UNCW Swimmers Leverage Coast for Aggressive Edge

Just earlier than dawn on a heat June morning, the UNCW swimming and diving staff slipped into the waters of Banks Channel close to Wrightsville Beach. The swimmers set off across the Causeway Drive Bridge, their first lap marking the beginning of a day of coaching. A couple of minutes later, a pod of dolphins surfaced behind them.

While the coastal setting is gorgeous, these coaching periods are about rather more than the surroundings. They are designed to assist student-athletes put together for the very best ranges of competitors. Many of UNCW’s swimmers aspire to compete on the U.S. Olympic Trials. However, the college doesn’t have an Olympic-size pool for them to coach. The teaching employees seemed to the Intracoastal Waterway for an answer.

“For Olympic trials, it serves as an important part of our training,” stated UNCW Swimming and Diving Head Coach Bobby Guntoro ’11. “The only race pace training we do for that meet can only be executed in the Intracoastal.”

Embracing the Elements 

While others may even see the ocean and waterways as a scenic backdrop, the Seahawks have turned them into an asset and a aggressive benefit. Training in open water introduces variables that do not exist inside a managed pool atmosphere. Tides shift and currents change. The staff approaches these challenges fastidiously, Guntoro stated.

“There are definitely a lot of X factors involved,” he continued. “The safety of our swimmers is the top priority. We don’t mess around with weather or condition of water. We move practice to our pool when it’s necessary.”

When situations are favorable, the teaching employees incorporates the pure motion of the water into the exercise, he added.

“We focus on utilizing the current in the water as either resistance or assistance for the swimmers and write appropriate sets to achieve what we’re trying to achieve that day,” Guntoro defined.

A Coastal Culture 

The relationship between the UNCW swimming and diving staff and water extends past coaching. The staff’s philosophy embodies the values that outline UNCW’s coastal college id.

“The culture of our program is love where you live and appreciate and respect the water around us,” Guntoro stated.

For many athletes, the Intracoastal Waterway turns into greater than a coaching venue. It turns into a part of their faculty expertise and a connection to the group they name house.

“Nothing can replace being around your best friends in the water and watching the sunrise,” Guntoro stated. “These training sessions are some of their best memories as a student at UNCW.”

Being immersed within the waterways additionally fosters a way of stewardship. Athletes develop a private connection to the atmosphere, one which encourages duty and respect.

“When they are in the water, it’s giving them the mentality that this is ‘our water,’” Guntoro stated. “That’s a powerful feeling and helps them feel that we have a responsibility to protect this.”

The swimming and diving staff’s strategy has additionally grow to be a recruiting instrument. Prospective student-athletes are sometimes intrigued by the chance to coach in coastal waterways.

“As far as I know, we are the only team in the country that utilizes this training system and environment consistently,” stated Guntoro. “I think we use the water around us as our strength. Rather than focusing on what we don’t have, we are being creative and leveraging the environment around us.” 

UNCW swimmers make their approach across the Causeway Drive Bridge in Banks Channel close to Wrightsville Beach, kicking off a morning of open-water coaching.