Before we jump into this conversation, a quick word from the guys over at Swim Nerd. Are you looking for a pace clock that won't break the bank? How about one that every swimmer can see? The Swim Nerd pace clock is the most innovative and affordable digital pace clock that the world has ever seen. Their nine-inch tall green LEDs are specifically made for outdoor viewing and are visible from a hundred meters away. Bluetooth enabled, it connects to your swim practice mobile app, allowing you to program any set your heart desires. Take a minute, go to swimpractice.com and check out their amazing new pace clock. It truly is the world's best swimming pool pace clock. That's swimpractice.com. One more time, because I really want you to take a look at this. The pace clock is the most quintessential piece of training equipment for any swim team. Go to swimpractice.com and get yourself the best pace clock in the world. Hello and welcome to the swim brief. I am joined back by Popular Remand by Abby Fish. And uh we're gonna go over a few of the really exciting swims we've seen in the last couple weeks at these college conference championships and meets. In fact, we're picking out a couple from the SEC Championship. So I hope you enjoy that, and uh hope you enjoy a little bit of a different kind of podcast where we're really sort of talking a little bit about the form of swimming and um that kind of stuff. So uh sit back, uh listen, and enjoy. Abby Fish. Abby, how are you?
SPEAKER_03I'm doing good, how are you, Chris?
SPEAKER_04I am doing really well and uh excited to bring you back. When you came on the first time, I got a lot of really positive feedback on it. People really liked the podcast. Uh I think you and I enjoyed recording it. We we had a conversation about doing another one, and a couple weeks ago, uh just watching some of these college conference swims, um I got an idea for a podcast we could do. Um texted you, you were immediately game, and uh so here we are, excited to talk about some swims.
SPEAKER_03Oh heck yeah. This is an exciting time of year. March is like, you know, March madness and basketball season, but the reality is it's also like March madness for swim season, so yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm I'm actually gonna be out at the NIC championship meet next week. Um I'm not gonna be at NCAA's, but I'm I'm pretty excited. I've never been to that meet before. Um, and you say March Madness, um, to think that you know, just a few years ago, uh swimming didn't have anything that's sort of equivalent to the NIT, and then now uh somebody told me 90 teams are coming to the swimming. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So clearly there was demand more postseason. The the the the people have spoken, they want more postseason swimming.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. No, uh, that meat has grown significantly every year. Uh it's crazy. So that's uh yeah, it's very exciting for the sport because you see sometimes programs being shut down and whatnot, but very rarely do you see new meats and all these things being like set up essentially.
SPEAKER_04Right, and I think it's um I know we're gonna get sidetracked with this conversation a little bit, but I I do think uh I want to make a not that that meat needs a plug, obviously, with 90 teams, but maybe for people watching at home um or who you know just sort of follow the sport. I th I just think it's been um it's something that didn't exist and then it then it came into existence and it it after the fact, of course it makes a ton of sense because um there was that missing bridge. You know, you could be an NCAA B cut swimmer and compete at your uh conference championship meet, but maybe there was a long way to go to qualify for NCAAs and kind of nothing in the middle. Um and so to have something there in the middle that um uh people can go to. I have Matt Leach on the last podcast I recorded here, he was super excited, you know, in his first year Washington State to not only qualify someone for NCAAs, but also brought somebody to that meet and they won, you know, a senior. Um so uh and it's got the 50s of stroke, which um I think is cool, you know. Uh not not necessarily I don't want to see those at like a conference championship, but I think it's cool to have it, you know, as long as it's like uh a swimmer swim meet. Um fun little addition to have and uh see how people can can do in that format.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, yeah. No, I was there last year. Um I actually helped work doing the social media for the meet, and I think it's a it's a great thing for all levels of NCAA swimming, and it's exciting. They have like a DJ during um the events and also kind of like in between things, so the energy level is more hyped, and uh yeah, it's it's just a good opportunity. A lot of people don't have a lot of opportunities post their um conference championships, and so if they make conference cool, but if they're not ready for NCAAs, then they're you're just kind of like done. Um, so it gives people that second swim, which a lot of people are are missing out on.
