New Opportunity

Quote of the Day

My father said there were two kinds of people
in the world: givers and takers. The takers
may eat better, but the givers sleep better.



Margaret Julia “Marlo” Thomas

FloSwimming - North Carolina State

Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones appears in today's FloSwimming video.  He is one of Team USA's fastest sprinters of all time.

Jones swam for NC State (2003-06) before teaming with Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, and Jason Lezak for their famous 400 free relay gold in the 2008 Beijing Games.


2008 Beijing Olympics Swimming Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final from Meazza on Vimeo.

Assistant Bobby Guntoro is one of our country's top coaches and could be a very successful head coach anywhere!

Note the high tempo on their dry-land exercises.  You should be working that way OYO!

I really, really like the hands behind the back practice starts!  Gives added importance to leg drive, right?  We will steal borrow that!

Note the straight-arm windmill freestyle sprinting.  That didn't happen overnight.  We'd like to see everyone progress throughout the season from "last 5 yards" to "last 10 yards" to "last 15 yards", at a minimum.

Today's suggestion:

Quote of the Day

Your present circumstances don't

determine where you can go, they

merely determine where you start.

via Randy Gage

Nido Qubein

A Pail of Air

First, get your morning workout in!

By now, you've gotten into a great routine and are getting fitter by the day, right?

I may have first read the short story A Pail of Air about fifty years ago.

I thought of it this morning, after weeks of hearing things like:

• ...the new normal...,
• ...out of an abundance of caution...,
• ...the lock down continues..., &
• ...a light at the end of the tunnel...

Relax!  This isn't the "new normal," nor is the "lock down" going to continue forever.

Yes, there is a "light at the end of the tunnel."

The free version (thanks to Project Gutenberg) is here

"You know that game we sometimes play, sitting in a square
in the Nest, tossing a ball around? Courage is like a ball, son.
A person can hold it only so long, and then he's got to toss
it to someone else. When it's tossed your way, you've got
to catch it and hold it tight—and hope there'll be someone
else to toss it to when you get tired of being brave."

Quote of the Day

Youngsters in Little League can survive under-
coaching a lot better than over-coaching.



William Howard "Willie" Mays, Jr.

FloSwimming - University of Southern California

via The New York Times

Head coach Dave Salo recently retired as head coach of the USC Trojans, but plans to continue coaching his club program.  Salo's body of work as a coach is tremendous and includes numerous world record setters/Olympic gold medalists, including Rebecca Soni and Jason Lezak.

Salo is one of the smartest coaches in our sport.  His workouts are unconventional.  I have stolen borrowed plenty of his sets in the past and hope he continues posting workouts on his Twitter feed!

Catherine (Vogt) Kase is the open water head coach for Team USA.  She has coached open water swimmers in numerous international competitions including Pan Am Games, Pan Pac Games, World Champs, & the Olympics.

Quote of the Day

Don't feel entitled to anything you

didn't sweat and struggle for.

Marian Wright Edelman

FloSwimming - Alabama

Head Coach Denny Pursley was a very high-profile coach before announcing his retirement last year.

He coached at powerhouse club programs in Louisville (Lakeside Swim Club) and Cincinnati (Pepsi Marlins) before working with Olympians in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and the United States.

He became the National Team Director for Team USA in 1989.  Pursley spent the last six (6) years of his coaching career at Alabama.

As a swimmer, Associate Coach Jonty Skinner (Alabama/Team South Africa) broke the world record in the 100 LCM free in 1976 (:49.44).

In addition to his work at Alabama, Skinner put in fifteen (15) years working with Team USA at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  He wrapped up his career as an assistant at Indiana University, retiring earlier this year.

Quote of the Day

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who

did nothing because he could do only a little.

via Acton Institute

Edmund Burke

FloSwimming - Arizona State

Former Arizona State athletic director Lisa Love tried to cut men's swimming back in 2008.  Athletes, coaches, and alumni fought hard to keep the program alive.

Taking over as men's and women's head coach in 2015, Bob Bowman has helped bring ASU swimming back from the brink.  You've heard of Bowman, right?  Coach of superstars Michael Phelps & Allison Schmitt?

Assistant Misty Hyman (Stanford/Team USA) won a gold medal in the 200 butterfly in the 2000 Sydney Games, upsetting Australian Susie O'Neill on her home turf.  Misty is no longer with the Arizona State program.

Quote of the Day

In three words I can sum up everything

I've learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Lee Frost

More Jumping Rope

Monday's suggestion was a short beginner jump rope workout.  It was a ten-minute mix of jumping rope and body weight exercises.

Next up is a sixteen-minute workout.  It's not only longer, but there are tougher exercises and less rest.

Up for a challenge?

Today's suggestion:

Quote of the Day

You are meant to play the ball as it lies,

a fact that may help to touch on your

own objective approach to life.

Henry Grantland Rice

FloSwimming - Kentucky

FloSwimming ran a series of "Workout Wednesday" features a few years ago.

Most feature a combination of dry-land and in-the-water training.

As you watch each video, I hope you'll be able to both take away something new that you/we should try.

Also, look for the similarities in what these programs do and what we do.

Lars Jorgensen (Tennessee/Team USA) was a distance swimming standout as an athlete.  As a head coach in Lexington, he's been turning around the once-mediocre Kentucky program these past few years.

Today's suggestion:


As with IU (see Lily King post), facilities are much nicer than when the ISU Sycamores raced there!