By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Whittney Hamilton of Roanoke, Virginia verbally committed to the University of Tennessee, where she will be a second-generation member of the Volunteers’ swimming and diving team. Her father, Skip Hamilton, was a four-year letter-winning diver for Tennessee from 1970-73. Whittney told The Roanoke Times, “I kind of always had the feeling but I called earlier today and finalized it. Since my dad went there, I’ve grown up loving the Vols. I wanted to keep [the legacy] going.

“I never went to any swim meets, but my dad still knows the diving coach. Pretty much every time we went there for a football game, we’d stop by the pool and say, ‘Hi.’ ”

Hamilton is a senior at Patrick Henry High School, the Virginia Class 5 state champions for the last three years in a row. Hamilton has been a first-team All-Timesland selection during each of her first three seasons. She set the 5A state record in the 50 free (23.08) and 100 fly (53.52) and contributed to the winning 200 medley and 400 free relays at the 2017 VHSL 5A State Meet. As a junior in 2018 she came in second in the 50 (23.25) and 9th in the 100 fly (54.94) and won the 200 medley (24.33 butterfly leg) and 400 free (50.84 anchor) relays.

Hamilton swims year-round with the Virginia Gators. At the 2017 Dolfin ISCA Junior Championship Cup, she was a member of all four of the relays (200/400 medley and 200/400 free) that broke National Age Group Records. Her top SCY times include:

• 50 free – 23.08
• 100 free – 51.62
• 100 fly – 53.51
• 50 fly – 24.58

Hamilton will suit up for the Vols with fellow class of 2023 commits Abby Samansky, Isabella Gable, Kenna Haney, Lyndsey Huizenga, and Natalie Ungaretti.

Super excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim at the university of Tennesse! Thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way! Go vols

By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

by Olivier Poirier-Leroy. You can join his weekly motivational newsletter for competitive swimmers by clicking here.

If you watched the FINA World Championships in Budapest, you were witness to one of the most dominating performances in swimming history.

American Caeleb Dressel decimated the fastest swimmers in the world in the 50 and 100m freestyles and the 100m butterfly. He also rattled the supersuit records in all three of those events, dipping under the 50 second mark in the 100m butterfly, and nearly breaking :21 and :47 in the freestyle sprints.

While Dressel’s consistency was remarkable—he improved with every swim from prelims to semis to finals in every event but one—his start was the thing that got the most attention.

During every race, from the relays, which he usually led off for the Americans, to the 50m freestyle, the fastest event on the program, he exploded to an early lead, often up to a half-body length.

Here are some things you can learn from Caeleb Dressel, the man with the fastest first 15m on the planet:

1. His hips are in a high position on the blocks.

When he is crouched, taking his marks, Dressel’s hips are nice and high.

“This elongates the hamstring and gets the leg ready to fire,” says Jason Calanog, one of Dressel’s coaches at Bolles, and now an assistant coach at Texas A&M. (At that time, the Bolles program also included 100m butterfly Olympic champion Joseph Schooling, 100-200m backstroke Olympic champion Ryan Murphy, and Santo Condorelli, who placed 4th in the 100m freestyle in Rio. That’s a nasty squad.)

Calanog has found that his swimmers are able to get a faster reaction time out of this kind of hip placement. The advantage of a high hip position means that the hamstring is taut and ready to go. If you have your hip low, the muscle ends up having to react and than fire.

2. Huge amount of explosiveness.

Swimmers aren’t traditionally known for being amazing athletes.

We spend so much time in the water that it is hard to achieve blinding levels of athleticism. It’s a running joke that swimmers are uncoordinated on land, and it’s probably no surprise that most of the injuries that swimmers incur are as a result of dryland and strength training.

But the start is inherently a dryland activity. It’s not something you can train in the water; the explosiveness necessary for a fast and powerful start is developed in the weight room.

And make no mistake, Dressel is an athlete there, too.

Here is a video of him cleaning over 260 pounds from blocks:

Got better today with @matt_delancey double red tasty #264

A post shared by Caeleb Dressel (@caelebdressel) on May 6, 2017 at 9:07am PDT

Think that kind of explosive power helps him fly off the blocks like a missile? Absolutely.

3. He back loads his start.

A lot is made of reaction time off the blocks, and that is generally the metric used when talking about whether or not a swimmer has a good start.

Reaction time doesn’t tell nearly the whole story, even though it’s an easy measurable to lob around. But it doesn’t account for force and acceleration of the athlete when leaving the blocks.

At the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Dressel pummeled everyone on the starts. Half-a-body length pummeled the competition. And yet, his reaction time wasn’t anything that would represent his otherworldly lead at 15m—in the 50m freestyle, for instance, he was third for reaction time (0.62) of the finalists.

What makes his reaction time impressive is that Dressel back-loads his hips on the blocks. Unlike other elite swimmers like Florent Manaudou, who center their hips above their front foot, Dressel’s hips are further back, in a modified slingshot start.

Would Dressel have a slightly faster reaction time if he front-loaded his weight? Maybe. But those one-hundredths of a second he would gain in reaction time he would be forfeiting in terms of power and acceleration.

The start isn’t dominated by who is off the blocks the fastest; it’s who gets to the 15m mark first.

4. Uses his arms.

A common mistake swimmers make on the start is not using their arms to generate propulsion.

We are seeing the arm movement becoming more prominent as younger swimmers are starting with it earlier, but for the most part, swimmers use their arms only in terms of gripping the blocks when awaiting the start and making sure they are in a streamline.

One of the most visibly noticeable aspects of Dressel’s start is that he brings his arms above and around him, creating a coupling motion that helps to generate more distance and momentum into his streamline.

And because he is back-loading his hips on the block, he is also more reliant on his arms to pull him through to gain acceleration off the block. “He pulls back on the block with his arms to use his entire body in the start,” says Calanog. “Most swimmers don’t use their arms.”

As Dressel recently said in an interview in Splash magazine, he makes sure that his “arms do as much work as my legs.”

5. Back foot on an angle off the blocks.

When Dressel leaves the blocks, his legs are not together. Anytime you use a track start this is inevitable, but it also has a purpose. Raising the back foot helps to create a sharper angle of entry when diving into the water.

The key to making this work is something you have probably heard your coach tell you a hundred times—make sure your entire body uses a tight bulls-eye when hitting the water. Aim to dive into the water using the same small hole, from finger tips to toes to get a clean entry.

Having that back foot up “creates a more steep angle into the water,” says Calanog, which helps you hit your bulls-eye.

