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Gary Hall Jr. > Message Board > Sprinting and Distance Dialog Thank you for all the amazing emails! Gary has received so many great messsages to messageboard@garyhalljr.com from all over the world including swim fans, other Olympians, swim coaches, and diabetes patients. If you would like to send Gary an email you can do so and Gary will try to personally answer your email as soon as possible. Gary's Comments. Part 1. (September 2, 2003) Gary's Comments. Part 2 (September 25, 2003) Below are your comments in regards to the sprinting versus distance swimming dialog: November 21, 2003 Mr. Schubert also helped to develop Shirley Bashashoff. She had prior to joining Mission Viejo was on the same team as Gary Hall Sr in the 1972 olympics, Huntington Beach. Shirley under Flip Darr was a great sprinter getting 2nd in the 100 meter freestyle and 200 meter freestyle in 1972. Under Mark she became the best middle distance freestyler in the United States for women in the mid-1970's,so Mark is biases in favor of long yardage partly because of Shirley who made the US Olympic team in all freestyles from 100 meter to 800 meter but never got an individual gold because of cheating by the East Germans. October 14, 2003 Dear Gary, We were just sitting browsing your website and smiling! WE enjoy reading everyone's comments and wondered if you would accept our application for the prestigious race club. We for one think you look very buff and hot on the front page of your website and the The quote by Tom Jager made a lot of sense," He said that sprinters are the best swimmers, simply because if a swimmer can sprint, they do." As distance swimmers, we must admit if someone taught us to swim the 50, we would. So what do say, can you teach a 400 IMer and miler the tricks of the trade? Maddy and Fran Crippen (Maddy was 6th in the 400IM at the 2000 Olympic Games; Fran is a National Team Member in both the 400m and 1500m Freestyle events). Note: Subsequently, both Maddy and Fran have been invited to swim with the Race Club for a period of time. Gary is very much looking forward to them coming down! October 2, 2003 Mark Schubert, the head coach of a college team, should know as well as anyone the reason why sprinters dominate the sport. His USC Trojans have had spectacular performances across the board since he's gotten there with one exception: the sprinting. The NCAA meet is won or lost in the The Trojans, Wolverines, and Bulldogs float around the 5-10 spots each year while the teams that score heavy points in all the relays are 1-5. Coaches and swimmers alike strive for the best relay and therefore the best sprinters. Show me a coach who doesn't respect the sprinter for what they do and I'll show you a team that can't quite make it. And to Mr. Derecto - give me a close 400 free relay any day over a close 400 free. Alex Dawson - Texas A&M University September 27, 2003 Gary - I agree with you about the fact that swimming only seems to become popular during the Olympics, which I think is so very wrong and can be changed. I mean if so many people are interested in swimming for that week during the Olympics, why aren't they just as interested the rest of the year? Swimming is still swimming, isn't it? I believe that the answer to this problem is all about promoting swimming. When the Olympics come around, you see TV ads with the "famous" top swimmers, you see Gatorade and other ads with swimmers in them. Basically, if we can get more marketing and promotion about swimming, people will be more interested in it. -Maria Zenoni, Dominican Republic (Water Bug). Gary! I'm a distance swimmer (masters swimmer now) but I am thankful for sprinters- sprinters have made the sport what it is today and give it as much publicity as it has gotten. Distance Swimming is BORING TO WATCH!!! Who in the world wants to watch a 1500 free? I know that it is boring, but I know that I am good at it (relatively speaking). Computer video games, cable TV, DVDs, water polo, soccer, volleyball, the X-games, sexual orientation innuendo about body lycra, and supersized fast food have all "ruined" American swimming to a far greater extent than has sprint
swimming. What a silly statement (by Mark Shubert). Larry Weisenthal Hi Gary, Just read your comments on "sprinting" in swiminfo, re. Schubert. I did not read the article that you mention, but I think I know Mark well enough to know that he is not knocking sprinters. What I do think, and what I do agree with, is there has been to MUCH emphasis on sprinting at younger ages and therefore not enough aerobic development. Gary, There are some practical issues in the sprint/distance swimming debate: 1. High school swimming is now at best a sprint sport. In Florida, for example, budget and other considerations have reduced the varsity swim season to about 8 weeks. Some students can train for sprinting in 8 weeks, although with much difficulty. Only year round USS swimmers can swim distance events including the 200 yd and 500 yd for high school teams so the high school distance events are simply re-plays of USS meets. 2. Shoulder subluxation has reached epidemic proportions in USS teams -- especially on those teams that stress distance training. This is effecting both boys and girls. There is less shoulder damage among swimmers working with sprint-oriented coaches -- those that stress weight (strength) training and shorter, higher intensity workouts. This problem gets worse as the sport becomes increasingly dominated by tall, big boned athletes that suffer worse from shoulder subluxation. (The old rule of swimming with no strength training for younger swimmers does not apply anymore.) 3. Someone has already mentioned TV. In Europe, TV stations broadcast the entire 800 M events. Does not happen here. 4. The shortage of swimming scholarships means that there is not enough money to fill out a whole team. It is a better play to recruit swimmers at the 50-100-200 distances than the longer distances due to relays and other dual-meet factors and young swimmers know this. 5. There is some anecdotal evidence that too much distance swimming stunts growth, a killer in modern swimming increasingly dominated by 6 ft 4 in plus swimmers with size 14+ shoes. Despite the understandable desires of Coaches Shubert and Simon, long-distance training for younger swimmers is just not realistic. The smart young swimmer (speecially a boy) swims sprint events with some distance/aerobic training through high school. Those that have an aptitude for distance can go in that direction in college should college coaches promote it. College coaches should not look to high school and club teams to turn out a cadre of distance swimmers. It is better for the kids to do at most 4000 fast yards a day and go home. -- Jim Novakoff
Messages Sorted by topic and/or individuals Olympians, World Class Swimmers, and Coaches Comments on Sprinting and Distance Swimming Send Gary your message to messageboard@garyhalljr.com and we may reply back to your email and ask your permission to post it within this section as part of Gary's message board.* * An email to this address will automatically subcribe you to his email newsletter! The newsletter will provide you with a look into Gary's thoughts, recent books he's read, a peak into his competitive spirit, and a whole lot more
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