Swimming World Presents “One and Only: A Feature on Reece Whitley”

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

One and Only: Reece Whitley – August 2018 Issue

The sport of swimming has never seen a Reece Whitley before—not because of his ethnicity or because of his size, but because of his heart to lead, desire to fulfill his own greatest potential, and mind to reach well beyond his 7-foot wingspan to impact the lives of others through his sport.

But it’s not just his physicality that makes Whitley a standout athlete. Talk to the friendly teen for a few minutes, and you’ll be humbled by his articulate take on the places his talent in the poolhas landed him. Since Whitley set his first national age group relay record at age 12, he has continued blazing trails of NAG records in the last six years. Most recently, he was named Swimming World’s Male High School Swimmer of the Year for the second straight season—joining The Bolles School’s Alex Lim (1999-2000) as the only two male swimmers to do so.

A spotlight has been fixed upon him not only for his speed and his size, but also for his race: Whitley is a black swimmer in a (still) predominantly white sport.

The mounting pressure on a teen might break some or at leastcause them to resent the influx of questions regarding race in the sport, but Whitley has come to embrace the platform onto which he’s been nudged in the swimming world.

To learn more about Whitley and his accomplishments, check out the August 2018 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!

[PHOTO BY EMILY WEISS]

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FEATURES

016 THE WEISS WATCH
by David Rieder
Even when she was young, people knew that Emily Weiss had exceptional talent. With her super competitive spirit and commitment to success, her steady improvement has included a gold medal at last year’s World Junior Championships, a national high school record and now the recognition of being named Swimming World’s Female High School Swimmer of the Year.

020 ONE AND ONLY
by Annie Grevers
The sport of swimming has never seen a Reece Whitley before—not because of his ethnicity or because of his size, but because of his heart to lead, desire to fulfill his own greatest potential, and mind to reach well beyond his 7-foot wingspan to impact the lives of others through his sport.

024 TIGHT AT THE TOP
by Annie Grevers and David Rieder
The battle for Swimming World’s Female and Male High School Swimmers of the Year was extremely close, with all six of the top swimmers clocking No. 1 times during the 2017-18 season.

026 TOP HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS
by Diana Pimer
Swimming World takes a look at the swimmers it considers to be the 10 best high school recruits from the Class of 2018 and where they’ll be attending college in the fall.

032 THE GREATEST…
by Bruce Wigo
Milton Gray Campbell may not have been the greatest high school swimmer of all time, but he was a swimmer who was among the greatest high school athletes of all time.

COACHING

010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: MATT MANN II
by Michael J. Stott

014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPTIMAL MODEL FOR TECHNIQUE: PART 2 —BODY ROTATION
by Rod Havriluk
Body size and body shape are both directly affected by body rotation. Consideration of body rotation (axis and magnitude) is vital in developing an optimal model of swimming technique.

035 DO IT RIGHT, OR DO IT OVER (PART 2)
by Michael J. Stott
This is the second installment in a multi-part series on swimmer motivation and how coaches approach the often-vexing issue of unsatisfactory practice performance. This month’s article examines the larger role of team culture and athlete response in the context of motivation and daily training.

038 SPECIAL SETS: WALK-ON, WALK-UP SWIM SETS
by Michael J. Stott
For the multitude who harbor college swimming aspirations but will not receive athletic money, there is still hope.

041 Q&A WITH COACH KELLY KREMER
by Michael J. Stott

042 HOW THEY TRAIN CONNER McHUGH
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

040 DRYSIDE TRAINING: STROKE AND DISTANCE STRENGTH SERIES—SPRINT FREESTYLE
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

025 GOLDMINDS: YOU PLAY LIKE YOUR PLACE!
by Wayne Goldsmith
Your swim club culture—how you do the things you do—will determine much of the success you hope to achieve in the sport. It’s important, then, to find a swim club that offers a culture that gives you the environment and opportunity to experience swimming the way you want to experience it.

045 UP & COMERS: KENNEDY NOBLE
by Taylor Brien

COLUMNS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
013 BEYOND THE YARDS
044 HASTY HIGH POINTERS
046 GUTTER TALK
048 PARTING SHOT

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Sandy Hartmann

5 years ago

Reece is an amazing person. Great kid and amazing athlete.

Michael Maloney

5 years ago

Reply to Sandy Hartmann

Who at almost 19 hasnt won anything or been on the national “SENIOR TEAM”…….when he gonna show when hes past his prime…just saying stop the hype…