LCM vs SCY

This is not another attempt to coerce you into training with GPAC this summer as the title may indicate. It is, however, an attempt to help you understand the differences between Long Course Meters (LCM) and Short Course Yards (SCY).

As I have said before long course and short course, for all intents and purposes, are two totally different sports. There are many differences between the two that make this so. A quick conversion of 50 meters reveals it is equivalent to 54.68 yards or 164.04 feet. This difference is only really significant in the United States since pretty much the rest of the world swims short course in a 25 meter pool (just like outdoor summer leagues and some high schools in our area) when we swim in a 25 yard pool in the U.S. The second major difference between LCM and SCY is the number of turns one has to complete during the race. Turns are important to a swimmer's overall time because they inject an element of speed into the race. The fastest your body moves in the water during a race is when you immediately hit the water from the start. The next fastest you are moving in the water is when you push off of the wall after a turn. When we cut the number of turns done in a race, you cut the number of opportunities you have to gain momentum off of the walls. These two factors, the extra distance and the diminished number of turns, are key in understanding the difference between LCM race times and SCY race times.

For the purposes of our team, times done in similar races in each course (LCM or SCY) should NOT be compared. There are plenty of tools online at different website that allow you to plug in a time done in one course, click a button, and get a compareable time for the other course. However these times are never completely accurate as the conversion going from LCM to SCY often gives a much faster SCY time than it actually is. Converting times and comparing them to times done in the actual course can become very confusing and extremely frustrating to the swimmer. This being said, the GPAC coaching staff asks all swimmers and parents to follow these guidelines:

1. Times swum in long course meters should only be compared to other times/races done in long course meters. The same goes for short course yards and short course meters.
2. Time conversions should only be used as a very limited guage with the understanding that they are not well representative of the swimmer's true abilities at all.
3. Most meets that have qualifying times will give times in LCM, SCY, and SCM and swimmers must qualify using the proper course, not converting from one to another.
4. Some meets will, for the purposes of seeding, convert times done in SCY for a LCM meet and vise versa. But converted times for the purpose of entering the meet are not valid whatsoever.

The final point I want to touch on is stroke technique. A swimmer in a short course yards event may be able to overcome technique deficiencies through size, power, and good turns. But in long course meters the amount of straight swimming time (swimming time between turns) is more than doubled. Swimmers are taking significantly more strokes per laps as well. For these reasons, long course meter swimming really makes stroke deficiencies more obvious. The need for perfect technique in all strokes is essential to optimal performance in long course meters events. Luckily, what may work against you in a long course meter race can work for you in practice. The increased straight swimming time (uninterrupted by turns) each lap allows you to concentrate on necessary stroke corrections. Taking more strokes per lap also means you have more opportunities per lap to fine tune your stroke technique.

The bottom line is that times swum in long course meter events should never be compared to times swum in short course yards events. Compare those long course times to previous times swum in long course meters events. The more you swim long course meters meets, the greater the sample size you will have to compare your results and get an accurate gauge of your overall progress.

Why Summer Training With GPAC?

Summer long course training is the key to continued development in this sport. Some people may say "We do train in the summer, with our summer club." I have always been an advocate of summer swimming. It is where most swimmers get their start with this sport as well as most of the coaches on our staff got started coaching. But summer swimming should lead you to year round swimming with a USA Swimming Club. This is where the interest that began with the summer club is cultivated. As much of a proponent of summer swimming I have been, there are some things that you just cannot get out of summer swimming alone. The first is continual training under the same overall philosophy. Our team has many different coaches and none of us coach the same. However we are all working under the same general philosophy. Consistency in the training of any athlete, let alone a swimmer, is so important. There is no better consistency than training with out team 11 out of 12 months a year.

The second issue is what I call the "pigeon-hole effect". Far too often (and I was guilty of this as a summer coach) swimmers are told they are breaststrokers or backstrokers and that is all they work on in practice in addition to freestyle. Over the course of the summer what they learned from the other strokes is practically lost and has to be retaught in September. There is very little chance for advancement when this happens. But we still take the approach to training at any age of "You can specialize when you get to college". I would love nothing better than a team full of great IMers. In order for that to happen stroke technique and training needs to happen in all four strokes as much as possible. You just don't get that with a summer club.

