NCAA Coaches Edition (Todd DeSorbo, Annie Lazor, Carol Capitani)

What's up everybody?
Welcome back to another week of Unfiltered Waters.
And sadly, the final week of content coming out of men's and women's NCAA championships.
But we saved one of the best for last.
This week we have our coaches edition.
And these three coaches, coincidentally, are the first, second, and third place leaders of the teams from the women's NCAA championships.
We have Coach Todd DeSorbo from UVA, Coach Annie Lazer out of Stanford, and Coach Carol Capitani from the Texas Longhorns.
And I have to say it was really unique to talk to these three because all of them are in completely different stages of their careers, have had very different backgrounds.
And so hearing not only how they remain a rock and a leader for their team and their staff, but just the human side of them of, you know, how they unwind during a swim meet, how they take care of themselves, how they, you know, make sure that they show up for their staff while still being vulnerable.
So many more aspects of the sport.
But I feel like if you're a new coach or even if you're an athlete, being able to understand your coach and how they operate from the inside out, this is a great episode for you.
So make sure if you're enjoying things, hit that subscribe button.
Please enjoy our conversation with Coach Carol, Coach Todd, and Coach Annie.
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I am sitting here on the seven-meter in Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, two days before the Women's Swimming and Diving National Championships.
And when you think about women's swimming and diving national championships, you have to think of Arena.
Last year, four of the five teams that placed in the top five were utilizing Arena as their main competition suits.
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It is an incredible suit and also gives you the ability to feel customized.
They have different compression for different events, different types of suits for different body types.
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Tada Sorbo, welcome to Unfiltered Waters Coaches Edition.
Thanks for having me.
People don't know what to say when I say that.
Um we have to start out.
We're at what 12 hours out of NCAAs right now.
And the last time we talked, you were trying to break a or create a streak with your shoes.
Can you update us on how that's going?
Yeah.
I started January 1st.
It's still we're st we're still in the midst of it.
What is it?
One pair of day.
Well, I I don't know why.
A lot of people ask me how many pairs of shoes I have.
I don't know.
So I'm using this to find out how many I have.
Why, why count?
Like just I know.
I don't really want to count, but then I was like, you know what?
This is a good idea.
I'll just wear one July 30th.
Yeah.
But you said I asked you, I was like, well, then are you allowed to buy more shoes?
And you you were kind of not sure on that.
I am.
I have.
Oh, you absolutely didn't count.
I have.
Okay.
So it just start, you know, it goes to the back of the line, you know, and gets in integrated into the lineup.
Get in line.
Can you put your shoes up right now for the camera to see?
Where's the camera?
Many of them.
So.
Oh, yeah.
So those off white?
They are off-white.
Nice.
Yeah.
What's that mean?
It's a brand.
Oh.
It's a brand.
And they did it.
They do, they have done a collab with Nike.
I think they do with a lot of different brands, but off-white.
I don't have any off-whites, but I had the Nike off-whites.
Got it.
Well, they look great.
Another pair of them, too.
I didn't bring those, though.
Okay.
Nice.
All right.
Elephant in the room.
Six Pete.
How are we feeling?
Oh, is that an elephant?
No.
Yeah, people don't want to talk about it.
But no, I've talked about it with you before.
You know, I I have been, it's funny because super superstition, right?
Yeah.
I've gotten to the point where I'm just like, just put just put it into the atmosphere.
Like, I mean, I we don't talk about it much.
Um or we haven't over the course of the season.
We talked about it at the very beginning of the year, and then maybe at certain points of the season, you know, to to assess progress, I guess.
Uh but yeah, I mean if we do our job, I mean, it's you can't control what anybody else is gonna do, right?
And so it's you know, if we can just keep performing the way we were performing, then I would imagine we'll be in a position to contend.
Yeah.
I'm not gonna say we're going to win, but that's kind of like the goal every year is just to, you know, the the goal has never been to win.
