When Matt Wunderlin first published his story about the “Orca Start” in Swimming Magazine, and then sent us some videos to post on our site, he was met with a lot of skepticism and resistance. This was not in the least bit surprising, because new things are scary. There was, however, a select group of swimmers and coaches who liked his ideas. And as the idea has spread throughout the country, it has gained traction and has been slowly popping up at big meets everywhere, including the Illinois Masters Swimming Association State Championships.
This is Zsejke Tusa of The Wellness Center Sea Dogs. Tusa was the high-point winner of the meet for the 30-34 age group, and is a former All-American for Division II powerhouse Drury. At the Illinois Masters State Championships, she won 8 events, including 6 using the Orca Start (the other two were backstroke events). The video shows the start in action, so that all of our readers can clearly see that it’s not “slow,” like some have characterized it to be.
According to Coach Wunderlin, “I taught her the basics at a Speedo Sectional meet, and she liked it so much she switched on the spot.”
Among other major players who have taken a shine to the start is Adolph Kiefer. When he heard about the start, he liked it so much that he invited Wunderlin down to Chicago, along with some of his swimmers, to demonstrate the start and talk about it. He liked what he saw so much, that he has begun to develop a starting block specifically made for the Orca Start, complete with handle bars.
Wunderlin also gave a talk about his start at the NCAA tournament, and at the behest of many of the coaches there, is considering setting up a clinic to teach the Orca Start to coaches around the country.