HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ELEMENTS LIKE A NATIONAL TEAMER

BY MATT BARBINI//NATIONAL TEAM HIGH PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT

As you’re probably aware, weather conditions at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia were not ideal for a swim meet. It was rainy; it was windy; and it was cold. In the weeks following the meet, the most frequent question I’ve been asked is, “How did everyone deal with those conditions?” 

The answer, to put it succinctly, is amazingly well. Watching our top athletes perform is always impressive, but to see the way that they were able to handle the most challenging weather conditions most of them have ever encountered at a meet was among the more impressive things I have witnessed in the sport. 

While chances are good that you won’t face a situation quite like the one we encountered on the Gold Coast, it’s still important to have a plan for when things don’t go exactly as expected. Of course, the following won’t apply to every situation, but here is a rundown of what the Pan Pacs athletes and staff did to handle the elements:   

BE FLEXIBLE AND COMPRESS YOUR SCHEDULE

Every swimmer has his routine, but circumstances occasionally necessitate alterations. At Pan Pacs, many athletes shortened the time between their warm-up and their race and tried to limit the number of times that they got in and out of the water. By far the coldest time for an athlete was the moment they got out of a relatively warm pool and were immediately pelted by cold rain and driving wind. Reducing the number of these instances and the duration of each, along with getting indoors when possible, were effective tactics for managing the impact of the elements.  

STAY DRESSED

Again, this might break with your routine, but it’s very important to stay as warm as possible before stepping up to the blocks. Knowing the timeline and format is crucial, especially if there are extra elements involved like introductions or awards.  

PLAN, BUT DON’T STRESS

With the help of your coach, acknowledge the weather, plan for it, and then put it aside. Team USA did an incredible job of not complaining or making excuses and many actually saw the bad weather as advantage. It’s one of the few elements of competition that is truly egalitarian - it rains just as hard in lane one as it does in lane four. Setting the tone prior to the meet that the weather wasn’t going to be an impediment or an excuse was, in my opinion, a huge part of the team’s success at Pan Pacs.  

You can’t control the weather – but you can and should control how you deal with it. From a broader perspective, this gets to the double-edged sword that is a swimmer’s routine. Being prepared and comfortable is important, but being dependent on a particular sequence of events can be crippling. Coaches can and should condition swimmers to such variability – ‘cold’ race-type efforts in practice, swimming multiple events on short timelines, and generally encouraging flexibility can help to teach them that they can swim fast in any conditions.