Special Sets: A Look At the Training of Carmel’s Alex Shackell, a Teenage Rising Star
Alex Shackell helped the Carmel High School girls secure their 37th consecutive state crown last February with gold medals in the 50 free, 100 fly, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
For Shackell, swimming is an integral part of her past, present and future. Pre-birth, her mom and dad (who was a 1996 and 2000 Olympian for Great Britain)—swam at Auburn. Now, older brother, Aaron, is headed for Cal in the fall, having won the 2023 Indiana high school state championships in the 200 and 500 yard free (1:33.68, 4:15.35).
As a high school freshman last year at Carmel High School (Ind.), Alex was a four-time NISCA All-American. This season, she will have four more when the final rankings are released. At the Indiana state meet in February, she won the 50 free (21.93) and 100 fly (50.89), and contributed a 22.74 butterfly leg on the winning 200 medley relay (1:36.98) and a 21.79 anchor on the victorious 200 free relay (1:30.23). All were state records, with the last two national marks. Before Christmas at the 2022 Speedo Winter Junior Championship East, she captured four titles in the 50 and 100 yard free (21.73, 47.44), 100 fly (51.00) and 200 IM (1:54.54).
Those performances followed an impressive showing at Junior Pan Pacs, where she garnered four gold medals in the 100-meter fly (58.58) and three relays along with a bronze medal in the 200 fly (2:09.71).
Bottom line: Shackell’s versatility is exceptional—considering that she holds seven summer national qualifying times (five events with 1,000+ power-point ratings) as well as four other events exceeding 900. Long course, she has reached eight summer national standards.
Let the record show that with five months to go before she turns 17, Alex appears 12 times on USA Swimming’s All-Time Top 100 list:
SCY—–LCM
50 Free 21.73 (3rd)—–25.25 (8th)
100 Free 47.44 (2nd)—–54.69 (8th)
200 Free 1:43.60 (7th)—–1:59.49 (24th)
100 Fly 50.89 (2nd)—–57.69 (3rd)
200 Fly 1:53.52 (6th)—–2:08.68 (6th)
200 IM 1:54.54 (6th)—–2:13.63 (19th)
“Alex is incredibly focused and driven,” says her Carmel coach, Chris Plumb. “She consistently demonstrates a deep commitment to her craft and is always pushing herself to improve. In addition to her dedication, she also prioritizes technique and is constantly working to refine her skills in the pool.
“Despite the demanding nature of her training, Alex brings positive energy to each session. She approaches challenges with a can-do attitude, and is always eager to learn and grow. Her enthusiasm is infectious and inspires those around her to give their best effort,” he says. “She embodies the qualities of a true athlete: dedicated, focused and positive. Her commitment to excellence both in and out of the pool is truly admirable.”
Now in her second full year of training at Carmel, Shackell is very much accustomed to the program’s grueling routine. She does double practices on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as well as dryland prior to swimming Monday and Thursday. Afternoon-only practices are held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Following are some examples of those practices:
