Swimming World February 2022 Issue by Swimming World Magazine

IGNORANCE IS A CHOICE

SWIM SMART

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FEBRUARY 2022 • VOL 63 • NO 02 FEATURES 012 A GOLDEN JOURNEY by Matthew De George Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time water polo Olympic gold medalist, continues to put in the work to stay on top of her game, a level of talent that has made her a global water polo icon. And with it, she’s contemplating what it will take to keep elevating the sport in the global consciousness.

014 PODIUM POTPOURRI: MAGGIE MAC NEIL by Dan D’Addona Swimming World takes a get-to-know-you look with Olympic medalists in our new bimonthly “Podium Potpourri” series. First up is Maggie Mac Neil. She is an Olympic gold medalist for Canada, world champion, world record holder, NCAA champion and an NCAA record holder.

016 THE MISSED TURN: A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE by John Lohn American Allison Wagner set a SCM world record in the 200 IM in 1993 that lasted nearly 15 years. However, through no fault of her own, she never won a gold medal at the Olympics or long course World Championships. At the 1994 Worlds in Rome and 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the medley master collected three silver medals, each time finishing behind opponents suspected of doping.

018 ISHOF FEATURE: CHINA’S JOAN OF ARC—THE STORY OF YANG HUIMIN AND THE EIGHT HUNDRED by Bruce Wigo Over the past several years, ISHOF has featured the stories of courageous swimmers during wartime, such as Bernard Freyberg, Teddy Cann and Charles Jackson French. This month comes the story of a girl from China, Yang Huimin, who was called “China’s Joan of Arc” by the international press and dubbed “the heroine of the doomed battalion.”

021 FULL OF PROMISE by Jesse Marsh With two NCAA titles plus medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Pan American Games at just 22 years old, diver Joshua Capobianco has the potential to be an American great in the sport and have his name etched alongside legends like Greg Louganis and Sammy Lee.

026 READY TO TAKE THE NEXT BIG STEP by Matthew De George Only 18 at the time, sprinter Joshua Liendo treated last summer in Tokyo as an opportunity to gain experience in his first Olympics. He

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competed in three individual events and swam on two relays, including the 400 free relay that broke the Canadian record while finishing fourth. With added confidence, the podium in Paris in 2024 now becomes the more realistic aim.

028 MOTIVATED FOR MORE by David Rieder Canada’s Kylie Masse remains on her run of nearly unprecedented, sustained success in the 100 back after having also developed into an elite 200 backstroker. Her track record lends credence to the idea that Masse will remain a strong international medal contender for the years to come.

032 MAINTAINING THEIR STANDARD by Dan D’Addona

026

ON THE COVER

Joshua Liendo, who turned 19 in August, is the Canadian record holder in the men’s 100 meter butterfly. At the Tokyo Olympics, he advanced to the semifinals of the 100 fly and 100 free and swam two relay finals. In December at the World Short Course Championships, he won bronze in the 50 and 100 free and helped the Canadian mixed 200 free relay to gold. But what excites Liendo’s coach, Eddie Toro, of North Coast Aquatics in Toronto, is the future, noting that Liendo is constantly learning, keeping things in perspective, trying to leave his performances at the pool, with neither success nor failures staying with him long. (See feature, pages 26-27.)

Look for Savannah College of Art and Design and Keiser University to lead the competition at the NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships, while Indian River should take care of business again at NJCAAs.

[ Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada ]

034 NUTRITION: SUNNY D!— FOOD + SUN =VITAMIN D

by Michael J. Stott

by Dawn Weatherwax

046 HOW THEY TRAIN BAILEY HARTMAN: NO. 1 RECRUIT IN CALIFORNIA IN CLASS OF 2024

In the past couple of years, vitamin D has received a lot of attention regarding how it impacts overall health. However, many athletes still do not realize how vitamin D impacts athletic performance.

COACHING 036 STRENGTH TRAINING FOR AGE GROUPERS: YES OR NO? by Michael J. Stott The short answer is “yes”...but keep it super simple.

040 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 8)— OPTIMAL STROKE CYCLE FOR BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE by Rod Havriluk There is the potential for considerable performance improvement in backstroke and breaststroke primarily by decreasing the non-propulsive phase time. Calculations using the drag equation predict that even elite swimmers can make substantial performance improvements and achieve world record times.

042 SPECIAL SETS: CHAS MORTON REVISITED by Michael J. Stott As an age-group swimmer, the Nashville Aquatic Club superstar has no equal, setting more than 100 national age group records during the 1980s.

044 Q&A WITH COACH ETHAN HALL - CROW CANYON COUNTRY CLUB (Calif.)

by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING 039 DRYSIDE TRAINING: BUIILDING A STABLE FOUNDATION by J.R. Rosania As we progress through the beginning stages of building a strong foundation, our focus should be on improving strength. This will allow the body to adjust to heavier loads and time under tension as we increase our volume in the pool. This month’s exercises are used at the beginning our strength phase to begin to develop overall full-body strength.

JUNIOR SWIMMER 049 UP & COMERS: JOEY CAMPAGNOLA by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS 008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT 009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCI— THE SWIMMER? 050 GUTTERTALK 051 PARTING SHOT

SWIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE (ISSN 0039-7431). Note: permission to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without permission from the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for errors in advertisements. Microfilm copies: available from University Microfilms, 313 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Swimming World Magazine is listed in the Physical Education Index. Printed in the U.S.A. © Sports Publications International February 2022.

SWIM CAMPS

EXPERIENCE THE E XC E L L E N C E

ELITE CAMP I June 5–11

(6 Days, 6 Nights)

ELITE CAMP II June 11–18

(7 Days, 7 Nights)

For the intermediate to advanced 13 & over swimmer looking for a training challenge and a learning experience.

ELITE CAMP III & JUNE CLASSIC SWIM MEET June 18–27 (10 Days, 10 Nights)

For intermediate to advanced 13 & over swimmers looking for a training challenge and a learning experience. Swimmers will finish the camp competing in the Bolles June Classic swim meet Thursday through Sunday, a prelims-finals competition hosted annually with some of the best club teams in the southeast.

BOLLES SWIM CAMP ADVANTAGE n

Learn from Bolles coaches with Olympic coaching experience. Live, eat, train and learn on the beautiful Bolles riverfront campus with swimmers from around the world. Classroom sessions, dryland training and fun camp activities/outings are included to highlight special topics and create lifetime memories. Registrations will open online in December. For information contact: Lead Senior Coach Ryan Mallam (904) 256-5215 swimcamp@bolles.org

SPRINT CAMP June 27-July 8 (12 Days, 12 Nights) An extended camp experience focused on developing speed in the water. Training sessions will include both technical instruction and race pace swimming designed to increase the potential speed of the athlete for all distances.

JUNIOR ELITE CAMP June 6-10 & June 13-17 (Ages 9-12 Day Camp)

For the novice (experienced) competitive swimmer aged 9-12 looking for comprehensive technical instruction and training. Camp offers a full day (8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.) schedule allowing for two pool sessions and time spent in the classroom reviewing video of swimming technique. Camp is limited to 24 campers with no overnight stay available.

For more detailed information visit: BollesSwimming.org

VOICE FOR THE SPORT

FAIRNESS COMES FIRST BY JOHN LOHN

ccusations have been hurled. It comes with the journalistic territory, especially when a controversial topic is tackled. There have also been supportive comments—from individuals appreciative a stance has been taken on an issue that could have a serious impact on the sport not just now, but into the future. The Lia Thomas controversy is not going to disappear anytime soon, and Swimming World—and myself as editor-in-chief—will not shy away from continuing coverage. We will document the storyline’s impact on the pool and the potential influence it will have on the greater sports world. We will focus on the uneven playing field faced by biological female athletes. And we will discuss solutions to ensure Thomas is offered some form of inclusivity. Laziness, ignorance or agenda-driven positioning—in some cases—have attempted to make the Lia Thomas situation about transgenderism. Since coverage of her situation started, that has never been the case. It is terrific Thomas has found her identity as a woman and as a swimmer. From the get-go, this issue has been about one thing—the protection of biological female athletes and women’s sports. By now, the narrative of the Thomas saga is well known. If a quick review is required, here we go: Thomas is a transgender woman who competed for three years as a member of the University of Pennsylvania men’s program. Following hormone-suppressant therapy, which is in line with current NCAA requirements, Thomas has—this year—started to compete as a member of Penn’s women’s program. In early stages of the season, Thomas produced impressive times that suggest she will challenge American records. The malepuberty advantage possessed by Thomas has clearly not been mitigated. So, again, we emphasize the issue at hand is not about transgenderism. It is about providing an opportunity for female athletes—in the present and the future—to know they will enter competition with an equal chance for success. No, Thomas is not doing anything illicit, which was not the case in the days of the East German systematic-doping program. Rather, Thomas is benefiting from the EFFECTS of years of testosterone production, and two years of hormone-suppressant therapy hardly diminishes the edge gained from male puberty. The past and present are filled with instances where women’s sports are viewed as nothing more than steerage class. A high school football stadium needs new artificial turf? OK, just postpone the resodding of the girls’ soccer field. What do you think of the new scoreboard in the boys’ gym? Don’t know. What do you think of the flip-cards tracking the score of the field hockey match? These are examples that hold truth for most female athletes. At the bubbles for last year’s NCAA basketball tournaments, the inequality in treatment of men’s and women’s sports was on full display. Remember the fully loaded weighttraining facility for the guys? It was top-notch. Remember what the women were given? A rack of dumbbells. It was pathetic, and underscored the uphill battle faced by women and female athletics. In the case of Thomas, why should the NCAA’s decision to grant her participation in a women’s sport be acceptable? Her advantage boosted by years of testosterone production has not been mitigated. Instead of performing due diligence on the science, the NCAA developed a one-year hormone-suppressant requirement for transgender women that falls well short of what is necessary for equality. Basically, the governing body took a dismissive approach, similar to: “This should be OK. It’s only women’s sports.” No, it’s not OK. It’s not OK for women. It’s not OK for women’s athletics. It’s not OK for my three daughters. It’s not OK for the athletes who may race Thomas for the title in the 500 freestyle at the NCAA Championships. It’s not OK for Thomas, who is also in a no-win situation. Lia Thomas deserves a solution, and while that may not be racing against biological women behind the strength of what her body once produced, an answer must be found. A time trial or exhibition? The addition of a new classification? For inclusivity’s sake, the answer needs to come soon. It is critical that transgender athletes find a welcoming environment in our sport, but that cannot happen without first guaranteeing fairness for biological women. v

John Lohn Editor-in-Chief Swimming World Magazine 8

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INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

DID YOU

KNOW ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCI— THE SWIMMER? BY BRUCE WIGO PHOTOS COURTESY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

eonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519) epitomized the concept of the “Renaissance Man.” He was an Italian polymath who, while best known for his dramatic and expressive artwork, was also an inventor, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor and architect. He was a vegetarian who loved animals and despised war. He remains a role model for applying the scientific method to every aspect of life, including art and music. But he was also a prolific draughtsman who kept detailed journals, with notes and drawings on every subject that caught his attention—including swimming. From Leonardo’s scribblings in his notebooks, we can see how his curious mind worked and what drew him to swimming at a time when most Europeans did not know how to swim. He marveled at the way fishes swam: “Of the way in which they jump out of the water, as may be seen with dolphins; and it seems a wonderful thing to make a leap from a thing which does not resist, but slips away. Of the swimming of animals of a long form, such as eels and the like. Of the mode of swimming against currents and in the rapid falls of rivers. Of the mode of swimming of fishes of a round form. How it is that animals which have not long hind quarters cannot swim. How it is that all other animals which have feet with toes, know by nature how to swim, excepting man. In what way man ought to learn to swim. Of the way in which man may rest on the water…How he ought to move his arms. How to swim on his back. How he can and how he cannot stay under water unless he can hold his breath.” Da Vinci may have felt as home in the water as he was in his studio, and he may have understood the breath-holding techniques used by Budimir Šobat (24 minutes) or David Blaine (17 minutes) to remain under water today. But he refused to divulge or publish them “by reason of the evil nature of men who would use them as means of destruction at the bottom of the sea, by sending ships to the bottom, and sinking them together with the men in them.” Of the many inventions of which he drew images in his notebooks were several related to swimming. The most famous was a webbed glove and a device for surviving a shipwreck that

>> Webbed glove and a device for surviving a shipwreck that appears like a modern life ring or inner tube

>> Da Vinci’s design for shoes to be worn to walk on water

appears like a modern life ring or inner tube. But he also made a design for a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (think SCUBA) and shoes to be worn to walk on water. We’ll never know how good a swimmer da Vinci was, but he was the first to approach the art of swimming from a scientific perspective.v FEBRUARY 2022

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A GOLDEN JOURNEY Ashleigh Johnson, a two-time water polo Olympic gold medalist, continues to put in the work to stay on top of her game, a level of talent that has made her a global water polo icon. And with it, she’s contemplating what it will take to keep elevating the sport in the global consciousness. BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE

shleigh Johnson has reached the top of the Olympic mountain twice, and the vantage point offers perspective. Olympic gold medals for the U.S. water polo team—in 2016 and 2021—were certainly the goals for Johnson and her teammates. As she reflects on them, though, it’s the journey that stands out. For all the perfection in the ending, it’s the process to get there— the messiness, the grind, the moments of uncertainty—that sticks with her. With space to reassess after the Tokyo Olympics and to map her priorities anew, that has stood out to Johnson. And as she calculates what she wants from the next Olympic cycle, the 27-year-old is in no hurry to reach the end. “We can get really fixated on the Olympic Games, but there’s so much that happens in the four years, in the three years, in the two-and-a-half years that lead up to the Games,” Johnson told Swimming World. “So many of us are playing abroad. Some of us are in college. Some are pursuing other interests outside of water polo with the mindset that you’re going to be coming back to the team and you’re going to be training hard. “So it’s knowing that there’s different levels to be attained in this time, and we don’t need to be at the top of our game right now, but we will get there.” Johnson understands that building process. A new team of Americans will coalesce in the two-and-a-half years remaining to

the Paris Olympics. That group will carry some of the DNA of the last three gold winners in a program that has literally and figuratively become the sport’s gold standard. But the new group will develop unique traits as it writes its story.

