SwimMAC Team Elite: More Than Just a Team to Train On

Feature by Mallory Cage

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, December 14. IN 2008, SwimMAC Carolina, one of the largest club teams in the country expanded. This time, however, was different. Instead of adding another location or more age group swimmers the club added an elite training program now known as Team Elite.

"The mission of Team Elite is to increase opportunities for developing the post-graduate athlete that has desire, goals and intentions to earn medals for the USA in the Olympic Games," said David Marsh, the CEO and director of coaching at SwimMAC. "That is incased in a requirement that in the endeavor to move toward Olympic medals, they're making SwimMAC Carolina a better program and they're contributing in a positive manner to the sport."

Team Elite's primary goal is to provide a training group of post-graduate athletes that are all working toward the common goal of medaling at the Olympics. All of the athletes involved have performed at the highest levels of the sport and they all intend to go further.

"I was on the world championships team and in a great position to make an Olympic team, so I decided to come down here because I decided that this would be the best place for me to make a run at winning a gold medal," said Elliott Keefer, a Team Elite member.

However, as part of Team Elite, they all have another responsibility as well, to be role models both in and out of the pool for the club swimmers at SwimMAC.

"If you look over time what really helps countries develop and continue developing talent is to have an upper level of elite swimmers that give a tangible benefit to the lower levels of the sport, and are in constant contact with them. Here at SwimMAC we are fortunate to have such a big club team to be around," said Peter Verhoef, Team Elite Assistant Coach. "Really what we're doing is just painting the picture forward. For these kids they get an opportunity to see these athletes performing at an Olympic level and realize that that goal isn't necessarily out of reach, that it is an absolutely attainable thing and that really helps them to stay motivated in the sport and see where they want to go."

Team Elite members and coaches manage a tight schedule of pool workouts, team meetings and dryland and yet they still find time to interact with all levels of SwimMAC Carolina. The elite athletes host clinics, do swim lessons, attend meets, act as guest coaches and even practice with some of the senior levels. This interaction is designed to not only benefit the club swimmers but also the elite level.

Marsh and his staff hope that by having the elite level swimmers interact with and practice alongside the club swimmers that the elite athletes become an inspiration to the lower levels.

"It's probably really motivating. To be able to go towards that kind of goal is really motivational and inspirational," said Micah Lawrence, a Team Elite member.

An example of this was right after U.S. Nationals, the elite team members had a mini-meet, where they suited up and raced each other but instead of just swimming and leaving, the athletes spent some time with the younger kids both before and after the races.

"The times become a little more real when you actually physically see them and then you have to connect those things because a lot of kids will say they're that fast but they're much taller than me. But when you actually put them in the room to talk about how when I was your age I was intimidated by people at the blocks, I was disappointed when I didn't get my AA time, relate to them and try and do the building blocks from there," said Marsh.

Before they raced, Team Elite members spoke about the different aspects of their stroke that they have been working on and encouraged the kids to watch for specific things they did or didn't do. While they raced, the kids lined the pool deck, cheering as loud as they could for each of the swimmers as they swam and then stood in awe when they posted best times in what was essentially a practice.

"The little group offered energy, excitement and enthusiasm and what they received was inspiration. Several of the kids were talked to beforehand about what they were going to do and then they went out there and worked on it," said Marsh. "A lot of times in giving, you receive more. That was probably an ideal set-up, where the young kids can be inspired by the older, more mature athletes in a very intentional way and the older guys can understand their duty as a role model in not only the times that they are posting but in the way they conduct themselves and how they represent themselves to these young people so that these young people can want to be like them."

After watching the reactions of the kids it is evident how much of an inspiration these athletes are. Many of the elite swimmers couldn't even walk to their bags without signing an autograph or giving a high-five and even the senior group hung around to see the times that were popping up on the scoreboard.

While the inspiration the elite level provides to the younger kids is not surprising, what is surprising is how much motivation the younger levels can provide to the elite athletes.

"I love giving swim lessons, just being around the younger teams it's great because their enthusiasm helps me to get going at practice," said Keefer. "Just to see how excited they are to be in the water, wow, sometimes I need a little bit of that rejuvenation myself."

And other than serving as a reminder of the enthusiasm they've all had for swimming, for the elite team the time spent with the club athletes as coaches or teachers also serves as another opportunity to master the skills they practice every day in the pool.

"They come back and talk about what they learned through teaching. One of the skills of mastery is to master any skill you need to be able to teach it, being able to repeat it is one thing but being able to teach it really shows the mastery you have over the skill. So it really adds another dimension for these guys in learning," said Verhoef.

As Team Elite moves forward toward trials and the Olympic Games this summer they will continue to be inspired by and inspire the next level of athletes that they interact with every day.

"We have this group that is strictly here to train for the Olympics and that's something special and we absolutely plan on using that to motivate every level of swimmer we have," said Verhoef.

"I hope that they can view us as their heroes and we inspire the next generation of swimmers and that they can learn by watching us and how we perform and they can be inspired at practice to move to the higher level," said Keefer.

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