CHUCK WARNER: What are you willing to do to reach your potential?
One of the most enduring world records ever set was by Mary T Meagher in 1981 when she swam the 200 meter butterfly in 2:05.96. Thirty-one years later, and despite many suit improvements, Mary’s time is still within striking distance of the 2:04.1 that won the 2008 Olympics. After all these years, she remains the third fastest American woman ever in the event.
Mary, with the guidance of her Coach Denny Pursley, trained butterfly similarly to how the rest of the team trained freestyle, backstroke or breastroke──they swam a lot of it!
Legend has it that during their winter training break in 1979 at the Keating Natatorium in Cincinnati, the team was given a 10,000, long course, for time. If they performed under a stated time by Coach Pursley they could miss the morning swim session that followed the next day. Mary and some of her teammates piped up and asked, “What about butterfly?” Coach Pursley offered that anyone that wanted to swim the 10,000 meters butterfly could, but to earn sleep the next morning they must complete the distance without a single break of stroke (using a single arm).
Mary T earned was successful in the challenge to swim the 10,000 meter butterfly.
What are you prepared to do to build endurance and see how fast you can swim? Why have only two American women been able to swim faster than Mary T in 31 years? “Madame Butterfly”, as she was once called, also swam a 57.9 in the 100-meter butterfly, so she had speed. She was still in high school and had yet to fully physically mature. In her program with Coach Pursley at Lakeside, and then Cincinnati, butterfly was treated as any other stroke including the times when it came to repeat sets and distances that were difficult. If your anatomy is capable it will still take a long commitment to building your body to achieve this type of butterfly endurance. But Mary T proved it was possible.
Legendary Mullings:
… Bob Dylan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom yesterday. There is only one “swimming person” that ever won the award, also a “Bob.” His name is Robert John Herman Kiphuth. The five time USA Olympic Coach (1928-1948) is one of the great Legends in swimming history.
You never know…Mary T Meagher made three Olympic Teams in 1980 (US boycott), 1984 and 1988. By 1988 her fabulous career was fading. Janel Jorgensen (age 16), from the Wilton Y Wahoos, finished third at Trials in the 100 fly in 1988. Janel went home disappointed, got a phone call that someone ahead of her was disqualified from the team and she was now on it. Mary T swam poorly in the 100-meter fly in Seoul and Janel took her spot on the 400 Medley Relay and won a silver medal… you never know what’s coming next…
Chuck Warner has been a swimming coach for more than forty years. His teams have won seven national Y team championships, been rnners-up for the NCAA Division II championship three times, been a USA National Team coach three times and Big East Conference coach of the year four times. Chuck has authored two books: “Four Champions, One Gold Medal” about the training and race for the 1500 meter gold medal in the 1976 Olympics. “…And Then They Won Gold: Stepping Stones To Swimming Excellence – Volume I” is due out in mid-June. It is eight short stories of some of the greatest male swimmers in history. The second volume devoted to women’s swimmers is due out next year. He is the founder, President and CEO of Arete Aquatic Services and owner of the ARETE Swim Camp.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ORDERING“…And Then They Won Gold” go towww.areteswim.com and access “Books/Media.”
The late 70s and the 80s really were a golden era for US women swimmers. Even with the presence of East Germany, there was Tracy Caulkins, Sippy Woodhead, who held the American record in the 200m free from 1978 until Nicole Haislett broke it in winning the 1992 Olympic title, Janet Evans, and Mary T, all of which had dominant streaks and lasting records the likes of which we may never again see in swimming. These girls were the byproduct of the confluence of natural athletic talent and serious hard work. The fact that their times would still be internationally-competitive today is a testament to that.
Denny was and still is a great coach and did a fantastic job with Mary T. – who, to the best of my knowledge, was never referred to as “Madame Butterfly” within the swimming world. Let’s also recognize the late Bill Peak, as he was her coach in 1981 when she achieved those long-lasting world records.
I follow swimming and remember Mary referred to as “Madame Butterfly.” Where were you?
People forget how close Mary T came to her world record in the 200 fly. As I recall she won in 1984 with a 2:06.9, then I want to say she won at 1986 world champ trials with a 2:06.3, an outstanding swim.
Yup. 2:06.39 at the 86 World Trials. The US team was hit hard with a bout of severe flu in Madrid, so who knows what she could have gone under better circumstances.
Does Mary do motivational speaking? Maybe we can get her to convince the anti volume crowd to get their rears in gear and actually do some hard training.
