Multi-Sport

A 5th Grader’s Triathlete Story

March 20th, 2025 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Kinley Polnasek

My name is Kinley Polnasek and I am 11 years old and currently in 5th grade at St. Joseph Elementary in Battle Creek. This is my second year participating with Team Athletic Mentors. I love all things sports and currently play basketball and soccer in addition to triathlons. I completed my first kids triathlon when I was 7 years old at the Cereal City Triathlon. No one in my family or extended family has ever participated in the sport so I thought it would be cool if I was the first one! While I was nervous at first, I loved how fast and competitive it was. The final sprint through the finish line is always my favorite part. It gives me the chance to really push myself and see how much more I have to give!

I am really proud of how I’ve finished each race I’ve competed in and how much I’ve improved on my weakest area, the swim. I’ve been working hard with a local swim club to gain more confidence, speed and endurance.

Out of all three disciplines, the run is probably my favorite. At a very young age I watched my parents compete in different run distances and then started joining in on the shorter ones. My dad is a big inspiration when it comes to running. He has completed six 100-mile races including the Western States 100. Since being involved in these ultra marathons, I’ve come across several women who I look up to and am inspired by, such as Courtney Dauwalter, Sally McRae and Des Linden. I’ve read their books and often find myself using their mantras. Courtney’s idea of the pain cave pushes me to my own limits and Des Linden’s mantra ‘Calm, calm, calm, relax, relax, relax’ is one I find myself repeating.

My main goal for this year is to bump up to a Sprint Triathlon for at least one of my races. The last couple of years I’ve done Super Sprints or Kid’s Events and I’m hoping to be able to push my training and get even more experience at the next level. I plan to race a few new triathlons this year including the new South Haven Tri. In between my soccer and basketball training, I plan to keep up with my running, start getting outside for biking and continue strength training with my mom at Athletic Mentors!

In five years I will be in the middle of my high school career. While I’m uncertain of what that might look like, I am certain that I will continue my athletic career. I would love to attend a college like University of Michigan or Notre Dame and compete at the next level. That is the dream!

What to Wear For a Cold Weather Run

February 17th, 2025 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Kellen Siems

One thing to consider when preparing for a cold weather run is what clothes you’re going to wear. The temperature should be taken into account, especially in fall and winter.

To start, it’s highly recommended that you wear a base layer which would include any type of shirt, mainly something that will keep you warm and keep sweat off your skin. Cotton should be avoided because it absorbs moisture. Next you will need either a mid layer, outer layer, or both. A mid layer would be something like a vest, hoodie, or even a long sleeve shirt. An outer layer might be a light jacket like a wind breaker that protects you from the wind and keeps you dry.

When running in the cold, a lot of people forget about their head. By wearing a hat when running you can help your body stay warm. Your body can lose up to 10% of body heat from the head being exposed to the cold. If you wear a hat, you want to make sure it’s not too hot, causing you to overheat. You can buy a lightweight beanie from any sports store. A neck gaiter that can be pulled up over your face can be useful.

Also, a good thing to have with you are gloves to keep your hands nice and warm. Sometimes runners will forget gloves and their hands will be so cold that it’s hard to move them. Some gloves to consider would be fleece gloves or even mittens. You can find running gloves practically anywhere. Hand warmers can also be slipped into gloves and you can add mittens if needed. Don’t forget your feet, a good pair of warm socks that keep your feet dry are essential.

When running in the summer and spring you wear shorts but in the fall and winter you wear pants. One of the many things you could wear is thermal tights/pants. Along with these, if needed, you could even put on wind resistant pants over your thermal tights to help protect you from the cold windy weather.

When running, make sure you have layers otherwise you could become chilled while running. It takes a while for your body to warm up when running, so having the correct gear on could protect you from the cold. A good thing about being too warm when running is that you can always take stuff off and put it back on if you get cold again.

Is Watts/CdA a Good Predictor of Time-Trial Speed?

