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.
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.
Hi,
Since everyone else thinks athlete=swimmer, I'll nominate my partner, Kari Bachman, as the best athlete I have ever swum with.
Most swimmers that I know can't run. They don't have much dryland coordination or depth perception (part of being and aquatic animal). There are exceptions as usual, but very few excel in other sports. Shelia Tamornina (sp) is the exception and may be the best swimmer/athlete.
I give credit to the swimmers that others have cited, but from my perspective, swimming is just one sport. To be a really great athlete, you have to demonstrate excellence in more than one sport. And I think that is Elise's point.
We have a little race in New Mexico that happens every March. It's called the Bataan Death March and it celebrates the survivors of the March. Our little race is nothing compared to what the survivors went through on the march and afterwards - nothing!
To begin, the event is a certified 26.2 mile marathon on mostly sandy roads. It starts at 4000 feet and climbs to about 6000 feet. The first 8 miles are flat, then there is the climb to the peak of Mineral Hill (about 10 miles uphill), with a shorter up and down portion to the sandpit. It is 800 meters of ankle deep sand that is uphill. Once you get past the sand pit, its about 7 miles of rolling hills to the finish.
I've done four of them and finished in the light category. I have yet to place, but I'm very proud that I finished.
Why do I nominate my partner, Kari Bachman, as the best athlete I ever swam with?
They have a heavy category for the Bataan Death March. You carry a 35 pound weighted backpack (weighed before and after the finish) plus water and food. If you have every backpacked, you know how your legs, back and shoulders feel after hiking a few miles with a load. Just think of how you would feel after running 26.2?
She has won three women's heavy titles and the amazing thing is that she is only 120 lbs and 5'7". I've seen some pretty tough guys and gals on the course: Rangers, AF Special Ops (Hurlburt),British Commandos and Navy Seals on the course and she has beaten them to the finish. A lot of people start, but not everyone finishes.
Because she hurt her knee, she has started swimming. Not surprisingly, she is a distance swimmer. No age group, no high school, no college swimming experience. In her mid 40's, she has been ranked in the USMS SCM top ten and is only getting stronger.
In my mind, she is the best athlete that I have ever had the honor of swimming with.
Kindly,
Philipp
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.
Hi,
Since everyone else thinks athlete=swimmer, I'll nominate my partner, Kari Bachman, as the best athlete I have ever swum with.
Most swimmers that I know can't run. They don't have much dryland coordination or depth perception (part of being and aquatic animal). There are exceptions as usual, but very few excel in other sports. Shelia Tamornina (sp) is the exception and may be the best swimmer/athlete.
I give credit to the swimmers that others have cited, but from my perspective, swimming is just one sport. To be a really great athlete, you have to demonstrate excellence in more than one sport. And I think that is Elise's point.
We have a little race in New Mexico that happens every March. It's called the Bataan Death March and it celebrates the survivors of the March. Our little race is nothing compared to what the survivors went through on the march and afterwards - nothing!
To begin, the event is a certified 26.2 mile marathon on mostly sandy roads. It starts at 4000 feet and climbs to about 6000 feet. The first 8 miles are flat, then there is the climb to the peak of Mineral Hill (about 10 miles uphill), with a shorter up and down portion to the sandpit. It is 800 meters of ankle deep sand that is uphill. Once you get past the sand pit, its about 7 miles of rolling hills to the finish.
I've done four of them and finished in the light category. I have yet to place, but I'm very proud that I finished.
Why do I nominate my partner, Kari Bachman, as the best athlete I ever swam with?
They have a heavy category for the Bataan Death March. You carry a 35 pound weighted backpack (weighed before and after the finish) plus water and food. If you have every backpacked, you know how your legs, back and shoulders feel after hiking a few miles with a load. Just think of how you would feel after running 26.2?
She has won three women's heavy titles and the amazing thing is that she is only 120 lbs and 5'7". I've seen some pretty tough guys and gals on the course: Rangers, AF Special Ops (Hurlburt),British Commandos and Navy Seals on the course and she has beaten them to the finish. A lot of people start, but not everyone finishes.
Because she hurt her knee, she has started swimming. Not surprisingly, she is a distance swimmer. No age group, no high school, no college swimming experience. In her mid 40's, she has been ranked in the USMS SCM top ten and is only getting stronger.
In my mind, she is the best athlete that I have ever had the honor of swimming with.
Kindly,
Philipp
