5 Things Varsity Swimmers Need to Know & Understand

Ever since I entered college, I noticed that most swimmers younger than myself (as well as a certain number of senior swimmers) seemed to have developed amnesia with regard to the fundamental responsibilities of a swimmer. Well, amnesia may not be the right word to describe it since I do not think most of them were ever told that such responsibilities existed. But I did hope that they would have deduced such realities after a few years of swimming varsity. 

In either case, I think it is time that young swimmers are reminded of the things below. It would be such a pity if you guys do not put to memory and, more importantly, understand them. Trust me--these five things will help in the long run.

1. Not all the time should the Student come before the Athlete.

We have heard it all before in Coach Carter. "These kids are student-athletes. Student comes first," as Samuel L. Jackson eloquently phrased it. I am not disputing this. It is the obligation of every varsity swimmer--or athlete for that matter--to prioritize his education over his athletics. After all, turning professional is not an option for a Filipino swimmer for obvious reasons.

However, I have seen swimmers using the student-athlete excuse to chronically skip training. Kids, prioritizing academics over athletics does not mean forsaking your swimming obligations altogether. Prioritizing means striking a manageable balance between studying and swimming. The life of a student-athlete is hard to put it mildly. And while your coach, captain and/or teammates allow you certain latitude to skip training in order to study, please be reminded that you have voluntarily joined the team. Meaning to say, you accepted the difficult, complex and sacrifice-ridden life of a student-athlete in all its entirety; you embraced all of a varsity swimmer's responsibilities and obligations with open arms when you joined the team after passing try-outs. Let me stress it again; You joined to team voluntarily. No one forced or coerced you.

Except for certain unavoidable occasions, never use academics to skip team activities such as training and meets. Everyone, even the brightest, of your teammates is experiencing the same amount of difficulty you are going through so you have absolutely no right to complain or give excuses. And while you will have to skip athletic commitments for academic obligations, there will come a time wherein you ought to do the reverse. Whether it be cutting classes for meets, taking exams earlier or even load-reving from a class of the best teacher to the class of the terror teacher since the former coincides with training, you will have to see these through.

Boys and girls, sacrifices go both ways. So keep the student before the athlete alright; just do not be too uptight about it.

2. Listen to and RESPECT  your coach.

Integral to swimming success is your relationship with your coach and/or coaches. We all desire to have the perfect coach--one who is always understanding of our shortcomings and will never give sets we cannot accomplish. As lofty as such dreams are, we know that we rarely encounter such coaches. Often we get the composite coach--the combination of the dreaded one and the benevolent one in certain aspects of his personality. But of course, relationships with our coaches are dynamic.

In the team I came from, I am honestly astounded by how younger swimmers view our coaches. Most of the time, I had to restrain myself from coming down on numerous youngsters because their attitude  toward our coaches are downright disrespectful. While most of my teammates dismiss such attitudes as childish behaviors of, well, children, I cannot reconcile such things as gentlemanly, Atenean even. And let us not even begin to discuss the online social network bashing...

Guys, RESPECT ALL YOUR COACHES! You are allowed to have favorite coaches in as much as coaches are allowed to have favorite swimmers. That is a fact of any athlete's life. But respect your coaches indiscriminately nonetheless. You may not like them but you have to respect them, for their authority if not anything else. 

Keep in mind that your coaches (well most of them) only want what is best for you. They are hard on you because they believe that you can become a better person through sports.

Do not be scared if your coach comes down on you. Not too much anyway because that is a sign that he still wants to push you; that he still believes in you! Be scared when he ignores you completely. That is an indication of a total loss of confidence and trust. Believe me, I know.

However, if you really cannot swim for a coach you do not like and cannot bring yourself to respect in any way possible, find another one who you will swim for. There is nothing wrong about that. In fact, I highly recommend it. 

3. Never mind that no one watches your meets or even cares that you are a varsity swimmer.
Coming from a school whose administration, faculty and staff absolutely worships basketball and football as much as the student body, I understand completely why grade school, high school and college swimmers are very much frustrated when their achievements go unnoticed. Imagine swimming for your school for four grueling days trying to win a team championship by winning individual medals and breaking records without receiving so much as a thank you for your efforts regardless of the end result.  Would not you feel upset, frustrated even angry at that?  And when you hoist up your trophy at the end of the day, you do not even see the direct representatives of the student body--the varsity cheerleaders--because they are off at Araneta cheering for the basketball team full force. Get my point?  (For my opinions about the aforementioned, click Burst My Babble Part 1 and Burst My Babble Part 2)

In my years of swimming for my school, I have learned that while such a reality is dreadful, you are setting yourself for more than you can possibly imagine if you dwell on it too much. Lobby hard  and fight for the recognition you deserve and do it the right way. Other than that, just swim. Leave it out on the pool because at the end of the day, your achievements are only as important as what you make them regardless if your school recognizes your or not. 

