Coach Steve provides instructions. (Photo by Elizabeth Henley)
Elizabeth Henley
Coached Workouts
DesertView swimming pool is home base for the club. Since it opened, the club has reserved morning times for coached workouts. Currently, we swim seven days per week from 7 to 10:35 a.m. On six days, there are three workouts; on Sundays, we have two longer workouts.
Coach Doug Springer was head coach for seventeen years. He announced his plans to retire five years ago, so the club was prepared with a cadre of certified coaches.
Terry Heggy began coaching in 1982 and started several successful masters’ programs in Colorado, winning Coach of the Year one year. He and his partner Claire wanted to move for their retirement, and being part of a master’s swim club was essential for Terry. Claire had honed in on Tucson where last spring they came to check out the possibilities, including SaddleBrooke. Terry swam with, and liked the club. They found a house they liked and bought it. Shortly thereafter the club’s board offered Terry the position of head coach. The club was prepared with its current resources, but Coach Terry was a gift dropped in our laps, and he seems very pleased as well.
Currently Terry Heggy, Lyn Moreno, Jay Selnick, Mark Randall, and Steve Truesdale are coaching the workouts.
The club has monthly signups for lanes; one can drop or add sessions after that. We show up in masks five minutes ahead of workout times to learn what the workout is all about. We are currently swimming no more than two to a lane, with each person in a lane starting from opposite ends and not stopping at the other end. All of these measures have been instituted to keep us safe from COVID-19.
Traditionally, masters’ workouts consist of sets whereby the coach specifies “n” number of “x” events with “i” rest intervals. Coach Terry provides an activity to swim for “t” minutes. The faster swimmers will swim more, but the slower swimmers are not in the spotlight to finish the assignment. All workouts for a given day are the same.
Last fall, we worked on fundamentals, including conditioning. This winter we are paying more attention to speed. Swimming is a very technical sport, and techniques are always changing, so we get some explicit direction for new techniques as well as individualized coaching. Using good technique not only makes one go faster, but it is also better for the body.
Make no mistake about it, these workouts are challenging! Coach Terry has told us that it is not mandatory to swim the workouts as provided, but most people do unless they can’t. Substitutions, including rest periods, are allowed for any reason the swimmer deems necessary or desirable.
Club Details
Dues for club membership are $20/year, which includes a club shirt. You can learn more about the club and find a link for workout signups at our website, www.SaddleBrookeSwimClub.org. We welcome new members.
Look for another installment next month!