It's just been to have a team st start the season on paper that could contend and then keep it that way and build and build, you know, and and just put a team in a position at the end of the season to contend, and then the chips will fall as they may.
Yeah.
When throughout this four-day meet you have last year to compare to, do you start getting maybe a little more jittery as you get closer to the end?
Uh what do you mean jittery?
Like, oh, it's almost done, like getting more nervous.
Like I feel like you're calmer now, or maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe you're more nervous now.
Do you have a point in the meet where you get more nervous than others?
Um I think I mean, I would say the most nerves show up when like it's the like the first race for any anybody, you know, for that matter, whether it's uh the very first event or some people on our team don't race until Friday.
You know, after two and a half days of the meet.
So, you know, it it's just like you just it's not that you're like worried about anything, it's just that you want them to be successful so badly because you what we watch them all year work like crazy.
Yeah, you know, crazy hard.
And you just want you just want them to reap the benefits of their hard work, you know, and so that that would be I don't even know if it's nerves, it's you know, it's just gosh, I hope they do great because they've earned it.
They deserve it.
Um we talked to Katie and Anna and Claire earlier and they talked about the speeches.
Do you give a speech?
Well, I mean, you're like, I give it on every day.
Yeah.
This is great because now I don't have to think.
And they take care of it, and theirs are like this year's have been unbelievable.
Cool.
Like the first person who did it this year was Bailey Hartman.
Okay, and she just set the tone, and it was so good, and everybody else is like, oh boy.
Cause sometimes it used to just be like, you know, a minute long type thing, and you know, rah-rah, but these have been just how long are they?
I mean five minutes?
I mean, they're they're spending some time.
They're spending some time.
They're prepping.
Yeah.
And so they yeah, they're prepping.
It's pretty awesome.
They've been amazing.
And so you know, I might as I'm listening, it pops ideas into my mind.
And so I'll add to, I'll give a little talk at post sometimes.
Yeah.
But usually I just say, these are good, let's go.
All right.
Was that your idea?
No, I can't take it.
Um we started this a long time ago, a long time ago.
I've been there nine years.
But Blair, coach Blair Bachman.
Yeah.
She it was her thing back when she was coaching with us.
Wow.
And then we just kept doing it.
That's awesome.
What are you doing throughout the meet from a mental health perspective, a routine perspective, whether it's movement, whether it's like what how do you say calm?
Or how do you say you?
You.
No one ever thinks about the coaches.
Do you get a workout in?
I did today.
Okay.
I did today.
What'd you do?
I did yesterday, I ran today.
Uh I'll although yesterday I we got delayed.
And so we just went back to campus and I've had like an extra five hours.
I'm like, God, sweet, I'll go work out.
Perfect.
Uh that actually helps because then it keeps my mind off stuff.
But I mean, you know, I've been around the block so many times at this point, I'm just like, I can't control anything.
I can't.
Yeah.
You know, so like it particularly like when I'm sitting in my hotel room by myself.
Like, what point is it thinking about the meat or this or that or the other at right now when I can't, there's nothing I nothing I'm gonna do right now is gonna help or hurt anything.
So it's just like, why?
Yeah.
It's a very rational way to think of it.
Why stress about it, you know?
I mean, so it is what it is.
You know, the old saying, hay is in the barn.
Yeah.
Hay is in the barn at this point.
Yeah.
It's like it is what it is.
Yeah.
Well, okay, so obviously every year's team is different.
What is special about this particular team?
Yeah, and I think this team is more different than it's ever been.
You know, say why it's just because we don't have Alex and Gretchen and Kate and and you know, um, particularly Gretchen, and that's kind of been something that you know we've had as a theme, as a team, the entire year.
And um to me, it's almost like starting all over.
You know, like yes, we have a street going, but to me, it's not this is not number six, it's number one.
It's a it's a just a very different dynamic, it's a very different group of athletes.
Um, you know, we're it's a really deep team, deeper than we've ever had.
It's pretty exciting.