SPEAKER_04All I can hear as you say, DJ, is the voice of when I was coaching in Denmark, Nick Juba, uh was our was our head coach, is it uh very short English man. And every time um in Denmark they would always play like pop music during distance races while kids were competing, and it made him so upset. He said he just he would just look at me, he would he would frown, and he would go, It's disrespectful, it's disrespectful. I can't do an English accent, but he was so upset that they were playing music during it. And uh to me, it's neither here nor there, but I think uh plenty of people, I mean I don't know that that they were playing music during races or not, but yeah. Yeah just a thought. Okay, so let's get back because uh the we we we singled out a couple of races. Um I told you, like, hey, let's talk about these. Um and I just want to sort of preface before we talk about uh you know a few things. Uh first off, um these were just the two swims that uh somehow stood out in my mind the most. It does I don't know necessarily there you can make an argument that there were better performances um in other places or sort of more exceptional thing happening. I I won't even uh uh bother to fight anybody who wants to argue with me on that. Just like I I wanted to talk about these and I you know proposed that to you, and you said, yeah, let's do it. So um that's why we ended up talking about these uh two races. I'm gonna do my best uh to focus on what I like about what they're doing. Um and that is just for one, not to be a cranky person to be a cranky person at home, you know. Uh the first thing we're gonna talk about is Erica Brown, like to be that person at home being like, well, I didn't Matt Credit's teacher to do this, you know, like or whoever there, like I ugh I would be horrified uh if I came off like that. So I'm just gonna talk about some stuff I like. I think um the other part of this is you know um it's one thing to watch these races on video. I'm assuming you weren't at SECs, were you?
SPEAKER_03No, not this year.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Um so neither of us were live watching these races. We're we're we're watching some video, we can see what's going on over the water, so we're just gonna focus on what we can see, right? Um, you ready? We're gonna get into uh Erica Brown here off the top. Do you have anything you want to say before we get started? Oh no, I'm I'm ready to go, let's do it. You're good. Okay. So um uh I was watching uh Erica, and and one of the first things uh I'm always drawn to, um, and it's uh probably front of mind for me uh in particular, because I just took a trip to Scandinavia. Um I was in Norway and Denmark, and in both places, both clubs, um I was helping them uh athletes and coaches with starts. Um I think we had a little conversation with this about this last time on on the podcast. Um towards the end of my time in Denmark, I actually spent a whole year coaching starts. Um so uh it's funny when I when I went to visit people in Norway, they said, Oh, uh is this a big part of your business, coaching starts? I said, Yeah, only in Scandinavia. Um so for whatever reason I I got a little niche at Scandinavia. Um uh coaching starts. I had a great time in in Bergen. I saw 90 people uh do starts. That was completely exhausting. So I'm I'm I'm I'm always watching people off the block. And and um so there's a couple things that uh I thought were really remarkable about her start. And um, you know, whenever I'm watching somebody swim a short race, we're talking about our hundred free where she did a 45-8. Um whenever I'm watching somebody swim a short race, uh I always get on YouTube, uh bump it up to the highest uh quality, and then you know, um watch it at quarter speed. Because otherwise I can't even tell what the heck is going on. Uh so that is an amazing thing about 2020 that that you can do that. Um and so when I did that, uh one of the things I uh well one of the one of the before she even starts, one uh really notable thing is if you if you cue up the video, everybody else is is crouching, basically almost ready to grab the blocks. Like they have to make a very small movement to grab the blocks. Erica Brown is standing up straight.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And basically gets into her position right before she's due to leave the block. And that's something I I actually just noticed like very shortly before we started recording that, and and I I really actually like it. Um one of the things I uh I learned on my little trip because one of the teams was the team I I coached uh or worked on Starts With now five years ago, was um some of the stuff that I had done with them had actually devolved in in a negative way. Um the the the swimmers had become uh you know, I'd worked so hard on on posture and how they were standing, um, that the swimmers had started to move really slowly, really rigidly, and um instead of improving their posture, range of motion, all this stuff, they were actually getting worse. Um I had a long conversation through that. Um one of the things that uh that I'm testing out now uh about to to address some of that is you know having the swimmers even as they tend to work on this stuff, move a bit more athletically. And I think it's a very athletic move she makes there, right? It's I I I think many swimmers would be scared to be standing up straight and to like sort of move quickly and then go. But I I I actually think it's working to her advantage in this. Um what did you think about that part?
