Alex Tarics, 98

Alex Tarics, the world's oldest Olympic gold medalist at 98, has a hobby.

Most evenings, after his wife Elisabeth goes to bed, Tarics sits at the kitchen table in their Belvedere home and works on "unsolvable" mathematical equations. It's something he has done for fun since he sold his structural-engineering company in 1990.

Tarics has solved two or three of these unsolvable problems, attacking them from an engineering viewpoint rather than with standard mathematical methods.

"I am not a professional mathematician, I am a dilettante," Tarics says. "I am an engineer, so I can look at these problems differently and come to different conclusions. I do it for the love of the science."

Wisdom of a Champion

•  "You have to have a dream, something you want to accomplish. And then you have to work at it very, very hard. Mainly, you have to have willpower, which outlasts many years of hard work and disappointments."
•  "You cannot be a success unless you accept failures. If you think that when you lost something, it's all over and you give up, then you beat yourself. Don't let this happen."
•  "The willpower is the most important thing, and anybody has willpower in an inexhaustible supply. It's just how much of it a person uses."

Thanks to Scott Ostler who writes for the San Francisco Chronicle for sharing this wonderful story. Click the link below to read more:

"His Golden Years have lasted 76 Years"

Scott has mastery when it comes to the use of language. His pieces range the entire gamut.

Mary is Quite Extraordinary

This is crazy, but true. We just finished our high school season. On our club team we train swimmers who compete for 9 different high schools in the North Coast Section and the Central Coast Section of the CIF here in California. What a party!

And what an eye opener...every single year!

This year the honor for most impressive comment goes to Mary - her real name.
In her team's 400 Free Relay at the end of the NCS meet she cranked a 53.79 split. She has never been anywhere near sub 54 before. She got sucked up into a race and just "went for it". She was in a word "spectacular". She went where she had never been before, inspired by the relay situation.

We asked her, "Where did that come from?" Her response was, "I don't know, I just went for it, the team need me to go fast, so I did."

We said, "You don't train that way on a consistent basis Monday - Saturday, and yet you were able to pull that swim off. Awesome!"

We then asked her, "What if you trained that way Monday - Saturday? What do think would happen then? What might the possibilities be?"

We were inspired to be better coaches by her reply.

She said, "But what if I do train that way and it doesn't pay off?"

And there folks is the crux of the life lesson involved. As Ken - my coaching partner in crime - so eloquently put it, "The benefits of the process actually outweigh the benefits of the results."

Lessons from Mom

Every one of us has a Mom. Today is a special day for her recognition - whether she is with us or not (not in our case).

Yet the lessons we learn will remain forever. Here is what I can remember learning from Helen Swartz...in no particular order.

You will play and learn to read music. This began with the piano from 6-9 years old followed by the clarinet until 12. Then came Pony League football, but we still played music on Sunday afternoons and I was in the church choir until 18. I still play wicked air guitar and married Madeline 25 years ago...oh; I met her when she was singing in a band called Fat Chance when I owned a small rock joint in San Rafael, CA the 80's...fat chance I should be so fortunate!

You will always do your best in school. In doesn't matter if you get top marks or not; always do your best. That is why I changed my coaching technique in 1971; fortunately I had athletes who proved me wiser than my years.

Growing old is not for sissies. Mom ultimately died of renal failure but still smiled to the end. I will do the same.

She complained a lot as a younger person but when she hit her 70's she stopped; I mean she literally stopped; and she had a lot to complain about. Our conversations invariably had the questions; 1 - what are you doing for fun these days? And 2 - are you doing what you enjoy?

Finally, I can never remember her telling me to "be careful"...this when we jumped off the roof of the garage at 9 Holbrook Street in Palmer, MA into leaves holding the four corners of a sheet thinking the landing would be soft...she said, "You need a bigger pile of leaves."

What a woman...

Thank You Jack Bauerle

At the ASCA Clinic last September we somehow got a sheet of paper with this set on it from Jack Bauerle at Georgia. We ran across it last week when cleaning up some papers in our home office. Jack, thanks for sharing...it is an awesome set and the concept is so straightforward that it can be the basis for countless others.

As Jack says in his description, "set is straight through and if repeated throughout the season is a great set to gauge progress on, or simply adjust the challenge level." He also notes that "you can adjust the intervals and do this kicking, pulling or strokes."

We set up a white board with four levels of step downs. There was, as promised from Jack, immediate engagement both physically and mentally. Also, it can be done as scy, lc, or scm. We did this short course yards. We went on the 40 seconds. Another thing we liked about this was that all swimmers went on the same interval and while some got a little more rest than others, they were all in the same group, as it were.

