Riding the Waves of Mentorship: Coaching, Culture & Weathering the Storm
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Release Date: 05/16/2025
Level 1 Swim Secrets from Suriname and Coach Yash
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Coach Yash Daryanani shares his Goldwater Sports coaching system, from philosophy to day‑to‑day session management. Learn the core principles that helped him build national teams and clinics. What you’ll learn in this episode, #78 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide: Coaching philosophy: discipline, patience, and individual attention as the foundation for swimmer development. Essential safety & pool‑management practices (pre‑session checks, shadowing, emergency preparedness). Setting clear parent‑coach boundaries and communication rules. Teaching fundamentals for...
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Steps along the pathway for a coach's wellness journey
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Barry Healey cares about the coaching profession and aims to improve sports In this candid conversation, episode #77 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, coaches Barry Healey and Mark Rauterkus discuss the real‑world challenges of running a swim program. Wellness matters to those on the pool decks. Burnout to compliance…. They sharing practical tricks that actually work. Learn how small changes can protect coaches, calm parents, and boost program growth. What you’ll discover: The hidden costs of coach burnout and why many lack a support system. Proven strategies for managing young...
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Challenge Accepted: Filling the Big Data Void in Aquatics
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Nicole's heavy lift. A vision for data collection for swimming instruction. Nicole Fairfield explains why the aquatic education field lacks solid research data and how her Joyful Waters curriculum craved that data. She aims to fill the research gap and is planting seeds for scientific validation for all types of aquatic developmental benchmarks. She also outlines the vision for a secure, comprehensive database to track developmental and adaptive outcomes. In this episode, #76, of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, you’ll hear from the ambitious instructor in Georgia and learn: Why current...
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This Polo Coach Cracked the Code to Athlete Growth (No Pool Needed)
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
The 30-Day System That’s Transforming Young Athletes – Here’s How “Everyone says hard work is the key… but what if that’s not enough? In this episode, we unpack a 30-day system that’s turning water polo players into unstoppable athletes — and it might just change how you train forever.” In this episode of Heavy Or Not, we dive deep into Coach Ron Usher’s 30-day growth system built for young water polo players but powerful for any athlete striving to improve. From mindset to skill development to daily habits, this episode unpacks the core principles behind real...
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400 IM - How Phelps and Marchand set records and insights from India's Coach Partha. Negative SPLIT
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Unlock the secrets behind mastering the 400 IM with elite coach from India, Partha Pratim Majumdar. Learn the strategic, aerobic, and mental tools that power world‑record swims like Phelps and Marchand. In this video you’ll discover: Why the 400 IM is a strategic race, not just brute strength nor conditioning, and how the “lactate penalty” impacts performance. How to build a massive aerobic engine by focusing on long‑axis strokes (freestyle & backstroke). The “200‑meter rule” and why mastering each 200 -meter stroke guarantees a smoother 400 IM. Training methods...
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Rich Coach or Poor Coach -- Get a Learn To Swim Lesson Program and UCANSwim.org can help
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
“From Drowning Stats to Million‑Dollar Swim Schools: How Coaches Turn Pools into Profit (and Safety)‑First Empires” Swim Coaches Can Earn Six Figures by Adding Structured Lesson Sessions The Australian Success Secret: Integrated Lesson Programs Drive Performance and Profit In this episode, Steve Friederang breaks down why every swim coach should run a lesson program—and how it can become a serious revenue stream while boosting safety and recruitment. He shares real‑world numbers, proven strategies, and the pitfalls to watch out for. Why lesson programs are essential for...
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Negotiated Surrender - Vote‑of‑No‑Confidence for the Head Coach Highlights Team's end-of-season Banquet
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Safety Dilemma and League Issues. Have mercy on the Foxes as they are sly! In episode #72 of Heavy or Not we break down the bizarre “vote‑of‑no‑confidence” resignation tactic of a Fox Chapel Area high‑school coach and its athletic department. Sure, there is a deeper safety and fairness crisis driving it. Plus, I’m certain some wire pullers are lurking like sly foxes do. We also explore the district’s league‑restructuring proposal and why athletic reform matters now more than ever. What you’ll learn: How a coach’s “negotiated surrender” forces parents to vote on his...
