Michael Ross sets 5 National Records at Colonies Zones
Former Member
All Results
www.patriotmasters.org/.../index.htm
Event 16 Men 40-44 200 Yard IM
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ZONE: Z 2:03.06 4/2/2000 Greg Oxley
NATL: ! 1:55.82 5/4/2008 ROQUE SANTOS
Name Age Team Seed Finals Points
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1 Ross, Michael 41 MESC 1:55.15 1:51.85! 9
23.80 50.97 (27.17)
1:24.54 (33.57) 1:51.85 (27.31)
Event 24 Men 40-44 50 Yard Backstroke
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ZONE: Z 24.45 4/13/2008 Chris Stevenson, VMST-VA
NATL: ! 23.19 5/4/2008 MICHAEL ROSS
Name Age Team Seed Finals Points
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1 Ross, Michael 41 MESC 22.99 22.77! 9
Event 42 Men 40-44 50 Yard Butterfly
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ZONE: Z 23.72 4/12/2008 Steve Hiltabiddle, UNAT-NJ
NATL: ! 22.82 5/4/2008 STEVE HILTABIDDLE
Name Age Team Seed Finals Points
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1 Ross, Michael 41 MESC 23.02 22.61! 9
Event 48 Men 40-44 100 Yard Backstroke
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ZONE: Z 51.88 4/13/2008 Chris Stevenson, VMST-VA
NATL: ! 49.40 5/4/2008 MICHAEL ROSS
Name Age Team Seed Finals Points
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1 Ross, Michael 41 MESC 49.40 48.49! 9
23.41 48.49 (25.08)
Event 52 Men 40-44 50 Yard Freestyle
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ZONE: Z 21.78 4/21/2002 Michael Fell
NATL: ! 20.95 4/25/2004 PAUL SMITH
Name Age Team Seed Finals Points
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1 Ross, Michael 41 MESC 21.25 20.84! 9
For those of us who weren't fortunate enough to be there, is there any video?
I wasn't at the meet so I don't know whether there is a video of Mike's (or anyone else's) swims. I suspect so.
But Jeff Roddin taped our 100 back race at SCM Zones in Rutgers and just sent a copy down with Dave Holland. I've uploaded it to YouTube; enjoy.
YouTube - Ross and Stevenson 100 back Rutgers
Yes, I am proud to say that I swam for Rob Orr at Princeton.
I can do all the strokes. All THREE strokes, that is. ;) I tell the kids that I coach that I don't BELIEVE in the breaststroke. I have heard that it exists and that there are grainy videos of it, but I doubt its existence.
I didn't do very much IM after high school because of my inability to do breaststroke. In college, I swam the 100 Back and the 200 free. I trained for the 500 and swam it, but it wasn't the race that I identified with, so I swam it reluctantly.
I have started to do the breaststroke in recent years because I was feeling like a hypocrite when I was coaching, asking the kids to work on their weak strokes when I was unwilling to work on mine. I am starting out slow, one 50 at a time.
Paul, I will post some occasional workouts. Roque Santos has been trying to bait me into swimming the 400 IM, but I am too smart for his tricks. The 500? Oof, I tried that in my first years back and I still sting from the experience.
Leslie, as for outside training, I don't do a lot. I intend to do more and have been discussing with Mr. Schmidt a plan whereby I will swim less on my recovery days and increase my strength training. At the moment, I do an hour routine 2 times a week with an instructor friend of mine. I call the routine a "core" routine, but that is not completely accurate. The workouts are directed at improving my weaknesses and give me more mobility and speed. It is tough to describe. I will post sometime with more specifics.
% kicking? The straight answer is less than 10%, but that is misleading. First, I kick with a 6 beat kick in every set, even breaststroke ;). Second, I try to add elements to my workouts where I dolphin kick off the turns, so even though the set may say 6x100's free on 6 minutes, there is really an implied directive "with 6 dolphin kicks off each wall".
Kicking is a "pride" for me, so I enjoy kick sets, but most of my kick sets these days are designed to help me find a more efficient kick. For instance, 6x50 dolphin kick on back, 3 with fins, 3 without. 1+4 are a with large amplitude, 2+5 are very tight amplitude and 3+6 are somewhere in the middle.
Mike - I am Mark Nieuwenhuis (21.13 50 Free). You are seriously one yeck of a talent. I was hopeing to break that 50 Free record next year but thanks to your swim I am gong to have to dig a little deeper. I really wish I could get the training time in the pool but due to work and family it's a stretch to get 2-3 workout a week 3 months before a shaved meet. I really think this year I am going to try swim thru the entire year. I am sure it will help my 100 and maybe give me a little more in the 50. This will be my 3rd year back and feel I have a lot more speed. I would love for you to post some of your workouts. This will help me with some ideas.
Take care and again congratulations on your swim...AWSOME
Thanks you. These are very kind words.
I feel guilty that I don't blog, but I feel like I would be adding another hobby to an already long list. I don't mean to be secretive.
Ande is partially right. No, not about the Dara analogies - Dara is really in a league of her own. He's right, her 50 IS like a guy doing an 18 or 19 in yards.
I try to train often, aiming for 6 days a week and I try not to take off time between seasons. I do try to swim fast, frequently. There is some sprinting in every workout.
Training far? Not by some standards. I train between 3000 and 4500, probably averaging 3300 per workout. Training hard? Probably not by most standards. Most of my training is low aerobic (E1 or 65% of max heartrate) and the rest is high-intensity anaerobic - things like 6x100s all out on 5-6 minutes or 8x50's all out on long rest.
Mike Schmidt from Maine Masters is really the brains behind my training. He has been writing me workouts since we first met at Savannah a few summers ago. Schmidt is a smart guy who learned to be curious about swimming from Ernie Maglischo. By the way, if anyone is in contact with Ernie, please tell him that at least one master swimmer owes him a great deal of thanks. Ernie's book, Swimming Fastest, has answered enumerable questions that I have had and I recommend it to all.
