World Swimming Coaches Association Newsletter
Volume 2017 • Issue 1
CONTENTS TRAINING: Join Us & Swimming Sets and Ideas for Training International Level Athletes………………………Pages 2-6
Training 100m to 1500m Change the By Bruce Gemmell……Pages 7-17 USA Swimming: Efforts Charts Based on Capability and Skill By Robert Pinter……Pages 17-18 World Quotes of Reflection By Bill Sweetenham…Pages 18-19
RUNNING SWIM CLUBS: The Issue of Board Voting of Olympic By John Leonard……………Page 20 Coach Managed or Directed Club vs. Parent Owned, etc. Sports! By John Leonard……………Page 21 What is a “good coach”? By Guy Edson……………….Page 22
Check out the World Swimming SPORT POLITICS AND CHANGING THE WORLD OF Association TODAY! OLYMPIC SPORT: NO One Will Help Us (www.worldswimming.org) By John Leonard…………….Page 23 The Path to Clean Swimming (in English & Spanish) And on Facebook at: By John Leonard……Pages 24-26 Why Did WSCA Decide to (http://www.facebook.com/worlds Change? By George Block………Pages 26-28 wimmingassociation/) Anti-Doping to a Member of the USA Senate By George Block…… Pages 28-31
WORLD SWIMMING COACHES ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER – VOLUME 2017 ISSUE 1
SECTION 1: TRAINING SWIMMING SETS AND IDEAS FOR TRAINING INTERNATIONAL LEVEL ATHLETES GENERAL WEEKLY PATTERNS Distance Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. AM Tech. Power - - - - Tech. Power Quality Speed Speed (P/K) (K/P) PM Threshold Active/ Quality Threshold Active/ Rest Rest
YARDAGE Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. AM (Phase I) 4.5/4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5/4.5 5-6 (Phase II) 5/5 5 5 5 5/5 7/8 (Phase III) 5.5/5 5.5 5 5.5 5.5/5 8/9 Weekly Totals (Phase IV) 5.5/5 5.5 5 5.5 5.5/5 9/10 (Dist/Mid) PM (Phase I) 5-6k 5-6 4-5 5-6 5-6 - - (47-53,000/42.5-48,500) (Phase II) 7/6 7/6 6/5 7/6 7/6 - - (61,000/55,000) (Phase III) 8/7 8/7 7/6 8/7 8/7 - - (69,000/57,500) (Phase IV) 9/8 9/8 8/7 9/8 9/8 - - (76,000/64,500)
SPEED WORK: 24-40 x 25 on :30/:35 (15y/m Fast – 10 y/m easy FR, No Breaths) (1-2 x per week) (6-8 K/ 6-8 SW) 20-32 x 25 on :40/:45 (ALL Fast) “Shooter” Kicking (with or without fins) (1-2 x per week) 20-32 x 25 on 1/1 rest (ALL Fast Swimming) (FR on :30 – FL/BK on :35 – BR on :40) (1-2 x per week)
KICKING SETS:
Power: Scuba Belts: (5-10#) 25s or 50s on 1/1 rest 500-600 Total (2x/Week) Vt. Kicking: (6-12# - FR/FL/BK) (20-40# BR) 1/1 rest 10 – 20 Min. St. Cord Kicking: 1:00-2:00-4:00-5:00 on :30-1:00 rest 10 – 30 Min.
All – Fast: 10-20 x 50 on 1:00/1:10/1:20/1:30 (3-5x/Week) 10-20 x 100 on 2:00-2:30/3:00 1 x 400 “OTW” (On The Watch) 1 x 1000 “OTW” 1 x 2000 “OTW”
Easy/Fast: 2 x 50 on 1:00 or 1:10 Easy Choice or Stroke (2-4x/Week) Alternate 5-10x 1 x 100 on 1:30 or 1:40 Fast Stroke 2 x 50 on 1:00 or 1:10 Easy Choice or Stroke Alternate 4-8x 1 x 150 or 200 on 2:15 or 3:00
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Swim/Kick Sets: (2-4x/Week) 100 SW/FR Alt 100 K/ST on Progressive Intervals 4-10x (i.e., 2 x 200 x 5 2 each on 3:20 – 3:10 – 3:30 – 2:50 – 2:40) 100 SW/ST Alt. 100K/ST on Progressive Intervals 4 – 10 x (This works well for FR/BK/BR not very well for FL) *You can also progress 1-4 or 5 and then hit 4 or 5x on the HARDEST Interval) 50 SW Alt. 50 K (SW on a Mod. Int. – K on a Hard Int.) 10-20 x *Threshold Kicking (2-4x/Week) 1 x 100 Mod Int. 1 or 100 2 x 100 2 x 100 Mod-Hard Int. OR 1 x 100 OR 2 x 100 3 x 100 Hard Int. 1 x 100 2 x 100 (With or Without Fins) *Threshold Kicking for Breaststroke (St. Cord or Vertical) (:20-:30 Rest) 1 x 1:20 (M) 1 x 1:20 2 x 1:20 2 x 1:10 (MH) OR 1 x 1:10 OR 2 x 1:10 5-8x\ 3 x 1:00 (H) 1 x 1:00 2 x 1:00
Pulling Sets: 1 x 200 FR (Lung Buster or “5”) on Mod – MH Int. Alt. 3 – 10 x 4 x 50 Stroke on 1:00 or 1/1 rest Int. 3-5 x 300 or 400 Stroke Pulling on :30 – 1:00 Rest (Progressive) 1 x 1500, 1600, 2000, 3000 OTW St. Cord Pulling for BR and FR 1:00-2:00-3:00-4:00 on :30 – 1:00 Rest *Do ALL Threshold Kicking AFTER Main Sets
Threshold Swimming Sets Phase I Phase II Phase III Phase IV Distance 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 White 25% 25% 25% 25% Pink 50% 25% 25% 25% Red 25% 50% 50% 50% Taper 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 White 25% 25% 50% 75% Pink 50% 50% 25% 25% Red 25% 25% 25% - - - Mid. Distance 2,000 3,000 4,000 4,000 White 25% 25% 25% 25% Pink 50% 25% 25% 25% Red 25% 50% 50% 50% *Color Levels can be Swim Times or Intervals
Active Rest Sets: Ladders: 100-200-300-400-400-300-200-100 Mod or Md/Hd Md/Hd or Hard 200-400-600-800 (800)-600-400-200 1 x 200 / 2 x 200 / 3 x 200 / 4 x 200 (4 x 200) 3 x 200 / 2 x 200 / 1 x 200 200/400/600/800/4x200/3x200/2x200/1x200
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Continuous Swims: 2000 – 3000 – 4000 – 8000 – 10,000 Interval Ladders: 200 – 400 Drill or Swim Alt. 3-5x 3 – 8 x 100/150/200s on Progressive Intervals
Quality Sets: Distance: 20-30-40 x 100 on 1:30 or 1:40 (ALL Fast) Early Season: 1 x 150 on 1:55 1 x 150 on 1:50 (or any Int. of Choice) 3-8x 1 x 150 on 1:45 Mid. Season: 2 x 150 on 1:55 2 x 150 on 1:50 (or any Int. of Choice) 3-5x 2 x 150 on 1:45 Late Season: 1 x 150 on 1:55 2 x 150 on 1:50 (or any Int. of Choice) 2-4x 3 x 150 on 1:45
Cruise Alt. Progressive Speed Work: 16 x 100 on 1:15 (Or any Int. of Choice) (#4-8-12-16 Fast) 12 x 100 on 1:20 (Or any Int. of Choice) (#3-6-9-12 Fast) 8 x 100 on 1:25 (Or any Int. of Choice) (#2-4-6-8 Fast) 4 x 100 on 1:30 (Or any Int. of Choice) (ALL FAST)
1 x 1,500 or 1,600 or 2,000 or 3,000 Alt. Easy or Cruise 50s or 100s with Fast or Pace 50s or 100s
“Set-UP Swims” 200-400 “Set-Up” or “Cruise” Swim Alt. 3-5x (Progressive on Fast Swims) 200 or 400 or 800 Fast or Pace Swim
Mid. Distance Quality Sets: 20 x 50 “Push” ALL fast on 1:30 (Early Season 4-5 x Stroke Alt. 4-5 x FR) 20 x 100 on 2:00 per 100 – Alt. Easy Choice / Fast Stroke 30 x 100 on 1:30 or 1:40 – 50 Easy or Cruise Alt. Dive 50 Fast Stroke FR/FL BK BR 16 x 50 on :45 :50 :55 (#4-8-12-16 Fast) 12 x 50 on :50 :55 1:00 (#3-6-9-12 Fast) 8 x 50 on :55 1:00 1:05 (#2-4-6-8 Fast) 4 x 50 on 1:00 1:05 1:10 (ALL FAST)
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Race Pacing: 12 x 50 on 1:20 (ALL FAST) Speed Endurance: 1 x 50 on 1:10 (Fast) 3 x 100 on a Mod. Int. 1 x 50 on 1:00 (Fast) Alt. 3-4x (Progressive Intervals to Md/Hd and Hard) 1 x 50 on :55 (Fast) 200 Loosen Choice or Stroke Drill 1 x 50 on :50 (Fast) 1 x 50 on :45 (Fast) 3 x 50 on Md/Hd Int. 1 x 50 on :40 (Fast) Alt. 6-10x 1 x 50 on :35 (Fast) 1 x 150 on Md/Hd or Hard Int. 1 x 50 on :30 (Fast) IM Threshold Set (Long Course Meters): Race Set-Ups: 1 x 200 FR on 2:40 (Or any Int. of Choice – Negative or 2 x “Push” 50s on 1/1/ Rest @ 200 Pace at a “Specified” Pace) 1 x 200 Loosen/Choice on 4-5:00 4 x 200 IM on 3:00 (1-4 Progressive) 1 x 100 Dive on 1:30 3-4x (Progressive 100s) 1 x 400 FR on 5:20 (Negative) 1 x 200 Loosen/Choice on 4-5:00 3 x 200 IM on 2:55 (1-3 Progressive) 1 x 600 FR on 8:00 (Negative) Progressive Speed: 2 x 200 IM on 2:50 (1-2 Progressive) 12-18-24 on 100 on 2:00 1 x 800 FR on 10:40 (Negative) (#1 = 25 Fast/75 Easy or Cruise) 1 x 200 IM on 2:45 (Maximum) (#2 = 50 Fast/50 Easy or Cruise (#3 = 75 Fast/25 Easy or Cruise) Stop here and go back to 25/75-50/50-75/25 OR (#4 = 100 Fast)
Distance Quality Sets: 20-30-40 x 100 “ALL” Fast on 1:30 or 1:40 20 x 100 “ALL” Fast on 2:00 (Dive) 30-40 x 100: 5 x 1:20 (mod) 5 x 1:30 (Fast) x 3-4 “Set-Up” Swims 200 “Set-Up” (Build)/400-500 fast (600-700s on 7:00-8:00/8:00-9:00) x 4-10 400 fast/200 easy (600s on 8:00-9:00) x 5-10 20 x 100 5 x 1:20 @ 1650 or 1500 pace 5 x 1:15 @ 1650 or 1500 pace 5 x 1:10 @ 1650 or 1500 pace 5 x 1:30 or 1:40 @ 500/400 pace 10 x 100 “Dive” fast on 2:00 + 50 “Dive” on 1:00 or 1:30 20-30 x 200 on 2:30-2:40-2:50-3:00 100 “push” cruise/100 “dive” fast 200 (mod) on 2:40 - - 150 (mod) on 2:00 - - 1 x 50 (fast) on :40 or :45 150 (m/h) on 1:55 - - 100 (m/h) on 1:15 – 2 x 50 on :40 or :45 (fast) 100 (h) on 1:10 - - 3 x 50 (fast on :40 or :45 x 2-3 with or without 1:00 rest after 3 x 50) 3 x 100 on 1:30 (mod) 3 x 100 on 1:20 (mod) Alt. 4-8x 4-8x 3 x 150 on 1:45 (fast) 3 x 150 on 2:00 (fast) 4-5 x 100 on 1:20 (neg.) Alt. 3-5x 4-5 x 100 on 1:30 (fast) 200 (fast)/100 (easy) (300s on 4:00) x 8-20
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Middle Distance Quality Sets: 20 x 100 fast alt easy (fast every 3:00-3:30-4:00) 20 x 50 “push” or “dive” (ALL fast) on 1:30 30 x 100 on 1:20- 1:30- 1:40 (every 3rd fast) 150 (fast) alt. 50 or 100 (easy) on 3:00-4:00 x 4-6 2 x 50 fast @ 200 pace on 1:20 1 x 200 (loosen on 4:00 -5:00 1x100 “dive” (fast) on 2:00 1x200 (loosen) on 4:00-5:00 x 3-5 (progress 100s 1-3 or 5) 3-4 x 100 on 2:00 (progressive distances 25-75 or 25-100) #1 25F/75E #2 50F/50E x 4 (If 4 x 100) x 6 (If 3 x 100) #3 75F/25E #4 100F 2-4 x 200 on 3:00-4:00 (progressive distances 50-150 or 50-200) #1 50F/150E #2 100F/100E #3 150F/50E x 2 (If 4 x 200) x 3-4 (If 3 x 200) #4 200F Broken 200s 100 (:20 rest) 50 (:10 rest) 50 Alt. x 4-5 (300s or 400s on 6:00 – 8:00) 100-200 easy loosen 30 x 100 on 1:30 or 1:40 (50 “push” easy choice alt. 50 “dive” fast stroke)
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Training 100m to 1500m, All at Once, Short Course Yards Presented by Bruce Gemmell, Nation’s Capital Swim Club at ASCA World Clinic 2016
