help
them reach their goals.
Q. Would those distractions have
bothered Tracy?
A. No, today she would accomplish
exactly what she did in the ’80s.
She knew how to shut out all
but her desire to win. That same
philosophy will always produce
winners.
Q. What do kids have to give up to
be successful?
A. Once a swimmer starts doubles
along with Saturday practices,
swimming becomes a major
commitment. If a swimmer sees
achievement for the time and
effort expended, the reduction in
social time and activities will not
be considered a negative.
Q. What can coaches or parents
give to get kids there?
A. I’m not sure adults can
“give” kids the ability to excel in
athletics. They can open doors by
introducing them to swimming
at an early age and make certain
they enjoy their early competitive
moments. It is crucial that parents
support the coach’s philosophy
and standards they set forth.
The swimmer must acquire
self-discipline, realizing that any
rewards are the result of focus and
hard work. Self-discipline cannot
be taught. v
Michael J. Stott, one of Swimming
World Magazine’s USA contributors,
is based in Richmond, Va.
November 2013
November.indd 30
10/18/13 12:20 PM
November.indd 31
10/18/13 12:20 PM
The Healing Power
of Swimming
by shoshanna rutemiller
photos provided by taylor hunt
Taylor Hunt was involved in a hitand-run accident five years ago
when she was 13, and her father
strongly believes that swimming not
only strengthened his daughter, but
the entire family.
O
n a cold December morning in 2008, Taylor Hunt
was walking to school when a car, traveling at 40
miles per hour, struck her from behind. The 13-yearold from Littleton, Colo. crashed through the car’s
windshield, causing the high school senior who was driving the
car to slam on her brakes.
Hunt slid off the hood of the car into the street. Rather than
check on her bleeding victim, the teenage driver fled the scene.
Hunt’s legs were fractured below the kneecaps, and she
suffered multiple torn ligaments in her knees. She pulled herself
to the nearest house on her broken legs and collapsed at the
door.
Hunt doesn’t remember the accident. She had a traumatic brain
injury from the numerous fractures in her skull. She has lost
most of her memories from childhood, including ones about her
mother, who died when she was only 6 years old. Hunt required
neural cognitive therapy after the accident and three separate
knee surgeries.
She was a summer league swimmer prior to her accident,
but because of the toll the accident took on her knees, her first
orthopedic surgeon told Hunt that she wouldn’t be able to swim
again.
pictured
loving it
>
taylor hunt
( bottom )
( top )
is back in the water and
despite her first orthopedic surgeon
telling her five years ago that she wouldn ’ t be able
to swim again . today , she swims for the william jewell
college women ’ s swimming team in liberty , mo .
32
TIME FOR A CHANGE
As the medical bills began to pile up, Hunt’s widowed father,
Bryan, realized that he didn’t have the means to care for his
injured daughter, so he relocated his small family to Arkansas to
be with his extended family.
Hunt had been just an average summer swim league swimmer
prior to the hit-and-run accident. Now in a new city, the best
option to keep her in the pool was with a USA Swimming club
team, the Razorback Aquatic Club AquaHawgs in Springdale.
With the family still in dire financial straits, AquaHawgs head
coach Scott Berry offered to place Taylor and her brother on
scholarship. This meant that they could swim on the club team
for free.
“We are completely indebted to USA Swimming (as well as) the
AquaHawgs and its scholarship program—especially for a man
November 2013
November.indd 32
10/18/13 12:20 PM
who was struggling to survive,” said Bryan. “I
lost everything to medical bills after my wife
died. I think (scholarships are something) more
teams should look into.”
Hunt quickly found her rhythm training with
the AquaHawgs. The summer after she joined
the team, Hunt took third in the state in the 200
breaststroke.
“The funny thing,” said her father, “is that
Taylor’s injuries actually made her a fantastic
breaststroker.”
The Hunts moved back to Colorado in
2012, and Taylor joined the Foothills Swim
Team in Denver, which participates in a more
competitive region. In fact, Hunt frequently
competed at the same meets as Colorado
STARS’ Missy Franklin, who is in the same age
group (17-18).
By the end of the 2013 short course season,
Hunt made her first sectional cut and was a
three-time high school all-state swimmer.
However, Hunt’s skills in the pool came
with a price. “Her knee would swell up like a
grapefruit,” said Bryan. “(But) she would ice it
down and be back in the pool.”
Today, Hunt’s knees are practically bone
grinding on bone. She frequently gets injections
to relieve the pressure and add cushioning.
Because she had to swim without ligaments in
her knees, Hunt built up her quad strength to
stabilize her joints.
Hunt persisted through the pain and saw
an incredible 11-second time drop in her 200
breaststroke at the 2013 Western Sectional
Long Course Championships. Coaches noticed
her breakout swim, including Mark Gole, the
head coach at William Jewell College in Liberty,
Mo.
to be an incredibly competitive Division II conference.”
Gole eventually hopes to build a team that will be able
to compete with Drury. In 2013, Drury’s men won their ninth
consecutive Division II national title, and the women won their
fourth in five years.
Hunt, as the team’s (top women’s) breaststroker, is going to be a
key player in helping take Jewell to the next level. “To be honest,
she’s been surprising us on a daily basis with her work ethic,” said
Gole. “I knew that she’d only been swimming club with her coach
in Colorado for one year since she moved from Arkansas. She’s
adjusting very well to her training, and I’m excited to see what
she can do this year.
