Swimming World August 2021 Presents – Special Sets: Energy System Training with Pikes Peak Athletics Coach George Heidinger

Swimming World August 2021 - Special Sets - Energy System Training - George Heidinger with Quintin McCarty

George Heidinger (left) with Pikes Peak swimmer Quintin McCarty

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The Swimming World August 2021 Issue Presents

Swimming Technique Concepts:
Maximizing Swimming Velocity Part 4 – Minimizing Arm Entry Phase Time In Backstroke and Breaststroke

By Rod Havriluk

George Heidinger, former USA Swimming National Team High Performance Consultant and owner of Pikes Peak Athletics (Colo.) specializes in long-term athlete development. As such, he is well-schooled in the science of energy systems as espoused by the likes of Jon Urbanchek, Bob Bowman, Bill Sweetenham and Dave Salo.

Coach George Heidinger and his Pikes Peak Athletics (Colorado Springs, Colo.) coaches train rising high school senior Quintin McCarty, whose ascendency coincides with PPA’s rise in USA Swimming’s Virtual Club rankings. In June, McCarty competed in Wave II Olympic Trials, placing 24th out of 64 (22.14) in the 50 meter free and 59th out of 61 (56.60) in the 100 back.

The North Carolina State commit is ranked seventh nationally in collegeswimming.com’s (swimcloud) Class of 2022 list of high school recruits and first in Colorado. In 2012-13, Pikes Peak athletes scored 21,239 points (1,797th nationally). In 2020-21, the club amassed 158,141 points (good for 165th in the country).

Swimming World August 2021 - Special Sets - Energy System Training - George Heidinger with Quintin McCarty Progression of Times Chart

COMING OF AGE
Says Heidinger, “Quintin is a bright, genuine, happy kid. He is a pleaser, yet a born sprinter, so he is an interesting mix between Bill Boomer’s ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ swimmer persona analogy. He is also resilient. He can shy away from challenges at first, but then adapts and hardens. This sometimes takes time and development. Like most athletes, he experiences fear and pain and that affects performance at times. However, he is brave, strong and gets back up when he falls, even if he doesn’t rise to the challenge fully the first time.

“In training, he is not perfect. It took him several years to develop swimming etiquette such as memorizing intervals, leaving on time and finishing into the wall. No longer. Quintin is good at swimming white and pink (per the energy systems chart), and is able to control and modify technique in those energy systems. He is very good at blue (anaerobic or “critical speed”), black (alactate) and green (race simulation). The energy system he struggles with is red—i.e., going hard without rest for prolonged periods. We suspect that part of this is his natural sprinting tendency, and part of it is emotional maturity. He has gotten better at threshold, but he has untapped potential there,” says Heidinger.

“Quintin has the characteristics of all strong team leaders—always the first on deck and the last to leave. He speaks thoughtfully during team meetings, but is not preachy. He never skips a length. He never gets out or goes to the bathroom during practice without asking permission. He doesn’t normally choose the ‘hard way,’ but when asked to take the hard way, he instantly accepts. He has had perfect practice attendance for about four years.

“And…his teammates love him. Honestly, it is almost impossible not to like him. He is pleasant, kind, thoughtful, enthusiastic, encouraging and caring. He has a great laugh that puts others at ease. He is contemporary in the music he likes and how he dresses, but he is not showy and not defined by popularity. He’s a genuine kid that people truly like.”

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

[PHOTO BY PETER H. BICK]

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SWIMMING WORLD AUGUST 2021 FEATURES

012 | READY FOR A NEW CHALLENGE
by David Rieder
Torri Huske finished her high school career by setting national high school records in the 100 yard fly and 200 IM and by being named Swimming World’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year for the second time (2019, 2021). The 18-year-old senior from Yorktown High School (Arlington, Va.) will be moving on to Stanford in the fall, but first, she set an American record in the 100 meter fly at U.S. Trials that earned her a trip to Tokyo to compete in her first Olympics.