I am not saying a swimmer should not participate in summer club swimming. At different levels on this team there are different amounts of expectations in terms of a swimmer's commitment to themselves, commitment to the program and an overall commitment to excellence. There are swimmers in the National group who still are members of summer league teams. However they have communicated with their team's coaching staff their goals and, most importantly, their schedule for the summer and beyond. For swimmers in Senior 2 or National (as well as those who wish to be in Senior 2 in the fall) there are different expectations which may include missing one or more summer league dual meets or even the championship meet. This is because being in Senior 2 or National represents a commitment to excellence in this sport and a strong dedication to swimming and training with this team. Swimmers in Senior 1 on down should be using our summer program to supplement their training but are not expected to sacrifice meets with their summer league team. For instance, Summer JOs take place July 15-18 at Penn State (Wednesday through Saturday). This also happens to be the Saturday of the 5th summer league dual meets. We expect Senior 2 and National swimmers to compete at JOs on Saturday, but swimmers in Senior 1 on down are only asked to compete Wednesday through Friday and then, if they choose, can go home to swim in the meet on Saturday.

We value the experience and the fun a swimmer gets out of summer league swimming. However it is wrong to think a swimmer will "burn out" because they swim with us in the summer. I really scoff at that idea...burning out. Most swimmers who are "burned out" get their because of one of three reasons:

1. They never liked swimming in the first place
2. They have parent(s) who are way too pushy and even punish them for bad swimming causing them to hate the sport
3. They had success at an early age and could not cope with the fact that swimmers they used to beat caught up to them

The smoking gun in these examples really is point #2. I have seen this happen many, many times and it is unfortunate. But in most instances if the parent just backed off of the child the swimmer would be able to find enjoyment in the sport, regardless of the results. #3 definitely happens, and is more likely to happen if someone doesn't summer swim with a USA Swimming program. More and more swimmers are training with their club team throughout the summer long course season at an earlier age. The Parkland Aquatic Club has a team and coaching staff size simmilar to ours. But they are one of the top two teams in Middle Atlantic because they have over 150 swimmers train with them in the summer, including many of their top 9-10s and 11-12s. If you are a swimmer who has made it to JOs you need to expect, these days, that swimmers you are equal with or better than now are training in the summer. These swimmers could, in fact, pass you by because of this. Then you stand a chance to become #3 above.

I also take offense to the idea that training with GPAC in the summer is going to cause a swimmer to burn out and not have any fun. Pish posh, as my grandmother would say! We want to work with children of all ages who are interested in becoming better swimmers. Why put a limit on what age that can be? If a swimmer truly enjoys the sport, wants to improve, and wants to swim with us what is the worry? Now, if the swimmer has to be prodded out the door on a regular basis we first need to remind them of their goals. If it continues to happen we need to reevaluate what we are trying to accomplish and the best way to get there. But to simply say "you shouldn't start training long course until you are X years old" is a mistake with no true factual evidence to back it up other than hearsay.

Finally, I take issue with the idea that only a certain caliber swimmer (someone who has been identified as "talented" or reached a certain level) should swim long course in the summer. People who think this way should really read Summer Sanders' book "Champions are Raised, Not Born". It is true that athletes have varying levels of talent. However talent means nothing unless it is properly cultivated. This comes from consistent hard work and astute attention to detail. That is what you get with our team. We have a summer program to help all swimmers reach that next level and, most importantly, reach their goals in this sport. We are not just here for the elite athlete. That is why we are guaranteeing best times for those that swim with us in the summer. We have that much confidence in the program and what it will do for the swimmers (READ: please see summer program information at swimgpac.org for full information on this guarantee).

Quote of the Day: March 6, 2009

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."

Today's quote is a great one from Henry Ford. Oftentimes we (the coaches) hear a swimmer tell us they "can't" do something (I can't go that fast...I can't beat her...I can't make that interval...etc.). The most frustrating thing about this is the fact that they are making up their mind before they even make an attempt. Our job is to present swimmers with increasingly difficult challenges, both physical and mental in nature, to help them toward their goals and overall potential. But, as the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. We are providing the framework, the road to your goals. The swimmers have to take that first step down that road. There has to be a willingness to trust what the coaches are doing and even a "leap of faith" of forcing yourself to believe even when there is doubt in your mind. I have said before that every swimmer on this team is a lot faster than the best times currently associated with them. We have proved this various times in practice with different sets and get out swims. More than anything, the coaches believe in all of the swimmers.

Tomorrow marks the first round of championship meets with the New Jersey High School Meet of Champions. While swimmers will be representing their respective high school teams they are still also representing GPAC. What begins this weekend carries through the month of March from GCIT to Orlando and York, PA as well Maryland and Newark, Delaware. Now is the time to narrow your focus to two things: school and swimming. Conserve your energy outside of the pool by avoiding other physical activities and resting whenever possible. More than anything, get ready to swim fast!

