How They Train: University of Toronto’s Kylie Masse
By Michael J. Stott
At 23, Kylie Masse continues her coming-of-age tale. “Kylie’s progress to the top of the world has not been textbook,” says her coach, Byron MacDonald. “At age 16, when most developing world-class women are making their mark, Kylie was 99th and dead last at Canada’s 2012 Olympic Trials! Two years later as a high school senior, she was only 201st in the world. Then two years on, at age 20, she was an Olympic bronze medalist (100 back, 58.76).”
Growing up in Windsor, Ontario, Masse played all sorts of sports. She zeroed in on swimming at 12, competing for Andrei Semenova at Windsor Essex Swim Club. A late bloomer, she made a provincial team the summer following her junior high school year and attained her first national final (eighth in the 200 IM) after high school graduation.
“Kylie is very easy to work with. I have coached a lot of international medalists, and many are very high maintenance. She may be one of the lowest maintenance athletes ever. She trusts the coaches implicitly, and does every set to the best of her ability—all the time. Kylie is humble and just wants to be one of the group and enjoy the moment. She thrives in a group—caring and helping those around her. Living life. Those are characteristics that make her such a joy to coach.
“Ironically, Kylie does not even know her splits, goal times or best times in workout sets. Until recently, she did not even know most of her best times. Someone asked her what her time in the 200 back was when she won the ISL meet in October, and she didn’t know!”
To read more about how Coach MacDonald trains Kylie Masse,
Check out the December issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!
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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