Sunday, October 23, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Do you want to be safe and good, or do
you want to take a chance and be great?


James William "Jimmy" Johnson

Sunday, October 09, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
If you would hit the mark, you must aim a little above it.


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 

Saturday, October 01, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one
less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Robert Lee Frost

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Everything you want in life has a price connected
to it.  There's a price to pay if you want to make
things better, a price to pay just for leaving
things as they are, a price for everything.


Harry Edson Browne

Monday, September 05, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
In my own life, as the nearer I get to the end of
life on this earth, the simpler I want to become.


Fred McFeely Rogers

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

Jobs Update

 

 
 
Eagle Swimming Association - Head Age Group Coach
 
Amon Carter Jr. Downtown YMCA - Aquatic Director
 
TownLake YMCA - Masters Swim Coach
 
City of Farmers Branch - Aquatics Coordinator
 
Langham Creek Family YMCA - Head Swim Team Coach
 
YMCA of Wichita Falls - Aquatic Director
 
 
 
See more job posts here
 
 

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

July Jobs

 

 
 
Magnolia HS - Head Swimming Coach - Craig Martin 281-356-3572
 
North Crowley HS - Head Swim Coach - Tommy Brakel 817-263-1265
 
Katy Aquatics - Lead Age Group Coach
 
Tiger Shark Swim Team - Assistant Senior Coach
 
North Texas Nadadores - Head Coach
 
Lone Star Aquatics - Age Group Coach - Adam Depmore

YMCA of Midland - Aquatics Director

City of Lewisville - Aquatics Supervisor

Circle C Select Swim Team - Assistant Swim Coach

Tomball HS - Head Swim Coach

Weekley Family YMCA - Head Swim Team Coach

City of West University Place - Aquatics Coordinator

Capital Area Aquatics - Swim Coach

Northeast Houston Aquatics - Assistant Swim Coach
 

Miss earlier jobs posts?  Click here


 
 

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

Aggie Volunteer Men's Assistant

 

 

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

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Last June Jobs Post

 
 
Westside HS - Girls Swim/Water Polo - Andre King 281-920-8000
 
Sienna Premier Aquatics (SPA) - Age Group Coach
 
Grand Oaks HS - Head Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach/Dive Coach - Michael Jackson
 
Fossil Ridge HS - Swim Coach
 
Texas School for the Deaf - HS Assistant Swim Coach
 
TMI-Episcopal - Middle School Swimming Assistant Coach - Brandon Palomo 210-564-6195
 
 
 
Miss some earlier Jobs posts?  Click here
 
 

BOGO Free!

 
via Pinterest
 
Used to think "BOGO" was a dangerous chemical.
 
Sign at CVS said "Tide Detergent, BOGO Free!"

Thought to myself "Damn, hope we're not using detergent with that BOGO in it!"

Quote of the Day

 
Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your
nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.
 
Joseph Rudyard Kipling

Monday, June 27, 2022

More Jobs

 

 
Iron Horse Aquatics (IRON) - Head Age Group Coach & Assistant Swim Coach
 
Houston Cougar Aquatic Sports (COOGS) - Head Coach
 
Central HS - Assistant Swim Coach/Middle School Swim Coach - Matt McLaughlin 325-245-7587
 
Westlake HS - Assistant Swim Coach (girls) - Alison Soelter
 
Pieper HS -  Aquatics Director/Head Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach/Dive Coach - Courtney Patton
 
Bell HS - Assistant Swim Coach - Jesse Barton
 
Town of Trophy Club - Aquatics & Recreation Specialist
 
Cain HS - Head Swim Coach
 
Fort Bend Family YMCA - Swim Team Coach & Pool Manager
 
Lee HS (NEISD) - Head Swim Coach
 
Lakeridge Country Club - Pool Manager
 
 
View all recent "Jobs" posts HERE
 
 

Quote of the Day

 
Every man has his own destiny:  the only imperative is
to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.
 
Henry Valentine Miller

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Vitality shows in not only the ability to
persist but the ability to start over.
 
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Read, every day, something no one else is reading.
Think, every day, something no one else is thinking.
Do, every day, something no one else would be
silly enough to do.  It is bad for the mind to
continually be part of unanimity.
Christopher Darlington Morley

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
If you make it in the NBA, for your entire life up to that point,
you were probably the best player on every team you were on.
 
