One of the more ironic aspects of swimming is that people who only see swimming on TV, and usually only once every 4 years at that, all think of swimming as the ultimate non-contact sport. They only see swimmers racing in their own wide lanes, with the only contact being an occasional hug or handshake… Continue reading Swimming is NOT a Non-Contact Sport
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)
Far Too Many Types of Pre-Race Talks
I'm always intrigued by how age group swimmers handle pre-race talks. Our standard procedure is that each swimmer comes to see me before the race, and we talk about race strategy, breathing strategy and general level of race aggression. And then after the race, they'd come back and we'd see how those strategies worked out,… Continue reading Far Too Many Types of Pre-Race Talks
Tips On How Not To Lose Count In A Distance Swim
Miscounting is one of those things that swimmers and coaches both hate in a practice (especially coaches!) But miscounting in a meet is guaranteed to get you a comment from pretty much every person you've ever known ... and some you don't. It's still very early in our season here, and I'm already seeing a… Continue reading Tips On How Not To Lose Count In A Distance Swim
Taking A Knee
Silent, non-violent protests during the US national anthem at professional sporting events have now reached the public's attention. And everyone seems to have either a strong opinion, or a VERY strong opinion. As the head coach of a sports team, I need to be aware of, and prepared for, somebody on our team following this… Continue reading Taking A Knee
6 Rules (and a Vision) For Becoming a Better Swim Parent
Every year brings fresh swimming faces, fresh parents, and sometimes dreams of athletic stardom. And every year, I post a blog like this to dial things down, and make sure that parents are a helpful partner in this wonderful process of sports. (If you follow my blog you'll have seen a version of this post… Continue reading 6 Rules (and a Vision) For Becoming a Better Swim Parent
My Thoughts on Australian Swimming
Before I get into this, I want to make it clear that I'm writing this because of my love for Australian swimming. Ever since I swam in Canada in the 70s, I've been impressed with the brash way that such a small population base could take on the US swimming juggernaut, and often win. In… Continue reading My Thoughts on Australian Swimming
My Take On Why American Men Dominate Backstroke
I was watching the US World Championship Trials on TV, and was struck by a comment during one of the men's backstroke events. The commentator noted the long history of US men dominating backstroke events, and this is certainly true. The last time the US men lost an Olympic backstroke event was back in 1992. … Continue reading My Take On Why American Men Dominate Backstroke
A Curious Look at 2017 Short Course – Long Course Conversion Rates, And How The US Is So Different From Everyone Else
In 2014 I started getting upset with the standard 2% Short Course to Long Course conversion rates mandated by Swim Ontario. As most coaches already knew, 2% was convenient but horribly inaccurate conversion rate. And it created problems for kids swimming in LC meets when they couldn't meet their 2% converted SC time, even if… Continue reading A Curious Look at 2017 Short Course – Long Course Conversion Rates, And How The US Is So Different From Everyone Else
How To Tell If You Qualify For a Meet
This question comes up all the time from swimmers and parents. How do I know if I (or my child) has qualified for a meet or a race? And in my never-ending quest to have people figure out stuff without asking me, I'm providing this primer. I understand that swimmers and parents can feel helpless… Continue reading How To Tell If You Qualify For a Meet
Racing When Sick
Training and sickness are unfortunately a well known combination. Extremely hard training programs can leave athletes more susceptible to the many illnesses present around us, especially from schools. And sickness can often hit at the best of times. Luckily, there's been plenty of research on the issue of how much and how hard to train… Continue reading Racing When Sick
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 