A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

Johnson has begun her part of that process. With time to recharge from the arduous five-year lead-up to Tokyo, she’s back in the pool, with Greek club Ethnikos. She’s one of three Americans from the Tokyo squad—along with Maggie Steffens (at Spain’s CN Sabadell) and Greek-born Ethnikos teammate Stephania Haralabidis—to head to Europe for club play. It’s an opportunity Johnson can’t have any closer to home, given the lack of club water polo in the United States. She’s grateful for some part of that, since it requires the Princeton graduate to live in a different culture and broaden her global horizons. Living in Piraeus, a port city in greater Athens with Mediterranean beach weather in January, isn’t a bad perk. Nor is a vibrant fan culture, where Johnson has a chance to play before raucous crowd support, particularly when it comes to young water polo players that she relishes in helping to inspire. The chance to play with and against different teammates, to learn their intricacies in and out before tangling on the international stage, is one of the things that gives the cerebral goalie life. But her joyous club experiences exist out of sight from most

>> PICTURED ABOVE: Johnson’s career accomplishments are already voluminous. She’s won two Olympic gold medals, two World Championships and a Pan Am Games gold. She’s been named the most outstanding goalkeeper at both of her Olympics. She’s a trailblazer—as a Black woman in the sport and as an American Olympian from outside the traditional hotbed of California. She’s as close to a household name as a water polo player in the United States is likely to get. [ Photo Courtesy: Mariana Bazo ]

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[ Photo Courtesy: Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports ]

“I want to continue to bring our sport to people who look like me. I want to continue to inspire Black people, brown people—people who don’t look like the typical representation of somebody’s water polo player—to be that water polo player, to change the image and continue to bring water polo to the world stage.”

American fans, remote from the base of supporters that tune in for the Olympics every four years. “It enriches the whole Olympic cycle,” Johnson said. “I wish more people could see it.” When Johnson laments something like that, it’s not a passive process. She’s always looking for ways to make things better, which lately has meant delving into the psychology of business, of how people express themselves economically. And she’s connecting the dots from her studies to her sport. In so many American sports, women have taken control of their professional destinies, demonstrating the economic value of investing in women’s sports and the return that they can bring. She hopes to be able to lift water polo into that same echelon during her career. “I’m trying to get our sport there,” Johnson said. “Within water polo, there’s such limited pathways to get to the professional level, to anything past college, and there’s so much talent and so many who want to play past college. I think the next step is a league in the U.S.” Johnson draws inspiration from a number of examples. The National Women’s Soccer League has created long-sought stability for club soccer in the U.S., riding the wave of popularity of America’s back-to-back World Cup winners. The WNBA is growing a quarter-century into its existence, embracing inclusiveness across gender and race boundaries and touting its star power. The Athletes Unlimited organization has leveraged the individual brands of Olympic stars such as volleyball player Jordan Larson and softball player Cat Osterman to form innovative leagues; it’s also expanding into lacrosse and basketball, and it’s the kind of model Johnson would love to follow. Johnson is no stranger to pushing for change outside of the pool. Innovating in the water stems from the same vein. “Everyone’s pushing for change in their sport, and I see that going past sport,” she said. “I see that speaking to the world of women, and it speaks to how our world is changing and how women are being more empowered and just recognizing their power.”

>> Ashleigh Johnson (center) and her U.S. water polo teammates celebrate a win in the gold-medal match against Spain at the Tokyo Olmpics.

TO PARIS AND BEYOND?

Johnson’s career accomplishments are already voluminous. She’s won two Olympic gold medals, two World Championships and a Pan Am Games gold. She’s been named the most outstanding goalkeeper at both of her Olympics. She’s a trailblazer—as a Black woman in the sport and as an American Olympian from outside the traditional hotbed of California. Away from the pool, the Miami native was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 athletes for her focus on swimming education. She’s as close to a household name as a water polo player in the United States is likely to get. It’s quite the career, and it could include a third Olympics before age 30. But Johnson hasn’t begun to contemplate her legacy. Brilliance in Rio aside, she was unsure if she’d even get a second Olympics, so she knows the third is not guaranteed. Johnson stresses living in the moment, whether in her activism or her preparation in the pool. It means she hasn’t sketched out how long she wants to play, beyond wanting “freedom to decide when I decide” her career is complete. What’s certain for now is that she’s going to keep pushing—in the water in Greece and in her work beyond sports. She’s partnered with her sister, Chelsea, also a Princeton water polo standout, for the Johnson Sisters Swim Clinic to extend vital learn-to-swim curriculum to traditionally underserved communities in South Florida. She’s one of the most visible water polo players, male or female, in the U.S., and given how few non-white people have attained that status, she’s not going to take it for granted. On that front, Johnson’s goals are clear, and they connect directly to growing the sport, from the grassroots to the elite levels. “I want to continue to bring our sport to people who look like me,” she said. “I want to continue to inspire Black people, brown people—people who don’t look like the typical representation of somebody’s water polo player—to be that water polo player, to change the image and continue to bring water polo to the world stage.” v FEBRUARY 2022

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[ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]

with Maggie Mac Neil Swimming World takes a getto-know-you look with Olympic medalists in our new bimonthly “Podium Potpourri” series. First up is Maggie Mac Neil. She is an Olympic gold medalist for Canada, world champion, world record holder, NCAA champion and an NCAA record holder.

BY DAN D'ADDONA

WHAT IS YOUR PUMP-UP SONG BEFORE YOU GET BEHIND THE BLOCKS, AND WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE SONG THAT SPEAKS TO YOU? I don’t really listen to music right behind the blocks. When I was younger, I preferred to talk to my friends to calm my nerves, so I never got into it. However, as of late, I have particularly enjoyed the Swim Canada pre-pool playlist, which consists of classics from all different time periods, and gets us all hyped up to swim fast!

WHAT IS ANOTHER SPORT YOU PLAYED AT A YOUNGER AGE? WHAT MEMORIES STAND OUT? Like most kids, I tried some of everything—from ski lessons to gymnastics to soccer. In particular, I enjoyed volleyball and soccer the most during elementary school gym classes. In fact, the memory that stands out the most to me was when I tried out for the intramural 5-alive soccer team in grade 5, so I was about 10 or 11. With some of my closest friends, some of whom played soccer seriously, we won the tournament! It was so exciting for me to experience what it was like being a part of a team—until I arrived at (the University of) Michigan.

WHAT WAS IT THAT DREW YOU TO MICHIGAN? The two things I looked for in a school were great academics 14

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and athletics. Looking back on it, I definitely made the best decision when it came to that. The third factor that was almost just as important to me was location. I am a real homebody, so I wanted to stay fairly close to home. With only a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Ann Arbor (Mich.) to London, Ontario (Canada), I like to say I live in two places at once, and would spend a weekend at home as close to monthly as possible. However, with COVID, I haven’t been able to be home as much as I would like to be, but I am glad I made the decision I did, as I was not ready to be far from home at that point in my life.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? WHY? Ever since my grade 11 law class, Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts has been my favorite movie. As I am interested in possibly pursuing law school, I was particularly interested in that aspect, but additionally, Julia Roberts is such a great actor who portrays the real story of a woman overcoming struggle through passion and hard work. She’s also got some great one-liners.

COMPARE YOURSELF TO A SUPERHERO—WHICH ONE AND WHY? Thanks to one of my school friends, I have recently gotten pulled

into the Marvel universe. I would say my favorite is the Hulk. When he is Dr. Banner, we are similar in that we can be calm, caring and intelligent...but when we are “in Hulk mode,” that is when I get things done. I would relate my competition mode to the Hulk. WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR MEDALS? They are usually where I am. I almost always have them on me if I am at home or in public, as people love to wear and hold them. I enjoy inspiring others, especially when I went back to visit my elementary and high school during Thanksgiving break. Eventually, I hope to get a fireproof safe to put them in for long-term storage. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND ON THE PODIUM IN TOKYO? It is all kind of a blur now. However, I remember just trying to take the moment in, as that was something I had been dreaming of since I was little. It was also hard because I wished my family was there to witness it in person, but I knew they were watching it on TV.

Welcome TO A WATER WONDERLAND

From top aquatic facilities to miles of warm beaches and waterways, Greater Fort Lauderdale is the ideal spot for your next event. Dive in at VisitLauderdale.com/Sports.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE SEEING SO MUCH OLYMPIC SUCCESS FROM CANADA? It is amazing, but I also think it’s due. Five of Canada’s seven gold medals came from London, Ontario, so that in itself is really extraordinary, but it shows that we can contend with the rest of the world and have a lot to offer—not only in the winter Olympics, but also in the summer Olympics. This Olympics was our highest medal count in a non-boycotted Olympics, so it was an honor to be a part of that history and see all of the hard work and overcoming obstacles that COVID presented pay off. WHAT IS IT LIKE SEEING YOUR COLLEGE TEAMMATES COMPETE AND WIN MEDALS FOR OTHER COUNTRIES? It is always comforting to see some other familiar faces beyond Team Canada—in the form of other Wolverines. What stood out to me the most at the recently concluded Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi was watching Felix Aubock’s 400 meter freestyle win. First of all, it is huge for swimming in Austria, but mainly because he missed out on his final NCAA Championships in 2020 and didn’t get to see what he could accomplish. I wouldn’t say it was unexpected—with how he has been improving over the last few years—but it was great to see him get that “world champion” title. WHEN YOU CELEBRATE AFTER A BIG MEET, WHAT IS YOUR “GO-TO” FOOD...AND WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT THAT? My go-to post-meet meal is always a burger and fries. When I started competing at the age of 8, on the way home from meets—mainly away meets—my dad and I would always stop for A&W on the way home. This has remained a tradition, and it reminds me of how far I have come. But, of course, if I ever get DQ’ed, a trip to Dairy Queen is a must. v FEBRUARY 2022

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THE MISSED TURN

A VICTIM OF

CIRCUMSTANCE American Allison Wagner set a SCM world record in the 200 IM in 1993 that lasted nearly 15 years. However, through no fault of her own, she never won a gold medal at the Olympics or long course World Championships. At the 1994 Worlds in Rome and 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the medley master collected three silver medals, each time finishing behind opponents suspected of doping.

BY JOHN LOHN

[ Photo Courtesy: Bill Collins ]

This month, Swimming World debuts a new series titled, “The Missed Turn.” In this bimonthly segment, we will examine the career of an athlete who—for one reason or another—has not received his/her proper due. The feature’s title is not a reflection on the athlete. Rather, it suggests that the sport has missed out on—and underappreciates—the excellence delivered by this individual. And now, it is time to celebrate what he/she has accomplished.

n our sport, Olympic gold is the ultimate award. In the chase for that peak achievement, any number of factors can determine whether the mountain is scaled. Obviously, skill is the primary consideration. Timing often plays a role. So does health. The opposition, too, has a major influence, for occasionally, a specific foe might not be beatable. Allison Wagner ran into another obstacle. The impact of the systematic-doping program of East Germany is a well-known black eye on the history of the sport. Stars such as American Shirley Babashoff and Dutchwoman Enith Brigitha were denied their rightful honors—individual Olympic crowns. They were also thwarted at the World Championships, as their opposition didn’t rely merely on talent, but also on the boost supplied by the little blue pill known as Oral Turinabol. By the time Wagner emerged as one of the United States’ premier performers in the individual medley events, the Berlin Wall had come down, and the East German doping program was no more. Did that mean the sport was clean? Hardly, and Wagner learned that truth—perhaps—in a harsher manner than anyone on a pool deck. CHINA: THE NEW ROGUE NATION A rising star on the American scene, Wagner emerged on the global stage at the 1993 World Short Course Championships in Spain. In Palma de Mallorca, Wagner captured a gold medal in the 200 individual medley and a silver medal in the 400 IM, the shorter event producing a world record that endured for nearly 15 years. In retrospect, what unfolded in the 400 medley served as a harbinger of what was to come. At the inaugural World Short Course Champs, Wagner’s silver in the 400 IM arrived behind China’s Dai Guohong, who set a 16

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world record en route to a two-second triumph over the American. Although Dai did not test positive for a banned substance, China had suddenly emerged as a global power in the pool, the use of performance-enhancing drugs thought to be the driving force. In a way, East Germany had been replaced by another rogue nation. A year later, Wagner’s misfortunes continued. At the 1994 World Championships in Rome, China’s power was on full display. In addition to notching victories in 12 of the 16 women’s events, the Chinese swept the relays and managed three gold-silver finishes. Wagner left Rome with silver medals in the 200 and 400 IM, beaten by Lu Bin in the shorter distance and Dai again over 400 meters. What was unfolding, especially against the backdrop of past East German dominance, did not sit well. “I believe you have to be incredibly naive to ignore the circumstantial evidence,” said Dennis Pursley, the national team director of USA Swimming. “The current situation is an exact replica of the GDR, and it is depriving deserving athletes of the attention and success they deserve. We can’t put our heads in the sand again and pretend what we know is happening isn’t happening. Our athletes just aren’t buying it this time. Common sense tells you that our athletes aren’t going to make the major sacrifices required to compete at this level when they know the deck is stacked against them.”

