Coaching With The Big Dogs

This was in the August 8, 2012 edition of the Lock Haven Express.

Lock Haven Loggerheads head coach Joel Blesh spent the month of June at the Longhorns Swim Camp hosted by the University of Texas at Austin.

Swimmers from all around the world came to the Longhorns Swim Camp for a week of instruction and to learn from the staff.

The Longhorns staff is led by the head coaches of the Texas program Eddie Reese and Carol Capitani. Reese has also been the head coach of the Olympics on three different occasions and has won a record 10 national team NCAA Division I Team Championships. The camp is also headlined by nine Olympians from the United States, many of them medalists.

Joel Blesh (left) with head coach of the University of Texas
swim program, Eddie Reese (right)

"Everything about the camp was world class," said Blesh. "When swimmers travel in from different continents, you know it's big time."

Each day swimmers would have a full day of dry land activity, training, afternoon activities and stroke technique sessions. The campers would get a stroke session with each Olympian in their stroke specialty and were exposed to all four strokes while in Austin.

"The daily schedule was challenging, but rewarding for the swimmers. They worked so hard, but were around hundreds of other swimmers that all had at least one common interest," Blesh said.

Blesh was the only YMCA coach to be part of the staff composed of mostly college swimming coaches.

"It was great to be able to represent the Lock Haven Area YMCA on a staff that had some of the best the United States has to offer," said Blesh. "I am very proud of what the Loggerheads have been doing over the course of the past two years, and it was exciting to learn from the absolute best and bring that back to the Lock Haven area."