6. Dressel dolphin kicks like a, well, dolphin.

Dressel maintains excellent speed through the breakout with his dolphin kicks and a tight streamline. You can’t really talk about Dressel’s start without talking about his underwaters, which are among the best in the world.

One of the reasons that it is so strong is that his up-kick is very powerful. Most swimmers can kick towards the bottom of the pool with a nice amount of power, but use the up-kick only as a resetting phase for another down-kick, instead of using the up-kick for more propulsion.

It’s no accident that he kicks this way.

“He’s been working on it for years, with slow, perfect kicks in practice,” says Calanog.

Another reason for his epic start? He dolphin kicks into his first stroke, (something I discussed in this post here) which sends him hurtling into that critical first stroke cycle at top speed.

7. Practice, practice, practice.

For most swimmers, their starts only get attention when the big meet suddenly looms on the horizon.

And so what do they do? They cram in a few sessions’ worth of starts, and never really get the reps in that they need to develop the skill that is inherent in a great start.

For Dressel, and his coaches at Bolles (and now at Florida), this means working on them every day, over years.

H/T: Thank you to Jason Calanog for taking the time to send over his notes and thoughts on his time working with Caeleb at Bolles.

ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month log book for competitive swimmers.

He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset.

It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, and anecdotes and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.

Ready to take your mindset to the next level?

Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.

COACHES & CLUBS: Yuppers–we do team orders of “Conquer the Pool” which includes a team discount as well as complimentary branding (your club logo on the cover of the book) at no additional charge.

Want more details? Click here for a free estimate on a team order of CTP.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 7 Reasons Why Caeleb Dressel’s Start is So Deadly

By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

2018 FINA WORLD CUP – EINDHOVEN

• Friday, September 28th – Sunday – September 30th
• SCM
• Cluster 1 Results
• Entry List
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap
• Results

The final preliminary session ot the 2018 FINA World Cup in Eindhoven featured the men’s 400m IM (slower heat), 50m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 200m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and the women’s 800m freestyle (slower heat), 100m butterfly, 200m backstroke, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle, 200m IM and the 4x50m mixed medley relay.

Sarah Sjöström (SWE; 56,90) and Kelsi Dahlia (USA, 56,93) won their heats of the the 100m butterfly and set the two fastest times.Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) was clocked at 57,67 for the third fastest time. Katinka Hosszu and Kathleen Baker cancelled their participation in the 100m fly.

Brasil’s Nicholas Santos took the pole position for tonight’s final in the men’s 50m butterfly, he was registered with a time of 22,60. Finland’s Riku Poytakivi set the second fastet time in 22,82 ahead of Netherland’s Jesse Puts (22,89). Vlad Morozov(RUS), who won five medals last night, made it easily into the final with a time of 23,02, the fifth fastest perfomance in prelims behind Chad Le Clos (22,92).

World Record Holder Katinka Hosszu set the pace in the 200m backstroke, she was clocked at 2:05,70. Emily Seebohm (2:06,19) andKathleen Baker (USA, 2:06,38) ranged behind Hosszu.

Leading the men’s field in the 100m backstroke wasMitch Larkin (AUS), who clocked a 51,12. Japan’s Ryosuke Irie touched in 51,92 ahead of Russia’s Grigory Tarasevich in 52,05.

USA’s Molly Hannis grabbed the top seed in the women’s 50m breaststroke in 29,76. She was followed by Alia Atkinson (JAM, 29,94) and Yuliya Efimova (RUS, 30,06).

Anton Chupkov (RUS) made it into the final with the fastest time in the men’s 200m breaststroke (2:04,00). Kirill Prigoda (RUS, 2:04,84) and Kazuki Kohinata (JPN, 2:05,90) qualified with the second and third fastest times. USA’s Nic Fink took the 8th spot for tonight’s final with a time of 2:07,47.

Femke Heemskerk, Sarah Sjöström and Ranomi Kromowidjojo were again the fastest trio in prelims: They went 1-2-3 in the 100m freestyle with Heemskerk setting the fastest time in 51,73 ahead of Sjöström (52,40) and Kromowidjojo in 53,07. Also USA’s Kelsi Dahlia was in the final’s line-up, she was clocked at 53,39, the sixth fastest performance in the morning.

Kyle Stolk (NED) made it into the men’s 200m freestyle final with the fastest time, he was clocked at 1:43,97. USA’s Blake Pieroni set the second fastest time in 1:44,68 ahead of Belgium’s Pieter Timmers in 1:45,08.

Katinka Hosszu showed a 2:07,24 in the 200m IM, worth the top spot for the final. Femke Heemskerk was the second fastest woman with her time of 2:08,12 followed by USA’s Melanie Margalis in 2:08,61. Her teammate Kathleen Baker did not advance into the final with the 9th fastest time of 2:11,47.

Additional results:

•  Nic Fink (USA) won the slower heat of the men’s 400 IM in a time of  4:13,25 ahead of Hungary’s Daniel Dudas (4:13,46).
•  16-year-old Imani de Jong (NED)  set the pace in the slower heat of the women’s 800m freestyle, she was clocked at 8:45,48.
• Top three 4x50m mixed medley relays into the final were: Netherlands – USA – Russia.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2018 FINA World Cup Eindhoven: Day 3 prelims recap

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

John Bitter has been terminated as the head coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club according to a letter sent out to the team on Saturday. Bitter’s name has been removed from the ‘coaching’ section of the team’s website. Bitter had been the head coach of the club since 2006, and before that spent a decade as the associate head coach. In 2009, he was also given the title of CEO of the organization.

According to a letter sent out to the team on Saturday, Bitter has been terminated after the club learned of financial irregularities within its accounting.

Bitter was on the coaching staff at the 2010 USA Swimming Junior Pan Pacific Championships, has twice served on USA Swimming Select Camp staffs. As an athlete, he swam at Wash U in St. Louis and Arizona, where he was a team captain as a senior.

Bitter was the General Chair of the Pacific Swimming LSC Board of Directors from 2009 through 2017 and is a former Vice-Chair of Program Development for USA Swimming.

The team won the 2018 Far Western LC Championships earlier this summer.

This is a developing story. More details will be shared as they become available.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: John Bitter Terminated by Santa Clara Swim Club

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Was it ever really a question? With two older brothers having donned the Crimson Tide uniform, was there any doubt where Dynamo Swim Club’s Cam Auerbach would wind up? According to his high school, the youngest of the three Auerbach brothers has made a verbal commitment to the University of Alabama, where Cade Auerbach is currently a senior and Knox Auerbach is a sophomore.