February 14th, 2025 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Jay Campbell

A recent Scientific Triathlon podcast argued that the best predictor of average bike-speed on a flat course is watts per CdA. If your watts per CdA is higher than the rider next to you, you will beat that rider in a flat time-trial. [This is in contrast to watts/kg, which is the best predictor of climbing speed. See my blog on the Tron Bike for a discussion on watts/kg.]

Most of us triathletes do power-based workouts on the bike. We work on increasing our Functional Threshold Power (ftp) and have a good feel for the average wattage we can produce during a race. But do any of us have a handle on what our CdA is? And how do we reduce it?

What is CdA? CdA is the coefficient of aerodynamic drag multiplied by a relevant area. Area(A) is usually taken to be the frontal area of the object, but in reality, Cd and A are rarely treated separately. CdA is a measure of resistance as a body moves through a fluid. It is a function of both the size and shape of the body and density and viscosity of the fluid. If you are a bigger person, your shape is bigger, so you may have a higher CdA than a smaller person. On the other hand, if the larger volume of muscle generates more watts, it likely will overcompensate for the additional “area” of that muscle.

Back to the title question: Is Watts/CdA a good predictor of Time-Trial Speed? The answer is ‘yes’, but it is almost worthless in practice, because no one knows their CdA!! Even most CdAs of professional cyclists reported in the literature are not directly measured but are calculated from their speed and watts. You can do the same. Go to the chart below and find your average moving speed for a recent time trial (or a flat bike leg of a triathlon). Find the watts/CdA that corresponds with that speed using the dashed curve. Divide your average watts for the time-trial by that number. That is your CdA x1000.

[Example: If your speed was 20 mph, then Watts/CdA x 1000 is 0.5. If your average watts for that event was 160, then 160 watts / (1000 x 0.5) = 0.32 m² for your CdA.]

The points [blue squares] on the chart above were gathered from the internet and from friends who shared their watts, speeds, rolling resistance data, and air density. [A slightly more sophisticated estimation of watts/CdA can be done with this additional data.] The pink line is the theoretical watts/CdA if one ignores everything but aerodynamic drag (no power losses from drivetrain, rolling resistance, elevation gain/loss, wind, etc.) Are you surprised at how irrelevant the other factors are in predicting race speeds on these flat courses?

Note especially that nowhere is rider weight or bike weight part of the equation! Weight only effects the speed when there are changes in elevation or accelerations. At constant speed on a flat course there is no penalty for a heavy bike! If the extra weight is due to aero features of the bike, a few additional kilos is an advantage on a flat course.

Now that you know your CdA, how do you reduce it? That will be covered in Part II.

What is Ashwagandha?

January 9th, 2025 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Raquel Torres

Ashwagandha is an herb that has been used in traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda) for centuries. It has been shown to have a number of potential health benefits. Ashwagandha has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety levels by lowering the production of cortisol, a stress hormone.

Ashwagandha, one of the most popular Indian botanical plants, has been used in Ayurveda – the 5000-year-old Indian system of medicine, as a rejuvenative, and a daily tonic for many centuries. Ashwagandha embodies the very essence of a preventative and curative approach to health in Ayurveda. Ashwagandha is referred to as the Prince of Herbs in Ayurveda.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a whole-body (holistic) system of medicine that began in India, Ayurveda means the study of life. It takes a natural approach to all aspects of health and well-being.

Ayurveda is based on the idea that each person has certain life forces (doshas) and everything in the universe is connected. An imbalance in 1 area can affect another. When the imbalance is not fixed, disease and illness can occur. Ayurveda mostly uses nutrition, lifestyle changes, and natural treatments. These are used to support balance and a return to health.

Now let’s look at some (of the extensive list of benefits) of Ashwagandha one by one.

