Ray Looze

WEBVTT
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Hey everybody, it's Lily.
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I'm back.
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We're here for a very special edition of Unfiltered Waters at Indiana with my coach Ray Luz.
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We had a great conversation about training and superstitions and what makes him tick outside of the pool.
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And I can't wait for you guys to tune in.
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Yes.
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So make sure you guys hit that subscribe button.
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I'm going to keep saying it.
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But on a personal level, it was it was really cool to see just coach and swimmer after a decade.
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I have to throw that in there.
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Just talk.
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You can just tell there's such a mutual respect there.
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And you can tell why it worked for as long as it did.
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And I mean, he is going to be like in your life forever with your babies and everything.
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And so I think that's just such a testament of when the coach and athlete relationship extends beyond the pool.
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And it's beautiful.
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Absolutely.
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Without further ado, enjoy our conversation with Ray Luz.
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Ray, Luz, welcome to Unfiltered Waters Day in the Life.
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Good to be here.
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Yes.
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Thank you for giving me a break from swim camp and every recruiting, everything that's going on.
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They're barely hanging in there because it's the last week of swim camp.
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Appreciate it.
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Yeah.
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What is what does your day look like when you have swim camps?
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Um, get up super early, come in, uh, hope that the elevator to my temporary office works.
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Because if it doesn't, that's 16 floors up.
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And we've had all sorts of power outages, and I've had to walk those 16 floors like early in the morning.
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It is.
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It is, but I'm like heart rate 180 by the time that's done.
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And then just do a little workout planning, then go and coach the varsity practice, go right in um to a presentation for the campers, and then coach camp.
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And then I get like about an hour and a half to like work out, eat lunch, or walk right now, walk around making recruit calls.
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I just walk around the stadium, you know, try to be in a quiet spot, and then back to a swim camp practice, back to a varsity practice, then drive home making recruit calls, and then into the evening.
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So and then we have the meet, the the pro meat too.
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So but this this is pretty this has happened before where all these things kind of hit at one time.
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So then you just fall into your bed.
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Yeah, like I feel like that sounds exhausting.
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Are you are you out on the boat just after you have to be?
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I will I try to be.
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I would be if I lived at your house.
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Like today, if I can, I'm gonna get on the boat maybe sometime after four.
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That's my goal.
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I think you could do it.
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Because then then, you know, no phone, just you know, really peaceful.
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So I live on a lake about 30 minutes away.
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Okay.
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And people in Indiana think that's like living three hours away.
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It is.
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But we were having this conversation.
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We were having this conversation 30-minute drive growing up in California was like normal.
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So yeah.
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So I I'm fine with it.
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But people when people come to my house, they're like, You live way out here?
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Oh my gosh.
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I go, but look, look at where I look.
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You give incredible views, I'm sure.
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What type of boat?
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Like, what do you do on the boat?
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Is it chill?
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Are you fishing?
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Um, not much of a fisherman, but I like watching them.
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Um, I have a pontoon boat, like you know, with a nice sound system, and my wife and I sit in the captain's chairs and we just piddle around and look at the houses and see what people are doing with their backyards.
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Because, like, when you have the lake backyards, they they do a lot of cool stuff.
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So we just like interacting with the people, and then you'll pass somebody and you'll stop, kind of anchor for a little bit, chit-chat.
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And those people know nothing about swimming.
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It's kind of out in the country, so that's nice too.
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So, kind of your way to just be Ray and not Ray the swim coach.
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Correct.
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That's needed.
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They it's it's it's a wonderful escape.
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So the the commute's well worth it.
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I think that was a good transition for you guys.
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Because they you you all used to live in town.
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Yep.
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And then kind of as as the kids got older, you you transitioned and you guys redid the house, didn't you?
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Yep.
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Yeah.
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Redid the the lake house.
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So, like if you you know, I used to live eight minutes from campus and your work, you end up working on Saturday afternoon, Sunday, you know, when people, oh, I'm here.
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Can you meet with me?
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And you know, you just don't say no.
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But when you live 30 minutes away, it's like, no.
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So I live 30 minutes away, sorry.
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That's good.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I'll miss you.
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So I was gonna ask, so it's been tw has it been twenty-two or twenty-one?
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That I've been here?
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Yeah.
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Um 24 actually.
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24, okay.
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And then 21 with the women and the men.
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Okay, so that's probably greeting.
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Yeah, I got my first year was 02, 03, coached the men for like three years, and then added the women.
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How do you balance men and women?
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I didn't do it very well in the beginning.
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So it was kind of this cycle of like we got the men going really good, won a Big Ten title in 2006 like quickly after being really, really bad, and then moved, you know, then the women got added in and they won like four Big Ten titles, but then the men declined.
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So it really took until like 2019 where they both won at the same time.