Cam Auerbach is a senior at Duluth, Georgia’s Northview High School. A USA Swimming Scholastic All-American and NISCA All-American, he won the 6A 100 fly (48.66) and placed 3rd in the 100 back (50.48) at the 2018 GHSA 6-7A State Swimming & Diving Meet.

Auerbach is a Winter Juniors-or-better qualifier in the 100/200 back and 100/200 fly in both LCM and SCY. He won the 100 fly and was 6th in the 100 back at Cary Futures this summer, where he also B-finaled in the 50/100 free. He improved in all his top events throughout the course of his junior year of high school, including the following SCY times:

• 100 fly – 48.66
• 200 fly – 1:51.35
• 100 back – 50.00
• 200 back – 1:48.04
• 100 free – 46.36
• 200 free – 1:39.22

In addition to his older brother, Knox, Auerbach will cross paths with butterflyers Tyler Sesvold and Chris Staka and backstrokers Zane Waddell and Peter Fredricksson. He would have scored in the 100 fly at 2018 SECs.

Cam Auerbach gives verbal commitment to swim for the University of Alabama. Congrats Cam! pic.twitter.com/K8cRxqvDIq

— NHS Swim and Dive (@NorthviewSwim) September 29, 2018

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Guess Where Cam Auerbach Has Made a Verbal Commitment…?

By Loretta Race on SwimSwam

2018 FINA WORLD CUP – EINDHOVEN

• Friday, September 28th – Sunday – September 30th
• SCM
• Cluster 1 Results
• Entry List
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Day 1 Prelims Recap/Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap
• Results

Japanese Olympic medalist Daiya Seto nailed his 2nd World Cup Record in as many days, as the 24-year-old won the men’s 400m IM in Eindhoven tonight. After producing the 3rd fastest short course meters 200 IM in history en route to victory yesterday, Seto threw down an impressive 3:57.25 in the long IM today to top the podium by almost 6 seconds.

Seto held the previous 400m IM World Cup Record with the 3:57.66 he established last year at the Tokyo stop of the World Cup Series, so the new Dad was able to shave .41 off of his 2017 time to create the new record. The World Record remains untouched by a large margin, however, as American Ryan Lochte’s time of 3:55.50 still stands from 2010.

Seto is already the 3rd fastest performer of all time in the event with the 3:56.33 he clocked to win the 2014 Short Course World Championships title. However, his 3:47.25 outing tonight checks-in as the 6th fastest performance of all-time.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Daiya Seto Strikes Again With 2nd World Cup Record In As Many Days

By Daniela Kapser on SwimSwam

Schwimmen, eigentlich jeder Sport, bietet viel Raum, mentale Eigenschaften zu entwickeln, die auch weiterhelfen, wenn die Zeit als Schwimmer einmal vorbei ist. Man muss einige Sachen im Griff haben, wie z.B. Ziele zu planen, widerstandsfähig bei Rückschlägen zu sein und immer das Beste aus sich rauzuholen – dies wird jedem in vielen Lebenssituaionen gelegen komme.

Hier fünf Gedankenanstöße, wie das Training und Wettkampfherausforderungen besser zu bewältigen sind:

1. Blende negative Selbstgespräche aus.

Das ist leichter gesagt als getan, wenn du das Monstertrainingsprogramm auf der Trainingstafel siehst, Panik bei dir aufkommt, wie du es schaffen sollst. Dann schwirren viele Gedanken durch deinen Kopf:

• “Das kriege ich nicht hin.”
• “Das ist unmöglich.”
• “Spätestens bei der Schmetterlingsstrecke saufe ich komplett ab.”
• “Womit habe ich das nur verdient?”
• “Blah blah blah.”

Das alles ist Selbstblockade auf höchstem Niveau. Diese inneren Monologe setzen dir schon Grenzen bevor du überhaupt einen Zug geschwommen bis. Wenn dir diese Gedanken in den Sinn kommen, dann solltest du besser Alternativen parat haben (“Ist ein hartes Trainingsprogramm, aber WENN ICH DAS SCHAFFE…. !) und du solltest nicht schon vor dem Versuch, es zu schaffen, aufgeben: “Habe ich einen Grund, so an mir zu zweifeln?” und mal ehrlich: “Was wäre das Schlimmste, was passieren könnte?” – vermeide von vorneherein die komplett negative Sicht auf das anstehende Training.

2. Sei fokussiert.

Wir leben in einer Welt der permanenten Ablenkung. Menschen texten beim Laufen auf dem Laufband. Sie überprüfen ihre Facebooknachrichten beim Autofahren. Überall, wo wir hinschauen, ist irgendeine Ablenkung.

Und wir versuchen, nichts zu verpassen, wenn den ganzen Tag Informationen, Eindrücke auf uns einprasseln – und lassen uns dadurch gerne von den eher unangenehmen Dingen ablenken. Atme einmal tief durch und sei ANWESEND beim Training – nicht nur physisch, auch psychisch. Konzentriere dich voll und ganz auf die anstehende Aufgabe. Sei mit den Gedanken nicht schon wieder bei Facebook oder Instagram – statt dein Programm einfach nur abzuspulen, konzentriere dich auf die Bewegungsabläufe, auf die Technik, deine Atmung, deine Wenden, auf jedes Detail.

3. Simuliere im Training Situationen unter hohem Leistungsdruck. 

Unter Stress gut zu sein, heißt, sich daran zu GEWÖHNEN. Es gibt da diese Geschichte, das Bob Bowman beim World Cup in Berlin “aus Versehen” auf die Schwimmbrille von Michael Phelps getreten ist – der musste dann ein Rennen mit kaputter Brille schwimmen und sich auf das im Training erlernte Zählen seiner Züge verlassen. Tatsächlich musste er dann mal in einem Olympischen Finale mit Wassereinbruch in der Brille schwimmen – er sah so gut wie nicht, war aber auf so eine Situation “vorbereitet” – und gewann.

Nimm Herausforderungen im Training an anstatt sie abzulehnen – dann bist du für das wichtigste Rennen der Saison gewappnet und du kannst beruhigter an den Start gehen.

Es ist so wie vielfach zitiert: Man muss die Komfortzone verlassen, die Treppe nehmen, um Erfolg zu haben. Das bedeutet im Schwimmtraining auch, dass die Lungen nach Sauerstoff schreien und die Muskeln ohne Ende schmerzen – aber wie schon die Großmutter sagt: Ohne Fleiß kein Preis. No pain no gain.

