Winning the Dry Deck

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 28. TODAY, we are offering our online readers a free preview of some of the content that is available to Swimming World Magazine subscribers. In a never-before-published article, Michael J. Stott takes an in-depth look at team building.

Winning the Dry Deck
By Michael J. Stott

Lives there a successful swim coach who has not, more than once, sacrificed fame, fortune and family to create a closely knit, competitive squad whose members unceasingly strive for the "next level." Yet often unseen and less appreciated is the energy that the person in charge puts into the vital out-of-water activities that ultimately define team persona and character.

Arizona coach Frank Busch believes the most important part of in-water team building is positive attitude.

"That comes from being focused. If you can get you kids to pay attention you've got a good group," he says.

"Out of the water, I look to ensure that we operate as one. If you are going to create a team atmosphere it has to be something that people want to live 100 percent of the time. That's not an easy task. There are a lot of distractions for college kids," he says.

Frequent team meetings and social activities, often at the Busch home, are a key to Wildcat team togetherness.

"On deck we spend a lot of time just talking about life before we get in the pool," he says.

In addition to individual meetings with coaches, Wildcat captains run swimmer-only sessions where athletes make public statements regarding individual and team goals.

"It is a statement they make in front of everybody," says Busch. "The meeting is pretty emotional for some people. The way you deliver your message is often more important than the message itself," he notes.

Wildcat swimmers are also very visible in the community, working with local boys and girls clubs, women's shelters, sponsoring a family at Christmas and the like.

"The team does a lot of community service work," he says.

Like many college squads, last fall Washington and Lee University swimmers exchanged a pool practice for a strenuous five and one-half hour uphill hike. A ropes course exercise and a season-long dryland buddy system were just some of the other activities instrumental in fashioning a sisterhood that produced its 15th Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship in the last 16 years.

Established programs like Arizona and W&L have track records that delineate dry deck direction. Not so with teams trying to resurrect themselves or under new management.

Tim Harper is the head age group coach for Tucson Ford Aquatics. His recent mission has been to revive an age group program that was discontinued 10 years ago. The revival coincided with the opening of the University of Arizona's new pool at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

While borrowing heavily from older swimmers the age groupers are enjoying establishing their own traditions. Water bottles inscribed with practice goals, team hikes, big meet T-shirts, pasta dinners and recognition for perfect attendance during Christmas training are all spawning a sense of togetherness that will reap dividends down the road.

"The most important aspect is getting everybody on the same page which is difficult, especially at the age group level," says Harper. We do a lot of talking about team goals."

Few coaches are more goal-centric than Matt Sprang, owner and head coach of the Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club. In August 2008, Sprang spearheaded a movement to privatize the former Gloucester County Institute of Technology (Deptford, N.J.) USA Swimming team.

Along with the privatization came a name and color change to navy blue, Carolina blue, and yellow gold.

"Even before we got settled, it was very important to me to develop a team identity that was always lacking when the school oversaw the program's operation. We also needed to quickly establish a brand recognition that would serve as a means of identification for our swimmers, coaches and parents," he says.

"It was clear that we needed to completely separate ourselves from the school while keeping the team intact. We got swimmers short and long-sleeved T-shirts, new swim caps, had a design contest and raised funds for our parent booster club." 

Sprang also introduced wanderlust.

"One huge team building activity many take for granted is team travel to meets. In December, we did our first team travel trip in more than six years. The 17 swimmers that attended told their teammates how great the trip was. This year, I fully expect we'll have three or four times that number. 



"We've also started a new tradition: open water pool practice. Occasionally, we take out the lane lines, do different drills and games to work on open water technique. It breaks up the monotony, serves as a great recovery practice for seniors, creates interest in open water events and mixes our swimmers allowing us to learn from one other," he says. "We end this practice with a team cheer."



GPAC family involvement includes season start and ending team dinners. A component of team building away from the pool is a whitewater rafting day trip for older swimmers and coaches. Twelve and unders go to an indoor water park.