“She has a goal of eventually qualifying for the NCAA Division
II Championships, and based on what we’ve seen so far, I do
believe that with her work ethic and her talent, she will get there
some day.”
Hunt has already swum faster in practice than the school’s
breaststroke team records. With the way she is progressing,
she presents Jewell’s rivals with formidable competition. “Her
freestyle and IM training have been on fire, and outside of the
— continued on 34
ON TO COLLEGE
Gole recruited Hunt as the team’s
breaststroker. Jewell, which competes in NCAA
Division II, reinstated men’s and women’s
swimming in 2011-12. (The school, which
started swimming as a varsity sport in 1962,
competed in NAIA until the 1990-91 school
year.)
The 2013-14 collegiate season will be
the first for Jewell in the Great Lakes Valley
Conference (GLVC), which includes powerhouse
D-II swimming schools Drury University, the
University of Indianapolis, Lewis University,
Missouri University of Science and Technology
and Truman State University.
“This year is going to be an exciting year for
the conference because it’s going to be the first
year that the GLVC sponsors swimming as a
conference sport,” said Gole. “Overall, it’s going
November 2013
November.indd 33
33
10/18/13 12:20 PM
pictured
>
TAYLOR HUNT — continued from 33
bob ,
can you help me
breaststrokes, we’re trying to figure out where she is going to be,”
said Gole.
Apart from some minor adjustments, Hunt is training well
despite her residual injuries from the hit-and-run accident five
years ago. “The only thing we’ve had to adjust in the slightest is
our weight training,” said Gole. “She sometimes has trouble with
lunges or squats, but our weight training coach tailors exercises
for her that will target the same muscle groups.”
Time will tell how far Hunt will progress on the collegiate
stage.
“We couldn’t be happier that she made the decision to come
here,” said Gole. “Ever since I had that first conversation and oncampus interaction with her, I knew she was a really neat girl and
that she is going to do awesome things here.”
with some captions
for this article .
thanks !
pictured
>
taylor hunt was a three - time high school
all - state swimmer at columbine h . s . in littleton , colo .
her father , bryan
( shown
here at taylor ’ s graduation
last spring ), believes that swimming not only
strengthened his daughter , but also his entire family .
34
A SENSE OF FAMILY
Back in Colorado, Hunt’s father takes the time to reflect back on
how far his daughter has come.
“The story is really about a girl who has come so far despite
having so many things go against her,” he said. “She came from
no money, no means and no real guidance. I mean my kids pretty
much raised themselves.”
Hunt is thankful that swimming not only strengthened his
daughter, but also his entire family: “USA Swimming has helped
shape all of our lives. It gave us a sense of family. I actually
became a (USA Swimming) official. It was the thing that held us
together.” v
November 2013
November.indd 34
10/18/13 12:20 PM
dryside // training
strength
for speed
by j . r . rosania
photos by kaitlin kelly
demonstrated by aaron moser
I
remember helping train Gary Hall,
Jr. for the 2000 Olympics. Gary
was awesome to train. He loved
to lift heavy weights. Strength
was important to him, as it helped
him gain power, which ultimately produced
speed.
These days, I train dozens of younger
and older swimmers. One of the biggest
deficiencies I see in swimmers is lack of
strength. Swimming thousands of yards
builds tons of muscle endurance and great
conditioning. But it lacks the ability to
improve strength. As younger swimmers
grow and as older swimmers lose muscle,
it’s important to address increased strength.
Increased strength will help swimmers
who are experiencing a decline in performance. Sometimes in young swimmers,
size and weight outweigh their absolute
strength. This can happen to younger and
older swimmers alike. They need a dose of
strength!
By completing the exercises in this article,
older swimmers can “hold off” the dreaded
strength loss with age. And for younger
swimmers, you can gain the necessary
strength as your body needs it.
Perform three sets of 12 to 15 reps per
exercise. Use weight that allows you to
perform all the reps each set. v
J.R. Rosania, B.S.,
exercise science, is
one of the nation’s
top performance
enhancement
coaches. He is the
owner and CEO of
Healthplex, LLC, and
has finished the
Ironman Triathlon 18
times. He also serves as Swimming World
Magazine’s fitness trainer and was named
one of “America’s Top Trainers” by Men’s
Journal and Vogue magazines. Check out
Rosania’s website at www.jrhealthplex.net.
Aaron Moser currently swims for Phoenix
Swim Club Masters.
1 PULL UPS
With palms toward your face
and arms extended, perform a
pull-up to your chin. Begin with
as many as you can up to 10. Do
three sets.
BALL
2 MEDICINE
TUCK- UPS
Lying on your back,
holding a medicine ball
above your head in a
streamline position, raise
your arms and tuck your
knees, bringing them
together. Return to the
starting position.
3 PHYSIO BALL
PUSH - UPS
Get in a push-up position
with your shins on the
physio ball. Lower your
body to a 90-degree
elbow angle and push
back up. You need to
stabilize the ball with
The position for a beginner is knees on
your core and legs.
the ball.
4 LUNGE WITH
DUMBBELL PUSH
PRESS
While holding a pair
of dumbbells at your
shoulders, do a forward
lunge step and a shoulder
press at the same time.
Alternate legs.
5 DUMBBELL TRICEP
KICKBACK
While bending over and
holding a pair of
dumbbells, start with
your arms at your side
near your chest and slowly
extend your arms backward.
Return to starting position.
November 2013
November.indd 35
35
10/18/13 12:20 PM
by garrett weber - gale
WITH THE HOLIDAYS APPROACHING, REMEMBER—FIRST AND
FOREMOST—FEELING GOOD IS ABOUT A LOT OF SMALL THINGS WE
DO IN OUR DAILY LIVES THAT ADD UP IN A HUGE WAY.
W
ho doesn’t like
the holiday
season? Whether
you’re celebrating
Thanksgiving,
Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or
anything in between, there is so much
excitement. The holidays always
represent a time of family, friends, good
food, music, games—and maybe a little
bit more food (and in some cases, a lot
more food).
For some of us, the holiday season
can really be troublesome to our fitness
regimen, healthy diet and even on our
performance in the classroom and
pool. However, you can enjoy all that
the holiday season brings while still
performing at your best.
My love for food and cooking makes
Thanksgiving a real treat for me.
Thanksgiving is not only a time to relax
with family and friends, but also a time
to gobble down a bit of food.
Some of you may already be worried
about all the extra calories you’re going
to consume over this holiday season.
Have no fear—there are some simple
things y’all can do to keep your eating
in check and keep your body feeling
great. And if you like, try my recipe for
freestyle granola with pepitas, almonds
and dried fruit (see next page).
TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Before you start totally chomping
away during the holidays without any
regard for how it’s going to make you
feel—or affect your performance—take
a few minutes to think about these
simple ideas. Even share them with
your family and friends so you can all
be mindful of them and go on this
journey together (see box at right).
No one likes feeling guilty that he or
36
TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
• Eat until you feel good, not until you feel like an overstuffed turkey.
It’s OK to come back for more food later, but don’t get in the
position where you are so filled that you can barely move. We want
to be agile like a fine-tuned machine, not like a bus navigating city
traffic.
• Graze throughout the day.
We want to have a taste of all the culinary delicacies of
Thanksgiving and the holiday season—and you can! Eat small
portions and take a break for a while. It’s better to come back later
for some more food than cram it all in at one time.
• Try to eat at least a few servings of greens in between the turkey and
desserts.
This will help keep our system regular and give us important
nutrients.
• Just because it’s the holidays and time to relax doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t do a bit of exercise.
Even if you can’t get in a full workout, it’s still critical to get your
body moving. Walk or run for 15 to 20 minutes. Do some push-ups,
sit-ups, stationary squats, dips or other movements when you have a
few minutes throughout the day.
You’ll be amazed at how much of a difference this makes. My
guess is that most of you will have workouts the day before and
after the holidays. Take advantage of these workouts, and remember:
each workout you attend is a workout in which you’re getting closer
to achieving your goals!
• Instead of reclining on the couch after the big Thanksgiving dinner, take
a seat on the floor and do a bit of stretching for 15 to 20 minutes.
Your body will love you. You’ll feel more limber and less lethargic
after eating all that turkey.
• After dinner, go out for a nice family walk.
Burn off some of the calories you just consumed, and take some
time to further socialize with the ones you love.
I always feel way better if I take a bit of a stroll after eating. If
you’re living in a super cold place, maybe you can go for a walk out
on a frozen lake—always a fun and serene place to enjoy a walk!
November 2013
November.indd 36
10/18/13 12:20 PM
she has done something wrong. Don’t
allow yourself to feel bad for letting
your diet and health get away from you
this holiday season. Practice some of
these easy tips, and you’re sure to feel
more confident and happy about your
state of health.
Being healthy is not just about your
body, but also about your mind. A happy
mind is instrumental to a happy life and
being able to perform at your best. You
are in control of your own happiness,
how fast you swim, how you feel and
what you put into your body. Dreams do
come true. Believe it! v
Olympic gold medalist Garrett
Weber-Gale and his family founded
AthleticFoodie in 2008 on the belief
that delicious food can be healthy,
too. The company’s mission is to show
athletes—particularly swimmers—how
tasty, healthy food and fitness can easily
become an important part of everyone’s
daily routine. Weber-Gale’s passion is to
help others realize how good nutrition can
make a difference in their lives. For more
information, visit www.athleticfoodie.com.
November.indd 37
FREESTYLE GRANOLA WITH PEPITAS, ALMONDS AND DRIED FRUIT
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 4 ounces whole, raw almonds
• 4 ounces pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 tablespoons milled flax seeds
• 4 ounces dried apricots, chopped
• 4 ounces dried cranberries
DIRECTIONS:
• Place the oven racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to
300 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, oil and salt. Heat
over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar is dissolved. Stir in
the vanilla.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pepitas, wheat flour, dry milk powder
and milled flax seeds.
• Pour the warm syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula
to combine well.
• Divide the moistened oats evenly between the two baking sheets.
• Bake for 20 minutes, then stir with a metal spatula and rotate the sheets to
opposite racks to ensure even baking. Bake another 20 minutes, then stir and
switch pans again. Bake until the mixture has a fragrant, toasty aroma, about
another 15 minutes. Cool the granola in the pan, breaking up any large clumps
with a spatula. When the mixture is completely cool, mix in the dried apricots
and cranberries and store in an airtight container.
