High School Swimming Problems

By David

Here, in Florida, we’re about to start the High School swimming season. One hesitates to be critical of any aspect of swimming in the United States. The country’s record of international success suggests that most of what they do works. But some aspects of High School swimming sure are an enigma.

I can understand the educational appeal of providing sedentary teens with constructive physical activity. I can also appreciate the competitive value of the end of season State Finals. High School swimming does both and does them well.

The confusion lies in the effort to unite these two incompatible goals; to mix oil and water. Parochial coaches and local media are obsessed with promoting (as they see it) the primary educational good of High School swimming and the ethereal competitive importance of local high school championships. Add to that muddle the separate and powerful program promoted by USA Swimming and it is little wonder outsiders finds it all a bit puzzling.

Let’s have a look at some of the confusions, contradictions and downright dishonesty, the conflict between High School swimming and USA Swimming’s urbane vision for the sport, have caused.

For example, in ten months time USA Swimming will hold its Olympic Trials. High School age swimmers, good enough to swim in the Trials, would be best to spend the next ten weeks preparing for that meet. It may be the most important swimming event of their lives. Instead a potent union of school, peers, media and other pressures will be brought to bear. Competition between local High Schools, in pools probably too shallow to permit dive starts, will compromise the young athletes’ Trial’s preparation.

Besides the disruption to their training, the demands on a swimmers’ racing budgets are selfish and stunning. Coach Gennadi Touretski had a good rule-of-thumb that a well conditioned athlete should swim 100 races per annum. Certainly that’s about what Alexander Popov managed. Few High School swimmers are Alexander Popov. Most are going to risk burn out well before 100 races per annum. One of the best swimmers on our team has swum 53 races so far in 2007 and was clearly tired by the time he got to the Junior Nationals.

I bet the average, stand-in PE teacher, High School swim coach has no idea that their season of 11 weeks, involving 10 dual meets and four “Championship” meets could entail 60 races; that’s 60% of a swimmer’s annual budget. That leaves 40 races to conduct the athlete’s entire USA Swimming program, and that’s not enough.

I guess the options are to restrict the number of High School races or crash on, racing under-prepared athletes through 140 races per annum, hoping they are going to be among the few that survive. But that “Charge of the Light Brigade” and to hell with the casualties strategy is not something to promote or be proud of.

It’s not only swimmers and coaches that have problems around High School swimming. When I was at the Nationals in Indianapolis I met a coach from the west coast who told me a most remarkable tale. See what you think.

His team’s Parent Board elected a new President. My coaching friend thought it would be an ideal opportunity to ask if she and the Board would object to him coaching a local High School team in addition to his USA team duties. It was a good fit; after all the High School and the USA team swam at the same pool. The President was emphatic. Under no circumstances was that possible. In fact if the Coach went ahead with his suggestion, she would remove her daughter from the team. My friend backed off and did not contact the High School about their coaching vacancy. About four months later the new President, probably predictably, just up and left anyway. Unbelievably she moved to a pool where there was not only both a USA team and a High School team, but where the joint Coach placed a passionate emphasis on his High School program. There’s none as bloody strange as folk, is there?

I guess all I can do now is compromise my way through the next ten weeks and hope that the damaged caused to the best and brightest will not be too severe. If any of you have a better plan please let me know. You will have an avid listener.