And so, I mean, I'm I'm as excited, if not more excited, about this year than I was going into the first like the first time we had a chance to win.
Yeah.
It's just been it's been really cool to see so many people just step up, you know, into really, you know, really impactful roles uh, you know, relative to where they were last year.
Right.
Yeah.
That's awesome.
All right.
I see if you I feel like you hate this question, but I'm asking anyways.
What is a word that defines the team this year?
And you cannot say Miami or chaos.
I'm not sure the word that I want to say is appropriate to say.
We can bleep it out.
Is there like a PG version of it?
Uh well, there's a there's an acronym, BABAS.
BA.
Right.
Yeah.
I love that.
I feel like we can believe be yeah, you can say it all bleep we'll bleep out the badass.
Yeah.
But they came up with that.
Yeah, okay.
That's that that's a good clarification.
Sure, Todd.
Yeah.
Sure.
Who came who came up with that?
It's not even it's it's actually more than just that.
It there one of the speeches that was given in the last week or two referenced well, they've all referenced I can I I can I was just telling them yesterday, when I was talking to them, was this morning before we came over to the pool, um, that every one of them has had a a certain statement in their speeches that has really been impactful.
And there's lots of different ones, which have been really cool.
Um and one of them was not exactly that, but along those lines.
Um, and so it's just like, oh, this is this is this thing.
That's the attitude you need something.
They're just like scrappy.
Like, I don't want to like if you run into it's almost like you you don't want to run into this group in in the alley behind the bar.
Yeah.
Don't don't you leave that Georgia Tech aquatics on the and find those Virginia women?
Yeah.
They were all saying gritty.
Yeah.
Like Claire, Anna, and I mean it's the same thing.
Same same line of thinking.
Yeah.
I love that.
That's great.
What system or tools have you utilized to control the controllables at big meets like NCAAs?
Um well, you know, particularly at this meet, we're fortunate that well, we were here four years ago for ACCs and NCAAs.
So our second national championship was here.
And then we were here a month ago for ACCs.
Yeah.
And so as we're, you know, for us and the rest of the conference, this is like we've already been here.
We've walked into the pool, we've walked out, we know what the locker rooms are, we know what you know everything about the pool.
And so that I think is is pretty big.
Um and just, you know, I think at the end of the day, it's just another swim meet.
Yeah.
Right?
You're you're you've put this arena swimsuit on a million times.
You're gonna put it on again.
You've put this cap on a hundred times, you're gonna put it on again, you're gonna dive into this pool.
It's no different than any other pool.
There's there's no you guys have both been at huge meets, right?
Like the Olympics and Olympic trials and stuff and NCAAs, it's like, yeah, it's bigger, but it's just another meet.
Yeah, same pool, same lane line, same block.
It's it's easy for me to say that.
No, for sure, but like why do we hype it up so like because it is hyped up.
Because you guys are hype it up.
Yeah, no, you're right.
We hype it up.
It is like, hey John, tell me about the six feet.
Yeah, yeah.
It's great, you know, but I think that's great for the sport.
Um Yeah, it's a it's a fine line.
At the end of the day, the the the I don't want to say the best athletes, but part of being one of the best athletes is also being able to manage that rest of that.
The height, the stress, the pressure.
For sure.
Right?
Like you that you know, and so that's that that stuff does impact people, but the best, it I don't know if it impacts them less because the best have more pressure.
Right.
Right?
Um, they have more expectations.
So you've got to be able to manage that.
And we've talked a lot about just it sounds cheesy, but pressure is a privilege, right?
Expectation is if you were not good, nobody would expect anything out of you.
Nobody cares.
You're good.
Would you rather not be good?
Or would you rather be good and have some you know?
So you know, it's I think at this point it's just like all right, well, that's cool.
Yeah, yeah.
We want the expectation.
It means it means you're in a position.
We've done things right.
You're in a position, you're in the position that you want to be in.
For sure.
Correct.