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It took it took decades to learn how to give both, you know, equal attention without kind of, you know, going more w one gender to the other.
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And um, you know, just learning how to meet the needs of of different different people, like females needs different things than males need, and vice versa.
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So it just it took a long time, and I'm still learning.
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So the longer I coach, the more humble I get too.
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Like, this is really a complicated job.
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It's extremely complicated.
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Yeah.
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You don't know that as a young coach.
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You're like, how hard can this be?
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But it's people, people are challenging and they change, and it's super fun to, you know, to get to interact with people that are 18 to 22.
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I love that.
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But you know, it's kind of an ever-moving target.
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You guys are, and you especially are constantly innovating and trying to find new things and trying to find new ideas and and test this out and test that out with whether it be with the men and the women or doing something in front stroke group.
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How do you how do you come up with all those ideas?
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Where where does that creative mindset come from?
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Well, you know, as you know, it's kind of more of a partnership here.
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And I've learned a lot from the swimmers.
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So they know they can change practice.
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Like you've changed a lot of practices.
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Talked my way out of a lot of things, yes.
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Yeah, but you know, she wanted to be great.
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She was she was a champion.
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So most of the suggestions she made were really, really good ones.
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Whether it was more difficult, easier, uh, it was maybe just a better way to do it.
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She's super smart.
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And there's a long list of people like that that made suggestions, and and it's really helped us innovate.
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And, you know, I I want I don't want something to be boring.
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So I like lots of toys and equipment.
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Like we've been, you know, playing around with metal weighted paddles for some time now.
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When we had Zayn Grothy here, he helped make the prototype of a weighted paddle.
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And then we finally got like everybody these metal paddles.
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Now they're like, if you were to swim with them all the time, they're probably super dangerous.
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Like I would never want like an age group team, but they're for like technique, they're for drilling to help you with your catch.
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But uh, I think the swimmers like having something, even a small something to look forward to that's different.
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Yeah.
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Change of scenery, change of change of equipment.
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Well, I keep hearing it over and over, whether it was this morning or talking to Van, talking to Lily, like everyone keeps saying, like, it's so personalized here.
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Like, I mean, that to me is extremely difficult when you have a team of you know, men, women, what's like 40, 50 swimmers.
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Like, how do you go about when you're writing a set or writing a practice, how do you go about creating that personalization?
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It's it's kind of a simple formula.
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We've been doing the same cycle here for a long time.
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And like I was telling you this morning, it's it's kind of from the John Urbanachuk Urbanachek tree with a couple slight, you know, this over here, this, you know, getting changed, but but all the same stuff's in there.
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And we all adhere to that cycle.
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So if you want to coach here, you can write your own workouts and do it your way.
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Adhere to the cycle.
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And then it it allows us to have multiple groups.
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Like what Van is doing is is the latest group, which is super sprint.
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Yet, yet he's doing things.
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If we're if he's doing lactate, we're doing lactate.
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So he can still be when when when his job allows, integrated into a practice, even if it's for just a few reps.
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So that allows us to not have it be overwhelming, you know, because you're you're doing the same energy system.
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Okay.
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That makes sense.
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I mean, at the beginning of the season, there's a giant spreadsheet.
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And it's got Monday a.m., Monday PM, Tuesday a.m.
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two a.m.
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And it says every group that you're in.
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And it's different for almost everyone.
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That's really cool.
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Yeah.
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Which I think I've never seen that anywhere else.
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I think that's something super special that we do, and I think we take a lot of pride in.
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Um that you guys uh there there aren't a lot of programs where the coaches are as attentive to their athletes as they are here, at least that I have ever witnessed.
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It allows us to give a very individualized amount of volume and like quality work to each athlete.
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So, like if I want you to go 40,000 in a week, I can give that to you, and I can give that to you with the perfect amount of quality versus aerobic work.
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Because there's all these moves that can be made.
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You know, just moving you from this group to this group, then that that just lets us fine-tune and kind of drop the, you know, the pin right on the head of the needle.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
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Something I find fascinating about you with your philosophy around using Urban Check and colors, I feel like coaches who have that thought maybe aren't as open to things that Van is doing and you know, can McAvoy.
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And it feels like you have a very curious mind, like open mindset of like, no, like there has to be something valuable in that.
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So I guess like, can you talk through how you do both?
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Well, I've always wanted to see something like that, but the the opportunity never presented itself until about a year ago.
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And we were just watching the results of the 50, and Van was standing next to John and I, and Van goes, that's when we saw the winning time, it was like 26-9, and Van goes, that's that's slow.
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And I go, Yep, we're not gonna get any medals there.
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And I go, but you know, like you could do that with like a little bit of training.
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And um John and I had talked to Tim Lane, Cam's coach, who we both know.
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And um, you know, then John talked to Van and was like, okay, let's give this a try for like eight weeks.
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Um, and we actually got to see Tim in uh Singapore.