NOTE: Nonfat dry milk gives granola a great crunch.
10/18/13 12:20 PM
STANDING UNILATERAL
HAMSTRING STRETCH
1. Stand tall and step your right
foot forward about a stride’s
length.
2. Angle your left toes out 45
degrees to the left.
by shannon m c bride
photos provided by shannon m c bride
demonstrated by shannon m c bride
3. Keep your back straight as you
hinge forward over your right leg.
4. Gently round your spine and fold
over your right leg, grasping your
Dr. Shannon McBride, a licensed chiropractor
right calf, heel or the floor.
based in Atlanta, Ga., has been practicing since
2001. She also is certified in Pilates through
Power Pilates and the Pilates Method Alliance. SUPINE HAMSTRING
Q:
What are
some
stretches I
can use to
loosen up my
hamstrings?
Dr. Shannon:
Here are four stretches that will help
loosen up your hamstrings.
STRETCH
1. Lie on your back with your knees
bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Bend your right knee toward your
chest, keeping your left foot on the
floor.
3. Clasp your hands behind your right
knee and slowly straighten your
right knee.
4. Gently pull your right leg toward you
while keeping both hips on the floor.
5. Breathe deeply and hold for 10-30
seconds. Repeat on the left side.
*To increase the stretch, lower
your leg until you are able to
straighten your knee and then
flex your foot.
STANDING WIDE-LEGGED SEATED HAMSTRING STRETCH
HAMSTRING STRETCH
1. Sit on the floor with your back 1. Stand with your back
straight and feet wider
than your hips.
2. Bend your knees and
start to bend forward
from the waist until
your hands reach the
floor.
38
straight, legs straight in front of
you and your hands on the floor.
2. Keeping your back straight,
hinge at the hips and walk your
fingers forward as far as you can.
3. Place your hands on your shins
or your feet.
3. Slowly and gently
straighten your knees
as much as you can
while keeping your
hands planted.
4. Gently round your spine to fold
over your legs. Make sure to
keep your core strong as you
round forward. Think pulling your
bellybutton toward your spine!
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
Repeat three times.
5. Hold for 30 seconds, breathing
deeply.
November 2013
November.indd 38
10/18/13 12:21 PM
Q&A
ALLISON
BEEBE
by michael j . stott
photos provided by first colony swim team
With a skill for organization
and a passion for developing
talent, Allison Beebe has
transformed First Colony Swim
ALLISON BEEBE
Head Coach
First Colony Swim Team
Sugar Land, Texas
A versatile swimmer and school record holder in
college, Allison Beebe (Davidson College, B.A., history,
’96) has taken her IM-based training philosophy to First
Colony Swim Team. There she has placed two swimmers
on the U.S. World Championships team, four on the
national junior team, had four ranked in the world
top 100 and, among other achievements, sent more
than 40 FCST graduates to college swimming. Prior
to becoming head coach at First Colony, Beebe was
the head age group coach for the City of Mobile Swim
Association, where she was a two-time Southeastern
Age Group Coach of the Year. In 2010 and 2011, she
was named Gulf Coach of the Year. She carries a Level 5
certification from ASCA and is the current chair of USA
Swimming’s club development committee.
Q. Swimming World: What drew you to swimming?
A. Coach ALLISON BEEBE: I joined a neighborhood
team because some of my school friends swam summer
league, and my mom thought I should try it. I don’t have
any special “aha” moments as to when I fell in love with
the sport, but when I stopped growing (and dropping my
times), I started developing the work ethic that I have
today and became fascinated with learning how to get
faster. That fascination continues to grow.
SW: You swam for Rich DeSelm at Davidson...
AB: I have the utmost respect for Rich. I was initially
impressed with his professionalism. He was very detail-
Team into a USA Swimming Gold
Medal squad and a home of
national-class swimmers.
oriented, and I learned how important the “little things”
are. He was also very patient despite my giving him many
reasons to pull out his hair. He is still supportive today.
This summer, his swimmer won the 200 fly at the World
Championship Trials. He then stood next to me and was
the first to congratulate me when Simone Manuel made
the team.
SW: How difficult has it been to be a female coach in a maledominated profession?
AB: The bottom line is that I am just doing my thing.
My responsibility is to keep moving forward despite any
number of distractions—gender bias included—that can
take energy or time away from meeting my goals. On the
positive side, coaches such as John Dussliere, Tim Bauer
and Clayton Cagle have taken me under their wings
like a little sister. They are always willing to answer my
questions and are genuinely excited when I reach new
milestones. Having that type of support and guidance
makes the bumps in the road much more tolerable.
SW: What has the support from Kim Brackin meant to you?
AB: Kim has always been there for me. As a freshman at
Davidson, because of a class conflict, I had to lift on my
own, so Kim volunteered to be my lifting partner. This gave
me the opportunity to get to know her off the pool deck,
and our talks helped me adjust to college life. I can still
— continued on 40
November 2013
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39
10/18/13 12:21 PM
Q&A
q&A— continued from 39
sport grows every season.
SW: Who are you as a coach?
AB: I am a hard-working coach who recognizes the need
to hold myself to standards higher than what I expect
from my athletes. I want to look back, knowing that I did
my best. My genuine desire to solve mysteries within this
SW: How do you improve a swimmer who may have spent the
last three years perfecting poor technique?