Yeah, just comes with it.
Yep.
Yeah, well said.
Great, crushed it.
Have fun, yeah.
Annie Laser, welcome to Unfiltered Waters Coaches Edition.
Oh, hi guys.
Hi.
First year at Stanford.
I first year at Stanford, yeah.
Are you enjoying yourself?
I love it.
I really do.
Like, I I just feel like our we we've we've 10 seniors on our team.
That's crazy.
A lot of seniors.
Um, but I feel like they really led the charge.
Like as soon as Chris and myself and and our assistant Marcus switched his role from ops to an assistant.
And as soon as we kind of walked in, they just like set the tone immediately.
They're like, okay, this is what we're doing and this is what it is.
And on top of that, I do feel like Chris and I, we work really, really well together.
We're we're similar enough and compliment, but also compliment each other enough that I feel like we're we're a really, really great team.
Um, and I feel like we're a good fit for the girls as well, too.
And I feel like um my time at Florida um and just what I felt like I could, what what I could be to that team and what they need me to be um changed me and also like prepared me to work with this group.
So I feel super grateful for my time there.
I definitely don't think I would have been prepared for this position with this group of girls and and the culture that they have if it wasn't for for that position.
So um so feel super grateful.
Still have a little bit of like imposter syndrome at times when they ask me, like, uh, what do you think I should do or what should I do here?
And I'm like, you go to Stanford.
Like, I don't really know how I should be telling you what to do, but um, but but yeah, it's been a blast.
They're just so goofy and fun, and the culture's great.
And it's been awesome.
Awesome.
Yeah.
I was just gonna say, like, obviously, massive legacy at Stanford.
What were the first emotions that came to you when you found out you got the job?
Um, well, so Chris reached out to me um about the job and was not really on my radar in the slightest of exploring another job, or or I just always felt like Stanford was just like on this pedestal, kind of like a cut above everyone else.
And like I said about the imposter syndrome, I was like, are you sure like you feel like I'm ready for this?
And of course, across conversations and getting to know him and um and going on on an interview and stuff like that.
Um I just really it there's pressure, but pressure's a privilege.
And I know like people say that all the time, but like it really, really is.
Like I love being in this position of like competing for championships.
And I love being in a position of like coaching women who want to be the best in everything they do.
That has been such an eye-opening experience for me this year.
Um, but in a way that's super positive and and fostering a culture of of encouragement of each other.
Um, that's that's just been such an amazing thing to be a part of.
But yeah, I was nervous going into it for sure.
Um, like I said, I kind of just made a little bit of a joke about um about coaching Stanford student athletes, but um, but yeah, that's that's real.
Like that, that is real.
And so um kind of when you're in that position a little bit, there's moments where you do have to learn and you're always learning as a coach.
You're always growing as a coach.
But at the same time, too, there are moments where you're you have to figure it out in that moment and be a problem solver.
And um, and they've challenged me in that way in a really, really positive way.
And it's just been it's been an amazing experience.
Never thought that if you told me this time last year I would be here.
I'm really not, definitely wouldn't believe you.
Um but uh but but with some encouragement with some people I I really support and trust in the sport and in coaching, um, decided to take the leap.
And I I've enjoyed it so much.
It's been such an amazing, I love my job.
Yeah, what is it like on the other side?
Because you were also a recent like Olympian.
Like it wasn't too long ago.
I was on a team with one of my athletes as an athlete.
Tori and I were on we're on the Olympic team.
And now she's like, what should I do for literally, literally, yeah.
So how like what do you love most about coaching?
How's that transition been?
I I love, I really feel like the thing that I brought the most to the table in my in my first couple of years, especially, um, was the relatability side of things.
Like I really, I rem I really could still feel what certain sets felt like to the athletes in the water because I was literally doing them like six months ago.
I'm sorry.
But I literally.
But but I but I also wasn't trying to be something that I wasn't.
It was, it was, it wasn't, it was no secret that I toweled off and 10 days later started a started coaching.