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Oh, okay.
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And um asked, you know, John had called him before that, but then we got to talk to Tim who's married to one of my former swimmers, Kristen Sahosky.
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Oh my god, wow.
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Yeah, really strong connections there.
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And he just kind of went through.
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We go, Do you really go go like 5,000 a week?
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And he goes, We're down to three.
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Were you like?
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Really?
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And I go, can can could people do like more than just a 50 with that?
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And he goes, I think so.
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So um, you know, so we that's kind of the process that you know van is going through right now because Van had some success in the 50 and then did a decent hundred, and he's like, it'd be great to be on relays.
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And it's like, you gotta do a hundred if you want to do that.
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Yeah, and um he really didn't add a lot of volume.
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I mean, maybe he went like 3,000 more, but it's basically 1,200 to 1,500 a practice.
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That's it.
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But it but he works really, really hard at it.
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Yeah, really hard, and he has a massive aerobic base, massive from years and years and years, all the way back to Multnomah Athletic Club in Oregon.
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And Cam had that massive aerobic base too.
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Yes.
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So Greg asked me to make up to to to kind of go over what Van's doing because there's a fear that this will erode our sport.
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Because it's yeah, it's it's attractive.
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It is, yeah.
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It's attractive.
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Thank you for saying this because I I kind of brought it up to Van and I, you know, he's not a swim coach, but I do think there needs to be because we don't want to lose our distance in 400 diamers and milers over this.
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And I think our minds, I'm not even gonna say I'm a distance person in comparison to Katie, but like as someone who trained like a distance person for so long, our minds are like 100%.
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You know, how is it working?
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I'm like the last person that you would have expected to even be involved in this.
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I'm like, I saw that and I was like, okay, Ray.
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Like that's I mean, I just think it's to me, it shows to me, an incredible coach is someone who can evolve and can flex.
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You know what I mean?
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So I think like it's it's really interesting the way that you've embraced it.
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Well, my favorite word is no.
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So can confirm.
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When people, you know, ask, hey, can I do that too?
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No.
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Um, you know, so we try to assess the people that it might work for.
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So we tried it with a couple college guys, and one, it was it worked pretty well for he kind of fell apart at the end of like the Big Ten championships.
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The other it was like, you know, it was nothing different than the other training.
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So, you know, it's something we've probed on, and of course, people have gotten line to ask if they can do it too.
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But I think that there's there's you know, guardrails or criteria of who it would work for.
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And if it's not gonna work for that person, no.
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What's the criteria?
00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:31.679
Um, I think I think it's important to have the base already established.
00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:40.480
Well, like, like Matt King, for example, you would think that he would be a guy that would want to do it, yet he hasn't he hasn't asked.
00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:46.799
I think he I think the really smart people that know themselves don't even ask.
00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:49.360
They're like, that won't work for me.
00:16:49.600 --> 00:16:59.840
Um now younger people might want to like like I got asked by a lot of club coaches, like, well, like how would we do this with like high school high schoolers and stuff like that?
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:08.400
Uh I think you have to have a base, but I also think you need to be a very explosive athlete, somebody with a um a lot of a lot of twitch.
00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:14.720
So somebody with a massive vertical jump, like like a consummate sprinter.
00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:20.319
And and then you also have to have good stroke, good strokes already.
00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.640
And the way you get good swimming technique is we're sport of repetition.
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.599
It's like swinging a bat or swinging a golf club.
00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.440
That takes many, many repetitions to refine.
00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.720
So Van put those repetitions in, Cam did.
00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:41.440
So the stroke was there, and then you give them, you know, the heavy weight lifting.
00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.160
Um, like like Van's a monster.
00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.079
He's he's stronger than anybody in the United States swimming.
00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:50.720
You find me somebody that's stronger than that guy.
00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:52.319
Stronger than Caleb?
00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:53.519
Oh, by far.
00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:53.920
Really?
00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:55.200
I should ask him number one.
00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:58.799
Yeah, Caleb might be a better athlete.
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:08.079
Because I remember somebody telling me like Caleb could have been like a D B at Florida on the football team because of his athleticism.
00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:13.119
But like Van is is massively strong, you know.
00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:16.160
Um, he's gotta be and it's not even close.
00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:21.519
I think he's like 15-20% stronger than anybody I see in the United States swimming.
00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:27.119
And I know we have big guys, but you know, pound for pound, he's a beast.
00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:30.000
Just he's winning his weight class.
00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:30.720
Yep.
00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.039
I mean, but he put the put the work in.
00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:43.200
You know, you heard about I'm sure he told you about his mom and his uncle, and um he he can do do some really impressive stuff like his weighted pull-ups.
00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.519
You know, he and John lift together, and John's still got him in weighted pull-ups.
00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:51.359
John Long can do a hundred pounds, and Van's at 90.
