A Voice For The Sport: The 10 Most Impactful People of 2019
Our sport is graced with great people. Some are public figures, others work behind the scenes. As appropriate for this time of year, we want to recognize 10 people (in random order) who are making an impact in aquatics. Thanks to the following people for their contributions and inspiration:
1. Michael Phelps resurfaced in 2019 as a public figure educating people about mental health issues and advocating for psychological support, symptom identification and early treatment.
2. Adam Peaty and his coach, Mel Marshall, expanded the boundaries of human performance in the water with multiple world records in the breaststroke. Peaty showed leadership out of the water by pioneering the athletes’ right to earn money without restrictions from governing bodies.
3. Jeff Allen utilized social media tools to form a 17,500-member coaches group called the Swim Coaches Idea Exchange Group. They are now the No. 1 source for coaches to share ideas, theories, advice and workouts.
4. Laura Voet, as the long-time aquatic manager for the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center, oversaw the multitude of proposals that finally led to the appropriation of a multi-million dollar renovation of what will become the Hall of Fame Aquatic Center, Fort Lauderdale.
5. Mack Horton and Duncan Scott courageously refused to share the medal podium with Chinese swimmer Sun Yang at the 2019 World Championships to protest the decision allowing him to compete. Sun refused to cooperate with WADA earlier in the year by taking a hammer to smash his blood samples collected at his home during a legal unannounced drug-testing visit. FINA let Sun swim during his appeal.
6. Paris Jacobs is showing great leadership as the chief operating officer of the American Swimming Coaches Association and as a member of the business management team for the emerging International Swim League.
7. Konstantin Grigorishin is the founder and financial underwriter of the International Swim League, whose single vision has already changed the way the sport of swimming promotes professionalism and viewer entertainment.
8. Robert Butcher has secured over $80 million in Swim Across America grants from beneficiaries, which has turned into an estimated $200 million in research and support to fight cancer.
9. Regan Smith became the youngest swimmer in 2019 to set a world record when she set records in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke at the World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea. She also was a member of USA’s world record-setting women’s 400 medley relay.
10. Cody Miller, as a professional swimmer, has become a positive social media influencer via his texts, photos and videos to more than 113,000 followers on Instagram.
Previous People Recognized
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FEATURES
016 THE TOP 10 PERFORMANCES OF 2019
by David Rieder
This year’s list of top performances in swimming comes exclusively from the 2019 FINA World Championships in Gwangju, where world records went down, the world’s best swimmers established themselves with signature performances, and teenagers took down legends in their best events. The list includes the top five performances for both female and male swimmers, with all swimmers eligible to appear only once.
020 2019 SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR
by John Lohn, Dan D’Addona, Craig Lord and David Rieder
World & American: Regan Smith & Caeleb Dressel, European: Katinka Hosszu & Adam Peaty, Pacific Rim: Ariarne Titmus & Daiya Seto, African: Tatjana Schoenmaker & Chad le Clos
026 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: WHEN BACKSTROKE WENT ROGUE
by John Lohn
It’s been more than 30 years since the underwater dolphin kick altered the landscape of the backstroke event, and never more so than at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul did it play a greater role.
COACHING
010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: XU YIMING
by Michael J. Stott
014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: THE VERTICAL JUMP TEST FOR EVENT SELECTION
by Rod Havriluk
The vertical jump is a relatively simple test that reflects a swimmer’s muscle fiber composition, which, in turn, can help select a swimmer’s most competitive events. Using the VJ test to identify swimmers likely to excel in sprint or distance events may not only improve performance at an early age, but also avoid losing sprinters who are averse to distance training and distance swimmers who are discouraged by sprinting.
041 Q&A WITH COACH BYRON MacDONALD
by Michael J. Stott
042 HOW THEY TRAIN KYLIE MASSE
by Michael J. Stott
TRAINING
013 DRYSIDE TRAINING: HOLIDAY TRAINING
by J.R. Rosania
JUNIOR SWIMMER
038 GOLDMINDS: WHAT MAKES GOOD COACHES GREAT?
by Wayne Goldsmith
Coaches change lives. They can inspire ordinary people to achieve remarkable and extraordinary things.
045 UP & COMERS: RYAN HOGAN
by Shoshanna Rutemiller
COLUMNS& SPECIAL SECTIONS
008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
009 BEYOND THE YARDS
029 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
044 HASTY HIGH POINTERS
046 DADS ON DECK
047 GUTTERTALK
048 PARTING SHOT