butterfly. It was in the 400 medley in which Smith denied Wagner her proper place on the podium. While Smith clocked 4:39.18 for the gold medal, Wagner touched in 4:42.03 for the silver medal. Once again, the American was beaten by an opponent suspected of doping. Although Smith brushed aside the accusations of performance-enhancing drug use, and Ireland accused the United States of sour grapes, the truth surrounding Smith was revealed in 1998. Just two years after attaining disputed Olympic glory, the Irish lass tampered with an out-of-competition urine sample. The result of that move was a four-year ban from the sport. Nonetheless, Smith maintained possession of her four Olympic medals, including the gold in the 400 IM that should have gone to Wagner. “The Olympics are a big part of anyone’s life,” Wagner said after Smith’s doping ban. “This decision has not closed a chapter in my life. Not at all. The decision won’t bring any closure at all to me. It is reassuring, but it doesn’t change anything for me. Thirty years from now, she will show her grandchildren her gold medal. I will show my grandchildren silver. She has those gold medals in her possession. She will always have gold, and I will always have silver. It will always be that way forever.” CONSEQUENCES OUT OF THEIR CONTROL In what is a fitting role, Wagner currently works as the director of athlete and international relations for the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The position enables Wagner to serve athlete needs with USADA. Unfortunately, she >> In 1998, Michelle Smith tampered with an out-of-competition urine sample, resulting in a four-year does not possess the gold medal from the ban from the sport. However, Smith maintained possession of her four Olympic medals, including the gold in the 400 IM that should have gone to Wagner (pictured). “It is reassuring, but it doesn’t change anything 1996 Olympics that should be in her medal for me,” Wagner said after Smith’s doping ban. “Thirty years from now, she will show her grandchildren collection or hang on her wall. More, her gold medal. I will show my grandchildren silver.” [ Photo Courtesy: Bill Collins ] Wagner is missing as an inductee from the International Swimming Hall of Fame. In the months following the 1994 World Champs, China’s thinly A comparison can be drawn between Wagner and Craig Beardsley, the former world record holder in the veiled secret was revealed, as several athletes failed doping tests, 200 butterfly. As 1980 dawned, Beardsley was the overwhelming including Lu. Still, Wagner was left as the silver medalist in each favorite for gold in the 200 fly at the approaching Olympic Games of her events as she prepared to race at the 1996 Olympic Games in in Moscow. Ultimately, Beardsley did not receive the opportunity Atlanta. On home soil, the Americans would not have to deal with to chase that title, due to the United States’ boycott of Moscow in drug-fueled China, although Wagner would be greeted by another response to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. The lack unfair hurdle. of a gold medal for Beardsley, like Wagner, has seemingly been the missing piece to ISHOF entry. Sadly, neither athlete could control MICHELE SMITH: AN UNFAIR METAMORPHOSIS what transpired. As a 1988 and 1992 Irish Olympian, Michelle Smith was an alsoran in worldwide competition. Yet on the road to the 1996 Olympics, *** questions arose concerning Smith’s metamorphosis to Olympic-title contender. She first emerged from the shadows to capture multiple Allison Wagner will forever be known as an NCAA, national European titles in 1995, and her drops in time mimicked what is and world titlist whose wide-ranging skill set served her perfectly in seen in an age-grouper who has just entered the sport. the medley disciplines. Unfortunately, though, her grandest moment At the Atlanta Games, Smith was the star of the women’s never came to fruition, stolen by a drug cheat. So, it is important to competition, securing gold medals in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 400 look back, tip the cap to her and continually ensure Wagner’s days in the pool are respected and appreciated. v freestyle. For good measure, she won a bronze medal in the 200 FEBRUARY 2022

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[ Photo Courtesy: newspapers.com ]

INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

CHINA’S JOAN OF ARC:

THE STORY OF YANG HUIMIN AND THE EIGHT HUNDRED The International Swimming Hall of Fame is devoted to telling the history of swimming and the story of swimmers—not just Olympic greats, but also of hero swimmers who have made a difference in the world outside of the sports arena. Over the past several years, ISHOF has featured the stories of courageous swimmers during wartime, such as Bernard Freyberg, Teddy Cann and Charles Jackson French. This month comes the story of a girl from China, who was called “China’s Joan of Arc” by the international press. BY BRUCE WIGO

ang Huimin was born in the Chinese capital of Nanjing on March 16, 1915. It was a time of seismic changes in the political, social and cultural life of the country, particularly in regard to women’s rights. Imperial China had been a paternalistic society in the extreme. In 1911, a republican revolution succeeded in overthrowing the Imperial tyranny and established a progressive government that recognized China as the “sick man of Asia”—and if the men were sick and weak, the women were sicker and weaker. The prescription was physical fitness, and the new government turned to the International YMCA and Boy and Girl Scout organizations for help in establishing Chinese chapters. As in the West, female swimmers played a prominent role in >>PICTURED (TOP): Chinese heroine Yang Huimin, who daringly carried a Chinese flag to the “doomed battalion” in Shanghai’s Chapei, is greeted by F.W. Wong (left), Chinese Benevolent Association head, and Dr. Tsu Chi Yu (right), Chinese Consul General, upon arriving in New York for the World Congress of Youth in 1938. (RIGHT): Swimmer Yang Xiuqiong, the first female athlete to compete for China at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, was featured on the cover of The Young Companion, which named her one of China’s 10 most outstanding women.

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[ Photo Courtesy: ISHOF Archive ]

EXTRAORDIDNARY COURAGE Yang Huimin, however, refused to leave and was among the huge crowd that

[ Photo Courtesy: ISHOF Archive ]

TO THE RESCUE But as Yang Xiuqiong’s star began to fade, Yang Huimin, no relation, inadvertently came to the rescue of the reputation of women swimmers in China. Yang Huimin was a 22-year-old physical education student living in Shanghai when the second Sino-Japanese War broke out on July 7, 1937. She was also a Girl Scout leader, and as the Japanese Imperial Army approached Shanghai, the government reorganized the Boy and Girl Scouts into the “Scouts Wartime Service Corps,” helping the Chinese Army to maintain order in refugee camps and nurses to tend to the sick and wounded. When the Japanese Army reached the outskirts of Shanghai on Aug. 13, the Chinese Army was in full retreat. To delay the advance and bide time for the main Chinese force to withdraw, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek asked for volunteers to defend a large, six-story concrete warehouse. One of the volunteers was Yang Huimin’s brother. The defenders were hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered, and were told there would be no reinforcements. Their assignment was considered a suicide mission, and it brought on comparisons in the international press to the “Alamo” of American lore. However, the Sihang Warehouse had one strategic advantage. It was located on the narrow Suzhou River, directly across from the neutral “International District,” an area conceded to seven nations, including the United States, Germany, Britain and Japan after the First Opium War of the 1840s. The close proximity to the District prevented the Japanese from using naval or aerial bombardments and mustard gas, all of which had been effective elsewhere, lest they miss their target and provoke the Europeans and Americans, whom they hoped to keep out of the war. Up until the time when Japanese reconnaissance teams started moving into the area around the warehouse, on Oct. 27, Yang Huimin and the Scouts had helped carry food, munitions and medical supplies to defenders. Then the Scouts were ordered to leave the front and retreat to their homes for safety.

had gathered on the International District side of the Suzhou River to watch the action unfold. As each Japanese attack was repulsed by the defenders, a loud cheer could be heard as if it were a great sporting event. At dawn on the second day, Yang Huimin noticed the warehouse surrounded by Rising Sun flags, and on her side of the Suzhou River flew the flags of European nations. “Where was the flag of China?” she wondered, imagining that it should be flying from the top of the warehouse. Because the warehouse was now surrounded by Japanese, the

>> (From left) Diver Dorothy Poynton and Yang Xiuqiong were both favorite subjects of legendary photographer Leni Riefenstahl at the 1936 Olympic Games. (Münchner Illustrierte Presse, Aug. 6, 1936)

[ Photo Courtesy: Sihang Warehouse Museum ]

challenging conservative morals that oppressed women. The first female celebrity athlete to become the symbol of China’s new feminine ideal was Yang Xiuqiong. Yang established herself as a swimming prodigy by the age of 10, and by 1930, at the age of 12, she had become the best swimmer in China. The influential women’s magazine, The Young Companion, named her one of China’s 10 most outstanding women. Her slender but developed physique displayed in a swimsuit might seem ordinary today, but in the China of the early 1930s, it was both revolutionary and controversial. Her every movement was recorded in the newspapers and magazines. But after she became the first female athlete to compete for China at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, the liberal pendulum had swung too far in promoting “foreign” morals. The government was pressured to pass laws that prevented men and women from swimming together, lest their revealing swimwear might inflame primal male instincts.

>> The Sihang Warehouse as the Imperial Japanese Army approaches it. CONTINUED ON 20 >> FEBRUARY 2022

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[ Photo Courtesy: Gao Shi Film Studio ]

YANG HUIMIN / Continued from 19

[ Photo Courtesy: ISHOF Archive ]

>> Yang Huimin (played by Brigitte Lin) delivering the national flag to the Sihang Warehouse after swimming across the Suzhou River in the 1977 film, Eight Hundred Heroes

While the flag-raising and the crowd’s reaction provided a morale boost for the defenders, it also irked the Japanese, and it was with the sound of gunshots in her ear that Yang Huimin slipped out a window and into the Suzhou River. By now, the crowd numbered in the thousands, and it wasn’t long before they saw her swimming and began to cheer her on, but that also drew the attention of the Japanese and their gunfire. To avoid being shot, Yang Huimin dove for her life, and as she did, many in the crowd waded out into the water hoping she could reach them. It was a move that forced the Japanese to stop shooting, lest they harm a foreigner. Not since Horatius Cocles made his swim across the Tiber in ancient Rome had there been such a scene when Yang surfaced among the crowd. Although the Japanese eventually overran Shanghai, the defenders had given their Army enough time to escape to fight another day. Colonel Xie and his men held out for four more days before the British brokered their withdrawal into the safety of the International District. Amazingly, 376 of the original 414 defenders walked out of the warehouse.

A TIME FOR CELEBRATION Yang Huimin and the defenders of the Sihang warehouse were celebrated in the press, in patriotic songs, in popular literature and in a propaganda film made for both Chinese and international audiences, entitled Eight Hundred Heroes. Yang Huimin appeared in advertisements and in >> The author standing outside the Sihang Warehouse in Shanghai that still shows the scars of battle. It is articles alongside Yang Xiuqiong, and she now a memorial and houses a museum dedicated to the “doomed battalion.” was feted and honored by Madame Chiang only way to get a flag to it was to swim it across the Suzhou River, Kai-shek. and Yang Huimin was an excellent swimmer. After getting a flag, In 1938, she was sent to New York as China’s most visible she tied it tightly around her waist, and while still wearing her Scout representative to the World Congress of Youth, where she was uniform, she slipped into the river and began her mission just before personally greeted by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Mayor midnight on Oct. 28. Fiorello LaGuardia. When she reached the safety of the warehouse, she was helped Dubbed “the heroine of the doomed battalion,” Yang Huimin up through a window by surprised and exhausted soldiers. They was the only one of the 500-plus attendees from around the world escorted her to her brother, and together, they presented the flag to a to have her individual photo printed in The New York Times. She grateful Colonel Xie Jinuan, the commanding officer. Upon seeing was given a parade in her honor in Chinatown, was interviewed on the wounded and dead, Yang Huimin asked Xie his plans. “Defend all the major radio programs, including Robert Ripley’s “Believe until death,” he replied. It or Not” broadcast, and proved to be a very effective fundraiser Moved to tears, Yang begged to stay and join the fight, but Xie throughout the United States for China’s nationalist government in insisted she return to the safety of the International District before its fight against the Japanese throughout the war. sunrise. Reluctantly, she agreed, but she asked Xie to give her a When the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949—with a communist list of the defender’s names so their heroism and sacrifice could victory—Yang Huimin fled to Taiwan. But her star rose again in be known to the world. The battalion stood at 414 people before 1976 after a feature film, Eight Hundred Heroes, retold the story of the Japanese attacked, but now, with casualties, it was even less. the doomed batallion. At the time, her feats were only recognized Fearful of revealing the small number of troops he had left, and in Taiwan, but since her passing in 1992, she has become a hero hoping to deceive the Japanese, Xie gave her a list of 800 names not only to the people of Taiwan, but for the People’s Republic of from a regimental roster. China as well. In 2020, the story was retold again in the blockbuster At dawn the next morning, Xie and Yang Huimin led the Chinese movie, The Eight Hundred. v defenders in a flag-raising ceremony on the roof of the warehouse. Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming The event was noticed by a few early risers in the International Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17. District, and soon, a sizable crowd had gathered and began cheering. 20

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FULL OF

PROMISE With two NCAA titles plus medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Pan American Games at just 22 years old, diver Joshua Capobianco has the potential to be an American great in the sport and have his name etched alongside legends like Greg Louganis and Sammy Lee. BY JESSE MARSH

lympic silver medalist Andrew Capobianco seemed destined to be a star athlete from a young age, but not necessarily as a diver. Like many in his sport, the Indiana University redshirt senior started his athletic career in gymnastics. It was his first love, and like any young athlete, he had dreams of making the USA junior national team and eventually becoming an Olympian. But soon, diving and its similarities called. Capobianco had instant success on the boards. In his first year competing, he broke a 22-year old Nassau County (N.Y) high school record—as a seventh-grader! He extended his local prowess to the national level and won the 2011 USA Diving Age Group National Championships on the 1-meter springboard. At the same time, Capobianco was enjoying stardom in the gym as well. In 2013, the Mineola, N.Y. native won the junior national championships in floor exercise. That would be his last time competing in gymnastics. ALL-IN FOR DIVING Diving and gymnastics require full-time commitments to achieve success at the highest level, and despite being among the best in the United States at both, Capobianco knew as he got older, he had to pick one to dedicate his focus. It was a tough decision, as he had grown to love the two sports equally. The choice came down to which one he could achieve the most sustained success. “Gymnasts are not very tall, and they’re built pretty big, which was not really the way my body was growing,” he said. “So, it was a pretty easy kind of decision for me because it was kind of like, well,

which one will I be better at in the long run?” After deciding to dedicate all his time to diving, his family wanted to ensure he was in the best position to achieve his full potential. As a result, they packed up and moved from New York to North Carolina so their son could train with three-time Olympic diving coach Drew Johansen. Johansen, the head diving coach at Duke at the time, had just led the U.S. Olympic team in London the previous summer, where two Blue Devil divers, Abby Johnston and Nick McCrory, picked up medals. For Capobianco to have the opportunity to work with such an esteemed coach was massive for his short- and long-term development. Unfortunately, the pair never spent any time together in Durham, as Johansen accepted an offer to lead the Indiana University diving program the same summer the Capobianco family moved. Although he was disappointed that he would not work under his tutelage, he relished being surrounded by some of the nation’s and world’s best divers. Over the next three seasons, Capobianco stormed to three consecutive junior national titles on the platform and one each in 1-meter and 3-meter. His impressive performances landed him trips to the 2014 and 2016 Junior World Championships and as a member of the 2015 Junior Pan American team. NEXT STEP: INDIANA UNIVERSITY A mainstay on Team USA Diving at the junior level, when it came time for deciding where to go for college, all of the coaches

>> PICTURED ABOVE: Capobianco (left) joined forces with 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic silver medalist Michael Hixon in 2018 as synchronized diving partners. They won their first medal together in 2019, capturing bronze on synchronized 3-meter at Pan Ams, and returned home from Tokyo last summer in the same event with Olympic silver medals. [ Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher / USA Today Sports ] CONTINUED ON 22 >> FEBRUARY 2022

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MICHAEL CAPOBIANCO / Continued from 21

wanted Capobianco on their team. Having Olympic aspirations, he narrowed down his list quite early. He looked at three to five schools, but once he took a trip to Indiana, he knew it would be his home for the next four to five years. While he loved the team, campus and academic programs at Indiana, the opportunity to be coached by the man who was a big part of why he was a diver sealed the deal. “He (Johansen) was the two-time head Olympic coach at the time, and (becoming an Olympian) was kind of an aspiration of mine, so I knew that was kind of a path that I could go down if I came (to IU).” With high expectations from the USA Diving community, Capobianco had a lot to live up to from the get-go in the Big Ten and NCAA. He showed considerable promise in his first season, scoring two podium finishes at the Big Ten Championships. He backed up his performances at the conference level with a bronze medal on platform at the 2018 NCAA Championships. He ended his impressive freshman year with three All-America honors and as a CSCAA Scholar All-American.