Championship Meet Goals

Don't worry, this is not a proposal along the lines of Jonathan Swift's 1729 essay of the same title...

We are 1 week away from our first Championship meet, Junior Olympics at GCIT, and I feel there is a strong need to give everyone a picture of how we have fared in these meets over the last couple of years as well as establish some team goals (and rewards for reaching these goals) for the 2009 Championship meets.

Team families received an email with an Excel spreadsheet detailing the entries and scoring for Mini Champs, Junior Olympics, Senior Champs and Regional Champs over the last couple of years. The spreadsheet can also be found on the team website under "News". Please note the following:

• Junior Olympics entries and scoring included 15 and over swimmers in all years prior to 2008
• Senior Champs was brought back for the first time in 8 years as a spring meet in 2008
• 2008 Senior Champs scoring includes National group members who will not be attending the meet this year
• There is no scoring for the Regional Meet

I feel it is very important for swimmers to have individual goals for these meets, but to also have collective team goals. The swimmers need to keep these team goals in mind when they are swimming: your teammates are depending on you! They also must keep them in mind when their teammates are swimming: your teammates are depending on you to encourage them! Finally, you mjust keep the goals of swimmers in meets you may not be attending in mind during practice...your teammates are depending on you to help them prepare!

Where are our points going to come from? #1 on the list is relay scoring. A winning relay earns 40 points for the team. In years past we have had swimmers try to beg off of relays to "rest up" for their individual events. This doesn't happen at any college conference championship meet (and I am sure it doesn't happen on Saturday's in the summer) so its not going to happen with our team any longer. Swimmers have an obligation to swim on a relay and to SWIM FAST...your teammates are depending on you!

#2 on the list is individual scoring. Looking at the Junior Olympic psych sheets we see a lot of opportunity for swimmers to move up into the final or consolation final heats at night. Don't worry about place, worry about swimming fast and not giving in to the pain...your teammates are depending on you! If you swim fast the rest will take care of itself.

The most important swims at a championship meet come on the very first day. Swimmers who start off the meet are the ones who have to get the ball rolling for the rest of the team. Show your teammates (and the other teams at the meet) that GPAC is ready to swim fast...get after your races and swim out of your mind! If the first couple of swimmers in the meet can get the ball rolling the rest will follow!

The spreadsheet sets the goals, but what about the reward? Well, we aren't totally set on that just yet. However, at the very least, it will be a team pizza party. Upgrades from there will depend on how well the team swims overall in March and April.

THE BOTTOM LINE: START GETTING EXCITED...START GETTING READY...START THINKING ABOUT HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING TO SWIM AT THESE MEETS!!!

Quote of the Day - March 4, 2009

"Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points."

There you go Notre Dame fans, a quote from Knute Rockne who was born on March 4, 1888.

Quote of the Day - March 3, 2009

The lion's roar yesterday kept me from posting a quote of the day. Sorry about that. Here is today's QOTD:

"A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself."

Today's quote comes from the man credited with inventing the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell who was born on March 3, 1847.

Quote of the Day for March 1, 2009

"The end is the beginning and lies far ahead."

Going a little philosophical on a dreary Sunday morning (I'm sure Coach Gordon will appreciate it). This quote comes from the novel The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, who was born on this day in 1914.

What does it mean? I'm sure it could mean many different things to many different people (especially when taken out of context). If you have an idea or thought go ahead and leave in in the comment section.

Quote of the Day for February 28th

"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough."

The quote for today comes from open wheeled racing legend Mario Andretti who was born on this day in 1940.

Watching the Men's Big 10 Championship Meet really brings this quote to life. Its really neat to watch guys go after the first 100 fly of the 400 IM, well, like they are just swimming the 100 fly. They are swimming fast because they are attacking every lap, and this goes for all of the races. I am sure that these guys are swimming the exact same way in practice and that their coaches don't have to remind them to go hard at workouts. I am also sure that their coaches don't have to remind them they should be going faster or yell at them because (after being told this) they still aren't swimming fast enough in workouts.

Too many people talk to me about how they "feel" during practice or in a race. This thought process consumes them to the point where it overruns the most basic thought they should be having: JUST SWIM FAST! I hear swimmers say all of the time that there were "just really tired". That's crap. If you aren't tired during a race then you aren't swimming fast enough. If it doesn't hurt then you aren't swimming fast enough. If you have an excuse for your performance then you probably spent too much time thinking about what the excuse would be and not enough time racing.