AB: Although I hate watching “ugly swimming,” I secretly
enjoy challenges such as this. Improving technique has a
lot to do with how I am communicating with the athlete.
If I am not making sense to the athlete or the approach
is not working, I just have to become more creative. At
reach out and bounce ideas off of her, and I know she will
give me her honest opinion.
HOW THEY TRAIN: SIMONE MANUEL
“Simone values practice time and does not like to
miss,” Beebe continues. “In fact, she missed only two
practices in the 2012-13 season, one of which was for
SATs. She is a vocal leader and does a great job holding
her teammates accountable to their goals.
“In terms of her personality, when it is time to get
down to business, she definitely has a game face.
However, she is also loud and sassy. She likes to laugh
and tell jokes. It is obvious that she genuinely loves
being around her teammates. There is rarely a dull
moment when Simone is at practice,” says Beebe.
This summer, Simone Manuel graduated from Sweet
16 to the world stage in grand style:
• In March at NCSA Juniors, she won the 50, 100
and 200 yard freestyles (22.04, 47.73, 1:44.22),
setting 15-16 NAG records in the shorter two
events.
• In June, she qualified for the U.S. World
Championship team after finishing second in the
50 and third in the 100 at the Phillips 66 National
Championships and World Championship Trials.
• In August in Barcelona, she placed seventh in
the 50 with a time of 24.80. She became the first
American woman under 18 years of age to go
sub-25 in the 50 meter free, setting another 1516 NAG record. Manuel also earned a gold medal
as a preliminary swimmer for USA’s winning 4 x
100 free relay!
Allison Beebe has been Manuel’s coach for the last
six years and has been sensitive to the dangers of
overtraining her sprint freestyle. “Simone’s aerobic
training is primarily IM or backstroke,” says Beebe. “She
does a lot of freestyle speed work, but I have some
concerns with her freestyle biomechanics when she
breaks down (late breathing, deep breakouts, etc.) that I
do not want to reinforce with her aerobic work. I would
rather protect her racing stroke and fine-tune it when
she is working at racing speed.
40
WEEKLY TRAINING PLAN
Manuel’s generic weekly training plan proceeds as
follows:
• Monday a.m.: 90 minutes—aerobic pulling and
kicking.
• Monday p.m.: 120 minutes in the water—generally
free-IM or backstroke aerobic work; 40 minutes of
dryland.
• Tuesday p.m.: 120 minutes in the water—stroke
work (non-free). Beginning of the season is more
aerobic work, gradually shifting to race pace as
the season progresses. Manuel usually swims with
the fly or back group, although occasionally goes
to the breaststroke group; 30 minutes dryland.
• Wednesday p.m.: 120 minutes in the water—
broken swims or repeats from the block;
20-minute classroom session.
• Thursday a.m.: 90 minutes—general recovery, skill
work (usually back, breast or fly).
• Thursday p.m.: 120 minutes in the water—no set
pattern, but generally recovery work. The group
will redo something from earlier in the week if
necessary; 30 minutes dryland.
• Friday p.m.: 120 minutes in the water—emphasis
on kick.
• Saturday a.m.: 120 minutes in the water—the
sprint group starts with aerobic base work
in September and transitions to race-specific
training as the season progresses; 30 minutes
dryland, which varies during the season. v
SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Total Access members click here at www.SwimmingWorldMagazine.com
to see some of Simone Manuel’s sample sets as well as
her progression of times.
November 2013
November.indd 40
10/18/13 12:21 PM
the same time, the athlete needs to buy into the technical
changes, so I have to educate the athlete on why he or she
should experiment with a new way of swimming. I am not
a cookie-cutter coach. It amazes me how there are so many
technical options in the sport!
SW: Organizationally, how do you manage 14 different
practice groups, all with different skill levels?
AB: The program has evolved as it has grown. While 14
practice groups sounds like a lot, the number allows for
a more cohesive training atmosphere rather than a mosh
pit of varying training, commitment and skill levels. Coach
Dana Skelton runs most of our staff education sessions. We
spend a lot of time educating our coaches on expectations
and teaching methods. We also communicate a lot about
each athlete. Coaches are aware of what is taking place in
the groups above and below them, which creates a fairly
smooth transition from one group to the next.
SW: The last six years, you have taken team members to the
Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs...
AB: There are so many benefits to the OTC. In order to
make the FCST roster to attend, swimmers have to hold
90 percent attendance for the six months leading into the
trip. They earn the right to attend. The practice attendance
percentage makes it much easier for them to swim faster
at the end of the season. Once at the training center,
athletes learn from classroom sessions, watching other
elite athletes or just getting to know their teammates
through living with each other. The environment helps
them see that elite athletes face similar challenges. The
time together also creates memories that will last a
lifetime.
the age group swimmers, answered their questions and
encouraged them to dream big. Her travels proved to our
families that swimming really could take you around the
world. Many of our age groupers wanted to follow her
path.
While Simone was younger at the time, the environment
of dreaming big was already in place. We are fortunate
that both athletes have world-class work ethics and
understand the importance of giving back to the program.
SW: How vital is Twitter to your role as a head coach?
AB: I joined Twitter because John Dussliere set it up
on my phone during a club development committee
meeting a few years ago. It is a great way to communicate
practice changes or meet reminders, especially since this
generation is so attached to their phones.
