Training Continues Online for Innovative Stamford Lions
Training Continues Online for Stamford Lions Swim Team
The current health situation has had a significant impact upon athlete life at Stamford American International School. However the Stamford Lions Swim Team have not allowed it to slow them down! The Aquatics Staff have been hard at work creating some original content, we haven’t just been sharing random ideas from around the internet. There has been some clear direction from within the programme.
Planned & Original
“Our online dryland programme has a different emphasis each session, working through Strength, Rehabilitation, Endurance and Cardio focussed exercises.” said Aquatics Director, Paul Dowey who heads up Stamford Lions Swim Team. “The coaching staff collaborate on the exercises and then Coach Grace demonstrates, films and edits the exercises ready for release on our social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and of course Team Unify/OnDeck.”
There has been some great support from the athletes too for the work the coaches have been putting in. Two distinct groups have evolved, a Performance group and Development group in line with the original ethos of the programme. “We have had nearly 70 athletes across the two groups.” said Coach Grace Vertigans. No doubt these youngsters are benefitting from the Aquatic Department’s forward thinking.
Refreshing & Engaging
There is a real sense of a united front from other members of the team. Coach Heikal Mubarah is new to the staff this year. “We have been constantly challenged since my arrival at Stamford American. Despite not being in the pool, it’s actually been refreshing to learn new ways of communicating with the student-athletes and turning the situation into a much more positive one.”
The community aspect is something that the coaching staff are keen to maintain. “Each evening we send out an invite to a Google Meet so athletes can workout from the comfort of their own living room.” said Coach Kelvin Ng, also new to the Aquatics Team this year. “My job has been to monitor technique over webcam in the Performance group and offering technique points where appropriate.” Delivering the session live at 5pm each weekday evening has really kept that sense of togetherness.
Inspirational
Not to be outdone, Coach Leonard Lim and Coach Tan have been delving deep into the YouTube archives to offer inspirational race moments to keep the athletes motivated. “We simply have to be more creative with how with our approach.” said Coach Leonard, “Aswell as the race videos we have been coming up with coach challenges to stir the competitive instinct.”
Stamford Lions Swim Team represents the best value for money in terms of sporting pathway at Stamford American International School. There is an overwhelming sense that once you have chosen to get involved with the team, you won’t want to leave!
Be Part of Something Bigger
We believe in 5 key areas we need to look after with our athletes; Physical, mental, social intellectual and emotional needs.
- Physical - Encouraging athletes to be active within their own home environment and accountable for their efforts
- Mental - Inspire and motivating our swimmers with mental skills challenges such as goal setting, race planning, positive self-talk, visualisation & imagery.
- Social - Provide social interaction opportunities amongst team members through group video calls
- Intellectual - Disseminating aquatic knowledge to our members and always challenging current practice to be smarter athletes
- Emotional - Providing opportunities for athletes to be praised for their engagement with the training programme.
Do you feel you are missing out during this circuit breaker? Why not join us? All you need to do is to email us [email protected] so we can set you up with an account and include you in our correspondence.
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