>> Capobianco had a breakout sophomore season at Indiana University. At the 2019 conference champs, he won silver medals in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events. He carried his scintillating form over to the national scene, becoming the first Hoosier to win the 3-meter competition at NCAAs in 38 years. [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]

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GAME-CHANGING OPPORTUNITY Capobianco caught the attention of many after his exceptional maiden collegiate campaign, including redshirt senior teammate at the time, Michael Hixon. The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic silver medalist’s synchronized diving partner, Sam Dorman, had recently retired, so Hixon was looking for a new partner to join him on the road to Tokyo. With Capobianco developing into a world-class diver, both Johansen and Hixon thought joining forces could reap success for the two. “They (Hixon and Johansen) had a meeting with me, and we talked about the possibility of doing synchro. It wasn’t set in stone, but both of them did have a lot of belief in me and my abilities, and they wanted to try it out and see how it was going to go.” The opportunity was a game changer for the seven-time AllAmerican’s career. “That just meant a lot to me to hear that the previous Olympic silver medalist in the event wanted to do synchro with me,” Capobianco said. “It also kind of got me a little fired up because I saw that as a very good chance to hopefully make the Olympic team in 2020.” Oozing with confidence, Capobianco had a breakout 2018-19 season. At the conference champs, he won silver medals in the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events. He carried his scintillating form over to the national scene, becoming the first Hoosier to win the 3-meter competition at NCAAs in 38 years. He capped his sophomore year with an eventful international schedule that included trips to the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. At 2019 Worlds, he competed internationally with Hixon for the first time, and the two finished eighth in the 3-meter synchro. He brought home some hardware, though, teaming up with twotime Olympian Katrina Young for a third-place finish in the mixed team event. He paired up with Hixon once again on 3-meter at Pan Ams, and the two won their first medal together, capturing bronze. Capobianco got his first taste of individual hardware on the international stage with another third-place finish in the 1-meter springboard. THE COVID CHALLENGE With his performances in 2019, his Olympic dreams started looking more and more like a reality. To ensure he put himself in the best position possible to qualify for Tokyo, Capobianco decided to redshirt the 2019-20 season to focus on making the U.S. Olympic team. “It’s something that (Johansen) had done with his athletes in the past to kind of give some extra focus into your training and not

really worry too much about school and competing and dual meets.” Everything was going to plan for Capobianco until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and postponed the Olympic Games. While disappointed at first, he looked at the positive side of the situation, and how the extra year could be beneficial. “I got a whole extra year of confidence and a whole extra year of doing my dives under my belt and kind of seeing where I stack up.” He most certainly used the year to his advantage. He re-entered the collegiate scene and dominated the competition to defend his NCAA title in the 3-meter. After successfully returning to competition for the Hoosiers, he turned his attention to the Olympic Trials, where he and Hixon needed to win to qualify for Tokyo. While the two were favorites heading to Indianapolis, the pandemic presented a major barrier in their preparation. Planning on retiring after Tokyo, Hixon was enrolled in graduate school at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2020. With the Olympics postponed, it meant, other than at the Tokyo World Cup a month before, the duo did not train together leading up to Trials. “It honestly came down to a lot of trusting in our training from before,” Capobianco said. With Capobianco riding high on confidence from the NCAA season and Hixon having depths of experience, the pair pulled off the win at Trials. The victory meant an Olympic invitation. “It was really special to do that with him and look up at my parents as well as his parents and see all the hard work we put in and that they’ve put in over the years to get to this point,” Capobianco said. To add to his achievements in synchro, Capobianco also secured an individual Olympic berth with a second-place finish in the 3-meter springboard. With Team USA having won medals at the last two Olympic Games in the event, the pressure was on the pair to continue the American synchro streak. Despite that fact, their focus was on diving to the best of their abilities, no matter where it put them in the standings. “We just kind of knew that we had to do the best that we could,” Capobianco said. “The goal was to dive our best and see where that put us.” Their best was good enough for silver in Tokyo, extending the USA medal streak in the event.

>>In addition to winning an Olympic silver medal, Capobianco is a five-time junior national champion on 1-meter, 3-meter and platform (2014-15-16) and a member of Team USA at the 2014 and 2016 Junior World Championships plus the 2015 Junior Pan Ams. He also is a three-time senior national champion, a 2018 World Cup team member and a 2019 Pan American Games double bronze medalist. The 22-year-old also competed at two World Championships: 2017 (10th, mixed synchro) and 2019 (eighth, synchro 3-meter; bronze, mixed team event). [ Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick ]

A BRIGHT FUTURE Now an Olympic medalist, Capobianco is hoping to cap off his collegiate diving career with another individual NCAA title. As a redshirt senior, he also hopes to lead his team to a first national championship since 1973. Beyond college, he’s looking to compete at the Olympics in Paris in two-and-a-half years and perhaps the Los Angeles Games in 2028. “I’m planning to train until 2024, and seeing where that takes me, and, depending on how that goes, possibly continuing diving until 2028 as well, just as long my heart and my body are still in it,” he said. v

Jesse Marsh is a member of the current Swimming World intern class and a member of the Villanova University men's swim team. FEBRUARY 2022

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THE NEXT BIG STEP Only 18 at the time, sprinter Joshua Liendo treated last summer in Tokyo as an opportunity to gain experience in his first Olympics. He competed in three individual events and swam on two relays, including the 400 free relay that broke the Canadian record while finishing fourth. With added confidence, the podium in Paris in 2024 now becomes the more realistic aim. BY MATTHEW DE GEORGE

oshua Liendo’s primary job at the Tokyo Olympics was to watch and learn. There was little chance that the Canadian sprinter could stop himself from doing the latter. Liendo wouldn’t turn 19 until later in August. Career-defining as the Olympic berth was, it came with a sense of the future. Tokyo offered a chance to compete, something in drastically short supply since the pandemic began, and to find their feet on the sport’s grandest stage. Given Liendo’s signature approach, a blend of curiosity and composure, he needed no reminder about what could be gained in Tokyo. “Just watching the best in the world, what they do, what mistakes they don’t make and what mistakes I make,” Liendo said in December before the FINA Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi. “And that’s something I really touched on in my training when I got back. I’m just a smarter athlete now, and the Olympics helped me out a lot with that and where I can get better.” As Liendo showed in the UAE, his potential is limitless. His assault on Canada’s record boards has been steady through the years. But what has Liendo primed for the next step—from a swimmer with Olympic A cuts to a genuine medal contender—is the same mentality that has taken him this far in his career. “You know, Josh isn’t done yet,” Eddie Toro, Liendo’s longtime coach at North York Aquatic Club, told Swimming World. “He’s having way too much fun with this. If there is any pressure on him, we can’t tell. He handles it so well. He just learned to make this a very fun experience for him, and I say that very genuinely. I think that helps him so much because the more elite he gets, he’s just more relaxed than the rest of the guys.” 26

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FROM CANADA TO TRINIDAD AND BACK Liendo’s swimming journey began in a childhood split between countries. He was born in Scarborough, Ontario, in 2002, but spent much of his youth in Trinidad & Tobago. The island nation is where he learned to swim (and developed an academic interest in marine biology), but he dabbled in a variety of sports there, from football to gymnastics to baseball, his parents split on hoping he’d gravitate toward the latter two. Upon returning to Canada at age 9, the family settled in Markham, and Liendo started club swimming, first at Toronto Olympian Swim Team (TORCH), then NYAC. Watching Michael Phelps inspired Liendo to become a butterflyer. When Liendo sprouted a 6-foot-4 frame, it would prove a prescient choice. Liendo has described butterfly choosing him rather than the other way around, and the stroke became the rock around which Toro and the late Murray Drudge at NYAC helped Liendo build. “He knew that he always had butterfly to fall back on,” Toro says. “It was just this relationship with the stroke that, ‘I got it.’ From an early age, you don’t need to understand it too much—it just comes out. And as he gets older, you point out things you want to keep, things that make butterfly very efficient.” That latter process, Toro said, hits at the heart of Liendo’s mentality. He describes Liendo as studious, with the humility to understand where he needs to improve, the initiative to seek out those lessons and the diligence to incorporate them into training. Toro saw that firsthand for years, and he’s certain that that trait is tailored for Liendo as he reaches international notoriety. “Swimming is a passion for him, and he just had this curiosity and this mission to get better, not just in a physical way, but in details,” Toro says. “You could see through his eyes that when

>> Liendo got his first taste of senior competition at the 2019 World Championships, then won a silver medal in the 100 free and two relay medals at World Juniors later that summer. He was named Canada’s Male Junior Swimmer of the Year. [ Photo Courtesy: Michael P. Hall/Swimming Canada ]

you’re talking to him, the wheels are turning very quickly. He has this ability from a young age that still carries with him.”

FASTER THAN PHELPS Toro started working with Liendo at age 12, and he had an inkling that the swimmer’s mental toolkit was special. But he didn’t understand how tremendous the pieces could be when fully assembled until Liendo was 14. As Liendo recalled in a recent podcast interview, the 2017 Canadian Junior Championships were a rare moment where his coaches thought him a tad too ambitious. His best time in the 100 fly had been a 56.49, but Liendo felt sure he had a sub-55 swim in him. All Liendo did was trim nearly two seconds off his best time, setting a Canadian 13-14 age-group record at 54.76 seconds. “That swim,” Toro says, “when I watched it, I said, this guy is going to make it very far.” The NAG record came just a year after Liendo had set his first Ontario age-group mark, and the rocket ride kept going. His watershed year was 2019: Liendo set age-group marks for 15-17 in the 100 fly and 100 free. Both times—49.17 in the 100 free and 52.13 in the 100 fly—are quicker than the American 15-16 marks, placing him ahead of Caeleb Dressel (49.28 100 free, 2013) and Luca Urlando (52.40), who had downed Phelps’ 100 fly record in 2018. (Liendo was 16 for the fly swim and five days past his 17th birthday for the 100 free.) Liendo got his first taste of senior competition at the 2019 World Championships, then won a silver medal in the 100 free and two relay medals at World Juniors later that summer. He was named Canada’s male junior swimmer of the year, at the forefront of a wave of young talent the program hoped would complement its ascendant women’s program.

AN OLYMPIC DEBUT Liendo didn’t let the Olympic postponement dent his momentum. He set the Canadian record in the 100 fly at Olympic Trials at 51.40 seconds. While Tokyo didn’t hold a medal, Liendo advanced to the semifinals of the 100 fly and 100 free and swam two relay finals, the men’s 400 free squad with a shocking fourth-place result. In Abu Dhabi, Liendo added three national SCM marks. He won bronze in the 50 and 100 free and helped the Canadian mixed 200 free relay to gold. “I’m going in with more confidence. I’m really excited to race,”

>> Eddie Toro, Liendo’s longtime coach at North York Aquatic Club in Toronto, describes his star swimmer as studious, with the humility to understand where he needs to improve, the initiative to seek out those lessons and the diligence to incorporate them into training. [ Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada ]

Liendo said before Worlds. “There’s obviously some fast guys here, some of the best in the world. In my training, it’s been thinking about what I need to do to be up there with the best in the world, so I’ll be able to measure myself, test out where I am against the best in the world.” In so many areas, Toro says, Liendo already is among the best. His times are merely catching up. Liendo’s mental approach melds the wisdom of a veteran with the joy of an age grouper. Toro lauds the latter as keeping him fresh, willing to learn and grow. Liendo achieves that by keeping things in perspective, trying to leave his performances at the pool, with neither success nor failures staying with him long. That savvy fuels Toro’s optimism that Liendo is equipped to take the next big step. “That’s a very unique feature in Josh that I haven’t seen in a swimmer since, honestly,” Toro says. “Swimmers tend to get to that point later on when they’re in their 20s, and now they’re really taking their career to the next level, but Josh had that from an early age. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.” v FEBRUARY 2022

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Canada’s Kylie Masse remains on her run of nearly unprecedented, sustained success in the 100 back after having also developed into an elite 200 backstroker. Her track record lends credence to the idea that Masse will remain a strong international medal contender for the years to come. BY DAVID RIEDER

t her first Olympics in 2016, Kylie Masse was an international neophyte, having won her only previous medal in foreign waters when she captured gold in the 100 back at the 2015 World University Games. One year later, the 20-year-old from Windsor found herself in Lane 2 for the 100 back Olympic final, a tightlybunched field that saw all eight swimmers record times within a half-second of each other in the semifinals. The same day that Masse swam in her 100 back semifinal, she had watched as 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak stunned a field full of veterans to take silver in the women’s 100 butterfly, securing the first Olympic medal in swimming for Canada’s women in two decades. “When she did it, it was just a snowball: ‘Well if she can do it, then I can do it,’” Masse said. In the 100 back final, Masse turned in fourth place at the halfway point, but she surged over the second half of the race. While Katinka Hosszu pulled away to win Olympic gold, the next four swimmers came crashing into the wall at basically the same time. Masse ended up with a bronze, sharing the honor with China’s Fu Yuanhui while the pair was just 1-hundredth ahead of Kathleen Baker and 4-hundredths ahead of Mie Nielsen. Masse was an Olympic medalist by that narrow margin, and so began a run that would quickly establish her as one of the elite women’s backstrokers in the world. “I don’t think I really realized what it meant for my career until probably a little while after,” Masse said. “Yes, I wanted to do well, but I didn’t have any expectations for myself and getting on the 28