So I wasn't gonna try to be anything I I I knew that I wasn't.
Um and and I've really enjoyed just kind of I had this kind of mindset in my first year of coaching of like, just because you were a great swimmer does not guarantee you to be a great coach.
It it doesn't.
I I've had I've had really, really accomplished, you know, coaches that um were great athletes that I didn't have a great fit with as an as a coach athlete relationship.
And I've had coaches that were division division three swimmers that were some of my coaches that I connected with the most and helped me succeed the most.
So who you were as an Athlete.
It can help when fostered appropriately.
Um, but I really tried to be relatable and remind myself like, just because you were a great athlete does not guarantee you to be a great coach.
So you need to kind of keep a growth mindset all the time.
So that's really what I tried to do.
And and I think just on the day-to-day, it really helped me to have that um to have that perspective of like, yes, I remember exactly what this kind of set feels like.
So when someone's struggling, I could say, just focus on like this or this or this.
Cause like that's kind of what I would tell myself.
And a lot of times that really helped them.
Um, just just having that touch of still remembering what it felt like.
So I feel like that was really helpful.
And then I kind of I I still feel that a little bit sometimes, but I've kind of grown that into other perspectives as well, too, just just being around other really great coaches.
It's a huge X factor to help.
Huge.
I was gonna ask you, like, what's a quality?
You just answered it, like, what's a quality that you brought from being an Olympian elite athlete into coaching that has helped you?
It's like the relatability, but like what's something as a coach that you've had to now develop that you didn't think that you would have to.
Ooh, yeah.
Um, I really think my time at Florida, like I said, like I think my first couple months I tried to just observe.
And I thought like who I was naturally as an athlete is very similar to um some of the pieces of the culture that they had at Florida.
And so I was like, oh, this will be a really great fit because that's exactly who I'm like as an athlete.
I had friends who are who are professionals there and knew, knew what it was like.
I knew Anthony, I had been on trips with him and he was a coach and I was an athlete.
So I was like, this is gonna be a great fit because of that.
And as I kind of worked my way through there, I go, actually, they don't need more of that, of what I bring to the table naturally as an athlete, because they already have that.
Like there's other holes that needed to be filled in here.
And so I really feel like I've grown in areas that I didn't have a lot of as an athlete, as a coach, because that's what the environment required of me.
Um, so I feel like my my time at my time at Florida and really my time at Stanford as well too, um, I've developed a lot more empathy, um, a lot more patience, um, and just an ability to um understand what the athlete is going through and kind of talking it, talking through something in a way with them that um validates how they're feeling, if it's something that's not good or not fun, or they've had a bad race, or they're unhappy with something, um, validating that.
Um, but then kind of showing them how we move forward.
Um, I feel like that's something I've really learned as a coach.
And um, and I credit a lot of my, a lot of my last, my, my first two years to that.
And I feel like it really, like I said, kind of prepared me for this job as well, too.
Yeah.
You just said something that was uh that I loved, and it was like what the athlete is going through at a meet, which we us three all know.
But what Katie and I don't know that you know is what is a coach going through at this meeting.
Oh my god, I'm already like so nervous.
Don't tell my girls.
I'm like nervous, I'm nervous because I'm excited after I'm gonna be able to get it.
But I'm excited.
Yeah.
I'm nervous and I'm excited at the same time.
I I tell them like, I need to, I need to tell myself the same thing that I tell them.
Like, you're nervous because you care.
Yeah.
Right.
Turn that anxious, nervous feeling into eagerness.
Um, so I really try to reframe it that way a little bit, and I need to do that with myself too.
I really think as a coach, you need to just, I'm sure everyone has said this, like, you have to be level.
Like you cannot get too high and you not you cannot get too low.
Celebrate the wins.
Right.
Absolutely.
Celebrate the wins.
Be there for the athletes you need to be there for that that require something of you after they've had a really tough swim that they're not happy with.
