Randy Erekson and Russell Hiley attended the TI workshop Sept 13-14 in Chicago, led by TI Coaches Hap Gentry, Scott Colby and Janis Noonan. Just a few weeks later, they’re not only swimming much better – they’re teaching others how to enjoy swimming too! Here, in their own words, are their stories.

Family, The Cubs and Swim Camp

By Randy Erekson

I grew up a non-swimmer. In fact I had a near-drowning experience at 16 years, which still preys on my mind every time I get into the water. Still, I learned breaststroke in my mid-20s and a crawl stroke of sorts in my early 40s. The last week of April 2003 I participated in my first triathlon, 1K swim, 42K bike, 10K run. I alternated crawl with breaststroke on the 1K. By the time I finished, mine was the only bike still in the transition. Still, it was an accomplishment to simply make it through the swim, so I could finish the race.

A week or so later, one of my co-workers, who had also done the triathlon told me about a new way of swimming called Total Immersion. He had swum the 1K seven and a half minutes faster than I, even after having his goggles knocked off. I didn't have that problem – one of the unsung benefits of swimming slowly is there’s no one around to bump or jostle you. He told that just reading a magazine article about TI had helped him save energy during the swim. My curiosity was piqued.

So I read the article and learned four key strategies: (1) You create less drag when swimming on your side. (2) You can improve your body position by leaning on your armpit as you extend your arm. (3) Measure your efficiency during practice by counting your strokes. (4) Fewer of those strokes over the same distance equals energy saved. So the next time I went to the pool, I counted my strokes; I took 41 strokes to cross a 40-yard pool. I knew that wasn't very good, but at least I had a benchmark for improvement. Next I began attending a weekly swim session with experienced triathletes. I was always way behind the others, but I worked hard every week. The coach – another TI disciple – told me to think about swimming through the smallest possible hole in the water. That helped some too. Over the next three months my stroke count dropped gradually to 32 per length. I was also feeling much more comfortable in the water. I was pleased with my progress.

Doing it “by the book”
In the meantime my co-worker bought Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin and the “Fishlike Freestyle” video. He loaned TSME to me and I devoured it in two days. Within a week I'd watched the video 10 times. I was excited. I knew the drills it illustrated would help me swim more efficiently, more relaxed and faster.

However, trying to do the drills by myself was difficult. Doing them with my training partner – who had also watched the video – helped a little bit. Still, when I kicked in ‘Back Balance’ I went backwards and I had trouble finding my ‘Sweet Spot.’ I knew I needed Professional Help. So, I checked online for a TI Weekend Workshop that I could attend. I live on Kwajalein, a cozy 2.5 square mile piece of real estate in the Marshall Islands. I had already planned a trip to the mainland for the first half of September and found a workshop in Chicago the weekend of September 13th that fit my travel plans. I have a brother in the Chicago area that I could stay with. And, the Cubs were in a pennant race, and I hoped to catch a game at Wrigley. That cinched the deal – I registered for the workshop.

A perfect weekend in Chicago
Visiting my brother and his family was fun. The Cubs won their game. And the TI workshop was exactly what my swimming needed. The patient and expert instruction from Hap Gentry, Scott Colby and Janis Noonan made an immediate difference. From the first drill I felt much more comfortable and effective in the water. I might add that the pre-workshop literature suggested that I bring nose clips. I had never used them before in my life, but I wasn't going to be unprepared in any way. I’ll just say that I recommend nose clips to anyone for practicing balance drills.

During the weekend we spent about seven hours in the water, starting with a length of swimming during which we had our strokes videotaped. I did 20 strokes for 25 meters. My reaction upon viewing my video was: “I don't look nearly as bad as I thought.”

Back in the pool on Saturday afternoon we progressed through the UnderSwitch series with Hap, Scott and Janis vigilantly watching each step of the way. If I didn't get a drill right, one of them would correct me before the next length, so I understood how to do each drill correctly before moving to the next.