Quote of the Day for February 27th

"Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody."

The Quote of the Day comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poet and writer was born on this day 102 years ago in 1807.

Championship Meet Explanation

Okay everyone. I am going to attempt to explain each of the Championship Meets our team is attending in March and April. I will go through the meets in chronological order, starting with the meets closest to starting now.

One thing everyone should remember: you can go to more than one meet. Some swimmers may actually qualify to swim in up to three or four meets. The coaching staff feels it is very important for swimmers to attend more than one meet, if possible (based on travel time, costs, and qualifying times). Some swimmers will only qualify to swim in one meet. But if you are qualified to swim in more than one of these meets you should definitely try to attend two or more of these meets. If you have any questions on your meets, please talk to your coach(es).

On to the meets....

NJ State Individual High School Championships (March 7-8) - This meet is for high school swimmers. They will be competing with for their high school team and will be signed up for the meet by their HS coach. I am putting this meet on the list for two reasons:

1) Swimmers from this team will be focused on swimming fast at this meet. While they are representing their respective high schools they are also still representing GPAC. Since the 04-05 school year GPAC has had swimmers claim 12 state championships.
2) This is a great meet for parents of younger swimmers to bring their children to to watch GPAC team members (and other great swimmers from around the state) compete for state titles. Go ahead and wear your GPAC colors to the meet to show your support for your teammates.
Date: March 7-8
Location: GCIT
Times (Prelims are Saturday and Finals are Sunday): Girls meet @ 10am, Boys meet @ 2pm
Entries: Sent in through NJ High School coaches

Middle Atlantic Junior Olympics (March 12-15). This meet has qualifying times the swimmers must achieve in order to compete. This meet is only for swimmers ages 14 and under. The meet allows for Bonus swims (a bonus swim means that if you have the qualifying time in an event, you can swim extra events that you do not have the qualifying times in...but you must have at least one regular meet cut time.
Date: March 12-15
Location: GCIT
Start Times and Meet Information: click here
Qualifying times: click here
Bonus Swim time standards: click here
Entries: coaches will talk to swimmers with qualifying times and entries are done through the USA Swimming website by the Head Coach
SPECIAL NOTE: We will have to significantly alter practice times for our team during these days. Please check the team calendar for practice times. IMPORTANT: swimmers who are entered into the meet should attend warm-ups each day even if they are not swimming to serve as their practice. You cannot attend warm-ups if you are not entered in the meet.

NCSA Junior National Championships (March 17-21). This is the fastest meet of the year for swimmers ages 18 and under. The qualifying times are extremely fast! You will be able to follow the action from the meet through the following websites:
www.juniornationals.org
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com
www.floswimming.org
Date: March 17-21
Location: Orlando, FL
Qualifying standards and Meet Info: click here
Entries: Done by the Head Coach

Middle Atlantic Senior Champs (March 20-22). This meet if for all swimmers who meet the qualifying standards. It is primarily for swimmers ages 15 and older but anyone can swim in the meet if they have the qualifying times. Hotel information can be found in the "News" section at www.swimgpac.org. This meet allows for bonus events and there is no separate qualifying time for the bonus events like at Junior Olympics. No matter how many events you qualify in, you can swim one bonus event.
Date: March 20-22
Location: York YMCA in York, PA
Meet Information and start times: click here
Qualifying Times: click here
Entries: Picked by swimmer and their coach and entered by Head Coach

Southern Regional Sectional Championships (March 26-29). This meet is the next step up the ladder from Senior Champs and is for all those that qualify. In fact, swimmers will be able to qualify for this meet at Senior Champs. An email was sent to all Senior 1, Senior 2, and National families regarding the qualifying proceedure for this meet as well as the hotel information. Please reference that email for this information. The coaching staff wants all swimmers who qualify to attend this meet...even if it is for one day in the 50 free. It is a great opportunity to gain experience swimming against the top level of competition outside of Middle Atlantic but still close to home.
Dates: March 26-29
Location: Laurel, MD hotel is in Gaithersburg, MD
Qualifying Standards: click here
Meet Information: click here including information on the availability of bonus events
Entries: Picked by swimmers and coaches and entered by Head Coach

