Accidental Tourists: The Benefits of Training Trips

PHOENIX, Arizona, August 11. 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 training trips.

Accidental Tourists: The Benefits of Training Trips

By Michael J. Stott

Whether down south, off shore or overseas, swim training trips are designed to improve team unity, confidence, individual skill level and fitness notes University of Tennessee women's coach Matt Kredich.

When Matt Barany inherited Kredich's outstanding women's squad at the University of Richmond he also fell heir to an ideal winter training environment in Sarasota, Fla. that included convenient pool time, sufficient lane space, welcoming accommodations and sun. "The ideal setting," says Barany, "involves being together away from campus where we can train hard, enjoy the sun and each other and not worry about textbooks, papers or deadlines."

Warm weather is critical and a main reason that Amherst coach Nick Nichols now takes his two teams to Puerto Rico. "The last time we were in Florida we never had a morning warmer than 38 degrees," he says. The physical and psychological benefits are not lost on athletes or coaches. "Going south, being in the sunshine, all that vitamin D with no seasonal affective disorder, I just feel like we stay healthier through the end of the season," he says.

Another attraction for Amherst is cheaper pool fees. For the 10-lane, 50-meter pool at Isla Verde outside of San Juan, Nichols paid slightly under $2,500 — or two-to-three times less than he spent for pool space in Florida.

Barany cites the last two trips as the Spiders best ever. "In 2008 we were a small team. The upper classmen took the young 'uns by the hand while on the trip and showed them how to win a championship. The seed was planted on our trip and the underclassmen carried this confidence into our conference meet.

"This year we had more team meetings than usual. Some were goofy (extreme makeover freshmen addition, dessert bake-off) and some were inspiring (create a symbol for your teammate and make a ring with a symbol on it.) The result of these meetings was a closer group of women," he says. Not to mention an eighth straight Atlantic 10 championship.

NCAA rules permit teams to take international trips once every three years, an opportunity that Jon Howell makes available to his Emory Eagles. He sees the benefits as twofold. "Being student-athletes, there is not a lot of time to travel abroad so these trips have provided our team experiences they might not otherwise have had. And for me personally, I really enjoyed spending such a large block of relaxed time with our upper classmen when they were not in the middle of classes and hard training," he says.

Howell last took the Eagles to Italy in August 2008, but the planning — and fundraising –began more than a year out. Whereas the University of Richmond pays for lodging, pool rental and ground transportation the bulk of the Emory training trip expenses are incumbent upon the athlete.

"It's the trickiest part," says Howell. "There is a cost involved and the athletes don't know how much they are going to raise. Generally they got out of it what they put into it and everyone was able to raise the money they needed to fund the trip. We tried a little bit of everything. Some of it was individual, some was team stuff like car washes, selling concessions, line judging at volleyball tournaments, swim clinics and swim lessons. I give them free rein with that. Alums helped some too."

"But, it's a pain. It's a long process. There is a lot of organization and details. I had to get involved in the fundraising because someone needed to coordinate and organize the effort. It's a pretty big commitment from a coaching perspective."

Amherst swimmers have solved the fundraising through an active swim lessons program to more than 700 kids. "We get no funding from the college for the trip," says Nichols, "and raise $45,000 of the $50,000 required from lessons. It's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it and makes the trip affordable for everybody," he says.

In addition to a different culture and foods while in Puerto Rico the Jeffs get a varied workout. Training takes places in a 10-lane, 50 meter pool as opposed to their home six-lane, 25-yard venue. "We try to make the trip more than 'go down South and get your butt kicked for 10 days,'" he says. A five-to-seven pre-training trip camp combined with the rigorous mid-January Puerto Rico stay allows Nichols' squads to bump heavier training loads closer to the end of the season and that has paid dividends at championship meet time (top 5 finishes for both at this year's D-III NCAAs).

Barany's Spiders do six days of doubles and three days of singles while in Florida, averaging 5 – 7,500 yards/meters per practice.

Howell conducts a pre-trip camp (minimum of five days) to establish a base but lays off any hell week training in advance of the 6,000-yard per practice sessions done abroad. His rationale is "what's the point of going to Italy if you are going to destroy them?" The 2008 approach yielded considerable fitness gain, an established aerobic foundation and "a month jump on the season."

Away from the pool activities frequently disguise additional PT. In 2008 the Eagles trekked four hours into the Alps while Amherst swimmers took a traditional rain forest hike to the top of El Yunque (elevation 3,526 feet). "It's a day of added dryland," says Nichols "and spectacular views if you get them. And if you don't, it's usually raining and you get a sense of what the kids are really made of. In the pouring rain they are still pretty upbeat about it."

Temptation on training trips is a reality for coaches. "It's out there," acknowledges Kredich.

The key? "You have to have a group you trust and there has to be a decent understanding. Every team has its own dynamic and you've got to feel good about trusting the folks you've got," says Howell. "We've had a few minor behavioral issues but our athletes understand that this is a great opportunity and the ability of our program to do future trips depends on it going well."

Nichols agrees. "We have 'the talk.' Good behavior is understood and the team appreciates the benefit. They want to go every year and don't want to screw it up."

So what's the bottom line? Barany speaks for others. "The most important feature of our trip is not the yardage or the swimming. It's the women on the team getting to be themselves in a non-academic environment. This is the most important team building exercise of the season. We have time to discuss our fears/ambitions, etc. — and we do. When we leave to come home, we know each other better and we know what motivates and inspires. We operate better as a unit after our training trip."

High School Training Trips: Two Views

Training trips for high schoolers pose a different paradigm say experienced independent school coaches Chris Lynch and Graham Westerberg of all-girls Holton-Arms School (Bethesda, MD) and Wes Neubeck of coed Cape Henry Collegiate School (Virginia Beach, VA).
Below are their thoughts.