00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:53.359
That's for how many reps?
00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:54.799
Uh, three.
00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:56.880
Which is which is impressive.
00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:57.920
That is impressive.
00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:06.640
Yeah, but you know, Vans Van's got the whole, you know, resume that you would think would make this successful.
00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:12.160
So that was part of the reason that you know we kind of went into it and it was an experiment.
00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:19.680
The other thing I would love to try is like short pool swimming, like have a 20-yard pool and do a lot of swimming in a 20-yard pool.
00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:20.720
I love that.
00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:24.079
I think it would be really, really fast.
00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:25.359
For sure.
00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:26.880
So a lot of turns.
00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:29.759
A lot of turns, turns get good, fast swimming.
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:30.880
Turns get real good.
00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:33.200
Turns get real good, but especially for, yeah.
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:34.480
Like, how do you think about?
00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:39.119
Obviously, you guys are coming off a really great NCAA season.
00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:42.559
You also, we haven't even talked about this, but you have a this pro group.
00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:51.119
So, how do you think about the NCAA season and how it then flows into successful PamPacks?
00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:56.400
Well, you know, in Indiana we do tons of long course swimming.
00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:02.640
So even in the collegiate season, we'll do minimally two, if not three, long course workouts a week.
00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:03.200
Really?
00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:04.720
No matter what.
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.400
That's just that.
00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:11.839
You know, the kids are like, well, why do we have to do this Saturday long course meet right before NCAA's?
00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:15.920
We have all these people that they want to win Olympic medals.
00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.880
They wanna they want to set records internationally.
00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:22.960
So we're very committed to being in a long course pool.
00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:28.319
And I feel like we can do we can do a really good long course race on command.
00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:31.119
Like Lily used to be able to swim great.
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:36.240
She actually did some of her best swims when she was only doing three long course practices.
00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:43.839
Because I do think that a sp a a stroke like breaststroke can get a little beat up when you do too much long course.
00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:44.319
Definitely.
00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:52.799
We had a season, I remember, I I believe it was the year before, it must have been the year before Tokyo because we had to do so much long course because we had to separate.
00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:53.359
Yeah.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:54.400
Um that's right.
00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:56.480
On on both ends and swim both ends.
00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:03.759
And that year, we were all in such incredible shape because all we were doing was long course all the time.
00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:07.599
How the college kids did, I don't really remember, but we swam pretty well in Tokyo.
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:08.559
I do remember that.
00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.359
I was gonna say, Yeah, I think that went pretty well.
00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:12.240
It went pretty well.
00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.039
So who are you away?
00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:22.079
I feel like I don't see a lot of interviews of like just you away away from being a swim coach.
00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:22.480
Yeah.
00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.359
Like what do you what makes you tick?
00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:26.880
What are your hobbies?
00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.920
Like what just keeps you, Ray, the person, happy?
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:32.480
Yeah.
00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:33.920
Boating is a hobby.
00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:34.640
Yes.
00:21:34.880 --> 00:21:36.799
So I boat a lot.
00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:38.319
So what's a lot?
00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:44.880
Uh I have a 2021 p pontoon that has 500 hours on it.
00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:47.200
Five hundred hours.
00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:48.720
When did you get it?
00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:49.359
Twenty twenty.
00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:51.359
Oh, it's it's it's like you bought it.
00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:56.799
So that's like, you know, that's a hundred hours a season.
00:21:57.039 --> 00:21:57.839
That's a lot.
00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:58.240
Yeah.
00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.440
So lives on that boat.
00:21:59.599 --> 00:21:59.759
Yeah.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:05.119
Yeah, so I I try to get out on the boat a lot because I just shoot I really enjoy it.
00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:09.519
Um I love history, so I'm a total nerd.
00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:11.119
A total nerd.
00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:12.880
And Lily Era.
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:13.440
What?
00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.400
What era is like your all of the above.
00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.119
Uh yeah, just kind of anything that's interesting.
00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:19.759
You know?
00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:22.960
I love animals, so Lily and I always bonded.
00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:24.960
Send a lot of dumb animal videos.
00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:26.640
Stupid animal things.
00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.480
Um I like humor.
00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:33.200
So I love like to joke around or just watching funny things.
00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:35.680
So just simple stuff like that.
00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:38.400
You're really into genealogy for a little while there.
00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:39.839
Oh, I love genealogy.
00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:42.079
Wait, I don't even know what is genealogy.
00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.079
Well, so 23 and me.
00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:44.799
You've heard of this?
00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:45.279
Oh, yes.
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.240
Ancestry.
00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:46.480
Oh.
00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:55.279
So my sister's the one that's done like everything, but it's like, you know, fasten your seatbelt before you take a deep dive on your family.
00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:57.200
He's had some good stuff come up.
00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:57.599
Really?