014 | TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
by Dan D’Addona
Everything appears to be OK for Norman North (Okla.) High School senior Aiden Hayes. He set two national high school records (100 fly and 50 free) this past season. He competed and gained experience at the U.S. Olympic Trials as the fastest 18-year-old in the country in butterfly. And he was named Swimming World’s Male High School Swimmer of the Year.

016 | CREAM OF THE CROP
by David Rieder and Andy Ross
There were some mighty fast swimmers who finished the 2020-21 high school season right behind Swimming World’s Female and Male High School Swimmers of the Year, Torri Huske and Aiden Hayes. Of the four runners-up, two of them are underclassmen and will be returning for more fast swimming in 2021-22.

018 | TOP HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS
by Chandler Brandes
Swimming World takes a look at the swimmers it considers to be the 10 best high school recruits—both male and female—from the Class of 2021 and where they’ll be attending college in the fall.

021 | NUTRITION: WHAT TO EAT BEFORE THE “BIG RACE”
by Dawn Weatherwax
To reach your swimming goals, it is important to know what to eat—at what times and in what amounts. It is different for everyone, but very important to master.

022 | ISHOF: THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS—DONNA DeVARONA AND THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF WOMEN’S SWIMMING
by Bruce Wigo
At the recent U.S. Olympic Trials, there was one moment that linked the past with the present and future of swimming like no other. It came when Donna de Varona presented Olympic qualification medals to Katie Grimes, the youngest member of the 2021 Olympic swimming team, and three-time Olympian Katie Ledecky.

025 | ONE OF THE GREATEST SPRINTERS OF ALL TIME
by John Lohn
The 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney are widely remembered for the home-nation success of Australia, which was spearheaded by teenage sensation Ian Thorpe. But the Games Down Under also served as a redemptive locale for the Netherlands’ Inge de Bruijn, who used the stage to define herself as one of the sport’s legends.

028 | MENTAL PREP: BEFORE THE BEEP WITH KATE DOUGLASS
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COACHING

030 | SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING KAYLA WILSON
by Michael J. Stott
Coach Richard Hunter of TIDE Swimming in Virginia Beach, Va. discusses goals and workouts for one of his top swimmers, Kayla Wilson, a rising senior at Norfolk Academy who recently committed to Stanford for fall 2022.

034 | SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 4)—MINIMIZING THE ARM ENTRY PHASE TIME IN BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE
by Rod Havriluk
To minimize the arm entry phase time in backstroke, a swimmer must quickly move the hand downward directly behind and below the shoulder. Minimizing the arm entry phase (glide phase) in breaststroke requires precise control of the timing between the finish of the kick and the beginning of the pull. A decrease in the non-propulsive entry phase decreases the time for a stroke cycle, increases stroke rate and increases swimming velocity.

038 | SPECIAL SETS: ENERGY SYSTEM TRAINING
by Michael J. Stott
George Heidinger, former USA Swimming National Team High Performance Consultant and owner of Pikes Peak Athletics (Colo.), specializes in long-term athlete development. As such, he is well-schooled in the science of energy systems and shares some sample sets he has given to rising high school senior Quintin McCarty and his PPA senior teammates.

040 | A COACHES’ GUIDE TO ENERGY SYSTEMS (Part 3): WHILE THEY’RE YOUNG
by Michael J. Stott
In Part 3 of our series on energy systems, two age group coaches—one from Clovis, Calif. and one from Richmond, Va.—share how they inform and guide their younger athletes through energy system training.

043 | Q&A WITH COACH NICHOLAS ASKEW
by Michael J. Stott

044 | HOW THEY TRAIN: MILES SIMON
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

033 | DRYSIDE TRAINING: GOLD MEDAL WORKOUT
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

036 | GOLDMINDS: 10 GREAT REASONS TO GET BACK IN THE POOL
by Wayne Goldsmith

47 | UP & COMERS: BRIAN HAMILTON
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS

008 | A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

011 | DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT ETHELDA BLEIBTREY?

046 | HASTY HIGH POINTERS

048 | GUTTERTALK

049 | PARTING SHOT

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