The Third 50

Season 3, Episode 6: Social Media & Sports — with Dr. Valerie Gruest

One spelling note first: the transcript reads "Valerie Gruest" consistently throughout, except one self-introduction moment where it's transcribed "Gruost" — almost certainly an ASR mishearing. I've used Gruest everywhere; worth a quick double-check against her own bio before this goes out.

Dr. Gruest — a Northwestern alum, 2016 Olympic swimmer for Guatemala, and now an assistant professor of strategic communication at New Mexico State — joins Glenn and Wayne to talk about what social media is actually doing to young (and not-so-young) athletes.

In this episode:

• The research: heavier social media use tracks with more anxiety, depression symptoms, and loneliness — and today's kids process something like 54x the daily information their grandparents did
• Body image predates the feed — swimming's "smaller, leaner" culture starts at age 4 or 5; social media just adds a second, harder-to-escape layer of comparison
• The number that stops the room: ~54% of elite aquatic athletes report an eating disorder or body-image issue
• A practical framework for parents and coaches to walk an athlete through a harmful post, instead of just telling them to get off their phone
• Wayne's coaching angle: "you can't out-influence the influencers" — the coach-athlete relationship is the one thing content can't replace (same argument he makes about AI in coaching)
• Not just kids — Glenn brings up the "Enhanced Games" and supplement marketing aimed at older ex-athletes
• Why blanket phone bans don't work — and what to do instead on deck

Season 3, Episode 5: Creating a Successful Club (Part 1)

Wayne Goldsmith and Glenn Mills lay out what actually goes into building a swim program that lasts — not the technique, the decisions underneath it.

In this episode:

• Identity first — why "who are you, and what do you stand for" has to come before drills, technology, or dryland
• The warm-up as an X-ray — how Wayne reads a club's culture in five minutes on deck
• Building a staff that completes you, not one that just agrees with you
• Facilities and equipment — why a better pool doesn't make a better coach (and a bucket of concrete can be a kettlebell)
• Money, committees, and the three people every coach needs on speed dial
• The "crow's nest" approach to long-term planning, and the one thing every 8-year-old actually needs
• Building a local network — physical therapists, nutritionists, and sport psychologists who'll work for exposure to your team

Coaches can help reverse competitive swimming participation declines by making the sport more flexible, engaging, and sustainable for athletes, families, and coaches.

Participation Trends

•Glenn and Wayne discussed declining competitive swimming participation, especially among ages 11–12 and 15–16, while learn-to-swim, wellness, fitness, and masters participation are growing.

•Contributing pressures include competing sports, screens and gaming, busy parents, traffic, limited pool space, coach shortages, demanding schedules, and lengthy competition formats.

•The issues are global and also appear in hockey, rugby, soccer, and other sports; COVID-19 accelerated trends that were already underway.

Coaching Priorities

•Coaches should prioritize joy, relationships, belonging, and lifelong benefits alongside performance. Helping a swimmer overcome fear of water or experience a small breakthrough can be as meaningful as improving an elite athlete by three-tenths of a second.•Hard work and high standards remain important, but coaches can deliver them through encouragement, creativity, relevant communication, and engaging challenges rather than yelling or creating a negative environment.

•Programs should acknowledge athletes as whole people with school, jobs, family responsibilities, friendships, and other interests. Flexible attendance and competition options may improve retention.

Questions Ahead

•How can clubs redesign practices with dryland, varied groupings, and more engaging activities?

•How can competitions reduce waiting, simplify participation, and provide a better family experience?

•What will coaches change this season to improve athlete and personal well-being while sustaining performance?

•How should swimming respond to the influence of social media, gaming, and screens?

A future episode will examine this with a guest who holds a PhD in social media and children.

Overview

The meeting established a stage-based framework for measuring swimmers, emphasizing technique before maturation and integrated performance testing after maturation.