At the same time, my No. 1 Twitter use is keeping up
with the latest SEC and Alabama football news! I try to
control myself, and it takes a lot of restraint not to retweet
so many exciting things during the football season. v
Michael J. Stott, one of Swimming World Magazine’s USA
contributors, is based in Richmond, Va.
CORRECTION: “Age Group Swimmer of the Month: Seth Chun” (SW
Sept, page 41): Jota Iwase, 12, of Fishers Area Swimming Tigers, Ind.,
swam 2:15.29 in the 200 meter fly to rank second in the U.S. boys’ 11-12
national age group rankings. His swim at the Central Zone meet in Ohio,
Aug. 2, was 89-hundredths off Chun’s 2:14.40 NAG record and tied Ryan
Murphy’s former mark.
SW: FCST is a USA Swimming Gold Medal Club. What does
achieving that status mean for your team?
AB: This was a big accomplishment on so many
levels. It illustrated how we matured from a selfproclaimed dysfunctional revolving-door swim team to
a professionally stable organization. The stability has
provided the foundation to build the program and present
growth opportunities for both athletes and staff. We had a
very talented group of athletes come through the program
with that cycle, most of whom are swimming at the NCAA
Division I level right now. We also had a committed board
and volunteers that steered the program into the right
direction. When I learned of the new status, I contacted
the current president and several of the past presidents
because this was such a collaborative effort.
SW: How have World Championship team members Kirsten
Groome (2007) and Simone Manuel (2013) impacted your
program?
AB: I worked with Kirsten’s mom in Alabama. She and I
remained friends after we both moved. Having Kirsten
join FCST really opened everyone’s eyes, especially in
the age group program. Kirsten was very patient with
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PADDLES:
WHY THEY
WORK
by michael j . stott
photos by peter h . bick
Paddles are an important training aid
that can help swimmers reinforce proper
technique and build strength.
“WHEN TECHNIQUE BEGINS TO FAIL, STOP
AND SWIM WITHOUT paddles. They AREN’T
NEEDED FOR EVERY WORKOUT. USE THEM
TO GAIN STRENGTH, BUT HAVE PERIODS OF
REST.”
-MARK GANGLOFF
L
ook in any swimmer’s bag. Paddles are de
rigueur. University of Missouri assistant Mark
Gangloff carries four or five. One or two
are used for aerobic and short power sets...
larger ones for longer freestyle...small ones
for power breaststroke. This was probably
not what Benjamin Franklin had in mind in
1773 when he first designed his “pallets” to help him swim
faster.
The first U.S. patent for paddles was issued in 1898,
but the real breakthrough came in the early 1970s when
Lakewood (Calif.) Aquatic Club and later Olympic coach
Jim Montrella introduced the paddle that he licensed to
Speedo. Montrella’s paddle was made of polypropylene,
not the structurally unstable polystyrene found in the
earlier Bob Reed and Flip Darr models. It also had tapered
punched holes, routed edges and floated. In addition, they
were the first paddles to have a single finger balancing
point. “Basically, it was a better mousetrap containing
better raw materials,” he says.
Today the paddle category is virtually endless. General
use, finger, forearm, sculling, strengthening, agility,
freestyler and antipaddles are only the beginning.
Most coaches agree with Tim Elson, a former swimmer,
coach and now vice president of Finis Inc., maker of
swim equipment: “Two basic functions of paddles are to
reinforce proper technique and to build strength.” Elson
swam for the legendary George Haines and says, “George
had us use paddles every day.”
When talking about paddles, Montrella, an ISHOF
inductee, prefers to use the words, “power and endurance,”
and he used the paddles for just that. “Science defines
strength as one repetition max,” he says. “As soon as it
goes over that, it is called power. Power is the number of
reps divided by time, so I used them for endurance and
power”—as did Dick Jochums in coaching world record
holder Tim Shaw in the 1970s.
TEACHING AID
More than anything else, Montrella liked paddles as
a teaching aid. “With my club and college kids (Indian
River Junior College, Ohio State), I used paddles to teach
a controlled feel, finesse and awareness of water flow.
We used them in conjunction with the smallest pull buoy
and strap around the ankle...and for never more than 25
percent of a workout,” he says.
At Missouri, Tiger swimmers use paddles for four or five
of the team’s nine workouts a week. “We feel that paddles
help you gain strength that pays dividends at the end of
the year,” Gangloff says. “They also teach you how to hold
on to water, a feeling that then needs to be transferred
when the paddles are taken off. Paddles also offer
swimmers variety and allow coaches to design workouts
differently.”
Mizzou volume is dependent upon the type of sets the
team is swimming. With power or resistance sets of 25
meters or less, “we do anywhere from 10 to 20 efforts in
a workout at high intensities. Use with longer/aerobic
42
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“I USED TO THINK BREASTSTROKE WAS
COMPLETELY LEG-DRIVEN, BUT PULLING
BREASTSTROKE REALLY ChaNGES HOW THEY
CAN SUSTAIN THE STROKE OVER A LONG
PERIOD.”
-JACK BAUERLE
volume depends upon the group, and paddles are mixed
with swimming and other equipment work throughout
the practice. We also build the paddle work in as the
season progresses and as athletes’ bodies adapt over time.
