Coach Solomon D’Amico, The Mind Behind Lydia Jacoby’s Olympic Swimming Success

In the SwimSwam Podcast dive deeper into the sport you love with insider conversations about swimming. Hosted by Coleman HodgesGarrett McCaffrey, and Gold Medal Mel Stewart, SwimSwam welcomes both the biggest names in swimming that you already know, and rising stars that you need to get to know, as we break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

Solomon D’Amico, co-head coach of Seward TSUNAMI SWIM CLUB, is the mind behind the success of Lydia Jacoby. Lydia has racked up endless awards since her star-turn at the 2020 Olympic Games, including the 2021 Swammy Award for Female Breakout Swimmer of the Year.

Lydia, only 17 years old, won Olympic gold in the 100m breaststroke (1:04.95) and silver in the 4×100 medley relay

In addition to his position at TSUNAMI Swim Club, Solomon’s also the head coach of swimming and track and field at the Seward High School. This unique man with an experienced past has served in the U.S. Marine Corps and he’s earned a BS in Kinesiology from Indiana University.

In the podcast Coach Solomon D’Amico talks us through Lydia’s training season, individual practices, and the challenges they overcame during the pandemic.

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Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.

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50M Pools Rule
2 years ago

Imagine the convos between Lydia and the Sandpiper girls in Tokyo.

Lydia: “I do about 2,500-3,000 yards.”

Sandpiper girls: “Yeah, that’s about our warmup, too.”

Lydia: “No, the whole practice.”

Sandpiper girls: “Sorry, what?”

Love it!

SHARKSPEED
2 years ago

Finally a swimming coach who understands sprinting physiology!

ForTheLoveOfSwimming
2 years ago

Great interview!! Mel, please do a in depth interview with Eddie Reese.Hearing the GOAT coach talk about coaching is a gift to every coach out there. I love how unique his coaching philosophy is and there are precious few interviews that really go deep with him. Though Brett Hawke’s interview was absolutely outstanding, we’d love to hear you fully interview the GOAT coach as well. Maybe you’ve done an in depth interview with Eddie, bit I can’t find it. Either way, one more time sounds great to me.

Last edited 2 years ago by ForTheLoveOfSwimming
Biden4dogcatcher
2 years ago

A great interview! So nice to hear from a swimming/track mind who also served his country in the marines! WOW

Swammer7
2 years ago

Really loved this podcast. Showed that the role of a club coach is more than to get their kids to national teams, it’s to develop them as individuals, teach them to take responsibility, give them confidence, and teach them healthy habits to use beyond swimming.

Nordic
2 years ago

Excellent and truly interesting interview, Mel. You let us get to know a very competent and well reflected coach and person with a holistic approach to the art of coaching and developing his swimmers. Seems like he wants the swimmers to shine and take responsibilty for their own development instead of micromanaging them and seeking attention to himself. Way to go!

About Gold Medal Mel Stewart

Gold Medal Mel Stewart

MEL STEWART Jr., aka Gold Medal Mel, won three Olympic medals at the 1992 Olympic Games. Mel's best event was the 200 butterfly. He is a former World, American, and NCAA Record holder in the 200 butterfly. As a writer/producer and sports columnist, Mel has contributed to Yahoo Sports, Universal Sports, …

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