4. Entwickle einen Schlüsselreiz

Suche dir einen persönlichen Schlüsselreiz, einen inneren “Schlachtruf” oder ein Motto, das dich in motiviert, antreibt und in den Rennmodus versetzt.

Britta Steffen hat einmal erzählt, dass sie während der Olympiade in Beijing die Anfeuerungsrufe für eine chinesische Schwimmerin im Kopf umgewandelt hat in Anfeuerungsrufe für sich selbst. Oder Michael Phelps Aufwärmroutine auf dem Startblock. Oder Paul Biedermann, der sich vor den Rennen noch mal auf die Brust geschlagen hat.

Entwickel für dich selbst ein Stichwort, ein Signal, das deinem Körper signalisiert, egal ob im Wettkampf oder im Training: Jetzt kommt es drauf an, jetzt ist Racetime!

5. Konzentriere dich auf die tägliche Leistung im Training.

Manchmal ist ein großes Ziel in der Zukunft so übermächtig präsent, dass wir vergessen, uns auf die täglichen Herausforderungen zu konzentrieren. Die Gedanken kreisen einzig und allein um das mögliche Abschneiden in der noch recht weit entfernten Zukunft, man ist angespannt und vergisst die vielen kleinen Zwischenziele, die erreicht werden müssen.

Auf dem Weg zum großen Ziel solltest du immer an Grundlagen denken, die gute Ernährung, ausreichend Schlaf, rechtzeitig beim Training zu sein, deine Technik – denn die vielen alltäglichen  banalen Dinge sind die Grundlagen zum Erfolg.

Das Ergebnis in der Zukunft zu beeinflussen, ist nicht immer möglich – aber du kannst den Einsatz und den Fleiß kontrollieren, die letztendlich wichtigen Einfluss auf deinen Erfolg haben werden.

Hier ist der englische Originalartikel von Olivier Poirier-Leroy zu finden.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Fünf Tricks, die täglichen Trainingsherausforderungen zu bewältigen

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Addie Laurencelle, a transplant from Boston to Charleston, South Carolina, has announced his verbal commitment to the University of California, Berkeley. He will join a class of 2023 that has also received verbals form Calvin David, Jason Louser, and Will Pelton.

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of California-Berkeley. I cannot thank my family, friends and coaches enough for helping me get to this point! I am very excited to join the Cal family! #GOBEARS

By SwimSwam Partner Content on SwimSwam

TritonWear will continue as an Event Partner for the 5th FINA World Aquatics Convention, to be held at Intercontinental Hangzhou, China, 8–10 December 2018.

This follows the hugely successful FINA-TritonWear partnership at the 2016 Convention.
Toronto-based TritonWear specialises in wearable technology for swimmers. Their top-of-the-range equipment provides coaches and swimmers with invaluable performance-enhancing data.
TritonWear works with over 15 National Swimming Federations, as well as thousands of swimmers globally, from independent athletes, to clubs and collegiate institutes. Their platform delivers accelerated training improvements based on three pillars – performance measurement, injury prevention and motion analysis. TritonWear is bringing the capabilities of top data and sports sciences in swimming to the everyday coach, by capturing and displaying data in real time on deck, tracking trends over time for every outfitted athlete, predicting injury risk to keep athletes training, and syncing acceleration data with video feedback, to enable precise technique corrections. This combination of personalised feedback, increased accountability, and state of the art tools has resulted in an astounding 40% faster improvement rate for club athletes, and 17% for collegiate athletes, using TritonWear.

In Hangzhou, TritonWear will be showcasing its latest innovations through an interactive and highly informative workshop based on real-life case studies, gleaned from its work with Swim Federations like Swimming France and the Australian Institute of Sport.

“The FINA World Aquatics Convention is an incredibly important event for the world of Aquatics and the Aquatics industry. The opportunity to engage and communicate with Federations and Head Coaches around the world is invaluable to a business like ours,” says Tristan Lehari, TritonWear Co-Founder and CEO. “We are committed to enhancing swimming as a sport and found the connections we made at the 2016 event in Windsor to be hugely positive for the growth of TritonWear. As such, we eagerly look forward to sharing our knowledge and interacting with the worldwide swimming community at this year’s event in Hangzhou.”

The partnership is warmly endorsed by FINA President Dr. Julio Maglione:

“We’re excited to educate as many coaches and clubs as possible of TritonWear’s technology at the FINA World Aquatics Convention. Innovation is vital if our sport is to continue to grow, and FINA is proud to be working alongside TritonWear in supporting coaches and swimmers all over the world to enhance performance. TritonWear’s passion for measuring athlete performance has always been a crucial factor in training for success, and TritonWear demonstrates the growing importance of technology within our sport.”

VISIT THE TRITONWEAR HQ

LIKE TRITONWEAR ON FACEBOOK

FOLLOW TRITONWEAR ON TWITTER

FOLLOW TRITONWEAR ON INSTAGRAM

Swimming industry news is courtesy of Tritonwear, a SwimSwam partner. 

Read the full story on SwimSwam: TritonWear Extends FINA Convention Partnership

By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam

by Olivier Poirier-Leroy. Join his weekly motivational newsletter for competitive swimmers by clicking here.

Over the course of our time in the water there are a handful of moments we really remember.

The ones that linger in our memory long after we hang up our tech suits.

For me, some of the sharpest and most meaningful memories of my age group swimming days were moments when an older teammate took a moment to encourage me, to cheer for me during a hard set, gave me a pointer, or simply told me “Hey, get ‘em next time” after I had a bad swim.

While we idolize the Olympic champions and world record holders, it’s the swimmers we spend time with day in and day out at the pool that have the capacity to provide the most change and impact on our swimming and even our lives.

While peer mentoring doesn’t show itself immediately on the scoreboard, there are some things it helps develop in the short and long term on the pool deck:

Boosts cohesion and sense of belonging.

As a young swimmer having older athletes cheer for me it made me feel like I was really part of the team. It gave me a striking sense of belonging and validated a lot of the hard work I had been doing in the pool.

For the older swimmers, peer mentoring helps them get to know the other athletes on the team, the up and comers, and play a role in their future success.

Increased empathy.

Working with younger swimmers reminds you of where you’ve come, the struggles you’ve already conquered, and what lays ahead for others. This shared journey, and being able to help someone else navigate it, increases empathy among teammates. It’s like a big old juicy power up for team culture.

Reminds older swimmers of expectations as role models.

