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Dave Allen, head coach, swimming and diving: Let's see good technique!
The reason why I got into coaching is I just love working with people in sports, being
able to work with swimmers every day that are trying to push themselves to be the best
they can, to me is an awesome job. And it's just fun to come to work every day and try
to figure out what we're going to do today, both physically and mentally. It's easy to
write a set on the board, it's more challenging to try to figure out, OK, how are we going
to get people to swim better through that set and how can they really look at what they're
doing before and during races mentally, to prepare themselves as well.
Lydia Bowers '12: The best way to indicate that Mount Holyoke swimming has been great
for me is that my best time in high school for a 200 free was a 2:11. My best time at
NEWMAC this year as a senior was a 1:59. So, I've dropped 12 seconds in my 200 free. Our
training worked for me, and I had a good time.
Allen: So briefly, we have anywhere between 90 and 95 percent of people set personal bests
over the season, and this year I think it was about 92-93 percent. So we're pretty happy with that.
Lauren Williams '14: One of the reasons that Dave is a great coach is that he listens to
what you have to say and incorporates it into what his plan is for you, for the next four
years or for the season.
Rachael Battis, diving coach: We'll choose a dive and say this is a dive that we want
to work towards and we want to have this dive by this meet.
Allen: So for our training, one of the things that we really focus on is quality over quantity.
We don't do "garbage yardage." We focus on doing a lot of technique work, a lot of stroke
rate as well as pacing. And so every day in practice it's not how far we swim, it's really
how well we swim. A lot of people, when they actually get here, are kind of, you know,
not really thrilled about looking to go swimming in college just because they've "been there,
done that" for the last ten years. And so we try to put a little different spin on it.
We try to make it more fun, not any less work, not any easier, but at least more fun in the
work that they're doing.
Bowers: You should swim for Mount Holyoke for many reasons. First and foremost, the
friendships you'll make on the team are some of the closest and strongest you have at Mount
Holyoke. We call them "insta friends—just add water." Second of all, I think being a
swimmer made me a better student.
Williams: It's just always nice, having something structured in the day that's other than classes
that, you know, you can go to. And you just feel, OK, I'm here, I've got a goal, and I'm
going to go for it.