Cambria Semmen Commits to Northeastern

We’re excited to announce another college commitment for a Blue Dolfins Winter Park swimmer - Cambria Semmen as she has committed to swim for Northeastern University in fall of 2022! Congrats! 🐬

Click below to read the article and the special message she has for her current coaches.

Blue Dolfins: The Next Step in Winter Park

The Blue Dolfins started in Winter Park in 1972 with famed coach Harry Meisel.

After Harry’s death, the team continued on with a strong branch in Oviedo, coached by Charlie Rose, and a branch at the Winter Park Racquet Club, where Harry’s son Kevin Meisel worked with 12-and-under swimmers in a developmental program. 

In January 2017, Coach Joe Auer moved the Winter Park branch back to Cady Way and Winter Park High School and once again offered developmental and competitive swimming for all age groups. Over the last three years, we have made great strides working with swimmers ages 5 through 22. Read on for an update on our team as well as the next exciting step for our program.

College Swimmers

We have 6 swimmers who are currently competing in college As Division I, II, and III athletes:

• Hector Rodriguez (University of Florida)

• Brady Estrada (Arizona State University)

• Jessica Harris (Eastern Illinois University)

• Reese Gawronski (Colorado College)

• Chloe Hampson (Florida International University)

• Luke Waite (Rollins College)
  

6 current high school seniors who are college-bound to swim:

• Lizzy Linartas (committed to Arkansas)

• Sophie Hampson (committed to Florida International University)

• Ezequiel Negron (undecided)

• McLeod Chasser (undecided)

• Whitney Shirey (undecided)

• Liam Negron (undecided)

• 3-4 more seniors who have not yet decided if they want to swim in college - stay tuned!

Nationally-Ranked Athletes

The fastest 10-and-under female swimmer in the nation:

• JB Kodera (JB was ranked #1 in the nation in 100 Backstroke, #4 in the 50 Backstroke, #5 in the 200 Freestyle— the bad news is JB just aged up to 11 years old! Ha!)

A nationally-ranked triathlete:

• Connie Curtis (3rd in the 11-12 age group at U.S.Triathlon Nationals - she claimed 9 overall wins this year)

Connie at nationals

An American Record Holder and Team USA Member:

• Lauren Bergquist (represented the United States in international competition at the European Down Syndrome Championships in Italy and the INAS Global Games in Australia, and she set a new American Record in the Women’s T21 50m Breaststroke, meaning she is fastest American female to have ever swum this particular event)

Lauren holding her American Record certificate

3 high school All American Swimmers, all of whom compete for Winter Park High School:

• Lockett Bowley

• Erika Hirschmann

• Moriah Frietas

All Americans Lockett, Erika, Moriah, and Cami Semmen (Highlander) - photo by T. Bowley

Big Meets

Combined with Oviedo, the Blue Dolfins won the following championship meets:

• Summer Senior Champs (Combined team winners 3 years in a row)

• Futures National Meet (Girls team championship - second place)

2 swimmers qualified for the U.S. Open:

• Megan Hansen

• Lockett Bowley

2020 Olympic Trials

6 Swimmers have the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials in their sights - stay tuned for qualification!

• Megan Hansen

• Lockett Bowley

• Moriah Freitas

• Chloe Hampson

• Sophie Hampson

• Erika Hirschmann

International Competition

We have several Blue Dolfins who are gearing up for international competition back in their home country:

• Sophie Hampson (Qualified for England’s National Championships)

• Moriah Freitas (Swam the fastest time in her age group for Brazil this year)

• Ezequiel Negron (nationally-ranked in Puerto Rico)

• Carolina Villarini (nationally-ranked in Puerto Rico)

• Akash Baskar (National team member for Dubai)

Community Support

We have heard from the community that they are thrilled to see the Blue Dolfins’ sign out front of Cady Way. We have been told by grandparents that many of their now-grown children swam for the club back in the 70s and 80s. We’re also honored that so many Blue Dolfin alumni and even former nationally-ranked and Olympic swimmers trust us with coaching their children.

Jobs

We’re also happy to be able to provide jobs—going from one full-time coach (Coach Joe) to having 3 additional age group coaches plus lifeguards to ensure the safety and proper development of our swimmers.

Coaches Maddie, Amina, and Hanako

We are proud of the progress we have made so far and are excited to train throughout the winter months at Cady Way thanks to the new heater. (Finally!)