"We've begun plans for an altitude training trip for July 2010 that I hope will embrace a meet as well," says Sprang.

Don Kimble, head coach of the West Michigan Swimmers (Holland, Mich.) also directs a decorated high school swim program. In 2007-08 his Holland High School athletes garnered third (girls) and fourth (boys) place finishes in the NISCA National Dual Meet Rankings for public schools with enrollments of 900-1400 students.

"Club and high school offer different challenges and we approach them in different ways," he says. Kimble's club team has members from more than 12 different high schools.

"Bringing them physically together is key to getting them to work together. We have done two things on a regular basis for team bonding with the teens. First, we have a day in the summer when we only do dryland before taking a 1.5 mile run to a local ice cream shop and back.

"At some point swimmers just need a day off so we offer a good chance to get acquainted. On 'Game Day' we include younger swimmers and take a game like Chutes and Ladders, divide the lanes and mix groups that normally don't practice together. Each lane represents a team and takes a turn rolling dice and moving pieces on the board. Each space on the board represents a different set, some goofy but most with an IM focus, (say 300 yards). When your lane makes it to the end of the board you cool down and are done. We have had lanes done in 45 minutes and some that need a mercy rule.

"Our teenager group is pretty diverse and this offers a good chance for swimmers to get to know those outside their training groups. The benefit at meets is that swimmers actually know who is on our team," he says.

Kimble's high school boys have two distinctive rituals. One day during heavy Christmas training we follow a three-hour morning practice with the "Jeff Seymour Invitational," an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at a local Pizza Hut. This has become a contest to see who can put away the most pizza. In mid-January, the boys bleach their hair white/blond.

"It brings the guys together at school. They are easily recognizable. To avoid the issue of hazing, we get permission slips signed by parents and we have moms do the bleaching. Most parents see the boys 'dead' hair and figure it's all going to be gone at the end of the year anyway," says Kimble.

"With any such activity a coach has to be aware of the hazing implications. The boys don't usually think things through and it is important that the coach, parents and athletic director are involved," he cautions.

To kick off the girls fall season Kimble takes his charges to an entertainment center with an inflatable obstacle course.

"We organize relays and let them run wild for about an hour (a good workout). Of course, a couple of girls have to take on the coach with the oversized boxing gloves," he says.

Before the conference meet captains organize a secret swimmers program. "Each day has theme from cookies to shampoo to whatever. The last day the girls bring out the razors and shaving cream and reveal secret swimmer identity. The idea is to be creative and inexpensive; most of the stuff is purchased at the local dollar store," he says.

Give Kimble credit too for thinking outside the bun. Last year the night before the state meet he had his athletic director take his state qualifiers out for pasta. "Most swim teams are an afterthought because we are not in the gym so this offered a good bonding experience for the administration and athletes," says Kimble.

Team building and a power meal. What squad couldn't use some of that?

Sidebar

Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club Goals
Four-Year Plan and Future Goals

Below is a list of GPAC administrative and pool achievement goals. Club owner Matt Sprang views the establishment of short and long term team goals as vital to club success. "It shows swimmers, coaches, and parents where the team is headed and helps us define where we need to improve to get there," he says. "We may reach some of the goals, we may miss some of them. But the important thing is that we strive to reach them together."

Performance goals relate to the actual swimming and achievements of the team in the water. Administrative goals relate to the dry side of the program: what is done to facilitate the expansion and growth of the program away from the water. These goals can change at any time to reflect anything from early achievement of a stated goal to a change in policy or rules by USA Swimming. The goals have been constructed with one single purpose in mind: to make the program one of the very best in USA Swimming.

Because something is not listed does not mean it is not implied. No goals on this list pertain to summer league or high school season performance. We view goals for these particular levels of swimming as "consequence goals." If a swimmer is aspiring to achieve at the highest possible level he will have no problem performing very well at lower levels. Yet if one only aspires to be good at the lower levels of the sport the chances of performing well at the highest levels are not that great. All coaches, swimmers, and parents associated with this program need to understand and get on board with the notion that every athlete should aspire to elite performance at the highest possible level.

