The Immersion Process: Getting Into It

On Wednesday, I attended a lecture on swimming with our coach Sheila Taormina.

On Friday, we enjoyed a 2-hour ‘Call The Suit’ pool session. This included instruction, correction of strokes, swim drills and video capture. With Sheila’s encouraging approach and our open-mindedness, we allowed ourselves to feel the watery. I must admit that having fun was a new aspect of the swim training equation. We learnt to analyse and focus on one thing to improve at a time.

On Saturday morning, I supplemented my pool session immediately with an open-water session with six others at the beach opposite Big Splash@ East Coast. We learn to go around buoys, sighting (forward then head turn for breathing), drafting in a pack, taking turns to lead, and some drills (Weissmuller/Tarzan drills). David Greenfield of Elite Customs reminded us that muscle memory takes place in 23 days through repetition.

What I learnt from my session were:

1)    I can and will enjoy swimming in the future. Always begin with a proper streamlining posture.

2)    Specific drills must be done in order to correct ineffective and inefficient strokes.

3)    Focus on high elbow pulls.

4)    Feel the water at the pals, wrist and forearms.

5)    Form vortices (whirlpools) with sculling drills, as well as with a good high pull.

6)    Press palms against the water upon completion of the pull.

7)    Use swimming bands to practice on land; linear return at completion of stroke (not simulate the overhead return).

8)    Watch videos of the best swimmers and remind ourselves of the high elbow pull, and feel of the water.

9)    Eliminate gliding as it adds time to the stroke. Stroke X Rate = Speed.

10) Coaching well leads to heightened self-awareness and motivation to progress and improve.

Photo-credit: Edwin Low of Elite Customs (Sheila interviewed by MediaCorp Radio 938 Live in 'A Slice of Life')

Sell, Not Tell When You Are Speaking

Having taught over 20 years in at least 19 countries, I have heard many perceptions about my business, as well that of others. Some are spot-on, precise and accurate. Others are well off the mark into the stratosphere of ignorance and obliviousness. Again, perception is reality for humans. Rene Descartes said, ‘ I think, therefore I am.’

Often, I have heard friends, acquaintances and even clients remark that speaking is simple. Interestingly, the challenge would be to marry simplicity with ease (easiness). In practice, not all simple things are easy to do. Anyone can play the violin – badly. An aspiring musician asked a veteran musician, ‘How do I get to the Esplanade Music Hall?’ His answer: ‘Practice, practice and practice!’

I am not a full-time speaker, and I know many who belong to the national speakers’ association. I operate on a different wavelength, leveraging on my expertise in leadership, languages, and love for life. It is a fact some draw huge fees for their presentations (PowerPoint slides and a wireless microphone) on one major achievement. Yet, to be able to speak with the influence and impact so desired by the booking agents and clients require these aspects of credibility. This weekend, I spent a few days as a student with Sheila Taormina – 4-time Olympian, Olympics gold-medalist swimmer, swim coach, author and motivational speaker – and learnt that delightful personal values makes her an asset to the organizations and clients she serves.

1)    Speaking is about creating influence through a sharing experience. Influencing is how you lead others, and position yourself as a leader.

2)    You need to make sense and talk sense. Nonsense has no place on the stage. Apply uncommon sense to creating a session for your audience.

3)    You need to build a resume of expertise, education, and engagements. Completes some personal challenges. Build a list of your achievements, accomplishments and experiences (rest assured, nobody can take these away from you).

4)    Both introverts and extraverts make effective speakers. Talkative and unfocused speakers will often lose their audience. Silence on-stage is suicidal.

5)    Self-indulgence, self-aggrandisement and over-indulgence in one’s ego are not topics that many care for. Talk about things that matter to people.

6)    You need to develop exquisite presentational skills through constant practice and honest feedback from others.

7)    Tell stories that matter. Recognise as many people as you can. Draw upon people who inspire you (there must be hundreds).

8)    Have a few anchor speeches that you have delivered. Over-exposure of the exact talk can be dulling to your audience: vary your content, however stick to familiar things.

Leadership Lessons: Credibility is necessary or you would be perceived as lacking the credits, and substance. Over-indulgence of your resume’s design may lead others to question your incredulity. Moving from credible to incredible is about being inquisitive, involving your self with experts, and investing time in improving yourself. Build a manifesto of the cause you believe in, and develop eagle-eyed focus on it. Be a beacon of hope and inspiration if you are to be a motivational speaker, telling stories that others relate to.