Are training trips a good idea for high schoolers?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Yes. They bring kids together and help build team spirit and unity."

Neubeck:
"SURE, if a coach has control of his/her team."

What are the critical elements?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"You need to have an established coach with a strong support system (coaches, swimmers, parents and school administration), a network (a swimming fund), philosophical support from the school and good chaperones. We try to have a five or six-to-one ratio and take at least two non-coaches to help behind the scenes."

Neubeck:
"You must be organized, have help from parents with logistical issues and have the interest from the kids."

An ideal setting is…
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Anywhere in the U.S. Warm weather is a key. International sites are OK, but more work."

Neubeck:
"Somewhere you can train outside. With the exception of the intervals, even the swimming feels like you're on vacation."

Best and worst training trips
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Florida (the further south the better) and Hawaii because of the weather, accommodations, reasonable expense, pool availability, scenery and other attractions."

Neubeck:
"This past year in Deerfield Beach, Florida for seven days. The weather was perfect and the training was a lot better than I had expected. The group really seized the opportunity to train in long course meters in the middle of the season. Worst trip was in 2007-08. We went for 10 days (which was three days too long; they checked out). The weather was only in the 50s, the winds made it feel like the 30's, there were four college teams at the facility and they were not very pleasant. We had logistical problems with the vans and the flights and several behavior issues with the kids on the trip.

Who decides destination?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Coaches, athletic department with parents and school advice."

Neubeck:
" I do."

International vs. national venue considerations
Lynch/Westerberg:
"National is better because it is familiar, the laws are the same, usually closer and generally safer. Usually there are better facilities and more consistency with room and board, better medical facilities and less chance for alcohol."

How funded?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Students pay out of pocket, generally between $1000 to $1300 all inclusive. We have a swimming fund that helps defray costs and pays for chaperones and those that need it. Our school motto is "Find a way or make one." We make sure everyone, no matter what the circumstances, can go on the trip."

Neubeck:
"Totally paid for by the parents. Everyone pays the same rate and my trip is divided among the kids going as well. We have not done any fundraising for the trips yet, but with the prices going up every year, we might need to start."

Daily workload per day?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Twice a day with the total normally between 12,000 to a high of 15,500. Pool time is what we look for and being a high school we are treated like second class citizens compared to all the universities. As for SC or LC, we take what we can get, but we try to give some variety to the kids."

Neubeck:
"Two practices a day at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. of long course meters. Usually the morning practice is high volume of about 6000M and the evening is a technique focus of about 3500M on average. My feeling is that long course is best for us on this trip. It gives the kids more focus and gets them out of the usual grind of short course intervals."

Length of stay?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Usually try to do about seven days, six nights and 12-to-14 practices with one or two fun activities."

Neubeck:
"Never take high school kids more than seven days. I learned this the hard way. You have to make sure you are going for longer than five days too."

Ground rules for trip
Lynch/Westerberg:
• Do everything as a team
• No one can go anywhere without a minimum of four people (required)
• Plug everyone into the trip cell phone # in your cell phone (even chaperones)
• Set on and off-limit physical boundaries
• Have check-in times
• Lights out time/No leaving the room after lights out/No visitors
• No boys and girls in each other rooms. Period!
• NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL
• Block all local and long distance service to phones
• No room service of any kind

Neubeck:
"There are lots. No girls in guy rooms, no guys in girl rooms. Lights out by 10:30 p.m. We have a buddy system. Never go anywhere without your buddy. Never be late for team meetings, etc."

Who sets them?
Lynch/Westerberg:
"School rules as set by the student handbook, coaches, athletic department, team, chaperones."

Neubeck:
"I meet with parents and go over expectations and ask if they have any other suggestions."

Consequences for broken rules
Lynch/Westerberg:
"Immediate departure for home at parents' expense. We follow school disciplinary rules as set by our school handbook. Inappropriate behavior usually means suspension or expulsion from the team. The punishment depends on the offense."

Neubeck:
"We have something called "MIC-KEEGAN LAW". I set a consequence like 10 push-ups, 100m, 20 push-ups 200m, 30 push-ups, 300m all continuous and if someone breaks a rule they have to perform the consequences at the next practice. If more than three people are involved with a broken rule, the whole team has to pay.

Role of captains on trip
Neubeck:
"The captains play a huge role. This is their opportunity to assure me that they can lead. I ask them to relay many messages from me, some just to see how well they take on the challenge. I direct them to help get the word out regarding activities. That way I don't have to have team meetings every 30 minutes."

Florida Training Trip Packing List

Here are items you HAVE to bring on the trip:

2 practice swim suits
1-2 recreation swim suits
Minimum of 2 pairs of goggles (1 pair dark or mirrored lenses)
Minimum of 2 swim caps
2-3 towels
Large water bottle
Sunblock

Any medication in original container in zip lock bag with your name on it to be given to a chaperone on the first day of trip.

Here are things you should consider bringing on the trip:

Sunglasses
1-2 sweatshirts or fleeces
1-2 sweatpants or jeans
1 rain jacket
Minimum 2 sets of workout clothes (shirt and shorts or pants) for dryland
1 pair of running/workout shoes
Flip-flops
Shorts
T-shirts (short and long sleeve)
1 nice outfit for warm weather
1 nice outfit for cool weather
Socks and underwear
Sleepwear

* Please realize that you do not need to bring a ton of nice clothing – you only need it on 1-2 occasions. Do not over pack – you are at practice and hanging out around the pool the vast majority of the time you are awake.

Remember you may only bring ONE medium size bag or suitcase!

(Source: Holton-Arms School)

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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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