But, wait—there’s more! We are currently gearing up for what promises to be the next exciting step for the Blue Dolfins: building a 50m pool at Winter Park High School!

The Next Step: Building a 50m Pool

The new pool has already been approved by OCPS and we can break ground just as soon as we have raised enough money. We are tasked with raising 2.7 million dollars as a community to make it happen. Fortunately, the county, the school administrators, as well as the Winter Park High School Foundation (nonprofit) have all committed to making it happen.

And while we know you will support the fundraising for the new pool, we understand that not everyone can afford to donate financially; in which case, we hope you will instead donate your time and energy to help spread word to those friends and family and alumni as well as community partners who will be able to donate.

Before and After rendering of proposed pool. Click picture for more info.

In addition to the Olympic-sized pool, we’re building a full diving well in order to lead the way in Central Florida for competitive diving under the amazing leadership of Jaq and Terry Horner of Orlando Dive Academy.

This new facility will not only benefit all the aquatic sports (swimming, diving, and water polo) but with an additional shallow teaching pool, the other high school athletes in sports such as football and basketball, etc. will also benefit from the ability to do in-depth physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Stay tuned for more info on how you can help us reach our goal over the next year. In the meantime, you can check out plans and renderings at the pool’s website: winterparkpool.com.

Having dedicated access to a 50m pool, where we don’t fight for pool time, is vital to helping our swimmers achieve their long-term goals. If you haven’t yet seen the video of our Declaration Day, where each junior and senior group swimmer publicly stated their goals asking for their coach and teammate’s support, it’s worth the watch:

With your help, the Blue Dolfins look forward to continuing to develop swimmers who will represent Central Florida well on a high school, college, national, and international stage.

Thank you!

Coach Joe Auer

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Need a USA Swimming Club or lessons program in Central Florida? Try Blue Dolfins in Winter Park, serving all areas including all of Winter Park, Eatonville, Orlando, Maitland, Baldwin Park, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, and Longwood.

Blue Dolfins Have a Strong Showing at FLAGS

The Florida Age Group Championship (FLAGS) for short course season was this past weekend at Y of Central Florida on I-Drive. The 14-and-under Blue Dolfins swimmers made a strong showing, coming in 5th out of the 63 teams competing.

For Blue Dolfins Winter Park, many of our young swimmers qualified for FLAGS, which is one of the first major milestones in a rising swimmer’s career. We are extremely proud of the 2019 FLAGS Team which represented BDWP this season and look forward to having even more qualify next year.

And of those who qualified, a few had a really outstanding meet. 10-year-old JB Kodera won all of her events: 200 Free, 100 Free, 50 Backstroke, 100 Backstroke, 100 Butterfly, and 100 IM. She also won the coveted High Point Award for 10-year-old girls.

Sadie Jahn swam multiple events a did extremely well in all of her events including breaking a minute for the first time in the 100 Free and also swimming the 200 Fly for the first time.

For the older girls, several BDWP swimmers also did well. Claire Clark won the consolation finals of the 50 Breaststroke, while both Claire Goodowens in her breaststroke events and Carolina Villarini-De Leon in the backstrokes, swam fantastic in several event finals. Caroline Chasser had huge swims in all of her events, the 100 and 200 Back, 200 Fly, 200 IM and 400 IM. Sydnie Hart, coming off a broken arm and being pretty sick, rallied to show good form in multiple events including the IMs and breaststrokes. Her sister Mackinley Hart also qualified for the team but was sidelined for the weekend.

Erika Hirschmann also had an outstanding meet, placing third in the 50 Free, sixth in the 100 Free, fourth in the 100 Backstroke, and winning the consolation final of the 200 Free. Erika was also part of the the Blue Dolfins 13-14 Year Old 400 Free Relay that set a new state record.

We are so thankful to our coaches who help develop these young talents - great work! And congrats to all our swimmers— the future is bright and yours for the taking through hard work and dedication!

You can see complete meet results here.

Blue Dolfins History - A Tradition of Success

The Blue Dolfins swim team has been training swimmers in Winter Park since 1972. Founded by the legendary Harry Meisel, the Blue Dolfins swam at several local pools, but found a home at the Rollins College pool for almost two decades where Harry’s son Kevin Meisel began assist coaching.

A Tradition of Excellence

The Blue Dolfins have helped countless swimmers achieve their dreams of collegiate swimming, and at every Olympic Games since 1984, a Blue Dolfins swimmer has competed at the US Olympic Trials. In fact the Blue Dolfins saw their first Olympian, Jilen Siroky, compete at the 1996 Olympics for Team USA.

