Q&A with Dan Mascolo
Head Coach
YMCA Spartaquatics Swim Club
Spartanburg, South Carolina
In his first full season, head coach Dan Mascolo is continuing the Spartaquatics tradition of swimming excellence. Here, he sits down with Swimming World’s own Michael J. Stott to answer a few questions we’ve been burning to ask.
Q. SWIMMING WORLD: Let’s get right to it—you had unbelievable success at the 2019 YMCA Short Course Nationals.
A. COACH DAN MASCOLO: It was a crazy ending to the meet. We had won the women’s 400 medley relay (by 4.22 seconds), which would have won the combined meet for us, but then were DQed for the Lochte rule, leaving us in second. I am so proud of how this team has come together and fought all week long.
SW: Why coach Y and high school rather than club or college?
DM: I actually lucked into coaching for a YMCA club team. I wanted to coach full time, and when I got the job at the Holyoke YMCA, I was talking with three or four other clubs, none of which were YMCAs. It just so happens that I have remained within the YMCA system for the majority of my coaching time.
Youth swimming allows a coach to work with a youngster from 6 until they graduate. I love sitting at college signings with swimmers who I knew in first grade or younger. Having had a small part in preparing these young men and women for college is extremely gratifying.
W: Spartaquatics is a very large team. How do you handle the wide range of talent that exists in a YMCA program?
DM: One of the most enticing parts of this program was the talented coaching staff that was already in place. I work with four wonderful full-time coaches and numerous part-time staff at a place with incredible programming options. We offer 15 different groups ranging from pre-competitive to summer league to high school to our national team…and every step in between. Our coaches do an amazing job juggling everything and keeping all of our groups engaged together.
To read more about Coach Mascolo and the Spartaquatics,
check out the May 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!
[PHOTO CREDIT: PETER H. BICK]
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FEATURES
016 NO LEDECKY…NO MANUEL… NO PROBLEM
by Dan D’Addona, David Rieder and Andy Ross
Relying on a younger team—with 10 underclass-men—Stanford still won its third straight women’s NCAA Division I swimming and diving team title. It’s just that this year’s margin of victory was much closer than the previous two.
WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:
018 BROOKE FORDE: MAKING THE EXTRA EFFORT
019 BEATA NELSON: UN-BEATA-BLE NELSON
021 ABBEY WEITZEIL/CAL BEARS: THE OTHER CHAMPIONS
022 LILLY KING: LILLY’S LEGACY
024 WOMEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick
026 THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
The depth of Cal’s Golden Bears was on full display at this year’s men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, proving they were the best team in the nation.
MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I MINI-FEATURES:
028 DANIEL CARR: SECOND CHANCE PAYS OFF
029 SILVER LININGS FOR SECOND-PLACE TEXAS
031 DEAN FARRIS: DEAN OF THE POOL
032 MEN’S NCAA DIVISION I PHOTO GALLERY
photos by Peter H. Bick
034 STILL NO. 1
by Andy Ross, Cathleen Pruden, Olivia Wile and Grace Nordquist
All of the schools that won college national championships last year for NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and NJCAA repeated as champions in 2019. Their winning streaks range from two to 45!
038 ’59 MICHIGAN TEAM STILL “THE GREATEST OF ’EM ALL”
by Bruce Wigo
For overall strength as well as balance in all the strokes, distances and diving, no team in history has ever dominated the men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships like the 1959 University of Michigan Wolverines.
COACHING
010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: FRANK KEEFE
by Michael J. Stott
014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: CONDITIONING TO OPTIMIZE TECHNIQUE (Part 2)
by Rod Havriluk
As explained in Part 1, there are three types of sets that are critical to emphasizing technique: skill sets, transition sets and test sets. Part 2 presents strategies to integrate these three sets into a conditioning program.
041 SPECIAL SETS: TRAINING FOR THE 200 FLY
by Michael J. Stott
Coach Sean Farrell’s recent success with distance flyers at the Cheshire YMCA/Sea Dog Swim Club in Connecticut results from having good athletes, a defined sense of how to train them and a philosophy focused on training the whole athlete.
043 Q&A WITH COACH DAN MASCOLO
by Michael J. Stott
044 HOW THEY TRAIN JULIA STEVENS
by Michael J. Stott
JUNIOR SWIMMER
046 UP & COMERS: MORGAN RAZEWSKI
by Taylor Brien
COLUMNS
008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT
009 BEYOND THE YARDS
013 OFFICIAL WORD
040 DID YOU KNOW? ISHOF’S FIRST HONOREES: A “SPORTS SPECTACULAR”
047 GUTTER TALK
048 PARTING SHOT
Congrats Dan!
So awesome Dan!!! So happy for you!
Dan Mascolo is one of the finest coaches I’ve ever met! Congrats, Dan!!!!
The best part; he’s wearing a CHSGSD shirt!!!! Love it!!!
Love the Superman pose!