Just because your face isn’t on a box of Wheaties and you aren’t hauling home double-digit numbers of medals from nationals doesn’t mean you aren’t a role model for someone.

As youngsters we naturally gravitate to the older swimmers in our midst; in my case a lot of the swimmers I idolized never qualified for nationals or went to the Olympics. They worked hard, swam fast, and were doing times in swim practice and competition that I aspired to perform one day.

Peer mentoring helps remind older athletes that they are role models, even if they might not consider themselves as such by virtue of the times they perform in competition. You don’t need to be a world champ to have valuable experience and knowledge to share with younger athletes.

Getting Started with Peer Mentoring

Where to start? Pairing up athletes over the course of a season can be an organized activity you perform with your swimmers and coaches. Let your team captains work out who works with who, or sit down with your assistant coaches and mix and match pairings.

Some quick things to remember when getting the ball rolling with peer mentoring/coaching:

Older swimmers need to remember to lead with their actions. It’s great to give advice, but the older athlete needs to be walking the walk as well. If you are telling a younger swimmer to work hard and show up to every practice, but you aren’t doing this yourself, it makes the advice ring hollow.

Adjust your feedback accordingly. Use positive and negative feedback according to the progression of the swimmer. Younger, more newbie-ish type swimmers want positive feedback. They want to know what they are doing right so that they are motivated to keep pushing. More experienced, elite swimmers tend to gravitate towards negative feedback (not brow-beating, but constructive feedback) that will help them improve faster.

Be there in the rough spots. Hands down the biggest impact you will have as an athlete is in the way you treat your teammate when they are struggling. Are you the swimmer that cheers for a teammate when they do well, but are nowhere to be seen when they are struggling? Encouraging someone when they are doing well is easy but supporting them when they are down is where you will truly make an impact on someone.

Schedule time and activities for it. Schedule time for peer mentoring each week among your athletes. If the mentor and mentee swimmers train at completely different times and at different pools it is going to be hard to get any kind of meaningful traction in the relationship. Team activities are one venue to make this happen. Make it a consistent priority in training and you will be repaid with a tighter team, faster swimming, and more confident athletes.

ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month log book for competitive swimmers.

He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset.

It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, and anecdotes and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.

Ready to take your mindset to the next level?

Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.

COACHES & CLUBS: Yuppers–we do team orders of “Conquer the Pool” which includes a team discount as well as complimentary branding (your club logo on the cover of the book) at no additional charge.

Want more details? Click here for a free estimate on a team order of CTP.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Why Swimmers Should Peer Mentor Younger Teammates

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Cam Peel, a senior at Spring Lake High School in Spring Lake, Michigan and the D3 record-holder in the 100 free, has announced via social media that he plans to swim for the University of Michigan in 2019-20.

“Excited to announce my commitment to further my swimming and academic career at the University of Michigan! #bigboatguy #goblue”

Peel holds 8 All-State awards, 4 school records, and 2 All-Conference honors. He  won the 100 free in 44.97 at the 2018 MHSAA Boys D3 Swimming and Diving Championships, becoming the first Division 3 swimmer in Michigan history to register a sub-45 in the state meet. He also finished 3rd in the 50 free (20.87) and anchored the runner-up 200 medley (20.30) and 400 free (43.78) relays. Peel does his year-round swimming with Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics. He went lifetime bests in the 50/100/200 free with his 2nd/4th/3rd-place finishes in the respective events at Akron Sectionals. He wrapped up his summer season with PBs in the 100 free (51.83) and 200 free (1:54.83) at Summer Juniors after having earned a best time of 23.52 in the 50 at PSS Columbus.

Peel will suit up for the Wolverines with fellow class of 2023 commits Andrew Trepanier, Christian Farricker, Donald Scott, Jack McCurdy, Nadav Aaronson, Noah Yarian, and River Wright. Michigan’s sprint group lost Paul Powers and James Peek to graduation last year; both were A-finalists in the 50 free and 100 free at 2018 B1G Championships.

Top SCY times:

• 50 free – 20.56
• 100 free – 44.84
• 200 free – 1:39.30

View this post on Instagram

Excited to announce my commitment to further my swimming and academic career at the University of Michigan! #bigboatguy #goblue

A post shared by @ campeel on Sep 30, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Michigan D3 Record-holder Cam Peel Verbals to In-state Wolverines

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Roanoke, Virginia’s Shelby Stanley has verbally committed to Davidson College for 2019-20. She wrote on social media:

“I am beyond ecstatic to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Davidson College. Thank you to my family and coaches that have gotten me to this point

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Beth McNeese of Katy, Texas has announced her intention to swim at the University of Kentucky beginning in the fall of 2019. That puts her in a class of 2023 that also includes verbal commits Ashley Neas, Caitlin Brooks, Emily Baeth, Gillian Davey, Kaitlynn Wheeler, and Lauren Poole.

McNeese is a senior at Seven Lakes High School, whom she represented at the 2018 Texas UIL 6A State Championships in February. There she came in 9th in the 200 free (1:50.81) and 10th in the 500 free (4:57.71).

McNeese does her year-round swimming with Katy Aquatic Team For Youth. She is a U.S. Open qualifier in the 400m free and a Winter Juniors qualifier in the 200 fly and 400 IM. She had an excellent showing at Summer Junior Nationals, going best times in the 400 free (4:18.64), 200 fly (2:17.41), and 400 IM (5:00.62) and making the B final of the 400 free.

In SCY her best times include:

• 400 IM – 4:19.97
• 200 back – 2:01.93
• 200 fly – 2:02.94
• 200 free – 1:50.05
• 500 free – 4:55.45

Congrats to Senior @BethMcneese and her Verbal Commitment to continue her Swimming career next year for the University of Kentucky Wildcats! #SpartanSprinters#WhosNextpic.twitter.com/WJ6kJkZKPJ

— SLHS Swim and Dive (@SpartanAquatics) September 29, 2018

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Versatile Beth McNeese Verbally Commits to Kentucky

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

If you don’t like the career you’re in, you might want to work in the swimming community and be a part of our big swimming family! Go here to see 1848 Swim Jobs.

FULL-TIME ASSISTANT COACH

The University of Mount Union is seeking applicants for the Assistant Coach position for the 2018-2019 season.  This is a full-time position with benefits.  You will work with both the Men’s & Women’s Swimming & Diving teams.  Mount Union is an NCAA DIII school competing in the Ohio Athletic Conference.  The college is located in Alliance, OH and features approximately 2,300 students on campus.  The natatorium was recently a part of a multi-million dollar renovation to the athletics building.  Assistant Coach will experience all facets of collegiate coaching with instruction and aid.

