News

Don Henshaw

At the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships (Olympic Trials) earlier this month, Adam Peaty swam a blistering 57.94 in the 100m breaststroke to punch his ticket to the Paris Olympics later this summer. Peaty has had a roller coaster couple of years in and out of the pool of late. But seeing him ascend to the top of the swimming world again isn't a surprise when you consider his outlook on facing adversity. “When I took a few defeats, I thought ‘this isn’t going to happen again’ and I came back...

Don Henshaw

Gabby Botello, Grayson Mondragon, and Kallen Garnier-Chan won High Point awards at the GCST Spring Invite. Gabby won the 8 & Under Girls award, Grayson won the 10 & Under Boys award, and Kallen won the 11-12 Boys award. Event Winners: Gabby Botello, Anna Bushko, Katia Bushko, Kallen Garnier-Chan, Lexi Jaquins, Sarah Kirby, James Mayo Reynoso, Grayson Mondragon, Ellie Ruiz, and Jonathan Ruiz. All Best Times: Gabby Botello, Bryce Crawford, Colton Graves, Connor Graves, Chase Hemmersmeyer, Colton Hemmersmeyer, Lexi Jaquins, Hadley LaFluer, Jude Maus, Jonathan Ruiz, Mia Thomas, Caroline Tibbetts,...

Don Henshaw

I am constantly on the lookout for new fancy ways to improve my swimming. Whether it is a technique correction, continually refining and improving my habits, or eating better (sorry body, I will never give up movie theater popcorn), I love stumbling across little hacks and tricks to help me swim like a certified gangster. While going over some of my workouts from the past year I notice a pattern that made me feel a little, well, silly. Almost every time I had a full night of rest (a minimum...

Don Henshaw

Howdy ��, Quick note: Before we dive into this morning’s content, an update on last week’s email about the newsletter format changing. It’s official… On Monday, April 22, the newsletter will start going out each morning, Monday-Friday. Instead of 2x emails per week, I am going to try and bring the thunder and value to your inbox 5x per week. The content and format of the emails will stay the same; mainly motivational, with some technique/tips stuff. Quotes and lessons from Olympians. The goal of the newsletter remains unchanged: to...

The afternoon high temperatures are rising quickly as we move into Spring and then Summer. All GCST swimmers should bring an insulated cooler to practice filled with ice and a Gatorade and water 50/50 mix for good hydration. Small clear coolers / jugs are not acceptable as they heat up quickly. Disposable, plastic water bottle are not allowed as they heat up quickly and are left behind on the deck after practice.

Don Henshaw

There will be days where you don’t feel like it. Where the struggle is particularly struggley. Where no matter how hard you swim, you can’t seem to move forward. That your swimming goals, no matter where they rank in the scheme of things, seem to recede further in the distance. Yeah, those days. Look, it’s normal (yes, you’re not a weirdo!) to experience doubt and fatigue from time to time. The next time you are feeling down in the dumps, here are a few things I would like you to...

Don Henshaw

GCST claimed the 2nd place Team Title at the 2024 FL Open Water Championships at Ft. Myers Beach, FL on April 13, 2024. Event Winners. Cadence Fort won the Open Girls 5k, Katia Bushko won the 13-14 Girls 5k, and Kallen Garnier-Chan won the 11-12 Boys 2K. Top 8 Finishes included Keanu Garnier-Chan 8th Open Boys 5K, Gio Medina 3rd in the 15-16 Boys 5K, Parker Seluk 5th in the 15-16 Boys 5K, Jonathan Ruiz 5th in the 13-14 Boys 5K, Grayson Mondragon 2nd in the 10 & Under Boys...

Don Henshaw

I’m a bit of a weirdo when it comes to planning and organizing my week. I have a weekly to do list. I have a daily to do list. I even a “to don’t” list. (Seriously.) And then there are the logs I keep. (Yes, not "log", but "logs". Told you I'm a weirdo.) In fact, I spend so much time thinking and planning the stuff I want to do that the act of actually doing them kinda gets brushed aside. Oops. A big “ah ha” moment came to me...

Don Henshaw

Howdy ��, Last week I published an article on SwimSwam that covered some of my favorite tips for setting (and achieving) goals for swimmers. Some of it will be familiar territory… Things like: Building process goals for more consistency and less goal stress Recognizing little wins to build authentic self-confidence The importance of writing your goals down How feedback loops help speed up learning and progress And so on. The article also includes some quotes from your favorite Olympians, how they use goal setting to accomplish big things, as well...

Don Henshaw

Confidence impacts just about every aspect of your swimming. Confidence is the material used to shape the effort you give, body language, self-talk, and your overall mindset. And one of the ways to build LEGIT confidence is chasing excellence in practice. Not next week. Not tomorrow. Today. Here’s an example of why this is so important. Last week, Gretchen Walsh absolutely torched the NCAA Women’s Championships. 44.84 in the 100-yard freestyle. 47.42 in the 100-yard butterfly. 20.37 in the 50-yard freestyle. Three individual gold medals, four relay golds, and one...