Over the years, I’ve done a couple of posts regarding International parity in the world of swimming. With the Tokyo Olympics over, I’ve analyzed the competition and compared it to Rio 2016 and a random selection of World Championships between 1973 and 2019. So the big question here: Are just a few countries dominating swimming?… Continue reading Swimming has a Serious Parity Problem
Category: Coaching
Anything related to the profession of coaching that I care enough to comment upon.
Do Ian Thorpe’s Comments Also Apply to Women’s 200 Freestyle
Last week I analyzed the Men’s 200 Freestyle in light of Ian Thorpe’s comments (see here). This week I’m looking at the Women’s elite 200 Freestylers. Briefly, Thorpe said that if swimmers can’t go out hard and match his impressive last 50 speed, then they have to go out very hard and survive that last… Continue reading Do Ian Thorpe’s Comments Also Apply to Women’s 200 Freestyle
200 Freestyle Analysis in Light of Ian Thorpe’s Comments
It’s a little daunting to analyze a statement from one of the best swimmers the world has ever seen. But here goes. A few months ago, Ian Thorpe assessed the world of 200 freestyle, and declared that the everyone was swimming it wrong. Basically, he says that if swimmers don’t have his incredible last 50… Continue reading 200 Freestyle Analysis in Light of Ian Thorpe’s Comments
We Need COVID-19 Reporting by Sport
We’ve seen an unending stream of statistics regarding COVID-19 cases, deaths, recoveries, etc., all sorted by geographical area. This data can be incredibly useful when used by authorities for making larger social decisions. Low community rates may indicate it’s safe to open up, while spiking community rates may point to increased restrictions. However, we generally… Continue reading We Need COVID-19 Reporting by Sport
Why We’re Not Starting Up in September
As the title says, my team isn’t returning to swimming in September. Or October. In fact, we’re going to monitor the pandemic infection rates for a while to figure out when it will actually be safe, however long that takes. And the key to this decision is that Ontario had declared that kids will be… Continue reading Why We’re Not Starting Up in September
8 Strange Olympic Swimming Events
Something fun as a change from everything else that's happening. Oh, and the picture above is the start of one of the Olympic races in the River Seine (1900). 8. First Olympic Breaststroke event (1904) While it’s the earliest known type of swimming, Breaststroke didn’t make it’s Olympic debut until the 1904 Olympics in… Continue reading 8 Strange Olympic Swimming Events
Swimming Canada’s Sensible Framework For a Return to Swimming
Swimming Canada has released a first version of their Return To Swimming Framework, the 22-page “Covid-19 Return to Swimming Resource Document”. And it’s a good one. Although I know for a fact that many in the swimming community are pushing far more relaxed alternatives. It’s important to note that Swimming Canada assembled a large group… Continue reading Swimming Canada’s Sensible Framework For a Return to Swimming
The (Immediate) Future of Swimming – A Conversation With Coach Mike Finch
For this post, I interviewed Mike Finch, Head Coach of W. Ross MacDonald Swimming in Brantford, Ontario. Mike is also one of the top technical and sprint coaches in Canada. The following is a summary of our wide-ranging discussion. Return to Swimming While we’re aware that the swimming community is eager to get back… Continue reading The (Immediate) Future of Swimming – A Conversation With Coach Mike Finch
OK Swimming Canada, Time To Cancel Trials and Other Swim Meets
The coronavirus pandemic is fundamentally changing our lives, at least in the short term. We've seen sweeping closures and suspensions in virtually every activity that involves many humans gathering in one place. And this includes almost every professional sport plus many amateur sports. The international swimming community is taking this seriously as well. USA Swimming… Continue reading OK Swimming Canada, Time To Cancel Trials and Other Swim Meets
Meet Efficiency and Public Announcement of DQs
Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of ‘innovations’ meant to speed up swim meets. I’ll mention a few of them before getting to the latest: public announcements of DQs. 3-False-Start Rule For those old enough, you may remember back when swimming had a 3-false-start rule. And in championship meets, it was rare to have… Continue reading Meet Efficiency and Public Announcement of DQs
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 