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podium or anything like that. Coming away from that meet with a bronze medal really just opened my eyes and showed me that I belong on the international stage and gave me so much confidence in myself and confidence as a person and also as a swimmer.” Of course, hard work and determination are key for any elite athlete, but Masse identified other attributes about herself that had allowed her to succeed on such a grand stage: “Being able to compartmentalize, being adaptable, having balance and having perspective,” she said. Specifically, Masse identified being in school at the University of Toronto, where she was pursuing a degree in kinesiology, as critical for maximizing her potential in the pool. “I realized that having school and swimming really helped me,” Masse said. “I found I liked having that balance. I like being able to spend the day and go to school and be with classmates and kind of not be a swimmer, and then I got to practice, and it was only swimming. I was just focusing on that. Once I left practice, that was it. Those are strengths that I saw in myself, and I saw that working.” The formula worked in Rio, and it continued working for Masse over the next several years. Maintaining a consistent level of success in swimming can be difficult as swimmers improve, plateau or struggle at different points. From the 2016 Olympics until the Tokyo Games in 2021, Masse almost completely avoided the pitfalls that set back swimmers’ careers. Only six total swimmers won a medal in the same individual event at the Rio Olympics, the 2017 World Championships, the 2019 World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics. On the women’s

[ Photo Courtesy: Ian MacNicol/Swimming Canada ]

MOTIVATED FOR MORE

side, there were just three: Katie Ledecky (in multiple events), Lilly King (100 breaststroke) and Masse (100 back). Over those four major meets, eight other women joined Masse on the 100 back podium, and only one other swimmer (Baker) made multiple podiums during that span. With that consistency, Masse joined an exclusive club. In the 21st century, the only other swimmer to win a medal in the women’s 100 back in four straight major competitions (Olympics plus World Championships) was Natalie Coughlin, from 2004 through 2008. DEALING WITH THE ROLE OF FAVORITE The Olympic medal in 2016 launched Masse toward her first world-record scare eight months later, at Canada’s Trials for the World Championships in Budapest. “I think I was on such a high,” Masse said. “I honestly didn’t even know the world-record time going into those April Trials. I was just swimming, and I was just loving what I was doing.” She ended up swimming a 58.21 at that meet, the quickest time recorded since fullbody polyurethane suits were banned in 2009 and just 9-hundredths off the world >> At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Masse ended up with a bronze medal in the 100 back, sharing the honor record. For the first time, Masse assumed a with China’s Fu Yuanhui...and so began a run that would quickly establish her as one of the elite women’s backstrokers in the world. [ Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant /Swimming Canada ] role as “favorite” entering an international meet, and that was a new sort of pressure for her to grapple with. difficulty unique among their rivals around the world. “It forced me to learn how to deal with that, to learn how to separate that from my swimming and use it as fuel and motivation COVID REARS ITS UGLY HEAD but not let it overwhelm me,” Masse said. “I think once it actually In mid-March 2020, Masse got out of practice at the University came down to Budapest and doing it, it was a little bit of a relief of Toronto to find an email announcing the postponement of because it had been kind of anticipated for a little bit, but at the same Canada’s Olympic Trials. So her coaches, Byron MacDonald and time, I was obviously so happy, and I was just so overwhelmed that Linda Kiefer, told the group to take the weekend off and plan to I didn’t know what to say or do.” come back on Monday. That return date was quickly pushed back. Indeed, Masse did break the world record, clipping Gemma So Masse packed a weekend bag and headed to her parents’ house Spofforth’s eight-year-old mark of 58.12 with a 58.10, as she became in Windsor, expecting a short stay. the first Canadian woman ever to win a world title in swimming. She The date when pools would reopen kept getting pushed back. also made her international debut in the 200 back at that meet, where Masse managed well during the first weeks of the shutdown, she finished fifth despite recording the meet’s third-fastest time in thinking of the time as a break before a renewed push for the nowthe semifinals. delayed Olympics, but as the months dragged on and top nonIn the ensuing years, Masse could seemingly do no wrong. She Canadian swimmers around the world began returning to training, was golden in the 100 back at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the frustration set in. 2018 Pan Pacific Championships and 2019 World Championships, “At least back within our swimming community, it felt like that and she began winning international medals in the 200 as well. She was who I was comparing it to because that was my competition. lost her 100 back world record to Baker in July 2018, but two weeks That was everyone that we were going to be racing at the Olympics,” later, she beat out Baker and Emily Seebohm in an anticipated Masse said. “I think once I started to see people posting on Instagram showdown at Pan Pacs. and posting on social about being back, I think then I started to get The only setbacks she faced during that period were some minor more anxious: ‘I need to be doing this. They’re back in. When are injuries, including a knee injury that restricted her from any kicking we getting back in?’ It was just a constant battle.” for three months. “Basically, I was in a lot of pain, and it all came Finally, at the end of June, Canadian Olympic hopefuls received from doing breaststroke,” Masse said. So she swore off breaststroke clearance to return to the pool, but only in certain settings. Masse and eventually resumed flutter and dolphin kicking, although the was able to join the group led by Coach Ben Titley at the Toronto pain would flare up from time to time. High Performance Center, but that meant leaving a University of Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the Olympics Toronto program that had guided her to so much success. She joined to be postponed one year. Every single swimmer, every athlete and an HPC group that became an unofficial hub for the Canadian every person in the world dealt with setbacks and adversity at this national team in the leadup to Tokyo, with Penny Oleksiak, Kayla point, but Masse and her Canadian teammates faced a degree of Sanchez, Sydney Pickrem, Taylor Ruck, Maggie Mac Neil, Summer CONTINUED ON 30 >> FEBRUARY 2022

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KYLIE MASSE / Continued from 29

>> In addition to hard work and determination, Masse identified other attributes about herself that had allowed her to succeed internationally: “Being able to compartmentalize, being adaptable, having balance and having perspective,” she said. Specifically, she identified being in school at the University of Toronto as critical for maximizing her potential in the pool: “I found I liked having that balance.” [ Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu / ISL ]

McIntosh, Yuri Kisil, Finlay Knox and Joshua Liendo all spending at least some time there. Masse had previously swum one practice per week with Titley’s group, which helped the transition, but it was still an adjustment as she adapted to slightly more volume and an increase in intense sprinting in training. “We were all just so focused on the Olympics and just doing exactly what we could and what we needed to do to make it to the Olympics, to make it to the possible Trials,” Masse said. “I compare it to just tunnel vision. I wasn’t really allowing myself to think about what I was doing before or think about the change and how I was feeling.” But while her training was going well, Masse and other Canadians were unable to race. She had swum in the ISL bubble in Budapest in October and November of 2020, but her next official race came in mid-June 2021 at the Olympic Trials meet that had been rescheduled over and over. Canada remained in lockdown, and that meant no domestic prep meets. The replacement? Time trials. “We would do suited Saturdays,” Masse said. “It was like a time trials kind of thing, which definitely got old toward the end. Leading into the Olympics, it was like, ‘Another time trial?’ but it was just what we had to do. Yes, it was frustrating, but I didn’t really allow myself to think about it that way because I couldn’t. I needed to be positive, and I needed to be optimistic about the situation because I knew that’s what was going to be helpful for me in getting to my goals and getting to the Olympics.” RENEWED “LIFE” Heading into those Trials, Masse felt confident in her fitness but 30

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still a little unsure of what to expect given the additional obstacles she and her Canadian teammates had faced during the pandemic. But then she shattered her best time in the 100 back, swimming a 57.70 to become just the third woman under 58 seconds. “It gave me a life going into the Olympics, and it made me feel so good. And for the 200, I had worked a lot more on 200 pace and doing longer backstroke sets than I was used to before, and I think I felt more confident than I had in my 200,” Masse said. “Sometimes, I feel like the 200 can be really daunting for me, but I felt like I had finally gotten to a point where I knew how I wanted to swim it. I knew I felt strong, and I knew I could do it.” In Tokyo, Masse scored silver medals in both backstroke events. She actually led at the halfway point of the 100 back final and at all three intermediate splits in the 200 back, but there was no shame in finishing behind Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, who had broken the world record in the 100 back the month before and had come close to the top mark in the 200 back. Masse’s 100 back time was 57.72, and she crushed her best time with a 2:05.42 in the 200-meter event, making her the sixth-fastest performer in history. On the meet’s final day, Masse led off a Canadian 400 medley relay team that also included Pickrem, Mac Neil and Oleksiak, and the group secured a bronze medal. It was the first time Canada had won a medal in the event since 1988. “Obviously extremely happy and proud to have come out with two silvers and a bronze,” Masse said. “I think the 100 back hit me a little bit harder. It definitely stung a bit because I wanted to be on top of the podium, but I knew it was going to be hard. “Finishing the relay with a bronze—with three of my training mates throughout the last couple of years—I feel like we just had

such a strong bond because we were all the only people we saw the whole year. That was extremely special.” A CULTURE OF SUCCESS The six-year stretch since 2016 has seen Canada emerge as an elite squad in women’s swimming, by most measures as the thirdbest nation in the world behind the United States and Australia. It’s no coincidence that Masse has been one of the world’s best backstrokers for that entire stretch—even as swimmers such as Oleksiak and Ruck have had ups and downs, while others such as Mac Neil have emerged more recently. Over that span, Masse has witnessed a culture of success that has rubbed off on emerging young swimmers. “It’s incredibly powerful and inspiring >> In Tokyo, Masse (right, pictured with 100-200 back winner Kaylee McKeown, center) scored silver to see. When you’re in it and at practice or medals in both backstroke events. Her 100 back time was 57.72, and she crushed her best time with a 2:05.42 at the meet with the national team, it’s just in the 200-meter event, making her the sixth-fastest performer in history. On the meet’s final day, Masse led off a Canadian 400 medley relay team that set a national record, securing a bronze medal. It was the first time normal because it’s just a representation of Canada had won a medal in the event since 1988. [ Photo Courtesy: Robert Hanashiro/USA Today Sports ] the culture that is on the team and the group of girls and guys who were on the team and just their characteristics. I think when you take a step back and actually think about it and I actually reflect on it, it’s so cool to think about,” she said. “It’s a combination of culture and pushing one another and supporting one another and encouraging one another and wanting them to succeed as a whole and want to help others succeed.” Canada’s prowess was on full display at the Short Course World Championships at the end of 2021, as the nation won 15 medals (tied for third-most of any country) and seven golds (second-most). Masse captured four silver medals between the 50, 100 and 200 meter backstrokes and the 400 medley relay, and the highlight came in the women’s 50 back with Mac Neil shattering the world record and Masse claiming silver, her time of 25.62 just 2-hundredths off the previous global standard. It was a banner moment for Canadian swimming and a sweet one between two good friends. A NEW NORMAL Now, Masse needs to find balance again, a new normal. She finished her university degree in April 2021, and she had time for a normal routine after that between the all-important stretch leading up to the Olympics and then months of racing overseas between the ISL and Short Course Worlds. Back in Toronto for the first extended stretch since pre-Tokyo, Masse plans on attending graduate school in the near future, and she is considering a variety of programs, including exercise science, feminine health and business, with an eye toward accommodating both her training and racing schedules and her post-swimming career goals. In the meantime, though, Masse will be training without having the anchor of school for the first time. As swimming’s attention turns toward the Paris 2024 Olympics, expect Masse, who turned 26 in January, to remain at the forefront of women’s backstroke on the global stage. “I think this whole last year, and I think this move in programs, I think the jump of PBs and the success I had last year has motivated me even more because I’m still hungry for more,” she said. v

>> Between the 2016 Olympics until the Tokyo Games in 2021, Masse has maintained a consistent level of success. Only six swimmers (three women) won a medal in the same individual event at the Rio Olympics, the 2017 World Championships, the 2019 World Championships and the Tokyo Olympics. In the 21st century, the only other swimmer to win a medal in the women’s 100 back in four straight major competitions (Olympics plus World Championships) was Natalie Coughlin, from 2004 through 2008. [ Photo Courtesy: Mike Lewis /ISL ] FEBRUARY 2022

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COLLEGE PREVIEWS

MAINTAINING

THEIR

STANDARD Look for Savannah College of Art and Design and Keiser University to lead the competition at the NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships, while Indian River should take care of business again at NJCAAs. BY DAN D'ADDONA

NAIA

March 2-5, Columbus Aquatic Center, Columbus, Ga. The NAIA Swimming and Diving Championships make their return after a tumultuous pandemic year that canceled the title meets in 2021. Traditional NAIA programs will clash for the national championship. In the 41st annual women’s meet, Keiser, Olivet Nazarene and the Savannah College of Art and Design are the top teams, though Cumberlands, Milligan, Indiana Wesleyan and Lindsey Wilson also have extremely strong squads heading into the national meet. SCAD won the NAIA women’s title two years ago, led by returning NAIA champions junior Isabaella Song (200 breaststroke, 200 IM) and senior Allie Rassenfoss (200 backstroke). Spencer Sheridan, Anna Kate McGinty and Sloan Sizemore, who contributed legs on winning relays, also return for Coach Bill Pilczuk’s Savannah Bees. Keiser finished second at the 2020 meet with a strong showing from Emma Sofie Augustsson. The Norwegian 200 backstroke champion is back to defend her title, as is Ori Freibach, who won the 100 breaststroke two years ago. Anna Herbst is a returning relay champion. With their experience, SCAD and Keiser could stage a repeat battle for top team honors, with Olivet Nazarene and others looking to crash the party. *** Keiser will also be a factor in the 65th annual men’s NAIA championships, as the Seahawks prepare to win their fourth straight NAIA team title since 2018. And they’re in good position to keep the streak going since Keiser is ranked No. 1 in this season’s NAIA Coaches Top 10 poll heading into the meet. With several champions from two years ago having graduated, Keiser will count on junior Pol Roch to be its leader. Two years ago, 32

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>> Keiser University will be seeking its fourth straight men’s NAIA team championship in just its sixth year with a swim team (the 2021 meet was canceled due to COVID-19). Leading the way is junior Pol Roch from Barcelona, Spain, who is undefeated in the 400 IM, twice setting NAIA records. He also won the 500 free as a freshman and was part of the winning 400 free relay as a sophomore. [ Photo Courtesy: Bill Ingram, Palm Beach Post ]

he won the 400 IM and was part of the winning 400 free relay. Still, Coach Adam Epstein’s squad will have plenty of competition, including Top 5 teams Cumberlands (Ky.), St. Thomas (Fla.), St. Ambrose (Iowa) and Milligan (Tenn.).

