In Vermont, there is no high-school swimming, so in the Burlington area, students go to Green Mountain Aquatics on the campus of Saint Michael’s College.
Laura Matuszak has been there for 15 years. She owns and operates the USA Swimming club, and she’s also the head coach. The team, which competes as far away as California, began doing CrossFit as part of its so-called “dry-land training” in the last year and a half. It’s a great departure from previous conditioning work that included 20 minutes of running and 3 sets of 10 of basic exercises.
According to Matuszak, the swimmers, who range in age from 6 to 20, got into it pretty easily.
“There’s no doubt their measurable strength changes,” she says. “They have such a greater, broader range of movement that they’re confident with and they’re comfortable with. I think they have a better understanding of their body and how it works, and that’s always going to help them eventually push their limits.”
She adds: “I think we’re giving these kids athletic potential that we’re going to see in the future.”
Video by Again Faster.
12min 55sec
Additional reading: Pukie at the Pool by Roy Wallack and Brian Nabeta, published April 18, 2009.