LEAD SITE COACH (PT)

The Lake Erie Silver Dolphins (LESD) is seeking a Lead Site Coach for Erie, PA practice location for the USA Swim Club. Lead Site Coach will coach and manage all practice groups in the Erie, PA area. This is a part-time position requiring 10-15 hours per week, beginning as soon as possible. The Lead Site Coach reports to the LESD Head Coach and the LESD Chief Administrator.

HEAD SWIM COACH

Recreational Competitive Spring/Summer Swim Team, the Johnson Ranch Barracudas
Fall/Winter Swim Team/As part of Spare Time Aquatics

AQUATIC DIRECTOR

The Lionville YMCA, located in suburban Philadelphia, is a cause driven non-profit, where we strive to strengthen the foundations of our community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.

HEAD AGE GROUP COACH

Velocity Swimming is one of the top teams in the Inland Empire LSC and is a team with high expectations. Swimmer abilities range from beginning swimmers to Winter Junior National, Futures Championship qualifiers, and Age Group Regional Champions. Velocity has won 4 LSC (Inland Empire) Championship meets (one short course and 3 long course) in the last 5 years. The team is a USA Swimming Level 3 Club Excellence award winner.

DIRECTOR OF SWIMMING

The Y is a cause for strengthening community. We’re more than your local health and fitness club. At the Y, we help build a healthy spirit, mind, and body with our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility at the heart of everything we do.

PART TIME ASSISTANT AGE GROUP COACH

Turtles Swim Team– An Illinois swim club located in the northern Illinois area is seeking a part-time age group coach that will work with our two middle level groups. The Turtles Swim Team is run through the Vernon Hills Park District. Ages are primarily between the age of 10 and 13 with group sizes ranging from 15-20.   As the first coach many of these athletes will have, the applicant must be enthusiastic, patient, focused on technique and making the sport fun. This hourly position requires candidates to have excellent communication, teaching and people skills.  Candidate will report to Head Coach and must be a team player. This is a part time position with employee benefits on programs through the district.

CITY OF BERKELEY – TEMPORARY ASSISTANT AQUATICS COORDINATOR

City of Berkeley is accepting applications for Assistant Aquatics Coordinator to fill two temporary, hourly vacancies. This class is responsible for assisting with the organization and direction of City aquatics programs. Incumbents assist in planning, directing, and implementing Citywide water sports and aquatics center activities. Specialized knowledge of advanced swimming techniques and acceptable standards and methods of pool maintenance and water quality control is required. This class is distinguished from Aquatics Coordinator in that the latter has overall supervisory responsibility for City aquatics centers and aquatics programs.

AGE GROUP COACH – TIGER AQUATICS – BATON ROUGE, LA

Tiger Aquatics – A Louisiana Swim Club with 4 sites located in the Baton Rouge area is seeking a full-time age group coach that will work with our two entry level groups at our main site located on the campus of Louisiana State University.   Tiger Aquatics is a coach owned program run as a LLC.  We do have a booster organization that works on enhancing the swimming program at all of our locations.  Ages are primarily between the age of 6 and 10 with group size ranging from 15-30.   As the first coach many of these athletes will have, the applicant must be enthusiastic, patient, focused on technique and making the sport fun.

TACTICAL ATHLETE COACH – SWIM

T3I Coaches assigned to the Special Warfare (SW) Preparatory Course at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX, provide training and development of the Air Force’s (AF) future SW Airmen (SWA), who are organized, trained, and equipped to deliver distinctive expertise in combat and other high-risk environments. As the only AF capability specifically designed to primarily operate as surface combatants, SWA directly assist, control, enable, and execute air and space-power capabilities to conduct: Joint Fires Integration, Special Operations, Personnel Recovery, Tactical Airlift Operations, and Special Weather Operations.

TEMPORARY ASSISTANT DIVING COACH (527835)

Brandeis University seeks to hire a Temporary Assistant Swimming & Diving Coach to assist the Head Coach in all aspects of coaching the team which competes as an NCAA DIII program and as a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA).

ASSISTANT AGE GROUP COACH (SALARY RANGE $35,000 TO $37,000)

Mecklenburg Swim Association (MSA Swim) in the Charlotte, NC area is looking for a coach to assist in our Age Group and Developmental Programs coaching primarily 12 and Under swimmers.

Responsibilities of this position include coaching, assisting in dryland, as well as administrative duties related to the group and overall team operations. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, experience with swimming as a coach or athlete, excellent organization and communication skills, and a desire to study and progress as a coach and a professional.

HEAD MEN’S & WOMEN’S DIVING COACH – FULL TIME

Davidson Collge is seeking to hire a full time Head Diving Coach for its NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving programs. This position will recruit student athletes, train and prepare them for competition, and perform administrative duties related to a collegiate swimming & diving program at a highly selective liberal arts college.

COACH VACANCY TOPSPORT SWIMMING ANTWERP

The Flemish Swimming Federation and Swimming Club Brabo Antwerp are to join their forces for the selection of promising youngsters and elite swimmers in a new high performance center. We are inviting two highly motivated coaches to fill in coach positions and sustain the efficacy of the organization.

WOMEN’S SWIM HEAD COACH/AQUATICS DIRECTOR

Pfeiffer University is seeking qualified candidate to fill the position of Women’s Swim Head Coach/Aquatics Director. The selected candidate is responsible for all aspects of planning, developing and coaching the women’s swim team within the guidelines of the NCAA DIII rules and regulations. Provide leadership and instruction in personal and athletic development of student athletes at Pfeiffer University. This is a full-time, 12 month position who reports directly to the Director of Athletics.

HEAD SWIM COACH

Establishing a swim program that emphasizes the general philosophy outlined by the Club. Hiring and firing the associate coaches and negotiating their contracts within the guidelines and
approved budgets set by the Club. Being responsible for the behavior, discipline and actions of athletes during practices, competitions, and other organized swim team activities. Coaching one training group on a daily basis and other training groups on a temporary basis as required to maintain the continuity of the training groups.

FULL TIME HEAD SITE AND AGE GROUP SWIM TEAM COACH

The Head Site and Age-Group Coach is responsible for coaching and managing the West Y Branch of the Boise Y Swim Team, as well as supporting the Boise Y Swim Team Head Coach with administrative duties, coaching of senior and national groups, and age group coaching duties as assigned by the Head Coach. This position will oversee safety, volunteer and staff development, team member development, seasonal planning, daily workouts, and goal setting.