Stress, Anxiety: In a study carried out on 64 subjects with a history of chronic stress, the administration of Ashwagandha root extract for 8 weeks led to a significant reduction in the level of cortisol resulting in a reduction in stress and anxiety.
Sleep Quality: Ashwagandha may help improve sleep quality by reducing stress and anxiety.
Body Weight Management: Chronic stress is often associated with a wide number of diseases and conditions, including obesity. Ashwagandha can benefit from a weight management program by addressing stress and balancing cortisol levels.
Memory and Cognition: Historically, Ashwagandha has also been categorized as a medhya rasayana– a nootropic (improve cognition) herb in Ayurveda to promote cognition in children with memory deficits, and for memory loss in aging adults. Ashwagandha is known to enhance brain function, response times, memory, concentration capacity, and task performance capability. Many studies demonstrate how alkaloids from Ashwagandha help nerve regeneration, boost neural growth in both humans and animals. A study was carried out in 50 adults with mild cognitive impairment, a common precursor of Alzheimer’s disease, who received twice daily over 8 weeks of Ashwagandha root extract 300 mg. The research confirms its traditional use to enhance memory.
Athletic Performance and Muscle Strength: Research has shown that Ashwagandha may have beneficial effects on athletic performance and may be a worthwhile supplement for athletes. Ashwagandha, an amphoteric herb, regulates vital physiological processes and ashwagandha increases the levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), by reducing the enzyme that breaks down ATP. Ashwagandha increases energy production in the muscles by increasing mitochondrial function. Ashwagandha is known to enhance muscle mass, muscle strength and also decrease body fat in conjunction with resistance training. Ashwagandha also helps alleviate and heal the body’s damage and promote antioxidant defense.
Thyroid: Stress is the major root cause of thyroid dysfunction. Ashwagandha has a distinctive resilience and helps the body cope with stress and modulates the hormone balances. An 8-week research of 50 individuals with hypothyroidism concluded that consumption of 300 mg of ashwagandha root extract twice daily resulted in significant changes in thyroid concentrations relative to getting placebo.
Anti-aging and longevity: Ashwagandha roots are classified as Rasayanas that encourage health and longevity by increasing disease defences, stopping the aging process, revitalizing the body under weakened circumstances and thus generating a feeling of well-being, a research conducted to assess the antioxidant capacity of Ashwagandha roots in 30 individuals showed an improvement in antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and decreased indicators of oxidative stress. As a result, Ashwagandha’s antioxidant characteristics may possibly improve longevity.
Immunity: Traditional use combined with modern day evidence, suggests that Ashwagandha is one of the potent herbs that can aid in boosting immunity. Ashwagandha improves the body’s defense against disease by improving the cell-mediated immunity.
Inflammation: Is a part of the body’s defense mechanism, under normal conditions the body will produce an anti-inflammatory response to restore balance. But in the cases of inflammatory disorders, the body will not be able to regulate the inflammatory response, thus resulting in chronic pain and imbalance. Ashwagandha is one herb which has proven to be effective in reducing inflammation.
Blood Sugar: With the increased use of processed sugar, keeping blood sugar levels in check is important. Studies have shown that Ashwagandha is known for regulating blood sugar levels, an example of the herb’s Adaptogenic effect. A small study conducted with just six individuals with Type 2 diabetes, found that Ashwagandha may effectively reduce blood sugar levels in the body.
Anticancer: Ashwagandha has a wide range of therapeutic use. One of the benefits of Ashwagandha owes to its anti-cancer property and research has shown that Ashwagandha can be effective in inducing apoptosis of cancer cells (death of cancer cells) and also prevents the propagation of these cancer cells. Another potential benefit of Ashwagandha is enhancing the white blood cell count of the individuals with cancer.

Conclusion:

Ashwagandha’s effects may not be immediate, and you may have to take it for several months before noticing its effects. Always speak with a doctor to ensure Ashwagandha or other supplements are safe for you to use.

Dosing recommendations for Ashwagandha vary. For example, research has shown doses ranging from 250–1,250 mg per day to be effective for different conditions. Consult a healthcare professional if you have questions regarding Ashwagandha dosing.

You can take Ashwagandha in many ways, in either a single dose or multiple doses per day. And you can take it either with meals or on an empty stomach.