Mini Championships (March 28-29). This is just for the 8 and unders on the team...your age on the first day of the meet determines how old you are for that meet. This meet is a great opportunity for swimmers to compete in some different events like the 200 free or 200 IM. There are never very many entries for this meet so the chances for medals and ribbons are greatly increased here. We want every 8 and under swimmer on the team to sign up for this meet. There are no qualifying standards for this meet...everyone ages 8 and under can swim!
Date: March 28-29
Location: GCIT
Meet Information: click here
Entries: Done through team website. Entry deadline is Wednesday, February 25th

Regional Champs (April 3-5). This meet is for swimmers who do not have qualifying times in events for JOs (if they are aged 14 and younger) or Senior Champs (for 15 and older swimmers only). A SWIMMER CAN COMPETE IN BOTH JUNIOR OLYMPICS AND REGIONALS! You just cannot swim an event you have a JO qualifying time (the same goes for Senior Champs). FOR INSTANCE...let's say you qualify for JOs (as a 14 and under) or Senior Champs (as a 15 and over) in just the 50 free and 200 IM. You can swim those events at JOs/Senior Champs but cannot swim them at Regionals. You can swim any other event at Regionals. Regionals present a great opportunity for swimmers to compete in events they never get a chance to swim at a rest meet (Pittsburgh/NJ State Meet/Elite/JOs/Senior Champs). What does that mean? HUGE TIME DROPS! There is no better way to end the short course season!
Date: April 3-5
Location: University of Delaware
Meet Information: Not available yet...will be emailed to all families when it is released on either 2/24 or 2/25
Entries: Done through team website by each swimmer/parent. When the meet information is released you will have 7 days to enter the meet online or by March 3rd...which ever comes first!

ONE LAST NOTE: I know there are a lot of people out there who were gunning for qualifying times for these various meets. To a lot of people it may seem like there is nothing else to shoot for...well there is always best times...there isn't anything more important than that! However it is important to remember that swimming is not a 6 month sport....we are not going to sit around and wait for the first summer league meets on June 20th. We are already starting to look at qualifying for meets within the next year. TIMES YOU ACHIEVE AT A MEET LAST AT LEAST ONE YEAR!!! So the following meets are completely "in play" and ready for more GPAC qualifiers:
JW Summer Solstice @ GCIT: June 19-21...Senior events require 15-16 age group "A" times...all other age groups require that group's respective "BB" times.
Summer Junior Olympics: July 15-18, 2009
World Championship Trials @ Indianapolis, IN (July 2009)
US Open @ Seattle, Washington (August 2009)
Speedo Junior Nationals @ Seattle, Washington (August 2009)
Summer Sectionals @ Buffalo, NY (August 2009)
Long Course Zone All-Star Meet (August 2009)
USA Swimming short course Nationals (December 2009)
USA Swimming short course Junior Nationals (December 2009)
Pittsburgh Christmas Meet @ University of Pittsburgh: December 14-16, 2009 (very tentative)
MA Elite Meet 2010
MA Junior Olympics 2010
Ma Senior Champs 2010
Sectionals 2010
NCSA Junior Nationals 2010

Phelps and A-Rod

Yeah more than a little bit behind on the Phelps issue. However I think it is important to say a few words about the situation. Phelps, in short, was stupid. Stupid for being 24 years old and still hanging at what amounts to a fraternity house; stupid for putting the pipe to his lips; stupid for being around an illegal situation. But nothing tops the fact that Phelps was stupid for not thinking what could happen before he acted. Far too often what seems as a simple act turns into a major catastrophe because people, usually young people, do not weigh all of the consequences before doing something. I am certain Phelps thought he was doing something harmless. But what Michael failed to consider is that, in today's world of E! Television and TMZ.com, the average person loves to see celebrities fall. As pathetic as most normal people, myself included, would think it is to profit off of a situation like this there are many tabloid periodicals and television programs that pay decent money for a picture like the one taken of Michael. Why? Because there are even more people who buy the tabloid newspapers and watch TMZ on television...which means more advertising revenue. I can't imagine how tough it is today to even be a "F" list celebrity because you definitely trade your anonymity and personal life for the fame.

I do applaude the decision made by USA Swimming to ban Michael for 3 months. I applaude the decision because it sent a message to younger swimmers and parents that image does matter and sends a message to other USA Swimming National Team members that their conduct away from the pool does matter. The suspension is long enough that is carries a little bit of punishment, but Phelps will still be able to train and get ready for World Championships this July. It sent a message to Michael's sponsors that a punishment was handed down so that they didn't have to act on it. But, most importantly, it put the issue to rest. Aside from the attention-seeking sherriff in South Carolina who seemed intent on getting to Phelps the issue was put to rest in the court of public opinion. We also have to give Phelps credit for being honest and admitting his guilt immediately without excuse (see below) and without taking the Clintonian way out.

