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.
Parents
Former Member
...but I'd challenge everyone to think of someone who can do something well other than swim.
One of my teammates, Mike, taught Gale Sayers how to swim. Mike swam for the University of Kansas and back then swimming was a required course - even for swim team members. The first day of class, Mike tried to talk the instructor into letting him "quiz out" since he could obviously swim. The instructor said, "No, I have a special assignment for you. You're going to teach him how to swim," as he pointed toward one of the other students. It was Gale Sayers.
(For you youngsters, Sayers was a star running back at KU, considered by many to be the greatest open field runner in college football history. He went on to play for the Chicago Bears where he set many NFL records. He was also one of the subjects of the movie "Brian's Song". See his Wikipedia page)
Sayers (and Mike) both successfully passed the swim course when Sayers successfully completed his 20-yard swim. According to Mike, football players don't make the best swimmers. Sayers had so much muscle mass that he struggled to stay afloat.
...but I'd challenge everyone to think of someone who can do something well other than swim.
One of my teammates, Mike, taught Gale Sayers how to swim. Mike swam for the University of Kansas and back then swimming was a required course - even for swim team members. The first day of class, Mike tried to talk the instructor into letting him "quiz out" since he could obviously swim. The instructor said, "No, I have a special assignment for you. You're going to teach him how to swim," as he pointed toward one of the other students. It was Gale Sayers.
(For you youngsters, Sayers was a star running back at KU, considered by many to be the greatest open field runner in college football history. He went on to play for the Chicago Bears where he set many NFL records. He was also one of the subjects of the movie "Brian's Song". See his Wikipedia page)
Sayers (and Mike) both successfully passed the swim course when Sayers successfully completed his 20-yard swim. According to Mike, football players don't make the best swimmers. Sayers had so much muscle mass that he struggled to stay afloat.
