Book Private Swimming Lessons with Coach Mary

(2016-2018)

- NCAA DIII National Champion in the 200 yard breaststroke

- 5x school record holder (my 3 individual ones are still there)

- 5x All-American

- 8x Academic All-American

- 2x All-NESCAC swimmer

(2018-2020)

- 2x BIG 10 finalist

- 2x Academic All-BIG 10 swimmer

I'm really good at watching someone's stroke and figuring out what is and isn't working. Often times, a tiny tweak can make a huge difference in someone's stroke, and thus their times. Club coaches have so much going on during practice, and they don't have the capacity to really examine one swimmer's stroke. Working with you one on one, you have all of my attention. I also have a lot of personal experience with injuries. Swimming is insanely repetitive, and if you're doing a stroke incorrectly you may not notice anything right away, but it will compound over time and that's how you get injured. I'm hyper aware of bad stroke habits, and I can teach you how to break them before it's too late and you end up with a stress fracture or torn rotator cuff (those are a couple of the injuries I sustained over the years).

Sometimes though the issue isn't technique. You may come to me with a perfect stroke, but you're still not swimming as fast as you'd like. I won't make you swim thousands of yards, but I can give you pointers on how to get the most out of your club practices and we can work on it together. You'd be amazed at how much your times will improve by simply learning how to be present during practices and not letting your mind wander. Just because you're swimming a 5,000 yard practice, doesn't inherently mean you're getting anything out of it (besides some cardio). It took me a long time to learn this, but locking in during practice, and really focusing on what you're doing can make a monumental difference in your times. That mentality is what separates good swimmers from great swimmers, and you'll never just inherently pick it up one day, you have to learn it and practice it every day. My Grampy (who also swam in college) used to always tell me "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect," and he was right.

Training sessions will vary a ton based on age, stroke, and goals. However, most sessions will incorporate some of the following:

- targeted drills to improve stroke technique

- walls and underwater work (races are won under water)

- turn practice, especially how to approach the walls leading into a turn

- if necessary, watching some short videos of great swimmers and how they swim

- depending on the pool and their rules we can also work on starts and relay starts

The most impactful coach I ever worked with was my assistant coach, my first year of college. You could tell that he cared about how his athletes were doing, both physically and mentally. He was a fantastic coach in the pool - well written practices, a good mix of technique work and endurance - but he was an even better coach out of the pool. I knew that he had my back at all times, and sometimes having someone who believes in you can make all the difference. I ended up winning NCAAs that year with him by my side. We both left that school shortly after, but we stayed in touch and he's been a role model and friend to me ever since. We talk almost every week, nearly 8 years later.

I'm ridiculously competitive, and I love to win. I'll do whatever it takes to reach my goals, and that mentality carries over to whoever I'm coaching. I want you to succeed, and exceed everyone's expectations. Whatever it is you're looking to accomplish, no matter how big or small, we can work together and find a way to make it happen.