Swimming World Presents “Seton Swimming’s Sample For Success”

Swimming World November 2019 Seton Schools Sample for Success

Seton Swimming’s Sample For Success

By Michael J. Stott

Nineteen years ago when Jim Koehr got involved with the Seton School (Manassas, Va.), basketball was the school’s most successful and popular sport.

No longer.

Since 1995, Conquistador swimmers have secured four boys’ and four girls’ Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II state titles and 48 conference titles, including 25 straight for the girls.

One reason is the involvement of former corporate executive Jim Koehr, the father of 12 who was never better than a good high school swimmer himself. Coach Koehr was training for an Ironman triathlon when his oldest son, Kevin, started at Seton and showed promise in the pool. When his wife, Colleen, a former Notre Dame swimmer, suggested that he take over the Seton team, Koehr went all-in as a coach and team organizer.

SETON VALUE SYSTEM
First, some background: Seton fields athletic teams—junior high, junior varsity and varsity—in 12 sports. Its 24 coaches are almost all unpaid volunteers. All athletic fields and swimming facilities are rented. And last year, 73 of the school’s 350 students—more than 20 percent—were swim team members.

Why?

For one, Koehr emphasizes a value system that is informed by the Catholic faith that is the foundation of Seton School. The team subscribes to four basic tenants that Koehr calls, “GEMS: Gratitude, Excellence, Meekness and Sacrifice.” Guided by GEMS VALUE SYSTEM those values, he’s made the swim team experience inclusive, fun and a place where classmates can be with friends and inevitably get better.

To read more about Seton School’s model for a winning high school team,
check out the November issue of Swimming World, out now!

SW November 2019 Florian Wellbrock Cover 800x1070

[PHOTO CREDIT: BECCA WYANT]

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FEATURES

016 2019 OPEN WATER SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR
by David Rieder and Dan D’Addona
Female: Ana Marcela Cunha, Brazil
Male: Florian Wellbrock, Germany

018 OPEN WATER HIGHLIGHTS OF 2019
by Dan D’Addona
The open water competition at the FINA Aquatics Championships commanded the sport’s spotlight for 2019. But many more open water highlights took place this past year—from Hawaii to Florida to Europe and East Asia. Here are Swimming World’s top five.

020 DOPING FOR GOLD
by Craig Lord
The fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago in November 1989 opened the door that would eventually reveal East Germany’s systematic doping of an estimated 10,000 athletes over more than two decades.

023 MAKING A DIFFERENCE
by David Rieder
Through a constant drive for bettering herself, Simone Manuel has crafted a career for which she may eventually be remembered as the greatest American sprinter ever. But she has forever changed the sport, her impact reaching far beyond any medal she has won.

026 TAKEOFF TO TOKYO: THE SYDNEY 6
by John Lohn
At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, six American male teenagers broke through during their first Olympic foray and remained major players in the sport in the years ahead. The scenario that unfolded for Michael Phelps, Anthony Ervin, Ian Crocker, Aaron Peirsol, Klete Keller and Erik Vendt could very well remain unmatched.

030 ISHOF: SWIMMER RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF BRITISH MILITARY’S GREATEST HEROES
by Bruce Wigo
Bernard Freyberg, a New Zealander who distinguished himself both in swimming and in war, used his expertise in swimming to perform one of the most heroic acts of World War I.

COACHING

010 LESSONS WITH THE LEGENDS: DICK KIMBALL
by Michael J. Stott

014 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME THE BARRIERS TO IMPROVING TECHNIQUE
by Rod Havriluk
There are many barriers that make it difficult for any swimmer to improve technique. Fortunately, there are also very effective strategies to deal with these barriers. The first step is for the swimmer to stay mentally engaged for the duration of every training session.

038 SETON SWIMMING’S SAMPLE FOR SUCCESS
by Michael J. Stott
Jim Koehr, head coach of the Seton School swimming team in Manassas, Va., has devised an ideal model for a winning high school program.

041 Q&A WITH COACH SCOTT ARMSTRONG
by Michael J. Stott

043 HOW THEY TRAIN NOAH CORBITT
by Michael J. Stott

JUNIOR SWIMMER

045 UP & COMERS: McKENNA STONE
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

009 BEYOND THE YARDS

013 THE OFFICIAL WORD

032 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

046 GUTTERTALK

048 PARTING SHOT

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