Thought it would be neat to share our stories about the best athlete we ever swam with. Note that it is not necessarily the fastest or best swimmer we have trained with.
The best athlete I ever trained with was a young man that showed up for my masters swim group. He was training to pass the test to be a Navy SEAL officer. Having graduated from a non-Naval Academy college, the standards for making the officers cut were tough. He was, however, a good prospect.
With no prior competitive swim background, he was able to get his 500 yard sidestroke down to a 7:30 in a matter of a few months. However, this was not the main thing that impressed me. It was the times/scores on his practice tests which I helped time him on.
Here is what he could do:
500 yard sidestroke swim: 7:30
8 minute rest
2 minutes of push-ups: # done was 112
2 minute rest
2 minutes of sit-ups: # done was 110
2 minute rest
max number of pull-ups (palms facing away from body): 25
8 minute rest
1.5 mile run done in combat boots and long pants: 9:05.
The guy was a machine. Speed, strength, endurance, and power. Doing 25 pull-ups shortly after a hard swim, pushups, and sit-ups was impressive! The young man decided not to pursue a career in the Navy but chose to stay near family. Last I heard he had started his own business and was doing well.
+1 on Olympian Radcliff. Great, personable guy out of the pool, and a brutal competitor in the water.
I lined up next to Dave for my first ever LCM 800 last spring. A couple months prior to the 800, I'd had good luck with my first ever SCY 500 pacing off a woman whom I knew to be a seasoned distance swimmer. I just stayed on her hip throughout, then was able to crank it up enough in the last 75 or so to pass her. I figured this strategy would serve me well for the 800, as Dave and I had similar seed times.
It worked like a dream, as Dave and I were basically in lock-step through about 700m, me just back at his hip. I cranked it up some after the 700 wall, and was a little surprised that I was still on his hip -- as opposed to pulling away -- at the 750 turn. No worries, though. "You're going down, old man," thought I at the turn (Dave is 74), and I poured on the coals I had left for the last 50.
At about 775m I realized I had a serious race on my hands, and I gave it all I had. At about 792m I realized I was not going to pass him. And I didn't.
Dave told me later he'd watched my 500 race, and figured I'd try to do the same with him, so he was watching and waiting for my big push at the end.
Great competitor. We still laugh about that race, too. Or at least he does.
+1 on Olympian Radcliff. Great, personable guy out of the pool, and a brutal competitor in the water.
I lined up next to Dave for my first ever LCM 800 last spring. A couple months prior to the 800, I'd had good luck with my first ever SCY 500 pacing off a woman whom I knew to be a seasoned distance swimmer. I just stayed on her hip throughout, then was able to crank it up enough in the last 75 or so to pass her. I figured this strategy would serve me well for the 800, as Dave and I had similar seed times.
It worked like a dream, as Dave and I were basically in lock-step through about 700m, me just back at his hip. I cranked it up some after the 700 wall, and was a little surprised that I was still on his hip -- as opposed to pulling away -- at the 750 turn. No worries, though. "You're going down, old man," thought I at the turn (Dave is 74), and I poured on the coals I had left for the last 50.
At about 775m I realized I had a serious race on my hands, and I gave it all I had. At about 792m I realized I was not going to pass him. And I didn't.
Dave told me later he'd watched my 500 race, and figured I'd try to do the same with him, so he was watching and waiting for my big push at the end.
Great competitor. We still laugh about that race, too. Or at least he does.