NJCAA

March 2-5, Indian River State College, Fort Pierce, Fla. Last year’s NJCAA National Championships were pushed later into the season because of COVID-19, with competition in late April and early May instead of in March. But one thing didn’t change, and that was Indian River State College’s dominance. Coach Sion Brinn’s women won for the 39th straight time, while his men extended the longest unbroken U.S. championship winning streak in any sport at the collegiate level to 47. Expect more of the same this year. Consider: •

IRSC’s women won 14 of 20 individual events last year, with Ella Gates (50 fly), Lainie Rivas (the 2021 NJCAA Female Diver of the Year, winning both springboard events) and Rylee Woelk (400 IM) returning as individual event winners.

•

The Pioneer women also swept the five relays. Woelk (200400 MR), Lillian Lewis (400-800 FR), Esther Rydbeck Norden (800 FR) and Sydney Weatherspoon (200-400 MR,

200 FR) return this year as 2021 relay champions. IRSC’s men’s roster for 2022 is just as impressive:

>> Isabella Song of Savannah College of Art and Design won the women’s 200 breast and 200 IM as a freshman two years ago at the NAIA Championships before the 2021 meet was canceled. She also finished second in the 100 breast and swam on both of SCAD’s runner-up relays. [ Photo Courtesy: Savannah College of Art and Design ]

•

Coach Sion Brinn welcomes back five returning individual champions from a team that won 15 of 20 individual events a year ago: Luke Altmann (100 free), Caleb Brandon (200 free), Chance Conde (500-1000-1650 free), Michael Deans (200 breast) and Aramis Rivera, who was named the 2021 NJCAA Male Swimmer of the Year, claiming wins in the 100, 200 and 400 individual medleys, while placing second in the 200 breaststroke.

•

Like the women, Indian River’s men also were five-for-five in the relays. Along with Altmann (200-400 FR), Brandon (400-800 FR), Conde (800 FR) and Deans (200-400 MR), John Zeiger (200-400-800 FR) also returns for this year’s championship meet.

A year ago, Indian River won 39 of the 50 events. Of the 11 races won by non-IRSC swimmers, none of those six swimmers will be returning for this year’s NJCAA Championships. v

>> Aramis Rivera, last year’s NJCAA Male Swimmer of the Year, returns for Indian River State College as defending champ in the 100-200-400 IMs. [ Photo Courtesy: Molly Bartels, Indian River State College ]

The championship previews for NCAA Division I (Women: March 16-19/Men: March 23-26, Atlanta, Ga.), Division II (March 9-12, Greensboro, N.C.) and Division III (March 16-19, Indianapolis, Ind.) will run next month in the March issue of Swimming World.

STR SPEEDWEEK SWIM CAMPS

for more information please contact Rod Havriluk:

Phone: 850-385-9803 Email: info@swimmingtechnology.com FEBRUARY 2022

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NUTRITION

SUNNY D!

FOOD + SUN = VITAMIN D In the past couple of years, vitamin D has received a lot of attention regarding how it impacts overall health. However, many athletes still do not realize how vitamin D impacts athletic performance.

standards. One study found that only 5% of college athletes met the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS •

Institute of Medicine recommends 400-800 IU of vitamin D per day

•

Endocrine Society recommends the following IU of vitamin D per day: Infants: 400-1,000 IU Children: 600-1,000 IU Adults: 1,500-2,000 IU (To know how much you are actually consuming through food, you can log onto the cronometer app.)

BY DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS

WHAT IS VITAMIN D?

Vitamin D is a secosteroid—it functions as a modulator for as many as 1,000 genes involved in cellular growth, immune function and protein synthesis as well as intestinal calcium absorption and osteoclastic activity. Vitamin D is related to health and athletic performance through the following processes: • Calcium homeostasis and bone health Increased bone fracture risk • Immune and cardiopulmonary functions Increased upper-respiratory tract infections • Inflammatory modulation Elevated concentrations of systemic inflammation (TNF-alpha) • Skeletal muscle growth Muscle weakness and discomfort Mitochondrial function within skeletal muscle • Testosterone levels negatively affected • Modulate injury recovery • Potential to impact health, training and performance of athletes Maybe affect aerobic fitness, jump height, velocity

HOW COMMON IS THE DEFICIENCY?

Research has indicated anywhere between 56-78% of athletes have inadequate vitamin D levels!

WHY SO COMMON?

Many do not realize that to have adequate vitamin D levels, you have to get it from food AND from the sun. This can be tricky. Vitamin D conversion comes mainly from sunlight and happens around midday when the sun is highest overhead. Many people are out in the morning or evening, but not as much during the lunch hour. Also, depending on the region in which you live, vitamin D conversion during the winter months may be severely limited (e.g., latitudes above or below 35-37 degrees north or south have no conversion). Another contributing factor is the increased usage of sunscreen and the push to wear it at all times.

HOW MUCH SUN IS NEEDED?

Anywhere from 5-30 minutes per day of sun exposure is suggested. The lighter the skin color one has, the less time is needed in the sun to absorb vitamin D; the darker the skin color one has requires a longer exposure time for optimal conversion.

FOOD SOURCES AND GUIDELINES

The goal is to acquire 600-800 IU of vitamin D per day from food. Fatty fish (e.g., mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna), fortified milk, egg yolks, fortified orange juice and certain brands of margarine, yogurt and cereal are reputable sources of vitamin D. To make matters worse, in relation to dietary recommendations, studies find that athletes do not come close to meeting these 34

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•

5-30 minutes of sunlight per day depending on skin color and living location

•

Blood serum 25(OH) D between 50-100 ng/dl for optimal levels

•

Most people need to supplement with a minimum of 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 to maintain a sufficient range. Many need much more. Seek out a medical professional and get blood work done and get specific recommendations to optimize levels. Always let science guide you!

I professionally recommend this blood work for all of my athletes, and then we come up with a vitamin D3 strategy if needed. •

It is suggested that coaches start asking their athletes if they know their current vitamin D status due to the percentage of athletes who are not at optimal levels, and because of its importance to bone, immune, muscular and inflammatory systems. Remember: Vitamin D comes from food and the sun. Supplementation will likely be needed to add into a daily routine. Blood work can quickly access current vitamin D3 status so an athlete can make adjustments quickly. ***

Following is a sample menu to use as a guide to get more vitamin D in your daily routine. You will definitely get lots of ideas with this menu:

3,000 to 3,500-CALORIE INTENSE TRAINING MENU Pre-Swim Practice (4:30-5:15 a.m.) 1 Siggi’s yogurt and fruit (nuts/seeds/granola optional) 8-20 oz Water (with one NUUN electrolyte tablet/optional) Or Watermelon shrimp salad Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/watermelonshrimp-salad/ Training (5:30-6:45 a.m.) 4-16 oz Water an hour (amount needed depends on sweat rate) (with one NUUN tablet per 16 oz/optional) Breakfast (6-7:30 a.m.) Omelet 1 Dave’s Killer Bagel 1 cup Veggies of choice/mushrooms 3-4 Organic eggs 1/2 Avocado 1-2 cups Fruits of choice 16 oz Water Or Eggs benedict casserole (add veggies and fruit) [ Photo Courtesy: Trang Doan, Pexels.com ]

Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/eggs-benedictcasserole/

Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/yogurt-honeyfruit-cups/ v

Lunch (11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.) Shrimp N Noodle Bowl Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/shrimp-n-noodlebowls/ 3-5 oz Organic shrimp 1 Cup of noodles or rice 2 cups Veggies/mushrooms 1T Olive oil

Dawn Weatherwax (RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS) is a registered/licensed dietitian with a specialty in sports nutrition and founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go and Dawn Weatherwax Sports Nutrition Academy. She recently launched the first-of-its-kind nutrition programs for swimmers at Dawnweatherwax. com. She is also a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, which is the premier professional sports nutrition credential in the United States. In addition, she is an athletic trainer with a certification in strength and conditioning from The National Strength and Conditioning Association.

1-2 lg 1-2 T

Bananas Chopped seeds/nuts

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

16 oz Water Or Balsamic salmon spinach salad with fruit and extra nuts/seeds Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/ recipes/balsamic-salmon-spinach-salad/ Afternoon Snack (2-3:30 p.m.) Smoothie 16 oz Organic milk/soy milk/Vit D-rich alternative (If you use a nut milk, you need to add 20 g of protein powder) 3T Chia/hemp/flax 1-2 cups Frozen fruit of choice 1/2 cup Oatmeal raw Handful greens Training (3:30-5:30 p.m.) 10-20 oz Water an hour (with one NUUN tablet per 20 oz/optional) Post-recovery within 30-45 min: 10-20 oz coffee milk (if you can have dinner within that time, then no need for this snack) Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/ recipes/coffee-milk/ Evening Meal (6-7 p.m.) Cod with Sweet Peppers Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/ recipes/cod-with-sweet-peppers/ 3-6 oz Cod 1-2 cups Veggies of choice/Peppers 1T Olive oil Salt 1 cup Rice 16 oz Water Or Cheese and pumpkin-filled manicotti (This meal is definitely a splurge meal) Resource: https://www.tasteofhome.com/ recipes/cheese-pumpkin-filled-manicotti/ Evening Snack (8-10 p.m.) 3-4 oz Salmon dip 1-2 oz NutThins 1 cup Carrots & celery 1 cup Strawberries 16 oz Water Or Yogurt and honey fruit cups FEBRUARY 2022

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The short answer is “yes”...but keep it super simple. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

ome years ago, a rookie Middle Atlantic coach took his middle and high school swim teams to the weight room. There he introduced fundamental dryland and some machine-based resistance work. “The first day with the machines was a disaster and all my fault,” he says. “Two seventh graders attacked a particular apparatus and were sore for a week. I wish I knew then what I know now. At the time,” he says, “I was close to clueless regarding kinesiology and should have employed supervisory help”—probably from someone like Bryan Dedeaux, former Mission Viejo Nadadores dryland director, 10-andunder age group director and now the club’s 12-and-under leader. He is also the strength coach for Portola High School (Irvine, Calif.). “I think the first thing that swimmers, coaches and parents need to understand when deciding on starting a weight training program,” says Dedeaux, “is that age group strength training is not the same thing as senior strength training, which may or may not involve weights. In an age group setting, coaches should be prioritizing fun over intensity, learning fundamental movement patterns over training volume and careful exercise progressions over the next cool social media fad. “In order to create interest and buy-in early, movement exploration in the form of games and active play should be added frequently,” he says. “And ‘Keep It Super Simple’ is appropriate for age group athletes.” So, when would one add weight training to the mix? “Once you have set a concrete foundation in the movement patterns (push-pull-squat-hinge-lunge) without weights, established a strong mind-to-movement connection and built the maturity to focus on the purpose of each workout, then the time is right,” he says. “This will be true with most 12-and-olders who have gone through a stepby-step developmental strength training system from an early age. “The final piece is the coach. If a coach does not have an adequate education or background in training with weights nor the ability to create progressive and safe programming, then that coach should refer out to a qualified professional. The other option is to simply stick with body weight exercises that have a lower risk of injury. 36

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“Strength training does not have to involve weights and can be a very effective way to increase performance at any age,” says Dedeaux. “If you have the passion, the qualifications, the facility and equipment to implement weight training, I strongly believe you should make it a part of your team’s performance plan.” THE PIKES PEAK ATHLETICS WAY Pikes Peak Athletics in Colorado Springs places considerable emphasis on the strength and conditioning elements of its aquatic training. “We have spent years refining and adjusting the balance between water and strength work,” says Chris Wojchik, head strength coach and personal trainer. Together, he and the Pike Peak Athletics team have developed seven key metrics when introducing resistance training to age group swimmers: 1. Keep it Simple “It’s easy to get caught up in social media posts about what specific athletes should be doing in the gym. However, those recommendations can be very hit-or-miss. Stick to fundamental movement patterns such as hinges, lunges, squats, presses, pulls and carries. Sport specificity should be applied to joint angles, movement velocities and primary muscle groups. Progressive overload and the SAID principal (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands) will have the greatest impacts on the success of a program.” 2. Periodize Strength with Water “Resistance training can be taxing for age group swimmers, especially when first starting out. The strength plan should work with the water program to avoid accumulating excess fatigue. Days or weeks where the training volume or intensity is high should be carefully planned so that the athletes aren’t overtraining. The periodization will largely depend on the age, ability and capacity of the athletes involved. This will take some time to develop, and every team will have to consider their unique circumstances.”

[ Photo Courtesy: Dynamo Swim Club ]

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR AGE GROUPERS: YES OR NO?