[Introduction by Gregg Troy] tremendous coach, but on top of all those things, he has Good morning, I am Gregg Troy. I am here representing is one of the architects, and the key architect, of Katie ASCA to introduce our next speaker. You can tell... I Ledecky’s success for the last three years and especially probably do not need to do any introduction at all, by the this summer. I give you Bruce Gemmell. size of the crowd in the house, and I am sure you all are [Gemmell begins] going to get a lot of useful information. Thanks everybody. So, I walked in... How many of you The young man I am going to introduce is... I was doing a were here for Mike Bottom’s speech just a little bit ago? little looking at some information today, and looking at Okay, great. So I walked in when Mike was telling he got the ASCA Coach of the Year. There have only been six the phone call from Frank Busch that he was being coaches who have won ASCA Coach of the Year twice in named to the Olympic staff. Mike emoted in so many a row: George Haines, Bob Bowman, a whole string of ways, and thought back to the 70s and the 80s and 90s; really noted people. There are only four coaches that and was hugging Josh White and high fiving and they have won four, and there are only two coaches who have went out and celebrated and everything else. I had a won the award three years in a row. One, Eddie Reese, little bit different experience being part of the staff this and the other is our speaker today, Bruce Gemmell, who summer. Frank came up to me and said: Bruce, would has won three in a row. He has won the last three in a you like to join us in Rio? I said, “Yes, sir, it would be an row, it is a pretty big accomplishment. Not just from the honor to do that.” And he said: Great. Don’t f it up. standpoint... you win once, it is a pretty big [Laughter] So that was my mantra for the trip to Rio this accomplishment; to win three in a row, the longevity is summer. tremendous. So the talk this morning goes sort of like this: ASCA gives Bruce has a long career in Swimming. He was a swimmer you a call six or nine months ago and says hey, would you at the University of Michigan; good swimmer himself. He like to speak at our conference next year; and you say, is a long-time fixture in the Middle Atlantic. He was the “Yes, of course I would.” And they say: Fine, we’ll touch head coach of the Delaware Swim Team and Team base with you later about what the subject is going to be. Delaware. In that situation, tremendous number of So they call, a little bit closer, and say: What do you want junior national swimmers, national qualifiers, NCAA to talk about? This is May, or maybe even March, and I finalists, junior champions. Produced what he would am thinking: ‘Well, I don’t want to talk about how probably think is his proudest moment: he was key in successful Katie was this summer, because I don’t know producing an Olympian from Delaware Swim Team, his what’s going to happen; and I don’t want to talk about own son Andrew Gemmell. So, we are in a situation that winning gold medals or World Records because I really he is very, very accomplished. don’t know what’s going to happen.’ So what are we doing at the time? Well, we are training in short course In 2006, he was one of our coaches for our National yards for a 100 to 1,500 meters, and I figure Katie is a Junior Team; he has been one of our National Team pretty good subject, so it evolves to: training Katie coaches since 2010. I am sure I have missed some Ledecky for 100m to 1,500m while we are in the short- tremendous accomplishments; he has just worked with course-yards pool. a lot of great athletes. Bruce personifies hard work; he is tremendously focused, he is dedicated. I have had the And then some of the reality sets in and it is really: privilege of watching him in action and watching his training Katie Ledecky for 100m to 1,500m in a short- practices, visiting what he does. Well-organized, course-yards pool that, oh by the way, we share with extremely patient, and has a great picture for the long- three other club teams and a high school team. You term and where you want to go—he can get a direction know, we are not sitting there in this facility that is all and a focus. On top of all those things... he is a ours that we can do everything we want to do. I have
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never had that luxury; probably nobody, or very few thousand athletes and coaches out there people in the room, have had that luxury. That might be wish they did not have to—most of the a good question, or time for discussion at another time: time. She works hard; let us not underestimate that. what would you really do if you could do everything that We were at the [Olympic] Training Center out in you wanted to. And of course we also have to do it by Colorado Springs, running what I consider a middle-of- running a fiscally responsible program. the-road, typical set. One of the National Team athletes So, we are going to spend some time this morning talking who was with us—male distance swimmer National about training, Katie primarily, 100m to 1,500m, in a Team athlete—comes in after the set and looks at Katie short-course-yards pool, that we share with three other and goes: It’s so hard, I feel like I’m going to throw up; I teams and a high school team, all while trying to run a haven’t felt that way in a long time. Katie, without fiscally-responsible program. If that sounds a little bit missing a beat replies: I feel that way about three times like what a lot of you are trying to do, I hope it does and a week. And it is true, okay. I hope you can take something away from this. So that I would love for everyone in the room to come watch you are like yeah, we can do that back home, because Katie train for a day, and that would be great. But you we’ve got some of those same goals for us. really would not get a flavor for it unless you came for a I am going to try to give it to you in five easy steps. I got week or a month or a season, and watched what she to the end of five easy steps and realized there was a does from an effort standpoint. And it is not just in the sixth, bonus step—so, there are six steps here. How to pool: she does it in the pool, she does it in the gym, she train for 100m to 1,500m, all the time in a short course does it away from the pool—and by away from the pool yards pool. I mean taking care of nutrition, recovery, all those things that you need to do. Getting enough sleep on time, all Step 1: First piece of advice: don’t. [Laughter] It would those things. be great if you could; it would be great if you could be all things to all people, train everybody to do everything— If you are fortunate enough to get an athlete like that, so on and so forth. The reality is that the bulk of our time highly motivated, very goal-oriented and fiercely was spent training Katie for 400 meters. I chose some competitive, then you have got something you can work specific sets—that I will show later—that I think highlight with. If you have somebody who wants to looks for that; that is really where our emphasis was. shortcuts, is not sure they really want to do it... yeah, they want to work hard when they are at the pool, but I did not give any thought to her 100 meters; I knew the gym does not count and taking care of myself away relays were sitting out there, but that was not something from the pool, that does not count either; then you do I was going to worry about. I did not give any thought to not have the same situation that I was lucky enough to 1,500 meters; I knew it was an Olympic year; we would have. not be swimming 1,500 meters. So not only for this past year but also for the quad leading up to it, we really did One of the things that drives Katie the most, and it really not give any thought to 100 meters or 1,500 meters; the might be... if you take anything away from the talk this focus was on training for 400 meters. Clearly there was morning, the practice habits. I refrain from the word going to be carry-over to 200 and 800 meters, but that talent; I do not know what talent means. I have read The was not where our emphasis was. Talent Code; I think there are some answers in there. I have read a couple of other books related to talent and That is my word of wisdom, step one. the 10,000 hours of practice and how that applies. But Step 2: Step two... let us not kid ourselves, okay; this is most of the time talent is just disguised as better practice what makes it work. Find yourself a highly motivated, habits than everybody else. Better practice habits than goal-oriented, fiercely competitive athlete, who was born everybody else over a long period of time. to lay it all on the line every day and isn’t afraid of failure. Do I need to remind Katie, every now and then, to take a Okay? She works hard. I wish she did not have to; she couple extra kicks off of her walls? Yes. Do I need to might wish she did not have to. However-many remind her every now and then to make sure she finishes
