The Chase Down

The Chase Down. This occurs when the anchoring swimmer makes up the huge lead the opposing team has built by littering chasing them down and getting to the wall first. It is common knowledge that in any freestyle relay, there exists two aces in the requisite four man team. Of the two, one is known to be an elite freestyler, the other a complete wild card. Usually, either of these two are the ones chasing down the opponents and delivering that decisively dramatic win.

During my career, I was blessed to be part of two dramatic relay teams. The first one happened when I was in high school, competing in the 4x100 medley relay. Down by a considerable margin after the backstroke and breaststroke, I proved to be fast enough to catch up and overtake the opposing UP and UST swimmers in the butterfly. Our freestyler extended the lead and ultimately delivered the win (Incidentally, that win was the final gold medal for the Ateneo High School in 2005--the year of our first UAAP championship. It was only fitting that we ended the meet with such a dramatic yet dominant victory.)

The second one happened during my junior year in college back in 2009. It was in the 4x50 meters freestyle relay. I swam the lead off leg followed by Chem Ocampo, Jan Formalejo then our captain Jonas Ramos. I won't go into detail anymore about what happened. No words could truly describe the intensity and drama of that race even after you watch it over a hundred times. That said, here's the video. Sit back, relax and take part of the drama!

Hope you enjoyed that as much as we did!

Take Your Mark!

Time Away the Right Way

Swimming is a repetitive sport; the only way one will improve and get faster is by swimming lap after lap after lap. While speed variation spices up the monotony of workouts, staring at the black line on the pool floor for four hours a day will eventually drive one to complete boredom. When I was younger, I loved staring at that black line while I trained. As I grew older, probably around the same time girls, guitars and movies started piquing my interest, the monotony of swimming slowly got to me. I no longer enjoyed the sound of rushing water through my swimming cap as I sprinted full clip. Nor did I look forward to the restless yet satisfying after-training feeling after a gruesomely long workout. I started hating the unmerciful and unattached black line which seemed to enjoy watching me tire up and miss my target times. Slowly, I made excuses not to attend training to do what I do not normally do when I did train for four hours. I played basketball, read, studied, hung out with my friends and everything else not associated with swimming. Then, I walked away, telling myself that swimming was no longer for me and that I had accomplished all that I can possibly accomplish. But I was in grade school then; in retrospect, all that I said back then were the ramblings and excuses of an immature and scared schoolboy suffering from an extreme bout of inferiority complex. I vowed never to return to looking at the black line but lo and behold, not even six months after, I am again swimming and competing like never before.

When I talk to swimmers these days, even those who picked up the sport three or four years ago, I always notice a sense of weariness in their tone whenever we discuss their swimming progress. Though their reasons are varied ranging from not making the UAAP team or being in disfavor with the coaches, the monotony of swimming is usually the most important reason they leave unsaid.

Young sirs and misses, it is understandable that after a while, your interest in swimming suddenly plateaus. What was once fun and exciting now becomes work, repetitive and ultimately, unappealing. While you stop and wonder aloud what has happened to your once unyielding motivation to swim, you also wonder how some of your teammates, particularly those in the elite team, still find the endurance to perform what you now deem as the most uninviting sport ever created. As you wrestle with that riddle, whatever motivation you have left plummets leading you to miss more trainings and eventually, quitting the sport altogether.

When you feel that your motivation is waning and are no longer too enthused to train twice a day, my advice is simple. Get some time away from the pool and everything else that goes with it. Skip training, watch a movie, go out with your girlfriend or boyfriend, play your Xbox of PS3; do anything and everything not related to swimming. Before you go to bed, do not think about swimming. Do not even look at your gym back or swimming gear for this might store something in your sub-conscious which might surface when you are dreaming. Do this for three to five days straights and I guarantee you that come the fifth day, you will find yourself in the pool deck once more.

But of course, keep this time away within reason. Inform your coaches as much as possible. You do not have to tell them to truth but do not lie to them! That goes double with your teammates. It goes without saying that you do not do this in-season especially when you plan on taking five days off. In fact, taking time away should never cross your mind when you are preparing for the biggest and most important meet of the year. Do it during the off-season or right after said biggest meet. Take an extended rest holiday beyond the requisite rest period; prolong a week to two and spend the first resting and the second doing everything you have been deprived off during the season. Just do not get carried away. After all, you will be returning to the pool even if you tell yourself that you have no intention to. In my experience, what you say in front of people is totally different from what you say to yourself when you have lost all the motivation and reason to swim.