Call The Suit: Evening Swim Clinic With Sheila Taormina

Last night, 10 swimmers of Monday Tri Swim group had their practical session with Sheila. She led us through specific drills and simple assessments that focused on the swim techniques of the best swimmers in the world. This is a summary of what we learnt and experienced from the passionately talented, 1996 Olympics gold-medalist in the 200m swim relay held in Atlanta. We learnt by discovering for ourselves how our strokes felt against the water. It felt elusive and subtle at times, yet deliberate and obvious in other moments.

We warmed up with gentle front-crawl strokes, with Sheila verbally emphasizing the high elbow pull and engaging our lats (not shoulders). It was revelation when we felt how the correct muscles worked to propel us through our watery medium. 

Having a streamlined body after your (low) push-off (from the wall) is important. Shoulder flexibility is a skill to strive for as it offers us greater stability and range of motion.

Bands are good for building arm strength and enhancing your high elbow pull, however we need not trace a circular path on the recovery phase. Keep your wrist straight, and remember to salute!

We did pull-buoy drills, with one arm – not easy as it isolates the leading arm.

The finish of the high-elbow, arm pull activates our triceps and completes the continuum of propulsion.

We enjoyed making and seeing vortices (whirlpools) during our sculling session. The emphasis is to ‘feel’ the water on our palms, wrist and forearms. We were enthralled when we were successful in making these vortices during our 'pull' phase.

The Polo Boys? Our group underwater shot before we ended the class on a swimmer's high.

Group shot with our Coach. Big thanks to Wilson Ang for helping us out!

Photo-credits: Wilson Ang, Richard Leong & Sheila Taormina

World Tour Swim Clinic With Sheila Taormina

Here is a photo-log of our lecture session with Sheila on Wednesday night. She arrived from Hong Kong for her 18-24 October leg in Singapore; she heads off for Cape Town and Johannesberg immediately after this. 10 members of the TriFam Monday Night Swim will be doing our swim session on Friday with her, and we are excited about testing out her ‘perfected techniques’ that translate to actual speed for us in the near future. In a nutshell, the glide increases stroke time that could be translated instead to a higher rate or shorter stroke. The emphasis is on feel of catching the water, activation of the lats muscles, creating the ‘vortex’, and ‘rolling over the barrel’. You can enquire with Elite Customs for small group sessions still.

Here are highlights of our fun and educational evening:

Everyone had his copy of ‘Call The Suit’ autographed by the Olympic gold-medalist

Finally, I met Sheila who I interviewed a month ago (one of our most read pieces ever).

Everyone got a chance to hold, wear and pose with Sheila’s gold medal that has seen much action (and boosted confidence for children and adults alike)

Master-bike fitter and founder of Elite Customs, David Greenfield wore it around his confident neck

Sheila demonstrating how the swimming bands works best for learning the pull phase of the front crawl

She put such passion into teaching that our hour-long lecture exceeded, much to our appreciation

Photo-credit: Richard Leong (who is also a participant of the workshop)

Evidence That You Are Still An Ironman…

Having rummaged through my drawer for a proper shirt to wear this morning, I was shocked by the plethora of finisher’s t-shirts I own. Some have been rarely used, while others have seen the light of fray. From cotton to dry-fit to spandex, each scientifically knitted piece of fabric was sewn together by months of blood and sweat (and sometimes, tears). Eleven Ironman-distance races later, I am still at it and so are many of my friends (who I have experienced these tough and challenging experiences with). John Cooke from Perth wrote about this with poignancy, that endurance-athletes can fully relate to.

As a way of celebrating these moments of indulgence and insanity, I have compiled some observations, circa 2011. Most endurance athletes:

1)    Still have a drawer-full of race/finisher t-shirts.

2)    Have yet another drawer filled with purchased race memorabilia (mostly M-Dot).

3)    Own a library divided between magazines and books (running, swimming, cycling, nutrition).

4)    Are analogous with being the Imelda Marcos of running (including Vibrams Five Fingers, huaraches and minimalist) and cycling shoes.

5)    Have evolved to barefoot running, or at least exploring the realm of minimalist shoes.

6)    Have skirted the edge of ultra-distances by doing your first marathon-plus race.

7)    May earn a diploma for their many visits to the TCM, sports massage therapist, physiotherapist and chiropractor.