SPEAKER_03Um honestly, I did. I thought it was pretty interesting. And I feel like when you're watching her races, that's something that just stands out because everybody's bent over basically prepping for the take your mark and being as close to the position that they're gonna take your mark in as possible. So her just standing straight up and looking forward, it's kind of like a I don't know, it's definitely got a a a poise to it, like there's a vibe that comes off.
SPEAKER_04Well, for sure. It's very confident. Well, yeah, it's still a call.
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, I I've always taught swimmers, especially the younger ones that I coach, uh, to get close to the position that you're gonna be in, because trying to do too much too quickly, especially for you know younger ones that are still uh kind of learning where their right leg is and their left arm is, um, is just too much to do. But uh yeah, she does a pretty a pretty good job at getting down fast and then from there jumping quicker. Uh I don't know if necessarily the you know the downward movement would actually make her start faster. Otherwise, I think we'd see more people doing that. Um, but I do think it is uh it just an interesting uh way to way to go about it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so uh if I'm hearing you right there, it this might be a kind of thing that's not necessarily emulatable by novice uh swimmers. Like you you gotta be pretty uh confident in in what you're doing and pretty um pretty good at moving your body to pull this off. Is that what you're saying?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I would not recommend this for small kids. I would just say that this is that's not the benefit does not outweigh the potential hazards from doing something like that. Um because if you're not ready and the starter goes quicker, then take your mark go, then your reaction time could be worse, or if you know, say your like hand slips or whatever, you don't get into the right streamline, then all that is a way worse of an outcome than maybe the little bit that you may gain from you know forward momentum velocity or something like that. Right. You start to move the body, you know, at a different direction than it would regularly.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I mean, one of the things I noticed in in in Denmark, um, and that's probably why they're prone to some of this stuff as well, is most of the swimmers there actually would be gripping the blocks before take your mark. Yeah. Like they they would be full on in their start position for 10 or 15 seconds before before the race uh started. So not even like take your mark, then grab the block, then go. Um they would just be holding. Um and uh I did not like that at all. I knew I I know I promised I was gonna say just focus on things I liked, but but uh I did not like that at all. So it's interesting to see sort of the polar opposite um of that. The next thing um is uh as she drives off the block, um, I noticed a big difference in uh her sort of angle of attack off of that block. Um many of the other swimmers are uh angled more downwards. Um their upper bodies are at an angle uh uh past sort of parallel from the water. And and her upper body, like her hips to her shoulders, and actually she's got her hands with with that uh really well, um is pretty much um parallel, maybe just short of parallel, pointed out over the water. And I think that's uh really good. Um that's something like when I'm coaching, I try to teach people how to do. I mean, uh any coach I think wants people to jump out, right? There's this tendency to um, and it's a very natural sort of human thing to uh uh to sort of fall into the water. Um, but she's she is really jumping out. Um and it's and it's uh very obvious to see um on the front end of this race. What what do you think of uh her her takeoff?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think her takeoff, I mean, kind of coincidingly with the fact that her head's up really high on the start.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I think she follows with jumping out, but it's like not necessarily jumping out and jumping down, it's not that in-between kind of like diagonal angle. Right. Um and then she has to be super sharp uh on essentially you know, popping the hips and getting herself um in a decent pike to be able to enter a well just because she is looking forward. And I feel like there's so much stuff in the stroke technique world. I'm like, keep the head down through the store so that way the momentum goes forward and not up. And then you have people that go up um that you know do lift their head up, like Nathan Adrian does immediately. That's like one of the first things he does off the block is he looks forward, but you know, he's also a Nathan Adrian and B capable of getting into that extreme pike position, right? You know, so it's like technique uh it's it's like one of those things where people are always like, Well, this is the right way, or this must be the right way, and it's like, well, no, I think it kind of just kind of boils down to like what age group are you coaching and what is their ability level? Because like an eight-year-old wouldn't be able to replicate her start, you know, but an 18-year-old may be able to.