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

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

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!

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!

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!

------

 As coaches we give a lot of advice, some taken, some forgotten.  Then there are times when...

...Advice becomes reality....

“I want to swim the 50 free and the 50 Free”

“I want to swim the 50 free and the 50 Free” – Getting swimmers to swim outside their comfort zone.

Many years ago, my age group and high school coach Steve Dzina put me in the 100 Butterfly in an invitational in Buffalo.  I had never swum it in a meet before but I had been swimming it more and more in practice.  I was a bit nervous, but swam it any way and actually enjoyed it.  After the race I went up to talk to him and he told me something that is to this day one of my principles of coaching.  “Everyone can swim the 50 Free and 100 Free, now you have something else you can do.”   Very simply put swimmers need to be coached so that they can swim outside of their comfort zone.  The coaching that goes with that philosophy takes a lot of work and commitment from all 3 sides of our “Swim Team Triangle”.  From the Coaches it takes developing each swimmer and the skills they have at every age.  From the swimmer it takes the commitment and confidence to try other strokes and events.  And maybe most importantly support and understanding from the parents to make things all come together.

Over the years as a coach I have always felt that I needed to put swimmers in a position to have success when trying something new.  I would never put a swimmer in a race where I knew they would DQ or not finish the race.  All the hard work done in practice has to have a reason and has to be rewarded.  By challenging swimmers to try new events they expand their abilities and options in the sport so that they are always fresh.  This can mean putting an 8 year old in the 100 free, a 10 year old in the 500, or even a college freshman swimming the 200 Butterfly.

Case in point.  One of the most talented swimmers I have ever coached was a young lady from Akron New York.  She came to swim for me at Genesee Community College and her career really took off.  She was a hard worker and loved swimming the events that she had in high school.  The fun thing is that in college the 100 Butterfly can be the 200 Butterfly.  Over our semester break I worked with her and a couple of others on improving their fly.  They worked on sets and drills designed to make them stronger, and more efficient in swimming butterfly. 

Our first meet after break I put her in the 200 Butterfly.  When she looked at the line up the look on her face was nothing but fear.  Even a few tears from this incredibly talented freshman appeared.  We went over a race plan that she would follow and after a couple more words of encouragement she got in and swam.  It was incredible to watch, smooth and effortless just like I knew she could.  She finished first in the race with a time just a few seconds off the school record.  She looked at the time and literally jumped all over the deck happy and laughing.  I asked her how she felt and she replied, “I stuck to the plan and I feel great!”  The smile on my face was just as happy. 

Encouraging swimmers to try things outside of their comfort zone, and putting them in situations where they can succeed, expands what they can swim and want to swim.  The next year this particular swimmer took on the 400IM a challenging event she had never swum before.  By the end of the season she was second at the NJCAA National Championship meet in the event.

How we coach is the key.  How we create workouts is secondary to how we motivate and support swimmers of every age.  The fun part is watching our swimmers swim an event for the second time because it is the one chance when there is a 99.99% chance of swimming a Personal Best.  Waiting at the finish line along with the best time are always at least two huge smiling faces: swimmer and coach.

As coaches we are always fighting “staleness”.  Swimmers who work hard and swim the same things over and over can experience this. The most recognizable signs of this condition can be a persistent plateau or worsening in performance that is not improved by either short-term rest periods or reduced training. We try to treat each, case by case, and look at their overall training and competition.  This happens often in high school swimming when coaches feel the need to put the same swimmers in the same events meet after meet.  The swimmers are then expected to fire up and swim fast in the same event at the end of the season. Over time, they have lost the “feel” for what may be their favorite or best event.  The cure is simple.  Change things up.  Put the swimmer in something outside the box to train for and swim.  The result is a happy swimmer who now has new challenges in front of them.

Side note:  It has been a while since my last post.  I have had writers block and thanks to some “grounding” from one of my assistant coaches I am back ready to bring you words of advice and encouragement on the journey to Swim Smart, Have Fun, and Swim Fast.

PMA!

