Interview(s) with the Champion(s)

To paraphrase *** Jochums: Those who strive, those who leave nothing on the table, those who take the risk will all be winners.......If you measure your performance by your preparation, and the physical and mental effort, you will never waiver from the truth of that performance......It's the way you undertake the journey that defines the champion...

My patience, willpower, and concentration are readily consumed by my attempts to catch flies with chop sticks.

Jonathan Thank you for your very generous comments. I gather you're a Canadian Master. Are you also a coach? It took me several years to accept responsibility for being headstrong and impolitic away from the pool. yep, is this yours? >·´¯`·.¸ .·´¯`·.> ¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·.>

Oh yeah. How does it feel to break a record? At least for me, an exhilaration I can't even describe. I floated on my back with a huge grin, reflecting on that decade of feeling clueless. But even that doesn't outstrip the exhilaration I felt swimming mano a mano with Bruce, inches apart, forearms and hips brushing most of the final 400 at Lake Placid, even while sort of knowing he'd pull away at the end. Terry, thanks for the recollection of your open water swim... That's something I'd like to hear more about from the members of this forum, I'd like to know about the best moments in swimming...

To paraphrase *** Jochums: Those who strive, those who leave nothing on the table, those who take the risk will all be winners.......If you measure your performance by your preparation, and the physical and mental effort, you will never waiver from the truth of that performance......It's the way you undertake the journey that defines the champion... I really like this quote...

I've won four USMS championships and broken USMS records on three occasions since turning 55 last year. All happened in open water and to be brutally honest I wouldn't have a prayer of doing either in pool events as I simply don't possess any natural speed, a source of great frustration my first 10 years as a swimmer. I got cut from my elementary school team at 12, failed to qualify for the NYC Catholic HS league championship as a 16 y.o. senior (however I did collect silver and bronze medals in the 400 and 200 free in the novice championship, swimming mainly against 9th graders) and failed to make a final as a 20 y.o. college swimmer in the NYC Metro Collegiate Championships (home of such powerhouses as CCNY, Lehman, Hunter, Brooklyn, Queens, Adelphi and St Francis Colleges). I started racing in open water that summer as a Jones Beach lifeguard and immediately experienced a sense of being "at home" that had eluded me in the pool. I've approached open water swimming as an exercise in problem solving, rather than physical conditioning, continually pursuing a more economical way to swim in chop, to navigate, to swim in packs, etc. I do most of my training in the pool (though I swim almost exclusively in OW four to five months a year) and my training goals in the pool have evolved from "being the hardest worker" in my teens to "finding the easiest way" to complete each set in my 50s. The most important lessons I've learned in my 50s have been how critical relaxation and integration are as you approach your "red line." Because "speed" in OW must be sustainable rather than sheer, those lessons have made quite a difference. When I broke my first USMS record, in the 2-mile cable swim at Charlottesville in July 06 (a race in which Chris Stevenson, an impressive OW swimmer, was first overall finisher or pretty darn close and broke the 40-44 record) my pace per 100 meters was only 1:28, which illustrates my point about speed not being a significant factor. Where speed does become a factor in that sort of race is when you find yourself in a closing sprint. This summer I improved my time for the 2-Mile from 47:00 to 46:20 (1:26/100m) but when I found myself in a flat-out race with Bruce Gianniny in the final 200m I got spanked. But I'm doing all I can to raise my game so I have a chance of breaking that record again. Oh yeah. How does it feel to break a record? At least for me, an exhilaration I can't even describe. I floated on my back with a huge grin, reflecting on that decade of feeling clueless. But even that doesn't outstrip the exhilaration I felt swimming mano a mano with Bruce, inches apart, forearms and hips brushing most of the final 400 at Lake Placid, even while sort of knowing he'd pull away at the end. I want to continue this Interview Post with Terry Laughlin next... Although, there is so much I want to ask everyone else, as I've really enjoyed your replies... We'll get to that, in time... First, let me start by saying, WAY TO GO, CHAMP!! What you've achieved can only be accomplished by a determined and exacting conscience, indeed, a lifetime of devotion and commitment to your sport; swimming. On top of your athletic endeavours, you've also pursued the inner world of swimming philosophy, and have produced pure exellence in that realm. Your contributions are an invaluable resource, and this opportunity for continued dialogue is a personal honour for me. There are a few questions I'd like to ask... If you were frustrated with the performances of your youth, was it the joy of the swim that kept you in the water? In the past, what is the hardest experience you encountered, and how/why did you resolve to overcome this? What do you enjoy most about teaching/coaching? What is your greatest memory as a coach? Thank you and Happy Swimming,