8)    Have attended ancillary classes in pilates, yoga, core stability, and self-massage – and perhaps have a certificate to teach or coach it.

9)    Spend many hours watching online videos of competition, coaching and cycling crashes.

10) Own a watch that tells every detail of relevance (heart-rate, temperature, rate, distance, and location) except tell time clearly.

Leadership Lessons: Once you earned you badge of honour, what happens? Do you rest on your laurels? How do you sustain your interest? How do you distinguish between you riding on a fad and embracing a lifestyle of endurance sports? When was the last time you clear your junk from your trunk?

******

Tonight, our first batch of seven swimmers of Monday Night Swim attended Sheila Taormina’s swim clinic; another solutions-focused trio will attend tomorrow. We had a blast learning about the history and theoretical bases for faster pool and open-water swimmer. As this Olympic gold-medalist (200m relay) shared her basic formula for faster swimming, many of us had to challenge our paradigms about our swimming. Although she made sense and explained herself convincingly, we had to grapple with our mindsets and experience about our swimming abilities; muscle memory is a hard habit to break. As the shortest swimmer in the history of Olympic history can attest, we can revisit our swim strokes and enhance it based on historical evidence, physics, and her astute observations. We had an educational and fun evening and look forward to Friday’s evening session. Each of us left with an autographed copy of Sheila’s book ‘Call The Suit’ which we referred to during our near-2 hours of generous sharing by our coach. Copies of 'Call The Suit' are still available at Elite Custom Pte Ltd.

Snapshots of Runaway Moments

This Friday, our group of regular swimmers will enjoy an evening swim clinic with Olympic gold-medalist, Sheila Taormina. She will be hosted by David Greenfield of Elite Customs – customized bike manufacturer and master-bike fitter. We interviewed Sheila last month, and her interviewed earned one of our largest readerships of all time. The former-triathlon world champion will be on a world tour for her swim clinics.

My legs and feet were stiff and sore when I awoke this morning, since it was less than 24 hours after ceasing all intense activities. Despite one mild bloody blister on a right toe, I had zero abrasions. The Elite Customs (Panache) bicycle-top I wore under my water-pouch protected me from any welts or chaffing. I have been feeding my body with high calories from a wide variety of food groups, drinking antioxidant-loaded berry drinks, and ginger (for its anti-inflammation properties). I did some walking (skipped the three bus-stops altogether as the wait was longer), and deep stretches and succumbed to a well-deserve nap. According to an episode of ‘The Doctors’, it appears that pure tart cherry (for making pies) juice does wonders in reducing muscle soreness. I bought a bottle of POM Pomegranate Juice as it has the highest antioxidant value from Giant supermarket and consumed a glassful. I also supplemented my nutritional needs today with ginger and raw salmon.

My thanks go to Freddy Yeoh for his aid-station where I got a photograph, two cans of Coke, and iced-water. I endeavour to return the favour to this enduring endurance athlete and his thoughtful friends in the future. Ironman Austria finisher, Roger Chow also staked his shop at Water-Point 4 where he offered me iced-cold Milo and some savoury food – thanks, buddy!

Here are some photographs taken by our caring and alert photojournalists during the TNF100 run yesterday. These shutterbugs braved the often-sheering heat and heady humidity to capture a moment in each runner’s personal challenge. They do it out of their passion for immortalising memories, and recognition for the participants. I think it is synergy and synchronicity at work.

Do you give credit where credit is due? The least we can do when we use intellectual copyright materials is to make a request for use, or provide a mention. There are many generous people in our social network who render their help on their own accord. Yesterday, I witnessed runners stopping to assisting badly cramping runners at the side of the running route. These displays of consideration were priceless within a physically tough day.

They say that photographs are a mirror of one’s sides. Here are some perspectives of our especially long day, yesterday. Thank you all the lens-people for making what we do feel important.

Photo-credit: Joe Cheung (Me giving the Double-One as I earn my second wind)

Photo-credit: Chris Voo (Me traipsing through the abundant greenery)

Photo-credit: Andy Ng (With my faster run buddy, Hui Koon, #127)

Bids and Bidding Our Time

London will host the Olympics 2012. Last year, Singapore hosted the Youth Olympic Games, a bid that the small island republic won a few years ago for the inaugural fourth installment of the five-ring franchise. This is the third year that Singapore is hosting the F1 Night Race; I am also looking forward to my first concert with Linkin Park tonight (10.30pm-12.30am). It will be preceded by my first experience as a spectator in tonight’s finals.

