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What is up Western welcome to the first addition
of Inside Leatherneck Athletics.
I am your host Ryne Thorson
we have a very exciting show for you today.
Leathernecks swim coach Greg Naumann is in the studio with me.
Coach thank you for joining us.
[Coach Greg Naumann] Thank you.
[Ryne Thorson] Well let's start it off real fast
you're team swam very well last weekend
over at Brophy Hall what was the uh the main point
of that how, how did you swim so well?
[Coach Greg Naumann] Me personally I didn't swim very well.
But, the team did incredibly well
it's one of the things were it was kind of our senior day
it was a couple of teams that were actually
pretty close to the same caliber as what we were so.
It was one of those things were the team
wanted to really kind of step up
and give the senior's a one last good hoorah
the team obviously was led scoring wise
by our senior's which is really kind of the foundation
for our team at this point in time so.
It was really kind of the competition
and the fact that it was senior day
which lead to us swimming as well as we did.
[Ryne Thorson] And you mentioned the senior's
you had six of them on the team
how did they help lead your team throughout the season?
[Coach Greg Naumann] Pretty much they just kind of
dictate as to how the program
has operated over the years
kind of the great tradition
that we've had as a program as well as just
kind of leading the team
as to you know yeah this is how
we practice this is how we train
we go through pretty rough schedule
training about twice a day.
And so have the senior's kind of leading the way
is really pretty nice for me to be able
to just really focus on writing the workouts
and knowing that if somebody's is gonna actually
kind of slack off in practice the senior's or going to be like
hey you know come on let's pick it up a little bit so.
They, they lead by pretty much by example
as well as you know calling people out
when need be throughout the entire season.
[Ryne Thorson] That's very nice
let's switch gears hear you were a four year
letter winner here at Western.
In your hay day as a swimmer.
How did that experience being a swimmer
transfer over into being a coach?
[Coach Greg Naumann] Uh really kind of the big thing
with me has always been
I wasn't really revolved around
necessaty the uh athletically gifted side.
It was one of those things
were I had to work a little bit
harder as to what I was doing and so.
Paying attention to details as I was a swimmer
has really been what's paid off as a coach.
There's knowing how to do all the mechanics
being able to break things down
and relaying it to the swimmers themselves so.
That really has been the foundation for me as a coach
is being as detail oriented as I have been
as a swimmer has then related it to my coaching.
The training is training we just throw everything
we can at them and try to make them really tired
at the end of the day.
[Ryne Thorson] And how did you actually get involved
with swimming were you just born in a pool
or something like that?
[Coach Greg Naumann] It was actually Big Brother did it
he was just someone at the local YMCA
doing swim lessons and stuff like that and so.
He eventually was told we really don't have anything
for you to do here after this level
so hey this is a possible option
as to what you can do.
So he did it and I wanted to be like Big Brother
so that's kind of what I got into the swimming pool
for competition.
[Ryne Thorson] And last weekend was your last swim meet
of the year until the summer league
championships which are just around the corner.
Starting is it February 17th.
[Coach Greg Naumann] February 16th actually - [Ryan Thorson] 16th.
[Coach Greg Naumann] Correct
[Ryan Thorson] February 16th how are you preparing
for that compared to a normal.
[Coach Greg Naumann] I normal swim meets
we basically do is we still throw everything
and the kitchen sink at them.
Going into our conference meet we've actually
started to back off throwing the kitchen sink
at them we've pulled back throwing
the refrigerator at them as well so.
Really it's been focused on backing down the intensities
Backing out of the over all volume
of what were doing so that basically
their bodies should kind of recover
from everything and then they
start to actually feel good.
Have the normal aches and pains
and that just leads to a kind of a heighten
mental aspect for them that they've got a little more
bit of a chip on their shoulder
as their going into our conference meet.
[Ryne Thorson] Very well put you gotta
quite a few younger swimmers on the team
and you also mentioned the six seniors
this could be their last swim meet of their college career.
And really been their whole life of swimming.
How are you keeping the nerves down
for the team are you afraid that might
affect them a little bit?
[Coach Greg Naumann] I mean nerves are nerves
nerves are actually part of athletics in general
and sometimes it's actually good thing
to have some of those butterflies floating around
in you're stomach and so.
You know it's been one of those things
were we do some sport psychology stuff
with visualizing that way they get
to the point were they don't actually
have to necessarily think about what they are doing.
Their able to actually just kind of go with it
and react when we want to get it.
So at the end of the year
at the conference meet it's more of a instinctual habit
you would think over a course
of almost an entire school year
that they would actually have this as an instinct.
But, all the little things we do
training wise, mechanically as well as great strategy
they have it as an instinct
but it doesn't happen until really the end of the year
is when we start seeing a lot
of reacting to how things are going
verses having to think about it and then reacting.
So that's the big thing with us
is just making sure their heads are on straight
and doing that with the mental training
through sports psychology usage.
[Ryne Thorson] Well we wish you to have a good
swim meet when that comes
but for us that is it for the addition
of Inside Leatherneck Athletics
I'd like to say thank you to coach Naumann
and wish him good luck as his team
prepares for the Summer League Championships
February 16th in Indianapolis.
I'm your host Ryne Thorson
be sure to tune in next week.