NOTE: Each time period begins in September and ends in August.

2008-2009
Performance:
Improve upon team finish at Winter JOs (19th place in 2008)
More team qualifiers and events for Winter JOs
3 new NCSA Junior Qualifiers
5 new Sectional Qualifiers
1 New Speedo Summer Junior National Qualifier
100 swimmers participating in the summer long course program
Attend and finish in the top 10 at Summer Junior Olympics

Administrative:
Finish the fiscal year (June 30, 2009) in the black
Keep accurate financial records for more accurate budgeting in future years
Establish team travel fund to help off-set the cost of travel meets
Establish and run Long Course Swim Meet (May 2009)
Create a new source of team revenue via one-on-one stroke mechanic instruction
Create spring warm-up mechanic classes (Saturdays April-June 2009)

2009-2010
Performance
USA Swimming Silver Medal Club
275 Full-time team members and 45 part-time (fall or spring warm-up) members
100% meet participation
40 swimmers attend the December Meet travel trip
Top 3 at Middle Atlantic Elite Meet (Jan. 2010) in Overall Team Scoring
40 +Total Elite Meet Qualifiers
Top 3 at Winter MA Junior Olympics (March 2010) in Overall Team Scoring
40 Total Winter Junior Olympic Qualifiers
Top 5 at Middle Atlantic Mini Championships (March 2010) in Overall Team Scoring
5 NCSA Junior National Individual Qualifiers (March 2010)
3 Speedo Summer Junior National Qualifiers (August 2010 in Irvine, CA)
2 USA Swimming Summer National/World Champ Trials Qualifiers (August 2010 in Irvine, CA)
125 Summer program participants
30 swimmers participating in Summer Junior Olympics (July 2010)
Top 3 in Overall Team Scoring at Summer Junior Olympics

Administrative
Maintain staff cohesion (all staff returns from 2008-09)
No raise in base team dues
Start season with family event outside of the pool setting
Send 1 coach to ASCA World Clinic (Sept. 2009 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Send all coaches to Eastern States Clinic (Oct. 2009 in Cherry Hill, NJ)
Establish two new fundraisers to benefit the Team Travel Fund
Organize special team travel meet for 12 and under team members in the spring
Organize special team travel meet for 13 and over team members in the spring
Start GPAC Learn to Swim Program to increase team revenue and team feeder program

2010-2011
Performance
USA Swimming Silver Medal Club
1 USA Swimming Olympic Trials Qualifier
300 team members at GCIT site
55 swimmers on December team travel meet trip
60+swimmers qualified for the Middle Atlantic Elite Meet (Jan 2011)
Top 2 in overall team scoring at MA Elite Meet
50 swimmers qualified for Middle Atlantic Junior Olympics (March 2011)
Top 2 in overall team scoring at Junior Olympics
Top 2 in overall team scoring at MA Mini Championships
8 Individual NCSA Junior National Qualifiers (March 2011)
5 Swimmers qualified for 2011 World Championship Trials
5 swimmers qualified for 2011 Summer Nationals (August 2011)
140 summer program participants
60 swimmers participate in summer Junior Olympics (July 2011)
Top 2 in overall team scoring at summer Junior Olympics

Administrative
Maintain staff cohesion from previous season
Winter Break Training Trip for 13 & Overs (Florida)
Other training trip for 12 and unders in conjunction with a swim meet
Increase overall team budget
Increase budget and reserve funds for team travel account
Send 3 coaches to ASCA World Clinic (September 2011)
Hire part-time Business Manager
Hire Learn to Swim Program Coordinator
Hire 1 additional full-time coach with various administrative duties
Open 2nd site within the Greater Philadelphia Area with 100 total full-time swimmers
Over 100 participants per session in the Learn to Swim Program