Whatever the outcome (in a few days’ time) of my bid for Boston Marathon 2012, I am still optimistic to do a good time at the Singapore Marathon on 4 December. With the revised BQ times (minus five minutes across the board) for 2013, it just means that I will train systematically for continued progress. A wider margin of qualification enhances a marathoner’s chances of being accepted for the following year’s race.

Yesterday, at my fortnightly open-water swim session I received useful feedback from Matthew about my freestyle strokes. It appeared that my right arm tended to swing outwards instead of near my head. I attributed it to my previous injuries in that shoulder – caused by two falls (one where I was hit by a taxi) – which made it unstable during dynamic action. Later, Richard shared with me his recent improvements in his swim; he has done extensive research into this particular swim stroke. The salient points from his generous sharing were:


1)    Keep you arm relaxed throughout the lift.
2)    Reduce unnecessary muscle tension.
3)    Take advantage of the bough formed when you scull water as it is an air-pocket (we need not rotate our need much to breathe).
4)    You need not fully straighten your extending arm when you glide (tension again).
5)    Pull your arm to your hip, but not beyond (additional tension that wastes energy when your elbow extends fully).
6)  Inhale enough air, and exhale fully.


Some things just take more time to learn, and longer to master. However, once we learnt it ‘muscle memory’ locks it in permanently. The initial process of ensuring proper techniques and methods comprise the largest investment of our time. Given time and purposeful effort, we can develop our capabilities and competencies. 4-time Olympian and gold-medalist swimmer, Sheila Taormina will be in Singapore in mid-October to lead swim clinics so consider if you would like to do 1-on-1, or group sessions with her.

Leadership Lessons: How well do you bide your time? How often do you make a bidding for things that matter to you? How long can you wait before your patience is tested?

COURIER OF CONFIDENCE (Part 2)

Sheila Taormina has represented her country four times in the Olympics since 1996. Born in Livonia, Michigan she earned a business degree from Georgia in 1992, and added an MBA in 1994. Parents, Sam and Moya, currently reside in Livonia. Sheila has a twin brother, Steven, and six older siblings. She has bungee jumped and skydived, and regularly enjoys reading and hiking.

In her years as a triathlon professional, her achievements included:

2004 Olympic Team Member (Triathlon)

2004 ITU Triathlon World Championships, 1st 


2004 Race to Athens ITU International Triathlon, 4th 


2004 ITU Pan American Regional Championship, 1st 


2004 Bay Islands ITU International Triathlon, 2nd 


2003 ITU World Cup, 1st

2003 Clermont ITU International Triathlon, 1st 


2003 ITU Triathlon World Bay Islands International Triathlon/ITU points race, 1st

2003 Pan American Games Silver Medalist


2000 Olympic Team Member
(Triathlon)

At the 1992 Olympic Trials, her friend Joel Thomas became the first person Sheila knew personally to make the Olympic Team, which inspired her to attempt qualification again in 1996. She was turned down for the USA Swimming’s Resident Team program, so returned home, convinced that her swimming career was over. Age-group coach Greg Phill convinced her to resume training with him and his club of junior high school/high school-aged kids with this one reason: ‘We have water in the pool and you have a dream. That counts more than everything else down in Colorado Springs.’

Sheila had 22 members of her family cheering her on at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Her family raised money for the trip by selling T-shirts. Sheila started a business called FriendsforAthletes.com to help future Olympians realize their dreams. To help others realise their dreams, she almost always carries her Olympic gold medal with her, so that she can let a person cradle it. The medal is an allegory for one’s dreams, and she encourages the person to seek their own ‘medal’.

She had a 50-metre lead coming out of the water at the 2000 Olympic Games, but later dropped back during the bike and placed sixth. She was photographed giving high-fives to the crowd as she happily finished the Olympic race. Sheila is a crowd favorite due to her positive attitude. She is now a full-time motivational speaker with her own company, Taormina & Associates. She is also an active coach.

EV: How did you manage your injuries? Which was your worst injury?

ST: Whenever I was injured I looked at it positively as a chance to rest my overall body, even on a cellular level. Injury also allowed me to be a person outside of sport that I wanted to be but never had the time to be when in heavy training cycles. I was fortunate that I never had such a severe injury that I had to sit out of training for more than a few weeks. I think I never got the really bad injuries because when my body signaled that something was not right I would rest it immediately instead of push through. I could tell the difference when something would be ok if I pushed and when something would be worsened to a detrimental point if I pushed. An athlete should know his/her body well and should listen when the body is talking.

