Special Sets: A Look At the Development of Bolles Star and Cal Commit Carter Lancaster
Carter Lancaster has been awfully good for some time. A former Carmel Swim Club standout, he will enter his senior year at the Bolles School next fall as a Cal commit, the reigning FHSAA 1A state champion in the 200-yard individual medley (1:45.02) and the third-ranked Florida male (52nd nationally) in the Class of 2024.
“Over the past two years, Carter has earned significant improvements in both his butterfly and breaststroke that have catapulted him to elite status in a variety of events and strokes,” says Bolles coach, Peter Verhoef. In addition to his state 200 IM title last December, Lancaster won the Speedo Juniors East 400 IM in a 3:46.65. “As he continues to progress in the IMs, he has shown exciting growth in his butterfly—showcasing his long-term potential versatility,” says his coach.
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“Part of what makes Carter unique is his ability to quickly translate feedback into technical changes. He has a heightened sensory awareness that enables him to feel subtle differences as his body adjusts in the water. We credit a lot of this to his development at Carmel—the coaches and program there do a fantastic job and created the foundation for his success.
“Carter has also embraced the importance of his mental game. Whether by switching focus strokes on a given practice or spending a few minutes extra in the weight room to work mobility, to digging in a little deeper to mental obstacles, Carter is consistently searching for ways to maximize his training capabilities,” says Verhoef.
“Carter’s team-first mentality also leads him to actively seek out peer-to-peer coaching opportunities. You can see him (and his brother, Kayden Lancaster) working with others on starts or strokes, and he is receptive to feedback from his teammates. In recognizing their success, Carter draws inspiration and motivation to challenge himself more while relishing the opportunity to swim at a high level.
“Most notable, however, is his charismatic and intense personality. Carter creates unity through laughter and competition, often roping his teammates into friendly competitions like 9-square, throw-the-snorkel-on-the-flags or random 25-breaststroke races. He’s highly coachable, consistently makes his teammates better, and pushes our staff to meet his elite abilities and mentality with innovative coaching. It is truly a privilege to participate in his journey through the sport,” says Verhoef.
SPECIAL SETS – Carter Lancaster
Set 1: Descend broken 400 IMs SCY (2 x 200, 4 x 100, 8 x 50)
Early season IM set with focus on quality effort
RD1: Broken 400 IM – 2 x 200
• 3 x 50 FL drill @ 1:00
• 200 FL/BK by 100 @ 2:40
• 150 FR pull @ 2:00
• 200 BR/FR by 100 @ 2:40
RD2: Broken 400 IM – 4 x 100
• 3 x 50 BK drill @ 1
• 2 x 100 (#1: FL, #2: BK) @ 1:30
• 150 FR pull @ 2
• 2 x100 (#1: BR, #2: FR) @ 1:30
RD3: Broken 400 IM – 8 x 50
• 3 x 50 BR drill @ 1:00
• 4×50 (#1-2: FL, #3-4: BK) @ 0:50
• 150 FR pull @ 2
• 4 x 50 (#1-2: BR, #3-4: FR) @ :50
(By broken 400 IM, Carter was: 2 x 200: 4:02.3, 4 x 100: 3:42.4 and 8 x 50: 3:31.9)
Set 2: Memphis 50s LC
A common TEAM set early or midseason
• 16 x 50 @ 1:00
3 smooth FR, 1 FAST IM order
• 12 x 50 @ 1:05
2 smooth FR, 1 FAST IM order
• 8 x 50 @ 1:10
1 smooth FR, 1 FAST IM order
• 4 x 50 @ 1:15
All FAST IM order
(Carter was: FL: 26-28s, BK: 28-30s, BR: 34-36s, FR: 26-28s)
Set 3: Underwater Power (with fins)
Part of weekly dryland and swim combination practice
• 4 x 25 UW fish-kick (on side)
• 4 x 25 UW no kick glide 5 sec, 6 powerful K, glide another 5 sec
• 4 x 25 UW 8 powerful K (how far and how fast can you go?)
• 2 x 25 UW FAST! (fins off)
• 1 x 25 UW FAST OFF THE BLOCKS
Set 4: Breaststroke “Lab”
Working with Tempo Trainers (LC), mid-season, learning how to put tempo and time together
** Cycle rates within range of U.S. Olympic Trials swimmers in 200 breast
• 3 x 100 @ 1:50 50 breast @ 2.25 tempo per cycle/50 free
• 3 x 100 @ 1:50 25 free/50 breast @ 2.0 tempo per cycle/25 free
• 3 x 100 50 Free/50 breast @ 1.80 tempo per cycle
• Reset 6 x 75 w/ buoy @ 1:30 ODD: 50 free low count, 25 back strong
EVEN: 25 back, 50 free low count
• 3 x (4 x 50 @ 1:10, 2 breast, 1 free, 1 breast)
RD1: 200 pace +2-3 seconds with TT @ 2.2 per cycle
RD2: 200 pace +1 second or faster with TT @ 2.0
RD3: 200 pace with TT at 1.8(ish)
Bonus Round: 4 x 50 (first 35m breast FAST at 1.3 tempo, hitting full line)
Set 5: Early-Season Dryland Circuit
• Station 1 – Rowing
3 ROUNDS – 5 minutes on, 1 minute off
(increase distance; RD 1-3, target 26-30 strokes/min.)
• Station 2 – Pull-Ups/Core
12 minutes every minute on the minute – 5x pull-ups, 20 jumping jacks
8 minutes every minute on the minute – 0:45 core/0:15 rest
• Station 3 – Med Ball (MB)/Plyo
2 x 8 minutes AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)
AMRAP #1:
3x split squat jump
10x MB side-to-side pass
10x MB chest pass
10x MB overhead pass
40-yd jog
AMRAP #2:
3x push-up
10x MB chest pass
10x alt side-to-side pass
3x swing squat jump
40-yd jog
“Carter’s aerobic stamina shows up in this dryland circuit, where we spend 20 minutes on rowing machines, 20 minutes on pull-ups/core and 20 minutes on med ball and plyometrics. His ability to push himself in a variety of ways is part of what makes him unique,” says Verhoef.
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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.