Gutter Talk: Top Swimmers Share the Best Advice They Ever Received From a Coach

Gutter Talk: Top Swimmers Share the Best Advice They Ever Received From a Coach

Gutter Talk is a monthly feature in which athletes share their thoughts on a specific topic. In this latest edition, several top athletes share the best piece of advice they ever received from a coach.

KELSI DAHLIA
2016 Olympic Gold Medalist
Women’s 4×100 Medley Relay
Notre Dame Associate Coach

The best advice I received from a coach was from (Louisville coach) Arthur (Albiero) leading into 2016. I started having new and exciting sponsorship and appearance opportunities, and he advised me I need to learn how to say “No” to some things. My personality is to please other people by saying “Yes” to everything, but I had to reframe that thought process.

Every “No” became a “Yes” to something else in my life. For example, if I traveled to a clinic one weekend, I was saying “No” to time with my husband or time training. While I still have a lot to learn in this area, this advice gave me permission to say “Yes” to only the things I found most important.

KAITLYN DOBLER
2022 NCAA Champion
Women’s 100 Breaststroke

My club coach told me that 30 years from now, you won’t remember the times you go or the cuts you make, but you will remember all the memories you make with your teammates. You don’t have to worry about your times, but make sure you’re enjoying the experiences you have with your teammates.

NIC FINK
2022 World Champion
Men’s 50 Breaststroke

“You can’t win a race in the first 25, but you can lose a race in the first 25.” —Jack Bauerle

RYAN MURPHY
2022 World Champion
Men’s 200 Backstroke

My advice was said to me when I was 4 years old. At that age, I made an excuse to get out of every practice. My mom didn’t mind because I would sit with her instead of practicing. The coaches knew I was very competitive, so Coach André told me, “You’re not going to be able to win if you don’t practice.” Tough to disagree with that one.

RHYAN WHITE
2022 World Champion
4×100 Medley Relay

The best advice I’ve received was from my coach here at Bama (Ozzie Quevedo). He always says to keep the highs low and the lows high—to allow myself to reflect on a situation—good or bad—while keeping the energy consistent.

Time doesn’t stop for a chance to decide how to react, so moving on has to be instinctive in order to look at what’s coming next: the next race, next day, next breakout, next set, etc. I like this advice because I can apply it at practice and meets.

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E.P.

1 year ago

My coach Freshman year in college: “You’ve been on swim teams for 12 years — if you were going to be elite, it would’ve happened by now — you should seriously consider that golf scholarship instead”.