(Fact: Less than 1% of all registered, competitive swimmers qualify for the US Olympic Trials.)

With Winter Park as its home base, the Blue Dolfins were the feeder program for Winter Park High School, giving birth to an unrivaled high school dynasty, which won the boys high school state champions 14 times and girls high school state championship 12 times.

With Harry’s passing, though, the Winter Park branch of the Blue Dolfins receded, giving rise the Oviedo branch.

Oviedo Expansion

In the early 1990s, Blue Dolfins alum Coach Charlie Rose continued on and expanded the Blue Dolfins team to Oviedo, where we have a large branch of swimmers who train at the 50-meter pool there. The Oviedo branch has become the premiere swim team in the East Orlando area, feeding many of the high school swim teams. In fact, under Charlie’s watch for the past twenty years, Oviedo High School has become a powerhouse in high school swimming, winning the 2018 FHSAA State Championship.

Developmental Swimming

Meanwhile back in Winter Park, Kevin began to focused solely on developing young swimmers, those twelve and under, becoming recognized as one of the very best stroke coaches in the country.

Winter Park High School was also looking to return to its once dominant position in high school swimming, and so they asked Joe Auer to coach the high school team. A Winter Park High School alumni and seasoned club coach, Joe was his high school team’s captain and helped lead the Wildcats to three consecutive state titles. He was also a 9-time high school All-American and won eight state titles before heading to swim for the University of Florida under legendary coach Randy Reese. Joe was later inducted into the Winter Park Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Joe agreed to return, but only if he could revive the Winter Park branch of the Blue Dolfins to give a proper feeder program for the Wildcats. With a full developmental club program now in place, the Blue Dolfins Winter Park are working to provide Winter Park swimmers with the best opportunity possible to reach their full potential while creating great memories, making friends, and learning life lessons along the way.

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Blue Dolfins Winter Park is open to all swimmers that want a learn to swim, take swim lessons, or join a competitive USA Swimming Club environment in the Central Florida area including Winter Park, Orlando, Maitland, Baldwin Park, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, and Longwood. Contact Joe Auer with text —> 407-937-9129.

Why Swimming is Different from Other High School Sports

Then Oviedo High School swimmer Zach Poti (Blue Dolfins) swimming at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in Omaha. Photo by Michael C. Lyn for Florida Swim Network.

"Hey coach, I am thinking about going out for swimming this year. Is there anything I need to do to get ready?

Like many other high school swim coaches, I hear this a couple times a year from students that think that just because they grew up here in Florida, swimming in their backyard pool, that swimming will be an easy sport to compete in. While this *might* be true in states where swimming isn't quite as popular, like say North Dakota, in the state of Florida swimming is an ultra-competitive, year-round sport featuring some of the world's best athletes.

Already at the Top of Their Sport

Let me put this in perspective for you, if high school basketball was like high school swimming, then the high school basketball players would be going up against NBA players. If high school football was like high school swimming, then the football team would be lining up against NFL players.

Um, what?

Florida high school swimming features some of the very best swimmers in the United States: athletes already at the very top of their sport. Many of the swimmers in the high school pool have already traveled the world, representing their country while competing in international competition.

Let's take 2012, for example. In the high school pool you had Joseph Schooling, Missy Franklin, Katie Ledecky, (all Olympians). And if you think they were the exception to the rule, the state of Florida had over 100 high school swimmers go to the US Olympic Trials, all with an equal opportunity of making the 2012 US Olympic Team. In 2016, Florida had over 150 swimmers (and a good amount were high school age) attend the US Olympic Trials.

Less than one-half of 1% of the nation's swimmers qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, so when I say these high schoolers are some of the best swimmers in the nation (and therefore the world) I mean it.

Then H.B. Plant High School swimmer Morgan Tankersley (GTSA) at the 2016 Olympic Trials. Photo: Michael C. Lyn for Florida Swim Network. 

And during non-Olympic years, Florida high school swimming sees numerous swimmers representing the United States, Jamaica, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other countries in international competition at championships like the Junior World Cup, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games, etc.

Just earlier this year, Talia Bates, Katie Schorr, Caitlin Brooks, Caroline Cooper, Julian Hill, Hayden Curley, and Brendan Driscoll (all high schoolers in Florida) traveled to Ireland to represent Team USA in international competition. (And a few walked away with gold!)