3. Prioritize Movement Quality “Movement quality should always take priority over load. Athlete longevity and injury prevention will be a result of proper movement mechanics and load management. If an athlete is lacking sufficient mobility to perform a movement correctly, then address the mobility deficit prior to adding load. There will be times where the athlete will push back on this point, but long-term success will suffer if standards aren’t established. Explain why it’s important to develop buy-in and keep those athletes engaged.” 4. Work in Multiple Planes “Developing a balanced athlete requires movements that take place in all three planes of motion (frontal, sagittal and transverse). Ensure that the program has a balance between all three to maximize stability and muscular balance. Movements in certain planes will transfer to the water better than others, but neglecting multiplanar movements will impair performance improvements.” 5. Be Mindful of Ratios “The ratio of coach to athlete will likely be much higher during strength training than for water workouts. Establishing good gym etiquette and proper movement is crucial and can be difficult to supervise if the ratio is out of balance. This ratio will depend on the age of the athletes as well as the type of workout being performed. The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends the following: 1:10 for junior high school, 1:15 for high school and 1:20 for college.” 6. Test and Retest “Find metrics that are valuable to the sport and make sure to test them throughout the season. Vertical jump, broad jump and projected max loads can help determine whether or not the current program is effective. Keep the testing criteria and testing frequency as constant as possible. These tests can also be used to determine the readiness of an athlete prior to a focus meet. If the data suggests that the program may need to be modified for better results, make small changes rather than drastic ones.”

>> Bryan Dedeaux, the 12-and-under age group coach at Mission Viejo, believes, “Strength training does not have to involve weights and can be a very effective way to increase performance at any age. If you have the passion, the qualifications, the facility and equipment to implement weight training, I strongly believe you should make it a part of your team’s performance plan.” [ Photo Courtesy: Mission Viejo Nadadores ]

7. Continue to Learn “The field of strength and conditioning is always changing. Read material related to anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, psychology, coaching, etc. Blog posts by authorities in the field can also contain valuable information. However, think critically and decide if that information applies to your demographic.” Bottom Line: “At the end of the day, every coach/team must find what works for them. Equipment availability, coach availability, athlete ability, etc. will all impact how a program develops,” says Wojchik. “Regular communication with the athletes can prevent many common issues associated with weight training. If you can’t explain why you’re doing something with the team, then you probably need to consider why it’s part of the program.” MARRYING MUSCLE AND WATER Chris Webb is director of GAIN Swimming, a division of the Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network. GAIN was established by Vern Gambetta, widely regarded as the founding father of functional sports training. Webb himself has worked with, among others, USA Swimming’s National Junior Team, Carmel Swim Club, SwimMAC, Team Elite, Fort Collins Area Swim Team and more than 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers. He agrees that athletic development/dryland “must be highly correlated with the objectives of the water workout to achieve optimum results. If streamlining and efficiency in the water are the

>> Chris Wojchik, head strength coach and personal trainer for Pikes Peak Athletics, simply says, “Regular communication with the athletes can prevent many common issues associated with weight training. If you can’t explain why you’re doing something with the team, then you probably need to consider why it’s part of the program.” [ Photo Courtesy: Pikes Peak Athletics ] CONTINUED ON 38 >> FEBRUARY 2022

SWIMMINGWORLD.COM

STREGNTH TRAINING / Continued from 37

>> Chris Webb, director of GAIN Swimming (Gambetta Athletic Improvement Network), warns, “Never sacrifice range of motion or rhythm for intensity and load,” adding, “Once an athlete is capable of executing the foundational movements of squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, bracing and rotating in multiple planes with appropriate technique, they are PHYSICALLY ready to use load (or weight), regardless of age.” [ Photo Courtesy: Dynamo Swim Club ]

of squatting, lunging, pushing, pulling, bracing and rotating in multiple planes with appropriate technique, they are PHYSICALLY ready to use load (or weight), regardless of age. “This is a necessary element, but not the only one required to participate in external resistance exercises. MENTAL and EMOTIONAL maturity are the largest factors in starting a resistance program. Following directions, coachability and behavior are the three most important qualities necessary for an athlete to begin an external resistance program of any kind. “The varying ways at which swimmers arrive on the podium have one major thread, and that’s technique. Technique before speed, speed before strength. Research shows that strength can backflow into speed, but it has a shelf life of about four-ish years. Specificity will reign supreme,” says Webb.

3. Train movements, not muscles “The biceps need no isolated training. What’s necessary is training athletically beneficial movement patterns. If the biceps are part of this, so be it. You want a body that sings in chorus.”

DOING MORE WITH LESS Mike Deboor, head coach of the uber successful Lakeside Swim Team in Louisville has produced four Olympic team members. He has also been named Kentucky senior coach of the year (15x) and ASCA age group coach of the year twice. Like many of his compatriots, Deboor says, “By no means do we have a perfect dryland set-up, but we keep working on it. Staff, space, time, etc. all play a role—so some is what we do and some is what I believe and would like to do in the ideal world. Currently, we outsource the older kids to a PT group. I have mixed feelings about that, but it gives us the professional in there.” Deboor firmly believes the value of dryland and weight is in injury prevention and functional strength gain. His philosophy for 12-and-unders is body weight, dynamic movement and teaching proper movement. “I want swimmers to know shoulder rehab/prehab to prevent injuries. The method can be games, circuits, cords, a few medicine balls, but pretty general stuff. “For 13-14s, the goal is to learn, develop and refine skills in the weight room. I believe in dumbbells and cables versus barbells— stability and balance—all multi-joint movements. Expand on what they know, learn the Olympic lifts and movements. Start adding weights when ready and based on body type, maturity and how they stay on task. “15-and-over—just expand on it, add more weights, but still not super heavy, no max stuff, just make it challenging. I like circuits and super sets. I’m looking for a good balance and overall development, just trying to develop a better athlete,” he says. “Another thing, some kids may excel in the weight room when they are not in the pool, so it can be great for them mentally.” v

4. Think of strength training as coordination training under proper resistance “Never sacrifice range of motion or rhythm for intensity and load. Once an athlete is capable of executing the foundational movements

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby. com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

goal, then the dryland routine must reflect this,” he says. “It must be coached and stress linkage. Everything possible must be done to reinforce the hip-to-shoulder relationship. It is not bodybuilding! “A sound dryland program must address individual needs. Every swimmer should be assessed to determine any remedial needs in regard to posture or joint instabilities. Biological age and gender consideration are paramount. ‘Earning the right’ needs to become an athlete-and-staff mantra. All the work in the water is essential, but if swimmers are not strong and stable enough to hold a position— especially as they fatigue—then all the yards in the world will not make them better swimmers. “All dryland programs should be under the direction of a qualified coaching staff,” he says, keeping in mind the following tenets: 1. Body weight before external resistance “There are exceptions. Pulling with a piece of surgical tubing with 3 pounds of resistance is a lot easier than a pull-up for a beginner.” 2. Train from the inside out and from the ground up “Core before extremities, legs before arms.”

>> Lakeside Swim Team’s Mike Deboor firmly believes the value of dryland and weight is in injury prevention and functional strength gain. His philosophy for 12-andunders is body weight, dynamic movement and teaching proper movement. “I want swimmers to know shoulder rehab/prehab to prevent injuries. The method can be games, circuits, cords, a few medicine balls, but pretty general stuff.... For 13-14s, the goal is to learn, develop and refine skills in the weight room.... 15-and-over—just expand on it, add more weights, but still not super heavy, no max stuff, just make it challenging.” [ Photo Courtesy: Pikes Peak Athletics ]

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TRAINING

DRYSIDE TRAINING BUILDING A STABLE FOUNDATION BY J.R. ROSANIA • DEMONSTRATED BY MIA RANKIN & AMY BILQUIST

s we progress through the beginning stages of building a strong foundation, our focus should be on improving strength. This will allow the body to adjust to heavier loads and time under tension as we increase our volume in the pool. The exercises shown here are used at the beginning of our strength phase to begin to develop overall full-body strength. Each exercise—except pull-ups—should be performed for three sets of six reps. Pull-ups can be done with a large exercise strap around the knee to help decrease the amount of weight being pulled. With or without the band, perform three sets of one-to-three repetitions. Complete the program two or three times per week. Increase resistance when able. v

The following exercises are demonstrated by Mia Rankin (#s 1-2), a freshman at Ohio State University, and Amy Bilquist (#s 3-5), a 2019 graduate of Cal.

1) DUMBBELL TRICEP KICKBACK Place one hand on a bench or table and stabilize the elbow by your side. Hold a lightweight dumbbell with your other hand, and push the dumbbell back as a finishing movement of freestyle. 2) SEATED DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS While in a seated position and a dumbbell in each hand, hold the dumbbells above and parallel with your shoulders. Perform an overhead press. 3) BAR DEADLIFTS Using a squat hex or straight bar, perform a squat movement. Be sure to keep your lower back flat. 4) WEIGHTED WALKING LUNGE While holding a med ball or light weight, perform a walking lunge and rotate the ball/weight with each step forward.

5) EXTRA CREDIT: PULL-UPS From a hanging position, pull your body up until your chin reaches the bar. Lower and perform three sets of one-to-three repetitions.

MEET THE TRAINER J.R. Rosania, B.S., exercise science, is one of the nation’s top performance enhancement coaches. He is the owner and CEO of Healthplex, LLC, in Phoenix. Check out Rosania’s website at www.jrhealthplex.net.

NOTICE All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants. FEBRUARY 2022

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COACHING

SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.

MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 8)

OPTIMAL STROKE CYCLE FOR BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE

revious articles in this series presented data about the stroke cycle component times for the arms of elite male sprinters for all four strokes. The data showed that swimmers do not always take full advantage of the time that they could generate propulsion so that the average propulsive phase times could be slightly longer. The data also showed that swimmers waste considerable time so that the average non-propulsive phase times could be shorter. A swimmer who has a sufficient propulsive phase and who eliminates wasted time on the non-propulsive phase can optimize stroke cycle time. This article presents optimal times for both the propulsive and non-propulsive phases of backstroke and breaststroke, and predicts corresponding performance improvements. PROPULSIVE AND NON-PROPULSIVE PHASES In backstroke, the propulsive phase is the combination of the pull and push phases. In breaststroke, propulsive phase is the combination of the outward and inward sculling phases. In backstroke, the non-propulsive phase combines the recovery and entry phases. In breaststroke, the non-propulsive phase combines the recovery phase and the glide phase. The striped bars in the graph in Fig. 1 shows the average propulsive and non-propulsive phase times at sprint pace for elite male swimmers for backstroke and breaststroke (Chollet, Seifert, Carter, 2008; Leblanc, Seifert, Baudry & Chollet, 2005).

is shown for backstroke in Fig. 2 (top image) and for breaststroke in Fig. 3 (top image). BACKSTROKE AVERAGE NON-PROPULSIVE PHASE The average non-propulsive phase time in backstroke is longer than the average non-propulsive phase time in freestyle or butterfly for two main reasons: 1.

Swimmers must change the vertical direction of the arm from downward to upward, and

Swimmers must exert considerable effort to move a straight arm to the surface. The result is an unavoidably longer recovery time for backstroke than for butterfly or freestyle.

BACKSTROKE OPTIMAL NON-PROPULSIVE PHASE Most swimmers can decrease the non-propulsive phase to 6-tenths of a second by completing the propulsive phase with the hand next to the hip and then quickly moving the thumb edge of the hand upward, as shown by the model in Fig. 2 (bottom image).

BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE AVERAGE PROPULSIVE PHASE TIME The average propulsive phase time for backstroke is very similar to the average propulsive phase time for butterfly and freestyle. These three strokes are similar in that the propulsive phase is the combination of the pull and push phases. The average propulsive phase time for breaststroke is slightly less than for the other three strokes, but unlike the other three strokes, the arms stay in front of the shoulders for a smaller range of motion that requires less time. BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE OPTIMAL PROPULSIVE PHASE TIME Achieving an optimal propulsive phase time requires taking full advantage of the propulsive phase. The optimal propulsive phase time for both strokes is slightly longer than the average propulsive phase time to ensure a swimmer will have adequate time to generate propulsion. The solid green bars in the graph in Fig. 1 show the optimal times for the propulsive phase for backstroke and breaststroke. The optimal propulsive phase 40

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FIG. 1 >This graph shows the average and optimal propulsive and non-propulsive phase times at sprint pace for elite male swimmers for backstroke and breaststroke.

Stroke

Average Stroke Cycle Time (seconds)

Average Swimming Velocity (meters per second)

Optimal Stroke Cycle Time (seconds)

Optimal Swimming Velocity (meters per second)

Performance Improvement for 100-meter event (seconds)

Backstroke

1.35

1.62

1.2

1.89

3.6

Breaststroke

1.26

1.49

1.1

1.67

4.3

TABLE 1 > Stroke cycle times, swimming velocity and performance improvement for backstroke and breaststroke based on average and optimal values.

BREASTSTROKE AVERAGE NON-PROPULSIVE PHASE The average breaststroke non-propulsive phase is over 8-tenths of a second and is too long because of: 1. An above-surface hand recovery, and 2. An excessively long glide.

Backstroke Propulsive Phase

BREASTSTROKE OPTIMAL NON-PROPULSIVE PHASE To minimize the time spent in the nonpropulsive phase, a swimmer must recover the arms below the surface to achieve a streamline position as quickly as possible. In addition, the outward sculling motion must begin as soon as the arm recovery is complete. With this coordination, the glide phase would require no time, and a swimmer could achieve an optimal non-propulsive phase time, as shown by the model in Fig. 3 (bottom image). PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT FROM DECREASING NON-PROPULSIVE PHASE TIME The optimal phase times allow for the calculation of a predicted performance improvement by using the drag equation. The drag equation shows that swimming velocity is proportional to the average propulsive force per stroke cycle time for any given group of swimmers. The average propulsive force was calculated for the two studies listed by substituting the average swimming velocity and stroke cycle times. The drag equation was used again to calculate an optimal swimming velocity by substituting the average propulsive force and the optimal stroke cycle phase time. The average and optimal stroke cycle times and swimming velocities for the elite backstrokers and breaststrokers are listed in Table 1 (see page 40), as well as the potential performance improvement. Decreasing the non-propulsive phase time would also decrease the stroke cycle time, increase the average propulsive force per stroke cycle and improve the performance of the swimmers in these studies above to approximately world record times.v

FIG. 2 >The model demonstrates the propulsive phase (top image) and non-propulsive phase (bottom image) of backstroke.

SUMMARY There is the potential for considerable performance improvement in backstroke and breaststroke primarily by decreasing the non-propulsive phase time. Calculations using the drag equation predict that even the elite swimmers from the studies in Fig. 1 can make substantial performance improvements and achieve world record times.