Coach Scott

Thanksgiving

Being Thankful as a coach… This has been an incredible blog to write...a personal inventory... The moments for which I have been most thankful as a coach might surprise you. Most important, is the very fact that so many of you parents have been willing to share your precious children with me.   I have never been one to deny that I have cried when great things have happened, but what one  person might consider great,  another may not.  The fact is, I cry easily when it comes to my swimmers.  What is the definition of thankful?  Webster’s says it is being “conscious of benefit received”.  What are the benefits I have received as a  swim coach? Have you ever tried to count the number of water drops in a pool?  Impossible.  Rather, here are five positives that I have taken from the millions that I want to share. 1.       Having a positive influence on lives.  It goes without saying that if you care about what you do then you can affect the people around you.  As a youth coach you have the ability to make a lifelong impact on how children develop.  We are not talking role models here.  I have never tried to be a role model for anyone.  What I have tried to do is instill values and morals into people that will help young people succeed in the future.  One of the key ingredients in that progress requires PMA.  Having a Positive Mental Attitude can influence every aspect of a young athlete's life.  We always want our swimmers to become great people.  When you have been coaching for as long as I have you get the opportunity to see your swimmers become parents and professionals.  This is so cool.  Past Student-Athletes have become teachers and they have passed that on to their students…giving thanks…. 2.      Watching swimmers overcome adversity.  I have seen  athletes overcome physical illness or even life adversity to take swimming to the next level.  I can think of two very distinct examples.  I watched one young lady overcome a family adversity to regain faith, confidence and belief in herself to achieve some incredible things in the pool and in the classroom.  The key was support which helped her realize the greatness she already had inside of herself. As a coach, I was able to instill in her the faith that she already had everything she needed to succeed, plus the understanding to do incredible things.  With a couple of bumps along the road, which ultimately reaffirmed her faith in her own ability, she  exceeded expectations.  A true success story.  To this day, I cannot be more proud of the person she has become. Another unexpected example of overcoming adversity occurred with a young swimmer who suffered a burst appendix.  When I went to visit her in the hospital my heart dropped to my feet.  Seeing her there was one of the toughest things I have ever had to deal with.  As I talked with her and her mom, I was sure that she would pull through. This little girl had to spend two weeks at the mercy of a hospital room, laying limp, when I was used to seeing her battle her way through challenging practices every day in the pool. Just seeing her up, walking around and happy again would be all that I could ask for. It broke my heart to see her and her family waiting helplessly by her bed. She did pull through.   And ever since she has been back in the pool every day has been an adventure.  I wondered, will she have the will and energy to push forward?  Will she continue to push for best times? At the last meet, I put her in the 200 Freestyle knowing she would not be thrilled with doing such a challenging event. As her coach, I knew she could do it.  She is one of the toughest kids from an amazingly supportive family. Could she do it and have a positive outcome?  I trust my instincts as a coach, but I still wonder, did I make the right call? When I put kids in events for the first time I never do it unless I am 100% sure they can swim it successfully.  I knew this particular swimmer could do it, but I wanted her to get out of the pool with a smile.  Two minutes before she swam I went up to this smiling 10 year old and went over her race plan.  I wished her good luck and asked her to smile.  She “fist bumped” me and smiled.  I knew right then that it was not about time but about the finish.  She did it…and set the bar in the event which I am sure the next time she swims, will be faster.  She is like the first young lady I spoke of. She is a swimmer who  will always overcome any adversity in her path, because that is who she is at heart. 3.      Watching Best times happen – Coaches are always thankful for our swimmers getting Best Times.  It is the carrot at the end of the string, the light at the end of the tunnel.  All clichés aside, we coaches live for watching every swimmer achieve something that only the stopwatch will tell.  So many laps, yards, workouts, practices and more, we have lived and hoped through it all.  When  personal bests happen we are elated.  I once had to get down on all 4’s and bark like a dog for a girl when she got her best time in the 500.  When a certain backstroker broke the school record in the 100 back we had to go to Spencerport High School pool and pull the old  record off with a lifeguarding pole.  Recently, one of my 10 and under boys got his best time in the 100 IM after more than a year.  For a young guy, a year is like forever.  We knew he had the time. We only hoped that he keep his smile at his accomplishment as long as we coaches do.  I have said  many times that swimmers will not swim their best time every time their bodies touch the water.  But, when best times happen, and every time they happen, we rejoice.  Celebrate! Bask in the feeling of progress!  Then move on. 4.      Goals missed but an accomplishment still attainted – What happens when you get that close, almost, but not quite what you were hoping for?  The answer is (with the proper coaching) something just as incredible.   As a coach, I have experienced all of the "almosts".    The let down for swimmer and coach is relatively brief.  WOW…that hard work and dedication got you to a place we had dreamed of.  Even if you did not go all the way, you still did something very special.  I had a backstroker that swam at a summer camp of mine.  We swam in the exact pool that Sectionals would take place in.  I jokingly predicted that one day she would win the 100 back from the very lane she was practicing in….lane 1.  Three  months later, she swam the race of her life, probably one of the best race plans executed ever, placed 3rd and missed the New York State cut off by.04 in the exact same lane.  To this day, regardless of the outcome, I am so proud of her.  To Elizabeth, Sarah, Dale, Pola, Brett, Jillian, Heather, Jennifer, Jessica, Beaner, Boggs, and more…I did my best, you did your best and I will always be thankful that we got where we  needed to go. 5.      The blessing of being a swimming coach.  So who is Scott?  I am a Swimming Coach.  After writing this blog I am more proud of the opportunities I have had as a coach, now more than ever.  I look back on the years, the faces, the kids, the young adults; I am truly blessed and thankful.  Everyday I get to do what I love.  I go to work happy everyday; I come home excited about tomorrow.  I don't know what I would do if I was not a Swim Coach.  Recently one of my best friends and fellow coaches knocked me off my feet by announcing to his team that he thought I was one of the best teaching coaches he had ever met.  I was just happy to be able to work with those particular swimmers in the pool.  I am thankful, I am blessed, to be able to live everyday helping young people do something they enjoy and become the best possible person they can be.  That is a gift.  A blessing. I will never forget a face, or a name, of any of my swimmers.  No one is forgotten.  Everything is important.  This is my life.  I am blessed.  As a coach, I have so much for which to be thankful. Happy Thanksgiving and thank you to all the parents and swimmers that I am fortunate to be a part of their swimming lives. Coach Scott