It's bound to happen at a big meet when you have 16 athletes.
Like, no one's gonna be absolutely perfect.
Um, so I think just staying level and not getting too high, not getting too low is is absolutely important.
And Chris and I, um, Chris and I, a couple weeks before ACC's, he came up to me and and said, if I ever look like I'm getting too quiet or I look like I'm not being myself, you need to come up to me and remind me to have fun.
Because like this is fun.
Like this is supposed to be a part of our lives that enhances our life, right?
Like sport is supposed to enhance our life experience, not take away from it or make it stressful or feel this anxiety all the time.
Um, and so I was like, okay.
And so at ACCs, we we DQ'd a relay at ACC's.
And I think we did a really good job like staying level after that.
Because at that point in the meet, we kind of knew we were gonna get second.
So we were like, okay, like it's fine, it happens, rather it happened now than at NCAA's.
Um and you know, I there was a moment where I told Chris, I said, Hey, we're supposed to be having fun.
Like, we need to have fun.
And he was like, Okay, you're right.
And so I told him like the same thing for me too.
Um, I told him, like, hey, whenever I look like I'm I'm getting a little too stressed, like, you need to tell me that this is supposed to be fun.
And the girls have so much fun and they don't realize when we're when we're nervous or anything like that.
And I think we get it from them.
I think we feed off of their energy, which is which is awesome.
Yeah.
Well, last question.
If you had to put a word to the Stanford women's team this season, what would that word be and why?
Oh man, just sisterhood, like in all the best ways.
Um, I could I could use a million words for them.
They're goofy, they're uh they're driven, they're they're strong, they're they're loving, they're caring, they're empathetic, they are um, they can be intense, they can be, they can be, their work ethic is through the roof.
Um, they will do anything you ask them to do at the and do it the absolute best that they possibly can at all times.
Um, and they always do it with a smile on their face.
Like they love each other so much.
Our our culture is just fantastic.
And I and I really have to say I have to credit that to the to the prior coaching staff, to to Greg and his and his and yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Like they they have fostered an incredible culture and to our seniors as well, too.
Like they they hit the ground running when we got here and they knew that we had something special that we could do this year, and and uh and I have to credit all of that to them, just kind of what they've what they've kind of built this year.
And uh I've laughed, I've laughed every single day with these women.
And that has just been such a gift.
And actually, right before I came up here to do this, um, Chris told one of our girls, just just like just in a passing conversation, he was like, I don't think I've had as much fun coaching in my life as I have this year.
Wow.
I just got chills.
I know.
And and I and I I've only been coaching three years.
I'm like, yeah, me too.
I feel like, yeah, two and a half years of coaching.
Um, but uh yeah, they've just been such a joy.
Like sisterhood and joy is what I would is what I would say to describe them.
Oh, well, good luck this week.
Thanks.
Yeah, we'll be cheering for you.
Thank you.
Thanks, guys, so much.
Appreciate it.
Love you guys.
What's up, everybody?
I am here in my very first 550 model at Endless Pools, and I have to say I am very impressed for three reasons.
Number one, I've been talking about the hydro drive technology a ton, but experiencing like this swimming retro, which is obviously what I'm trying to do in 2028, being able to hold on to my stroke, and I also love when my stroke got a little off or I got a little tired, it kept me in check.
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Carol Capitanni.
Hi.
Welcome to Unfiltered Waters.
Thank you, Coach's Edition at NCAAs.
Very excited to have you back on the pod.
Thank you.
Yeah.
You said you just felt like you got shot out of a cannon.
Tell us when tell us about that.
That's who we're gonna start with.
Yeah, no, I feel like we get here and then it's like calm, calm, calm, and then boom, the meat's here.
Yeah, you know?
I've just been running around all day and thinking about a lot of things, so it's like fun to sit down and get settled.
When did you guys fly in?
Uh, yesterday.
Were you affected by that, those security lines?
We were, but it wasn't as bad.
Okay.
