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February 2004 archives

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29 February 2004

Check out this amazing pavement drawing of a swimmer doing a ballet leg. Everything is 2-dimensional except the guy poking his toe into the 'water' on the right!

21 February 2004

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about sports and morality. It has become commonplace to see stories in the newspaper and on TV regarding the use of banned/illegal substances, such as steroids, by professional and amateur athletes. I just read an article regarding the University of Colorado football coach and the team, stating that maybe sports builds the wrong kind of character. (several players on the football team are being accused of rape and recruiting practices are being questioned). In my opinion, there will always be people in sports that will break the rules to try to get ahead, and people that do not live up to a high moral standard. I would like to express two ideas on this subject:

• I think that in all walks of life there are those that try to break the rules. The recent scandals with Enron and mutual fund companies top the charts of late. However, it would be interesting to find out if there are fewer cases of misconduct in sports than in other walks of life.
• I think �competition� is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the competitive drive to be the best motivates an athlete to succeed and break boundaries one never thought possible. That same drive to win, however, can lead some astray.

I know hundreds of athletes all over the world. One thing I�m sure of is that sport does build character. It�s aim, however, must be to build the right kind of character in every person who plays the game. It is not fun to win by cheating or acting immorally. It is up to the individual athlete and coach to foster the right kind of competition that leads one to achieve greatness using your own strength: this is true success.

18 February 2004

After 7.5 years in retirement I am coaching again. It is not my first time, because I did coach after the Olympics for a bit. But it has been several years. I was a little worried that I would be rusty. But I am happy to report that it has all come back to me. I remember my corrections like it was yesterday. I can still feel how it felt to do a crane join, and to try to make it straight and high. That good �ole �pelvic tilt and shoulders in� correction. I try to relate my tips and tricks to the girls I coach. I hope it is helpful. It is sometimes hard to explain a feeling. For instance, it is tough to explain the feeling of relaxing your hips while pressing them forward, but tightening your stomach and thighs at the same time.

And what works for one swimmer may not work for others. Synchro is a very complex sport. We attempt to defy the natural tendencies of gravity and motion in water. It can be mastered though. That is why I never give up trying, and know that if someone puts their mind to achieving great things, it will happen. However, as one wise man once told me, �legislating motivation is impossible.�

18 February 2004

Welcome to InsideSynchro. I have been involved with synchronized swimming for most of my life, and I intend to use this site to catalog my thoughts and experiences with the sport. My hope is that some people will find some benefits in my posts.