2011-2012
Performance
USA Swimming Silver Medal Club
Top 2 in total team scoring at MA Elite Meet (Jan. 2012)
Top 2 in total team scoring at MA JOs (March 2012)
Top 2 at MA Mini Champs (March 2012)
15 total NCSA Junior National Qualifiers
Top 10 in overall team scoring at NCSA Junior Nationals
2 additional Olympic Trials Qualifiers (3 total qualifiers)
Current or Former GPAC/GCIT team member makes Semi-finals or Finals at Trials
Win Summer Junior Olympics
200 summer program participants
70 swimmers attend summer Junior Olympics
8 swimmers qualified for summer US Open
12 swimmers qualified for summer Junior Nationals
Achieve best ever finish at summer Junior Nationals (top 12)

Administrative
Maintain staff cohesion from previous season
Have current swimmers and families not qualified for Olympic Trials attend the event
Provide training site near Trials venue for non-participating team members in attendance
Send at least 3 additional coaches (4 total) as spectators to Olympic Trials
Raffle off a trip to Olympic Trials (tickets and airfare) to benefit GPAC Team Travel Fund
Raffle off a trip to London, England for 2012 Olympic Summer Games
500 total team members at 3 different sites (team hub at GCIT)
Training Trip outside Continental USA for 13 and overs
Florida Training Trip for 12 and unders
1 and one half years operating budget on reserve
Hire a third full-time coach/administrator/site coordinator
Over 250 Learn to Swim participants per session
Ensure full cost of travel to Olympic Trials for qualified team members covered

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Video Preview of August Issue

August 2009 Issue
Contents of The August issue:

7 REMEMBERING RICHARD QUICK
Legendary swimming coach Richard Quick passed away June 10 at the age of 66.
8 NEXT STOP: ROME by Peter H. Bick
U.S. swimmers set three world records and an additional seven American and two U.S. Open marks at the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships, which also served as the qualifying meet for the World Championships in Rome.
12 ONE OF AMERICA'S FINEST by Jason Marsteller
Not only is Dagny Knutson of Minot High School in North Dakota the top female high school swimmer of the year, but she is also among the elite women swimmers in the United States.
14 SUPER SHIELDS by Brian Savard
Edison's Tom Shields (Calif.), who broke the national high school record in the 200 yard free this past season, was named Swimming World Magazine's male High School Swimmer of the Year.
16 CELEBRATING 50+ YEARS IN AQUATICS: 1985-88
by Jeff Commings
As we celebrate 50+ years in aquatics, Swimming World Magazine will be taking a trip through history, highlighting some of the top moments of the magazine's existence.
18 THEN AND NOW by Jeff Commings
With her double gold performance in Beijing and a world record in the women's 800 free, Britain's Rebecca Adlington is the new reigning queen of distance swimming, a title once held by the USA's Janet Evans.
20 JESSICA HARDY: IN HER OWN WORDS by Jason Marsteller
Jessica Hardy, who was dismissed from the U.S. Olympic team last summer for testing positive for the banned stimulant, clenbuterol, talks about her intense, emotional experience.

DEPARTMENTS:
6 A VOICE for the SPORT
35 FOR THE RECORD
43 CALENDAR
46 PARTING SHOT

In the Swimming Technique portion of the magazine you will find the following:

27 Q&A WITH COACH NICK NICHOLS, AMHERST COLLEGE by Michael J. Stott
29 HOW THEY TRAIN: Kendra Stern by Michael J. Stott
30 BUTTERFLY START, KICKOUT AND TURN demonstrated by Triin Aljand, Texas A&M

In the SWIM portion of the magazine you will find the following:

24 THE POOL'S EDGE: Relax! by Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen
What is the key to swimming faster with less effort? It's simple: RELAX!
26 LANE LEADERS: Lisa Dahl by Emily Sampl

In the Junior Swimmer portion of the magazine you will find the following:
32 NATIONAL AGE GROUP RECORD SETTER: Seth Beer
34 SPEEDO AMERICAN RELAY by Judy Jacob

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