Nadador Tribute to Fran Crippen Pt. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqqn0OGKI3U

Nadador Tribute to Fran Crippen Pt. 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fErqAuP7Hjk

Good Memories of Fran Crippen

Fran was a great swimmer, coach and human being.  It is not only the swimming world that has lost an amazing person but the entire world and anyone who ever met him.  He was beyond approachable and made every person feel important.  The way he would validate your presence before you even spoke a word is something that I have never seen in another individual and in my opinion was the key to his popularity and success.  He simply was a likable guy and his positive personality was contagious.  If I could sum up what he was to us in one word it would be SUPERMAN. 

I want to make sure that he is remembered for the great person he was and not just for the fact that he could swim better than most people on the planet.  I would love to share stories about Fran and keep his memory in our hearts forever.  If you have a story or just simply had a moment with Fran, please leave your positive memories of him here by posting a comment. 

I remember a funny story that happened during the Gold group practice one day.  Fran had gotten out of National Team workout and came straight over to coach.  He disappeared to use the restroom for a minute and came back with the funniest look on his face.  I could tell just be looking at him that something had happened.  He says, "You'll never believe what I just did."  I started laughing and then he busted up.  He continued to tell me the story.  He was in the mens room when this little girl walked in.  She must have been 9 or 10, semi-long hair and a feminine face.  Fran, washing his hand, says to the little girl, "hey little girl, you are in the boys room."  The kid turns around and says, "but I am a boy".  Fran walked straight out of the restroom and told me what had happened.  We laughed for a good 20 minutes.  

In this clip, Fran was accepting a "thank you" from the 10 and Under Group that we coached.  This was a send off party for Olympic Trials and the gift was quite generous.  I think it surprised him a little.  He was always grateful.  We had good times!

Lindsey Rock Fitness

Coach Lindsey started with me towards the end of last season.  She began helping me with my Blue and Gold groups as an assistant and was an integral part of our 10 & under success at J.O.s as she was put in charge of managing warm ups and warm downs at the big meet.  She also helped with the dryland work that we did at practice.  She is a personal trainer when she isn't on the pool deck so she has a great deal of knowledge and really helped with the technical side of the dryland exercises.  I was so impressed with her fun and effective style that I gave her full control of the design and implementation of the 10 & Under Gold and Blue dryland for the new season.  She handles M-Th dryland routines and I get to have a little fun and be as crazy and creative on Fridays as I can be.
So far we have seen a huge increase in core stability in push ups and plank-type exercises as well as an increase in overall strength and muscle endurance.  One of the most impressive aspects in this new plan is that the kids are learning about their muscles and how to safely execute actions that were not performed with the precise and proper movements in the past.  They are checking their own form and maintaining better positioning and posture during dryland exercises and actions.
I was curious to see how this improved dryland combined with all of the technique work we have done would transfer over to race-pace swimming at our first meet.  Well, we had over 90% improvement and the kids swam MUCH faster than anticipated.  I don't get surprised easily when it comes to my own athletes, but I have to say I was a little shocked at the technical endurance the kids were showing.  The first meet of the short course season is always a good one but the fast times were very unexpected.
Another GREAT IDEA that Coach Lindsey had was to have a family fitness day to get the parents involved and show them what the kids are doing.  We had over 50 parents and swimmers out in a field and Coach Lindsey ran a great boot camp style workout for the parents and the kids....and myself.  I had so much fun watching the kids interact with their parents.  There was laughing, joking, and a lot of hard work.  We did a push up contest and the kids and parents received awards for their overall fitness.  It was a ton of fun and I can't wait for the next one.
If you have access to a personal trainer I highly suggest you use them as a way to increase your own knowledge of dryland exercises.  It can really improve your program if you have a highly experienced expert to guide you through the process.  I am lucky enough to have one working right here with me! You can check out Coach Lindsey's website at lindseyrockfitness.blogspot.com.