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her repeats? Yes. But I do not need to harp on her for goal by Rio was not challenging enough. It them; she does it on her own, pretty much. Tell her once, was still, yeah, three or four seconds faster tell her again, remind her it’s important; and then maybe than she had been, but I worried that it was not a quick check-in every three months or so and she is challenging enough for her. going to do it. So we sat down and said, Alright, what’s the big goal? Goal setting is another thing that drives Katie very much. What’s the—I call them—big fat harry goals for you I hope you can read some of this [on slide]. between now and when we get to Rio? To this day we do not know whose idea it was, which is probably a good I started working with Katie in 2012, right after the thing—she says it was mine; I say it was hers. We came London Games. She was a 15-year-old Olympic gold up with the idea of going 3:56 and going to 8:05. That is medalist. We have all seen 15-year-old Olympic gold really the mantra that we beat-to for the next three medalists; not all, but sometimes you wonder what the years—at that time. path is going to be for them. I sat down with Katie, as I did with everybody in the group, and said: “Alright, we’re 200 was sort of a soft-thing out there. She had never going to talk about our goals for the next season.” I swum the 200 at the international level at that time. It imagine most of you have goal meetings with a lot of was like well, maybe I could swim the 200 in Rio too, but your athletes, and a lot of them say I want to get better was not really sure. We really focused on the 3:56 and at breaststroke; I want to make the state team, whatever the 8:05. To the point where she wrote it on her pull that may be. They really do not have any sense of buoy, and it has traveled the world with us for three urgency, or any real meaning, behind them. years. [On slide: picture of buoy, with 565 written on it.] The 56 is for the 3:56 and the 5 at the end is for the 8:05, I sat down with Katie and I had her little index card— and nobody else needed to know what it was for or what which I keep to this day, because it meant so much to it was. me. She has got her name and where she goes to school, and something about herself: she wants to visit every As the media got more involved in Katie and the run-up continent by age 25—I do not know if she will make that to Rio, lots of people would ask us what the goals were or not. Anyway, I flip it over and it is just staring me in and she was very coy about it. And we were carrying this the face; it says: I want to break the World Record in the around with us all the time. She saw it every day, 800 free next summer and go under 8:10 by 2016. And needless to say, and I saw it every day and it reminded she was that clear about it, okay. me. I think that was as important. It was as important for me to see it, I think, as it was for her to see it, because She had gone 8:14 at the Olympic Games; the World I knew that if we wanted to get tha.... That was almost Record at the time was 8:14 low. She was just crystal ten seconds faster than the [800] World Record at that clear that she wanted to break the World Record next time; think about that; a full three seconds faster than summer and go under 8:10 by Rio. That was without any the 400 Free World Record. So it is something that we prompting from me, without any prior discussion, carried around for three years. without any let’s make sure this is clear, or let’s make sure it’s what you want to do. So I was taken a little aback It was not until 2014 at Pan Pacs, that she went 1:55.1 in by that, but needless to say, I was happy to move on to the 200 Free down there and won that, that we the next summer. So there was the goal: break the crystallized the goal of: you know what, she wanted to World Record, which was 8:14.10 at the time, and she win the 200 in Rio also. And I say win the 200 because wanted to be sub-8:10 by Rio. literally that was the goal; the goal was not to go a certain time, the goal was not... it was to win the 200. And one So that summer in [20]13, we went off to Barcelona and of our mantras became: get your hand to the wall. (Boy, got some pretty-good results there. She went 3:59, doesn't that sound familiar?) In the 200, the idea was: second woman ever under four minutes, first one in a get your hand to the wall, get your hand to the wall, get non-floating suit; and did break the World Record and your hand to the wall. And that is something that she went 8:13, as she had set-out to [do] the year before. It practiced over and over and over again. was really at that time that I thought: maybe that 8:10
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So, 2014, we walked out of Pan Pacs... those of you who and it is a credit to all the athletes who can are familiar with it at all, it was miserable down there. It do that under those circumstances. was sleeting, it was raining, it was windy; and she did not I flipped on the TV this morning—I am not even sure flinch. And that was probably the first time that I really what dumb TV show it was, one of those morning shows. appreciated what I thought she could do in the context Some girl who was going to put her foot behind her head of not-ideal racing conditions. And by not-ideal racing (I cannot demonstrate this), and she was going to jump conditions, I certainly include the Olympic Games in rope on one foot. I do not know why this made it to TV, that—that was a whole other education experience in but I was curious that I’m going to watch this. They itself. So coming out of Pan Pacs in 2014, we looked at showed this girl doing it on a this and a that, a film of the 8:05 and the 3:56 and we said: you know what, I think whatever. Then they walked out with the Guinness Book we are right on track, it is what we want to do, let us beat of World Records official person, in the blazer, standing to that. there, had the stopwatch and the World Record Coming out of the 2015 Worlds, she repeated again the certificate. And said, Alright, ready, go. same time in the 200. Oh, by the way, she had swum two I watched this woman three times promptly fail to do it. World Record 1,500s before it, but that was a minor You know, just having to do with the pressure of the detail. So I was not too worried about that; we were on moment. So when you take the athletes down to Rio, the right track. In all this time—and that is why I want to and they do it in a hailstorm in the dark, it is really, really repeat—the 100 and the 1,500 were just not something a credit to them and their preparation. I can honestly that we worried about. Train for the 400, we are going say: she may swim faster; I certainly hope that she does, to get pretty good at the 200 and 800 with that. 8:05, in the rest of her career. But I do not know that she will 3:56, get your hand to the wall in the 200 free. That is ever be better prepared than she was going down to Rio. what we walked into Rio with. So there is where we ended up. [2016] She was fortunate... I should not say fortunate Step 3: So that was step one and step two. Step three is: enough. Put her on the 400 Free Relay; obviously she did have a physiologically-based training program. It is all a great job with that, going 52.6. Won the 200, 3:56 in out there for you to read on the web. I can go into more the 400, and 8:04 in the 800. And it was really... you talk aspects of the training program. I have done it before— about what is rewarding as a coach, and culminating the I think it was last year’s talk here that I went into it a little journey with her over four years with that. I was very bit. I do a lot of Jon Urbanchek stuff. Dave Salo has a curious after her 400 free and she went 3:56. I was not Ph.D. in Physiology, I think. Have a foundation to your sure how she would respond to the media, the questions program that you believe in; believe it, sell it, stick with or anything about it, and really the first thing she shared it. And you have got to do it for years at a time; you can was that 3:56 was the goal. make little tweaks and changes along the way. But I I honestly thought she could have been a little faster, and really wonder about programs that are run: and one year I do not mean to be negative there. Rio... you know, Bob they are doing this, and next year they are doing that, Bowman likes to say that predictable results under and the year after that they are doing this. unpredictable conditions. He says: everybody can sink of Get your program, put some stakes in the ground. I a six-foot putt in their backyard, and then can you sink a prefer, certainly, they be physiologically-based; you six-foot putt at the Masters on Sunday. And then he says: know, something that is really based in science. Which, in the Olympics it is like doing a six-foot putt at the of course, as Forbes Carlile once said: half of it is wrong; Masters on Sunday in a hailstorm. And I would say: Rio we just don’t know which half. Get some stakes that you was doing that in a hailstorm in the dark. Those were think are going to work for your program and stick with some tough conditions to swim under, over the course of it, and do it for years at a time. seven or eight days. You can get everything from the late at night, to the dining facilities—which were substandard Here [slide] is a typical week for Katie. It is not rocket- from Olympic levels from what I am told—to a lot of science, it is not brand new; she does it really well. things. To step-up and do that is really a credit to her, Monday and Thursday afternoon, she does threshold;
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Tuesday and usually Friday afternoon, she does active who think they are working hard.
rest; Wednesday and Saturday, she does race pace, VO2 [Laughter] Your good boys. Then in June, max, broken swims, whatever sort of fits. It is... so much the sets are starting to get a little shorter. 8x200, 8x100, of it is stolen from Jon Urbanchek, ok. She does dryland straight through on that, no extra rest. Those are her Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. She works hard at typical Monday/Thursday afternoon workouts. It is not dryland. rocket-science.
