Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide

In this episode of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we discuss why insurance coverage is a critical need for swimming coaches and how Barry Healey with ISCA and the BC Swimming Coaches Association are working on the discovery for solutions to fortify the profession and passions of coaches.

What you'll learn:

• What if every coach had $1‑2 M in liability insurance and lawyer support.
• Let's consider all the modern risks of going uninsured.
• Real‑world scenarios that have cost coaches financially and mentally.
• How advocates are negotiating insurance options and potential membership fees.
• Plans for a joint venture to embed insurance education and mental‑health training into coach certification.
• How you can get involved – sign up on the Heavy Or Not form to stay informed and help shape the solution.

Turning Insurance Into Retention: Keeping Coaches in Competitive Swimming and Sport

Catch the latest deep‑dive with Penn State swimming head coach Hollie Bonewit‑Cron as she breaks down recruiting, training schedules, and the evolving college‑swim landscape. From dual‑meet highlights against Pitt to her career path and future plans, get the key takeaways from a clinic to coaches when she was in her first season as the head coach in Happy Valley.

In this video you'll learn:

• How Penn State structures its practice groups, pool assignments, and daily training blocks.
• The current recruiting pipeline, international talent, and scholarship timelines for the classes.
• Holly's coaching philosophy on culture, accountability, and balancing academics with athletics.
• Insights on the transfer portal, roster caps, and how the program navigates NCAA rule changes.
• A quick recap of Hollie's career journey, from Athens, Ohio, and an OU swimmer to coaching as a Florida assistant and then to Miami of Ohio to Penn State head coach.

Penn State Swimming's Fresh Vision: Coaching, Recruiting, and Culture Under Hollie Bonewit‑Cron

Questions from the audience too.

• Managing Burnout, Time, and Recovery for Elite College Swimmers at Penn State

Is USA Swimming Holding the Sport Hostage? USA Swimming's data drama is setting the sport back decades — and it's hurting athletes, families, and innovation. Here's what they're not telling you... Why Swim Times Are Disappearing Imagine training all year only for your swim times to vanish into thin air. This podcast exposes the growing blackout and the fight for data transparency. The Swim Data Crisis No One Is Talking About Developers are quitting. Parents are confused. Swimmers are in the dark. The future of competitive swimming depends on solving this data nightmare.

In this candid conversation we hear about the growing crisis around swim meet result data—why PDF‑only posting is hurting athletes, coaches, and developers. Michael Krone explains the barriers, the mis‑interpretations of privacy rules, and what's on the horizon.

What you'll learn:

• Why parsing PDFs for meet times is a dead‑end solution for the sport.
• How LSEs misread USA Swimming's privacy policy and are removing raw result files.
• The impact on third‑party tools like MySwim IO and Swim Standards.
• USA Swimming's planned API rollout (estimated 4‑5 months) and its limitations.
• Action steps for coaches, parents, and developers to push for open, accessible meet data.

After repeated requests, this single is being lifted from the rewind show, #50, at the end of season one and put into its own episode. CDs were pressed and offered at The Eastern States Clinic and elsewhere, but too few have CD players. Go figure. Enjoy the tune delivered by recycled electrons. Its message is a calling for you to do a complete rewind of the prior episodes. Binge on the content and skip into the future with confidence! But no running on the pool deck. This song shows what happens when AI writes a track for a gritty show about real human struggle in swimming and coaching.

Heavy Or Not: The Single is a machine-made, vintage-inspired musical experiment that hits like a lost 45 RPM classic—pressed with purpose, soaked in soul, and spun by artificial intelligence.

This isn't just another song release. It's what happens when emotion meets algorithm. And it's about to change how we think about music, storytelling, and tech.

• Want to feel vintage vibes without breaking the bank?
• Ever wonder what it sounds like when AI creates art that hits you in the gut?
• Think old-school records are dead? Let this track prove you wrong.
• If you love real music with a twist you won't see coming—keep listening.
• Warning: You may not believe a machine made this…

Whether you're a nostalgic crate-digger, a future-focused creator, or just someone who loves a good story set to music—this one's for you.

Hit play. Heavy Or Not… you decide. And, let us know. If you want help in crafting your own song for your team, an ISCA travel meet, senior night or the team banquet, then subscribe and then attend our roundtable discussions. We would love to share your song in a future episode.

#preach #sing #coach #play

New Roundtable Series for for Aquatic Professionals and Coaches:

1. Insurance,
2. Intellectual Property,
3. Technology,
4. Fun & Games, and
5. Broadcasting

What Every Coach Needs to Hear From the OG Swim Guy

Coach Mark Rauterkus breaks down new coaching resources, roundtables, and media opportunities for swim professionals. Watch to learn how you can get involved, access free content, and stay ahead in the industry.

• Overview of the five weekly roundtables: CYA (insurance), IP in the pool, Tech, Fun & Games, and Broadcasting.
• Details on WAFSU.org webinars and seminars for schools, universities, and international coaches.
• Pathways to present your own content on the podcast or at roundtable events.
• Quick look at the TV show vision and some related media projects (Apple TV's "Stick," local Pittsburgh shows). Got ideas?

Live from the Eastern States Clinic – Featuring Mark Rauterkus

Get ready to rethink community and what you thought you knew about swim coaching. In this episode of Heavy or Not, Mark Rauterkus — the OG Swim Guy and ISCA webmaster — drops five powerful ideas that challenge the status quo of competitive swimming, youth sports, and coach development.

From water safety to podcasting, tech tools to mental health for young athletes, this talk at the Eastern States Clinic is packed with insight, experience, and vision for the future of aquatic leadership.