And then there is Alex Rodriguez. I'll paraphrase former Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green here: A-Rod is who I thought he was! He's who I thought he was! I for one do not buy the young, stupid, and naive excuse one bit. He took this banned substance (READ: CHEATED) starting when he was 24 through age 26 or 27. Someone who is 26 years old should know the difference between right and wrong...especially someone who has been playing MLB baseball for eight years at that point. Rodriguez' statement yesterday probably brought up more questions than answers (read Jayson Stark's column on espn.com) and may turn out to be more of a diversionary tactic rather than an element of closure. It is a shame he could not just come out and do something really novel: tell the truth. That's really all he had to do: tell the absolute truth. Recent history has showed those who come completely clean are forgiven a lot quicker than those who do not. Here's a fearless prediction: the possible incosistencies Rodriguez has given out over the last 10 days will follow him at least for the rest of this season. The $25 million Rodriguez will earn this year can buy a lot of things, but it cannot buy him peace of mind.

Of course there is a lesson to learn from all of this. If you make a mistake, come completely clean. Do not be dishonest to hide the truth. No matter how you try to cover it up the full truth is always out there and is usually known to those you are confessing/apologizing to before you even get to the confession/apology point.

No Practice Tonight - Jan 27th

There will be no practice this evening due to the weather forecast. Practice will resume as scheduled tomorrow evening, snowstorm permitting. The high school dual meets scheduled for today have been rescheduled for Thursday. Please check the team calendar for Thursday's modified practices times.

Michigan Men Pre Meet Pep Talk

Here is a great video from floswimming.org. This is Mike Bottom, Head Men's Swimming Coach at the University of Michigan. The meet they are at is the Southern Methodist University Invitational held this past weekend in Dallas, TX. This meet was not a big meet for the Michigan Men. However Coach Bottom's words let the team know what he expects from them and, most importantly, what they should expect from themselves. The best swimmers in the world attack every meet with the sense of urgency we have been talking about this past week. It should not matter what time of year it is, where the meet is located, how hard practices were over the past day/week/month or what you ate for breakfast. When it is time to race you think of why you are there and what your purpose is and RACE!

I know first hand that Michigan's Men's Swimming Team does not just go to a meet and "flick a switch" to go into race mode. They are racing day in and day out at every practice. Remember, you first have to learn how to race everyday in practice before you can truly know how to race on meet days.

Swimming Videos on Floswimming

Brian Dawkins and "Dog"

The quotes used to create this post come from "How to Describe the Fiercest Players: Dawkins is Dogmatic" by Ashley Fox. The article was originally printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer on October 23, 2005.

Brian Dawkins is one of the greatest free safeties in football history. A lifetime Eagle, Dawkins will be playing in his 5th NFC Championship Game this weekend when the Eagles travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Dawkins is in his 12th season with the Eagles, longer than any current player on the team and was selected to his 7th Pro Bowl in a season that began with wispers that he has lost a step and was closer to retirement than another Pro Bowl appearance. Dawkins plays with an amazing level of intensity that actually begins when he comes out for the pre-game introductions. Dawkins still hits as hard as any player in the league and is the unquestioned leader of the Eagles defense. Dawkins also has an amazing connection with Eagles fans, standing on the sideline at midfield after every Eagles score leading the crowd in a rendition of the Eagles Fight Song. The question begs, how does Dawkins play at such a high level for such a long period of time?

"You can't fake dog." Brian Dawkins is as intense a player as there is. From pregame introductions to the final whistle, Dawkins performs with a fearless flair that has earned him four Pro Bowl selections and a reputation as one of the toughest safeties in the NFL. But this week, Dawkins offered a little insight into his mental makeup, and it was as colorful a response as you'll hear. During his weekly media session on Wednesday, Dawkins was asked whether the Birds have a greater mental or physical challenge in improving their defense, which ranks 19th, allowing 327.0 yards per game, and will face the San Diego Chargers today "You either have dog in you or you don't," said Dawkins, who turned 32 earlier this month. "That's what we call it. You can't fake dog... and we have guys that have that."