So, sprinters may go 1,000 to 3,000 yards (per workout),
middle distance people 1,000 to 4,000 and distance guys
1,000 to 5,000 yards,” he says.
At the University of Georgia, Jack Bauerle leaves paddle
choice to his swimmers. “We pull a lot, and breaststrokers
pull an awful lot,” he says. “The pulling straightens them
out. I used to think breaststroke was completely leg-driven,
but pulling breaststroke really changes how they can
sustain the stroke over a long period.”
Bauerle occasionally uses half paddles for breaststrokers,
and he monitors swimmers using fins and paddles because
of the tendency to dive and because “that’s not the way
they are going to swim it. We use flutter kick when trying
for hand speed,” he says. “The biggest thing is trying to get
hands straight across the water.”
PADDLE MISUSE
While paddles are instructive for creating resistance and
detecting mechanical flaws, they also pose dangers from
overuse, poor technique and poor size choice. “Paddles
are a form of resistance training,” says Gangloff. “Make
sure athletes are prepared physically to strap on a large
resistance load. Have a plan within the season on how to
build in paddle work. Allow for ‘rest periods’ where you
lighten the resistance load,” he advises.
Paddle misuse occurs when swimmers don’t keep
enough pressure on the fingertips, especially the middle
finger, and when one or both go off at an angle. “With
a dropped or pulling elbow, swimmers can still go fast
because they have a huge surface area,” Montrella says,
“and those mistakes carry over negatively to competition
and ruin swimmer efforts.”
“(Large) paddle size is not inherently a negative thing,
but one must learn what size paddle is best,” says Gangloff.
“Choose a paddle based on your maturity and skill level.
Do not choose a paddle based on how fast it makes you
go,” he counsels.
Montrella is in full agreement. “In our country today, 85
percent of our coaches have their kids use paddles that
are too large. I am not exaggerating. You can walk the deck
and look at swimmer shoulder joints and see that they are
releasing water because they are not gripping water with
the forearm at all, and their paddles are too big.
“Bones grow first in the human body; then muscle
tissues. Third are ligaments and tendons. A source of injury,
especially with oversized paddles, is kids trying to do
way more than their ligaments and tendons are ready for.
Bottom line: smaller is better,” he says.
An Olympic gold medalist before landing at Missouri,
Gangloff worked at SwimMAC Carolina. There he noticed
that paddles could benefit swimmers of all ages. For
younger athletes, he feels that little paddles are best
used not for training, but for learning—at slower speeds,
over shorter distances, in smaller volume and with ample
recovery time.
“As skill level and maturity increase, swimmers can get
larger paddles and use them longer, but athletes need to
be mindful of volume and body response,” he says. “When
technique begins to fail, they need to stop and swim
without them. Paddles aren’t needed for every workout.
Use them to gain strength, but have periods of rest.
Shoulders will be the guide. Sharp pain is bad. Monitor
dull pain, as it can transition to sharp pain.”
PADDLE VARIETY, AVAILABILITY
Paddle variety and availability is endless. Deciding
which one is best for you depends on several factors,
including size, contour, specialty, preference, purpose and
need. A general-purpose paddle may increase the surface
area of the hand and thus hold more water. An antipaddle
will lessen the water on the hand, forcing one to search for
a better positioning on the hand and forearm.
No surprise here, the Internet is a valuable resource
for information and sourcing. Manufacturer sites abound.
Reviews are ubiquitous. A good starting point is the blog,
“The Gangloff Review” (http://www.swimoutlet.com/blog/
top-swim-paddles-compared-the-gangloff-review), where
the Missouri coach reviews 15 different paddles.
Paddles may or may not be right for every swimmer, but
if they are, shop with Montrella’s mantra in mind: “Smaller
is better.” v
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SWIM
MART
UP & COMERS
AGE GROUP SWIMMER
OF THE
MONTH
by shoshanna rutemiller
photo by kate tarvestad
W
ill Tarvestad, 12, made a statement this past summer at
the Southern Zone Age Group Championships, July 30Aug. 4, in Greenville, S.C.: the seventh-grader won all six
of his events, broke two Zone meet records and reset five
of the six state records that he had set two weeks earlier
at the Kentucky 12-and-Under Long Course State Championships.
Currently, Tarvestad is ranked first among U.S. 12-year-old boys in the 50
and 200 meter freestyle (25.53 and 2:02.64), second in the 100 free (56.08)
and third in the 400 free (4:21.39) and 50 butterfly (27.75). Tarvestad’s time in
the 50 free ranks him third on the U.S. All-Time Top 100 age group rankings
list for 11-12 boys, behind Michael Andrew (25.09 in 2012) and Greg Pelton
(25.51 in 2003).
Tarvestad, who hails from Goshen, Ky., swims for Coach Jenna Eichhorn at
TRITON Swimming of Louisville. He attends North Oldham Middle School. v
44
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WILL
TARVESTAD
Q&A
WHAT IS YOUR
FAVORITE THING ABOUT
SWIMMING?
“First, I appreciate the support
that my friends, family and
coaching staff give me. TRITON
has a great program and we work
really hard, and have lots of fun.
I like that we practice six days a
week because I see my friends, it
gives me the same schedule every
day, and swimming clears my
head. Of course, I also find time
for video games and schoolwork!
In the pool, my favorite stroke is
freestyle.”