EV: What are the factors that allow a swimmer to make the largest improvements?  

ST: These are in my book, Call The Suit. For over a decade I have really wanted to write about the key elements, the ‘secrets’ to swimming fast (but I never had the time until after the 2008 Olympics because of training :) One of the biggest ‘secrets’ is ‘understanding’ how to work with water. Water is a fluid, and that changes how we normally think about strength and power. I love to teach the gift of swimming ~ how to work with a fluid to gain propulsion. There is a position the arm must make when pulling in order to achieve this gift in the water, and it is not like any normal position a person does during the day. The core of the body is very much involved as well...everything is connected, and once a swimmer feels it they end up loving swim practice more than ever, and they get much faster. It is my joy to teach this.

EV: Can a professional athlete succeed without sponsors? How well were you sponsored during your competitive career?

ST: Sure, an athlete can definitely succeed without sponsors. I did not have one sponsor before the 1996 Olympics. I worked a full-time job, more than 40 hours per week in the automotive industry in Detroit. If an athlete has a dream planted in his/her heart that is strong, then that athlete will be willing to work to pay the bills and will find time to train. During my triathlon years I was very fortunate to have great sponsors, and this did help me succeed in that sport. I am so thankful for my sponsors because they did make life much nicer. But then during my first year in pentathlon no sponsors came on board...I think they may have thought I did not have much of a chance at making the Olympics in a third sport. I had to sell my house to finance my dream that first year. I was willing to do that to have a chance at my dream. Then, during my second year in pentathlon, after I did well at a few world competitions, a few sponsors came on again, and once again that helped tremendously. The bottom line is that an athlete will do what it takes if the dream burns strongly, but sponsorships do make it nicer in many ways.

EV: What is it like being a motivational speaker? Tell us more about your experiences.

ST: The best part about being a motivational speaker is that after I give a talk people come up to me and share their inspirational stories. I have learned so much about people and their dreams. I love it.   

EV: What are three of your pet peeves in life?

ST: Oooooh…you're getting into some good juicy questions…Okay, here are three pet peeves:  Firstly, when people do not say ‘thank you’ if someone does a kind act, such as holding a door open. Secondly, if an athlete is arrogant, and thirdly - cold weather...I really do NOT like cold weather!!!

EV: Then, you’ll be fine in Singapore. We have warm weather year-round. Who are your strongest supporters in your career?

ST: Of course my mom and dad and sisters and brothers and their spouses and their children (my nieces and nephews). None of them took sports past high school level, but they all went to the Olympics and cheered so loudly for me. They cheered the same if I was winning a medal or not winning. The community (in Michigan, and also the triathlon and swimming community in general all over the world) also supported my family to get to the Olympics financially, so more than 20 of my relatives were at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004. I am so thankful for the support of the community because, otherwise, my family could not have afforded the trip. Only five relatives made it to Beijing but that was because it was so difficult to get visas and figure out logistics. My parents have been to every Olympics, even Beijing...my dad was 84 and my mom 80 years old in Beijing. It amazes me that they made the trip all the way from Detroit. They are the most wonderful loving parents.

I must also add David Greenfield from Elite Bicycles to this list of biggest supporters. He would call me and give horse-jumping advice, and also shooting tips during my pentathlon years, and of course he made the most awesome sweet bike I could ever dream to have to ride in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics!!!

EV: What would you look forward to doing in Singapore in October?

ST: I am very much looking forward to meeting the triathletes and swimmers and getting to know them. I want to help them swim FAST to reach their goals.  

EV: Which lessons do you think we can learn as athletes, both amateur and professional?  

ST: How to have grace in all circumstances. We will face disappointment and elation. Both have their right place in life, and it is up to us to see that both are just fine.

EV: What is your view of mass participation sports like marathons and triathlons? Are we headed for a trend or is there a lifestyle review?

ST: It sure seems like the numbers keep growing, and I think that it will continue. Human beings are designed to be active, so it is natural that we are seeing the mass participation. Also, the Internet disseminates information so easily and this helps people learn what they need to do so there is no excuse for not signing up for some physical challenge like a marathon or triathlon.

EV: What drives a competitive athlete to excel?