Every athlete needs a certain time away from his sport especially when the motivation is no longer there. If anything, time away puts things in perspective. Ultimately, this will allow you to re-ignite that burning passion to swim. In my case, before permanently retiring from competitive swimming last March, I walked away from the sport on two separate occasions. My reasons for quitting the first time are not the same as the second, to point a fact. However, what I can say is that the time I spent away from the pool--four months the first time, one year the second--made me realize just how much I loved the sport and how I was made to be swimmer. While it was difficult to swallow my pride and face the same crowd who I felt I betrayed when I hung my suits, not returning at all would have been a greater betrayal to myself. While the reintroduction was rough, I found that I was more passionate that time around. Like a long lost lover, I embraced swimming and fought hard not to let her go again. The result? Two years as an athletic scholar in high school and establishing new best times in college.

Young swimmers, everyone, even world-class swimmers go through the waning-of-motivation phase. They walk away but eventually, they find themselves returning more determined, inspired and motivated than ever. (Refer to my previous article if you want proof). So take some time off, by all means. Break out of your swimming-crazed schedule and try other things. Just remember to keep things within reason! As the ancient Greeks say, "everything in moderation."

Take Your Mark!

Love & Swimming: For Helena, From Eric

For Helena, From Eric

We wake up every extremely early morning

With the cool breeze, the sun not yet shinning,

When rest and sleep are still inviting.

Some consider this ludicrous, others simply revolting.

Still we get up and get squared away

To prepare for what we do four hours a day

No exceptions, even during a holiday--

On that matter, we rarely have a say.

Often, the water we swim in is cold

Yet, without hesitations, we plunge in before we're told

Not simply to avoid a coaches' scold;

Experience and nature made us completely bold.

While some are motivated by glory,

As others are driven by duty,

My motivations to swim I discuss rarely

Since it involves a lovely, fair lady.

This lady I cannot begin to describe;

Hers is a beauty radiating both in-and outside.

She does not know, to her never have I confide

That I struggle with emotions I dare not unhide.

She has enchanted me, body, soul and heart.

Is it possible that I am a victim of Cupid's dart?

Yet, as I do nothing, it may end before it's start;

Lost she will be; the lady whose beauty shames art.

She was the reason why I got up every morning;

The only reason I cared about thinking.

While I am no longer competitively swimming,

She'll always be mine as I dream while sleeping.

____________________________________________________________________

Take Your Mark!

Swimming & The Silver Screen: Pride (2007)

Pride (watch trailer) is a semi-biopic of charismatic swimming coach Jim Ellis.

Synopsis: Set in 1970s Philadelphia during the height of racial discrimination, Terrence Howard (Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes in Ironman) plays Jim Ellis, a fresh college graduate who finds himself struggling to find a teaching position despite his mathematics degree due to his being an African-American. Desperate and out of options, he takes a job at the local recreation center or "rec" assisting the grouchy but kind-hearted janitor Elston played by comedian Bernie Mac (Soul Men & Mr. 3000). Being a former competitive swimmer himself, Ellis cleans up the rec's swimming pool upon discovering its poorly maintained state. One day, a group of boys find that the rec's basketball hoop has been removed and soon discover that the rec center is closing down. Taking pity on the kids, Ellis allows them to swim inside on the condition that the kids do not fool around. When one of the elder boys takes Ellis' suggestion to "cup his hands when pulling so he'll swim faster" as an insult and challenges him to a race, Ellis nonchalantly outraces the boy, demonstrating his swimming prowess to the disbelief of the other kids. The kids quickly ask Ellis for some pointers and before anyone of them knew it, the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (PDR) Swim Team was born. After a rough first meet with an all-white swim team (coached by Tom Arnold) wherein PDR is soundly beaten and humiliated, the brash neophyte swimmers begin taking the sport seriously and dramatically improve under Ellis' stern but patient tutelage. Against all the odds, the kids eventually win the state championship by embodying PDR--Pride, Determination, Resilience.

