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.