It is a nice way to grab a quick 2000. Here goes:

40 x 50 free on the .40
Round 1 hold pattern = 4 at .31, 3 at .30, 2 at .29, 1 at .28
Round 2 hold pattern = 4 at .30, 3 at .29, 2 at 28, 1 at .27
Round 3 hold pattern = 4 at .29, 3 at .28, 2 at, 27, 1 at 26
Round 4 hold pattern = 4 at 28, 3 at .27, 2 at .26, 1 at max speed

No rest between rounds...have at it. You will be pleased!

Tough One

This is for the coaches out there. If you are a swimmer it may give you insight into our profession and help you understand the coach with whom you work.

We find the biggest dilemma in our profession is how to reconcile the fact that many times as coaches we "want" it more than our athletes seem to "want" it. Most coaches spend a fair amount of their own personal time simply thinking about ways to get more from a training session, more from an athlete. Many of us have the luxury of a certain amount of time to devote to this "practice" of personal brainstorming. If we are lucky we can sometimes do it with a staff member or a colleague. In my own case I spend an hour or so a day walking for fitness, plus a bunch of time driving around doing different things. Nearly all of that time is spent thinking about swimming - training, racing, dry land, mental prep, pool time, scheduling, arranging groups, fund raising - the list is endless. However, the vast majority of time is spent on figuring out how to enlist more passion from our swimmers.

Many coaches can identify with this. The question that comes to the forefront, at least in our minds is this: how do we/you handle it when the athlete(s) doesn't match our own personal level of commitment? We think it is really important to find that sweet spot, the balance between conveying our personal passion while not getting overly disappointed when our athlete(s) doesn't buy in at the same level.

It is tempting to shrug our shoulders and simply say, "We cannot do it for you"...and yet if we take our foot off the pedal too much, the swimmer senses this immediately and they suffer from being led by someone who doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm for them that might previously have been exhibited.

The other challenge is that you may need to say the same thing, even if in a slightly different way, because as a coach you simply can never know when the message may be heard for literally the first time.

Club coaches at the development level - say through a senior in high school - have a different standard to consider than a college coach or a post grad coach. The latter two levels of coaching profit from the sport being a business more than a personal growth mechanism. Yet at these two levels, there is still the same issue in play. How do you get a pro to treat the pursuit with the passion necessary to achieve the desired goal?

At the end of the day, perhaps this is a question for each coach to answer in the manner that best suits her/his own level of involvement. What works for me may not work very well for you. We just believe strongly that each of us needs to find that proper balance that works for us so we can maintain some sanity. If not, then we are doomed to a career long on anguish, short on rewards...and that would indeed be a shame.

A Fresh Perspective

We had our annual swim-a-thon event today where we raise money for our team by doing laps and having sponsors sign up with pledges. You probably know how this works so we won't go over it here.

One of our parents had a great idea. Let's have some parent relays and have each swimmer sponsor themselves for "$X" amount per relay. It was an idea that took off like wild fire. We set it up 10 days ago and ended up with four relays, 16 people, who were willing to swim a 50 from the blocks. Turns out that while some have actually been off a starting block years ago, for some it was the first time. And we can tell you that putting parents up there was an eye opener - for them and us!

Many of you think you know how a swimmer feels when they stand on a starting block but until you actually do it yourself you cannot fully comprehend the situation.

To begin with, the platform isn't all that big. And it is up in the air. And it is tilted downward. And there are people watching. And they are making noise. And they are calling your name. And suddenly you become aware of the increased level of expectation, yours and theirs...and, well you get the drift here.

We think every team needs to have a "Parent Night" if nothing else where the parents participate in a friendly relay competition. Today we did a 200 medley and then a 200 free relay. We actually did the 200 free relay as 8x25 since it came 5 minutes after the normal medley relay.

The kids had a hoot. One of our fathers actually held the American Record in the 200IM while at USC - many years ago. Some of the parents had never been off a block before. As we are fond of saying, racers come in all shapes and sizes. We made it all work and the place was going crazy. We raised a few extra dollars but equally important, we raised a few parents' eyebrows in regards to what their swimmer goes through up on the blocks.
And you should have heard all the disclaimers beforehand...could write a short book with those in hand!

Tons of fun had by all...some of the kids even got their parent's splits...and in case you are wondering, no, we don't keep team records for these events!

A Good Lesson

Local San Francisco politico and former Mayor Willie Brown writes a column in the Chronicle every Sunday. Last week he made a note of interest regarding Tiger Woods. Say what you will about Woods the fact remains that for several years he was untouchable on the golf course. Here is the content from Brown's column.

"Tiger Woods' return to the Masters reminded me of the advice he gave to kids when he was here (San Francisco) as part of the First Tee program.

He had the kids out on the fairway and lined up a row of balls. He hit each and every one about 250 yards, and they all landed within 5 feet of each other. "Don't hit the ball any further than you can control it," he said. "The goal in golf is to get close enough to the hole to then putt in. I could have hit every one of these balls another 125 yards, but I would have no way of knowing where it's going. So hit the ball only as far as you can control it."

Willie then wrote, "Not a bad lesson for any move you make - be it business or political." To which we add, for any workout or race you swim or coach.

Two Things

We have a short message today. We hope you will find food for thought. We wish all of you a wonderful Easter weekend and a Happy Passover.

It seems to us that progress is made when you have a breakthrough. It seems to us that progress is made when you have a breakdown. We are not sure which comes first but we believe the key part of the equation is the first syllable in each of those words - "BREAK". When you have either a breakthrough or a breakdown you are changing what has been for what can be. This applies to all three aspects of improvement; body, mind and spirit.

In fact we contend it is entirely possible that a single incident, race, workout, thought

or feeling can be simultaneously a breakdown and a breakthrough.

The second thing comes from a source unknown to us but we liked it enough to believe it is true. Abe Lincoln said that if he were given 8 hours to chop down a tree he would spend 6 hours sharpening his axe.

What Is Your Shape

We are in one of those reflective phases of our coaching career; one where we are working on the mental construct of how to approach getting our athletes to make necessary changes in their preparedness. We find it helpful to keep things simple as we work the process.

Without being too simplistic, we have boiled down the game to three phases: body, mind and spirit. Each athlete on our team knows what we mean by these three components. We have discussed it at some length over the recent week or so, in meetings and individually in some cases as time permits.

Sports often make reference to "being in shape". Yet it can (and indeed does) mean more than simply challenging yourself in workouts. The word "SHAPE" encompasses a great deal if you expand your mind to accept its implications.

For example, a highly respected coach stated after the ban on tech suits was instituted that each swimmer now needed to "build their own Blue 70". Talk about shape!

So we wonder:

What is your shape - in body, mind and spirit?

What would happen if you did something each day to improve the shape of your body?

What would happen to you, if you did something each day to improve the shape of your mind?

What would happen to your teammates (and by extension you) if you did something each day to improve the shape of your spirit?

The physical, the mental, the emotional...each has value. When you put them together you become unstoppable, quite literally.

This concept is clearly not for everyone, since there are an enormous number of people on the planet who are easily stopped.

Is there anything stopping you?

Really?

What is amazing and simultaneously energizing is that with a well-placed word or teaching moment, we coaches can actually make a difference in our athletes' lives. This is what makes our profession so riveting and compelling.

1000 Words

We all know the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. As coaches we have seen this to be true more often than not. While not everyone fits the mold of a visual learner, many do. Some are verbal learners while yet others figure things out kinesthetically.

One of the basic ingredients to faster swimming is the line you hold in the water. This is critical to efficiency and ultimately speed as well. We did two things this past week to address the issue of body line in the pool.

First of all, we tied short tethers with a bungee cord to our swimmers and had them swim out to the resistance point, had them swim several strokes at that point and then immediately go into a streamlined position and feel their "place" in the water as the cord pulled them back. It gave them a heightened sense of how their body molds into the water around them. Then we had them on a long bungee that went the entire 25 yards. We had them get into a completely streamlined position and then we pulled them the entire 25 yards. Our power plus the contraction gave them a "speed ride" that put big smiles on their faces. At the same time we asked them to lift and then lower their head to feel the very real effects of streamlined vs. non-streamlined body position. They all "got it" when towed at a fast speed. The line is critical to speed.

The other thing we did was to share with them the 30 second video clip that Jim Sugar showed us. Jim is on our North Bay Aquatics Masters team and is a professional videographer (among other things see his award winning documentary "Swimming in a Dream" on YouTube). When you click on the link below you will see at the beginning and the end a perfect picture of Ryan Lochte breaking the surface while disturbing the water minimally. We have worked on this a lot this week, every day. We are seeing improvements. It may take a while to see it in meets but we are seeing it in practice which is the first step.