Review: When I first watched Pride, the first thought that ran through my head was, "At last! A decent swimming movie!" I half expected that it would be like Coach Carter or Remember the Titans in a swimming pool but when the credits rolled, I was quite disappointed. Not at the story, let me make it clear. It was an underdog story first and foremost so the struggle-to-succeed tale was very much complementary to the turbulent 1970s setting. Not at the actors' performance, either. Terrence Howard gave a commendable performance though sometimes lacked the charisma Jim Ellis is known for. However, Howard's rolling thunder portrayal of Ellis was a breath of fresh air when Denzel Washington's larger than life Herman Boone of Remember the Titans as well as Samuel L. Jackson's authoritatively cool Coach Carter was becoming the status quo when portraying coaches. What I am disappointed at is how the swimming competitions and competitive swimming as a whole were depicted.

Some of the things which I had to shake my head in disbelief were the relays and the demeanor of the coaches. In the movie, the swimmers had to amass a certain number of team points through their individual events so that their team can qualify for the relays. Or should I say relay; the teams only swam the 4x50 freestyle relay. I would be so bold as to wager that maybe--just maybe--that was the case during the 1970s. But to someone who has swam more relays than individual events, that scenario is truly ludicrous. Other than the relays, the coaches', particularly Tom Arnold's, Bobby Knight-like antics were hilarious. Tom Arnold was barking orders and screaming like a madman as he followed his swimmer's races from the pool deck. That behavior would be helpful when your swimmer is racing distance but if he's sprinting, he can no more make out the gibberish you are saying than breathe underwater. Hollywood cinematography strikes again, I guess.

The Verdict: On a scale of A+ to F, I'll give this movie a solid B+ because it is purely about swimming. Nevermind the unrealistic rate of improvement the swimmers had or the barely passable stroke mechanics employed by these supposed elite swimmers on top of the two above. Swimming finally has some substantial screen time. Unlike most sports movies, Pride, sadly, does not make you want to pick up the sport when you step out of the cinema. (I remember feeling unenthused about attending 430 am training even after watching this). It does, however, leaves us with three qualities which every swimmer needs to embody in order to succeed--Pride, Determination, Resilience.

Next Swimming & The Silver Screen Movie Review: The Guardian

Take Your Mark!

25 Reasons Why You Should Date A Swimmer

To all the girls out there, here are some compelling reasons why you should date a swimmer, even a retired one at that!

1. We like it wet
2. We are used to wearing next to nothing in front of people
3. We are experts at putting on rubber and can do it fast
4. We know how to push it and work under HARD conditions
5. We believe practice makes perfect and will any time day or night
6. We are used to doing things till you cant go on any longer
7. Sprinters are fast and efficient. Distance swimmers can last a long time
8. We are always ready to dive in head first
9. We may get tired but never stop in the middle
10. We do it in the water
11. We start fast, stay strong, and finish hard
12. We are always wet and half naked
13. We are able to do it on our backs or our stomachs
14. We can do it fast or slow
15. We can do it 4 different ways
16. We know how to get dressed and undressed in no time
17. We are always improving our times
18. We are better when we put our hips into it
19. We have good endurance
20. We are not afraid of pain
21. We always finish what they start
22. We are always clean
23. We will flip for you in a second
24. The deeper we go the faster we get
25. We are always looking for the perfect stroke

Swimming Leadership

In every sport, every team always looks for a very good leader. A leader who everyone respects and has the ability to connect with his teammates, understanding them at a fundamental way. I do not pretend to understand or know the best qualities which make up a leader in a swim team. However, my experiences of being team captain has taught me a few things which made my job not as difficult as it should be.

To all the would-be leaders of their swim teams, sincerely hope that these points can be of help to you.

1. Know Yourself!
The most important quality of a leader is self-awareness; one's leadership style is hinged to one's personality. Knowing who you are and what makes you tick--your strengths and weaknesses--allows you to fashion your leadership style accordingly. In so doing, you will be yourself; you won't delude others into believing that you are someone you are not. Having good self-awareness creates credibility in the eyes of your teammates insofar as your character is concerned.

