Swimming World Presents “Summer League: Having Fun and Getting Work Done”

SW August 2020 - Summer League - Having Fun and Getting Work Done - photo by Colin Sheridan

Summer League: Having Fun and Getting Work Done

By Michael J. Stott

No matter what tomorrow or next year brings, one can hope that the benefits of summer league as we know them will persist.

The year 2020 will go down in history as a lifetime interrupted. Nothing before COVID-19 offers recent precedence. It is also unlikely that the future, including aquatics, will be as we once anticipated. And it remains to be seen how the summer ritual of organized recreational swimming, a staple for many coming-of-age adolescents, will play out in the days ahead.

“Summer league swimming is such a positive part of life—and so many people do love it,” says Jonathan Alford, president of the Midlakes Swim League in Greater Seattle. “We know it will be sorely missed if we are not able to swim, but we also know we will return with an even greater appreciation next year.”

Franke Marsden is league coordinator for the 129-team (16,000+ kids) Atlanta Swim Association. He has made a career out of summer league swimming. “Growing up, it was such a big part of my life. I was a pool rat; I rode my bike to the pool and stayed there all day,” he says. “I have formed lifelong relationships through the experience, and it’s what got me into competitive swimming in high school and college. And I backed into it as a career.

“Summer league is where the culture gets built. At ASA, we’ve really tried to reinforce that culture—the importance of having fun, good sportsmanship and a positive experience. Those are the principles we are trying to instill into these kids,” says Marsden.

“Summer league is also where many children are first introduced to competitive swimming, maybe win early ribbons and then sign up for USA Swimming and begin their journey in year-round swimming. A lot of teaching skills and drills takes place at this level,” says former Pine Crest head coach and 2012 ASCA Hall of Fame inductee Jay Fitzgerald.

“It is a perfect place for a young coach starting out to learn if he can teach and motivate young swimmers. That first season hooked me,” he says. After five years at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, Va., Fitzgerald gave up his journalism aspirations and opted for a career that transported him through the storied programs at the Cincinnati Marlins and Santa Clara Swim Club before docking at Pine Crest.

To read more about swim life in Summer leagues,
Check out the August 2020 Swimming World Magazine,
click here to download the full issue now!

SW August 2020 The Record Breakers - Cover

Get Swimming World Magazine and Swimming World Biweekly FREE When You
Become A Member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame

Want More? Subscribe With This Special 2-Year Offer!

New! 1-Year Digital Only Subscription for just $39.95 Order Now!

Non-Subscribers Can Download This Issue for $5.94

Swimming World Magazine August 2020 Issue

FEATURES

014 OPPORTUNITY LOST
by Dan D’Addona
High school swimming has multiple seasons with roughly 130 state/sectional/divisional high school championship meets held as early as October or as late as May of the following year. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-March, some high schools had already completed their championships, others saw their season canceled…while still others were interrupted during the middle of their meet! Here are a few examples of how the coronavirus affected high school swimming.

016 A GOOD INDICATOR OF FUTURE SUCCESS
by Andy Ross
Since Swimming World first honored its Male and Female High School Swimmers of the Year in 1997, 60 percent of those athletes have gone on to compete in the Olympics from 2000 through 2016.

019 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 2020 and where they’ll be attending college in the fall.

022 THE RECORD BREAKERS
by David Rieder
Nine high school swimmers from eight different states combined for 11 public or independent school records and eight overall national high school records—including three times in one event!

026 A GROSS INJUSTICE
by John Lohn
In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, 16-year-old Rick DeMont had won the 400 meter freestyle only to have his gold medal taken away several days later in one of the biggest injustices in Olympic history.

029 ISHOF: THE TOM AND MATT SHOW
by Bruce Wigo
As explained in last month’s issue,sprinters are considered a different breed of swimmer. They’re not just free spirits, but they seem to be rule breakers and troublemakers of the sport. In July, Swimming World featured two of swimming’s notorious female rebels, Eleanor Holm and Dawn Fraser. This month’s article takes a look at two male disruptors who paved the way for professional swimming, Tom Jager and Matt Biondi.

COACHING

012 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPTIMAL MODEL FOR TECHNIQUE: PART VIII—BODY BASE OF SUPPORT FOR BREASTSTROKE
by Rod Havriluk
The torso is the swimmer’s base of support (BOS). During a stroke cycle of a typical breaststroker, excess vertical motion of the shoulder distorts the BOS, which compromises the ability to maximize propulsion and, as a result, limits swimming velocity. This article offers suggestions for how to stabilize the BOS to generate more propulsion to swim faster.

033 SUMMER LEAGUE: HAVING FUN AND GETTING THE WORK DONE
by Michael J. Stott
No matter what tomorrow or next year brings, one can hope that the benefits of summer league as we know them will persist.

035 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING FROM TRIALS TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES
by Michael J. Stott
Through the voice of Michigan associate coach Josh White, this month’s “Special Sets” traces the training Connor Jaeger did in the period between the U.S. Olympic Trials to the Olympic Games in 2012  and 2016.

041 Q&A WITH COACH NEIL HARPER
by Michael J. Stott

042 HOW THEY TRAIN ANNA HOPKIN
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

010 DRYSIDE TRAINING: EXERCISES FOR EXPLOSIVE STARTS & TURNS
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

039 GOLDMINDS: HOW TO BECOME AN “A” SWIMMER
by Wayne Goldsmith
Ultimately, success comes to those amazing people who make the decision to be successful and who then live that decision in practice and performance—in and out of the pool—until they realize their potential.

045 UP & COMERS: ABBY REICH
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

032 DID YOU KNOW? PETER JACKSON: “THE BLACK PRINCE”

046 GUTTERTALK

048 PARTING SHOT

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x