It is always exciting to have new campers come to camp. They are raw talent, ready to learn and improve. Tonight we started very simple. I went back to my roots and did some floating, very similar to what I witnessed years ago at the Olympic Training Center. Coach Bill Boomer showed a group of coaches how everyone floats different and how that can be a "tell" as to what that swimmer will do well. 22 swimmers...22 different floaters but each somewhat grouped.
After some floating we started at square 1 with Streamling. WOW...it is so exciting to watch kids improve something so simple yet so important to their swimming careers. Through some on deck positioning drills and more reinforcement in the water a great session was the result.
I love the look that swimmers get on their faces when you see potential and tell them that after this week, great things will be in their futures.
Let the fun begin.
Coach Scott
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Summer of Swimming 2012
The Summer of Swimming 2012 has begun! I am at California University of Pennsylvania for the 11th year of swim camp with Coach Ed Denny. We have just begun Week 1 of 4 with 22 excited campers (19 of which are new campers). This is going to be a lot of fun teaching young swimmers to "Swim Smart"! Stay tuned for pics and updates as we go.
Coach Scott
Coach Scott
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Blessed!
What a meet...was I dreaming? NO!
It is something to have a couple of great swims. It is another to have a truck load. I'm not shy about it. I have been blessed with great student-athletes for the past 23 years of taper season coaching. In 1999 Brian Bartalo and I came up with a 3 week taper. How much yardage we needed to get done and then how to take it down. The method to the madness. The "madness" over the last 13 years has been designing the sets. What works best. What is the right thing to do with certain swimmers? Ed Denny and I have worked at getting the "each season is special" perspective in motion. No 2 teams, no 2 athletes are the same but the general idea stays the same. Everything is different but you keep to your basics...what you know works to get the lightning in the bottle. The basics seem to be get a great base of training during the season then decrease the yardage, increase the interval, believe it or not increase the enthusiasm and intensity. Watching the kids go through it this season was a lot of fun. They worked so hard and got the results.
It is faith and belief, the funny thing is about a taper is that it is 75% season long work and 25% PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) and confidence.
I told a coach on deck today "Funny things is...I never thought you could taper an 8 year old". Well after watching an 8 year old pull off the perfect race plan and drop 9 seconds in the 100 free, I have to believe in "The Taper".
It is magical.
More details and thoughts tomorrow.
For now.....WOW....OMG....and just plain AMAZING.
Making dreams come true one swim at a time!
Coach Scott
It is something to have a couple of great swims. It is another to have a truck load. I'm not shy about it. I have been blessed with great student-athletes for the past 23 years of taper season coaching. In 1999 Brian Bartalo and I came up with a 3 week taper. How much yardage we needed to get done and then how to take it down. The method to the madness. The "madness" over the last 13 years has been designing the sets. What works best. What is the right thing to do with certain swimmers? Ed Denny and I have worked at getting the "each season is special" perspective in motion. No 2 teams, no 2 athletes are the same but the general idea stays the same. Everything is different but you keep to your basics...what you know works to get the lightning in the bottle. The basics seem to be get a great base of training during the season then decrease the yardage, increase the interval, believe it or not increase the enthusiasm and intensity. Watching the kids go through it this season was a lot of fun. They worked so hard and got the results.
It is faith and belief, the funny thing is about a taper is that it is 75% season long work and 25% PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) and confidence.
I told a coach on deck today "Funny things is...I never thought you could taper an 8 year old". Well after watching an 8 year old pull off the perfect race plan and drop 9 seconds in the 100 free, I have to believe in "The Taper".
It is magical.
More details and thoughts tomorrow.
For now.....WOW....OMG....and just plain AMAZING.
Making dreams come true one swim at a time!
Coach Scott
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Speechless
Every swim today told a story. In the book of a swimmer's career not every chapter is a fast or glorious one. Some chapters are of hard work and times missed. That was 2 of my incredible young ladies today.
I really cannot pick 1 swim that was my favorite because this team has nailed this taper. When you have 4 guys in the 13 and 14 200 Freestyle Consol/Finals and ALL of them step up and shatter their best times they set in the morning it is a good day. When an 8 year old girl swim the PERFECT race and drops 9 seconds in the 100 free is it a good day.
When 4 special girls come together as 1 perfect 200 Medley Relay and go 1:59.75...life is good. Plus I am now out 4 $20 Dunkin Donuts Gift cards...yes I still make wagers...
Watching the smile on a 10 year old boys face when he sees a best time...Priceless.
By the way...we still have a FULL day tomorrow!
Taper....Taper....
Coach Scott
I really cannot pick 1 swim that was my favorite because this team has nailed this taper. When you have 4 guys in the 13 and 14 200 Freestyle Consol/Finals and ALL of them step up and shatter their best times they set in the morning it is a good day. When an 8 year old girl swim the PERFECT race and drops 9 seconds in the 100 free is it a good day.
When 4 special girls come together as 1 perfect 200 Medley Relay and go 1:59.75...life is good. Plus I am now out 4 $20 Dunkin Donuts Gift cards...yes I still make wagers...
