Katie Hoff changes coaches - Will train with Bob Bowman!

Mike Freshley told me at the Santa Clarita Masters Meet a couple of weeks ago that, "you learn how to win when you lose!"

Katie Hoff is switching coaches. From the Washington Post:

Swimmer Katie Hoff has changed coaches after a disappointing Olympics in which the six-time world champion failed to win a gold medal in a half dozen events.

Hoff is working with Michael Phelps's coach, Bob Bowman, who has returned to her North Baltimore Aquatic Club after four years at the University of Michigan. Hoff trained with Paul Yetter since before she qualified for the 2004 Olympics as a 15-year-old.

[Link]

Clay Evans, founder of 'Southern California Aquatics' (SCAQ) explains SCAQ and its coaches and programs.

About Southern California Aquatics (SCAQ): SCAQ has three coaches who have swum in the Olympics and many more that have come close by qualifying for Olympic Trials. One of our USC coaches even swam in THIS year's Olympic Trials! So, when you are wondering what Olympians do in workouts, you are experiencing it at SCAQ. (Okay, watered down of course).

Let me do some more bragging about our staff: Coach Erik Hochstein set a World Record for the 40-45 age group in the 100 Freestyle and came within tenths in the 200 and the 50. Current Olympian Amanda Beard (three-time Olympian/two-time Gold Medalist) swam in two SCAQ workouts in the last year as did the current 200 backstroke world record holder and two-time Olympian Margaret Hoelzer. Last summer, Michael Phelps swam in one of our workouts, but I will have to admit he got his own lane and did his own thing. What a treat that was. We still have some of our fast SCAQ advanced swimmers bragging that they beat him. Of course he was warming up while they were sprinting all out, but still...

The best thing about SCAQ is 60% of all swimmers are beginners and they have workouts [and clinics for the first-timer including lessons. The first ever swim workout with a coach was with SCAQ. If you are ever in LA SCAQ welcomes drop in visitors. If you live in LA then think about signing up. Check out SCAQ at SWIM.net or call the office at (310) 390-5700 [Link]

Upcoming clinic and events:

SCAQ OCEAN CLINIC: swimming through the California Surf. Come learn all the tricks to swimming in the ocean: getting in and out of surf, sighting, and swimming better, safer and faster! You must call the office to register.

TRIATHLETES hopefully will be inspired by the Olympics and start swimming with their local masters team and all the great coaches across the USA. It is not good enough to just buy books, tapes and take a two day clinic by “drive-by” coaches. Get in with a group of experienced swimmers where you battle for pool space.

Where do you think all the college swimmers workout? Masters! So, if you have no swimming background, you need heavy pool time: working hard and watching that clock. Two major triathlons are a month away, so get swimming! You think the Olympians would be doing one or two swims a week and mostly drills? A two minute improvement in your swim can mean dozens of places...

SCAQ NOVEMBER TRIP TO BEIJING AND THE OLYMPIC POOL – Clay Evans has been investigating a swimming adventure over Thanksgiving to Beijing (Nov 17 – 24). He has contacted the Chinese Embassy and would like to know who would be interested in a week of swimming, coaching by Clay and exploring Beijing including an excursion to the Great Wall. Costs -if we could get 20 people- is estimated at $3,500 and would include air, buses, pool rental and hotel (not food and entertainment). This will be a small group so get on the list now, email Clay@SWIM.net. First come first serve. Put Beijing in your subject line. drills?

[Above is a photo the Santa Monica College pool, a SCAQ affiliated pool that I swam in this morning. -- T.A.]

Clay Evan's and Erik Hockstein on Katie Hoff being out-touched in the 400-meter free.

Clay Evans: "... Katie Hoff gave away the 400 free with horrible beginner's finish/ touch. She looped down and up touching with almost a completely flat hand like she did not want to break a nail. Meanwhile the Brit lunged forward plunging in a direct STRAIGHT line to the electronic pad making up at least one foot. It was plain as day in the under water shot. I was dumbfounded at that error.

Erik Hockstein: "... This Katie Hoff finish will be replayed by American coaches for the next decade - yes, even a world-class swimmer can lose a 400 Free on a finish. This type of finish is actually more common than expected - I have seen this quite often at the elite level in the last few years.

--•--
My take: I am seeing people breathing off the walls, looking at each other under water, and people looking up as they glide into the wall for their touch. Is it hubris or coaching issues?

Here is an article from the Baltimore Sun regarding the 400 meter free: [Link]

This is how I looked while swimming a broken 200 SCY today

NCAA champion/Olympian Rada Owen; (Swimming Faster Freestyle with David Marsh), along with Erik Hockstein; Olympic Bronze medalist/Masters swimming world record holder, set up a workout today that brought me to total lactic failure.

One thing I accomplished today is that I am not afraid to sprint anything now.

These are special workouts for SCAQ members only who want to do swim meets. (SCAQ is more of a swim club than a swim team hence the subsidiary workouts.) These workouts are only 10 dollars and you get technique advice for any event you want to swim. In my opinion I feel privileged to be able to do these workouts for where can you get a Rada Owen and an Erik Hockstein to advise you in a single workout? And that's not all, we all have the LMU pool to ourselves which is one of the finer pools in Southern California! I look forward to it every Sunday morning.

If you want to do one of these workouts call the SCAQ office and set it up: (310) 390-5700 and tell them this blog recommended that you call! (I was not asked to write this and I do it on my own volition.)

This photo comes from the Daily Mail out of the UK. I can't link to the article since the image location was the only link given at Digg.com