I hope that everybody's holidays were excellent, fun and relaxing. And so now that we've had 2 weeks of Christmas shortbread, egg nog, candy canes, chocolate and general lethargy, what can we expect in the pool? It turns out its simple - you can expect the coaches to focus this next week on the skills… Continue reading What to Expect Now That the Holidays Are Over
Author: Rick Madge
Here's my life in a nutshell.
Husband to a beautiful wife
Father of 3 amazing, grown-up children.
Electrical Engineer (hey, it pays the bills and keeps my mind busy)
Swim coach (this is where my passion lies)
Attributes: Ridiculously curious. Introverted. Pretensions of creative abilities. Reader (books not minds. at least, not that you know). Athlete (reduced primarily to swimming and cycling now). Collector (of weird, old and interesting items). Writer (primarily of boring technical reports and overly long About You blurbs)
What Happens To Swimmers Over the Holidays?
I'm often asked what swimmers should do over the Christmas holidays. It's a very good question, and one that doesn't easily lead to a good answer for all levels. There are two factors at war with each other. Swimmers typically don't reach their peak until their 20s, and so there really should be no rush… Continue reading What Happens To Swimmers Over the Holidays?
Reflections on a Division 3 Championship
Today I'm going to just reflect on the weekend at Divisions that we just had. No discussion of points, or PBs or individual races. No recitation of endless statistics (that I like so much!). Instead, I'll let my mind wander over scenes and instances that stood out for me. Now bear in mind that I… Continue reading Reflections on a Division 3 Championship
Hey Coach, Are We Tapering For Divisions?
Yes, I've heard that question a lot this last few weeks. And it's not that easy to answer. But first, let's talk about what a competitive swim taper is, and why we do it. My readers will know by now that I love to tell stories. So let's start off this blog with one. The… Continue reading Hey Coach, Are We Tapering For Divisions?
More Than You Want to Know About Practice and Competition Swim Suits
WARNING: This is long. If you just want to know about modern practice and competition swim suits, skip down to near the end. I'm going to tackle this subject chronologically, since the road to the present has had its share of strange activities. There has been swimming as far ago as the Greeks and Romans. … Continue reading More Than You Want to Know About Practice and Competition Swim Suits
Coach Rick on Swim Training Toys
The swimming community has a bewildering array of training toys available for swimmers and coaches to use during practices. Some are useful for certain situations, some are rarely useful, and some are the source of a lot of debate. Here are the most common of these toys Kickboards - these are the floating boards swimmers… Continue reading Coach Rick on Swim Training Toys
Guest Blog: Coach Caillin on the Use of Fins with Developing Swimmers
Many parents have asked me recently why we don't use fins for the Entry level groups, and why we use them so minimally for Novice. Those are good questions. Every team has their own viewpoint on this, so it is a very debatable topic, and a very confusing one for parents. Here is our team's… Continue reading Guest Blog: Coach Caillin on the Use of Fins with Developing Swimmers
Essential Swimming Links
Every coach has their list of favourite sites for following the world of swimming. In order to get the most enjoyment and satisfaction with the sport, parents and swimmers may want to develop their own lists as well. Below are some of my suggestions to help you keep in touch with the Tritons and the… Continue reading Essential Swimming Links
Thoughts on Our First Meet
We've finished our first meet, and what a meet! First off, thanks to everyone who helped in any capacity. It took a great team effort to make this happen - coordination with the town, with Lakeshore Swim Club, and with Swim Ontario. Then a tremendous amount of work to get the timing system running properly… Continue reading Thoughts on Our First Meet
Update to Divisions 3 Post
A few people have been asking me some more questions about Division 3. I'll answer them here in this update. But keep in mind that we will also hold a meeting soon with all Division families invited. That's when the organizing and planning can really start. Where will we be staying? Do we have to… Continue reading Update to Divisions 3 Post
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 