Athletic Mentor’s Junior Triathlete Development

October 28th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Dawn Hinz

Team Athletic Mentors > Athletic Mentors > Mentors

What is in a name? What does a name mean? What are the core values that drive that name?

Team Athletic Mentors is composed of almost 100 individuals who are determined to achieve two main purposes. Sure, we’re athletic, meaning we value the health benefits of staying fit, healthy and competitive throughout all stages of life. But even more than that, we are there to guide people, not just to be healthy and active but in any way we can support a mentee to grow and succeed in life, especially sharing endurance sports with youth.

We had the privilege of spending a weekend with our Junior Development Triathletes and were able to share a few life lessons with them along the way.

Our first night was spent preparing for a local triathlon race that would start early the next day. First we met at a local grocery store to return pop cans from our fundraiser. Since sports and life aren’t free, we encourage our young team mates to work to support their goals. Afterwards we traveled to the house we would be sharing for the weekend. The teenagers took turns laying out their race supplies for Coach and discussing their race plans for the next morning. Finally, we shared pizza and cleaned the kitchen before heading to bed. Each teenager was responsible for waking up and being ready to leave on time. Life Lesson #1: Prepping the night before makes the morning easier.

After arriving at the race site, each young athlete collected their race packet from check in before proceeding to set up in transition for the Shermanator Sprint Triathlon. Coach and Crew were nearby to answer any questions and give words of encouragement to ease the natural pre-race jitters. As other athletes were warming up for the swim it was realized that the timing chip adhesive was not holding. Rapidly, Coach and Crew helped each junior to secure their timing chip. Life Lesson #2: Work the problem. Life will not always be smooth. One must adapt and problem solve.

Each Athlete had a great race – pushing themselves to their best on that day. Sean was leading out of the swim but was passed by fellow adult teammate, Jeremy, on the bike. Sean kept chasing Jeremy on the run and was able to narrow the gap but was just shy of the win. Still, he walked away with 2nd Overall and a very nervous Jeremy knows that Sean is only getting better. Brie was able to put in a solid performance all around and came away with 1st Overall Female. Kellen was also solid all around and was actually faster than Brie but a tough age group meant he secured 3rd. Not to be outdone, our youngest team member, Kinley, raced the Super Sprint Triathlon, securing 6th Overall and 2nd Overall Female in her race. Most of all, it was noticed that each youth were excellent sportsmen, commending and cheering others while accepting praise with grace. As a celebration our juniors pushed Coach into the lake, the quintessential “ice water over coach’s head” but triathlon style.

After the race was over and equipment packed away, we returned to the house for lunch and quiet time before going out for a shake out ride. This weekend wouldn’t be all work and no play. Our generous hosts, Joe and Chelsey Cekola, took us out for a boat ride and we all took turns tubing. You just can’t beat the smile these kids had! Life Lesson #3: Make time for work and for play. It is not ideal to be one sided.

All this activity definitely worked up an appetite. Next the juniors would be guided through preparing a farm to table dinner. Fresh vegetables washed and seasoned for roasting. Potatoes were peeled and cut to make mashed potatoes. Small batch brats from Coach’s farm were grilled to perfection. The parents joined for this meal and really enjoyed seeing the juniors take on this responsibility. Life Lesson #4: Food takes work. From growing, to preparing, to clean up.

When dinner was cleared and the kitchen clean, we enjoyed watching Track and Field from the Summer Olympics. Future goals were discussed as well as the kind of effort it would take to achieve those goals. Life Lesson #5: One cannot control the outcome only the effort one puts in.

We woke the next morning to a mirror flat lake and a perfect sunrise. We set out to conclude our time together with an epic swim across the lake. Each junior wore an open water swim buoy and was escorted by a safety boat. Coaches also joined them in the water. The water was warm, inviting and clear. It was an excellent day for a swim. Life Lesson #6: Pursue epic accomplishments but do so with regard to one’s own safety.