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How Insurance Gaps and Governance Failures Threaten Swim Coaches' Careers
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
How Insurance Gaps and Governance Failures Threaten Swim Coaches' Careers Uninsured. Unheard. Undervalued. Real challenges facing swim coaches are pondered. Why they’re left out of the decision‑making table, the insurance maze, and what’s needed to keep the sport of swimming (and others) thriving. Coach Barry Healey, BC, Canada, and Mark Rauterkus, International Swim Coaches Association in the USA, break down the roadblocks and propose concrete steps. Why coaches aren’t at the table with health and policy makers. The tangled insurance landscape (LEI, Lloyd’s, Marker, SwimBC,...
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Swimming's Geo Political $.02 - Tiny snip of a conversation with Jonty, Dennis and Mark
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Take a peek at Coach Jonty’s holistic approach to athlete development and the geopolitical factors shaping swimming. This clip highlights a few insights from Jonty Skinner’s recent WAFSU seminar. In this video you’ll learn: How Coach Jonty connects with kids and leverages holistic development. The genetic and regional patterns that produce world‑class runners and swimmers. South Africa’s historical impact on elite athletics and its modern swimming scene. Emerging swimming talent from Tunisia and broader African nations. Where to watch the full two‑hour seminar on...
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Christmas Break Just Got Lit - AI generated anthem to launch your holiday training with serious vibes. (#Plan Now)
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
The Swim Team Song You Didn’t Know You Needed An AI Made This Swim Team Song You won’t believe what happens when AI writes a holiday anthem for swim teams heading into Christmas break! Christmas Break Planning Happens NOW. Swimmers, this one’s for YOU. Episode #68 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide drops a brand new AI-generated song to launch your holiday training with serious vibes! This AI-generated track is about to become your new favorite swim team anthem for winter break. Okay, we let AI take over the studio. Do you have room on your holiday training playlist, for travels, for...
info_outlineHeavy Or Not – The O.G. Swim Guide, Episode #31
“You can prepare for the work, but you can’t always predict the weather.”
In this episode of Heavy Or Not, we explore the real-world parallels between weathering literal storms and facing the emotional and professional trials coaches endure over time. Coaches Jim Lutz and Barry Healy share hard-won lessons from the deck and beyond.
Featured Voices:
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Jim Lutz: Coach, author, and Arizona sunshine philosopher
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Barry Healy: Veteran Canadian coach and lifelong mentor
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Special reference: Dr. John Hogg, sport psychologist and author
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Legacy lens: Insights from Cecil Colwin, author and coach
Highlights from Episode #31:
1. Navigating Life’s Storms
Jim Lutz opens with a sunlit reflection—literally. While others face dark skies and sleet, he frames life’s changing circumstances through the lens of perspective. “The storm is the same for everyone,” he says, “but the way you show up in it… that’s what coaching is.”
2. The Role of Mentorship
Barry Healy dives into how mentorship shaped his decades in the pool and the classroom. His admiration for Dr. John Hogg—especially Hogg’s calm and clarity under pressure—anchors a wider conversation on coach development.
3. Team Culture Is Built, Not Inherited
Both coaches emphasize culture as an intentional, daily act. Whether it's a handshake after practice or informal “fireplace sessions” like those hosted by Cecil Colwin, the rituals matter more than the rules.
4. Mental Health, Balance, and Coaching Today
Today’s coaches are stretched thin. The emotional weight of leading young athletes, managing expectations, and staying grounded is greater than ever. This episode doesn’t shy away from that truth—but it offers hopeful, practical encouragement.
5. The Next Generation Deserves Our Best
Jim and Barry both express a shared purpose: helping the next wave of coaches find clarity sooner. “You don’t have to suffer to be good,” says Barry. “You need guidance, not just grind.”
Mentioned in This Episode
Check out the companion book and course:
Mental Skills for Young Athletes by Dr. John Hogg
https://Read.SwimISCA.org/why/mental-skills-for-young-athletes/
Watch or Listen Now
Final Word
Whether you’re coaching a national team or leading a youth rec league, this conversation will speak to the heart of why you do what you do. It’s about mentorship. It’s about resilience. And it’s about the big picture—beyond medals and swim times.
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Further Resources:
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More episodes: https://WAFSU.org
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ISCA Membership: https://Read.SwimISCA.org
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Send your mascot pics: https://YOUCANswim.wetransfer.com