Having moved to Charlotte just two weeks ago I have spent most of my time just adjusting to the new training regime and trying to make sure I'm not getting hopelessly lost (thanks to Nick Thoman for letting me borrow his GPS!). However, any minor difficulties encountered thus far have been thoroughly drowned out by the flood of welcoming support I have received. Everyone from the age-group swimmers to coaches to parents and administrators have been a delight to interact with.
This past weekend I had the honor to represent swimMAC for the first time at the Austin Grand Prix. To be honest I was nervous about how I would swim since I wanted to represent swimMAC the best I could. While my individual performances were not what I had personally hoped I was reminded this weekend of the incredible opportunity it is to be part of a team of great athletes and coaches like swimMAC. I experienced an amazing level of support from all of the senior swimmers who barely knew me yet came together to consistently create the loudest cheering section out of all the 1,200 or so swimmers at the Grand Prix.
The coaching and leadership of this team is something that truly makes all the difference. The vision and encouragement provided by David, Todd, Jeremy and Jeff during the course of the meet was helpful for all of us to maintain the kind of attitude and teamwork that directly led to the the success the team enjoyed.
The second day of a meet is often difficult. It is neither the beginning—where both energy and emotions are running high—nor the end, where the mentality of a strong finish prevails. It is a day where mental strength is essential, and those not prepared to give 110% sometimes struggle. With that in mind, the team rose to the challenge, and showed that SwimMAC is a team of great mental fortitude.
This morning the event schedule was the 400 IM, followed by the 100 Breast, 100 Back, finishing with the 200 Free and the 200 Medley relay. After a delicious breakfast, in which bagels were thankfully absent, the team headed over to the University of Texas pool. Energy levels were high, though there was a little sleepiness to be found, if one looked for it.
The morning session was a smashing success, with 20 best times, and many swimmers making it back to finals. The SwimMAC men’s 100 Back was especially dominant, with 2 swimmers making it in to the A final. The 400 IM, 100 Breast, and 200 Free were all excellent, and there were several stand-out races. One swimmer dropped an amazing 10 seconds in the 400 IM, and both of the B-relays performed admirably.
In the afternoon, we had a team meeting that focused on energy, powering in to turns, and displaying the SwimMAC presence in all its resplendent glory. To use slight hyperbole.
1. Have "eyes" of confidence - Who cares if you are in the midst of training hard and swimming long course, get up and race against all these others who are shaved and tapered.
- Results- 21 best times(post suit era) on Thursday from the team and 20 best times on Friday morning. Houston, i mean Austin, we have confidence.
2. Spark Plug - Which one person is going to bridge the gap or provide the spark that will tsunami through the team and make it harder to go slow vs. fast?
-Results- It is hard to choose any one person, and we did, as many stepped up and threw caution to the wind with exceptional results.
3. Process - Don't get caught up in outcome vs get caught up in the process and your role within the process. Make sure to celebrate small wins and to learn from mistakes. Have fun
-Results- The group here in Austin seem to be bonding, performing, and learning all positives.
SwimMAC continues to be well represented in the finals and we look forward to another great night. Off to Finals
Wednesday we left around 12. We had a quick layover in Atlanta then got to Austin around 6. We did a quick swim to acquaint ourselves with the pool then went to the hotel to rest for the next day. This morning there were a lot of good swims. We had about 20 best times in the first session and got some people back to finals. We came back to the hotel to eat some jimmy johns subs (that were delicious) and took naps/chilled until four. We had a very inspirational team meeting led by the coaches that really got us pumped up for the evening session. After some technique work led by david and jeremy, we watched the A and B finals and saw a lot of fast swimming. There's lots of really fast people here! We swam some awesome relays and finals swims which made for a solid first day. Dinner was great and after another team meeting we hit the sack!
Team Elite is in Austin, Tx. We have rented our vans and are heading to the Sheraton, get our credintials then off to the pool. Cullen is tweeting that he was on VH1 celebfit last night make sure to see the re-run. Also Cullen is in DC talking with congress about drowning prevention! Exciting stuff all around for the Team. Next to arrive will be the high school athletes. Until later.
Sophomores and Juniors are you watching the results of the conference championships? This is a good start to see how teams perform in the big meet vs regular season. You can track trends and look for gaps. Based on the results you can write and congratulate the team, the coaches etc..Based on the results you can write to wish the team good luck with last chance meets or NCAAs. You see were I am going with this.
Do your home work.