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, just and even looking just like holistically at it, like um I had somebody, uh I had a wise old man um uh say to me once uh that it that I shouldn't even use the word technique, only because you know, technique sort of implies that there's a bunch of uh little sort of pieces that you like assemble and then that makes like a form of something. And I think uh we can get caught up in that, like, you know, uh even even as I'm doing this, I'm focusing on little pieces of what she's doing, and there's like an assumption that that all adds up. But you know, like with every single different swimmer, like they like I coached somebody uh uh who once who she basically did everything not the way I wanted her to do, uh leaving the blocks, but ripped every entry. Like I I I c started calling her a cat, you know, like a cat always lands on all fours. She always landed perfectly in the water. And so it was sort of like, okay, well, if the end result is you enter the water with a lot of speed and momentum, and like it sets you up to swim a good race, who am I to say actually that some of these other parts were really right or wrong, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. I mean, I feel like it's that's I I mean that's why I feel like coaching is such an art and everybody has their own way of articulating things well and short durations of time, and you know, it's it is like you're working with someone who probably did nine out of ten kind of thing. But at the end of the day, she's still entered pretty well. You're not gonna nix all those things just because you know you want her start to look different or make you nix them all, and then it actually makes her start worse. So it's just adapting your knowledge and then um also being able to articulate that correctly to a kid just to see how they they learn it right. Um so yeah, but the starts and stuff I mean, it's the fastest point of any swimming race. So you don't want someone to really, you know, set up with a bad entry. I mean, entry is so crucial. So you do a bunch of things on the block and it screws up your entry, don't do that. If you do a bunch of things on the block and it makes your entry, better do that. It can be as simple as that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I mean, um uh alright, so one more thing on uh on Erica's, and this is actually her her swimming swimming. Um and I watch sort of as uh she enters the water, I'm just sort of focused on what her arms are doing and uh particularly her shoulder. Um I think I I have noticed um especially people, you know, it's it's probably a trend that uh seems to be dying out. Um but like I grew up, um, I remember I had a head coach of the team that I coached once who uh had us all do ketchup freestyle for all of practice, right? Because there was an idea that got really popular at a certain point in time that was like catch-up free like you know, like this long stroke, put your hand in the water, you know, fully extend that arm, right? Yeah, and then like get that other stroke, you know, what you basically don't move and start catching water until that other arm um comes in. And um I I don't see that here, and that that's what I like, because I I don't really like uh in general that style of uh swimming. I I see actually, you know, her uh I'm not so much watching for what her hand is doing, right? Because her her hand is attached to her arm, is attached to her shoulder, but her shoulder um stays um uh nice and low. Like it's it's uh she's got a nice gap between her ear and her shoulder. Her shoulder is into her body. I think um it allows her to pull with a lot of power. Um and she's uh um I'm not so interested in in whether she's straight arm um. Or not, it's sort of more that she puts her hand in the water and she starts pulling immediately. Uh there's there's it's it's I you know I I don't have an underwater angle, of course, but she's getting her hand in and uh starting to move some water and and doing it really powerfully. And I I think um at least I'm I'm positing my theory is that uh the position of her shoulder has something to do about it. What what did you think um about that and then just about her swimming in general?
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, so I definitely feel like she, you know, there's a couple different like people say for like freestyle swimming stroke styles, like hip-driven versus shoulder-driven. Um and I felt like she is not like anywhere near catch-up freestyle, like she definitely has a solid kick um on the back end, but she's not like gliding up top at all, like solely relying on the kick. So there's no sort of like Katie Ledecki kind of like gallop happening. Like she's just kind of like an ever-revolving machine, like she never stops. And um, I don't see a whole lot of extension at the front or even really a whole lot of extension at the back. It's just kind of a continual like grab push, grab push, grab push. Um, so yeah, it's almost uh I hate when people say this because I had a couple friends I swim with in college, but I'm gonna say it anyways. It's almost like she swims like a man, whatever that actually means. Um, but it's true, she has the stroke and the kind of the catch of a guy that she's moving so quickly and at a fast speed, it's like just a continual, like um high speed, I guess. I don't know the best way to say it. Uh, that yeah, I look at her and I'm like, that's a that's a guy's stroke, but it's a female.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, maybe maybe it's fairer to say that like because I think uh sometimes when we like compare one person's uh swimming to another person's swimming, it's like we want to grab for a same gender uh comparison. But you know, it yeah, I think I think you're right there that um when I when I look at her stroke like it it it reminds me more of male sprinters that I see than um than some of her competitors. Um I think you're you're you're right about that. Um anything else uh in particular like for you that stood out uh in watching this one?