And, honestly, I felt like if I could get through Monday, She was not this fast three or four years ago. I could put Tuesday and Wednesday without her breaking down, the comparison up, and it is kind of what I did for an that we had a good week. There were lots of times that active-rest set that I am going to show you here in a by the time she went Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; minute. Oh, I am sorry: this [slide] is another threshold that I was looking at Thursday, Friday, Saturday and I was set. This is in 2012. So in 2012, I was using 58.5 as her not sure how well she would hold up. She did not always. base pace—her average time for 3,000 swim. She almost broke 28:30 on her last 3,000 swim she did for me—that That is a struggle I had frequently throughout the year. is pretty fast too. On Monday or Tuesday, she would just be cranking it out, knocking down stuff that I had never seen before; and I [Note: The set is: 3 rounds of 1x300 negative split on 3:15, always had to challenge myself: do I let her go, knowing 3x150 pink on 1:45, 3x100 red on 1:15, 6x25 fast on 20, that come Friday and Saturday we might not get anything with a minute rest between rounds.] out of her, or do I even sort of pull her back in a little bit So in 2012, she was using 58.5 as a base; she was going and say: you know what, we’ve got a week’s worth of 1:27 and 56 on her 150s and her 100s. It is not rocket training we want to get done, let’s make sure we manage science. Again, it is 3,600 yards, get your heart rate up, the whole week. Usually, I would let her go because it keep it there, swim fast; keep it in a heart rate zone. was fun to watch and I was selfish. [Laughter] How fast can she go? How fast can she go? We would just watch Some of our tech-vendor people in the room, I am going that. to make a little advertisement for you, okay. If you have a real-time-based heart rate device, that I could put on I am going to give you an idea... everybody loves sets, ok. my athlete and I can watch their heart rate while they are It is boring. There you go: 10x300 on 3:20. How exciting swimming, I will buy it. Okay? I think there are a couple can that be? Not very. Do it. Okay. This was short of people that are close with it, but I have not seen one course yards. I tried [on slide] to make a conversion for that actually works and actually is going to give me real- long course meters time, because sometimes they get time heart rate while the athletes are swimming. that question. I think that is written down on the back of Because so much of the stuff is heart rate based. the workout. I think it was descend to 4 then hold the best you can 5-10. That is really good. [Laughter] I do So in 2012 and 2013, she is going 1:27 and she is going happen to remember the boys were not particularly 56-flat. 2014/2015, she is going 1:24.8, 54.6. The same good this day, and she beat the pants off of them. set, maybe a little bit less rest—I think I shortened the rest on the 300. Years at a time. If you have an athlete That is a Monday/Thursday workout. It is typical... I have that wants to go 14:30 in the mile in 2020, do not wait heard, not to mention any names, some people do until 2019 to start helping them get there. Put the 10x300 or 10x400 every single Monday. I choose not to progression in place; years at a time, multiple times a do that. Physiologically, I think it might be the right thing week, fifty weeks out of the year. to do. Psychologically, I do not know; maybe I do not want to watch it or maybe I do not think the athletes And then in 2015/2016, she is down to going 1:23s and would adapt to it or something like that. 10x300: how 53.6, okay. Those are the times that she would be exciting is that? expected to go. I got to the point that I was using 56-flat as her threshold pace. Did she really do that in a T30 [Next slide] Same type of thing again: 12x200, short swim? No. But it was good for her ego to challenge her course yards, four at 2:10, four at 2:05, four at 2:00, with what the 56-flat paces were. From a purist, descend by sets of four. Take these home to your boys
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physiological sense, this probably was not right. She is The reason I say be flexible: things happen. over here sitting, going: oh, he has got it all wrong; he is Everything from snow storms to pool falls not doing it the right way at all. I sold it to her: This is apart, or whatever it is; you have to change things. With what you need to do if you are going to go 3:56 and 8:05. her, it was more of the day... this was probably the hard This is where we were last year; this is where we need to hardest part of coaching her the last three years: there be this year. were days she would come in, she would do a warm-up, it would be fine, and we would start a set and she would Active-rest set, long course meters on this one. Tuesdays be awful. She would just be awful. and some Fridays. The only reason I say some Fridays is because sometimes I knew by the time we got to Friday I did not have to question her effort. I did not have to that she was exhausted from the week. Long course, 100 question whether she had gotten a good night sleep the meters, descend as you go. [Set is: 1x100 on 1:20, 100 night before. We actually started monitoring her sleep, easy on 1:30, 2x100 on 1:20, 100 easy on 1:30, 3x100 on which is really neat to do. I think I changed one practice 1:20, 100 easy on 1:30, 4x100 on 1:20, 100 easy on 1:30, in the last 18 months because of it. But anyway… 3x100 on 1:20, 100 easy on 1:30, 2x100 on 1:20, 100 easy She would be awful at practice sometimes, and I found I on 1:30, 1x100 on 1:20, 100 easy on 1:30. Ledecky was left with three options. started at 1:01.9 and descended to 57.3] 1. I could either get in her face and yell at her and tell It is no surprise that she can go 3:56, when she can do her that she needed to be better. I think that worked that on those 100s—it is just no surprise. You know, once over the last three years. And she was honest people would always ask me: was I surprised how fast back to me. She was like Yeah, I needed to get my she went and my answer always was: no, I always saw it shit together; I think was her exact statement. I did in practice beforehand. I was pretty sure she could, or not have to do that very often. So I could get in her faster. face a little bit. Did not even try that very often. 2. I could modify what we did. Change it up a little bit. There again, ask your fast boys to do this. They will love Switch her to backstroke, let her do that, so the times you for it. (Gosh, it looks good on paper, doesn’t it?) I were not staring her in the face. Whatever else, probably let her cheat and let her go early on the easy other creative thing, I could do to keep her going and 100s; so she was probably actually going the easy 100 on keep her in the context of the set. 1:50 each time. Pretty typical active-rest set. 3. Or my third option was to just cut it off. Just stop, go home, we are done, forget it, we will come back Broken swims, Wednesday, Saturday. Here again, you tomorrow. can see [on slide] the focus on the 400; you can see the emphasis on the 400 here. She would go 4x100 on 1:20 One of our practices in San Antonio, two weeks before and a 300 easy on 5:40. Let her recover on that. All four the Olympic Games, we were doing some work, rounds together. Her slowest 100 was 1:00.9; her last supposed to descend down to 800 pace and then hold, I four 100s she was 58.2. That is to the hand; do that to think, 800 pace for the rest of the set. I think she the feet, it sounds a whole lot like 3:56. I think. (Is my descended down to 1:03; she then went 1:04 on the next math good? Something like that. 6 tenths? Yeah, that is one. We had the bulk of the set still left. I am looking at about right.) So literally there to the hand; if you take my calendar and my watch, going: we have got two the time to the feet.... She is rehearsing her 400 frees, weeks before the Olympic Games. Asked her: did she feel over and over and over again. okay? Yeah, I feel okay. Cut off practice, went home.
[Back to Step 3 overall] And then I say be flexible. I love I tried not to panic. We had done it enough times that it having the plan. I sit down on Monday, and I know what did not really... was not too upset with anything. Came the plan looks like for the week. I do not really have to back that afternoon and swam pretty light, and the next worry about what we are going to do on Thursday; I know day we sort of resumed the training. what we are going to do on Thursday. I do not know the I do not know what it was that one day. I have a suspicion exact set, but I know what energy system we are going it might have been the 100+ degree heat that just sort of to be working with.
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got to her. At that point, we were monitoring her say, Hey, Katie Ledecky needs some long- hydration, so she was not technically dehydrated. Sleep course training. Can you help us out? was fine. She assured me nutrition was fine. Everything [Laughter] else... I do not know when I call the University of Maryland next That was my challenge of being flexible. So literally, we year and say Jimmy needs some long-course training; do just cut that practice off; two weeks before the Olympic you have any time, whether they will be able to do it for Games, who cares if you stink. Swam light that afternoon me or not. But it does not hurt to make the phone call and resumed the program the next day. It seems to have and find out. worked out okay. We do not have any dryland facilities where we train. So Step 4: Step 4... (We have five steps plus a bonus one. we spent three years partnering with an off-site program Remember that is how we are going to do this) Make to do our dryland off-site. It worked out really well. the very best of what you have. It does not do any good There again, you would be surprised with what they to complain about it—even though I sometimes do. would say at the health club that we use when we said: And then go out and get what you need. What do you Katie needs a little extra time in the gym. Do you think, really need for your program to be successful? Okay. you know, you can make it available? But this was What do you really need? Make the best of what you something we did for the last three years, certainly. have; go out and get what you need. I do not know about all of you; where we are, it is a short- A couple of things we did over the last year. We have got course meet schedule, certainly, from September to 8 lanes, 25 yards, September to June. 4-6 swimmers April. That is what is presented to us locally; that is all swim in a lane for most practices—remember that that we had available. We needed to race long course. I running a club team that you share with three other know the title of the talk was something about training teams in a fiscally-responsible way. I needed some more short-course to race long-course; I am not sure how space for training. So what did I do? I created this little much of that is really in here. Olympic training group; I think it was three people. We I think it is more important—strictly [my] professional came in... Katie was not going to school, so we could opinion here—to race long course than it is to even train come in mid-morning and run an extra workout. We did long course. Okay? If you are really targeting racing fast not do it ten practices a week; we did it two, maybe long course in August or July, race long course in January three, times a week. I think we started with one in and February; I think that is really important for you to September and we ended up with three by the time we go and do. We went to five Pro Series meets this year, in got to June. 2015-‘16. See if you can talk to your LSC into running a You need something like that, figure out a way to do it. long course meet in February or March, or something. I A lot of this is figure-it-out. am assuming most of the country is like we are: short course September to April, short course September to We only have short course from September until June— April. that is all we have. So what did we do? We took three separate training trips to the Olympic Training Center in Very fortunate: we had the most dominant female Colorado Springs. I think I spent eleven weeks there, swimmer in the world. We needed to get some racing between January and whenever the Games were. competition. Talked to the people that were hosting one of the meets we were going to go to, and said, “Hey, any You cannot just do that. We had to hire an extra coach, chance we can run the distance freestyle events as to cover for the program, really, when I was away. And combined gender?” They said sure. This is a we also grabbed some extra rented time at the conversation I had with David Marsh; he is the one who University of Maryland. You would be surprised what planted the seed. They said: Sure, we can do that. So I people will do for you—and I know that I have this luxury let Katie race against the males. at the moment and you do not, but they might do it for you too—when you pick up the phone and call them and
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We went up to University of Delaware in October, maybe I’m the swim coach, I’m supposed to be in the first week in November, in about four feet of water. charge.’ As the saying goes: the older you Put Katie in the water to swim the 500 free against some get, the less you know. Seek outside expertise; it is poor unsuspecting male distant swimmer, [Laughter] available, they will help you, they are happy to help you. known as my son. [Laughter] He went 4:26, which was As I said, we were monitoring her sleep, we were a pretty good swim for the middle of November in four monitoring her hydration, her nutrition and everything feet of water. She went 4:27, chasing him the whole way. else. Those people will help you. He got out and said: I had it the whole time. [Laughter] The High Performance staff at USA Swimming, sure I You know, that was just a creative racing opportunity. could pick up the phone and call them and they would There is no way, if we throw her in a regular competition, come visit me. You might have to pick up the phone and that she goes 4:27 doing that. call them and they will say hey, can we squeeze it in later The only downside to that was: six weeks later she swam this year, the calendar year or something like that. But in a single-gender race, and I think she went 4:27 again— they will certainly help you. or 4:28, I do not know. She was like: I can’t believe I went Step 5: Okay, step five: train to race, don’t train to train. that slowly because I went 4:27 in October or whatever it I am showing my age; I am showing you old school: we was. I think that was the difference between swimming were the toughest S.O.B. trainers out there, when I was all by herself, essentially. swimming. Sid Cassidy will attest to that. We were tough It was fun to chase Andrew [Gemmell] for four-and-a-half trainers. And we were the best trainers in the world, my minutes. She enjoyed it. She said it was the easiest 4:27 generation, which we still thump our chest at. But I think she ever went. I think it is the only 4:27 she ever went. we did a lot of our training to train, not our training to race. As you saw from some of the sets I had up there, Alright, do not tell Greg [Meehan] I said this, okay. Her she was practicing going 100 frees at 59-flat, because we American Record is 4:26. (Do not tell Greg I said this.) If wanted her to swim 100 frees at 59-flat in her 400 free— she does not go 4:22 next year at NCAAs, I will be that was the idea. surprised; assuming she stays healthy. Somebody is going to write that down and quote me on that, now that Her last 15 meters in the Rio 200 [Free] was a trained I said it. I really think that is what she... assuming she behavior; she worked on it. If you have watched the stays healthy, assuming she stays healthy, I think that is video (and maybe I’ll have time to put it up), Sarah what she is capable of doing. Sjöström pulled up just about even with her with 15 meters to go. Katie had practiced those last 15 meters, And then we also just sought out the best competition over and over and over again. She would do it Tuesday we could for her. That is hard, okay. You saw her morning at repeats, she would do it Friday afternoon at swimming some off-events at some meets sort of for that repeats; I did not have to remind her, I was very reason. To make sure that she was racing the last 100 of fortunate. We had a new coach start with us about a her 400. If she swam it freestyle, she probably would year-and-a-half ago. She watched Katie train for two or not; if we let her swim it IM, she would have to race that three weeks and said: she just does everything she needs last 100 of her 400 and get used to that. to do to get better. And that includes finishing those last What do we have at Nation’s Capital Swim Club? We 15 meters. have got a bunch of educated, knowledgeable, really- A huge part of Katie’s trained-behavior was training at good swimming coaches. But that is not enough race speed and race tempo. This [on slide] is from 2013, anymore. You have to have physiologists. You have to from Barcelona. You can see that the higher her tempo have nutritionists. You have to have strength and got, the faster she swam. At some point, there are conditioning. We tapped into USA Swimming; we tapped diminishing returns on this, but I think this, as a chart is a into every resource we can. Do not be afraid to do that. good thing to keep in mind. I watched her swim the 400 Maybe I am talking to myself as the younger coach, when Free in Barcelona at a 1.35 tempo—time per arm you are sitting there thinking ‘I’m supposed to know it all, revolution. Two years later, 2015, she swam her 800
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Free at Kazan at that same tempo. That was practiced daughter’s part; it was hard work on the behavior. nutritionist; and everything else. Okay.