• Glenn and Wayne endorsed measuring the athlete’s developmental stage rather than chronological age.
• Pre-maturation focuses on building movement foundations with consistent body position, symmetry, breathing, balance, stroke mechanics, and comfort in the water.
• Post-maturation focuses on refining individual performance because growth and maturation create greater differences between athletes.
• Skipping foundational stages in pursuit of early speed can create technical problems later.
• Development Framework

Glenn Mills and Wayne Goldsmith discuss the importance of testing and data in swimming. They emphasize the acronym T.E.S.T.: Test, Evaluate, Swimmer, and Re-evaluate. Wayne shares his experience from running national testing programs, highlighting the need for consistent testing conditions and accurate data collection. Glenn adds that testing should be measurable and relevant, using examples like stroke count and speed. They stress the importance of allowing swimmers to take ownership of their data and solutions. They also discuss the significance of recording and storing data for future reference and the benefits of individual attention in coaching.

Glenn Mills and Wayne Goldsmith discuss the integration of AI in coaching, emphasizing its role in enhancing efficiency rather than replacing human coaches. They introduce the "ATTAC" method: Ask, Think, Tool, Apply, Check. Wayne highlights AI's potential to streamline data analysis, improve workout design, and provide real-time feedback. Glenn stresses the importance of using AI to capture and analyze existing data, such as swim times and coach comments, to inform better coaching decisions. They also address practical considerations like the durability of tech in wet environments and the need for parental consent when filming minors. The conversation underscores AI's evolving role in optimizing coaching practices and athlete performance.

Visit Wayne's Substack: https://swimminggold.substack.com

Visit Glenn's Website: https://www.goswim.tv

BUY & Review Wayne's book, The Talent Myth:

AMAZON EBOOK

AMAZON PAPERBACK

Glenn Mills and Wayne Goldsmith discuss Wayne's new book, "The Talent Myth," which challenges the conventional notion of talent in sports. Wayne emphasizes the importance of character, work ethic, and love for the sport over physical prowess. He shares a personal story about a 12-year-old rugby player cut from a team, highlighting the broader issue of how coaches and parents often undervalue non-talented but dedicated athletes. Wayne argues that true talent is often hidden and that coaches should focus on fostering a love for the sport and building resilience in young athletes. The book also includes a framework for making champion choices and handling critical moments.

Glenn Mills and Wayne Goldsmith discuss the importance of starting to teach data and swimming fundamentals early, emphasizing that teaching kids concepts like length and tempo at a young age makes their learning easier and more effective. They highlight the benefits of using technology to enhance coaching, such as providing personalized feedback and making stroke mechanics more understandable. Glenn shares his experience with a new software that gathers data from 3,000 races, showing how understanding length, tempo, and duration can improve performance. They also touch on the need for coaches to adapt to new technologies and methods to better engage and develop young athletes.

Check out a segment from Wayne's new Substack:

https://swimminggold.substack.com/p/training-zone-insanity

Subscribe to get more great content from Wayne:

https://swimminggold.substack.com

Here's a short explainer video of the GoSwim app - https://vimeo.com/goswim/app

If you'd like to set up a demo with Glenn about the GoSwim app, follow this link:

https://tidycal.com/glenn/30-minute-goswim-demo

Glenn Mills and Wayne discuss the potential inclusion of the 50-meter event in NCAA swimming, proposed by the College Swimming Coaches Association (CSCA). They highlight concerns about the event's underwater nature, which may not appeal to spectators. Wayne emphasizes the need for adaptability in coaching to accommodate both sprint and distance events. They debate the impact on longer events, suggesting incentives like bonus points for swimmers competing in multiple distances. Glenn proposes giving more points for longer events to balance the focus. They also discuss the importance of engaging parents and the potential for increased participation if NCAA swimming becomes more visible on TV.

Glenn Mills and Wayne discuss the impact of the new 50-meter sprint events on swimming, particularly at the Olympics. Wayne shares insights from a meeting with Bill Sweetenham, emphasizing the positive opportunities for coaches to engage more athletes. They highlight the increased competitiveness and the need for better skills, timing, and technique. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of sport changes, citing examples from triathlon, cricket, and lacrosse. They stress the importance of adapting to attract more participants and improve the sport's accessibility, particularly for young athletes and their families.