2. Know Your Teammates!
What good is a leader who does not have the faintest idea who his teammates are? How can he lead them if does not understand them? In the teams that I have been part of, very few of my team captains really saw to it that they knew my teammates and I beyond our nicknames. They respected and put up with our quirks and eccentricities to maintain team integrity. While we always had our disagreements, the respect between us swimmers and our captains was never put on jeopardy in any way. Our captains knew how we followed, simply put. This enabled them to lead us efficiently and effectively.

So know your teammates, guys. Understand them personally so it would be easier for you to motivate them. Find out where they are coming from so you can effectively communicate with the. It will be difficult but the benefits you will reap will be abundant in the end. '

3. Be Friendly with the Cliques; Don't be Part of Any!
In every team, there will always be cliques. Usually, there is the majority who influences and dominates the team. And of course, there is the minority which, for all intents and purposes, is the direct foil of the majority clique in every way. As much as cliques are almost mandatory in any team, captains do not have the luxury to be part of one. Impartiality when it comes to personal ties ensures that the leader is for and with his teammates. All of them. Not just a select few. That way, everyone will trust and respect you which, in turn, deters anyone from questioning or undermining your authority.

When my teammates elected me as captain, I was neither part nor intending to join any of the cliques within my team. To point a fact, I was pretty much on my own majority of the time though I occasionally yearned to be part of the team's inner social circles. While I did have a close group of friends within my team, I saw to it that I spent the same amount of time with each of my cliques and conducted myself in a manner conducive to be respected. It made things less difficult for me since everyone understood that my decisions did not favor a certain group of swimmers only. My teammates understood that my decisions were for the betterment of the entire team.

4. Be Better, Not Necessarily the Best!
Each team has its stars and superstars with the former being the faster, the latter being the fastest. As captain, you need not be the fastest or the superstar. Talent and swimming prowess alone does not determine the effectiveness of a leader. They are, however, an important driver to effective leadership in swimming. Simply put, you do not have to be fastest swimmer in the team or the most versatile. You do, however, ought to be one of the better swimmers; not the best but simply not the good either. This strengthens your credibility among his teammates especially when he intends to motivate them. After all, in sports, a lot of things are derived from and are hinged to one's athletic prowess including leadership.

I like to believe that when my teammates elected me, they greatly considered my skills as a swimmer as much as my character as my teammate. I was never the fastest nor greatest swimmer in all of the teams I joined and eventually led. But I was faster in the butterfly than most and was always among the faster freestylers . My teammates questioned how I handled things every now and again but never had they questioned my swimming skills or my complete dedication and devotion to them and the team. If I was to give my guess, perhaps this was why my teammates stuck it out with with my until my graduation. They allowed me to lead them because of my credibility in swimming as well as my integrity as a teammate.

5. In Every Occasion, Play Your Role!
In Filipino, my teacher calls this, "Astang Dalubhasa". In a sense, make your leadership qualities natural to you. Exude leadership even when you are not called to lead so that when you are, it is already part of you. This eliminates second guessing yourself because you act and react on instinct.

Leaders are often called to make the difficult decisions. In sports, captains are always asked to keep their teammates in line as well as motivating and inspiring the, to reach heights they never thought they could reach. As I said in number 2, motivation is easy when you know your teammates. But knowing them on a personal level may also hinder you from being stern when keeping them in line. Remember, the closeness of your relationship with your teammates should not restrain you from disciplining your teammates even if it means straining such ties. Friend or not, when a teammate commits an infraction against team rules, never hesitate to speak your mind and come down on them. Whether or not you use brutal honesty, constructive criticism or whatever disciplinary method, it is imperative to be the same disciplinarian-captain to every person in the your team. No exceptions.

If you will notice, credibility and integrity sums up swimming leadership. I have already given you guys five points on swimming leadership. But allow me just one more point; consider it a parting shot of sorts.

There is an age old saying that one must follow before he leads and one must lead as he follows. In my years as captain, I have learned something useful along those lines. When you are captain, lead your teammates by following your heart, your gut and what you think and feel is right. This is all anyone can ever ask from you, captain.

Take your mark!