Topics Covered:

• The future of swim education

• Tech innovation in coaching

• Mental skills training for young athletes

• Live streaming and media in aquatic sports

• The global coaching community via WAFSU

Whether you're a high school swim coach, swim parent, or athlete — this is a must-listen.

Subscribe to the podcast: https://HON.LAP.red Learn more at ISCA: https://swimisca.org Full archive of episodes available wherever you get your podcasts.

#SwimCoach #SwimmingPodcast #MarkRauterkus #EasternStatesClinic #HeavyOrNot #AquaticLeadership #ISCA #SwimTraining #YouthSports

This episode of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, jumps into a podcast from friend and we replay a recent releaseof Navigating Neva. We had a sit down interview with Nicole and Wes -- and myself, Mark Rauterkus. The coach, podcaster, and ISCA contributor comes gushing about and we explore how swimming, water polo, and tech are reshaping aquatics today.

We cover:

• How Mark launched the "Heavy Or Not" podcast and his vision for expanding its reach.
• Using water polo to keep swimmers engaged and create a pipeline for lifelong aquatic participation.
• Mark's diverse coaching background—from high‑school and college pools to community programs and the Pittsburgh Public Schools "Summer Dreamers."
• The role of the International Swim Coaches Association (ISCA) in hosting meets, providing education, and upcoming AI‑driven tools.
• Practical AI & CRM solutions that streamline pool operations, sponsor outreach, and coach‑parent communications.

It is a great time to be alive and there are some cliff hangers within!

David, a devoted athlete turned Doctor and researcher is deploying AI in off-brand discoveries.

• This is a peek at a MUST HEAR podcast from another source, Radiolab.

Experience a flashback to tracks from a campaign CD with a fall baseball story from Meg Barnhouse.

• It is chilly and dark under the lights and parents are watching.

In the final segment, new USA Swimming CEO issued his first statement that lost me on the "one of" part.

• May the wind be at his back.

Show pointer:

https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-medical-matchmaking-machine

A quarterback's love of football turned into a medical mission after his mom's brain cancer diagnosis, and now AI is helping him chase new treatments. Listen to the full conversation for the highs, the lows, and the tech driving the fight.

• David's roller‑coaster journey from college quarterback to aspiring oncologist.
• The impact of his mother's grade‑4 glioblastoma and the promise he made to her.
• How athletic discipline translates into medical study and research.
• AI‑powered drug repurposing and off‑label uses discussed in the Radiolab interview.

Meg Barnhouse story, Diamonds, was included in a past campaign CD when standing for public office. She gives a parent's perspective on fall baseball.

A quick look at USA Swimming's new CEO, AI‑generated remarks, and the broader conversation about sports, health, and technology.

• He lost me at "one of" -- as it is THE best and ONLY sport!
• Pretty transparent isn't "ALWAYS Transparent."
• Rather than quck and fast meetings, try long, slow and hard meetings that happen soon.
• Grassroots is good!
• May the wind be at his back, and the BS be already sucked into the pool's filters.

From Broken Networks to Unified Protection: Reforming Canada's Sport Landscape for All Participants

In this episode of Heavy or Not – Season 2 - #51 we report on Canada's fragmented sports system, its chronic funding gaps, and why safe sport is now the top priority. We also examine the current complaint mechanisms and explore concrete proposals for a unified, safer future.

• How Canada's multi‑layered sport governance (federal, provincial, NSOs, CSOs) creates funding and safety challenges.
• The link between chronic under‑funding, the "Own the Podium" model, and rising abuse scandals.
• Existing safe‑sport frameworks (SDRCC, OSIC, CCES) and critical gaps such as legal aid and mental‑health support.
• Prevention tools in play: the Rule of Two, background screening, and education/training programs.
• Proposed reforms: a centralized sport entity, stronger governance code, and three options for a national safe‑sport complaint authority.

Canada issued a report and is working to unpack problems and find more comprehensive solutions to benefit all citizens.

Season 1 of Heavy Or Not proves that swimming isn't just about laps; it's a dynamic ecosystem where mindset, technology, community and history intertwine. By applying these 50 lessons / episodes / jump-cuts about training the brain, fine‑tuning the kick, welcoming AI, building inclusive programs, and defending our pools, you'll elevate not only your athletes' performance but also the entire swimming culture around you.

So the next time you're planning a practice, remember: every stroke, every supplement, and every conversation can be a step toward a stronger, smarter, and more resilient swim community. Listen and react.

Reforming USA Swimming: A Blueprint for Transparency, Athlete Services, and Grassroots Growth

In episode #49 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we amplify and break down the growing, explosive, criticism of USA Swimming from Michael Phelps and SwimSwam publisher, Mel Stewart. They, among many others, are exposing a leadership crisis that threatens the sport's future.

• Phelps points to the steep drop in U.S. Olympic medal share (57% → 44%) and blames weak board governance.

• He presents a coalition‑backed, three‑step reform plan: independent board review, athlete‑first services, and grassroots growth.

• Stewart labels the "Colorado Springs bubble," highlighting excessive executive pay, stagnant athlete stipends, and a complacent financial safety net.

• The board's reaction—including a CEO bonus after a failed software rollout and registration decline—is dissected as misdirection and avoidance.

• Concrete solutions are proposed: cap top‑executive salaries, tie bonuses to clear KPIs that also raise coach and athlete compensation, and prioritize grassroots revitalization.

Links

• SwimSwam editorial
• Full statement from Michael Phelps