HEAD COACH

Aquakids Swim Team in Conway, AR has an immediate opening for a Head Coach.   We are seeking a passionate coach committed to motivating and developing athletes from novice to state and national levels. The team currently has around 110 registered swimmers ages 6-18. The team currently has swimmers qualified for Zones, Sectionals, NSCA Juniors, Junior Nationals and National team members.

SINGAPORE NATIONAL ARTISTIC SWIMMING ASSISTANT COACH

Report to the Vice President (Artistic Swimming), National Artistic Swimming Head Coach and responsible in supporting the Executive Director. To ensure, that within the guidelines and constraints determined by Singapore Swimming Association (SSA), the assistant coach will assist the Head Coach in the overall high performance organisation and management of the Singapore National Artistic Swimming Team.

SWIMMING TEACHER NEEDED IN THE CARIBBEAN

Tasks & Responsibilities:
Driving to clients homes and apartment complexes for swim lessons
Teaching all ages
Being Proficient with software
Communicating with clients

HEAD SWIMMING AND DIVING COACH

Duties include, but are not limited to: successful recruitment of academically and athletically prepared student-athletes; supervision of an assistant coach; a commitment to student-athlete health and welfare; directing skill instruction and development; coordination of team travel; effective budget management; and monitoring the academic progress of student-athletes.

ASSISTANT SWIM COACH

Under the supervision of the Head Swim Coach, coach various groups of the age group swim team, with focus on the Jr. Longhorn and Longhorn groups. Give one-on-one and group instruction to improve swimmers’ technique and conditioning. Assist with practice planning, evaluation of swimmers, and assist with practice scheduling.

TYR SEEKS SPORTS PROMOTION REPRESENTATIVE, SOUTH EAST

TYR’s Sports Promotion Representative is the perfect opportunity for you to stay at the pool. Your swim background makes you the ideal candidate to support and promote the TYR brand at major competitions and events. At these events you will ensure brand visibility, and support our professional athletes and sponsored teams including swimming, diving and water polo.

FULL TIME DEVELOPMENTAL AGE GROUP / LEAD SITE COACH

SSAN is a fast growing club in the Spring/Woodlands area of Houston, Gulf Swimming. In our 10th year, with a roster of over 280 athletes, we are seeking an experienced coach to work with multiple practice groups within our program at 1 site. SSAN is a coach owned program. All team decisions are based on the continued focus of Building the Base through dedication, excellence, and tradition.

SPORT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR – MINNESOTA SWIMMING-LSC

Minnesota Swimming Inc. (MN Swimming) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Local Swimming Committee representing USA Swimming in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.  Approximately 65 swim clubs, 8,700 year-round athletes and 800 non-athletes constitute the membership.  MN Swimming exists to serve the competitive swimming community from introductory swimmers to national and Olympic champions.  More information is available at www.mnswim.org.

FULL & PART-TIME SWIM INSTRUCTORS, SUPERVISORS & LIFEGUARDS

Love kids? Want to make a huge difference in their lives? We can help you advance in your aquatics career or in whatever you choose. The Little Dolphins Swim Academy is a stand alone swim school in central New Jersey. Our facility is warm, clean and built so that we can teach seven days a week. We are growing fast and have openings for full and part-time instructors (if you are the right person, we will pay you to train you) and lifeguards.

THE RACE CLUB SEEKS SWIM COACH

The Race Club, with locations in the amazing tropical paradise of Islamorada in the Florida Keys and in Coronado, California, is hiring for all staff coaching positions ranging from beginner coaches to experienced, professional coaches and everything in between.

HEAD AGE GROUP COACH

The Head Swim Coach (Age Group) will lead, design and foster systematic growth from the youngest novices to the Advanced Age Group level programs while working within the Team Mission, Vision, and Values of the National Training Center Aquatics swim team.

SPEEDO – SPORTS MARKETING RESPRESENTATIVE TEMP (BOSTON AREA)

Manage contract deliverables for sponsored teams, athletes and coaches. Actively drive team sales through sponsorship and promotional programs. Support sales and accounts at events in the Boston area.

SWIM INSTRUCTOR

As the largest provider of family fitness programs and facilities, the Y continues to do all it can to serve its target market – families. Haverford Township residents have never had a community YMCA. This YMCA is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the residents with family friendly programming.

ASSISTANT MEN AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING COACH

Stevens Institute of Technology invites applications for the full-time position of Assistant Men and Women’s Swimming Coach. Stevens is a member of the Empire 8 and NCAA Division III and offers 26 varsity sports (13 for men and 13 for women), 13 club sports, a wide variety of intramural sports and special events, an extensive outdoor adventure program and a wide selection of wellness/fitness classes. Located in Hoboken, New Jersey, a historic small town that is just minutes away from Manhattan, Stevens has an enrollment of over 3,100 undergraduate students.

THE BOLLES SCHOOL SEEKS HEAD SWIM COACH

The Bolles School is a private college preparatory school with an international reputation for excellence. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, the school enrolls more than 1,650 day and boarding students in pre- kindergarten through grade 12 on four campuses. Bolles focuses on a complete education that emphasizes excellence in academics, the arts, athletics and other activities like clubs and community service. Students can pursue their interests and learn to balance a rich variety of activities.

HEAD SWIM COACH

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By Torrey Hart on SwimSwam

We’re back with swimming’s TopTenTweets, where we round up the best of the swimming Twitterverse. From pastry gratification to a noble effort to leave on the top, scroll to see what made the cut!

#10

Managed to nab a couple in between my races (swim meet) today. Thought I might totally miss out so I will call that a huge win.

By Coleman Hodges on SwimSwam

SwimSwam wants to give you an inside look at what a normal day-in-the-life looks like for any given swimmer, and how that differs from team to team or city to city. We send our head of production, Coleman Hodges, to be a fly on the wall at practice, then relay what he discovered back to you over pancakes. Or at least breakfast.

The Cal Aquatics Gala is a bi-annual event and fundraiser for all of Cal aquatics, bringing in alumni from all across the globe for a night of celebration and appreciation for swimming, diving, and water polo. However, the best part of the weekend? The Cal men host an alumni practice for all the swammers who come in for the event. That meant that retired Olympians, NCAA champions, and national teamers from around the world got back in the pool to swim with the current Bear swimmers.