Dawkins, here, is talking about his own version of playing (swimming) with a sense of urgency. However Dawkins knows that he is crazy to think that you can just turn on "dog" on game day:

"If you have that in you, then when it comes down to throwing down, when it comes down to fighting, you don't have to turn nothing on because it's in you and you aren't faking anything."

How to you get it "in you"? There are some people who are born with it; people who are naturally talented and naturally able to be great when they want to do so. Who are these people? Simply put, freaks of nature. There may be one person out of every 5,000 that actually has this trait. For the rest of us, there is a lot of hard work, sweat and pain that must go into developing dog. It takes a lot of time in the laboratory (READ: practice) to develop that perfect combination for you to be able to swim at your peak level in meets.

Swimming With Urgency: When Does It Begin?

Let's start by thinking back to what Dr. Alan Goldberg taught us in October. If you remember, he started his talk by explaining what goals are, how we should establish our goals, and (most importantly) when we should be reminding ourselves of our goals. He told everyone that "Goals are for practice, not for meets." If you are reminding yourself of your goals on meet day (especially when you are behind the blocks before a race) it will work against you. When Dr. Goldberg told us goals are for practice he meant that you have to remind yourself of your goals on a daily basis for motivation at practice. It really is not a mystery what the secret of success in swimming is: the more work you put into your training, the more you will get out of it in meet results. Coach Dan this year has even put it into equation form:

Practice Attendance + Practice Effort = Meet Performance

Everything you do in workouts on a daily basis leads to your meet performance. When you get to a meet you cannot just flip a switch and be a great swimmer. No one in this world is truly great without effort in practice. Thomas Edison made over 10,000 attempts at developing a more efficient incandescent light bulb before coming up with a design that actually worked well (NOTE: Edison did not invent the light bulb but greatly perfected its performance). A reporter asked Edison if he felt like a failure and Edison replied by saying that he was not a failure because he now knew of 10,000 ways not succeed. That kind of perseverance is what you need in the pool at practices if you truly want to become great.

There is a famous quote attributed to many different people, "You play how you practice." Most superstar athletes take this quote to heart and practice with the same tenacity and drive they take to game/meet day. Michael Jordan, in my opinion, is the greatest athlete of my generation. Jordan was famous for going all out in practice, even yelling at teammates who were not putting out the same effort he was. This is a guy who was making millions of dollars on the basketball court and in endorsements, who played 40 minutes a game at top speed and still had energy to go all out for a two hour practice on off days. Jordan knew his ability to play at the highest level came because he practiced with a sense of urgency. That is how Jordan went from being cut from his high school basketball team freshman year to becoming the greatest basketball player of all time.

What you can do to step up the urgency in practices:

• Most importantly, do what you are told to do. Nothing frustrates a coach more than a swimmer who is not following directions. When you are told to race, race. When you are told to work on technique, work on technique.
• When you are working on technique or drills do the drills exactly how the coaches tell you. Make sure you are continually thinking of how it relates to your full stroke. All drills have a purpose, make sure you are focusing on that while you are doing the drills.
• When it is time to work...DO IT! Swim that repeat in practice like it is the biggest race of your life. And then do it again, and again, and again...
• Do not be afraid to race in practice. If you are constantly holding back in practice you will never be able to fully swim with a sense of urgency in a meet. It is okay to race your teammates (as long as it is kept friendly) but most importantly you have to race the clock and yourself. You should be able to remember the times you do in different practice sets and compare them to times you have done in practice in the past. It would be most helpful to keep a daily practice journal where you write down some of the sets you did each day, what your times were in those sets, and how you felt while swimming them.

Swimming is a very technical sport. However everything will always boil down to racing. You have to put forth peak effort in practice every day if you are going to be the best you can be on meet day. If you are going to be able to swim with a sense of urgency in a meet you have to be able to do it in practice every day.

Next: Part 3 - Brian Dawkins and "Dog"

Swimming with a Sense of Urgency

We have reached the point of the season I like to refer to as "The Grind". Its a grind because we are coming down off of a high in competition (Pittsburgh Christmas Invitational and NJ State Meet) and training (Winter Break). The end of the season is now within sight but still a bit off on the horizon. We now face two months of training through conflicts and practice changes (see the calendar for this information) as well as several swim meets for which most swimmers will not rest at all. Some may say: what's the point?

The most important thing anyone can take from attending meets unrested is learning how to race tired. Imagine if you can do a best time tired...how much faster are you going to swim primed and ready for that meet? We need to go into each and every meet and each and every race at these meets ready to swim with a vengeance and, more importantly, a focused sense of urgency.