I do not know how many times in practice, when we were You have got to run the extra practice when they need doing stuff... you know, there is the time on the watch, the extra practice. You cannot show up to a practice there is how many strokes she is taking—we can all do unprepared, if you have an athlete like Katie; she knows that—and then there is her race tempo—the tempo that it and they call you out on it. You’re just making this up, I wanted her swimming at. We trained that over and aren’t you? They know. You really have to. You have got over and over again. You do it enough... (I love this) [On to spend the time following-up on the doctor’s slide: race stats from 400 Free at 2016 Olympics]. That is appointment that she had because something is not trained behavior: she took 20.5 strokes for every lap quite right. You have got to spend the time meeting with expect for the first one. I do not know what she was the strength-and-conditioning coach because you know doing on lap three: she took an extra stroke. there is something that is not quite right there either.
We knew that that was what she wanted to do—we You have to take care of everything that you need to take knew that. We wanted to swim at 1.30 as our tempo. care of, and you need to take care of it twice. If you think Personally, I think it is probably operator error in it is hard to get an Olympic gold medalist, it is twice as measuring the tempo, here, as opposed to her variability. hard. It really is. I am serious when I say that, and I love those guys to And then I think you have to hope for a little bit of luck— death who do all that stuff for us for the stats, okay. let’s be honest, okay. We did a lot of things to help her We knew she wanted to swim that. 20.5 cycles, 1.3 stay healthy. A lot of really good things, from the sleep tempo; we did it over and over and over again. We did and nutrition and the follow-up medical appointments; 50s; we did 100s. We did more 100s; we did more 50s. but you have to have a little bit of luck. We did very few 150s; it is hard to maintain that in a I think my luck was that she stayed healthy. I think my training environment—I am talking long course here. luck was that there was not some sort of catastrophic Short course I would do 150s. If you are going to pull event in Rio that completely upset the Games entirely. I anything away from short course/long course of what I think my luck was that somebody did not find the exact am saying this morning: long course we probably did 50s right doping cocktail that was going work to have their and 100s 80% of the time; short course we probably did athlete go really-fast at that point in time. 100s and 150s the majority of the time. Probably my two most anxious moments in the whole But that is a trained-behavior. If you watch her 400, she process were... I think it was May, maybe even June, takes the same number of strokes every lap, at the same watching the NBA playoffs. One moment Steph Curry is tempo. If you watch her last turn in the 400, she comes healthy and leading the Golden State Warriors, and the off and goes about six dolphin kicks. Probably good for next moment he is on the ground grabbing his knee in two-thirds of the body-length on the rest of the field, pain. I thought to myself: ‘That could happen at any when you compare them to it. She practiced it; she time.’ Then, at the end of the Olympic Games, I was practiced it over and over and over and over again. feeling pretty good; Katie had swum all of her races Bonus step (#6): We have got the five steps that we except for the 800 Free and she was the prohibitive engaged in and we believed in. Step number six: work favorite in that certainly. And I watched Cate Campbell your ass off and hope for a little bit of luck. [Laughter] swim a 100 freestyle as the prohibitive favorite, and I remember: ‘Oops, anything can happen.’ Because Katie The work your ass off part is for the coach. I love it when did not swim her 800 until the next day. people watch Katie swim and say: oh my gosh, that looks so easy. It was hard work. It was hard work on me; it That is the bonus step. You as the coach, the team, the was hard work on the assistant coaches; it was hard work parents, the administrative staff, the trainers, the on administrative staff. It was hard work on my wife and assistant coaches, right on down the line, the teachers at Katie’s school, the administration at Katie’s school, you
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know everybody who helped-out along the way has to About once a week she would do an IM- work really hard. There is no shortcuts on that. And then centered set. If I was going to err, I at the end of the day I think you still have to ask for a probably should have done a little bit more of that. I little bit of luck. think backstroke is really good for her.
So that is what I have got: five steps and the one bonus Yes? step, in a nutshell. Any of them I could go into much [Audience Member]: Did Katie do a unique taper or did further depth. (From a time standpoint, everybody tells she some of the other distance swimmers generalized me you guys are supposed to be eating lunch.) I am not taper or did you have to mix it? going to let you go just yet, unless anyone has a question or wants to ask anything. Make me think about [Bruce Gemmell]: You know what, I do not think there is something I have not thought about yet. Yes? anything unique about her taper; I follow the same energy systems all the way down. If anything, I might [Audience Member]: Coach Gemmell, so you said mainly dial-back a day, if I have one that I know she wants to be you do really nothing over 300? I mean you said your good at. Follow the same energy system: instead of focus was more race pace. having a real aggressive active-rest set, if I want her to be [Gemmell]: Yeah, so much of it is race pace. We very really-good the next day, I might dial-it-back a little bit rarely go anything over 300 from a repeat standpoint. and make it not quite so demanding. You know, that is Probably once a year, we go a time 3,000. I think that is the part science, part art, part witchcraft, and part of as much for my confidence as it is hers, to make sure that what we do for taper. Say it enough times and they will she really is getting better from a threshold standpoint. believe it. She likes it. If she did not like it, I would probably find Yes? another way to reassure myself. [Audience Member]: How did you ensure her shoulders Anything else? Yes? were healthy through all of this? [Audience Member]: You show mostly her freestyle sets. [Bruce Gemmell]: You know, she has never had any How much was she doing in terms of IM training and stuff problems with her shoulders. She has got a really good like that? I know Yuri [Suguiyama] talked about her strength-and-conditioning coach that we worked with training prior to London, it included positive IM training over the three years. I loved that when I told him that as well. Was that popular? his role was to make sure she stayed healthy primarily, it [Bruce Gemmell]: She probably did. The question is: was not to make her stronger or jump higher—although what part of her training was IM training. She hates she can do some pretty good box jumps, it surprised backstroke, but I think it is really good for her, from a me—he understood that. He really bought into that and shoulder standpoint. I would say once a week we did an dedicated a portion of the program to keeping the IM-focused set. It was not always the same energy shoulders healthy. systems and not the same day. We went out to the Training Center and they did an When we went to the training camp in San Antonio and EAHP, Elite Athlete Health Profile, at one point. They Atlanta, I had her do... over that period of time, she did measure everything that they can possibly measure: in two sets with Maya (DiRado) and Melanie Margalis—and movements and strengths and ranges and everything somebody else was in there. I think after the second one, else. I get a report back, about 60 pages, and I think the which was about ten days out, she looked at me and said: third line in it said: the findings are remarkably That’s my last IM set before Rio. [Laughter] Believe me, unremarkable. So there is really nothing there. she tells me, sometimes, what we are going to do and I just got her... she is out at Stanford now, I just got some not do. snippets of her Stanford physical and they pretty much said the same thing. Except she is developing extra strength on one side of her lower back from breathing so
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much to the right side. Which, early season I have her do... it is not 50%, but I force her to do some left- side breathing. If you watched her London swim in the 800 free, at about lap 5 or 6 or 7, she takes a couple of breaths to her left side and almost comes to a complete stop. It is like: oh my God, don’t ever do that again. [Laughter] So we do not race that way; I do encourage her to train that way, sometimes, just from a balance standpoint.
Anything else? Good. Alright, go get lunch everybody. Thank you.
USA Swimming: Effort Charts Based on Capability and Skill By Robert Pinter, Head Coach of the Iowa Flyers Club Robert Pinter, Iowa Flyers Head Coach, has developed simplified effort charts that make sense to athletes in each capability and skill level. Great learning tool for athletes of all age and skill levels!
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Quotes of Reflection by Bill Sweetenham
“I listen intently to all the “experts”, usually people who have accomplished nothing, but profess to know everything, inform those who have accomplished things, on HOW they should do things, when the “experts” themselves have not had the ability or character to do it themselves. I have little tolerance for such people, however the world is full of them. An amazingly inverted relationship.” – Bill Sweetenham
Comment by John Leonard: Think of the word “research”. Consider that. RE-SEARCH. A COACH finds out that something appears to work. A Scientist “re-searches” to find out WHY it works. Often (more often than not) they cannot do so. But what they do is not creation that is the arc of the Coach. They “Re-Search”. A valuable role when it works.
How many of you use some sort of restricted breathing in training? Perhaps 90% of you? Right? You should realize that not one physiologist on earth can tell you WHY it works. But every coach and everyone who has EVER SWUM, knows that it helps you swim faster in a race. Science just doesn’t know that ‘I have a quote that has been used by many much. Period. And the Coach and Athlete is always well ahead of people before me… “Formula One Racing Cars Science. do not come off the Assembly Line. They are individually built and tested with standards that are ahead of the world’s best.” We so often hear the nonsensical statement from National Bodies that they are addressing world’s best practices in their “systems”. If it’s considered world best practices now, it’s already behind the curve you need to produce the NEXT GENERATION of medalists.’ – Bill Sweetenham
Comment by John Leonard: This brilliant explanation reinforces the view that NO SYSTEM, except Cheating, has ever produced Great Athletes. Great Athletes are produced by the one on one relationship between a brilliant idiosyncratic coach and a passionate athlete, prepared to do the new, the different, the unusual in partnership with the Coach. Bureaucrats who propose “systems” to create great athletes are delusional ego-driven morons who really think that someone sitting behind a desk has something to do with Greatness. Ironic and idiotic. History does not lie.