Finally, it was time to say good-bye. Each junior packed and cleaned their rooms. They carried the used bedding up to the washer before being picked up by their parents. Without prompting they thanked our hosts. Life Lesson #7: Leave a place as good as or better than you found it.

This weekend was full of life lessons, friendship, fun and athletic pursuits. Mentoring was present throughout all the athleticism and that is really what Team Athletic Mentors is all about.

Consistency Boosts Overall Performance

October 25th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Brie Siems

In what ways does consistent training boost our overall performance?

Having consistency while training for a sport is an important part of improving performance. Regular training helps build a great base for achieving and maintaining excellence. There are many different ways training consistently can help improve your overall performance, whether mentally or physically.

Repetitive skill development helps increase our performance. When you go to the gym or practice field consistently, you may work on the same skills at every training session. Repetition in training while adding intensity helps to build your ability to perform better and faster every week. Each training builds onto the next. This means that over time if you practice your sport regularly, you will see improvement over weeks and months. Practicing skills reinforces muscle memory and increases your ability to perform your sport more efficiently. Repetition also reduces the risk of injury.

Along with consistency comes routine and discipline. The more you train weekly, a routine starts to take place in the gym and your life. You start to have discipline to get the work done even though it may seem monotonous. By also setting a time away from practice, our bodies create healthy training and recovery habits. Habits make it easier to keep motivation and a positive mindset along with other life obstacles.

The mental mindset also is a factor. Training consistently and intensely helps to strengthen our minds. The mental toughness and motivation you develop during training helps you in competition. During a race, the good mental habits developed over time can help overcome adversity.

Overcoming Injury

June 28th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Olivia Perrine

Nearly all athletes will face an injury at some point in their athletic career. Perhaps even multiple injuries. Injuries that keep you from competing at your best are not fun to say the least. At separate times during my junior year, I experienced two stress fractures in my right foot while running track, cross country and playing club soccer. It took me around 4-5 months each to return to my previous level of competition. During this time, I had to adjust my training and lifestyle to recover. Here are 5 tips I found helpful in overcoming injury:

Seek out Professional Medical Help

This may seem like an obvious step, but often people avoid the doctor because they think their injury isn’t serious. However, it is imperative to seek out professional advice if the injury is persistent and prevents you from competing or training at your best. Doctors can help keep you from making the injury worse and can provide insight into the root cause of the injury (if it isn’t obvious already). Doctors can also refer you to specialists or physical therapists to help meet your specific needs. Doctors also have access to equipment such as MRIs or X-Rays that determine the severity of the injury.

Physical Therapy

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with physical therapy. It is helpful for building your strength back up, however it can be difficult, even frustrating, when you do not see results right away. PT is often a slow process that requires patience, but staying consistent pays off. Also, when you go to PT, you have a Physical Therapist who will monitor your progress to ensure you recover as quickly as possible from your injury. PT is also helpful for the mental side of injuries. When I was dealing with my stress fractures, it was encouraging to be doing something about my injury. For me, PT was one of the most important steps in overcoming injury.

Cross Train

Like PT, cross training was helpful for staying positive during recovery. While PT is more injury specific exercises, cross training can help with general strength. Exercise is shown to improve mood, cognitive function, sleep quality, etc. Even if you cannot do your sport, there are low impact options like swimming, biking, or weight lifting that may allow you to be active during injury. Before starting any cross training however, it is important to talk with your doctor about which exercises you can do without upsetting recovery. If you experience discomfort with your injury even in cross training, it is important to stop. It is not worth prolonging an injury.

Stay Active in Team Events

Even though you might not be able to compete, you can still show up for your teammates! One silver lining with having an injury meant that I could now cheer on my teammates that I normally was racing with. Even though you want to be competing, if you are faced with an injury outside of your control, you should focus on what you can control such as using energy to support the team. Athletic Mentors has countless volunteer events to partake in where you can spend some energy for the team’s sake. This kind of support is important in establishing a positive team environment. Also, if it were the other way around, you would likely want your teammates cheering you on too.