00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:58.240
Oh, yeah.
00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:01.119
My sister's like, I found some stuff.
00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:07.839
Like she she always thought our dad our dad's you know your parent will go, we're related to Indians.
00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:08.880
I hear that all the time.
00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:11.359
And my dad was like, We're related to Indians.
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:14.400
And my sister goes, I found the Indians in the family tree.
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:15.200
And I go, Really?
00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:17.599
And she goes, You're not gonna believe this.
00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:19.759
You are related to Pocahontas.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.200
And that was like the funniest thing.
00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:22.400
I put that in like my Instagram.
00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:23.519
You were obsessed.
00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:23.920
Stop.
00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:24.319
Oh, yeah.
00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:25.279
It was wild.
00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:27.920
And then my son goes, No, it's true.
00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:32.960
My son goes, Yeah, dad, but you and 600,000 other people can say that.
00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.039
So it's like it's not that unique.
00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:35.759
Got it.
00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:37.039
Not really that unique.
00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:39.759
Oh, I have one for you that we found out.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.279
I am oh, what's it?
00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:44.720
I think I am fourth cousins with James Madison.
00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:45.440
Oh.
00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:48.240
Founding father.
00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:48.799
Uh-huh.
00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.920
Is that why your signature is so like big and loopy?
00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:52.480
Maybe.
00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:52.960
I don't know.
00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:55.200
That's if James Madison has that big signature.
00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:55.359
Yeah.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:55.839
Doesn't he?
00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:56.880
John Hancock.
00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:58.559
So I'll like what I'll watch.
00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:00.559
I'll like watch the biggest.
00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:01.920
The nerds talking right here.
00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:02.720
That's okay.
00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:05.759
James Madison is great.
00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:06.960
Okay.
00:24:07.119 --> 00:24:07.599
That's fair.
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:08.720
That's fair.
00:24:09.279 --> 00:24:14.960
Oh, one other thing about you that makes you tick, you are highly superstitious.
00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:15.599
Oh.
00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:17.599
Yeah, it's a problem.
00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:18.559
Okay.
00:24:19.039 --> 00:24:21.279
It it well, give me some examples.
00:24:21.599 --> 00:24:24.880
Well, if you're gonna be superstitious, you have to be committed.
00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:25.839
You do.
00:24:26.240 --> 00:24:37.519
So, you know, if if you have good success, then you know, and you're wearing a certain pair of socks or underwear, you gotta ride that out until it goes away.
00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:38.960
That's commitment.
00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:44.960
So you like you're doing, you know, you're washing your underwear in a hotel sink, you know, just stuff like that.
00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:46.880
It's it's that's not where I thought you were gonna take that.
00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:48.240
Well we have some other options.
00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:55.839
Now that's that's the truth, but there's all so wearing certain clothing items or eating certain foods.
00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:59.279
Like for a while there, it was pizza for me.
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:05.680
And um but yeah, I've gotten away from that now just for need for personal health.
00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:07.279
You need both that's good.
00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:10.880
Yeah, I was just putting on too much weight, you know.
00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.440
Um Hey, Singapore was great to us though.
00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:13.920
Yeah.
00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.119
After that, yeah.
00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:18.640
Yeah, the Singapore diet that we were on.
00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:19.440
Yes.
00:25:19.759 --> 00:25:20.480
We can call it that.
00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.480
USA swimming Singapore diet.
00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:23.200
Nice.
00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:26.319
Not the recommended way, but did the trick.
00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.759
Yeah, get get the job done.
00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:31.680
My favorite thing you used to do, you don't do it as much anymore.
00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:35.519
He felt the need to feed the pool gods.
00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:39.839
So he would throw loose change into the pool.
00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:41.440
I got it from Eddie Reese.
00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:41.759
Yeah.
00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:44.480
It was his thing, and I got it from Eddie Reese.
00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:48.079
And in Tokyo, I got caught.
00:25:48.319 --> 00:25:52.079
And the Japanese do not like change in their pool.
00:25:52.160 --> 00:25:54.400
Apparently, it's a frowned-upon behavior.
00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.039
And I told Eddie about it, and I go, I got caught, and he goes, That happened to me in Beijing.
00:25:59.359 --> 00:25:59.920
Oh my god.
00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:05.519
And so I was like, you know, I don't need to be like thrown out of this meat over this stupid habit.
00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:06.160
Can you imagine?
00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:07.519
That broke that habit.
00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:08.640
But it was so funny.
00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:13.039
You'd see people like, you know, Lily or or Allison Schmidt.
00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:14.000
I found a quarter.
00:26:14.240 --> 00:26:16.240
Oh, yeah, we'd find it, and he'd get so mad at us.
00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:17.200
He's like, put that back.
00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:17.839
That's not fair to me.
00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:20.160
They would find I I found a quarter.
