Coach Boyle Blog

Ive been watching a lot of Ratatouille lately.  So a fondness for personfication has been creeping in.  Are rats better cooks and swimmers:)?

Jonty

An incredible athlete, a great coach, a mind for success, and an ambassador of and through sport.  Jonty Skinner has always been one of (if not) the first to break through barriers and propose/achieve alternatives regardless of the established mindset.  Never afraid to promote discussion…thanks Jonty for being that voice,

Nate

Happy

Playing

HOW DAVID BEATS GOLIATH

This past weekend two athletes competed at the Santa Clara Grand Prix with and next to USA, Canadian, and Australian Olympians of past and future. Walking into the facility brought back alot of great memories of coaching and competing for myself, but also reminded me of where TIDE swimming and swimming in general is trying to go.

As we walked into the pool after our 12 hour trip out there we were immediately greeted by Santa Clara swim teams version of their TIDE athletes competing in the shallow end warmup pool. Its always a treat to see the sports next great generation learning. Continuing on as we approached the main tank we saw a full pool of athletes ranging from age group and Senior athletes for the Santa Clara swim team. With a banner that ran the course of the outdoor 50 meter pool that listed the clubs numerous Olympic coaches and swimmers.

In the far two lanes was the King Aquatics team preparing for the meet. Their coach, Sean Hutchinson, will be the Head Coach for the USA World Championships this summer. Ive known Sean since my time as an athlete and now as a peer, so I asked to share some space and we talked “swimming” for a bit. Meanwhile, I look over and USA Olympian/Auburn All-American/friend Margaret Hoelzer is shaking hands with a TIDE athlete as they warmup.

Later in the competition, with 2800 people in the stands, Michael Phelps and his two bodyguards were swarmed by well wishers and autograph seekers after a performance that saw him go out very fast in his 400 and barely hold off the Olympic Bronze medalist in the 1500. Unable to speak from his just finished effort, he did his best to do a TV interview for the audience at home with Olympic Gold Medalist Summer Sanders.

The meet was a reminder of all levels this great sport effects…youngster to Olympian, coaches working together, and an audience that has never been there before witnessing Olympic preparation.

As we head to Midtown again this coming weekend…please remember these are the humble beginnings of representing a sport as athletes, spectators, and coaches. A means to witness athletic feats, demonstrate sportsmanship, work together, and always find the artistry in the imagined and the skill in the achieved.

Always great to hear what the great ones are doing.  But perhaps more importantly to try and understand “Why?”

Perspective

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear