News
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.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Why hello, Often when I write a post for SwimSwam the readers will leave comments. Some of them positive, others constructive. I love it when readers elaborate on the post as it relates to them. It’s like having a little conversation with a stranger over the shared love of swimming. It’s awesome. But what you usually don’t see are the really harsh comments. You know, the kind of poorly thought-out and exceedingly vulgar attacks masqueraded as criticism that you find in the comments of some websites. (YouTube, any political or...
6 Tips for Days When You Really, Really Don’t Feel Like Going to Swim Practice BY OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY Going to swim practice feeling like a struggle? Here are some proven strategies and tips to conquer today’s swim practice, even though you might not be feeling it. Even the most committed swimmers in the pool have days when motivation is hard. Yes, even the Olympic gold medalists, the world champions, the NCAA record-busters… Like the rest of us swimming mortals, they have moments where the last thing they want to do...