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:25.680
Like these Olympians that have all the money in the world, and they're so excited about finding a dime.
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:29.920
Sometimes you need to find the lucky penny at the Olympics, and that's all you need.
00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:31.279
Only if it's on heads.
00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:31.920
Yeah.
00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:32.480
Yeah.
00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:33.039
Yeah.
00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:34.240
But that's over.
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:36.319
Okay, so what's the latest?
00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:38.720
What is the latest?
00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:43.279
Um or is it is it unlucky to tell the superstition, or no?
00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:50.079
I feel like I've kind of I've broken that that habit recently.
00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:59.200
So like yeah, like lately I haven't really had a lot of like superstitious You haven't need you haven't needed it.
00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:11.039
I have a lot more talent than I'll have my, you know, I like to put my my program in front of my face.
00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:12.559
Oh yeah, like football coach.
00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:16.000
Like sometimes I'll cross my fingers.
00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:17.039
You still do it.
00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:20.000
And I try to hide it because it's embarrassing.
00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:22.960
I don't want people to go, look at he's worshing they swim fast.
00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:26.720
At Olympic trials, this was this was bad.
00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:33.920
Josh was swimming the hunter breast that night, and you were like, I you had a thing for the first two days in the meet.
00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:38.000
You're like, I'm not going on, I'm not gonna go watch on deck, I'm gonna watch from the warm-up pool.
00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:42.160
And then Josh got third, and then you watched every other race on the deck after that.
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.759
That'll so that'll do it.
00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:44.079
Yeah.
00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:47.920
Yeah, like I would watch in the warm down pool.
00:27:48.079 --> 00:27:51.119
That worked really well for me in 2021.
00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:57.519
Like everybody did for the most part what they what you wanted them to do, and that's hard at Olympic trials.
00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:02.799
And then and then when Josh failed to make the hundred, I'm like, well, I'm getting out of here.
00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.759
No more warm down pool because it's lonely over there.
00:28:05.920 --> 00:28:12.480
I was watching you watch, and I was like, you know, you're like by yourself, and everybody goes in to watch like the real race, and yeah.
00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:15.599
That screen, yeah, that screen can make you feel very isolated.
00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:19.519
It does end with poor performance, so then you're free.
00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:19.920
Yeah.
00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:21.599
But for bad reasons.
00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:26.160
Well, you're on the PamPax staff this summer.
00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:29.039
You have six athletes, which is incredible.
00:28:29.359 --> 00:28:33.359
Do you do you enjoy being on those trips?
00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:36.559
I feel like it's like a pressure cooker for coaching.
00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:39.599
You know, it's it's really hard work.
00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:39.920
Yeah.
00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:48.400
Um, and especially if you do, if you have the approach to to give more than just to the people that you're connected with.
00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:48.799
Yeah.
00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:53.759
So I I try to anybody that I'm assigned, even if it's not somebody I coach.
00:28:53.920 --> 00:29:23.440
Um, like like Luca for last summer, um, I worked with Neil on him, and I mean, all the credit to Neil and Luca, but like I called Neil like every single day from you know, from like Thailand back to Georgia until he arrived at the meet just to make sure that every little thing so that you know that athlete felt like they were getting exactly what their club, their coach would give them.
00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:31.519
And if you multiply that, you know, by the people you might be responsible for, you know, it's it's a lot of hard work.
00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:37.119
But I think that's what it takes, you know, for USA to have a good performance.
00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:49.279
Like, I take a lot of pride in somebody doing well that is not like that I'm responsible for for just a week or two, I take a lot of pride in that because like, you know, this is for the country.
00:29:49.440 --> 00:29:49.839
Yeah.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:30:15.920
So I don't think people, I think people don't realize that, and maybe it's outsider sport, but whenever I tell someone like, oh yeah, like it's you don't have your coach there unless they're selected for the team, I think it's incredible when I see coaches like yourself step up because like you feel abandoned if you don't have like you don't you're especially if it's your first team, you're there and you're like, I I have I I don't have my person, you know?
00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:25.920
And so having coaches like yourself step up and be like, no, no, no, like I've got you, I think is what draw I think when that doesn't happen, success fails.
00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:29.039
And when that does happen, we swim our best.
00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:29.920
We've ever swum.
00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:35.680
The the best like mentor I had with that was watching John Urbanichuk do it again and again and again.
00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:41.759
Like he would just step in and he would give you what you needed, but like he would coach.
00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:48.400
Yeah, he would coach, he would say the things that he's he was he was doing that when he came on trips with us well into his 80s.
00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:48.799
Yeah.
00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:51.039
And it was so cool to see.
00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:51.359
Yeah.
00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.079
Every single time.
00:30:52.480 --> 00:31:06.640
You know, like because you're afraid to like coach somebody that maybe, you know, you're afraid to say something that maybe they really need to hear, like, you need to go faster in this set, or hey, let's let's do this differently, or give them specific stuff.
