Q&A With Justin Zook: Paralympic Champ and Coach Of St. Catherine, Rising D-III Program
Now in his seventh year as head coach at St. Catherine University, Coach Justin Zook has taken the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA D-III Top 10 finish. His 2022 edition earned 16 CSCAA All-America honors, seven honorable mentions and one national championship in the 200 yard breaststroke.
• Springfield College, B.S., sport management, 2008; Florida Atlantic University, MBA, sport business, 2011
• Head coach, St. Catherine University, 2016-present
• 3x Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
• Head coach, Robbinsdale-Armstrong High School (Plymouth, Minn.), 2014-16
• Assistant swim coach, Lifetime Fitness (Plymouth, Minn.), 2014-16
• Manager, Midwest Acquisitions/Newport Property Ventures, 2013-16
• Head age group coach, Pompano Beach Piranhas (Miami, Fla.), 2013-14
• Emerging sport manager for USOC, 2009-11
• Professional swimmer, 1998-2013
• 3x Paralympian and 3x gold medalist in 100 meter back (S10); 1x in 50 free
• 3x world champion in 100 back; world record holder in 200 back
• Inducted into Springfield College Hall of Fame, 2019; Minnesota Swimming Hall of Fame, 2015
• Minnesota state age group high-point winner as an 8- and 10-year-old
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: Swimming came to you early. How has it shaped who you are as a person? As a coach?
A. COACH JUSTIN ZOOK: Having an early infirmity forced me to become process-oriented and as a way to navigate day-to-day steps in life. With my surgeries and physical ups-and-downs, I have needed to just focus on the next best step. As a coach, I have taken my experiences and tried to teach my swimmers the importance of process-oriented thinking as a way to set and reach goals.
SW: John Taffe at Springfield was an important influence and mentor. Who were some others?
JZ: Tom Franke was my biggest influence and mentor for why and how I coach now. He was my coach on and off since age 6. Tom allowed me as a coach to realize no one stays the same in terms of what they do and how they do it, while their general driving principles stay relatively the same.
He helped me grow as an athlete and as a coach. In training, we rarely had different practice groups or significantly different intervals, and Tom made sure the sport always had a social aspect. He taught me two things: One, that lanes 1-2 might be your national team kids, but that lanes 3-8 paid the bills; Two, finish well in swimming and life.
SW: Your work ethic was a source of pride for you and your coaches. In what way was that a positive for your teammates?
JZ: Early on, I felt that work ethic was rewarded whether it be in club, high school or college. Having coaches who rewarded the daily work allowed me to find value in what I was doing and bring it to the team.
There were times at a young age I would win a state summer championship and then be out of the water for months having surgery and competing in B or C meets. In those instances, I was not capable of making any intervals at practices or had to make adjustments for every single workout. Regardless of my condition, I realized that hard work was rewarding for me, my coaches and my teammates. That made it really easy to show up and put forth my best effort.
My sense of humor surrounding my persistent physical limitations really helped as well. I rarely used my surgeries or pain to get out of anything in a workout. Those who knew me well knew there wasn’t a day when I wasn’t hurting. So, if I could get through something in workout, there was a chance they could physically as well.
SW: Was there a defining moment for you in being a part of Springfield’s 2005 first NEWMAC championship? Are there any lessons learned that you use with your athletes today?
JZ: The experience itself helped me realize the importance of opportunity. For example, after the 2004 Paralympic Games, I had the chance to defer enrollment or start class in January. Taffe thought Springfield had a good chance at competing for a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship that year, so I came in January. I knew I could compete and help the team. I also knew that opportunities are not guaranteed, and subsequent championships are not a given. We truly needed every single person that year, and it cemented for me how much the entire roster truly matters.
SW: How was it you came to be a swim coach yourself?
JZ: It was when I finally realized how passionate I was about teaching and helping others reach their goals. I started coaching part-time to make money to continue to train while completing my MBA. My mindset changed when I was given a group of 8-10-year-olds to coach at Lifetime in Plymouth, Minn., alongside Tom Franke. The group reminded me of why I started swimming and why I initially fell in love with the sport. I saw the day-to-day differences I was making in my swimmers’ lives.
