I've been contracted by Swimming World Magazine to write articles for them at the Canadian Olympic Trials. If you're interested, you can find them at swimmingworldmagazine.com Day 1 Heats Day 1 Finals Etc.
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)
Notes From a Championship Meet
Now, I should warn you that this is a local championship meet (Central Region - Ontario) with qualifying times. Basically a regional meet for Toronto and surrounding area. It's the most crowded portion of Ontario (and probably Canada), and has a very high swimmer density. This meet also had dequalification times if they made provincial… Continue reading Notes From a Championship Meet
Diary of a Coach on a Christmas Break
We don't do Christmas training camps, or hell weeks (see here and here), so we trained this year until Dec. 23 (morning and afternoon). Then 12 glorious days off! Below is my unofficial diary of how, as a coach, I handle the time off. Dec. 23: Evening This was a long day. Morning practice (everybody… Continue reading Diary of a Coach on a Christmas Break
When a Good Swimmer Leaves Your Team
If you've been around swimming for any length of time, then you've witnessed the impact of good swimmers leaving a team. It could be because the family moved, or the swimmer went to college, or even that the swimmer quit the sport (worthy of its own post - see Gary Vandermeulen's recent post here). But… Continue reading When a Good Swimmer Leaves Your Team
Quality versus Quantity
I know this is an age-old question, but it became fresh in my mind this week when one of my swimmers asked me why we weren't doing the high mileage that so many other clubs are doing. As I explained to him, our philosophy is to prioritize technique and race pace over lengthy but slower… Continue reading Quality versus Quantity
Reflections on the Value of an Early First Meet
Last week we had our first meet of the year. It may not seem that early for most teams, but it is for us. Most of our swimmers had their last meet of the year in late June, and we could only get back into the pool in mid-September. This meant we had just 5… Continue reading Reflections on the Value of an Early First Meet
Strength & Conditioning for Swimmers
Not too long ago I wrote about Mount Stupid (you can read it here), and how I and so many other coaches apparently. Well this year I climbed partway down from Mount Stupid and decided to ask a real strength and conditioning expert to handle what I’d been so confidently messing up for years. Wow,… Continue reading Strength & Conditioning for Swimmers
Athletes and Their Dislike of Stretching
Having been involved in quite a few different sports, I can state that athletes generally dislike stretching after practice. Others may disagree and say that athletes don't dislike stretching, they HATE stretching, but you get my point. (I should point out that many athletes appear to love stretching before practice, but I think that's just… Continue reading Athletes and Their Dislike of Stretching
6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swim Parent
The start of a season is a good time to review some of the basics. And the first one is the role of a swim parent. Before I start, I should point out that most swim parents are actually pretty good when it comes to interacting with their kid’s competitors, officials and coaches, at least… Continue reading 6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swim Parent
A Glimpse Into the Future: Comparisons of Junior and Senior World Championships
A few weeks ago I wrote about US dominance and international parity in swimming, and how it has changed over the years (here). For the last decade or so we've pretty much had status quo, with 30-35 countries typically making finals, and the US only slipping slightly in terms of percentage of swimmers making finals.… Continue reading A Glimpse Into the Future: Comparisons of Junior and Senior World Championships
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 