00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:12.640
So like I would just try to know, okay, what did what does you know this person need to do in this race?
00:31:12.799 --> 00:31:23.039
Because I want to be able to tell them that with conviction, you know, not just go, well, good luck, some fast, you know, because sometimes you need to hear more than that.
00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:23.839
Yeah, absolutely.
00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:32.720
Especially at like I feel like that time in you know the little mini camp is like the most vulnerable, could be scariest time leading into the meet.
00:31:32.799 --> 00:31:36.000
So you need someone to give you the words that you need.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:43.680
Yeah, or to help you just get through, you know, prelims, semifinals, finals, and the strategy of doing that.
00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:49.279
So like your best race happens at the right time, you know, and I I just think you can't be afraid to coach.
00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:49.759
Yeah.
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:51.440
So that's great advice.
00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:53.039
All right, last question.
00:31:54.079 --> 00:32:06.720
If there was a word that described you as a coach and then you as just a husband guy living on this planet, what would those two words be?
00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:11.119
Okay, so different like so me as a coach.
00:32:12.079 --> 00:32:16.640
Well, I've got to give all the credit to Noel Pepowski for teaching me sleigh.
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:17.839
Slay.
00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:22.319
I love I love the word sleigh because it I love that you're picking it.
00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:31.200
It's fun, it's fun to use, it exemplifies excellent, excellence, and high performance.
00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:39.519
It's like complimentary, it's positive, you know, it's humorous, you can do lots of things, you know, with it.
00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:42.960
So I love that word in terms of like swimming.
00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:43.759
So yeah.
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:45.839
Do you say that to your swimmers after a great swim?
00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:46.160
Oh yeah.
00:32:46.319 --> 00:32:46.880
He says it all the time.
00:32:46.960 --> 00:32:48.240
He screams it at practice.
00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:48.880
Sly.
00:32:49.680 --> 00:32:50.160
Oh yeah.
00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:55.039
Yeah, or you know, you can kind of put it in front of the, you know, somebody's name.
00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:57.599
Yeah, I just I just think it's it's hilarious.
00:32:57.680 --> 00:33:04.880
And I know it's kind of old now and whatnot, but Anna says it still, so it's gotta have some coolness.
00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:07.119
Yes, and then what was that other question?
00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:11.279
Uh like a word that defines just you as a human being.
00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:15.279
Passionate.
00:33:15.759 --> 00:33:18.160
Like, I love what I'm doing.
00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:26.400
I mean, like, it's it's super hard, but like like I get up in the morning and I'm like, this is what I chose to do.
00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:38.319
Like, I'll never forget um there's a picture I look at every day, and I got it over in um Budapest because um I like to walk, as I as I was telling you.
00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:43.599
So I've got all these walking partners on the national team with coaches and stuff like that.
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:46.400
And we were walking on the Danube River.
00:33:46.480 --> 00:33:56.960
We'd walk down one bank over a bridge and back, and we kept passing these shoes, hundreds of shoes that were that were on the riverbank that were bronzed.
00:33:57.279 --> 00:34:02.400
That were they were bronzed, bronzed, bronzed, like a baby shoe is bronzed.
00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:08.320
Okay, and I was like, I finally like asked our like our guide or interpreter, like, what's that?
00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:18.400
And she goes, that was the the Jewish people in World War II, and they were marched to the river, told to take off their shoes, and then you know, put it into the river.
00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:51.840
And um, you know, I've been to a lot of Holocaust museums just and it and it's um, you know, the shoes were more valuable than the people, but I look at those shoes, I've got a picture picture of the shoes over my sink, and it just reminds me of like how lucky I am to live in this country, to get to represent the country at international competitions, to get to do what I want to do, you know, and I know that's kind of a serious thing, but it's like I'm really grateful, really passionate about you know what swimming has given me and what I can, you know, give to people.
00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:57.199
Like it's it's it's coaching is a job where you can really make people better.
00:34:57.440 --> 00:35:03.199
Like our class is the best class, like I think in this university.
00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:08.559
Like, you know, there's Indiana University, but like if you're on our team, that's Oxford.
00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:18.239
You it's like I want that to be the best, and I want you to learn, you know, just a ton and have that be your your biggest memory, you know, when you leave.
00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:19.599
That's beautiful.
00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:20.000
Yeah.
00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:21.440
I really like that answer.
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:23.199
I was waiting for you to loop it back around.
00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:29.519
Well, I heard I I was listening to Van's interview, and I'm like, I'll be prepared with all these things, and you you got me.
00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:31.920
I like wasn't I didn't you were listening.
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:38.559
I didn't I didn't I didn't get really asked what I thought I would, so I was not as prepared as I wanted to be.
00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:40.159
What did you think I was gonna ask you?