ST: The spirit within. And opportunity. Life is an open slate with so much opportunity, so take every ounce of your spirit and write your book - the best book you can.

EV: What are your mantras when you train and race?

ST: Two mantras: Firstly, A happy athlete is a fast athlete, as I mentioned earlier in this email. Secondly, Call The Suit! This is the title of my book and it means to be bold, to look at what you are dealt in life, and make your dreams come true with what you HAVE...never think about what you don't have.  Only look at what you have and get going to work on those dreams!

EV: Thanks for the interview, Sheila.

ST: Ciao, ciao.  

(End of Interview)

THE COURIER OF CONFIDENCE (Part 1)

4-time, Olympian Sheila Taormina takes her dreams, and those of others seriously

Sheila Taormina (pronounced ‘Tar-meena’) is an Olympic athlete who has competed at four consecutive Olympic Games (1996-2008). She is also the only woman to compete in three different Olympic sports. At the 1996 Olympics, she earned a gold medal as a member of the USA's winning women's 4X200m freestyle relay team, and was a triathlon world champion.

At just over 5'3" tall, and not having made her first Olympic team until the age of 27, Sheila Taormina appears to be an unlikely candidate to have competed at four consecutive summer Olympiads in three completely different sports. However, she did all that and earned stunning accolades, and more.

After winning a gold medal for the 4X200m swimming relay in the Olympic Games of Atlanta in 1996, Sheila then, purposefully, plunged into the cloudy waters of two other entirely different sports: Olympic Distance triathlon, and Modern Pentathlon. Sheila has enjoyed many sporting successes in her life. Her glowing resume includes:

The only woman to compete in three different sports in different Olympiads

USAT Lifetime Hall of Fame

2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, Modern Pentathlon, 19th place overall (1st place in two of the five events: swimming (Pentathlon World record) and equestrian show jumping)

2004 Olympic Games, Athens, Triathlon, 23rd place

2004 ITU World Champion, Triathlon

2000 Olympic Games, Sydney, Triathlon, 6th place

1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta, Swimming, Gold medal in the 4X200 metres freestyle relay

David Greenfield, founder of Elite Bicycles, USA describes her: ‘All in all, I personally feel that Sheila Taormina is not only one of the greatest athletes of our century, she is also one of the greatest personalities and persons I have been fortunate enough to meet. I have great pride and am honored to have Sheila as an ambassador for Elite Bicycles; however I value the ability to call her my friend even more.  She is truly an inspiration, and a model of hard work, determination, and selfless Christian values.’

The Modern Pentathlon is a one-day event that comprises five disciplines: pistol shooting, show jumping, epee fencing, 200-metre freestyle swimming and 3K cross-country run. Sheila described them as the skills required for the horseback courier delivering the mail safely. She had to learn three completely unfamiliar disciplines within three years. However, dealing with the new was familiar territory for Sheila who successfully rode to a USA National championship title and a top-ten finish in the Sydney Olympics, a mere 18 months after she entered the sport of professional triathlon.

Sheila also expanded her resume to include author as another achievement. ‘Call the Suit’ is a comprehensive training manual that studies and creates diagnostic information about swimming. In her book, Sheila explains and describes all of the facets that create propulsion, feel for the water, and the critical components of a proper freestyle swim stroke that is utilized by the fastest swimmers in the world. In effect, the more efficient a swimmer is the less energy they use, thus allowing for greater strength and endurance for the two subsequent events that follow a triathlon. Several mantras pervade the book, including ‘Look at the hand you have been dealt’, ‘Be Bold’, and ‘Make the choice that is best for you, and who you are’.

In addition to promoting her best-selling, self-help book on proper swim technique, Sheila continues to conduct swimming clinics worldwide. She also continues her work as a highly acclaimed motivational speaker for schools, businesses, and community organizations. Sheila also volunteers actively and extensively within her community and has partnered with two national non-profit organizations to support their missions.

We caught up with the busy speaker, author and coach for an honest and introspective interview. Throughout the interview, you may intuitively detect her infectious energy and enthusiasm for life, and how it has positively translated to her speaking engagements, and competitive years as a renowned athlete and champion.

Sheila Taormina will be in Singapore in October for swim clinics and speaking engagements. As part of Sheila’s world tour on swim coaching, Singapore-based Elite Custom Bicycles will bring her in for a limited engagement. The premier customized-fitting and handcrafted bicycle company, Elite Bicycles, USA is a lifetime-sponsor for Sheila.