To be clear, I don’t think everyone in USA swimming is going in that direction. The ones at the top are still doing the necessary endurance work. But based on the comments of Craig H and Liquid Assets and “What”, I do believe the more for less attitude is a cancer creeping into our sport. Hence the need for me to wave the lantern in warning.
Mary T = Legend!!
I saw her speak a few years post-grad. In a small group afterwards she talked about how difficult it was to continue training when she didn’t drop her times. I endured the same kind of training when I was young, and swam faster as a 30-year-old masters swimmer than I did as a college senior.
Would we be having this conversation about training if she had continued to drop her butterfly times after the age of 16? I think probably not.
I trained with Jim Montrella late ’60s. Tho’ he was producing world class swimmers in every stroke, he never attracted swimmers from out of state due to the mileage, and every world class swimmer he had kept winning for a while, but had stopped improving. For example, Susie Atwood won every national title for four years doing 2:21’s and 1:06’s in the 200/100Bk. You’re right, there needs to be a balance between endurance and rest.
Just to set the record straight — Legend got it wrong — it was a 3000 fly breathing one up one down and no breaking stroke — about 12 girls did it voluntarily and we got out of an afternoon workout. (I was there and one of the 12 girls).
Mary T and many other great swimmers did train hard for Denny — most of whom never swam as fast after they went to more “balanced ” programs.
You people really shouldn’t comment on things you know nothing about. Denny was a tough coach but he also knew how to cycle energy systems so that you could manage the load and he had an uncanny way of knowing… Read more »
Still very cool (even more so that there were 12 of you willing to do this)! My favorite Mary T. swim was watching her while she was training for Mission Viejo and swimming at a meet at Belmont Plaza. It was long course and the middle of the day when almost no one was around – the 1500 heats. She stepped up to the block in a heat full of men and my coach and I sat up to see what she was going to do. She started swimming fly and we thought maybe she was doing a time trial 200. Nope. She was swimming a 1500 fly and her counter was at the other end of the pool holding… Read more »
It is called progression. You people that want to keep training like she did because it worked back in the day are dilusional. Let’s throw away our cell phones and computers and go back to type writers and snaik mail. Because as you said it worked so maybe we should still be doing it right?
Training has progressed in all sports. Concussions are now recognized as a major issue in football. But heh it worked for the players back then so let’s ignore concussions now right!?
If people can and are training smarter then who cares who trains “harder?”. We did 10k fly today and it ruined our temp and timing but hey we did it. What did… Read more »
Why can’t people just accept that there is nothing wrong with the way Mary T trained. In fact my understanding was that her swimming began to decline when “she didn’t want to do the fly training the way she used to do it.”.
The comment re: the 10×75 USRPT doesn’t even make sense…. that wouldn’t even be a good fly set per Brent Rushall. Did you do the reading??? Apparently not. But nevertheless, USRPT did NOT work for Michael Andrews…. I saw his 200 fly struggle at juniors this summer. He could be so much better with a little traditional work.
Now, if you want to talk about looking to the future and not looking to the past, how… Read more »
I agree with you 100%, non of this kids or do less people know about periodization ,lets just sprint until we can not sprint anymore (I truly believe its coming for Michael just watch his jr. nats)
What happened to real work?
If you build it, we will come!
No, we are not dilusional (sic). I’d explain further but based on your tangential ramblings, I doubt you would understand. Suffice to say, until one of your slacker heroes puts up a time that holds for 31 years, only then will you be able to say “newer is better.”
The thing to lament here is not her training regimen, but the fact she missed out on her prime Olympics in 1980. Some women really do peak at young ages, and she was in prime form (due to her incredibly hard work) in 80 and 81. True dominant Olympic glory should have been hers that year and wasn’t. The fact that she continued on to make two more Olympic teams is amazing.
Mary T. was a class act as a swimmer and as a person. I knew her at Cal and was always bummed that she didn’t get to take advantage of what the 1980 Olympics would have brought her. She would certainly have been a darling of the media and would have had a lot more fame.
Unfortunately back then women were just starting to swim seriously in college and virtually no one swam after college. I remember in the mid eighties when Jeannie Childs was on the cover of Swimming World because (oh my god!) she broke an American record at 21 (a really old lady in the swimming world). No one thought women could improve past high school.… Read more »
Quite simply, one of the greatest ever. Her performances and training were awesome. What a champion!