Swimming World Presents “Lessons With The Legends: Coach Charles ‘Red’ Silvia” – Sponsored By Dolfin Swimwear

Swimming World February 2020 - Lessons With The Legends - Coach Charles Red Silvia
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Lessons With The Legends: Coach Charles ‘Red’ Silvia

By Michael J. Stott

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Swimming World continues a series in which top coaches share some of the secrets of their success.

Gentleman, scholar, educator, coach—Charles Eaton “Red” Silvia was a man ahead of his time. Born in 1911, he attended Springfield College, where he was not only a team captain, but a college All-American who set a national collegiate record in the 300 yard individual medley.

Silvia graduated in 1934, and then coached swimming and lifesaving there from 1937 until his retirement in 1978. In time, his athletes set 14 world records. More than 200 of his swimmers earned All-America recognitions while winning 214 dual meets and 10 New England championships. At least 50 of his athletes became college swim coaches.

Two of the best he coached were Bill Yorzyk and Paul Asmuth. Silvia taught Yorzyk to swim butterfly with a double-kick-to-one-arm-stroke and a two-down, one-up breathing pattern. His 200 meter fly win at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics (where Silvia was an assistant coach) was the only U.S. men’s swimming gold medal of the Games. His other supremely decorated athlete was Paul Asmuth, winner of seven World Professional Marathon Federation titles (1980-85, 1988).

Eager to share his love for the sport, Silvia and his wife, Ruth, established the Pine Knoll Swim School in Springfield, Mass. In their backyard, they built a 6 x 25-yard pool and reconfigured a second pool to accommodate divers. At Pine Knoll, Silvia welcomed and instructed thousands of beginning to world-class athletes from 1957 to 1995. There, in addition to his daughter and son-in-law instructors, he invited a variety of high-profile athletes (Asmuth, et al.), recruited guest coaches and employed Sunday videotaping sessions and extensive underwater technique critiques.

“My father was very strong in character and a softie, too. When you are coaching, you wear many hats. He could have been a lot of things: a doctor, lawyer, psychologist. He taught you to stand up for what you believe in. That’s gotten me through a lot of things in my professional career.” –Susan Laing (daughter and coach at Pine Knoll Swim School)

To hear more about coach Red from the likes of Don Megerle, Bill Yorzyk, and Paul Asmuth, 
Check out the February issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!

Swimming World February 2020 Cover - Ranomi Kromowidjojo

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017 BREASTSTROKE BARRIER BUSTERS
by David Rieder
The history of the men’s 100 and 200 yard breaststroke has included long stretches of chasing legendary records followed by a shorter period of continuous improvement.

019 LEARNING FROM ADVERSITY
by David Rieder
Minnesota’s Max McHugh was involved in a drive-by shooting last summer, but he believes the incident has left him with a fresh perspective and gratitude for everyday things in his life, including swimming. That approach has fueled his impressive return to the pool.

021 A SENSE OF DÉJÀ VU
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
Savannah College of Art and Design (NAIA women), Keiser University (NAIA men) and Indian River State College (NJCAA women and men) appear ready to show the swimming world something it has seen before: repeating as national team champions.

023 THE FIRE INSIDE STILL BURNS
by John Lohn
When discussing the best women’s sprint freestylers heading into this year’s Olympic Games, most frequently mentioned are Australia’s Cate Campbell, Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and the USA’s Simone Manuel. But don’t count out triple Olympic champion Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands, who feels her best swims are still to come.

025 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: DUKE
by John Lohn
As Swimming World continues its “Takeoff to Tokyo” series, a century has passed since Duke Kahanamoku last reigned over the water world, but his name—and merely his first name—remains synonymous with greatness in  multiple ways.

027 THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
by Dan D’Addona
The future looks bright for junior diver Ashley McCool after transferring to the University of Florida.

COACHING

009 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: CHARLES “RED” SILVIA
by Michael J. Stott

013 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: PLAN FOR A BREATHING PATTERN
by Rod Havriluk
Swimmers should plan a breathing pattern prior to each swim to gain the most benefit for both racing and training. The breathing pattern should limit head motion for better focus on technique and also provide sufficient oxygen for better performance.

015 POOR PERFORMANCE… THE NEXT STEP
by Michael J. Stott
At one time or another, disappointment haunts the dreams of even the best swimmers. And often it is the recovery from that disappointment that defines the athlete and, perhaps, the swimmer’s future.

030 SPECIAL SETS: GEORGE HAINES AT WORK
by Michael J. Stott
It never hurts to be a student of the sport. Sometimes that means visiting archival material, be it documents, voices, videos or all of the above to reacquaint ourselves with coaching legends and the methods that made them so effective. Here, Swimming World features the legendary George Haines.

043 Q&A WITH COACH ADAM HOYT
by Michael J. Stott

044 HOW THEY TRAIN ROGER GU AND GRACE GOETCHEUS
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

012 DRYSIDE TRAINING: STROKE STRENGTH SERIES—BUTTERFLY
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

040 GOLDMINDS: PARTNERING WITH PARENTS
by Wayne Goldsmith
A simple, but effective strategy for coaches to engage with, connect to and educate the parents of the swimmers on their team is through the development of a “Training Manual for Swimming Parents.”

046 UP & COMERS: ZURI FERGUSON
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

007 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

008 BEYOND THE YARDS

033 2020 SWIM CAMP DIRECTORY

047 GUTTERTALK

048 PARTING SHOT

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