Seconds change everything in swimming

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:06PM

A second and a half.

1.5 seconds.

It doesn't seem like much time at all in the grand scheme of things.

But in a sport where races come down to tenths, hundredths and even thousandths of a second, every little thing matters.

So, in preparing for conference, sectional and state meets, swim teams turn to a training technique known as tapering in hopes of lowering their times.

"A blanket average for a successful taper is about a second and a half per 100 yards swam," Sandburg coach Jane Caliendo said. "It might not seem like a lot, but for an elite athlete that's pretty impressive."

The science of the taper training may be difficult to comprehend, but the end result couldn't be easier to grasp.

By going through a specific training regimen over a week or several weeks, swimmers can cut those precious seconds off their times in hopes of advancing further into the postseason, hopefully ending up at the state meet Nov. 19

and 20 at Evanston Township.

"(Tapering) has been around forever, but it really came to the forefront in the mid-1960s because of (Indiana University swim coach) James ‘Doc' Counsilman," Caliendo said. "What you're doing is cutting down the yardage you swim and increasing the rest period so that you can increase your peak performance."

Caliendo compares the taper training process to a pyramid.

Building the base from Aug. 11 through mid-September, her swimmers put in roughly 10,000 to 14,000 yards per day over two workouts. From mid-September through October, the yardage is in the 8,000 to 12,000 range.

The week before conference, the Eagles drop to 6,000 yards and one workout per day. A week before sectionals they drop 500 yards per day, finishing at 3,500 yards.

Timing is crucial.

"We're trying to find the point where the swimmer is totally rested, but not yet beginning to get out of shape," Homewood-Flossmoor coach Tim Caldwell said.

"You focus on the aerobics and the heart rates during the workouts instead of the times," Caliendo added. "Your body is going through so much that your muscles are actually healing."

Depending on the caliber of the team, when to taper becomes the biggest issue in hopes of getting the best results.

Does a team with lower expectations taper for conference with hopes of winning there, knowing it couldn't win at sectional or state?

If your times are near the cut, do you taper for the sectional just to advance to state?

Or last, does a swimmer who knows her times are good enough to get through sectionals save her taper training for the week before state, where a medal is a possibility?

"I've seen some coaches taper girls for conference, then again for sectionals," Lincoln-Way North coach Kendra Will said. "Other teams half-taper, start resting, and do it again for state. You never know if some team might taper everybody to lower their times."

Add into the equation that a swimmer doesn't need to win a race at sectional to advance, and things get more interesting. If a swimmer finishes under a standard state-qualifying time but does not win first, they still advance to the state meet.

"The (postseason) atmosphere and the high school athlete experience are intense," Caliendo said. "If you can't get excited about these two weeks, you're in it for the wrong reasons."

The Eagles will host their own sectional Saturday, hoping to hold off a field that includes Lockport, Lincoln-Way West and Oak Forest.

"Our expectation is to do nothing but take care of business," Caliendo said. "We want to get everyone through who we think has a chance of scoring at state."

At Lincoln-Way North, the Phoenix will look to take down rival Lincoln-Way East for the title with Lincoln-Way Central and Homewood-Flossmoor also expected to advance swimmers to state.

But through all the training and hard work, sometimes it comes down to being calm in the moment.

"A lot of it has to do with your mentality and your emotions," Will said. "It is about what you do all year to get to that point. Control your nerves, stay positive, and the tapering helps build confidence. That's a huge part of it."

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