Swimming with a sense of urgency is a key ingredient to peak performance for a swimmer, perhaps the most important. There are many swimmers who are great in practice but when it comes to a meet something is missing. I want all swimmers on this team swimming each and every race like it is their last race ever...how would you want to go out? Hopefully you want to finish with a best time and, most importantly, a performance you can look back on and be proud of for years to come.

There are stories we hear every once in a while of people performing incredible feats of strength in times of dire circumstances; like the person who reaches down and lifts a car off of someone's legs to help save their life in a car accident. Its not that the person suddenly gained super-human strength...its that the urgency of the moment and the adrenaline coursing through their veins drove them to perform that feat of strength. The truth of these situations is that the ability to perform this feat was always in this person, it just took an extreme sense of urgency to bring it out of them.

Each and every single swimmer on this team has the ability to swim out of their mind...beyond what they believe they can do. Dan and I proved this at a Gold 2 practice in November when we allowed each group member to pick one of their events and race it in practice...if they did their lifetime best time they were allowed to get out of practice. That night the group went 20 for 22 in best times. TWENTY! The swimmers had a sense of urgency and were able to use that drive to bring the absolute best out of them. Everyone has this in them...we need to see it on a regular basis NOW!

Coming next, Part 2.

Floswimming.com

Coach George is in the process of putting together a team site at www.floswimming.org. If you have never visited this site you should take some time to do so. The site is run by swim coaches and gives you a lot from exclusive footage from the Olympic Games and Trials to full coverage from college dual meets to interviews with swimmers and coaches from around the country. By creating a team we can upload pictures a videos and give the team some more National recognition.

How do you become a member (as a swimmer) or a fan (as a parent) of the team? Go to www.floswimming.org and create a profile for yourself. Once you are logged in you can go to your floswimmer on the top menu bar and click on "Teams". Seach for "Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club". Once you get to our team you can follow the steps to either become a member or a fan of the team. From what I can find the most members and fans (combined) any team has is around 95. We need to blow that out of the water!

From your floswimmer account you can do a lot of great things like track your workouts, track your meet results, and your weekly/monthly/yearly yardage totals. This is a great way to see what kind of work you are doing in practice and an even better way to understand how that work will effect your performance in various meets.

Looking Back: 2008

Briefly looking back at 2008 I realize its going to be a hard year to top. So many changes for the good: changes for the team, my family, and myself. How about a Top Five?


5. Adding to the Family. Many of the swimmers have had a chance to meet Izzy the newest member of our family. She's a Pug/Shar-Pei mix who is quite energetic.

4. 2008 Olympic Trials in Omaha, NE. I got the chance to fly to Omaha, NE for the 2008 Olympic Trials. It was great to watch the greatest swimmers in this country go at it for a shot at the ultimate swimming dream. But the highlight for me was to be there to see four former GCIT/GPAC team members swim in the meet: Bill Cregar, Mike Joyce, Jamie Marks, and Christian Sprang. You can look back on the Trials and Olympic Games through my blog posts from the summer.

3. World Champions! I have friends who think October 29th will be the most memorable October Day in my life...more important than October 4th. I've been waiting my entire life to be able to witness a World Championship in Philadelphia and hoping the entire time it would be brought here by the Phillies. To see the players on that team come together through injuries and other problems to hoist the championship trophy in October was amazing. I also took note of the way the manager, Charlie Manuel, conducted himself and drove the vehicle that brought the team to the World Series Title.

2. GCIT Swimming becomes Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club. By the beginning of July I was certain my time with GCIT was coming to a close. I was getting inquiries from other teams (club and college) and I knew that working under the umbrella of GCIT was no longer in my best interest. Then on July 8th the newly appointed Superintendent at GCIT informed me the school wished to cease opearation of the Club Team and have a new private company take its place and pay the school pool rent. This became an opportunity to put together a program with the fixed goal of becoming one of the best club teams in the country. GCIT would still get the money they were making off of the team over the last few years while the new company would be able to provide for the swimmers on the team in a more direct and focused manner without the overhead of a public school system. GPAC allowed Tjitske and I to stay in the Philadelphia area (our first choice all along) and gave the coaching staff more tools to help the swimmers become the best they can be.1. The Wedding. Yes, October 4th will be the most memorable October date in my life. I have been blessed to have met someone as wonderful and supportive as Tjitske. Most importantly, supportive of the path I have chosen with this program. We had a beautiful day for a wedding and a great time in Aruba on the honeymoon.