Galesburg High School's enrollment has gone down. When I started at GHS in 1974 we had 2200 in a three year high school, today there are only about 1200 students in a four year school. Athletically it makes it tougher and tougher for Silver Streaks sports teams to compete. Swimming seems to be the exception to this. Boys swimming has won the last two Sectional Championships, and the last two Western Big Six Championships. Girls swimming had a recent stretch where they won 8 straight Western Big Six Championships.
I am far from an expert on swimming. My Grandma Massey used to scold us if we went swimming in the river in Wisconsin, and shared stories of the dangers of water. But as a coach, I am always intrigued by successful sports programs. What makes swimming so good?
Back when Galesburg had a local newspaper, I would read about the swimmers' success. Great swimmers names would jump out- Mike Ramage, Peter and Adam Peters, Jason and Jared Hallam, David Anderson, Devon Boydston on the boys side (sorry if I am missing names), and then Danielle Hulick, Lia Anderson, Kate VanHootegem, and Delaney Duncan. My tendency was to look at the team success, look at the "star" swimmer they had each year, and think,"Of course they are good, they have ______." And you fill in the blank with any of the names above. My mental calculation was that when this "star" graduated, the swimming team would not be as good.
The reality is that every time one outstanding swimmer graduated, there always seemed to be another one to come along. This past year Riley Stevenson and Lily Furrow fit the bill. And it is not just the "stars", they always seem to have other strong swimmers to go with them. If ever a program fits, the phrase "Tradition Never Graduates," it certainly applies to Galesburg swimming. What is the tradition of Galesburg swimming that never graduates?I am sure there are many components to the swimming tradition- great coaching from John Willy and Ray VanHootegem, many hard working athletes, strong leaders, and talented athletes are obviously important to the tradition.
The commitment by the coaches and the athletes is what I find impressive. Some athletes in some sports want to be committed when it is convenient- they talk a good game. And then there are the Streaks swimmers who are committed whether it is convenient or inconvenient. My observation is that for decades, the swimmers each year are totally committed to their program. In some sports athletes say,"I want to work to be great but I can't today, I will be there tomorrow." GHS swimmers in the meantime are getting up at 6am to get to the pool each morning in the summer to do their workouts. They are up at 6am on days it is convenient and days it is not convenient- it is who they are. Swimmers have a tradition of commitment!
I had a chance to ask Coach VanHootegem questions. Athletes of all sports should read this so they get an understanding of the work and commitment needed to be a champion. Coaches of all sports should read this to learn about a championship program. Some of Ray's insights about what makes the swimming program successful are the same kind of things that would make any team successful Massey- What was your background in swimming that led you into coaching at GHS?
VanHootegem- I swam YMCA from 7th grade through High School in Canton Illinois. Hen went on to swim at North Central College for 4 years. Since College I have swam in several Masters swim meets.
Coaching Experience prior to GHS is 4 Summers of coaching a club team during the summers of college. I then coached at the Knox County YMCA prior to GHS. I have 35 years of coaching experience.
Massey- Do you feel you have changed as a coach over the course of your career?
VanHootegem- Yes in the early stages I focused on endurance yardage based practices then I added speed work in the middle years. These past 5 years I have changed it up again. I have always emphasized technique quality and the strategies of how to swim each race.
Massey- We expect our athletes to keep growing and to keep improving, we need to do that as coaches. What things do you do to learn and grow as a coach?
VanHootegem- I always talk with colleagues - There are a few of us who share what works and what doesn't. I read articles and try to find out the new ways the elite swimmers train.
Massey- People don't believe me when I tell them that in the last five years I have learned more about coaching and basketball from Allen than he has learned from me. Your daughter is a swim coach at Champaign Central. The normal question would be to ask her what she has learned from you, but I want to turn that around. She was a successful HS and then college swimmer at EIU, and now she coaches. Watching her swim, watching her coach, and having “swimming conversations,” what are things she has taught you?
