Today, SwimSwam hosted our first quarantine roundtable featuring 3 coaches from different walks of life. One a head coach and CEO, one a senior coach who works with 13-14s at one of the country’s best clubs, and one the head coach of an NCAA Division I swimming & diving team.
Over the course of about 45 minutes, we hit on a number of the topics that are burning through the swimming community, including subjects of Olympic Trials cuts, restarting fairly, protecting teams from recruiting, the future of college swimming, and how to recruit in a quarantine.
In a period where everyone has tons of time doing nothing but sitting at home and getting on the internet, these 3 coaches presented some new perspectives that I, for one, haven’t seen yet.
Highlight moments includes Alexis Keto describing her team’s workout system where they’re managing 9 practices at once, Tony Carroll bringing up why he’s not really worried about club transfers, and Dave Rollins discussing how he recruits swimmers that missed their taper meets.
Hosted by SwimSwam’s editor-in-chief Braden Keith, these are the topics you all are talking about right now.
Watch the full replay below and bios of each participant.
Dave Rollins, Head Swim Coach, Florida Gulf Coast University – Dave Rollins became the head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University in 2016. In 2019, his team finished 2nd at the CCSA Conference Championship meet, and his swimmer Petra Halmai was the 10th-best 200 breaststroker in the NCAA this season. Prior to Florida Gulf Coast, Rollins spent 4 seasons at Ohio State as associate head coach. As an athlete, he was a 9-time All-American and NCAA National Champion at the University of Arizona. In 2017, he was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
Alexis Keto, CEO/Head Coach, New Trier Aquatics – Named the head coach of New Trier Aquatics in suburban Chicago in 2016, Keto has 25 years of coaching experience. She has coached U.S. National Championship finalists, Olympic Trials qualifiers, State Record holders, and state champions.
Tony Carroll, Senior Coach, Lakeside Swim Team – In his 4 seasons with the Lakeside Swim Team, Tony Carroll leads the 13-14 senior training group at one of the country’s most successful clubs – the gold medal Lakeside Swim Team in Kentucky. He has twice been named to the US National Junior Team Coaches List, has served on 4 different Zone and Select Camp staffs, and has twice been nominated for the Fitter & Faster National Age Group Coach of the Year award.