Sleeping in until seven in the AM is always a nice way to start out a meet day. Had a good easy morning swim, decided to take it easy for the first fifty and then push the second half to get a good lane. I was excited that it was good enough to be top seed at night. Always a good way to go into the evening session, top seed with a good long nap. That night after warm up I felt ready to go. Lochte forgot which lane he was in on the walk to the blocks, so that was a good way to break the tension of the moment. I was excited to race long course, it'd been a while since my last long course meet. I took it out relatively relaxed, but I knew I had to be out faster than the field at the turn to have a chance at the gold. I turned in first and had a great underwater, and just cranked the second fifty. I am really happy with how things turned out, whenever you can race former Olympians and the other great competitors that come out to this meet its definitely a good day.
If I had a nickle for everytime someone told me that I have done so much or I have had so many great experiences "I don't know where to start". Let me help.
Take some time one day and start to catergorize your experiences in the following broad areas:
1. Leadership - What experiences do you have that you can clearly communicate that you have demonstrated leadership. More importantly if you don't have any experiences in this area start working with your coaches to help you.
2. Communication - How do you communicate both written and oral
3. Utilizing and Managing Resources - How do utilize your support system in order to meet your goals.
4. Self Motivation - Do you need others to get you going? or can you get yourself going?
5. Teamwork - What are some examples of how you work together with others to accomplish a similar goal.
6. Work within a Matrix - How well do work with teachers, peers, coaches, etc. were you have to meet high expectations academically and athletically.
SwimMac coach David Marsh recently held a camp for his club at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. In this video, Marsh goes over the finer points of Thoman's backstroke start.
SwimMac coach David Marsh recently held a camp for his club at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. In this video, Marsh and world record-holder Nick Thoman talk about some of the equipment Thoman uses in his training.
I wanted to keep you informed that I am working with the coaches to set up our next recruiting meeting. I apologize that we were unable to schedule one as planned in late January or early February however felt that with the busy meet schedule, weather, and High School swimming that it would be best to wait.
The target audience for our next meeting will be both the student/athlete and his or her parents or parent. Our goal will be to discuss the content that your young adults are sending to the colleges / universities of their choice. We will also talk about questions that create dialogue. Finally we will practice that.
Make sure you catch up on the blogs.
Alan Tyson asked me to extend a special invitation to all MAC Swimmers for the Ladies Sports Summit that we are hosting. This is for middle and high school female athletes. Justine Mueller is one of our guests for the event
I am offering all MAC Student Athletes discounted rate to The Ladies Sports Summit. Hope you can attend,, if you are serious about becoming a better athlete and learning how to deal with female specific issues in sports, then the Ladies Sports Summit is a must. The information you can gain will help you to achieve your dreams and fight off the obstacles that can get in the way of female athletes
SwimMAC coach David Marsh recently held a camp for his club at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. In this video, Marsh and world record-holder Nick Thoman talk about Thoman's underwater backstroke kick. Video from USA Swimming
7 Reasons Coaches Better Make It All About...Them!
College football has given coaches everywhere a valuable example of the primary way today's recruits make their final decisions.
No, it's not about the stadiums, the conference, or even the academic accolades at the school most of the time.
First, a quick review of the well-publicized ups and downs of college football these past two weeks: Florida's Urban Meyer resigns, then un-resigns...Texas Tech's Mike Leach is dismissed...USC's Pete Carroll uncovers 35 million reasons he'd be a better coach in the NFL...and Tennessee's Lane Kiffin decides the beaches of Southern California beat sweet tea in the south and leaves the Vols after just one year. And, you can add dozens of other smaller profile schools' coaching changes to that list.
The result of all this shuffling around? Prospects are de-committing in droves. They are re-thinking their decisions, and changing their minds.
SwimMac coach David Marsh recently held a camp for his club at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Here, he explains his philosophy behind world record-holder Nick Thoman's shallow-catch backstroke.Video from USA Swimming
I was reading a tribute to Richard Quick and one of the things that caught my eye was what he looked for in a recruit. They are the following:
1. Does the recruit have high goals as an athlete?
2. Does the recruit have high goals academically?
3. Does the recruit understand the relationship to doing well in the pool and doing well in school?
4. Is this recruit someone I, as a coach and mentor, want to be around for 365 days of the year?
You, as high school sophmores and juniors, should look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself those questions. After you have honestly answered them proactively promote yourself around those four philosophies.
Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to work with you.
Amazing Awaits,
Jeff
The following information was found in Volume 2009 Issue 4 of American Swimming for Professional Swimming Coaches.
College football has given coaches everywhere a valuable example of the primary way today's recruits make their final decisions.