Q&A with University of Toronto Coach Byron MacDonald
By Michael J. Stott
Byron MacDonald, a top-10 world-ranked butterflyer and Canadian Olympian, has made a living in Canada coaching University of Toronto athletes such as Kylie Masse and others to national and international prominence.
Coach Byron MacDonald has placed swimmers on every Olympic team since he began coaching. They have won two Olympic medals and have set three world records.
CREDENTIALS:
• University of Michigan, B.A., business, 1972; M.A., recreation/kinesiology, 1975
• Head men’s coach, University of Toronto, 1978-present; head women’s coach, 1983-present
• Head coach, York University (Toronto), 1976-78
• Head coach, Canadian Pan Pacific team, 1989; FISU, 1985; FISU (WUG), 1993
• Assistant coach, Canadian Olympic team, 1992
• Won 58 conference titles and 24 national titles
• Finished sixth in 100 fly in 1972 Olympics; ranked in top 10 in world for five years in ’70s; won two Commonwealth Games gold medals
• High school (New Trier West, Northfield, Ill.) and NCAA All-American
• Received 2 Gemini Awards (Canadian equivalent of Emmys) for Olympic TV coverage
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: Why did you start coaching?
A. COACH BYRON MacDONALD: I graduated with a business degree and started my MBA. But I always loved swimming and everything about it. As the impact of the coaching legends for whom I swam began to percolate, I bailed on the MBA and did a masters in recreation/kinesiology. At the same time, I was coaching part time and loved it. A fortuitous opening in the Canadian university coaching ranks appeared just as I retired from competition at age 26, so I took it.
To read more of our Q&A with Coach MacDonald,
Check out the December issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!
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FEATURES
016 THE TOP 10 PERFORMANCES OF 2019
by David Rieder
This year’s list of top performances in swimming comes exclusively from the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, where world records went down, the world’s best swimmers established themselves with signature performances, and teenagers took down legends in their best events. The list includes the top five performances for both female and male swimmers, with all swimmers eligible to appear only once.
020 2019 SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR
by John Lohn, Dan D’Addona, Craig Lord and David Rieder
World & American: Regan Smith & Caeleb Dressel, European: Katinka Hosszu & Adam Peaty, Pacific Rim: Ariarne Titmus & Daiya Seto, African: Tatjana Schoenmaker & Chad le Clos
026 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: WHEN BACKSTROKE WENT ROGUE
by John Lohn
It’s been more than 30 years since the underwater dolphin kick altered the landscape of the backstroke event, and never more so than at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul did it play a greater role.
COACHING
010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: XU YIMING
by Michael J. Stott
014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: THE VERTICAL JUMP TEST FOR EVENT SELECTION
by Rod Havriluk
The vertical jump is a relatively simple test that reflects a swimmer’s muscle fiber composition, which, in turn, can help select a swimmer’s most competitive events. Using the VJ test to identify swimmers likely to excel in sprint or distance events may not only improve performance at an early age, but also avoid losing sprinters who are averse to distance training and distance swimmers who are discouraged by sprinting.
041 Q&A WITH COACH BYRON MacDONALD
by Michael J. Stott
042 HOW THEY TRAIN KYLIE MASSE
by Michael J. Stott
TRAINING
013 DRYSIDE TRAINING: HOLIDAY TRAINING
by J.R. Rosania
JUNIOR SWIMMER
038 GOLDMINDS: WHAT MAKES GOOD COACHES GREAT?
by Wayne Goldsmith
Coaches change lives. They can inspire ordinary people to achieve remarkable and extraordinary things.
045 UP & COMERS: RYAN HOGAN
by Shoshanna Rutemiller
COLUMNS& SPECIAL SECTIONS
008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
009 BEYOND THE YARDS
029 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
044 HASTY HIGH POINTERS
046 DADS ON DECK
047 GUTTERTALK
048 PARTING SHOT