Rest

Rest is not always what we want to do as athletes but when dealing with an injury, it is the most important thing. Your body cannot heal if you continue to break it down by training or competing. You may think that it isn’t a big deal if you just push through the pain, but when making the decision to race or rest, you need to think about the long term impact. Serious athletes need to remember that just because the short term self might be fine if you ignore the pain, your long term self may end up dealing with a worse injury. The only way you can heal is if you give your body the time to heal. Some of the most common injuries that athletes face are caused by overuse. Getting an overuse injury is your body telling you that it needs rest. Listen to it!

It is discouraging when injuries prevent us from taking part in the sport we love, but implementing each of these steps can help you focus on what you can control (getting rest, doing PT, going to team events, etc.). Remember that the injury and pain is temporary. Your body will heal itself, it just needs you to look out for it. Choosing to take care of the long-term athlete by following each of these steps will help you make a full recovery.

Chasing Medals: An In-depth Look at Training for Track and Field

June 20th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Kellen Siems

Training for Track and Field is not just about running in circles and jumping over hurdles. It requires dedication, hard work, and a strategic approach to reach your full potential. For high school athletes, the goal is often to qualify for the state meet and compete against the best in the region. In this blog post, we will take an in-depth look at the training methods and techniques that can help you chase those coveted medals on the track.

Some of the most challenging events at a track meet are the 1600 (one mile) and the 3200 (two mile). In order to run these two events you have to have a good balance of speed, endurance, and mental fortitude. In order to place high in these events you need to have the ability to endure discomfort and pain. You also need to have strategic pacing.

One way I kept my endurance up while training for the track season was by running constantly throughout the week. I would have a schedule that would tell me if I had a long run meaning I would run five to ten miles. Some days I would have a workout day meaning that I would head to a track and perform a workout. Some of my workouts include; 2 sets of 4 by 1000, 4 sets of 4 by 800 at mile pace, and ladders up to 800 and down to 100.

A key role in long distance races is being able to pace yourself to the end. In order to pace you need to start fast and conserve the rest of your energy. Every lap on the track you have to run faster and faster in order to maintain your splits. A good way to improve pacing is by practicing running at your goal or target pace. To be good at running longer distances not only do you need endurance but you also need a strong mental toughness. By having the ability to push through your pain and keep your focus is crucial.

In conclusion, no matter what sport you do, training is always important. Being able to train properly is the key to success in any sport you do. By encouraging yourself and not giving up you can reach whatever goal you set for yourself.

Competing in a Race is Not All About Winning

May 14th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By: JoAnn Cranson

Running for a specific team or club is a great opportunity and honor, but along with that comes an expectation. Being on Team Athletic Mentors is a prestigious position to be in. Naturally we (as a team) want to do our best and win races, whether running, cycling, triathlons, skiing, etc., but that’s not what it’s all about.

As a master athlete, I’m not going to finish in the top overall positions in events I compete in. But there is so much more myself and others can bring to a race. My goal is to inspire others to find what they enjoy doing and to motivate them to pursue a healthy lifestyle and positive attitude. This world has a lot of challenges and negative issues. But as we are running, cycling, swimming, etc., it’s amazing what an encouraging word will do for others.

I worked hard at my running and qualified for the Boston Marathon this year. I ran it just 4 weeks ago. It was very inspiring, very challenging and the enthusiasm from the spectators was amazing. It wasn’t about my finishing time, it was about taking in my surroundings and soaking in the achievement of making it to this Grand-Daddy of races in the United States. The spectators lined the whole 26.2 mile route!! The kids wanted to give us “high-fives”, others were handing out candy and orange slices in front of their houses, some were spraying water hoses to cool us off, many signs were held up, clapping, bells ringing and shouts of encouragement.

The last weekend in April my grandchildren’s school had a yearly fund raiser with a 5K run. This is the second year – we ran it as a family. Three generations with my son, my daughter-in-law and 2 grand-daughters. My grand-daughters wanted to run with grandma. Pretty cool to inspire the younger generation to be healthy, challenged and positive.