SPEAKER_03Um no, I feel like you know, she's just I felt like she was pretty solid all around. Like I wouldn't say that there was something, like I thought the I thought the start was just pretty unique in a sense, but I wouldn't say there's anything from her technique that is not something we've ever seen. I think she's pretty quick with her breath. Um she's continuous, she's pretty consistent with her stroke rate. Um, and yeah, I mean I just felt like it was just an overall like the key to fast swimming is swimming fast for a long period of time. And she successfully does that. There's no huge decline, um, or really no like big peak followed by a decline either. So yeah, yeah, um, I don't know much about her, but now that we brought her up, I'm like, yeah, she's uh she's a runner for the summer for sure.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean she's swimming fantastic, and uh she just does better and better. Um and uh that's a good time to be peaking, right?
SPEAKER_03Oh, for sure. This is a perfect time.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, um she's certainly gonna have to deal uh with plenty of pressure, right? Um uh over these next few months, and uh so that that that'll be that'll probably be be a unique challenge for her. I mean, um that she's never really experienced in her swimming career given where she was uh four years ago. So um I'm uh I'm really interested to see uh how uh how this goes. And you know, just as a fan of uh American swimming, um it's it I think it's I think it's really exciting. I think um we could certainly use uh even more firepower um in the sprints, although you know we always have sort of an embarrassment of riches in in American swimming, but still, you know. Uh I think it's funny because I was watching a few weeks ago, I was watching uh Marathon Olympic trials, and uh, you know, of course I was reminded that they still allow the top three qualifiers in in track and field uh events to go. But swimming we're too good, so we only get two.
SPEAKER_03We only get two.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Uh switching from a women's race, uh short race to a longer men's race, um, plenty of buzz about Kieran Smith from Florida um setting an American record in the 500 free, did a 406. Yeah. Um and uh you know, I think uh uh first off, it um maybe was even more surprising in some ways to people than Erica Brown. I mean she's somebody that's that's risen uh over the last few years, but um I don't think like uh if if uh if people you know if it was if we were allowed to bet on NCA swimming, and I think there would be a lot of people, you know, laying down a lot of money on on Kieran Smith to break a 500-free uh American record, but he did it. Um and it was um I think actually, you know, it in in many ways it's so it echoes some of what you just said about Erica Brown. Like there was a the consistency of this swim, just the execution on a lot of very little things um was was really, really excellent. Um you and I were texting back and forth a little bit about like you know what we um what we thought and um you know just the the consistency of tempo. I didn't I don't I didn't break out a stopwatch. Um don't at me, people who are listening, don't at me about the fact that I didn't measure tempo. I have two eyes, okay, and I can see that it was very consistent. And any, I think my you know uh my wife could see that, right? Yeah and so um that that to me says it was is pretty clear um that was uh one thing was going on and that that actually uh bore out in the splits as well. I know you you sort of you you took a look and I've actually closed my window on my computer that had the splits. Um what did you um what did you glean from from looking at that part?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well I took a look at um the splits, like kind of the analysis that Swimming World did, and um yeah, consistency perspective. I mean, the guy was um between like 24-7 to like 25-1. I mean, there was like a 0.38 difference between all his splits from the middle 400 of the entire race. So yeah, consistency that's pretty darn good for a 500. And and you can see it in the race video. I mean, as far as like he's hitting all of his walls, his head down, his head isn't down into the walls, he's pushing off outside the flags each time. I mean, I don't know how tall he is, but he appears to be a pretty long dude. Um, so yeah, that definitely helped as well. But yeah, I mean, they compared him to like Zane Grothy and another blanking on the other good 500 guy, but the the main thing with him was Talmy Haas. Um was yeah, his splits were just like a little bit more consistent than the rest of them.