SW: St. Kate swimmers traditionally have high GPAs. Do you make practice accommodations for your students’ academic responsibilities?
JZ: Not really. However, we offer several different weekly options depending on how our student-athletes class schedules align. I like us to train together as a team, but I am more than willing to adjust my schedule if someone needs to miss due to a presentation, research day or program/department meeting.
An example: I made an accommodation for Macy Klein, an NCAA Woman of the Year candidate who had a weekly ROTC conflict. She is one of the hardest working kids in and out of the pool and an amazing leader.
SW: Keeping the roster under 30 is a stated priority. Any plans to recruit beyond the upper Midwest?
JZ: I would love to expand our recruiting base. Right now, exposure to other club and high school teams, etc. is problematic. Much of the high-level talent in D-III is really sitting in three conferences. Getting student-athletes to look at other D-III options has gotten more difficult. We have had some success and interest from prospective student-athletes in California, Colorado, Texas and most recently Florida. At this point, the biggest issue is getting prospects to take a second look at the value of an all-women’s education and athletic program.
SW: Jordyn Wentzel was St. Kate’s first NCAA swimming champion. What does that say to potential recruits?
JZ: Jordyn was actually the first-ever NCAA champion in any sport at St. Kate’s. That was a huge step for our entire athletic department in proving to prospective student-athletes of what’s possible at St. Kate’s. Jordyn is a very versatile senior, and her career trajectory has been ever upward in all events.
We train versatility because one never really knows what hidden talents they possess or what their lineup possibilities might be. Hopefully, Jordyn’s success at St. Kate’s inspires others who might be on the fence about an all-women’s education and program. She really bought into what we were trying to accomplish and deserves the majority of the credit for her All-America career.
SW: What does a mid-season in-water week look like for your team? And from a dryland perspective?
JZ: …
Monday PM
Team meeting & practice (2.5 hours)
At weekly team meetings, we try to do different things and not just talk about swimming. Traditionally, we chat about team goals (team set), current life issues, write personal statements, do mock interviews, discuss fear, etc. The big purpose is to learn more about one another and how we are going to operate together.
Monday workout is aerobic-based and sets the tone for the week. Our sprint/mid-distance groups go 200/300s broken with a negative-split focus, and our D group might go similar distances with pace work built in, but not broken or ladders.
Tuesday AM
200 pace work and underwaters (1.5 hours)
Everyone does this type of pace work. Our mid-distance kids tend to start the season with 75s/50s, and our sprint group does 50s/25s. Intervals for rounds tend to match up so the groups end up staying together the entire practice. We also have lots of resistance underwater kicking with fins, DragSox, Destro power towers and weight belts (5/7.5/10 pounds). Within rounds of swimming, we put the underwater work at the back end of rounds to simulate what it feels like on the last two to three walls of a 200.
Tuesday PM
Weights (2.5 hours) + Swim (75 minutes)
We focus on event-specific training, traditionally power and short sprints for one group with the mid-distance and distance groups doing work on 1:2-1:3 work-to-rest ratios after weights.
Wednesday PM
Everyone gets to sprint! We do a ton of speed work with different equipment and body awareness. We have found some of our most valuable relay members during these days.
Thursday AM
(1.5 hours—like the first prelim of MIAC Championships)
We do race-specific training for the sprint, mid-distance and distance groups.
Thursday PM
Weights (2.5 hours) + Swim (1.5 hour)
This is similar to Tuesday PM, but with a bit more race-specific training, comparable to the first final session of MIAC Championships.
Friday PM
(2.5 hours with team meeting)
Training varies depending on the competition schedule. Traditionally, I try to keep the group together to end the week, so we might train a bit more mid-distance and quality kicking.
Saturday AM
Meet Day
SW: Looking ahead, where do you envision St. Kate’s being as an aquatic program in five years?
JZ: This is probably a better question for my athletes! My hope is we are still competing at the NCAA Championships in March and capable of winning an MIAC Championship once during each recruiting cycle. I like to think we will still be providing the same quality experience for a larger roster.
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its second printing, and is available from store.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and distributors worldwide.
Congrats to Justin and the St Kates program. They have developed an student/athlete focused program that allows successes through hard work and perseverance.