Participants at the PVS Swimposium received autographs from Rowdy Gaines, Randall Ball and Kate Ziegler (Photo courtesy of Paris Jacobs)
It is a dream for most young swimmers: A chance to learn how to improve from the sport’s best. Rowdy Gaines, Kate Ziegler, Randall Ball—some of swimming’s top athletes—running clinics, giving stroke demonstrations and teaching swimmers about the importance of using the entire body to swim.
For many local swimmers those dreams became reality at the Potomac Valley Swimposium on Oct. 3 at Georgetown Preparatory School.
“It’s a learning tool for each of our members,” organizer Paris Jacobs said. “We offer different tracks to educate our various members.”
The Swimposium featured five different tracks, each geared towards PVS members. There was the athlete track, with presentations from Gaines, Ziegler and Ball; the parent track, with presenter Sue Anderson, a former Eastern Zone representative for United States Swimming; a Coaches College; Club Business Management School; and officials track.
But for most participants, the main attraction were the world-class athletes who presented, especially local hero Kate Ziegler. Ziegler, 21, is a longtime PVS swimmer with The Fish and has won four World Championship gold medals. Jacobs received a lot of positive feedback about the George Mason University swimmer.
“My daughter, Jennifer, was absolutely thrilled when Kate Ziegler sat down with Jennifer and her FAST teammates at breakfast,” participant Marilyn Clune told Jacobs in an email. “Jennifer thinks that Kate is the coolest person she’s ever met, and I’m grateful beyond words for the conversation that Kate had with my daughter and her friends.”
Maryland Suburban Swim Club Coach Chris Huott also lauded the Coaches College, a track that included presentations on how to best teach each stroke, lessons on how to incorporate multimedia into coaching and how to talk to swimmers about nutrition. Jacobs also mentioned a presentation by Scott Riewald, who has extensively researched stroke mechanics and strength training to support the athletes.
“We educate our coaches to better use their tools,” Jacobs said, “and Scott is one of the top in biomechanics and strength training, and good stretching to support the athlete.”
The Swimposium occurs every two years.
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