VanHootegem- Katie and I talk all the time about how to deal with the mental aspects of the sport and we share practices. Katie and I have figured out that coaching swimming is a tweeking process from year to year and from swimmer to swimmer. My discussions with my daughter Katie about the sport of swimming and how it pertains to life as an athlete have made me a better coach. During the IHSA season we talk weekly about the changes that are evolving in our sport, what is working, and what we can change to help our athletes to get better.
Massey- Your “day job” is teaching in the classroom. What is your favorite class and / or your favorite lesson that you teach? My 2 favorite classes are Consumer Ed and Investing Basics.
VanHootegem- COnsumer Ed focuses on helping students prepare to live on their own and guide them through what will happen next in their lives. Investing Basics - I want to help students be prepared financially and be able to retire on their terms and not someone else's.
Massey- I don’t think a lot of people realize how hard it is to be a successful swimmer. Many people picture the athletes on air mattresses laughing and giggling as they play in the pool. Taking Lily Furrow, could you describe her typical week in the month of June swimming- how many days a week, how many hours each day, and what her workouts would be in terms of distance. And then what it will look like for her in the early season in September.
VanHootegem- I talk to my athletes about in season and out of season training. IN season - basically 3 months is a serious commitment from them and from me. We work together to help make each athlete faster. In season we practice or compete 6 days a week for about 135 minutes per day plus weights twice a week for extra strength. In the off season the more the swimmer stays in the water the quicker we can get ahead of where we finished last year. Our program at GHS has been pretty successful. Almost every athlete gets faster from year to year.
Massey- I don't think people understand how much the swimmers do. I am not saying how long practices are, but what the workouts are like. Could you share the distances/repeats someone like Lily does?
VanHootegem- A typical high school practice would be-Warmup- 1200 yards with various swim kick and pull
Then 16 x 25 yards (one length) midpool to work on turns on 40 seconds
Main Set- 10 x 200 freestyle on 2:30 (start new repeat every 2:30)
100 easy swim
20 x 75 on 90 seconds. Stroke work.
Then all out sprints for about 15 minutes with about 1-2 minutes rest
Work on Starts
Massey- What does Lily swim 75 yards in during that workout?
VanHootegem- Lily can do 8 lengths without stopping in about 2:15 then leave 15 seconds later and do it again. Her 75 time holding pace is about 75 seconds. Sprinting with about a minute rest she goes in 42 seconds. They have to know their splits in their races to see if they are starting out too fast or too slow.
Massey- What's the water temperature?
VanHootegem- Practice temp is 78 degrees, recreational facilities are at 88 degrees. Competitive temps are 76-78 degrees.
Massey- No wonder they swim fast, they have to in order to keep warm! In every sport we want our athletes to be at their best at the end of the year. It seems like you really have a plan to get the swimmers to “peak” at the right time each year. Without me going to get a PhD physiology, could you give me a “swimming for dummies” version of peaking and tapering?
VanHootegem- We build up our yardage from week to week and then also add very fast intervals with less rest each week. Then about 3 weeks before the end of the season it is the hardest and we really ramp up practices. Then comes the fun part - a 2 to 3 week taper depending on the individual and most of the time very fast swimming performances to finish out the season.
During the Taper we do less yardage on slightly easier intervals.
Massey- As an outsider looking in, it doesn’t seem like you ever have “down years” with your teams. Year after year the teams are successful and you have individuals who are successful. What is going on? What do you think has been important to your success?
VanHootegem- I always talk to my athletes about how they can get faster- training , technique, strategies, and letting them be part of it all. I also think building good relationships is a key to our success. We spend a lot of time at the end of the year talking about our successes at our banquet and involving every one, because as a team we improve and which leads to success.
Massey- That is really, really good material for any coaches or any leaders- “letting them be part of it all” (giving them ownership), and “relationships are a key.” As a coach, what do you hope your swimmers say about you and about their experience in your program?
VanHootegem- That I care about everyone on the team and want each athlete to always get better. I also foster building good character and always making good decisions. I hope that each athlete knows I only want what is best for them. You are more than welcome to come to any practice in August to watch.
Massey- Grandma Massey would insist I wear a life preserver if I was near the pool. I really appreciate you doing this. Thanks for taking the time to share with me about your program.
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