Coaches loved Fran Crippen for quite a number of reasons. He was always on time, almost always in a good mood. He was vocal, he was motivating, he was enthusiastic. He was attentive and responded exceptionally well to a challenge. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about Fran was not just his willingness to suffer but an actual desire to do so. He bought into the benefits of suffering. He thought there was something inherently good in punishing parts of his body that most mortals don’t know exist. Tough didn’t...

On Sunday, April 3rd, 2011, NRG's age group swimmers were able to do something that has not been achieved in most of thier own lifetimes- win The Cup races against Jersey Wahoos. NRG had not won The Cup since 1999, and now it will leave Mt. Laurel and come back to Pennsylvania. 12 total cups were available to win, with many, many deciding races and NRG, with the help of Jersey Storm, was able to take 7 of the 6 cups. Our swimmers were able to produce large drops in...

Two A Day Workouts for 12 and Unders? By Guy Edson, ASCA Level 5 Age Group Should age groupers (age 12 and unders) be going to double workouts? There isn’t an absolute answer to this issue, and there are no studies or surveys on the topic. What we are left with is our good judgment. Is it a technical issue and therefore becomes the decision of the coach? Or is it an eat/sleep/school/family issue and the responsibility of the parent? The coach’s role is to look at the time of...

1. Respect yourself and others. 2. Take full responsibility. 3. Develop and demonstrate loyalty. 4. Learn to be a great communicator. 5. Discipline yourself so no one else has to. 6. Make hard work your passion. 7. Don't just work hard, work smart . 8. Put the team before yourself. 9. Make winning an attitude. 10. Be a competitor. 11. Change is a must. 12. Handle success like you handle failure.

Congratulations to our Senior Team, who performed amazingly over the 4 day competition. The NRG girls, dispite being vastly out numbered by the rest of the top ten teams, managed to place 5th overall in Girls team points standings. With just 8 athletes attending the meet, they managed to place 3 places high than last year, and placing NRG in the Top 5 for the first time in 10 years. All of our athletes performed above expectation throughout the competition, managing great performances even at the end of the weekend...

Punctuality Posted by Glenn Mills on Mar 07, 2011 08:36AM (0 views) I have to imagine it's going to be tough to put down my thoughts on this subject without sounding like an angry old man who talks about how it used to be. With that said... what's the deal these days with swimmers, people, not showing up to practice on time? Have we got to a point in society in which we're so important, so egocentric, that those we work with are only there to serve us? I'm sure...

Getting Mentally Tough -- January 26, 2011 By Wayne Goldsmith GOLD COAST, Australia, January 26. In the old classic rock-and-roll song, George Thorogood is telling the world he is "bad to the bone" – that he is tough, rough, mean and nasty and you had better not get in his way. On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered 'round And they gazed in wide wonder, at the joy they had found The head nurse spoke up, and she said leave this one alone She could tell right...

The Lactic Acid Myths Updated: Jan 26th 2010 4:29 PM EST by Matt Fitzgerald Everything you’ve been taught about lactic acid is wrong. Written by: Matt Fitzgerald There are many myths about lactic acid. Perhaps the greatest of all is the notion that there is lactic acid in the human body. There is not. The body actually produces lactate, which is lactic acid minus one proton. The difference between lactic acid and lactate is, for all practical purposes, semantic. But other popular beliefs about lactic acid (or, as I will...

Cheat Success or Honest Failure? Posted by Glenn Mills on Dec 28, 2010 04:51AM (0 views) This starts with a question: Is it better to appear successful when you had to cheat to do so, or fail while following the rules and trying your hardest? While this post could easily be extrapolated to pro sports, or the Olympics with steroids or blood doping, this is simply about practice. Coaches across the world spend countless hours developing season plans, crafting practices that hopefully intrigue and excite swimmers into giving effort in...

Help Preserve College Swimming for When YOU (or your child) Goes to College! It’s no secret that college swimming has been “under the gun” due to college budget cuts in recent decades. We want to let NCAA Division I Presidents/Chancellors and Athletic Directors know that there is a large, vibrant, energetic and committed swimming community in the USA that appreciates the fact that THEIR University has kept swimming alive and well at their institutions. AND let them know that we want them to continue that support, and that our Children...