When you get to the NBA, one of the things they tell you coming
in is that 80% of the league is role players.  Essentially they
tell you, you're no longer going to be the star of your team.
 
Most of us are not going to be the star ever again.  That's
a hard pill to swallow.  Honestly, the reason a lot of guys
don't make it in the NBA is they can't swallow that pill, 
they can't accept it, they can't take a back seat,
they're unwilling to take on a "lesser" role.
 

Keita Bates-Diop
 

Saturday, June 18, 2022

2022 World Champs


Budapest
 
The FINA World Championships begin tomorrow.  Follow the meet here
 
Television schedule is here

Quote of the Day

 
I've learned a lot more in my failures than
I ever had in any of my successes.


Allison Rodgers Schmitt
 
 
 
 

Friday, June 17, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Behind every successful man,
there stands a surprised woman.
 

Maryon Elspeth Pearson

Thursday, June 16, 2022

June Jobs Update

 
 
via culturemap

 
Waterloo Swimming - Director of Competitive Aquatics/Head Coach - Patrick Henry (817) 905-7665

Alcuin School - Head/Assistant Varsity Swim -  Andy Silverman
 
Covenant Christian Academy - Head of Program for Swim - Phil Towe
 
Geneva School of Boerne -  Swim Program Director & Head Coach
 
 
Lufkin HS - Head Swim Coach - Leah Flores (936) 630-4217
 
Clear Springs HS - Assistant Swim Coach - Jessica Gaines (713) 677-1137
 
Central HS (Keller) - Head Swim Coach - Eric Persyn (817) 744-1967
 
Texas Ford Aquatics - Head Age Group Coach
 
 
The University of Texas at El Paso - Aquatics Coordinator - Recreational Sports
 
SwimLabs (Sugar Land) - Aquatic Supervisor
 
North Texas Nadadores - Several Coaching Positions
 
VillaSport (Cypress) - Aquatics Director
 
City of McKinney - Aquatics Coordinator
 
Brushy Creek M.U.D. - Aquatics Supervisor
 
Pampa HS - Head Swim Coach
 
City of New Braunfels - Assistant Aquatics Supervisor
 
Ridge Point HS - Assistant Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach - Richard Lafavers
 
Nitro Swimming - Part Time Coach
 
MacArthur HS (Irving) - Head Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach - Beck Nitcholas
 
McKinney HS - Assistant Swim Coach - Jennifer Frazier
 
Denton ISD - Aquatics Director - Conroy Hines
 
Cinco Ranch HS - Head Swim Coach - Chris Dudley

Samuel Clemens HS - Head Swim Coach - Scott Lehnhoff

Heights HS - Head Swim Coach - Stephen Dixon Sr.

Cain HS - Assistant Swim Coach - James Clancy

Cedar Park HS - Head Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach - Michael Quintero

Plano Senior HS - Head Swim Coach - Todd Ford

Medina Valley HS - Head Swim Coach - Lee Crisp

Southwest ISD - Head Swim Coach/Water Polo Coach - Rene Rodriguez


Other recent "Jobs" posts are HERE
 
 

Quote of the Day

 
Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings
out the basic traits in them.  If they were jerks
before they had money, they are simply
jerks with a billion dollars.
 

Warren Edward Buffett

Monday, June 13, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
If you care too much about being praised, in the
end you will not accomplish anything serious.
 

Leo Tolstoy

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
If you add only a little to a little and do this
often, soon that little will become great.
 

 Hesiod

Friday, June 03, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Since wealth is the only thing that can cure poverty, you
might think that the left would be as obsessed with the
creation of wealth as they are with the redistribution
of wealth.  But you would be wrong.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Thursday, June 02, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Nothing is easier than to prove that something human
has imperfections.  I'm amazed at how many
people devote themselves to that task.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Wednesday, June 01, 2022

Quote of the Day


It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis
to people who are enjoying a sense of moral
superiority in their ignorance.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Knowledge is one of the few things that can be
transferred to others without those from
whom it is transferred having any
less remaining for themselves.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Monday, May 30, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Some things are believed because they are demonstrably
true.  But many other things are believed simply
because they have been asserted repeatedly -
and repetition has been accepted as
a substitute for evidence.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
Why anyone would expect better decisions
to be made by third parties who pay
no price for being wrong is one
of the mysteries of our time.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Quote of the Day

 
There has never been a shortage of
people eager to draw up blueprints
for running other people's lives.

via Free To Choose Network

Thomas Sowell