00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:42.880
The same questions as Lily and Van got.
00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:46.079
Because like Lily was like, you got me with that, and I go, Oh yeah.
00:35:46.320 --> 00:35:49.199
Yeah, it's not gonna get me, but she didn't ask that.
00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:56.880
You know, I'm never prepared for anything, so what would what would you if you had to give Lily a word besides Lily?
00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:02.480
What would you what word would you put to her having coached her for how many years?
00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:03.199
Ten.
00:36:03.920 --> 00:36:05.119
Ten years.
00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:07.119
Confidence.
00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:11.199
And this is not a word, but deep self-belief.
00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:19.440
I've never worked with a person that had more confidence or deep self-belief in themselves than Lily King.
00:36:19.679 --> 00:36:23.280
Like remarkable, amazing level of confidence.
00:36:23.360 --> 00:36:27.840
And I give a lot of the credit to her parents because they were tough on her.
00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:31.119
You know, like if she failed, they let her fail.
00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:37.199
And um, but she was able to do some amazing things when she needed to.
00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:43.599
And you know, she never mentioned, like, well, I don't feel so great tonight or whatnot.
00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:51.199
She, I mean, how many you won the 100 breaststroke from basically 2015 US Open.
00:36:51.280 --> 00:36:56.239
You didn't win that one, but you won the 100 breaststroke all the way until 2021.
00:36:56.480 --> 00:37:08.159
Every single race for a female breaststroker, yeah, like high-level worlds, Olympics, NCs, you name it, never lost a race.
00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:12.639
And that's you know, and I would warn her, I'd be like, You could lose this.
00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:14.400
Did you how'd you take that?
00:37:14.639 --> 00:37:15.119
Not well.
00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:16.719
I I can't say it here.
00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:19.679
No, she would be like, I'm not going to lose.
00:37:19.760 --> 00:37:26.159
And it might be super close because you know, I was right to some degree, but like she she just, you know.
00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:28.079
Magnets in the fingers, baby.
00:37:28.320 --> 00:37:29.599
Yeah, like to the wall.
00:37:29.840 --> 00:37:36.880
Like I show the swim campers lots of videos of her races, and one of my favorite is Annie Laser and her in the two breast.
00:37:37.119 --> 00:37:42.239
And Lily is dying in that the the Olympic trial race.
00:37:42.480 --> 00:37:43.840
She's dying.
00:37:44.079 --> 00:37:47.360
Yet she fought it, fought it off and ended up getting second.
00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:50.719
You didn't win, but you, you know, I knew where first or second.
00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:51.760
I was playing the heat.
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:54.159
Yeah, first or second's all that really matters.
00:37:54.639 --> 00:37:58.400
So, and I watch that like every single week, and that's kind of fun.
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:00.239
That was a team effort race, definitely.
00:38:00.559 --> 00:38:01.119
That's what I'm saying.
00:38:01.199 --> 00:38:02.480
That was that was team swimming.
00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:03.679
That was team swimming.
00:38:03.760 --> 00:38:04.239
Yeah, it wasn't.
00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:05.360
And people don't do that.
00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:06.079
They should.
00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:08.719
They should work with your trading partner to race.
00:38:09.039 --> 00:38:10.159
Yeah, because that what's the point?
00:38:10.559 --> 00:38:11.840
It's a win it's a win for both of you.
00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:12.639
Yeah, exactly.
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:14.239
Yeah, cool.
00:38:14.480 --> 00:38:16.079
Well, thank you for having us.
00:38:16.239 --> 00:38:17.519
Thank you for hosting us.
00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:18.960
This has been amazing.
00:38:19.039 --> 00:38:26.719
So well, thank you very much, and thanks for having Lily on because she's gonna move away here in about a week, and this this is it.
00:38:26.880 --> 00:38:32.159
So I got to see her swim a practice with you this morning for the last time, probably in Bloomington.
00:38:32.320 --> 00:38:43.039
Oh no, and um, you know, to get to do this kind of is really special because she's so busy, so stressed out, selling house, moving, you know, just all that stuff.
00:38:43.199 --> 00:38:46.400
This would never have happened if you didn't do this podcast.
00:38:46.559 --> 00:38:48.000
So thanks for that.
00:38:48.800 --> 00:38:49.599
Of course.
00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:51.119
Getting sappy on me.
00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:51.760
I know.
00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:54.239
Can you guys I'll leave you guys hug?
00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:54.880
Now we're good.
00:38:55.199 --> 00:38:55.519
We're good.
00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:58.000
We don't need to hug, but she needed to hear that.
00:38:58.079 --> 00:38:59.599
So yeah, yeah.
00:39:00.239 --> 00:39:01.199
Damn, right?
00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:02.159
I'm good.
00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:02.880
Yeah.
00:39:03.199 --> 00:39:06.239
But been a good ride.