Peak Performance Profile: The Ultimate Test of Your Swimming Potential

By Wayne Goldsmith and Helen Morris

PHOENIX, Arizona, April 29. SO you think you are a good swimmer?

So you believe you could be a great one?

Want to find out for sure?

Then take the "Peak Performance Profile"…………..if you dare.

Circle either A, B, C or D – i.e. one choice only:

QUESTION 1:
This morning I:
A: Got out of bed early, did some light stretching, went for a jog and ate a light healthy breakfast.
B: Turned on the TV, ate four pop tarts and went back to bed.
C: Woke up at the sound of my bedside alarm, jumped out of bed, packed my own swim bag, ate a light healthy breakfast and woke mom to ask her to drive me to training.
D: Waited for mom to wake up so she could pack my swim bag, make me a light healthy breakfast and take me to training.

QUESTION 2:
When the coach asks me to work hard I:
A: Pretend I need to go to the bathroom.
B: Do the minimum possible amount.
C: Smile, do the work and ask him / her for more.
D: Do the whole set but keep looking for short cuts to make it easier.

QUESTION 3:
When I get asked to help clean up swim gear or do other chores around the pool to help the Club and the Coach I:
A: I never get asked – I volunteer and do something to help my team every day.
B: I do it but not a single thing more than I have to.
C: I do it but complain about it to anyone who will listen.
D: Hide behind the pool blankets.

QUESTION 4:
When the coach asks me to swim with perfect technique or to try a new skill I:
A: Pretend I can only speak a rare dialect of Zulu and can't understand what the coach is saying.
B: Complain to the coach "I can't do that" and don't really try.
C: Do the first few strokes perfect, then relax and swim my usual stuff.
D: Concentrate on every stroke and ask the coach for feedback on how I can improve.

QUESTION 5:
Today I ate:
A: Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Lots of whole grain products.
B: Four pizzas, two large fries and sixteen tacos.
C: I skipped breakfast, had a take away lunch but a great dinner with quality complex carbohydrates and plenty of fresh vegetables.
D: Had a really great breakfast with whole grain products and fruit but cheated at school with dogs and fries. I tried to make up for it with pasta and fresh vegetables for dinner.

QUESTION 6:
And I drank:
A: Plenty of fresh water and natural fruit juice.
B: Three glasses of fresh water but also two cans of soda at school.
C: No water – but lots of sports drink.
D: Two cases of beer and 4 gallons of soda.

QUESTION 7:
When a new swimmer comes to my team I:
A: Introduce myself and show them where the change rooms are.
B: Kick them in the groin.
C: Welcome them like an old friend. Show them around. Introduce them to everyone else. Encourage them to become part of the team.
D: Say hi but let them figure everything out for themselves.

QUESTION 8:
When I do kick sets I:
A: Stop to adjust my flippers 27 times during the set.
B: Do all the repeats but stop kicking 5 yards from the wall each time and just float the last little bit.
C: Push myself on every repeat and aim to get my best kick times as close as possible to my best swim times.
D: Do the first two and last two repeats really well (so the coach will notice me!).

QUESTION 9:
At the end of each training set I:
A: Try to get in the way of other swimmers still working – just for a few laughs.
B: Drink, stretch, take my heart rate and encourage other swimmers who have not yet finished.
C: Pee in the pool.
D: Take a drink and complain how hard that was.

QUESTION 10:
When I go to meets I:
A: See how many chocolate bars I can eat at a time.
B: Swim a few races but I am really there to pick up gals (or guys).
C: Give it my best all the time, learn as much as I can from every race and encourage and support my team mates.
D: Swim a few races but only give my best in my favorite events.

QUESTION 11:
Which of the following describes you the best?
A: Funny, friendly, sociable, happy.
B: Tough, humble, determined, confident.
C: Stinky, rude, noisy, lazy.
D: Hard working, inconsistent, a bit crazy sometimes, passionate.