SPEAKER_04So yeah, the thing that I was actually looking at was a comparative uh American record split, and uh particularly Talmy Haas, if it that that one uh Haas was out almost two seconds faster at 200 yards. Um and then uh obviously uh from that point forward, you know, lost a little bit of pace if you compare them them now. Of course, that that that Haas swim was at NCAA's. So um I think that's worthy context in terms of the guy was just trying to win the race, right? It's not like um then not not that that's not what Kieran Smith was trying to do. Um I'm sure he was trying to win just just trying to win the race as well, but um the stakes were even higher in terms of like it doesn't really matter how fast I go. I'm gonna win. And um so that's that's the only thing that um gives me pause in in terms of you know direct one-to-one comparisons, because I would have to go back and see, you know, was there something was there something of strategic value for um Townie Haas in that race to you know go out that fast? Um did he just sort of go out and demoralize the people he was racing against and and win from that point? Because it's certainly um certainly a factor, and that's something like um, no matter what level you're at, it's uh it it can be hard uh to stick to your race when somebody's like just going out much faster than you. Yeah. So I I think that's probably a tribute to this race as well. It's not that you know, like he had people out ahead of him, but um there's certainly uh for the first half of the race, it wasn't like he was dominating everybody in the pool. He had uh plenty of of people uh competing with, but really a ton of composure to continue to sort of execute on a plan and execute that precisely. When you say 0.38, um that's really, really exceptional in terms of uh moving around. And that that is borne out when you look at uh uh the thing I was looking at. I'm a swim-swam person, you know. I don't I don't look at swimming world. No. No, no, I'm just kidding. That's right. Oh my gosh. No, I actually swimming world's getting a little um they're they're making a comeback in my eyes, um, ever since they they got uh Craig Lord, who I don't read, but I I really respect. If that makes any sense. Um you know, it's just like I I've had him on this podcast. Um I think he's a great journalist, and with you know, we've got a bunch of bozos like me, you know, writing blogs. It's good to have some real journalists hang out. But that's uh that's uh back to Kieran Smith, uh what we were here to uh talk about. Anything else for you as you were uh watching watching that race that that stood out?
SPEAKER_03Well, I thought what was kind of interesting is what you know you and I were texting about, and you were saying that you were like, you know, supposedly spent a lot of his race under the water, and that's one of the things I looked for when I was just watching his race video, and I wouldn't say from like a dolphin kick perspective, he was crazy or even had multiple dolphin kicks off each wall. It was just he carried his speed, he's obviously a tall guy, and he got outside the flags kind of right to that first like white buoy marker off each wall, and it was just once again consistent.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. No, I I think that's a really uh that's a really good point, and something if we go back to the beginning of this, you're talking about stuff that's emulatable and and stuff that's maybe not. I I think this is actually really fundamental thing that he's doing very well. It's sort of just like driving off the wall in a nice position, so maintaining speed off the wall without without doing any uh without almost without doing anything besides pushing off that wall. Um, you know, it's not that not that he doesn't move his legs at all, but it it it's actually not it's yeah, it's not like he's pushing off the wall and and thundering some dolphin kicks off of it. And um I saw a separate analysis that just said, you know, in comparison to some of these other American record swims, he did spend comparatively a lot of time, a lot uh more time underwater, but it was like you know, like anything in a 500 free, maybe it was you know, a quarter second more off of each wall times 20, right? And then all of a sudden that is a lot more time. Um and uh just being able to um put that together. Um so anything else on that swim? Um otherwise I'm gonna give you uh a uh some time to plug all of your stuff. Uh you know, here I've spouted off about where I've been and where I'm going. Um maybe uh remind people where they can follow what's going on with you, and and even if you want to talk a little bit about what um what's going on in your world right now, I'd be happy to hear it.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, no, I appreciate that. I was actually trying to find online how tall he is, but I'm currently I can look that up while you talk. Yeah, but and I also read something too, which I don't once again don't add me if this is wrong, but I feel like the swimming world um analysis did say that this was like a 10-second drop for this kid. And I I don't know, do you know if that's true?
SPEAKER_04I mean, I we could we could uh fact check that. I they've already I I'm on the UF uh website, and you know, they've already updated his times. Yeah. Um let's see.
