PUTTING the SWIMMER FIRST by John Lohn
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PUTTING THE SWIMMER FIRST By John Lohn The following article appeared in Swimming World Magazine in May 2006: As the woman carrying the distance banner for the United States, Kate Ziegler has excelled under a heap of pressure. After all, comparisons to Janet Evans--the greatest female distance swimmer in history--carry significant weight. Yet, Ziegler has handled her situation with aplomb. She has remained focused on her program and goals, while allowing her talent to speak volumes. Last summer, Ziegler made her biggest splash on the international scene at the World Championships in Montreal. Matching the hype that surrounded her prior to the competition, Ziegler popped gold-medal performances in the 800 and 1500 freestyle events. Consider the efforts as statements toward the future: “Beijing, here I come.” Since the summer, Ziegler has continued to flourish. Aside from setting an American record in the 800 meter freestyle during the New York stop of the FINA World Cup Series, Ziegler also erased Evans’ name from the short course record book. Contesting the 500 yard free at the Washington Metropolitan Championships, Ziegler covered the distance in an American record time of 4:33.35, well under the former standard of 4:34.39, which had stood since the 1990 NCAA Championships. Of course, Ziegler’s gift accounts for only a segment of her equation for success. The other major element is her training regimen, coordinated by Ray Benecki. The founder of The FISH Swim Team, Benecki has molded Ziegler into a star, doing so with an open-minded approach that includes adjusting workouts to the specific needs of his athletes. Here’s a glimpse of Benecki's training philosophy, along with a look at his progression with Ziegler, who joined The FISH in 2000 and moved into its senior group in 2001. WIDE RANGE OF TRAINING When Benecki began coaching, he leaned toward high-volume training--sets that featured longer swims. But over time, Benecki’s program began to incorporate a wide range of training. “The program used to be old school, with a lot of longer swims,” Benecki admits. “But in Kate’s second year with the program, it became apparent that she had the speed and could be a good distance swimmer. So we evolved the program and took the philosophy of doing more sprinting and speed work. “But we would mix it up with short and long sets as well as pace sets. Variety is one big factor in training, and the other is changing speed--from sprinting to middle distance to distance. I think after establishing a solid base and conditioning, the program must accommodate the special needs of a swimmer.” During a typical week, Ziegler adheres to a program that requires seven in-water sessions and a handful of Pilates workouts. While Ziegler’s number of weekly workouts may seem low in comparison to other distance aces, the intensity of her pool time is eye-popping. As part of his design, Benecki affords minimal rest time between sets. His workouts also routinely feature inspirational quotations. * On Monday, Benecki usually permits his swimmers to design their own workouts. This system allows his athletes to work on areas--perhaps starts and turns--that they feel require additional attention. The day involves 90 minutes of pool time along with a Pilates workout. While following the Pilates aspect of the workout, Ziegler does not normally enter the water on Mondays. * On Tuesday and Thursday, Benecki’s crew does double duty. Following a long course workout in the morning, the members of The FISH hit the water for short course training in the evening. * On Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, Benecki puts his swimmers through short course work, although the Wednesday schedule is accompanied by Pilates. As for Friday, it is the one day of the week in which Benecki’s athletes are free from the water. “It’s the best thing we’ve done,” Benecki said, referring to the installation of long course training to the regular routine. “There was no urgent need, but when Kate started making her national cuts, we couldn’t wait to get started. That was four years ago. It’s really important to feel comfortable in a varied element, and it also keeps the conditioning up. In the summer, I feel there might be a loss in speed by doing it all along, so during that time, we’ll make sure to keep the heart rate up and work on turns.” A NEED FOR ADJUSTMENT In his time with Ziegler, Benecki has adjusted his program both out of necessity and by design. In the spring of 2003, while jumping into the pool, Ziegler suffered broken bones in both of her ankles--injuries that required casting. Rather than throw away several weeks of training, Benecki placed floaties on the casts to keep Ziegler buoyant and, most important, in the water. Even today, due to tendinitis in Ziegler’s ankles, Benecki will not have Ziegler wear fins. He has also modified her kicking sets to alleviate the strain on her lower extremities. As for stroke work, Ziegler does less these days than she put in a few years ago. Part of that decision revolves around the soreness brought about by breaststroke kicking. The decision, too, has been influenced by a simple reason: Ziegler is a distance freestyle specialist and reaps more rewards from working in that domain. However, Benecki has kept the door ajar for his latest phenom, Chloe Sutton. Not yet defined by a specialty, Sutton remains connected to a more diverse program. Already cemented as the globe’s elite freestyler over the longest distances, Ziegler is hoping to make an impact on the international stage in the 200 and 400 disciplines. Not only would the expanded arsenal add to Ziegler’s mystique, but her ability to find success in the 200 would create further opportunities, namely the chance to represent the United States in relay action. Not surprisingly, Benecki is going to continue to amp up the workouts. “Every year, I tweak things some by modifying one of every four sets or so,” Benecki said. “Kate said this year has felt harder. We expect her to swim the workouts faster, and the quality is going to increase. She’s real tough and worked her butt off coming through the program. She always pushes herself. “Everyone who watches the Olympics really gets into the relays. They’re the most patriotic races. Who doesn’t remember the U.S. women’s 800 free relay from Athens--how they were acting during the race and after? They had so much fun. I would love to see Kate on that relay.” Her training path could produce just that result. John Lohn is SwimmingWorldMagazine.com’s newsmaster and a sportswriter for the Delaware County Daily Times. .