For you grade schoolers, take it from me. Do not quit swimming to shift to the popular sports so that your peers will regard you as an athlete. You are an athlete, young man! And trust me, while your basketball batchmates bask in limelight now, their numbers will dwindle with every year level you progress since there are fewer and fewer leagues wherein basketball teams can play in high school and only the UAAP division in college. Only a few of them are good enough to make it to the UAAP Seniors Division so come college, the only league you will see these guys is the IAC (kind of like your Intrams in grade school). But if you stick it out with swimming, chances are you will still be enjoying the perks of a varsity member in college. (If you are wondering what some of the perks are, well, Ateneo College is co-ed!)

Here's another food for thought. While your basketball batchmates only play in one league be it PAYA, PRADA, PSBL and the like, you will be swimming in all of them! So technically, you are a member of at least two teams! How's that!

So keep swimming, young men. Keep staring at that emotionless black line and endure the proverbial chlorine-smell and tan lines. It will all be worth it in more ways that you will ever expect.

4. Competing does not start and end with the meet.
During my time as team captain for the college team, I cannot remember a time wherein I did not stress this. The competition does not start and end with the meet; it begins the moment you wake up everyday and will only end once you finally hang up your swimming gear. Competitive swimming is a consummate sport. The key to success is to keep swimming even when you are not swimming.

But how do you swim without swimming? Easy. By going the extra mile. Apply Magis in your sport! In my experiences, you accomplish a lot of your technique improvements and stroke corrections when you are not swimming. In every waking second, think about what will make you stronger, faster and better. Be as cerebral as you possibly can out of the pool because when you are racing, more often than not, your instincts take over. Also, take advantage of technology! Watch Youtube videos of the legends like Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Ryan Lochte, Grant Hackett, Kosuke Kitajima and other elite swimmers to learn from them and see what you can possibly adapt.  

Guys, never believe anyone who tells you that you need only to defeat your opponents during competitions. That is a total misconception. While the goal is to defeat your opponents during meets, the only way to do so is by defeating him in every aspect of the sport. It is true that you do not control what your rivals do but regardless, make sure that your goal is to outwork him in training by acting as if you are already competing. Outsmart him by eating the right food. Overpower him by religiously attending gym and land training sessions before pool workouts. But as creative and as unorthodox as possible!

5. Enjoy every second of swimming; have as much fun as you can.
Enjoy swimming as much as you can, young ones. Swim every swim as if it is your last and enjoy the company of your teammates as much as you possibly can. As amazing as life is, it is also unforgivingly unpredictable. So love swimming, even if she plays hard-to-get.

A word of warning though. As much as I advocate having fun, please keep them in the proper perspective and in line. When it is time to get serious, do not fool around. Focus your attention at the task at hand and have fun afterward, once you and your teammates finish the set. Surviving hellacious sets are always fun and entertaining to look back on. Especially when one of your teammates is a sport when he is the butt of all the innocent ribbing and jokes!

Boys and girls, I hope that these five things are clear enough. If you have any questions or concerns, never hesitate to leave a comment!

Take Your Mark!

Team USS: The First Member

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I might feature swimmers who are truly unsung swim stars. To be perfectly honest, I know a lot of swimmers who deserve the title more than I do (I just claimed it before anyone else did). After much debate, I have finally decided to feature someone who deserves recognition for his achievements! 

This student-athlete will be the first member of what I like to call Team Unsung Swim Stars or Team USS. Early next month, get to know this inaugural member and standout swimmer. Read about his swimming story, motivations and future goals. Learn his favorite swimming moment and what he aspires to be when he finally hangs up his suits. And, if he is willing to share them, discover things which he keeps personal. 

Check back in a couple of weeks to find out who the first member of Team USS is!

Take Your Mark!


To find out more about Team USS click on the properly labelled tab above or here.

Swimming & The Silver Screen: The Covenant

Click here to watch the trailer.

Synopsis: The Covenant is a supernatural action film involving the fictional Sons of Ipswitch. To their peers,  Caleb Danvers (Steven Strait), Pogue Perry (Taylor Kitsch), Reid Garwin (Toby Hemingway) and Tyler Simms (Chace Crawford) are merely best friends who treat each other as brothers. Hailing from old-rich families, the four attend Spencer Academy and are the standout swimmers in the varsity. What most do not know is that they are descendants of an ancient bloodline of warlocks who have limitless powers both unnatural and supernatural. Once they "Ascend" on their 18th birthday, they gain more potent magical abilities than what they already wield. However, use of these powers ages them rapidly, a terrible price they must pay if they overindulge in their extremely powerful and seductive magical abilities. When the last surviving descendant of the fifth family suddenly emerges and seeks vengeance, it is left to Caleb, the oldest and most powerful of the four to defend his brothers and ensure the survival and secrecy of their Covenant.