You know, in a good story, but yeah, it was terrible.
Yeah.
No, but it was fun.
I mean, like, I I just want to skate through without much drama, you know?
Yeah, we're not gonna think about it.
We're here.
Yeah, we're here.
We made it.
Yeah.
So this episode is gonna air after the championships are done.
Love it.
So if you had a crystal ball and you're looking in it, what happens from a performance standpoint that will make you proud?
Oh.
I love that.
Um I'm really excited about this one.
We have a we have a really we have a really young team.
We have no seniors.
Um I'm excited for new people to lead.
I'm excited for our sophomore class to just they came in once and they thought they got their footing and now everything's changed, you know.
So like I'm excited uh for them just to come back at it again and keep fighting, and I'm excited for our freshmen.
They know they don't know what's going on, they're here for the first time.
So I just want to race tough and fight and leave with a trophy, and that that would make me proud.
But you will.
Come on, come on, let's do it.
You know, you're gonna do it.
I mean, okay, so like let's talk about you, Carol, the human being behind the coach.
Like, when things get really crazy, all of these, and especially with now prelims being a lot more in the world.
Prelims are finals, yeah.
Yeah, how do you kind of navigate that as a person?
How do you calm down?
How do you ground yourself?
I just swallow all the stress and shove it down.
That's right.
Not until Sunday.
No, you know what?
Like, I I honestly just I just kind of realize that I mean, I think the swimming world is a small world, it's pretty small.
And I think there are just like some select people that really care deeply about it and no one else is really paying attention.
And I just kind of like I just want to make it about them and make it about instead of like outcome, outcome, outcome, and just like ride the journey.
We know it's not gonna be perfect.
We know, um yeah, like we I don't know.
I just think we're up for some fun surprises, and we know not everything's gonna go perfect, but uh I think we've prepared them really well, and so I I'm I'm gonna be proud if they just stand up and race and take care of each other and have a good time.
Yeah, yeah.
As the leader of the team, like your staff, the athletes, how do you choose when to be vulnerable and when to be just strictly professional?
I probably wish I was professional all the time.
I mean, but no, I think I am.
But that's nice of you though.
Like that's like the human side.
No, I think I'm I think I'm professional.
I probably have to turn, I think I'm really nice and generous, but like I think I can be scary on the other side of me.
So I sometimes just have to watch kind of like how strong I come off.
Like I know I have a strong personality, but I have a team full of athletes with really strong personality.
So I think it works most of the time.
So just in the heat of the moment, I just want to let them know like they know I love them, they know I care about them, but they know that the expectations are high.
Right?
And like, but they're capable of like reaching them.
So what is the hardest part about this meet for you?
Knowing, I think knowing what everybody is capable of, knowing what everybody is honestly capable of, and just hoping.
Like sometimes when somebody does something like just spectacular and just something awesome, it's I don't want to say it out loud, but it's almost like a relief.
Yeah.
Right?
Because they did what they're capable of doing.
It's like, yes, like it's not surprising.
It's not surprising they did it because that's why they train, that's what they've been thinking of, that's that's what they've been dreaming about all year.
So it's like if they've done the work to achieve that goal, you know, that's like the most fun.
Yeah, that's the best.
Yeah.
Um, what was the question?
What's the hardest part?
Yeah, like do you sleep at all at these meets?
No, I go to bed really early, but then I usually wake up and then I can't fall back asleep.
Okay.
Do you work out then?
Like when you wake up.
Okay.
Well, not at like two, but Carol's on the phone.
Where is she?
No, but I do get up pretty early just so I can get it out of the way.
And like then in the middle of the day, I can just chill.
Yeah.
I feel like the hard up the hardest part about this, I mean, it's like action-packed, it's four days.
You just talked about like getting so excited for a swim, but I feel like you almost have to keep it semi-even keel.
How do you manage that?
Like on day one, Gillian Cox crushes her mile.
Then what?
Um there.