Our Sunday “graduation exercise” was to swim 25 meters for the video camera a second time. Then we watched our new swimming stroke. I did 14 strokes, and I looked relaxed – as if they were playing my video in slow motion.

The Payoff
One of the first things I did after getting home was to go to the pool and count my strokes. I did 23 strokes in my 40-yard pool. I swam it again to make sure my count was right. I was excited and amazed. In three months of self-guided TI practice I had reduced my stroke count by 9 strokes per length, a 20% gain in efficiency. Then in one weekend I reduced my stroke count another 9 strokes – an additional 30 percent improvement!

As much as I’ve improved already, I'm still very much a work in progress. My new stroke needs to be solidly imprinted in muscle memory – and I can surely find many opportunities for further progress in efficiency – but I'm sure I'll get that through drills and practice. I can maintain my new level of efficiency for several hundred yards in open water, then I shift to my old familiar standby – breaststroke, before resuming freestyle. But I’m working on adding more “efficiency endurance” to my swims and someday I'll be able to call myself an “accomplished swimmer.” I'm sure of it.

Randy Erekson is a father of four and an air traffic controller. He used to lead a normal life on the mainland, but a few years ago Randy got the crazy idea to transfer to a small island in the Central Pacific. His two younger children love it, but the two older ones have flown the coop back to the States. Randy says, 'living on a tropical island is like, well, living on a tropical island.' The tower where he works is close enough to the ocean to watch Spinner Dolphins jump and spin as they swim by…at least when there are no airplanes to take care of. Randy is training for the local triathlon, The Rustman, next April. His goal is to use TI to take 10 minutes off the 1K swim. He also plays racquetball, attends a weekly yoga class, throws pottery on the wheel, teaches pottery classes and has already begun teaching his friends Total Immersion. He is also excited the Cubs are still in the playoffs. You can reach Randy at rherekson@hotmail.com.

And there was this email from Russell Hiley to Senior Instructor Hap Gentry:
From: russell hiley
To: Richard H. (Hap) Gentry
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 6:26 PM
Subject: Re: TI "Team Chicago" September 13-14, 2003

Hey Hap,
I was so excited about the "transformation" which occurred at the Chicago workshop that I've made time to work on the drills practically every day during the three weeks since the workshop. Why so often? I feel so great in the water that I don’t want to take a chance on losing that feeling.

I went to the workshop, expecting to swim better and I’m positively thrilled with my improvement. What I didn’t expect was that I’d come away knowing how to work near-miracles on someone else. The Team Learning approach you taught us on Saturday morning has proven remarkably effective for teaching others. In the past week, I've even had success in helping my girlfriend, Angela Smith – who previously could not swim at all – to feel comfortable in the water for the first time in her life. For some people, this might sound modest, but believe me – for Angela this is a big accomplishment!

She realizes now that she can float on her back; like me, she used to think she was a “sinker.” Now she understands how to find her equilibrium and – with a little patience – when she sinks SHE WILL RISE AGAIN! Having gotten a basic sense of security, we have since practiced all the balance drills, and gone all the way to UnderSkate. In three days in the pool (a total of perhaps four hours) I have accomplished more with Angela than I had in the previous six months. So – for now at least – I am her hero!

I thought I enjoyed swimming before; now it seems I'm really immersed. Just yesterday I was "accused" of being a walking billboard for Total Immersion. Guess I need to tone it down a bit. Anyway, it has been a blast, and all the curious looks I get while practicing my TI drills just make it more so. Just wanted to say thanks again.

Russell

Russell Hiley, mechanical engineer, part time real estate manager, self-admitted triathlon wanna-be, and now TI Workshop graduate – Class of September 2003 – is delighted to finally feel he’s on course toward steady, systematic improvement in conquering the swimming hurdle. A swimmer for over 35 years, Russell is now taking his enjoyment of swimming to even higher levels. Other activities he enjoys include model aviation and electronic design projects. You can reach Russell at rehiley@msn.com.

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