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FIG. 3 >The model demonstrates the propulsive phase (top image) and non-propulsive phase (bottom image) of breaststroke.

Dr. Rod Havriluk is a sport scientist and consultant who specializes in swimming technique instruction and analysis. His newest ebooks in the “Approaching Perfect Swimming” series are “Optimal Stroke Technique” and “Swimming Without Pain,” and are available at swimmingtechnology.com. Contact Rod through info@ swimmingtechnology.com. All scientific documentation relating to this article, including scientific principles, studies and research papers, can be provided upon demand. FEBRUARY 2022

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SPECIAL SETS

CHAS MORTON

REVISITED

As an age-group swimmer, the Nashville Aquatic Club superstar has no equal, setting more than 100 national age group records during the 1980s. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

ime is an evil mistress especially when related to advancing maturity and/or milliseconds in a competitive endeavor. Consider this: Of today’s 186 individual national age group records, only seven are older than the 1983 11-12 long course 100 fly standard (58.74) set by Chas Morton. Never heard of him? Maybe you’ve heard of the others—Olympians all: Sippy Woodhead, Mary T. Meagher, Jesse Vassallo and Bobby Hackett. Don’t feel sorry for Morton, a prodigy at Nashville Aquatic Club, three-time USA Swimming national team member and a team captain at Stanford. He is now a successful attorney in Franklin, Tenn., living not far from where he rewrote virtually all the NAG records for which he was eligible. While Michael Phelps, Michael Andrew and Thomas Heilman are more recent age group phenoms, Morton was literally in a class by himself in the early 1980s. Did Morton benefit from excellent coaching? Absolutely. It was a time when Australian legend Don Talbot was on site coaching Tracy Caulkins, the world’s best female swimmer. From 1980-83, Morton trained with Joe Goeken, followed by future University of Texas assistant Kris Kubik, then by John Morse. While Morton aspired to be like Caulkins, he was surrounded by training partners who set NAG records and who frequented the top 16 age group lists. In the 10-and-under group, Christy Campbell was a standout in the SCY and LC 100 fly. Hollie Morgan held short and long course standards in the 50 and 100 back. Kim Gilbert was an NAG record holder in the 11-12 LC 100 breast and finished first in the top 16 rankings (breast and IM) five times. “It was a very competitive group,” Morton muses. Chas began his assault on NAG records as a 10-and-under in 1982 when he set all of the SCY records except the 50 breast. “Mostly, I remember how motivated, competitive, smart, goaloriented and coachable he was,” says Goeken. “As a young coach, it was quite an experience to work with him.” It was Kubik who oversaw Morton’s development during the 1983-84 short course season when he rewrote all the 11-12 records. By the end of the long course season, he also held NAG marks in the 50 back, 50-100 fly, 200 IM and was a member of the NAG recordsetting 200 free relay and the first-place 200 medley relay quartets. Two factors called a halt to Morton’s age group dominance. One was shoulder surgery following the 1984 long course season. The second was the cessation of his physical maturation. “At my tallest, 42

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>> Morton began his assault on NAG records as a 10-and-under in 1982 when he set all of the SCY records except the 50 breast. He followed that by rewriting all of the short course records as an 11-12-year-old and adding LC NAG marks in the 50 back, 50-100 fly and 200 IM—plus he was a member of the NAG record-setting 200 free relay and the first-place 200 medley relay quartets. (Pictured: Chas Morton in 1983) [ Photo Courtesy: Swimming World ]

I was 5-9 when my hair stood on end,” he says. Yet at the end of the 1986 long course season, Morton held 30 SCY and LC NAG records—more than any other swimmer. In the 10-and-under age group, he had 10 SCY and one LC marks; in 11-12, he possessed 10/4; in 13-14, 2/3. And in the 15-16 category, he was still producing top 16 fly and IM times, three in the top 5, plus one other top 16. A flash in the pan? Not really. His aquatic adventure continued through the 1988 Olympic Trials before he became a two-time CSCAA All-American (plus eight honorable-mention honors) and won three Pac-10 IM titles for Coach Skip Kenney at Stanford. MORTON IN TRAINING Goeken was NAC’s head age group coach when he first saw Morton at age 9. “We had a set of 20 x 100 on 1:30. He just got

in and swam. Back then, his best time was a 1:08. On that set, he just got faster and down to a 1:02 or 1:03. He wasn’t the prettiest swimmer—he had long arms and was short, but he was very competitive with a phenomenal kick. If he’d been swimming today, he’d have been the best underwater kicker ever. When he was 11-12, he broke a minute kicking fly with a board,” says Goeken. Regrettably, Morton’s swim sets have been lost to time. Goeken’s records disappeared during his many moves. “When I was swimming, I kept a log book diligently, but didn’t save them,” says Morton. “What I generally remember was aerobic base training. I don’t recall doing a lot of sprint and race-pace work, but I’m sure we did some. The prevalent thinking back then was long-term rather than shortterm development, so my early success was a bit in spite of the training we did. Yardage was in the 5,000 range each day. We may have hit 6 or more on some days,” he says. “The only set I can recall was a broken mile—11 x 150. I think they were on 1:45, and Coach wanted me to hold under 1:30. I was slugging along at 1:31, 1:32 for the first few, and Kris had one of the cute senior girls come stand behind the blocks. I held 1:28s after that and wound up under 16:30, which is what we wanted to do that day. “Joe was in touch with the coach at San Jose Aquatics. I remember seeing sets and times that Luis Nicolao and Mark Taliaferro were doing, and then our group would see if we could do them, too. I don’t recall the sets or how we stacked up, though.” Goeken’s recollection is “we used to do a lot of quality—a lot of volume. Our junior kids did a number of fast 100s on 2:00— IMs, test sets. We’d go 10 x 100 IM—I was so into it...I spent all my time putting >> From 1980-83, Morton trained with Joe Goeken, followed by future University of Texas assistant Kris practice records up on a board. Kubik, then by John Morse. (Pictured: Chas Morton as a 16-year-old) [ Photo Courtesy: Swimming World ] “After holding all the 10-and-under NAG records except the 50 breast in his one of the most coachable kids I ever had—a little cocky because of first meet as an 11-year-old, Chas set the his confidence, but he listened to everything you said. If you asked 11-12 national record in the 200 IM. The old mark was 2:04; he him to work on something, he just did it. He would set a goal in his went 2:02 and ended up getting to 1:56. He also swam a 500 free in mind, and his body would take over. 4:49 when he was 11,” he says. “His first best stroke was fly, then back and free. His breast “Kris had him as a 12-year-old when he went the 1:56 and wasn’t good, but he ended up swimming it at meets. In practice :51 in the 100 fly. Chas held every 11-12 record at one time and when given a choice stroke, he chose breast and soon thereafter set made junior nationals after just turning 12. Around the same time, an NAG record in the 200 IM.” I recall him pushing a 100 IM and going under the national record. While Olympic glory may have eluded Morton, his legacy lives. As a 13-year-old, he went 3:57 in the 400 IM and 1:52 in the 200 A legend in his day, 39 years later he remains an age-group superstar IM. Kris said that year he’d have won the Tennessee high school with an unmatched portfolio. v championship in that event as a seventh grader.” THE REAL DEAL “Chas was a phenomenon in the South,” continues Goeken. “He was gifted, an early maturer, but he had that combination of talent, smarts, desire, and he was unbelievably competitive. He was also

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store. Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide. FEBRUARY 2022

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COACHING

ETHAN

HALL

Q&A

California son Ethan Hall left the Golden State to experience the aquatic environment in North Carolina. Two years later, he was back winning conference championships, the hand of a 12-time Olympian and directing Crow Canyon swimmers to USA Swimming silver medal status. BY MICHAEL J. STOTT

Q. SWIMMING WORLD: You were an NAG 15-16 200 meter breaststroke record holder who left California for college swimming at the University of North Carolina. Why that choice? A. COACH ETHAN HALL: Because it sounded like an adventure, one that would transform me into the swimmer I wanted to be. I did it almost 100% in search of athletic glory. I knew UNC was a strong ACC swim team, and the athletic facilities were amazing. I was probably a little too enamored with the fact that Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor had gone there. I really liked the team colors, too. I don’t think I thought deeply enough about such a big decision. I made it for superficial reasons. I always tell my athletes to make college decisions by identifying where they want to live, who they want to be around and what they want to study. SW: As the Tarheels’ best breaststroker, you left Frank Comfort for UCSB and Gregg Wilson. Why...and did your friendship with Natalie Coughlin enter into that decision? EH: The decision to transfer to a school in California was a tough one. I had a lot of respect for my teammates at UNC. Realizing what would make me happy beyond the pool and proximity to family and close friends was important. I’d been overly obsessed with finding the peak of the sport. I 44

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was still finding out who I was during my first couple years at UNC and what would make me happy. I ended up living with three of my closest club swimming buddies at UCSB, a stone’s throw from the Pacific Ocean. It was the right decision. Natalie was a good friend during those years, but not a major factor in my choice to change schools. SW: In what way did your many coaches influence how you coach today? EH: I took little pearls of wisdom from each that shaped my values and the way I see the sport. Today I model their lessons and pass them forward. Mike Heaney taught me that the sport is supposed to be fun. He is always quick with a smile and a light heart. From Paul Stafford, I learned to love the water and the sport. He assigned it almost a mystical quality. He is an absolutely brilliant technician and very creative in his explanation of concepts. I still use the meditation and visualization exercises he taught. From Ray Mitchell, I learned grit and determination—that nothing is out of reach if you make a plan and are willing to work. He is a great season/ weekly practice planner. I use those concepts to cut down on the chaos. I also preach the necessity of grit to the CROW athletes more than they’d like to hear it.

Ethan Hall Head Coach Crow Canyon Country Club Danville, California

• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., communications, 2002 • Recipient, UCSB Athletic Department Golden Eagle Award for the highest GPA, 2002 • Head coach, Crow Canyon Sharks, 2005-present • Senior Director, Swim Engineering, Aspiricx, 2017-21 • Aquatics Director, Crow Canyon Sharks, 2015-21 • Olympic Trials qualifier, 1996 & 2000 • Set University of North Carolina 200 yard breaststroke record, 1999 (1:58.78) • CSCAA All-American (Honorable Mention), 1999 • 15-16 NAG record holder, 200 meter breaststroke, 1995 (2:18.86) • 3x Top 100 World Coach

While at Crow Canyon Country Club, Hall has coached Olympic Trials qualifiers in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021. The CC Sea Lions have won the local Contra Costa County Championships from 2005-19. In 2010, the Sharks won the Long Course Far Westerns team championship, and in 2018, the women’s team took first place at the Winter Junior Nationals-West meet. In 2020, the Sharks and Sea Lions came together as one team.

Frank Comfort demonstrated the value of a team pulling together, about leadership and how to empower athletes to be leaders. When athletes have a culture among themselves, it can bring a super effort, grit and resilience and takes some burden off a coach. I seek this group synergy constantly. Gregg Wilson stressed developing the whole person—in the pool, classroom and life. This may have been the most important lesson for me personally. It took me too long to learn that I am more than just a swimmer and focus my efforts and assign self-worth accordingly. I have coached athletes who went on to be super successful mothers, doctors, NFL wideouts, Olympic rowers and business people. I am just as proud of being a part of their journey as I am of the ones who broke records in the swimming pool. SW: You have been recognized as smart—a critical thinker dedicated to his craft. How was it you chose swim coaching as a profession? EH: Honestly, it chose me. I tried to work in a mortgage bank right out of college for six months. I managed a retail store for a few weeks. The water was calling. When in doubt, the sport was my home base. I decided to take a temporary position in 2003, helping out my best friend Matt Streumpf coach summer league swimming at Crow Canyon while I figured out my next move. At the time, many former UCSB or Terrapins teammates were also coaching swimming in the Contra Costa County summer league. We all had a blast coaching with and against each other. We fed off each other competitively. I guess I dug in my heels and never left. SW: You have worked at Crow Canyon Country Club in one aquatic capacity or another since 2003. Has growing the Sea Lions summer league program met your expectations? EH: The Sea Lions was my first head

coaching experience. We had this awesome group of passionate athletes and supportive parents and still stay in touch. The Sea Lions used to be known as “slow canyon” because we didn’t win many races. We quickly gained success and won the LMYA Contra Costa County Meet in 2005. We latched onto that success and have won the county meet team title each year in which we have competed. In 2005, I cofounded the USA Swimming Crow Canyon Sharks with my oldest Terrapin/UCSB buddy, Dan Cottam. We had a super-hard-working group of eight 12-15-year-old Sea Lion girls who wanted to take it to the next level. Since then, I have divided time between the Sea Lions and Sharks. In 2020, we merged the two teams, and we are all Sharks now. SW: Crow Canyon has a slew of talented swimmers: national team member Madison White, national junior teamer Taylor Nanfria and Olympic Trials qualifiers, Zoie and Bailey Hartman, Ana Jih-Schiff, Maddie Murphy and Forrest White, just to name a few. How has that success inspired the younger swimmers and perpetuated your winning culture? EH: It helps everyone believe the dream a little more. The up-and-coming swimmers see the hard work and character displayed, and that lights the path. It has also established our program as a place where cool things

can happen. Our talented swimmers have been really good about recognizing the influence they wield and eagerly give back to the team. They take splits, give buddy lessons to younger swimmers, and they come back from their (NCAA) D1 programs with stories, inspiration and wisdom. SW: What is it that allows Crow Canyon to sustain its silver-medal status? EH: It’s certainly an improbable run for a team of our size and limited facilities. There is some luck involved, too. We had a dedicated, talented and invested group in those early years that got the ball rolling. The strong athlete leadership has also been a catalyst as has our trusting and collaborative staff of great coaches like Dan Cottam, Matt Streumpf, Jake Schroeder, Joseph Natina and others. All these elements have been central to our team culture and helped build the values we hold dear. Our mantra on Sharks is Teamwork, Toughness and Trust. These values guide us. Another key to our success is a chip-on-our-shoulder mentality. We have always gained strength from seeing ourselves as the underdog. We don’t always have the best access to water like the more tenured clubs. We started with no pool and no reputation. We take pride in matching strength with some really great clubs in our LSC and zone.

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