The Only SYSTEMS that ever worked were East Germany, China and Russia, with systematic DOPING.
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“Coaching to me has always been about the accumulation of knowledge and experience. This does not come cheaply or easily, and it does not come without an open mind and persistence in practice. The Winning Coach creates a personal path through the accumulation of knowledge and experience and other coaches will want to follow that example.
There have been many changes in coaching in the last 15 years. Whereas coaches 15 years ago had to experiment and research methods for themselves to develop winning knowledge, today they think they can do so at the touch of a button on the internet, which has “information overload” but without the significance of CONTEXT. This results in a false sense of knowledge that informs their decisions. Information without context is very dangerous to real coach development. ”
– Bill Sweetenham
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SECTION 2: RUNNING SWIMMING CLUBS THE ISSUE OF “BOARD VOTING” From the ASCA Swim Club Newsletter (2003 – Vol. 2, Issue 1)
The simple fact is that most swim clubs in the USA have Boards of Directors. How that Board chooses to conduct What if you can’t? Well, one of three options exist. First, its business is at the very heart of the success of the it may be a poor idea. Look at that. We all have one of swim club. At the heart of conducting business, is the those, now and again. Second, it may be a good idea issue of “voting.” that has potential for personal disagreement or political consequences within the organization, and people are Some of you reading this may think, “Well of course, reluctant to support it for that reason. Third, it may voting is the American way and it’s quite simple (except have the germ of a good idea, but needs substantial in the state of Florida).” In reality it’s more complex modification before anyone can get behind it. than it appears, especially in a small club environment where relationships can last for years and “everyone Our strong recommendation is to keep re-working and knows your vote.” The dynamics of small group modifying ideas until either they are acceptable to the interaction are anything but simple. overwhelming majority of the board if not unanimous, or drop the idea. A contentious issue that results in a 5- The problem, when one exists, is that when you vote, 4 vote for example, has little chance of assuming major there are “winners” and “losers.” Despite our mutual contribution status to your program since almost half investment in the democratic process, most losers are the Board opposes it, and will likely continue to unhappy and immediately adapt a “THEY decided” undermine it (like it or not, that is reality). mentality. Nothing can be more destructive on a Board of Directors. Nothing so fractionalizes the Board as a Try not to vote until it’s an affirmation. If you can’t sell vote. it to almost everyone, it’s an idea that needs more work. If you vote, you must make sure it is simply an affirmation of a previously agreed upon decision. And remember, no one joined your Board in order to get into unhappy situations, so keep the discussion How do things get decided on a swim club? outside the meeting until you build enough consensus to make it painless. First, someone makes a proposal. It can come from anyone, but in the best of all worlds, it would be “put on the table” by the person whom it affects the most. If it’s a coaching issue, the coach brings it forward. If it’s a financial decision, the treasurer brings it up, etc. Now comes the sticky part… if you discuss and proceed to vote, you may or may not have opposition to it, and get into the “winner-loser” thing. Avoid that like the plague.
Instead, whoever has an idea should discuss it outside the Board meeting on an informal basis with all the key players, including, we would hope with the head coach of the program. The job of the originator becomes one of a salesman… sell people on the need and validity of your idea. Gather support outside the meeting.
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COACH MANAGED OR DIRECTED CLUBS VERSUS PARENT OWNED, DIRECTED OR MANAGED CLUBS A Summary of ASCA Pilot Studies by John Leonard
1. Only one parent run club in the history of swimming So, what can the ordinary Parent owned or Parent won a national championship; the 1980 Cincinnati managed club learn from the above to improve their Marlins. Dennis Pursley, however, managed this club. operations?
Coach owned and directed clubs win the National 1. Institute Board of Directors with multi-year terms Championship every year. Excellence comes from Coach with no more than 1/3 of the Board changing in any directed clubs. given year, to build consistency and competency in to the volunteer leadership. 2. See how many parent owned and run clubs put people on the Olympic Team. The answer in 2000 was 2. Place the Coach on the Board of Directors with voice zero. In 1996, it was two. In 1992, it was one. and vote. Listen carefully to the coaches’ vision, and work to support on vision that all can agree with. Excellence comes from the uncompromised pursuit of excellence. 3. Consistency matters. Keep successful coaches in place. Measure them objectively and keep your 3. Look at the top SIZE clubs in the USA. Virtually 955 of personal biases at home, personal. Do what is best for the top twenty are coach run programs. the CLUB, not for you, as a board member.
Coach run programs are consistent with their 4. Give the successful coach a long term contract, and philosophy and grow the base better than the “work for something in that contract that will significantly include a new company every year” efforts of Parent owned the influence of the coach in the decision making clubs. Inconsistency kills retention. process. (Make the coach a member of the nominating committee?) 4. If USA-S could accurately track retention, the pilot studies would show that coach owned clubs lead the 5. Measure your retention, measure your requirement. nation in retention as well. Consistency pays dividends Know how it compares to your local competition. in athlete happiness. Demand that USA-S get their MIS department in order, so you can compare nationally. 5. Statistically, the percentage of athletes at the national level of swimming from parent owned clubs is 6. Run Learn to Swim Programs. It’s the base of all swim tiny compared to coach owned or coach run programs. team success. (Contact ASCA’s SwimAmerica LTS Program at 1-800-356-2722). Excellence comes from Coach owned or Coach run programs. So does retention becomes retention comes 7. Allow, encourage and demand that your top coach from consistency of coach staff and Philosophy. work hard on improving your top athletes…. ALL athletes need local stars and local heroes to lead them, So does recruitment of athletes because parent-owned and to look up to. It takes special effort to Nurture clubs do not run learn to swim programs, while many heroes. Coach owned programs do so. The base of USA-S comes from quality learn to swim programs. 8. Do a careful job of hiring your next coach. Make sure their goals and interests align well with yours. Consistency counts, too many transitions from Coach to Coach kills squad enthusiasm.
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WHAT IS A “GOOD COACH?” By Guy Edson
What is a good Coach? What is good coaching? What is a good staff? What should an athlete expect from their coach? What should a parent expect from their coach?
Good coaches are: Educated, accountable, responsible, respectful, Not’s: trustworthy, dependable, honest, consistent, approachable, good listeners, organized, Coaches are not: professional, committed, contributors, good role Babysitters, cheerleaders, perfect role models, models. capable of being “fair” to everyone, infallible.
Good coaching is being: Good Coaching is not: Goal oriented, value driven, demanding, organized, Coddling, is not compromising on standards, is not progressive, conscious of technique, full of energy, ignoring technique, is not failing to listen caring, observant, flexible, courageous, involved. A Good Staff: A good staff: Is not concerned about getting credit for an Is led by the head coach, meets every week or two athlete, does not use the term “they” to describe to discuss administration, meets every week or two the actions of the staff. to explore educational topics, coordinates move up criteria, sets progressions for the long term benefit Athletes should not expect their coach to give of the athletes, is accessible, answers to and is loyal them more attention that they earn. to the head coach. Parents should not expect the coach to complete Athletes should expect their coaches to: the parent’s agenda for the child, to be on call 24 Challenge them, help them set goals, listen, hours a day, to make their child keep up with all provide assistance with technique, create the other children, to make their child love meaningful and productive training plans, conduct swimming. workouts with enthusiasm.
Parents should expect: Respect for their values, open communication, and that their children are safe, happy, and improving,
that the coach is the technical expert.
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SECTION 3: SPORT POLITICS AND CHANGING THE WORLD OF OLYMPIC SPORT NO ONE WILL HELP US… By John Leonard
Dear Coaches, Colleagues and Friends,
NO one will help us if we do not help ourselves. Bureaucrats, “administrators”, Public Relations people and functionaries do not produce athletes. Coaches produce athletes.
Yet, looking at Athletes bios from Federations and related groups, it is infrequent and inconsistent, that the COACH AND CLUB of the athlete is listed. This fails to recognize the fine work of us as professionals and leaves the impression in the reader’s mind that this athlete developed in some vague vacuum. Worse, it leaves the contact for journalists, who wish to discuss the athlete, with the Public Relations functionaries of the organization providing the biography, rather than with the coach, who is the true expert on the development of the athlete.
The REMEDY is simple. Ask/Demand/Require your Swimming Federation and related organizations to INCLUDE the Coaches name and Club or training affiliation with every personal profile of your athlete.
This allows journalists (who have often been our closest allies in major international arguments with the federations) to properly and completely do their job, and to have your work stand a better chance to be recognized in Media Reports. (If Journalists on deadline can’t find something like a coach’s name with relative ease, the clock makes the decision, they leave the coaches name OUT.)
Please contact your federation today and ask that Coaches Names and Clubs are included in the biographies of all athletes that they provide.
Help the sport, help yourself and your fellow professional coaches.