Um no, I think like you I mean, just what I've learned over the years, like I feel like I've been doing a long time.
Like the best coaches, the people I admire.
Like, you don't let your highs get too high and you don't get your lows get too low.
Like you just you enjoy the wins and you like take time to celebrate them, but you can't just be like, yes, because I think sometimes the athletes forget, like they put so much thought and energy and like the right things into making a race into doing it well.
And then sometimes they can be like, oh, sweet, my meat.
It's I got it.
And then they don't do the same things to make their next race go well, and they can kind of fall on their butt.
So the point is is just to like do what you need to do, think just next, next, next.
And then at the end, you can take a deep breath and celebrate.
Yeah.
Did you do anything differently, knowing that there's no B final this year to get the girls ready to show up in prelims?
We did.
What'd you do?
It's a secret.
Oh my gosh, but you gotta tell me I'm done.
You know what I think we did?
No, I just I I think we communicated to excess.
I mean, I think they're tired of hearing us talk about it.
Like, I think we always stress prelims.
We always stress prelims.
But I mean, we've talked about we've we've done like little rehearsal things, we put on different color caps, like we've just basically been like the meets in the morning.
Like the nights party.
The meats, but it's always it has always been like that.
Yeah.
But I think there's just less room for error.
There's zero room for room for error, and there's like zero room for development.
Unfortunately, I'm I'm disappointed because like I think someone can learn a lot, you know, when they just get here and they can they can be in the bee heat and then they can learn at night how to race and go faster at night and do all that.
That's kind of been like stolen, but like we'll figure it out.
Yeah, you know?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
I feel like everyone says like control a controllable is ad nauseum, but like what skills or tools do you lean on for yourself and for the team of like controlling what you can control?
I I think it's just like talking and reminding them about it, just taking a little bit of like stress off that when people are like, I'm gonna go this time.
I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.
Like, what are you gonna do to go fast?
Like, what do you you can't just be like, oh, I want to go 139 and the channel free.
Well, that's great that you want to go that.
Me too.
So nice.
You know, that'd be awesome.
But you can't just say 139 over and over again and do that.
Like, what are you gonna do to do that?
You gotta set up your first 50.
You can't overkick, you gotta nail your turns.
Your first 75, you gotta get a lot of air.
Like, there's so many things that go in that.
I think just like I think, I mean, you can say things one time, and you can say things like when you say it enough where people are like rolling their eyes and they know exactly what to do, I think we're good.
You know?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Just coaching, you know?
Yeah, just coaching.
Just doing your job, you know.
If you had to put one word to this meet, what would I guess the meet hasn't happened yet, but like if you look back, what's the word you would like it to be?
Oh it's never what you think.
Never what you think.
Like it isn't.
Like you can do any you can you can do all the teams, and for years, it's not just swim-swam, like in the olden days, like people used to figure out the points and who I mean it's never like it is on paper.
Because there's people that come here and they decide what they're gonna do that's nothing like what it was on paper.
And there's people that like you know, don't do what they're supposed to do.
It's like it just it this meet is what you make it, and I think just what our team, and this is what I hope to do really well, yes, meet what make them make me proud, is just if they like, let's not make this meet bigger than it is.
Like it's it's not the Olympic Games, you know?
It's like how good can we be for these four days and like have some fun and show and let our work like show how good we are.
Yeah.
What color caps are you wearing?
Very important question.
Black.
For both sessions?
I think we're gonna wear black in the morning.
Why not?
Because prelims are finals, you know?
I love that prelims are finals.
Yes, meet.
Prelims are finals, and then at night it's like you get to wear it again.
I don't know what we're doing at night.
Like we haven't got that far because we're not thinking about the outcome.
We're just thinking about prelims.
Well, even wearing the cap at night is already a win because we're swimming.
Correct.
So yeah, so yeah, yeah.
It's great.
Uh thanks, Carol.
You're welcome.
All right, thank you.
You're the best.
You guys are the best.
Appreciate it.