Current Florida high schoolers Talia Bates and twin brothers Isaac and Will Davis represent Team USA in Ireland. Photo by James Bates.

These swimmers are already at the top of their sport, in that 1% of the best of the best, and we will see many of their names at the 2020 Olympics, whether representing the US or their family's home country.

Multi-year Training Cycles

So when a regular, non-swimming student says, "Hey coach, is there anything I need to do to come out for the swim team?" all I can think of is: Yeah, get in a time machine and travel back several years and join a really good competitive year-round swim team. 

Now, I'm not saying it is flat-out impossible for a nonswimmer to catch up in just the 4 years of high school, but in my 27 years of coaching swimming off and on, I've only had one "walk-on type" ever be super successful at the high school level. Jim Kostowicz was a surfer whom I talked into swimming year-round in high school because he appeared to be a freak of nature (in a good way!). My hunch was correct and due to his natural athleticism, tall physique, and feel for the water, Jim went from surfer to Olympic Trial qualifier, high school state champion, and Division I college recruit. 

Jim was the rare exception, though, because for just about every other walk-on, they may attend practice for the season, but they will struggle to qualify for any post-season swimming. The season is just way too short! There are just too many elite, year-round swimmers competing in the state of Florida.

And just like a racecar looking to shave hundredths of a second off its lap time, these high-level swimmers are already so honed in on their stroke and so well-trained that they have reached a level where they are just tweaking the tires looking to shave off time. They have already spent years leading up to this point. In fact, coaches talk about the "quad cycle" between Olympic years. We're looking at a four-year training cycle for our faster athletes, and for our younger athletes, we're looking at a yearlong training cycle, split into two parts-- short course season and long course season.

The swimmer development begins long before a student ever reaches high school age. In fact, they most likely have been putting in years of 2-3 hours of practice a day six days a week (plus mornings), as wellas dryland conditioning, weights and running long before the student ever sets foot on the high school campus. (This is why it is vital to have a strong, local year-round swim team as a feeder program for the school.)

How's The Team This Year?

When a high school football or baseball coach asks me, "How's the team this year?" it's always a complicated answer. I've got a great group of kids who are working their butts off in year-round training. I don't believe there are any high school athletes that work harder. But, many of mine have not yet had the advantage of a continuous, multi-year development program. Some have been uprooted from Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Brazil, or Venezuela, while others have changed developmental teams a few times and have finally found a home here in our new year-round program, the Blue Dolfins. Individually, we'll have some great swims, All-Americans, achieve new school records, and a few might even win a state title in an event this year. 

As a team, though, developmentally we're still a few years off. Maybe ask me the same question after the 2020 Olympic Trials. ;)

A Day in the Life of a Blue Dolfins Swimmer at WPHS

We wanted to give you parents and alumni a glimpse into how hard these athletes are working!

The Legendary 2-Man 400 Free Relay

By Coach Joe Auer aka SwimmerJoe

The Legendary 2-Man 400 Free Relay

In USA Swimming there are rules and regulations…everything is by the book, right?

Not so fast.

The Big Meet

The night was the finals of the Senior Region Meet (the old Junior Olympics for Seniors) at the old Sharidan Aquatic Club in Longwood, Florida. This was a very crowded warehouse enclosing a very fast 50-meter pool! There was no deck space to speak of; people were on top of people. So, when we started to line up for relays…we could only find two of the four swimmers!

Two of our fellow swimmers maybe had to leave early. (Or perhaps they never really showed up…I can’t remember, I’m old you know!) Anyway, the time was getting close to the end of the meet and you know what was coming… Relays!

Our Relay Tradition

What you may not realize is the Blue Dolfins always loved relays, because we held numerous National Records in them. We always seemed to do our personal best times on relays, and we always beat the competition by nearly a pool length. (No, I am not exaggerating!)

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Blue Dolfins Craig Harris, Brian Weightman, Charlie Rose, & Joe Auer. The four owned 7 USA Swimming Age-Group National Relay Records by they time they were 11-12 year olds!

So as the end of this meet was drawing near and relay time was at hand, we looked around the pool deck and only my teammate Brian Donahue and I were standing there ready to swim.  

We were trying to figure out how we were going to get two more swimmers to join our relay. (There was no way we were going to scratch because we really wanted the points for our team. We were definitely doing the 400 Free Relay—that relay was one of our best!)