All the Best,
John Leonard WSCA Executive Director
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THE PATH TO CLEAN SWIMMING (EL CAMINO HACIA EL DEPORTE LIMPIO) By John Leonard (Por John Leonard)
We see admirable courageous stances by athletes from multiple nations in Rio with regard to the immediate Here are the SIMPLE (not easy, but SIMPLE) steps: and important need to protect our sport. (Aqui se explican unos pasos SIMPLES) no faciles, pero SIMPLES): (Hemos visto admirables y valientes declaraciones hechas por atletas de diferentes naciones en Rio en 1. The real power in sport is with the athletes. Read relacion a la inmediata e importante necesidad de that again three times. As athletes, you have become so proteger nuestro deporte). used to the mindset of “big brother IOC will take care of all” that now that trust has been betrayed, you have not This comes about because the IOC and its subsidiary realized ITS ALL ABOUT YOU. Your heart, soul, passion International Federation Puppets such as FINA in our and BODY are what the IOC is getting rich on, and all the sport, have abdicated their moral responsibility to IF’s underneath them as well, (Read FINA, with their protect and preserve the sanctity of Olympic Ideals and 100 Million in the bank while you starve.) Values. They have revealed themselves as simply a financial machine generating BILLIONS of dollars while (El verdadero poder reside en los atletas. Lee eso tres sharing pittances with the Athletes on whose backs veces mas. Como atletas, ustedes se han acostumbrado those dollars are generated, AND THEN, they are so mucho a que el “COI se encarge de todo”. Pero ahora arrogant as to ask the athletes to protect their private que esa confianze se ha traicionado, aun no te das money generating circus by not protesting the cuenta de que EN VERDAD SE TRATA DE TI. Tu Corazon, prostitution of clean sport, as FINA and the IOC have tu alma, tu passion y tu CUERPO, es lo que ha usado el done by allowing the doper to swim. COI para hacerce rico, y con el COI, todas las federaciones internacionales. Date cuenta de que FINA (Esto esta sucediendo porque el COI y sus titeres tiene alrededor de 100 milliones en su cuenta de banco, subsidiarias Federaciones Internacionales, como la FINA mientras tu batallas.) en nuestro deporte, han fallado en su responsabilidad moral de proteger y perseverar los valores e ideales 2. ATHLETES MUST UNITE, form your own organization olimpicos. Ellos simplemente se han revelado como and TELL THE IOC under WHAT CONDITIONS YOU WILL maquinas financieras generado BILLONES de dolares, PARTICIPATE IN THEIR CIRCUS. (Suggestions on repartiendo centavos a los atletas, a pesar de que es conditions to follow.) por los atletas que ese dinero se genera, Y LUEGO, ellos son tan arrogantes de pedir a los nadadores, para (LOS ATLETAS SE DEBEN DE UNIR, desde su proteger sus ganancias privadas, que dejen de protestar organizacion, y DECIRLE AL COL bajo QUE CONDICIONES en favor del deporte limpio, ya que FINA y el COI se han TU PARTICIPARAS EN SU CIRCO. Sugerencias anunciadas prostituido permitiendo competir a los atletas abajo). dopados). 3. And PS. You can run your own Swim Circuit without Which leaves us with “WHAT TO DO?” them, earn REAL money, and be in control of your (lo que nos deja con “QUE HACEMOS”?) destiny. See GOLF and TENNIS. I am here to help you do it, when you are ready and I have a team in place to
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help you do it. And I won’t accept an American nickel to threatens their bank account. Note to the do it. No money for me. USOC – why hold an Olympics in Los This is about you and generations to follow. I want my Angeles when it’s just another corrupt operation children who coach, to be able to coach CLEAN serving no clean athletes….? When you cave in to the ATHLETES and aspire to win in the generations ahead. IOC on everything, to get the Games in LA, YOU STAND That’s my personal motivation for the cynics to FOR NOTHING! ATHLETES, DEMAND A REBUILD of understand. WADA. And real power for WADA to set rules, tests for doping and ENFORCE RULES FOR ALL OF OLYMPIC (Y PD. Ustedes pueden corer su propio circuito sin ellos, SPORT. ganar dinero REAL, y tener el control de tu destino. Observemos el GOLDF y el TENNIS. Estoy aqui para (WADA tiene que ser reconstruida, con una real ayudarte, y tengo un equipo para entrar en accion reforma antidopaje. Yo sugiero a Travis Tygert, de cuando estes listo para dar el paso. No dinero para mi. USADA. El UNICO administrador de todos los deportes Esto es para ti y futuras generaciones. Quiero que los que EN VERDAD HA HABLADO FUERTE port i. El es real. entrenadores de ahora, tengan la oportunidad de El esta en pleito con USOC porque hay mucha falsedad hacerlo para ATLETAS LIMPIOS, y aspiren a ganar en el escondida detras del sin sentido “cero tolerancia”. La future. Esa es mi motivacion personal para que los UNICA CERO TOLERANCIA que ellos reconocen es la que cinicos entiendan.) afecta sus cuentas bancarias. Nota para USOC-porque ser sede de unos juegos olimpicos en Los Angeles, 4. Once you have a viable option to the IOC and their cuando en verdad es otra operacion corrupta que sirve Circus, you are in control. Yes, keep the Olympics, but a los atletas tramposos..?.. cuando te metes en verdad have it drug free, have it the way you dreamed of it al centro del COI para obtener los Juegos en Los when you were a child and emerging elite athletes. Not Angeles, TU DEFIENDES NADA. ATLETAS DEMANDAN the cynical freak show of today, all marketing, no soul. UN WADA RECONSTRUIDA. Y real poder para que Value your Dreams. They can be real. They can be real. WADA establezca reglas, examines de dopaje y They can be real. APLIQUE LAS REGLAS PARA TODOS LOS DEPORTES OLIMPICOS). (Una ves que tengas una opcion viable al COI y su circo, tendras el control. Si, mantengamos los Olimpicos, pero B. A thing called “HIGH TROUGHPUT TESTING” which libre de drogas, tenerlo de la manera en que sonabas exists TODAY, can find the doping needle in the cuando eras un nino e iniciando tu Carrera de nadador. haystack that current testing can’t. It can immediately No como el show cinico y de locura que tenemos hoy, create CLEAN SPORT. Why don’t “they” use it now? todo es mercancia, sin alma. Valora tus suenos. Pueden Because they don’t want clean sport, they want the ser reales. Pueden ser reales. Pueden ser reales.) charade of “Zero Tolerance” rhetoric. The Science EXISTS NOW. ATHLETES, INSIST WE USE 2016 Science 5. What conditions do you want? Here are to catch 2016 cheats, NOT 1950’s technology which is “suggestions”. what is used now. (Que condiciones seran las que querras? Aqui te van unas ‘sugerencias’): (Algo Ilamado “PRUEBAS DE ALTO RENDIMIENTO” que existe HOY, puede encontrar la aguja en el pajar que el A.) WADA must be rebuilt with a REAL anti-doping actual Sistema no puede. Puede crear inmediatamente reformer at the helm. (I suggest Travis Tygert, of DEPORTE LIMPIO. Porque no lo ‘usan’ ahora?. Porque USADA, the ONLY administrator in all sport to truly ellos no quieren deporte limpio, ellos solo quieren el SPEAK UP for you. He’s real. He’s at odds with the USOC juego de “Zero Tolerancia”. La Ciencia EXISTE AHORA. because they are just more fakers hiding behind ATLETAS, INSISTAN QUE SE USE LA CIENCIA DEL 2016 nonsense like “Zero Tolerance.” The only ZERO PARA DETECTAR A LOS TRAMPOSOS DEL 2016. No usar TOLERANCE they recognize is for anything that
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tecnologia de los anos 1950’s, que es los que usan ahora).
C.) MONEY – It’s all about the money right now, isn’t it? Q: WHY DID THE WSCA Why are the IOC making BILLIONS while you struggle to get the money to eat and keep a roof over your head? DECIDE TO CHANGE ITS ATHLETES, insist on a fair distribution of revenue to keep YOU at the center of the picture. How? See number two above. APPROACH TO FINA AND
(DINERO. El dia de hoy, todo es acerca del dinero THE WSA FROM 2010 TO verdad? Porque el COI esta ganando BILLONES mientras los deportistas batallan para obtener el apoyo para 2015? comer y mantener un techo sobre sus cabezas? By George Block DEPORTISTAS, insitan en una distribucion justa de In 2010, at the WSCA Convention in Indianapolis, the ganacias para manterte a TI como el centro de la foto. WSCA Board gave two (2) instructions to our Executive Como? Porfavor ve el punto dos descrito arriba.) Director. The first was to work with the FINA Executive
Director, if possible and productive, and if not, the Athletes, every problem that frustrates you and your second imperative was to “blow FINA up.” No coaches and the entire world that wants CLEAN SPORT, explosives were transferred. The second instruction was can be solved by YOU. Unite. OWN YOUR SPORT. Many a bit metaphoric. of us are here to help you. Fix swimming for your
generation and hundreds of generations to come. You What the metaphor referred to was the understanding have the power to do it. Use it. Please. (both academically and pragmatically) that it is easier to
blow up an existing large, bureaucratic organization (Atletas, todos los problemas que te frustran a ti y a tus and start over, than it is to significantly reform that entrenadores, y probablemente al mundo entero que same organization. We had lived through the busca tener DEPORTE LIMPIO, pueden ser resueltos por experience in the US. The AAU was no longer serving its TI. Unidos. HAZTE DUENO DE TU DEPORTE. Muchos member sports well, so Swimming lit the fuse to blow estamos aqui para ayudarte. Arregla la natacion para tu up the AAU and start over with the current NGB format generacion y para las futuras generaciones que estan that everyone recognizes today. At the same time, the por venir. Tienes el poder para hacerlo. Usalo. Olympic House was no longer serving the needs of Porfavor.) Olympic athletes, so Congress blew it up and chartered
the USOC that we all know today, as well. John Leonard
American and World Swimming Coaches Association The WSCA Executive Director, John Leonard, tried to [email protected] work with the FINA Executive Director, Cornel Marculescu, on two, specific issues, but after losing the battle over the plastic-bag suits to the world’s coaches and federations, Marculescu was doing everything possible to avoid the coaches from growing their voice in the sport, while controlling that of the federations. Simultaneously, we saw doping growing rapidly again, completely unchecked, and – if rumors were true – even aided, by FINA.
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The five (5) years from 2010-2015 were largely spent trying to “work within the system” to get international The NFs were in the same, unproductive federations (Ifs) and national federations (NFs) to position as publicly-help American corporations that seriously take on FINA and WADA about the growing often have to sacrifice long-term health for short-term evidence of doping. Neither approach was effective. profits. The NFs lived from year-to-year, completely dependent on FINA performances, while the NOCs lived By the time the WSCA Board convened in Cleveland in from quad to quad, completely dependent on Olympic 2015, the rumors we had heard about doping and performances. The NFs couldn’t do anything that could bribery across the spectrum in world sport were being negatively impact FINA relationships. The NOCs exposed. The elected leaders of FIFA had been couldn’t do anything that could negatively impact IOC handcuffed and police escorted, in their pajamas, out of relationships. a luxury Swiss hotel. The IAAF (international track and field) was neck deep in the worst doping scandal in the The coaches had a different perspective. The history of sport, while a blue-ribbon commission was fundamental ethics of coaching is to protect the long- wrapping up its investigation into Russian doping term career of the swimmer and the long-term health (suspiciously delayed until after Russian World of our sport. Any compromise to that long-term Championships). Additionally, the IOC targeted FINA’s approach is viewed as unethical. The coaches around traditional poor governance practices in its own sports the table recognized that their friends in their own NFs governance reform effort for itself and its member Ifs and NOCs were captive to a short-term existence. Only and National Olympic Committees (NOCs). the coaches were free to look toward and build toward a long-term solution. When the WSCA members gathered around the board table in Cleveland, no longer did people think we Instead of being frustrated that our NFs couldn’t fight needed to blow up FINA. It seemed to be doing a fine FINA or the IOC, the coaches (paraphrasing Anderson job of blowing itself up. The WSA Board wanted to and Adams in Mastering Leadership) decided to create a safe place to go when FINA imploded. With the “enthusiastically embrace the challenge of being help of two, international law firms, WSCA developed responsible for the future of the sport and for creating the framework of a World Swimming Association the future to which every member aspired.” The Constitution and By-laws that could be developed in coaches left the short term to their federations and detail online by the coaches and swimmers of the decided to create an alternative international world. That effort is well underway. organization that every swimmer, coach, official, family member and swimming fan could affirmatively In 2010, the world’s coaches wanted to enlist the help and individually join (since none of us actually join of all of our NFs to get FINA and WADA to reform FINA). themselves. By 2015, perspective had changed. Every coach around the table had long-term, deep friendships This organization would be lean, single-sport with many members of their own NF. They generally (swimming only) and mission driven. The mission realized that both the staff and elected officials in our would be to teach the world to swim for safety, health NFs were in an impossible situation. and fitness. Sponsors would be challenged to develop 6- lane, instructional and training pools that could be The NF staff and officials were significantly dependent maintained and sanitized with off-the-shelf parts and (and in many cases completely dependent) in NOC or sanitizers. governmental funding, which was often the same thing, government funding passed through NOCs to NFs. Swim schools and seasonal swim teams would provide Those funds were completely dependent on the broad base of membership, with national age group performances at FINA-controlled world championships participation and performance serving as the real and the Olympic Games. measure of success.