SPEAKER_03Uh he's six foot six, there we go.
SPEAKER_04So he is tall. He's a big guy. And he swam the he swam the 200 IM as a freshman. Oh, he's from Ridgefield Canadian. You know what? I've actually seen this guy swim uh before. It said that he had he came into college with uh 418. Yeah, so he had 406, yeah. So this is a big, yeah, it's a big improvement. Um I actually watched this, I watched him swim a 400 free um uh in in 2018 at um it probably was a US Open at Long Island up here, and uh uh I was watching it with a college coach. I think I think I have to anonymize the college coach because I don't know, I don't want to get anybody in trouble recruiting-wise, but I watched him with a college coach from the Connecticut area. Yeah, everybody can do their own math on that, and he was just like really wanted me. He was very, very high on him. He said, like, you need this kid's gonna be great. So congrats to that coach, you were right.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, you did it right. You did it right.
SPEAKER_04I'll text you right after this podcast and uh and let you know that uh you were absolutely dead on with that prediction in uh in 2018. Um uh anything anything else you uh you want to plug?
SPEAKER_03Uh yeah, well I mean I mean everything for me as far as like um what I'm doing. So I coached some little, like as I said in the last podcast, a local club team. So we're right in the middle of like we got our state meets coming up, we've got Southern Premier coming up in Atlanta, Georgia. So we're moving and grooving in that front. Um, but what I'm really looking forward to is kind of the break in between seasons that allows me to get on the road more. And so I have a couple speaking engagements, and um one of them is in Ohio, I'm going to basically work with all of the coaches from the YMCA and do a coach's clinic over a weekend. Um yeah, I'm really excited about the opportunity. Uh it's different, and I'm basically creating kind of the blueprint of how the clinic's gonna run and what they want to learn, and um, yeah, every coach that is of a YMCA team in the state of Ohio is invited to come to this, uh, which I think is is really cool. And um, yeah, then I'll round out uh March with I mean May with uh the College Slim Coaches Convention up in Chicago. Are you gonna be there?
SPEAKER_04No, I don't think so. Um I uh yeah, I got uh I think I may have mentioned this on I I don't know what podcast I mentioned, what things on anymore or what blogs or whatever. Um I uh I did just book a ticket yesterday, um headed out to Berkeley, California in April. So I'm gonna go watch what's going on there. I'm really, really excited about that. Um and uh uh I think I'm probably headed to Olympic trials. Um but I I haven't booked that plane ticket, although due to uh worldwide panic over a pandemic, I could make that plane ticket right now and uh wait get the change fee waived should I decide not to go. So I probably should just do it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Um to turn it around to you. Are you you think you're gonna watch any of the trials live in in Omaha?
SPEAKER_03Oh well, yeah, I'm not sure yet, because actually that's something that I was gonna maybe go with Trenton wear. Um and we're not sure whether we're gonna go as a company or not. We have uh some I don't know, some people are a little bit more concerned with the coronavirus than others and to each their own in that regard. But uh I'd like to go. Um I don't have any tickets or anything set up with that yet, but if I'm there, I will definitely let you know.
SPEAKER_04Okay. Well, Abby, it was great talking to you as well. Um uh again and and just being able to go over some of these things and uh mainly just share in the excitement of some of these swims. Uh good luck for you here as you finish up uh a short course season. Uh um uh good luck out in Ohio and um and good luck with those college coaches as well.
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, thank you. Thank you for having me again, and I'll talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_04Yep, talk to you. And that was that, folks. Thank you for listening, and thank you for continuing to support this podcast. As I noted there, uh I will be in Cleveland Wednesday through maybe Friday night, maybe Saturday morning of the um National Invitational Championship. So if uh you're a listener of the podcast and you want to come over and say hi, I always love to hear from people and uh don't be shy. Um but I will maybe wonder if uh you haven't liked one of these podcasts. But that that's either neither here nor there. Um for more great swimming conversations, go to chrisdcoach.com. That's C-H-R-I-S-D-S indesantiscoach.com, and uh I'll continue to give some updates on uh maybe what's going on in Denmark and positive psychology and everything in between. So uh continue to follow for that.