Empty the Tank

This is a big week for Bruce Springsteen fans. The latest album Wreaking Ball has been released and on Friday the 9th at the fabled Apollo Theater in Harlem, Bruce and the E Street Band performed a concert in honor of the 10th anniversary of Sirius Satellite Radio. The new album is loaded with specific and metaphorical images about the current social condition. This concert was the opening night of the band's new tour.

If you are a fan and have been to a concert you know the drill...all night, nonstop, no holds barred energy from one of the great performers of all time, let alone our time.

We found a link on Google we want to share. If you search for "Jon Stewart Bruce Springsteen Kennedy Center" you will find Jon's introduction of Bruce for the evening's festivities. The usual humor is there. We found the following to be particularly compelling...since we have seen Bruce live many times and since we coach - live.

To paraphrase Jon...the power of Bruce Springsteen is that whenever I see Bruce do anything he empties the tank, every time and the beautiful thing about this man is that he empties that tank for his family, he empties that tank for his art, he empties that tank for his audience and he empties that tank for his country...and we are on the receiving end of that beautiful gift and are ourselves rejuvenated if not redeemed.

We have coached many athletes. We have been privileged to have several over the last 4+ decades that know how to empty their tank.

We have coached, not often enough, emptying our tank. We resolve to do better.

Robert M. Sapolsky

A really good friend, Lois, told me about an extraordinary lecture she attended last week in which the speaker, Robert Sapolsky, spoke of humans and a variety of our attributes including confidence. As coaches we are truly in the confidence business. So I did what anyone would do (!) I Googled him and the word confidence and what appears below jumped up. Isn't life grand?!

What If...

Posted by thegirlwiththewhiteboard@yahoo.com on Nov 7, 2011 in Momentos

I could not be more thrilled about the amount of circulation thegirlwiththewhiteboard has recorded since the site was publicized late last Tuesday night. The support and encouragement of my followers has been enormous, and seeing more and more unfamiliar names and faces following has been a greater joy. For me, December needs to arrive sooner because I can hardly contain how eager I am to start the project on December 2nd. Together, we can keep spreading this to become something truly powerful to many.

"What if...?" This interrogative phrase is used so frequently, but why? Humans are the only creatures that develop anxiety over what could be, unlike the other species on this planet. For class, I once read a book by Stanford University professor and primatologist Robert M. Sapolsky called Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping. The chapters go on to discuss chemical reactions in the body and the dreaded increase of glucocorticoid levels- we need not go further into the physiology behind all of this- as a result of stress. Translation: stress kills, well, eventually. And what is one way that we accumulate stress? We worry not only about the here and now, but also what is to come. That is what separates us from, say, a zebra. If pursued by a predator, the zebra's stress levels are heightened until the chase is over and, hopefully, the zebra makes it through with his life. Afterwards, the zebra does whatever it is that zebras do. On the flipside, what would we do? We would then stress about when, where and how the next predator would attack us until it either happened or it didn't happen. See the difference? We stress about potential situations, along with what we are presently going through. Sapolsky knew what he was talking about.

Why do we stress about what isn't even certain? I will admit, that as someone who possesses qualities of a Type-A personality, I know exactly what it is like to stress about upcoming deadlines or situations. While it is good to have a healthy amount of planning and execution to arrive at your goals, you can't let it consume you. It is then when you lose sight of what is right in front of you and start overlooking the small wonders that you normally would appreciate. Trust in your abilities; appreciate what you do have, and stop worrying. Even if you are brought to a challenging situation, you will face it and get through it while learning about yourself and becoming more self-assured.

On occasion our "What if...?" could also be referencing a potentially good situation. For example, the day I thought of the idea for this project, my mind flew through many what ifs. But, I obviously chose to make it more than a "what if". It became a certainty. In this case, stop thinking about what could be. Instead, go out there and get it. Did I know if people would consider my idea to be foolish? No. Will I know how people will react to me on the street? No. Did I know how to make a website? No. Had I ever made a business card? No. But, did I care about any of it? No. I wanted something, so I went out and attained it. With passion, everything else will fall into place. With this attitude, I have been carried through achieving anything I was passionate to support. Was I ever disappointed? No, because every situation would have been more disappointing had I not taken a stand and pursued my intended outcome.

Be your own biggest fan. You may not always have someone there to encourage you every step of the way, but by having confidence you will be able to accomplish much without external motivation. What's that? You aren't confident? Solution: fake it 'til you make it. Believe you are confident, challenge yourself in situations, and talk to people. Eventually, you won't be faking anymore; you will have developed your confidence. Voila!

What are you waiting for? Go out and turn your "what if" into something real!