On May 5th, I ran a 10K (6.2 miles) in Kalamazoo. As I was at about 2 miles, this young man was running beside me. I told him he was doing really good and asked his age. He said this was his first 10K and he was 13. I told him we had a 50 year gap between us and he was surprised. We ended up staying close by each other most of the way. I tried to keep him updated on our pace, the mileage, encouraging on how great he was doing and that we were getting close to the finish line. How fun it was to just encourage this young man and watch him achieve his goal.

JoAnn Cranson & William Bates

When we finished I asked him if he would be willing to take a picture with me. As I put my hands on his shoulder and he put his hand on mine, I was thinking how great it is being complete strangers yet we could feel such camaraderie in 4+ miles of running together. A big thanks to Zeigler for sponsoring this race and giving all of us, but especially new runners, the chance to compete.

So next time you are out and about don’t miss an opportunity to take a moment in the busyness of life to encourage someone. You never know what an impact it will make in their life!

Athletic Mentors Swim Class Review

May 5th, 2024 by JoAnn Cranson

By Sean Siems

There are many classes and opportunities given by Athletic Mentors to help better their athletes and make them complete their goals. Out of these many classes and opportunities lies the open water swim class. This class is coached by Athletic Mentors coaches and offers athletes an opportunity to help heighten their open water swimming ability for triathlons or relays. The curriculum isolates certain spots that need work to be more efficient when swimming. This class I highly recommend to people that are looking to start swimming or even those who are already great swimmers.

Sean and siblings practicing sighting and cornering around buoys.

The Open Water Swim Class, located at Kalamazoo College, right off of West Main on Catherine Street. The class takes place in one of the nicest pools in the city of Kalamazoo. It has many lanes and room for people who may be more advanced or just starting out. The natatorium also has a great ambiance as the pool area is very open with windows that have the sun shining in and high ceilings which, for me, make me feel less cramped when swimming. The pool also has a very nice temperature which isn’t too hot where you are sweating to death, but also not too cold where you can’t get warm swimming in it.

Now that we have talked about the location, let’s talk about the coaches that run the whole thing. The first coach is Dawn Hinz. Dawn is an Ironman finisher having completed Ironman Cozumel in Mexico. She is also highly skilled in all disciplines in a triathlon but especially the swim. She is an accomplished swimmer having swam at a high level and knows what proper technique and form looks like to help you get the most out of swimming. Next is Chelsea Cekola. Chelsea , much like Dawn, is very disciplined in the swim, bike, and run. She has competed in many races and knows what it takes to get better and what steps to take to get there. In addition, there is Cheryl. Cheryl is a very successful athlete and is a huge organizer behind this class and lends a helping hand to those that are just starting out and need more assistance. Finally there is Coach Tom Belco. Tom is a phenomenal coach having over 40 years worth of swim coaching experience. He is also very renowned for being YMCA coach of the year and being named Regional coach of the year by MHSAA.

Now, let’s talk about the different drills and exercises that you will be doing. The class involves a lot of kicking because as Coach Belco said, “The Kick is only 10% of the stroke, but it is the top 10%.” We also work a lot with drills which help with your breathing, form, and stroke. Some of these drills include breath control which teaches you to breath every three strokes. Another drill that is used a lot is six kicks to every one pull, which teaches you to keep yourself relaxed and straight and not sink into the water. There is also a focus on streamlining. Streamlining is the fastest part of a swim since you are underwater and are straight like a pencil with your arms straight up together(see photo). When doing streamline you must keep as straight as possible so you can move quickly through the water so you can be ahead of the competition.

This class is a very beneficial opportunity to take your swimming to the next level. It is spread into two classes, beginner and advanced – for those looking for more of a challenge. The location of the pool and the people that organize it are very nice and very supportive. What these coaches bring to the table and offer is something I wouldn’t pass up as a swimmer myself. I believe that anyone who is thinking about trying this out should most definitely take a shot at it.