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enforcer of our sport. They failed us on Elite performance would not be the purpose of, but the artificial aids (plastic bag suits). They have result of, the efforts of this organization. Elite failed us for decades on performance would be both the celebration of and the catalyst for grass-roots development. doping. They even fail to enforce their own lax governance rules (giving its highest award to Putin). We With both coaches and swimmers worldwide agreed on cannot let them continue to fail in enforcement. the type of organization we want (mission driven, athlete centered, and professional managed) all we had The World Swimming Association (WSA) will be to do was harness the power of the internet to “open mission driven. It will be transparent financially and source” the development of the World Swimming politically. It will be voluntary. No one will be forced to Association. join. It will be financially fair to its athlete members. It will protect those athletes from doping and scandal. Membership will soon be available for anyone who wants to join at the ground floor and be a part of its With coaches and athletes agreeing on both mission development. In 2017, in Washington D.C. we will have and outcomes, it doesn’t take a lot of money to start our first Quadrennial Convention. Meets and programs the organization, but money will follow. Money can be will start shortly after that. forced to move corruptly, or it can be allowed to flow freely and follow good governance, a noble mission and We will respect the role of FINA as the rule-making superb, clean athletes. body of our sport, however since FINA failed to enforce those rules, we will not respect them as the rule
ANTI-DOPING TO A MEMBER OF THE USA SENATE By George Block Peter A. Feldman Majority Counsel Chairman John Thune (R-SD) U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Peter –
Thank you for the opportunity to submit some potential questions on behalf of the World Swimming Coaches Association. I will try to give you a little background/context for these questions, since you have not spent the past decades in the Doping Wars, as much as the world coaching community has.
The end-point for all of us is that if we don’t fix this, the point comes when we talk to the parents of a very talented 11- year old girl and have to say, “The next step is to start taking drugs.” No one wants to go there. That is what keeps coaches up at night.
I think the three areas that concern coaches the most are testing, process and structure. I will start with testing, since that is both the most technical and under the microscope right now.
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TESTING BACKGROUND In 1994, the WSCA voted to ask FINA to adopt a passport system, whereby an athlete would have to submit to intense testing for two (2) years prior to his or her first World Championships or Olympic Games. The cost of the testing would be borne by the athlete (or the athlete’s sponsors, federations, etc.).
There would be not testers wandering the countryside. Instead, WADA would establish testing centers in all of the areas known to produce World and Olympic medalists. It would be the athlete’s responsibility to present him or her self for testing. A missed test would be a failed test. WADA would frequently rotate the staffs at these centers to avoid the potential for bribes, threats and corruption.
More important was to stay current with technology. As of today, we are trying to catch 2016 cheaters with 1946 technology. Currently, there is a list of banned drugs. All a chemist has to do is move one carbon atom around and the drug is no longer one on the list. High Throughput technology – commonly used in medical, forensic and food safety testing – basically scans blood, urine or breath for anything that is not blood, urine or breath. When something spikes, scientists take a close look to see what it is and can tell if it is performance enhancing, a masking agent, or even a disease indicator.
Under the current “banned list,” doping has become an IQ test. Only stupid people use drugs on the banned list. If the current system was effective, testing would be catching dopers. It hasn’t. Only informers and police work have made any significant headway (i.e. the Russian, state-sponsored system, Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, etc.)
POTENTIAL TESTING QUESTIONS 1.) Is WADA taking advantage of current, established technologies to develop unbiased, high throughput protocols for analysis of samples?
Note: Unbiased means that you analyze all detectable molecules in a sample, not a targeted list of molecules. [ Examples of current, established, high throughput technologies are metabolomics (Mass spectrometry based) and transcriptomics (Sequencer based.)]
a.) If so,
1. When does WADA anticipate implementing these protocols?
2. What is the plan to collect normative data to use as the reference that will indicate sample “unknowns” deviate from the normal range and may indicate evidence of doping?
b.) If not,
1. Why not? 2. What is WADA’s strategy to identify engineered substances that differ from what is included on the banned substance list?
2.) If WADA is moving to use unbiased, high throughput protocols, will that include expanding the types of samples collected for analysis such as breath samples?
a.) If so,
1. When does WAA anticipate including analysis of additional sample types? 2. What is the plan to collect normative data to use as the reference that will indicate sample “unknowns” deviate from the normal range and may indicate evidence of doping?
b.) If not,
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1. Why not?
3.) What is WADA’s strategy to identify individuals who are cheating through genetic manipulation?
PROCESS BACKGROUND
One of the ironies of this crises is that the current rules aren’t so bad, it is just that the international organizations don’t follow their own rules! That is incredibly frustrating to coaches, athletes, journalists and non-sport political leaders.
The other side of the process issue is that there are so many steps both from the testing side (athlete identification, drug panel selection, collection, transportation, analysis and reporting) and from the reporting and adjudication side that each step is subject to both delay and corruption.
POTENTIAL PROCESS QUESTIONS
1. Why does WADA not penalize nations/federations/swimmers and others for missing reporting deadlines on doping cases? In the case of Sun Yang (CHN), WADA indicated in November 2014 in response to media questions that the case was news to it. Given that the positive test was delivered on May 17 that year, reporting deadlines were clearly missed.
a.) What did WADA do about this?
b. How regularly does WADA overlook its rules on reporting deadlines?
c. Why?
2. Chinese swimming produced three positive tests in September/October 2015. These came to light only when The Times of London and SwimVortex (website) reported the fears of whistleblowers in China. There were three more positive tests in January this year, but there has been no information on those cases and we are now heading to August. What are the issues that hold these cases up, given that there is no evidence of any legal process involved?
3. FINA imposed a temporary suspension on Yuliya Efimova (RUS). WADA persuaded FINA to remove that suspension, even though she was a previously suspended swimmer. Why? The case is therefore left in complete limbo with no one in swimming willing or able to say whether Russia’s selection of this swimmer, with one ban on her record before the meldonium tests of 2016, for Rio 2016 will result in her racing at the Games again. That causes vast uncertainty for clean athletes and their coaches. Does WADA not feel it has a responsibility to ensure clarity instead of simply saying ‘it is in FINA’s hands’?
STRUCTURE BACKGROUND
Eventually, this all ends up on the doorstep of the IOC. An example would be the situation in American Swimming today. There are horrible fears in the coaching community exposing our athletes, especially females entering their reproductive years, to the chemically and biologically contaminated waters off Rio. If the East Germans were complicit about putting chemicals in to young people without knowing their long-term effects, are we equally complicit when we put our young people in to chemicals without knowing their long-term effects?
Our National Governing Body (NGB) is USA Swimming. They are dependent on the USOC for significant funding for our National Team. When they bring this issue up to the USOC, they are told, “We (the USOC) are monitoring it.” USA Swimming can’t press too hard, because they don’t want to get crossways with their major funding source. When the USOC does follow u, they are told by the IOC, “We (the IOC) are monitoring it.” The USOC can’t make a stink with the IOC, because nearly 100% of its attention is focused on getting the 2024 Games to Los Angeles. At every step, there are massive conflicts of interest, yet at none of the steps is athlete welfare primary, other than in press releases.
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POTENTIAL STRUCTURE QUESTIONS
1. Does Mr. Reedie see the potential conflict of interest between his dual roles in both the IOC and WADA? His letter to the Commerce Committee simply said “There was no conflict,” when email exchanges between Mr. Reedie and Lord Coe demonstrated otherwise.
2. Does Mr. Reedie see the potential perception of a conflict of interest between his dual roles in both the IOC and WADA?
3. Is that potential perception damaging to the credibility of both organizations and international sport itself?
4. Does that potential perception build or damage the trust of the athletes you are sworn to protect?
5. If (as in his letter stated) WADA saw all these deficiencies in the powers it was granted (in order to protect clean athletes), why was WADA so slow (in fact, we are not sure they ever DID ask) to ask for the proper investigative powers to do the job they were charged with? This is slow walking the process to an effective death. In point of fact, they let EVERYONE down. HE let everyone down.
6. Mr. Reedie, what do you see as WADA’s job? What he has said, amounts to, “Not our job”. Rubbish. Their job was clean sport, not “merely” proper, highly limited testing. If they didn’t have the correct tools, why did they not ask for them? This IS the conflict! He didn’t WANT to rock the boat.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit some potential questions. At least the coaches in the United States will know that someone is listening.
George Block, President World Swimming Coaches Association
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICES: George Block, USA (President) Americas (Main Office): World Swimming Coaches Association Bob Bowman, USA World Swimming Coaches Association Dave Johnson, Canada 5101 NW 21st Avenue, Suite 530 Larry Laursen, Namibia Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 John Leonard, USA USA Ron McKeon, Australia Tel: +1(954)563-4930 Jon Rudd, Great Britain Fax: +1(954)563-9813 Tony Shaw, Australia
Staff: PAST PRESIDENTS: John Leonard (Executive Director) Niels Bouws, Germany Jackie Norgren Peter Daland, USA
Yutaka Terao, Japan – Founder of WSCA Alan Thompson, Australia Michael Ursu, Australia
WEBSITE:: http://www.wscacoach.org/
EMAIL: [email protected]
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