We looked around the 50-meter warehouse and could not find anybody to swim with us. Then we saw one of the best sights we could ever see…Eddie Rose. He's Charlie Rose’s father. (Yes, Coach Charlie Rose, the current head coach of the Blue Dolfins in Oviedo.) Back then, his dad was officiating lanes 6, 7 & 8 at the starting end.

Best Laid Plans

Brian and I looked at each other with excitement and came up with what seemed at the time like the most awesome idea: A two-man relay!

What? Not legal?! Well, we did it anyway.

I know, you guys think I am an angel. Well, I don’t think of it as breaking the rules, rather think of me as taking the initiative to get the job done!

To prepare, we needed to throw the officials off guard a little, so we got a couple suits, a couple different caps and laughed like crazy! To think we were actually going to try this at a championship meet!

On Your Mark...

So, the individual events were over; the relays were ready to start. Brian and I were all ready, extra caps and suits behind the bleachers, hidden close by. Only a couple of our friends knew our plan and in between their fits of laughter, they were anxious to see if we could pull it off.

Charlie’s dad, Eddie, officiating right next to our block, said, “Hey JooAaauuueer!” as I stepped up on the blocks. He had absolutely no idea…yet! I was swimming the first leg and took off the blocks like a wild man, going as hard as I could, wide open. We wanted to win! However, in hindsight, I should have been thinking about the fact that I had to get back on the block in less than 50 seconds to do it all again, after adding another cap and adding a suit….oops! I better hurry up and crawl out of the pool to get changing!

Brian took off the same way, swimming as hard as he could. We must have thought that getting our pulse up well over 200 and then doing it again 50 seconds later wasn’t a real big deal at the time.

So, I quickly ran around the bleachers, laughing while I slid on an additional suit and cap.

I must admit, I had trouble focusing and doing anything right the first go around, as I was in extreme oxygen debt, and Brian was turning on the 3rd wall.

Oh geez, I had to get up on the blocks and I was still behind the bleachers! So, I ran to the blocks, yes, absolutely completely out of air, still laughing but not taking any oxygen in. I get up and Mr. Rose looks at me and does a double-take. He had golf ball sized eyes that showed his surprise. But would he rat me out? Disqualify us? Here was the moment of truth!

Eddie paused a moment considering, and then put his hand on the side of his face to block out the sight of me. From that point, on I knew we were good.

Finishing the Race

I entered the water, still laughing—we were in probably 3rd at the time after the first two legs. My air was going out and not in. I was going as hard as I could but had no oxygen. How long did that last? I don’t know, probably 20 feet!

We went from 3rd to 6th—FAST!

You can imagine the massive pain and the size of the African elephant sitting on my chest…but somehow I was still laughing. In the meantime Brian is doing his thing behind the bleachers, adding a cap and suit. I am sure he saw me just falling off pace and into pieces as I floundered my way through the third leg of the relay.

So, I finally touch the wall, and Brian takes off. Same thing; we fall immediately to last place. Brian was laughing, choking on water, and going through the same pain that I did.

Meanwhile I couldn’t get out of the pool very easy either. The Sharidon pool had an extra 1’ ½” coping from the water that felt like I was hanging on a cliff! Oh man it hurt! But, to this day the image of Mr. Rose laughing lives in my mind and brings me a big smile.

As Brian, my partner in this swimming crime, finished the relay, he didn’t look good either. “We scored,” I wheezed out at him triumphantly.

“Yes!” he coughed.

So, who says you always have to play by the book? Who says meets aren’t fun? To this day, the 2-man 400 Free Relay, was probably the only 2-man relay that has ever scored in a championship meet.

True story!

The Point of Pain

By Coach Joe aka SwimmerJoe

I work with developing swimmers, most of whom are not accustomed to putting their body into pain.  And, yes, it is difficult to explain to a 15-year-old the reason why they should not only push their body into pain, but also be happy they are doing it.

The Goal of Training Hard

Not only that, training has a goal to break down the muscles, only to have them come out stronger on the other end. So, a swimmer often doesn’t understand why they can hold a 26.5 pace per 50 for the first few days of the week, but then can only hold a 27.8 per 50 as the week progresses. This is the result of the muscles breaking down.

Throw in the major pain from rigorous dryland, overly-tired bodies and minds, and a coach has to navigate the ever-changing balance of the swim group.  A coach has to know just how far to take his athletes–just to the edge (Perhaps even an inch or two over!)--and then begin to reel his athletes back in.  

