{"id":118612,"date":"2015-01-06T14:00:12","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T21:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=118612"},"modified":"2015-01-05T16:41:39","modified_gmt":"2015-01-05T23:41:39","slug":"swimming-coaching-miac-swimming-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swimming-coaching-miac-swimming-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming-to-Coaching: A MIAC Swimming Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Wilson Josephson, Allie Clark, Swimming World College Interns<\/em><\/p>\n

It shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that most coaches were once athletes themselves, it has certainly become a MIAC Swimming tradition in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.<\/p>\n

Throughout\u00a0the years, athletes accumulate thousands of hours of valuable experience as they strive to perfect technique and learn to deal with the physical and psychological toll of collegiate competition. This experience makes athletes specially\u00a0qualified to take up positions as coaches.<\/p>\n

But among the swimmers of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), there is a tradition not only of coaching, but of coaching within the conference. This path has been taken by MIAC swimmers for generations, at least as far back as Dave Hauck, St. Olaf\u2019s legendary coach and one-time sprint champion for Gustavus Adolphus.<\/p>\n

In order to get a better grasp of what the transition from student-athlete to coach is like, we checked in with three young alumni of the MIAC. Gunnar Teigen was a distance swimmer for Gustavus Adolphus who graduated in 2012 and now coaches at Carleton. Andy Hardt, a 400 IM-er who graduated from Carleton in 2013, now coaches at the University of St. Thomas (UST) alongside Colby Kubat, a breaststroker from St. Olaf who graduated in 2014. They all took time out from their holidays to answer our questions about their experiences in the MIAC.<\/p>\n

For each of them, coaching – and coaching in the MIAC specifically – held a strong appeal. Teigen coached club briefly while waiting for the right position to open up, but never looked for a position outside of the MIAC. Hardt briefly considered coaching at the club level, but UST \u201cbecame a strong first choice\u201d as soon as he heard that they had an opening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to UST,\u201d Kubat says, \u201cI looked to coach at Kenyon and Carleton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kubat was happy to stay in the MIAC, though; he says coaching within the conference \u201cis ultimately what I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Teigen, one of the most interesting parts of his new job at Carleton is the Knights\u2019 program compares to the one he trained under at Gustavus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it be training groups, practice schedule or various sets,\u201d he says, \u201cboth schools put extra emphasis on certain aspects of practices and races, and it’s cool to see that reflect in practice and races.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teigen adds to his by noting that \u201cCarleton has a very rigorous academic schedule, and it is noticeable how it can interfere with the athlete’s training schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite the differences between programs, young MIAC alumni report that the transition between roles, as well as between schools, is a fairly easy one.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have so many connections around the conference,\u201d says Hardt, echoing the sentiments of his fellow assistant coaches. \u201cYou know how kids train and race, you know the structure of the season.\u201d This familiarity, combined with the lessons learned as a student-athlete, \u201ctaught me so much I could basically just jump into coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes, switching roles can be tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was weird starting off and having the kids actually listen to what I say,\u201d says Hardt. \u201cI was thinking \u2018No, you’re not supposed to listen to me. What do I know?\u2019 But it turned out that whether I knew what I was talking about or not, people were going to listen, so I tried to make what I said good.\u201d<\/p>\n

But overall it\u2019s been a positive experience, and all three of the young coaches tell us they are happy to have stayed in the MIAC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new rivalry between UST and St. Olaf has been a lot of fun and great for the conference,\u201d Kubat says. \u201cI have now been a part of both sides and have to say it is a wonderfully competitive rivalry…it has made the MIAC\u00a0one of the deepest and most talented conferences in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardt has also enjoyed being able to stay involved in the conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery meet is a good meet,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause at least somebody knocked it out of the park. When you’re swimming, you have teammates, but everything is from your own perspective. So even without actually competing collegiately yourself, it’s still exciting because you are invested in a totally different way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson Josephson and Allie Clark are teammates at Carleton College. \u00a0Josephson is a junior butterfly specialist, while Clark is a sophomore who fills in multiple roles on the team.<\/em>
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