Saturday, July 30, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
I may have many faults, but
being wrong ain't one of them.
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
An optimist is a fellow who believes a
housefly is looking for a way to get out.
George Jean Nathan

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Failure seldom stops you.  What
stops you is the fear of failure.
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III
 
 

Monday, July 25, 2022

StrokeMax Podcast with Norbert Ágh

 
 
This gentleman truly is a globetrotter!
 
He was in the states recently at The World Games in Birmingham Alabama.  Ágh works with the Hungarian National Lifesaving team.  They took home two relay golds in men's competition, along with a pair of silvers for the women.
 
We've been trying to pin Norbie down to visit and he found a few minutes for us last week.
 
Here's our episode with Hungarian Olympian Norbert Ágh:
 
 
We love to throw out terms like "feel for the water" and "early vertical forearm" in our sport.

Norbie's StrokeMax anti-paddles require swimmers to use those forearms and enhance their feel for the water.
Buy two (2) pair and get a third pair free here
 
 

Quote of the Day

 
I'd rather make the cut in the
Crosby than win another Oscar.
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III
 
 

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Pool Markers

 
 
"Okay, kids, yer gonna do underwater dolphin kick to the first rust spot, then break out and swim butterfly to the missing tile section.  From there, let's see sprint freestyle to the wall...but no breaths from the plaster patch to the finish."
 
Looking for a better way?
 
Make some pool markers that are:
  • easy for athletes to use,
  • safe for the pool bottom,
  • simple for you to store,
  • & cheap to make.

Materials I used to make mine:

  • one 10' stick of 1" schedule 40 pvc pipe
  • 24 1" schedule 40 pvc caps
  • pea gravel
  • cleaner/glue
  • spray primer/paint
Sorry, no video to go with this.  If you need help working w/pvc, spray paint, etc., you can find it at YouTube.  My materials/methods certainly aren't the only way to go.  Threw in a few hints.  Take 'em or leave 'em.
 
1. CUT - Cut your pvc pipe down to size.  I wanted to make a dozen markers, so each piece was around 10".  Do they have to be perfect?  Nope.  We're not building a violin here, are we? I buzzed them off w/a Sawzall.
 
b. GLUE - Glue a cap to the end of each pipe piece.  If you're not used to working w/cleaner & glue, just find a short video and you'll be fine.
 
If videos don't remind you, it's a good idear to give about a quarter twist to spread glue well.
 
III. FILL - Fill the pipe w/pea gravel, sand, or both.  If you purchased BB's, ball bearings, etc. for this purpose, ATF is at your door by now and you can skip the rest...
 
4. GLUE - Glue the other cap on the opposite end.  Quarter twist.
 
E. GRIND - I added this step in case you have a slightly sloping pool bottom or currents that might cause your markers to roll.  Just flatten out one side of the caps with a grinder if this is a concern.  Yes, pvc will get hot and melt some.

VI. PAINT - Paint your markers with colors that will stand out against the background of your pool bottom.  I roughed up the surfaces first using orbital sander.  Don't ask me what grit, I have no clue.  We're not building a piano, right?
 
Stores sell spray paint for plastic, so look for that.  You might want to use primer, then the color you're finishing with.  They sell combo primer/paint for plastic as well.
 
Several light coats > one thick one.
 
 

 
You say you're a high school coach without an extra second to spare?
 
Delegate!
 
This is so easy, a water polo coach caveman can do it!

Diving coach need a pep talk?  Tell him/her to relax!  This is basic stuff - 101 tuck, baby - 1.2!


Quote of the Day

 
If you think it's hard to meet new people,
try picking up the wrong golf ball.
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III
 
 

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
The government at all levels is overly represented by white
men.  That's part of the problem, and I'm a white man.
via The New Yorker
Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child - miserable,
as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding,
ill-disciplined, despotic and useless.  Liberalism
is a philosophy of sniveling brats.
 
Patrick Jake "P.J." O'Rourke

Thursday, July 14, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
It is a way to take people's wealth from them without
having to openly raise taxes.  Inflation is the
most universal tax of all.
 
Thomas Sowell

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
The more I heard that I couldn't make it, the more I
was determined to do it.  I never liked being told
that I'm not good enough to do this or that.

Archie Mason Griffin

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

You asked for it...

 
...okay, so you didn't ask for it, but here it is anyway.
 
DJA has our recent Swim Talk A2B podcast episodes up on YouTube.
 
These, and all previous episodes of Swim Talk A2B are available via Spotify and YouTube.
 
We talked to writer/swimmer Mike Stott about getting publicity for your swim program:
 
 
Dana & I visited with our buddy Patrick Henry so he could share what he learned in his two interim coaching jobs at MAC and New Trier.
 
Great stuff for coaches taking the reins in an already established program.  So much to talk about, we had to break it into two parts.
 
Part I:
 
 
Part B:
 
 
Most recently, VP of Sales for American Shield Roofing and Construction's Jon Lamson took the time to chat about the Victoria Advocate's Varsity Cup.
 
American Shield is a major sponsor of the event that recognizes local high school athletes and coaches for their efforts beyond the court, field, and pool:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Quote of the Day

 
The progress of the world depends
almost entirely upon education.
 
George Eastman

Monday, July 11, 2022

Wednesday, July 06, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Too often I would hear men boast of the miles
covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.


Louis Dearborn L'Amour

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth,
but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and
austere, like that of sculpture.
 
Bertrand Arthur William Russell

Monday, July 04, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Never in human history have we ever blamed a product's
failure on the people who didn't use it;  and then
thanked the product after it failed us.
 
via YouTube

Steven James Deace

Sunday, July 03, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
If one does not know to which port
one is sailing, no wind is favorable.
 
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Saturday, July 02, 2022

Enjoy:

 
 

2022 Directors' Cup

 

 
It was a Texas repeat in the Division I Directors' Cup.

The Longhorns grabbed NCAA titles in men's indoor track, rowing, women's tennis, and men's golf.  Texas needed runner-up finishes in six (6) sports, including both the men's and women's swimming, to pull away from 2nd place Stanford.  The Cardinal had won a record 25 consecutive Directors' Cups from 1995 to 2019.

Links to his year's final D-I standings and all previous years (all divisions):




Quote of the Day

 
You can't do ordinary stuff and expect unique results.
 
Michael Pettaway "Mike" Tomlin