Review: Injecting my swimming review in this movie is pretty simple. As mentioned earlier, all four main characters as well as the antagonist are the elite swimmers of their school. While the crew uses actual swimmers as doubles, the swimming scenes, particularly the Caleb-Chase freestyle showdown is quite believable and realistic. If it were really Steven Strait and Sebastian Stan actually swimming in that scene then kudos to them. Their stroke mechanics and technique were convincing performances for elite swimmers they are supposedly portraying. However, the butterfly race of Taylor Kitsch is what irks me that most. When Taylor swims the fly, he takes his first stroke arms straight at the recovery phase. However, when the shot sis focused, Taylor has bent elbows when recovering. To the untrained eye, this difference is uncatchable. However, too bad for them, I was a butterflier so the differences stood out in my eyes.

The Verdict: I'll give this movie a C for giving swimming its due but failing to deliver a climax the audience deserves after a relatively good rising action. Minus the butterfly race, the time trial scene captured the intensity of an actual race complemented by believable swims of the two actors. As for the movie itself, well, it could have been better. The story suffers from numerous plot holes and was a bit anti-climatic with regard to its final warlock duel between Caleb and Chase. I expected to see all four brothers fight against their enemy in a fantastic magical battle of epic proportion. But, of course, it was not meant to be. However, the build up to the climax is truly worth seeing and more than compensates for its lackluster ending. 

Overall, The Covenant is one of those bad movies you might and most probably will add to your guilty pleasures list. It is a fast-paced, no brainer supernatural film you can enjoy for its simplicity and eye-candy actors and actresses.

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!

Swimming & The Silver Screen: The Guardian

The Guardian (watch trailer here)

Synopsis: Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves) and Ashton Kutcher (Dude, Where's My Car?) star in this drama about the United States Coast Guard's elite rescue swimmers. Costner plays Senior Chief Ben Randall, a highly decorated and seasoned rescue swimmer who, after a tragic mission, is assigned to be lead instructor in the USCG's Aviation Survival Technician Program (A School). It is in A-School where Randall encounters Jake Fischer (Kutcher), a former high school swimming standout who is easily the most promising candidate in the program. Despite Fischer's arrogant bravado, he too is running from a tragic past which, eventually, serves as a common ground between himself and his no non-sense instructor. After a rocky start, the two eventually get along with the mentor finally showing the student what it truly means to be a hero.

Review: Like Pride, swimming takes center stage. Granted, it is not the sport per se but swimming does get exposure in as much as it is a life saving skill. While the body doubles for Costner and Kutcher were easily spotted at times, the masking of such doubles were well done in a sense that you will only notice it if you look very closely or employ the freeze frame technique. However, the movie suffers from what I would like to call "Ambivalent Protagonists". While the story intends that the viewers follow the constant shifting of point-of-views between Randall and Fischer, you can never really tell who exactly to follow. It takes an incredible amount of effort to try to understand what the characters are going through; once the POV shifts, it is almost impossible to pick up the development when it returns. There are no moments wherein one can transition effortlessly from Randall to Fischer and vice versa.

The Verdict: I'll give The Guardian a grade of C. It makes a valiant effort to depict the trials and struggles experienced by USGC Rescue Swimmers as they put their lives on the line "so that others may live". The swimming scenes themselves were nicely done in a sense that the doubles were not mistakenly revealed to the audience (On a side note, US Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer Mark Gangloff makes an appearance in the film. However, I cannot seem to find him on-screen). For some reason, perhaps the lead actors or the concept itself, the movie has an unsettling allure about it which is very difficult to resist let alone ignore completely. As alluring as it is, the major fault of the movie is that it tries to tackle too much with very little resulting in the aforementioned "Ambivalent Protagonists". Perhaps it could have found the success it was gunning for if it were a television series akin to Friday Night Lives. This would provide the time needed to fully develop the complexity of Ben Randall and Jake Fischer. Regardless of its flaws, there is still something about The Guardian which entices someone to watch it at least twice. And it would not be surprising at all if the movie actually grows on you, Ambivalent Protagonists and all.

Next review: The Covenant (2005) starring Steven Strait, Laura Ramsey and Sebastian Stan. (Yes, there is a swimming scene here)

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