Clark Burkle in the 200 breast at
the 2012 Olympic Trials.”
WHAT ARE SOME OF
YOUR SHORT-TERM
SWIMMING GOALS?
“At the end of the short course
season, I would like to go to the
age group sectionals in Atlanta
and race some people that I
haven’t raced yet to get a better
feel for competing in bigger
meets.”
LONG-TERM SWIMMING
GOALS?
“Well, it helps that I am 5-feet,
10-inches tall at 12 years old,
so I really hope I keep growing! I
would like to go to sectionals in
the next two or three years, then
junior nationals in a couple more,
hopefully swim in college, and
then if things really work out, one
day I’ll be good enough to go to
the Olympics!” v
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE
SWIM SET?
“Mock meets are my favorite—
when we race against our
teammates as if we are at a swim
meet. We don’t do these very
often! I also like doing a sprint IM
set, doing a 200-400 cool-down,
then doing another sprint set. We
usually repeat this four times.”
WHO IS YOUR SPORTS
ROLE MODEL?
“My coach, Jenna Eichhorn, is
definitely my swimming role
model. Every day she works with
me on my stoke techniques, makes
training fun and reminds me
that ‘there are no Olympics for
12-year-olds.’ My teammates at
TRITON Swimming are also role
models to me every day when
they are working hard at practice
and giving 110 percent at meets.
I also really like racers who don’t
give up in a race and finish strong
to outtouch (their opponents) for
the win—like Michael Phelps in
the 100 fly at the 2008 Olympics,
Jason Lezak in the 400 free relay
that year, and Louisville native
November 2013
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Sponsored by
> GUTTERTALK
pictured
>
the swim has
become so popular that it
now has to be limited to 900
swimmers .
> gary hall ,
( left ) and gary
hall , sr . are annual
participants .
pictured
jr .
photos by ana maria cepeda
O
pictured
>
n Saturday, June 15, it seemed frankie flowers , sr .
( left ) and frankie
as though everyone had
flowers , jr .
headed to the beach to
celebrate the 21st annual
Flowers Sea Swim...and we mean everyone.
Over the years, the Flowers One-Mile Sea Swim has blossomed from
a locally anticipated race—located in the crystal clear waters of Grand
Cayman—to an international phenomenon boasting more than 800
participants. Today, the swim has become an annual tradition for both
competitive swimmers and for those just looking to join in and be proud
that they finished the race!
Every participant walks away from the swim knowing that all
registration proceeds go to Feed Our Future, Cayman—an extremely
worthy cause that connects hungry children with nutritious meals.
The event is one of the richest open water swims in the world, with
more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. Every one in five participants
wins something, including such prizes as airline tickets (60 of them were
awarded to 21 destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, South America and
North America); Digicel phones and tablets; as well as vouchers for dining,
water sports, health and fitness centers and weekend getaways.
You don’t even have to be a swimmer to be a part of the action! The
Walk & Watch program allows fans to follow the swimmers along the
route by walking down the beach, starting at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand
Cayman, and continuing toward the finish line at Royal Palms.
It’s a great option for those who are looking to see some of their
favorite international stars. Among the top swimmers who participated in
this year’s event were Gary Hall, Sr., Gary Hall, Jr., Brooke Bennett, Haley
Anderson, Megan Jendrick, Kristina Kowal, Jessica Long, Ian Crocker and
Shaune Fraser.
The photos pictured here show some of the highlights from this year’s
Flowers Sea Swim. For more information, visit www.flowersseaswim.com. v
46
> ( from left )
( 1 st), haley
anderson ( 2 nd ), brooke
bennett ( 3 rd ) and luane
rowe ( 4 th )
pictured
zsofi balazs
pictured
> ( from
left )
scott simmer
brendan casey
pedraza
( 1 st)
( 3 rd),
>
joey
and jordan
wilimovsky
pictured
( 4 th),
( 2 nd)
the walk &
watch program allowed
participants to walk
along the beach as the
swimmers competed in
the race .
November 2013
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SWIM SHOP: WWW.SWIMMINGWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
THE “MUST-HAVES” EVERY OPEN WATER SWIMMER WILL LOVE
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Developing Endurance
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The Triathlete’s Training Diary
By Joe Friel
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Dover Solo: Swimming the English
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By Marcia Cleveland
Dover Solo is more than a “how-toswim the Channel” or a memoir. It’s
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Endurance Sports
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History of Open-Water Marathon
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By Tim Johnson
Open Water Swimming: Lessons from
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By Joe Oakes & Gary Emich
Captain Tim Johnson, a registered
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boat captain, covers swimming from the
perspective of an active participant in
the organization of the Manhattan Island
marathon swim.
This informative book contains a wealth
of information about swimming from
Alcatraz as well as in-depth information
about the essential skills, techniques
and fundamentals critical to safe and
successful open water swimming.
$30.00
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November 2013
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10/18/13 12:21 PM
p i c t u red > o v er t h e y ears, t h e flowers
one - mile sea swim h as blossomed
from a lo c all y an t i c i p a t ed ra c e —
lo c a t ed in t h e c r y s t al c lear wa t ers
of grand c a y man — t o an in t erna t ional
p h enomenon boas t ing more t h an 800
p ar t i c i p an t s.
parting shot
[ photo
48
by ana maria cepeda ]
November 2013
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