I'm looking to gain more knowledge about sprint freestyle swimming. As an long retired distance freestyler I don't have a great deal of personal knowledge of how to swim the 50 or 100 freestyle. I've coached many sprint freestylers and I know that many of the best sprinters have what I would say an amazing strategy to their sprint swims. I am currently giving private lessons to many age groupers and high school swimmers and I've been explaining to them that some of the best sprinters in the world swim their 50 or 100 with more strategy than just the plain old thought of swimming "FAST".
I would very much appreciate any of you sprinters out there who would like to share your strategies for swimming these two events. I would love to be able to pass on some of this information, but I think many of us in the masters community could learn from some of you as well. I look forward to seeing some of the responses. Maybe I will try sprinting one day (LOL):rofl: .
Terry:
I learned most about the Spence bothers in the three excellent books that I have about Johnny Weismuller. There was a book called "Water Weissmuller" that I bought at the ISHOF store when I was there for the USMS Nationals in 1995. I will have to look and see who the author is when I get home tonight. When I was at the ISHOF store in 2002 after the YMCA Nationals, I bought the book "Weismuller Twice Hero" by David Fury that was published in 2001. I am not sure if you can get these books from ISHOF anymore but they are all excellent with all types of invaluable history. I know you can't get the American Crawl book easily but I have seen some out there. The newest book that I want to get came out a couple of years ago called "Tarzen My Father" written by his son and Walter Reed. Also when I went to the LC Nationals at Rutgers in 2003 as I was walking the halls I noticed a display in a trophy case that had detail stories of Walter Spence and his two brothers.
I never swam at Arden Hills but my friend Sally Guthrie grew up in Sacramento and knew all about the famous swimmers such as Debbie Meyer and Mike Burton. I actually got to talk to Debbie Meyer quite a bit at the World Meet this summer and did not know she was swimming in the meet because I did not know her new name which is Weber. I got her to sign several items and she was kinda of surprised that a lot of copies of the book "50 Meter Jungle" were still around and told me she signed several copies for people that were at the meet. She told me that Arden Hills Swim Club was still around but is a sad state today and nothing like it was when Sherm started the club. She told me they were using her name to promote the club without her expressed permission.
I visited Arden Hills after the World Meet and could not believe what it has turned into. I drove up to club and notice they had nothing but valet parking and the club house had nothing but marble floors. They had all these salons and shops in the clubhouse. I asked to see the pool and they said absolutely not. This is a club that is exclusive to members only and I would have to be a guest of a member just to see the pool and the Swimming room where all of the history of the club was. Sherm sold this fine historic swimming club and its turned into some giant spa with swimming and tennis for the wealthy. How sad because at one time it was a close rival to the Santa Clara Swim Club as far as Olympic Swimmers.
To not highjack this thread any further, I will bring up and old post to these threads that talks about other historical books about swimming.
Terry:
I learned most about the Spence bothers in the three excellent books that I have about Johnny Weismuller. There was a book called "Water Weissmuller" that I bought at the ISHOF store when I was there for the USMS Nationals in 1995. I will have to look and see who the author is when I get home tonight. When I was at the ISHOF store in 2002 after the YMCA Nationals, I bought the book "Weismuller Twice Hero" by David Fury that was published in 2001. I am not sure if you can get these books from ISHOF anymore but they are all excellent with all types of invaluable history. I know you can't get the American Crawl book easily but I have seen some out there. The newest book that I want to get came out a couple of years ago called "Tarzen My Father" written by his son and Walter Reed. Also when I went to the LC Nationals at Rutgers in 2003 as I was walking the halls I noticed a display in a trophy case that had detail stories of Walter Spence and his two brothers.
I never swam at Arden Hills but my friend Sally Guthrie grew up in Sacramento and knew all about the famous swimmers such as Debbie Meyer and Mike Burton. I actually got to talk to Debbie Meyer quite a bit at the World Meet this summer and did not know she was swimming in the meet because I did not know her new name which is Weber. I got her to sign several items and she was kinda of surprised that a lot of copies of the book "50 Meter Jungle" were still around and told me she signed several copies for people that were at the meet. She told me that Arden Hills Swim Club was still around but is a sad state today and nothing like it was when Sherm started the club. She told me they were using her name to promote the club without her expressed permission.
I visited Arden Hills after the World Meet and could not believe what it has turned into. I drove up to club and notice they had nothing but valet parking and the club house had nothing but marble floors. They had all these salons and shops in the clubhouse. I asked to see the pool and they said absolutely not. This is a club that is exclusive to members only and I would have to be a guest of a member just to see the pool and the Swimming room where all of the history of the club was. Sherm sold this fine historic swimming club and its turned into some giant spa with swimming and tennis for the wealthy. How sad because at one time it was a close rival to the Santa Clara Swim Club as far as Olympic Swimmers.
To not highjack this thread any further, I will bring up and old post to these threads that talks about other historical books about swimming.