Enrico Varella: How does winning an Olympic gold medal change your life?

Sheila Taormina: Not much to be honest. I joke with people that when I returned home from the Olympics with a gold medal in my pocket no one was on my front door step offering to mow the lawn or do the dishes for me. Life is life [laughs]. Actually, what it does do to change life is to offer a few additional opportunities to make a difference in other people's lives. That is the fun part - to share what I have learned from great coaches and team-mates.

EV: Which was the proudest moment of your career?

ST: Never a proud moment; I only have thankful moments because it is amazing to me that I grew up in a family that supported my sports dreams, and that I lived during a time when women could take a sports career to great places. I did nothing to earn those things on my own. I am also thankful that my body stayed healthy for so many years. The most memorable moments of my sports career definitely include the Olympic gold medal day in swimming, the world championship win in triathlon, and winning the equestrian show jumping portion of the pentathlon in Beijing.

EV: Which is one thing we tend to overdo as an athlete?

ST: Many athletes definitely over-train. Athletes should remember that a happy athlete is a fast athlete. We need rest to be a happy person and also for our physical body to adapt to the hard work we do. Also, I think many athletes over-train the aerobic/endurance side of training and under-train the speed work and lactate (race pace) sets. The speed workouts are much shorter in length, but the intensity is very high. Athletes should enjoy doing a short intense workout and then this gives more time at home at the end of the day to enjoy things away from sport, especially spending time with the people we love. Do at least 2 days per week of short intense workouts.

EV: Which is the one thing we tend to overlook as an athlete?

ST: I think we overlook the big picture, sometimes. We think that every race should go perfectly, and the truth of the matter is that we are human and not every race goes how we want it to go. When those days happen we should remember to look at the big picture, that we have healthy bodies and the opportunity to be on the start line in the first place...smile, laugh, and be thankful.

EV: How important were coaches to you?

ST: My coaches were a massive part of my success as an athlete and they were the reason why I stayed in sport so many years. They kept it fun. They taught me life-long lessons and prepared my body to reach its full potential, which meant days of training that were super-hard and also days of training with rest. They were very smart about how to design the overall plan. I would have never made it to the Olympics if I did not have the coaches I had.

EV: How did you decide to switch, successfully, from swimming to triathlons to modern pentathlon?

ST: It was never a life plan to switch to triathlon and then to pentathlon. I thought I would be finished with sport forever after swimming in the 1996 Olympics. What happened was that I did zero exercise for two years after '96, and I got out of shape. I entered a local triathlon in 1998 just to get back in some sort of shape, and a gentleman who saw me race said he saw potential. He convinced me to take triathlon more seriously, and he taught me enough to make the Olympic team two years later in 2000, and then again in 2004. For the modern pentathlon, a representative from that sport recruited me, and he brought to my attention that no woman had ever made an Olympics in three completely different sports before. That piqued my interest. It was a unique opportunity I saw and at that moment, I felt healthy enough to continue competing, so I decided to give pentathlon a try to see if I could make Olympic history.

EV: Of your three competitive sports, which was the toughest discipline for you?

ST: I learned that every sport is equally difficult, but in different ways. For instance, shooting is not as physically exhausting as swimming a 200-meter freestyle, but shooting presents an equally difficult challenge in that the athlete must learn to stay composed mentally when a big prize is on the line. It is very challenging. Every sport was just as difficult as the others. I appreciate what athletes have to master in all disciplines.

EV: After competing successfully in three crossover sports, which is your favourite sport?

ST: My favorite sport ends up being the equestrian show jumping. My spirit soars when I am on a brave horse flying over the jumps! I like cornering really fast on the bike too, though, so cycling on a technical course ranks high on my list of favorite things to do in sport.

EV: What is the ‘difference that makes the difference’ for a world-class athlete? What separates a national-ranked athlete from an Olympic medalist?

ST: Great questions you present...my opinion on this question is that the last 10% of athletic preparation is what separates the world-class athlete from the almost-world class athlete. That last 10% entails the ability to push oneself to levels most people cannot access, and this has a mental component and grit component, not just during a race but also on a day-to-day basis in training. A top athlete knows how a weakness can reside in sneaky places, and he/she is willing to tap deep into those places everyday in training so the weakness can be stamped out.  

(We continue with Part 2 tomorrow)