Off the Deck Off the Deck

Jaime Lewis is the Head Coach of FLEET in Houston, Texas and she is sitting down with Chris Plumb on this week’s Off the Deck podcast! Jaime grew up swimming for the Woodlands Swim Team and competed for the University of Florida where she was an NCAA All-American. She started coaching with FLEET as an Age Group Coach, and then proceeded to work with the University of Houston Cougars, Gator Swim Club in Gainesville, and most recently worked as the Performance Development Manager for USA Swimming. Jaime and Chris discuss her experiences traveling the world for swimming — including her time with Team USA in Tokyo this summer — how she got her start in the pool, her collegiate experience, how her perspective on the sport evolved as she worked off the deck, and what challenges she’s embracing in leading FLEET.

A quick programming note: this will be the final Off the Deck episode of 2021! We look forward to sharing more conversations with you in the new year.

We’re back with part two of Chris’s interview with Mark Hesse. Their conversation continues and encompasses lessons Mark has learned through his coaching career, especially from his swimmers; the nature of the coach-athlete relationship as a partnership for optimal long-term athletic development; the quality coaching framework and the 4 Cs; the magic of mutual belief and trust; and of course a sprinkling of John Wooden.

A quick note on our audio: we apologize for the echo that pops up in this half of the interview! We’re continuing to learn and improve on this whole podcast front… thank you for your patience. The echo does not appear on any of Mark’s responses, it’s worth it to keep listening!

We’ve got a two-parter! This week, enjoy the first half of Chris’s conversation with Coach Mark Hesse. Mark, an Indiana Swimming Hall of Fame Coach, now lives and coaches in Colorado Springs. Chris and Mark discuss Mark’s start in coaching in northern Virginia and his move to Indiana… discovering along the way they both had the same first coaching jobs in Indiana (covering Carmel Swim Club’s Tigershark group!), Mark’s time building up a powerhouse group at Washington Township Swim Club and North Central High School, what he learned traveling the country and visiting teams as USA Swimming’s Performance Development Manager, and two keys to success for outstanding programs (trust us, one is an element you likely have not thought of before!). Tune in next week for the conclusion of Chris and Mark’s conversation.

The girls high school swimming season starts this week in Indiana, and in honor of that occasion, Chris Plumb is sitting down with the only 16-time champion in the history of the Indiana High School Athletic Association: Claire Adams. Now living in Denver where she works as a second grade teacher, Claire and Chris discuss how swimming continues to serve her as she leads her classroom. Claire reflects on her early swimming memories, high school career, and advice for swimmers embarking on their college search. She shares the nuances of ending her career in the pool and discusses the team culture, dynamics, and expectations at Carmel Swim Club.

Paul Donovan is the Director of Competitive Swimming for the Jersey Wahoos. Prior to his time there, he served as the Head Coach at the National Aquatic Centre Performance Centre for Swim Ireland. Chris and Paul discuss the differences between swimming in Ireland versus the United States; finding success in the midst of constraints; advice for club coaches, Paul’s training philosophy and the structure of the Jersey Wahoos, and the greatest challenges facing our athletes and coaches today.

Mike DeBoor started coaching with the Lakeside Seahawks in 1988 and has been their Head Coach since 1994. In his tenure, the Seahawks have placed four swimmers on US Olympic Teams and swimmers on 17 different USA Swimming National Teams. The 15-time Kentucky Senior Coach of the Year sits down on this week’s episode of Off the Deck with Chris Plumb. Chris and Mike discuss the early days of Mike’s coaching career and his transition from Head Age Group Coach to Head Coach at Lakeside. They also cover five components to which Mike attributes Lakeside’s long-standing success: retention, tradition, expectations, consistency, and atmosphere.