BEMIDJI 鈥� It鈥檚 hard to hear someone talking when you鈥檙e underwater.
Luckily for the Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 girls swimming and diving team, someone realized that and did something about it. This season, the Lumberjacks are practicing with 鈥渟wim ears鈥� made by MOST Swim Tech, which allow swimmers to hear instructions from coaches clearly while in the pool.
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Awesome practice today with ears. Game changer.
— Woody Leindecker (@LeindeckerWoody)
鈥淥ther sports on dry land, while they're doing the drill or whatever, they can hear you,鈥� head coach Woody Leindecker said. 鈥淚n the water, they can't. So now as coaches, we can change things on the fly. If somebody's dropping their elbow or just doing something minor, you don't have to wait for them to finish the length. Sometimes by the time they do that, you forgot (the instruction) yourself.鈥�
The ability to give directions efficiently has helped Leindecker run practices smoothly, as he doesn鈥檛 have to wait for the swimmers to surface before telling them to switch drills. The Jacks certainly looked to be in good form on Tuesday at the BHS pool, beating Warroad/Roseau/Greenbush/Middle River 209-99 in a dual meet.
Of course, the ability to communicate with his swimmers at all times has its drawbacks. Just because Leindecker can provide good advice all the time doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean he does.
鈥淲hen we first started using them, I was talking maybe too much,鈥� Leindecker said. 鈥淛ust about whatever, like 鈥楽o and so didn't give me a discount when they were working at the Dairy Queen鈥� or something like that. It's fun. Then they'll stop and turn around and (look at me).鈥�
Sophomore Brooke Kemp injected a humorous take on whether her coach should be more judicious with his words.
鈥淣o, it鈥檚 good,鈥� she said of his monologues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 distracting.鈥�
If it鈥檚 distraction you鈥檙e looking for, the swim ears can certainly provide that. Leindecker said the team will sometimes play music through the earpieces during long training races, which can help swimmers with the monotony and fatigue associated with those distances.
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As can be expected with such a dominant performance points-wise, Bemidji finished on top in several events on Tuesday.
Elena Harmsen, Abby Daman, Ryan Gaskins and Elle Wille finished first in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 2:07.44, and Kylie Graham, Wille, Molly Matetich and Daman won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:25.95.
Wille took first in the 50 free with a time of 28.96, and Ki Grospe joined her with a first-place 6:35.20 in the 500 free.
Gaskins took the top spot in the 100 backstroke at 1:12.86, and Mataya Carter emerged victorious in the 100 breaststroke in 1:30.78. Ava Lietz won the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:17.00.
Ridley Hadrava topped the diving field with a score of 188.50 points, followed by Kenna Olson, who took second with 181.60.
At this point in the season, the Lumberjacks have largely built up their cardiovascular base, so Leindecker has started to experiment with lineups to strategize for the section meet.
鈥淭onight, we mixed the lineup,鈥� Leindecker said. 鈥淲e had a lot of kids swimming in events they've never swum before or haven鈥檛 in a long time. Still looking 鈥� doing our research, I guess, for the section lineup.鈥�
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The varsity-only event also provided a strenuous challenge for the BHS swimmers, who typically have more time to rest during the junior varsity portions of a meet.
鈥淭his was just one heat of everything,鈥� Leindecker said. 鈥淛ust a straight varsity meet because they didn't have the numbers. A lot of (our swimmers swam) four events in an hour and 15 (minutes). It was really tough, but it was good conditioning. It was a good practice, actually, for them.鈥�
The Jacks return to competition against Park Rapids in a dual meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, back at the BHS pool.
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