During this weekend, someone mentioned to me that while Dave Durden is a great coach, he was born to do this *motions to Durden shmoozing merrily with alumni*. And Durden confirmed this, mentioning in the video that the most important thing for him as a coach at Cal is building community, and that the alumni are most certainly a part of the bear community. Durden welcomed the former swimmers back into the pool with a generous warm up, one that included throwback drills to the Nort Thornton days of Cal as well as lots of social kicking, so the undergrads could get in some talk time with the alumni in their lanes.

Make no mistake. Even though it was an alumni practice, the Cal bears still threw down some serious speed. Durden had quite the workout planned for undergrads and alumni alike. Remember, this was long course:

2x

4×50 choice @ 1:15

1:00 rest

50 [Alumni: A little bit faster, Undergrads: Fast]

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Practice + Pancakes: Cal Olympians Show Speed at Alumni Practice

By Jared Anderson on SwimSwam

Curtis Klausner, a Florida-based aquatics manager, has been deemed “permanently ineligible” by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.

Klausner is now listed as “permanently ineligible” in SafeSport’s searchable database. His violation is listed as “Sexual misconduct involving minor (subject to appeal / not yet final)”, though there’s been no information on the specifics of his violation. The Center for SafeSport has told SwimSwam it does not comment on individual matters or cases.

Klausner is listed as being from Casselberry, Florida, and a LinkedIn page shows a “Curt Klausner” who is the Aquatics Manager at the YMCA of Central Florida. A YMCA press release also names Klausner as aquatics director. USA Swimming confirmed that the banned Klausner was an aquatics manager with the YMCA of Central Florida.

Klausner’s name doesn’t yet appear on USA Swimming’s banned list, but will be added after his appeal period runs out on October 5, USA Swimming says. The U.S. Center for SafeSport now conducts all investigations and hands down all bans based on allegations of sexual misconduct or abuse, rather than USA Swimming itself.

We’ve reached out to the YMCA of Central Florida for comment on the ban and Klausner’s employment status with the organization, but have not yet received a response.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: YMCA Aquatics Manager Curtis Klausner Banned By SafeSport

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

With just 5 days to go until the Georgia Tech swimming & diving programs open their 2018-2019 season on Saturday against Pitt, head coach Courtney Shealy Hart has announced the addition of Michael Norment to the coaching staff. Norment fills the spot vacated by Andy Robins, who was named the new head coach at Division II Florida Southern in August.

Norment was an 8-time CSCAA All-American as an undergraduate at Georgia, including winning the 1994 SEC title in the 100 yard breaststroke. After graduation, he swam at both the 1997 and 1999 Pan-Pacific Championships. He finished 5th in the 100 breaststroke in 1999 after qualifying 3rd through to the final.

Hart and Norment were teammates on the 1992 US Junior National Team.

Since his swimming career ended, he’s spent more than a decade as a USA Swimming coach, including found the Metro Atlantic Aquatic Club (MAAC) in 2013. There he counts among his assistants a number of recent well-known college swimmers, including Natalie Hinds (Florida), Max Mitchell (Florida State), Kimberlee John-Williams (Georgia), and Annie Zhu (Georgia). As the senior head coach of that club, he broduced 5 Georgia High School State Champions and 6 Jr. National Qualifiers.

“We’re extremely excited to have Michael join us at Georgia Tech,” Shealy Hart said. “To be able to add an eight-time NCAA All-American swimmer to our staff, who also has experience professionally and nationally is a great gift. Michael possesses a wealth of experience. His success with the MAAC club team to go along with his ability to develop swimmers will be great additions to our staff. We’re fortunate to have him with us.”

“I am honored to become part of the Georgia Tech Family,” Norment said. “I’m truly thankful for the opportunity that head coach Courtney Shealy Hart has provided. We have an incredibly talented coaching staff that I’m excited to work with. The team has been enthusiastic and extremely supportive. There’s a great energy here amongst the swimmers, coaches, and entire athletics staff. Atlanta is a diverse, growing and prosperous city and Georgia Tech is well-positioned to help our students capitalize on the opportunities afforded to them.”

Norment continued, “We have a tremendous opportunity to attract athletes from a vast in-state talent pool, and will have the ability to draw on the national and international talent base as well. I’m looking forward to helping this team become a dominant force in the ACC, at the NCAA Championship level and in international competition.”

The Georgia Tech men finish 9th out of 12 teams at last year’s ACC Championship meet, while the women were 8th out of 11 teams. For the women’s team, that was their highest finish since the ACC expanded in 2014, and ties for their highest finish in any year since finishing 7th in 2008.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Georgia Tech Hires Michael Norment as New Assistant Coach

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

The Stanford women’s swimming & diving team received their 2018 NCAA Championship rings in a ceremony on Friday. The ceremony marked their 2nd-straight NCAA women’s swimming & diving championship.

For 19 members of the team, this was their 2nd NCAA team title with the Cardinal. Just 9 of those 19 swimmers return in 2018-2019 with a shot at earning their 3rd team national championship rings, along with a further 9 rising sophomores who will be searching for their 2nd titles.

• See also: Texas Men’s Swimming & Diving Hangs 14th NCAA Championship Banner

See Photos of the team with their rings below. 

Ring SZN.

By Maclin Simpson on SwimSwam

At the United States Aquatic Sports Convention last week in Jacksonville, Florida, the USA Swimming Board of Directors met to approve sites for meets coming up in the 2019 and 2020 calendars, including the 2019 Futures Championships.

As mentioned last week, next year’s Futures Championships will be held simultaneously from August 8th-11th in the following 4 regional sites:

• Woollett Aquatic Center – Irvine, California
• Spire Institute – Geneva, Ohio
• Wellmark YMCA – Des Moines, Iowa
• University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Tennessee*

* Pending final approval from host

This week, to follow up on the announcement of the sites, USA Swimming released the time standards – which are the same for each of the 4 championships. For the women, 9 of the 14 individual events have faster time standards compared to 2018 (both LC and SC). For the men, 7 of the 14 individual events have faster SC time standards in 2019, while the LC time standards are the same from 2018. All 2019 relay time standards remain the same from 2018.

You can see the full 2019 time standards below and reference the 2018 times under National Meet Standards here.

The Futures series was launched in 2015, and in 2016 was expanded from 3 to 4 regions. The event was designed to add another stepping stone to the developmental pathway between Sectional Championships (which fall roughly along LSC boundaries) and Junior National Championships. The 2018 Futures Championships took place August 2nd-5th in Santa Clara, CA, Rochester, MN, Richmond, VA, and Cary, NC.

Read the full story on SwimSwam: USA Swimming Releases 2019 Futures Championships Time Standards