QUESTION 12:
When I take some time off swimming to recover I:
A: Laze around and do nothing for a week.
B: Don't take time off. I don't need to.
C: Party – all night: every night!
D: Keep active with some regular light exercise, eat sensibly, get plenty of quality sleep and relax.

QUESTION 13:
The last time I pushed my body and my mind beyond what I thought was possible was:
A: Some time this season.
B: Some time in the last week.
C: This morning.
D: Never.

QUESTION 14:
How do you think your competitors would describe you?
A: Tough, hard to beat, always ready to race.
B: Can be hard to beat sometimes but is really inconsistent.
C: Easy to beat – you don't know how to race.
D: That kid who is always eating donuts in the marshalling area.

QUESTION 15:
Who emptied the wet, dirty swim gear out of your swim bag yesterday and put it in the washer / dryer?
A: No-one. It's still in there!
B: What's a swim bag?
C: Mum
D: Me

QUESTION 16:
In the gym I:
A: Work hard on the exercises I enjoy doing.
B: Work just as hard as I do when I am training in the pool.
C: Walk around doing body builder pose-downs to impress the gals (or guys)
D: Short change – i.e. if the coach asks me to do 20 of some exercise I do somewhere between 12 and 16.

QUESTION 17:
I make sure every start, every turn, every dive and every finish are race quality….. :
A: Never
B: Sometimes
C: Usually
D: Always

QUESTION 18:
I can achieve anything if:
A: I believe I can, work hard and never give up.
B: I get lucky.
C: I pay the swimming officials to "look the other way".
D: I work hard.

QUESTION 19:
If I experience an obstacle or set back like an injury I:
A: Look for someone to blame for it.
B: Get really happy because it means I don't have to go to practice! Yahoo!
C: Work hard to overcome the problem, keep positive and do everything I can to keep working towards my goals.
D: Tell mom. She will take care of it for me.

QUESTION 20:
The reason I swim is:
A: I really love it. I enjoy the sport. I love working hard and improving.
B: I enjoy being fit and healthy.
C: Mom wants me to do it.
D: It's a great place to pinch stuff out of other kid's bags!

PEAK PERFORMANCE PROFILE ANSWER KEY:

QUESTION NUMBER A B C D MY SCORE
QUESTION 1: 3 1 4 2
QUESTION 2 1 2 4 3
QUESTION 3 4 3 2 1
QUESTION 4 1 2 3 4
QUESTION 5 4 1 2 3
QUESTION 6 4 3 2 1
QUESTION 7 3 1 4 2
QUESTION 8 1 2 4 3
QUESTION 9 2 4 1 3
QUESTION 10 1 2 4 3
QUESTION 11 2 4 1 3
QUESTION 12 3 2 1 4
QUESTION 13 2 3 4 1
QUESTION 14 4 3 2 1
QUESTION 15 2 1 3 4
QUESTION 16 3 4 1 2
QUESTION 17 1 2 3 4
QUESTION 18 4 2 1 3
QUESTION 19 2 1 4 3
QUESTION 20 4 3 2 1

MY TOTAL PEAK PERFORMANCE PROFILE SCORE

For example:
If you answered B for question 10, you scored 2.
If you answered C for question 18, you scored 1.
Enter all your scores in the MY SCORES column and add them all up so you have a TOTAL PEAK PERFORMANCE PROFILE score.

WHAT YOUR TOTAL PEAK PERFORMANCE SCORE MEANS:

20-30: A score in this range means you are total turkey. And you know what happens to them at Thanksgiving!

31-40: Hey C'mon. Quit foolin' around. You can do better.

41-50: So you do some things right some of the time but most of the time you swim about as well as a rhinoceros flies.

51-60: To get this score means you must be hitting a few "threes" or even fours. There is great hope for you, young Jedi.

61-70: Now we're talking. You've got what it takes to be the best. You just have to believe you can be and never, ever, ever give up trying.

71-80: Wow – amazing! You scored better than me (and I knew all the answers!). Fantastic. You are an Olympic Gold Medalist in the making and what's more – you are a Gold Medal human being (which is even more important.)

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