NADA-WAR! - Singles Version

I came up with a version of this game a few years back and actually submitted the idea in the ASCA World Clinic and won the Councilman Creative Coaches Award.  This version of Nada-War is a singles competition.  I do play a team version and that gets very intense!  I like this because it is easier to control and safer than the team version.  I got in there one day to try it out and was surprised how much of a full body workout I got.  The strength aspect was intense but endurance played a bigger part in the overall experience.  The rules are designed to keep it safe, fair and fun:  The ball stays on the ground at all times and all movement and force must be placed upon the ball at all times, not the opponent - Keep it clean!  The goal is to get the ball past your opponents goal line.

NADA-ROLL! Another Fun Dryland Game for the Kids

NADA-ROLL...This is a fun and difficult dryland game I recently came up with.  It involves a stability ball and two athletes.  The first athlete would be considered the "roller" and the second athlete is the "stabilizer".  The roller is placed on the ball and cannot touch the ground in any way.  The stabilizer holds the feet of the roller and guides the overall movement and stability during the competition.  Teamwork is very important here and when the two athletes communicate properly they will have more success moving from point A to point B.  I like to have teams and have them race.  The rules are simple:  Get to the finish line first!  The roller cannot touch the ground.  If he/she does, then that team must start over at the beginning.

10 & Under Top 20 1000 IM Test Set Updated

10 & Under - 1000 yard IM (400IM, 300IM, 200IM, 100IM straight through)


TOP 20 LIST (since 2007) UPDATED!

Girls
1. 14:41 Jessica Epps
2. 14:53 Hannah Wilkens
3. 14:59 Charlotte Manser
4. 15:03 Raselle Chetwynd
5. 15:12 Casey Brotherton
6. 15:13 Vicky Gong
7. 15:23 Olivia Boisen
7. 15:23 Rachel Taylor
9. 15:37 Jami Hwang
10. 15:40 Keaton Klein
11. 15:46 Courtney Prefontaine
11. 15:46 Bobbi Thompson
13. 15:49 Mandy Barnes
14. 15:55 Samantha Shelton
15. 15:56 Bianca Tatum
16. 15:58 Kyra Bernhardt
17. 15:59 Shayna Vayser
18. 16:09 Victoria Epps
19. 16:17 Kristi Fecarotta
20. 16:36 Ashley Kempf

Boys
1. 14:26 Matt Hales
2. 14:27 Min Zhi Chua
3. 14:34 Braden Olson
4. 14:50 Daniel Kim
5. 15:13 Michael Early
5. 15:13 Bryce Bernhardt
7. 15:41 Jackson Kent
8. 15:59 Michael Smith
9. 16:04 Oliver Manser
10. 16:04 Brandon Kolarov
11. 16:06 Josh Dolendo
12. 16:08 Christopher McElroy
13. 16:13 Alex Qu
14. 16:23 Chris Hales
15. 16:27 Garrett Neamand
16. 16:45 Erik Hunter
17. 16:47 Brian Cantin
18. 17:03 Darian Primer
18. 17:03 Quinn Neamand
20. 17:12 Ethan Malin

Why America Needs Cowboys by Ben Stein

Check out this great speech by Ben Stein. I have been reading this to my older kids for years. Now that I have younger kids, I don't use it, but it is great for teenagers, coaches and adults of any age. Enjoy!
Why America Needs Cowboys

Coaching 10 & Unders: SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic & ASCA 2010 World Clinic

I really loved doing this particular talk at the ASCA World Clinic, however, I seemed to drop the ball at the SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic as the presentation itself was poorly executed.  Nevertheless, I feel there are great things to see here and I hope it will help all of you get a great idea of what coaching these kids is all about.  Also, take a look at the video that went with this presentation.  You can find it here posted on Friday September 10th!

Age Group Season Planning: SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic

This talk was my least favorite in preparation but I seemed to fly right through it with enthusiasm at the clinic and found myself really enjoying it.  For some reason, I felt more confidence in this presentation and I thought I nailed the execution.  Thanks for sticking around for this one!