SwimFest 2010

Here we are in amazing San Diego... wish y'all were here! Today is the open water segment of SwimFest10. Venue is the La Jolla Shores which connects to the famous La Jolla Cove. I've been up and down the SoCal coast between SwimFest, The OpenWater Symposium in Long Beach and today will do it again. Well, with a stop in Mission Viejo for the LC Meet. Big swimming in SoCal this weekend. But the secretaries need to talk to eachother about scheduling next year!! Hear there will be some great video available from the event. No doubt since Ben Crisstofel is roaming the decks and shore.

Nice pics, Ahelee! Richmond's very own Jay Peluso started a blog about SwimFest (from a coach's perspective): forums.usms.org/blog.php He should be adding to it in the coming days. Hopefully other attendees can add their experiences either here in this thread, or in Jay's blog or one of their own.

And can 2011 be somewhere on the East Coast? It's a fantastic event, just wish it was a little closer. Since the first year was in the middle(ok, lower middle in texas) this year out west, it makes sense to be on the east coast next year.

Swimfest was an amazingly awesome experience!!! :applaud: Attending as a swimmer, I can tell you I learned so much and had an wonderful time doing so! The morning rotations were terrific. Being video taped and receiving immediate personal feedback, then being revideo taped was very helpful. Playing with all the FINIS toys was great. With the MP3 player attached, I was smiling from ear to ear! Learning to use the tempo trainer, which seemed impossible at first, was, once I actually got to use it, fantastic. I can't wait to "obey the beep" in future workouts! The dryland training, the starts and turns, and the talk by Gary Hall Sr, were also incredibly valuable. As if that were not enough, the best part for me was the wonderful, helpful on deck coaching. That was really invaluable. I'm sunburned, sore, and so very happy I went to Swimfest! I highly reccomend this to everyone. :cheerleader:

OMG Chris! Your sweet little puppy who looked like you - grew up while I was at SwimFest!

Just home late tonight to beautiful Simi Valley after spending 3 days with some of the most outstanding masters swim coaches in the world at SwimFest10 in San Diego. There are articles to write, videos to edit, and photos to POST! I'll do a few here tonight - more tomorrow. If you couldn't make it to SwimFest10 this year, I'm sorry. Lets' just say that USMS and it's Club Development group made huge strides in improving last year's model of SwimFest... and there were coaches all around gushing with ideas of how to do it even better next year! My 2-cents is... HOW DO WE DO A BETTER JOB AT GETTING LMSCs, CLUBS AND COACHES TO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF COACHES EDUCATION? AND ACTUALLY SEND THEIR COACHES TO SWIMFEST & ASCA'S WORLD CLINIC? Swimmers, I say its up to you. You pay the club & LMSC fees. You want better coaching. Demand it - Support it and you just might get - better coaching. My LMSC approved 20 travel stipends which literally covered a free weekend to attend the San Diego SwimFest10 Clinic for 1 coach from each of 20 clubs. 7 Clubs sent coaches. And we are one of the largest LMSCs in the country. And closest LMSC to the hosting LMSC San Diego who sent 1 single coach! I know I'm a bit of a swim geek, but this is a real frustration... TOTAL missed opportunity. There are so many coaches who would do anything to experience this literal swim coach's Disneyland. Hope I see you - or your coach in Indy for ASCA. SwimFest10 San Diego Photos: conejo-valley-masters.smugmug.com/.../12463107_w7t9i

OMG Chris! Your sweet little puppy who looked like you - grew up while I was at SwimFest! Physically grew up, maybe; he's 1.5 years old now. Mentally/emotionally? I don't know. Family went out to dinner and came back to a mostly-eaten cantaloupe (including rind and seeds) he had stolen off the kitchen counter. We didn't think he'd be interested in it, silly us...every time we think there are limits to what he'll eat, he proves us wrong. At least he has a cast-iron stomach.

My coach went and send back great reviews. No telling what pain she has in store for us as a result.

HOW DO WE DO A BETTER JOB AT GETTING LMSCs, CLUBS AND COACHES TO UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF COACHES EDUCATION? AND ACTUALLY SEND THEIR COACHES TO SWIMFEST & ASCA'S WORLD CLINIC? My coach has been missing the last few days... maybe he was at swimfest? Ahelee, did you see a guy walking around wearing a qbrain's coach look on his face? The look is a cross between glee and elation, at least when he is in CA and I am in TX :)

Swimfest was an amazingly awesome experience!!! :applaud: Attending as a swimmer, I can tell you I learned so much and had an wonderful time doing so! The morning rotations were terrific. Being video taped and receiving immediate personal feedback, then being revideo taped was very helpful. Playing with all the FINIS toys was great. With the MP3 player attached, I was smiling from ear to ear! Learning to use the tempo trainer, which seemed impossible at first, was, once I actually got to use it, fantastic. I can't wait to "obey the beep" in future workouts! The dryland training, the starts and turns, and the talk by Gary Hall Sr, were also incredibly valuable. As if that were not enough, the best part for me was the wonderful, helpful on deck coaching. That was really invaluable. I'm sunburned, sore, and so very happy I went to Swimfest! I highly reccomend this to everyone. :cheerleader: Definitely everything you said, Ricochet51! I too, am so glad I made the trip. What a great experience! I would like to attend the next one and asked Rob Butcher when and where it will be. He said he's not sure yet, but having regional SwimFests is being considered so that more people will have an opportunity to attend one. The Butterfly instruction from Gary Hall, Sr. was outstanding. For the first time in my life, I actually swam 25 yards of (real) Butterfly, and I repeated it this morning at the end of my morning workout. :D I made sure to thank him in person after the event was over. In one day, I learned what it would have taken me weeks to accomplish. A great big thanks to everyone at USMS who made SwimFest '10 happen! :applaud: You people rock! Here's a link to photos I posted on Flickr: www.flickr.com/.../