Watching the smile on a 10 year old boys face when he sees a best time...Priceless.
By the way...we still have a FULL day tomorrow!
Taper....Taper....
Coach Scott
Friday, March 16, 2012
Recap of Day 1 - WOW
An incredible first session! The anticipation of the first swim is mind bending. As a coach you try to be calm and reserved. Inside you are going crazy wondering if the "taper" worked. I have so much faith in my taper but it is like catching lightning in a bottle. Well, I have a lot of bottles of lightning!
All 6 swims were very special and the other swimmers in attendance now know that it is time to race. Watching a swimmers reaction to seeing their new best time on the scoreboard is a special moment. I watched one happen tonight that is now in the top 5 all time. Watching kids realize they just did something even they did not think possible is an amazing thing to see.
It was great to be on deck and see some many swimmers that I have gotten to work with at Hartwick Swim Camp.
Tomorrow is gonna be another great day!
All 6 swims were very special and the other swimmers in attendance now know that it is time to race. Watching a swimmers reaction to seeing their new best time on the scoreboard is a special moment. I watched one happen tonight that is now in the top 5 all time. Watching kids realize they just did something even they did not think possible is an amazing thing to see.
It was great to be on deck and see some many swimmers that I have gotten to work with at Hartwick Swim Camp.
Tomorrow is gonna be another great day!
YMCA NY State Championships Day 1
Greetings from Buffalo!
After 6 months of training the Bay View Tigers are ready for States. I love this time of the year. Tapering is an art form among Swimming coaches. Every season, every team is different but a good taper is like a chefs secret ingredient list to his award winning dish. We are ready and I can't wait for this evening's Prelim session. Our 13 and 14 Boys and Girls will swim the 500 free and the 200 IM.
Swimming at the ECC pool brings back so many memories of great meets as a High School coach and as the coach at GCC. Incredible swims each with it's own story of how it came to be. Championships won and Championships missed.
It is going to be an exciting and incredible weekend.
"Confidence brings results" I told the kids last night, I am so proud of all of them. They have done everything they needed to get ready for this meet.
Now with a few jitters and a lot of confidence it is time to Swim Smart!
Tiger Pride!
After 6 months of training the Bay View Tigers are ready for States. I love this time of the year. Tapering is an art form among Swimming coaches. Every season, every team is different but a good taper is like a chefs secret ingredient list to his award winning dish. We are ready and I can't wait for this evening's Prelim session. Our 13 and 14 Boys and Girls will swim the 500 free and the 200 IM.
Swimming at the ECC pool brings back so many memories of great meets as a High School coach and as the coach at GCC. Incredible swims each with it's own story of how it came to be. Championships won and Championships missed.
It is going to be an exciting and incredible weekend.
"Confidence brings results" I told the kids last night, I am so proud of all of them. They have done everything they needed to get ready for this meet.
Now with a few jitters and a lot of confidence it is time to Swim Smart!
Tiger Pride!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sometimes advice becomes reality
Life is funny at times. I just returned from PSACs with Cal U to find this email. As Coaches we are constantly giving advice, tips, ways to be better. The result of how the advice and tips are taken may take time to come to fruition. The following email was in my "Inbox"...
Hi Coach Scott :) I don't know if you remember me but you were one of my coaches at the Cal U Summer Swim Camp for the past two years. You wrote me a note to give to my coach telling him that I needed to swim breast stroke. Well, I just finished swimming my last high school swim meet which was the West Virginia State Meet. I wanted to tell you that I finished 14th in the 100 Breast Stroke! :) I thought it was a great accomplishment for not swimming year round and I wanted to tell you that it all happened because of you. You giving me the confidence in my stroke to approach my coach and say that I believe that I can make it to states allowed me to show him and everyone what I could do. Also just to let you know I finished 12th in the 100 freestyle, my medley relay finished 3rd (I swam the breast leg), and my 400 free relay finished 5th. Overall in the girls division my school finished 5th with only four girls swimming at states! I was very proud of myself and my team for making it to states and I wanted to share my accomplishment with you. :) I hope you are having a successful swimming year!
Hi Coach Scott :) I don't know if you remember me but you were one of my coaches at the Cal U Summer Swim Camp for the past two years. You wrote me a note to give to my coach telling him that I needed to swim breast stroke. Well, I just finished swimming my last high school swim meet which was the West Virginia State Meet. I wanted to tell you that I finished 14th in the 100 Breast Stroke! :) I thought it was a great accomplishment for not swimming year round and I wanted to tell you that it all happened because of you. You giving me the confidence in my stroke to approach my coach and say that I believe that I can make it to states allowed me to show him and everyone what I could do. Also just to let you know I finished 12th in the 100 freestyle, my medley relay finished 3rd (I swam the breast leg), and my 400 free relay finished 5th. Overall in the girls division my school finished 5th with only four girls swimming at states! I was very proud of myself and my team for making it to states and I wanted to share my accomplishment with you. :) I hope you are having a successful swimming year!
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As coaches we give a lot of advice, some taken, some forgotten. Then there are times when...
...Advice becomes reality....
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