A coach has to take his athletes to the breaking point without actually breaking them, and all the while keep his athletes enthused, excited, and positive about training day in and day out, mile after mile, 300 sit-ups after 300 sit-ups.  

What young athletes don’t understand is the training does break them down to a point; it is supposed to do this. However, since they are in the middle of the training, it is hard for them to see the big picture, so they get frustrated and start to get bummed and extremely irritable.  (Sorry, parents!)

It is difficult to get young athletes to understand they need to grin and bear it and just get through it, any way they can.

This experience is universal.

Olympic athletes struggle through it. Flash back to tweet from 5-time Olympic swimmer Dara Torres as an example: “A first, doing most of my swim workout this am breaststroke!! Yikes! Arms feel like lead weight! More power to u breastrokers!!”

She acknowledged she was darn tired and her arms were killing her, but look how positive she seems; she knows how much this pain will help her, not just with breaststroke but with her overall swimming. So, keep the big picture in mind, especially when in the drudgery of pain. 

Visualize Confidence.

To help them persevere, I tell my swimmers to picture themselves getting on the block and having the confidence to say to yourself that no one–-and I mean no one!--has trained harder, been more tired, or suffered more than you. That way when the last lap of the race is on the line, and your arms and legs are way past tired, you know you can out last anybody in the pool. You know you can finish strong. You know this pain will subside.

Because of that broken down state and smash of physical and mental instabilities, your internal strength becomes powerful, very powerful. So, keep the big picture in mind and remember that tapering (that easy, relaxing training that all swimmers live for) is not too far away. If you can mentally get through the hard training, you will be better, plain and simple.  

Tough Coaches

I grew up with many coaches and almost all of them were very tough with us (maybe you didn’t notice-ha!), but I think it is what has made me and my swimming friends insanely strong. We were all tougher than nails, rose to any challenge, and still to this day can probably get through anything life can throw at us. 

I swam for the legendary Randy Reese and I smile as I think back to an interview with  Navy Seal training? After training with Randy, the Seal training was what he called "fun". (Really!)

So when you get beyond your realm of pain tolerance or you can’t believe these crazy practices, remember, coaches are building your foundation and inner mechanics to be a speedy, tough athletic machine. 

Get through it and enjoy the process… you’ll shine in the end.

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Cover photo by Michael Lyn.

Welcome New Team Members!

We're excited to have you as part of the Blue Dolfins family!

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When you see these faces on deck, introduce yourself!

The Pickle Jar

By Coach Joe aka SwimmerJoe

When I was 12 years old and an age group swimmer for the Blue Dolfins at Rollins College, Dr. Keith Bell, a famed sports psychologist, came and taught us a little lesson about consistency that many kids really don’t see too often today.  Dr. Bell held up a huge pickle jar full of uncooked popcorn. Each kernel represented the practices of a swimmer. 

He started talking to us about commitment, consistency, and doing things properly everyday. 

Then Dr. Bell asked us, “What if you miss a practice or two?” 

And then he took a handful of the kernels out of the pickle jar. The kernels represented the missed practices.  Then he said, “What if you just go easy and don’t really concentrate on what you are doing in a few practices?”  

Then he took another handful out. 

He went on to mention a day off on Friday and a day off for a party, and then two days off to watch a game for a brother.  Three big handfuls came out of the jar.

Then it became clear; I figured it out.  Dr. Bell was showing us how much we lose out of our “tank reserves” when we skip practice, dryland, or a regular practice.  The jar was a little less than half full after all the missing and distractions.

Then came the biggie…Dr. Bell brought out a second jar with no kernels taken out of it….that signified the very dedicated athletes, the record breakers, the Olympians, the All-Americans that don’t miss, etc. Wow! What an example!

It was a early illustration of somebody like Michael Phelps, who chose to train Sundays, birthdays, and even Christmas day. Phelps has explained that gives him as many as 50 or more practices a year over his competition. 

Dr. Bell’s exercise has lived with me this entire time; it feels like it was yesterday. 

Today, most younger athletes and even many parents don’t realize the dedication it takes to be a high level athlete in any sport.  I am not implying you should miss really important family events and the like, but when Coach Charlie and I were kids, our parents always found a way to do both the family things as well as make it to every single practice!

There is a time to train and a time for rest….just not the entire season!  Right now I have swimmers that don’t really know how great they can be…perhaps they need the pickle jar story to show them through dedication and hard work, they can reach that potential.

Thanks, Dr. Bell!