“I’ve never done a swim meet!” exclaimed Toni Cusack as she jumped in for the 50 backstroke event.
Kathryn Fishman-Weaver “Coach Kat” assured her that she was ready as several swimmers on deck cheered in agreement. A few moments later, Toni and five swimmers from our USMS practice group exploded from the wall, each demonstrating the skills they honed through our June Sprint Festival.
While the sprint series included intentional speed work, it also challenged swimmers to think broadly about what creates great sprinting. Together, we discovered that great swims are powered not only by strength and speed, but also by courage, grace, resilience, and heart.
Celebrating Personal Growth
Coach Kat says she first got the idea for the series from the June USMS Virtual Fitness 50 free challenge. “Plus,” she adds, “it is a great opportunity to celebrate the return of the 50-meter events to the upcoming 2028 Olympics.” As always, her practices were about more than intervals and technique. Social kick discussions invited swimmers to share stories of resilience, mentors, and personal growth. Underwater games sparked laughter and confidence. Sprint drills became opportunities to celebrate progress at every level, from new swimmers learning skills for the first time to experienced swimmers refining their race technique.
Each week focused on a different aspect of sprint performance. In Week 1, we began by finding power, exploring explosive push-offs, confident breakouts, and the joy of acceleration. In Week 2, we worked on grace under pressure, where freestyle and backstroke sprint work reminded us that composure at the wall and trust in our preparation are as important as raw speed.
During Week 3, we focused on power underwater, as we turned our attention beneath the surface and the often-unseen work that creates successful races. This week included some specialized breaststroke and butterfly work. This was also one of Lauren Ries’s favorite practices.”I enjoyed working on streamlines,” she said, “We do it every day, but when I get lazy, that is the first place I start to slack off,” She laughs, “well, and kick…” In this practice, Lauren says she “remembered just how powerful a good underwater can be.”
Learning from Role Models
Throughout the series, Coach Kat encouraged the team to find inspiration in athletes whose stories embody the values of our sport. From Cullen Jones and Simone Manuel, we learned about courage, authenticity, and grace under pressure. We were inspired by Gabriel Araújo, affectionately known as Gabrielzinho, whose extraordinary performances remind us that great athletes use their strengths to make this sport their own. Finally, we honored Anthony Nesty, whose historic Olympic victory and enduring coaching legacy demonstrate how courage can change not only a race, but an entire generation of swimmers.
Racing with Courage
We concluded the series by bringing together all four strokes in a festival-style celebration and fun meet. Our guiding principles that We are for strength, challenge, and each other were important reminders for the team in how to approach each practice. Strength, challenge, and teamwork were all on display in the final meet. Jenny Burleson, who serves as a stroke judge for the Wilson’s Beach Club youth team, helped run the fun meet. At the conclusion, Coach Kat presented each swimmer with a 3D-printed trophy commemorating their participation in the 2026 Sprint Festival. Chris Hasset, who recently joined the team for additional swim practice for his triathlon training, laughed, and said, “Well, that is cool. This is my first swim trophy.”
The greatest success of the Sprint Festival wasn’t only measured by times on the clock. It was measured by swimmers trying butterfly for the first time, discovering confidence beneath the surface, encouraging teammates through their events, and celebrating personal victories both large and small. “I felt so encouraged the whole time to try new things,” said Toni as she reflected on the Sprint Festival. “It was completely safe to fail and try again. I definitely felt stronger and faster than ever!”
As we look ahead to the rest of the summer season, the lessons of the Sprint Festival will continue to shape our practices. “Strength, grace, and heart are not simply qualities of great sprinters,” says Coach Kat, “they are qualities that can help us become better teammates, stronger leaders, and lifelong swimmers.”
Join in the fun! USMS Practices are Mondays @ 5:30PM and Wednesdays @ 7AM.
