The Third 50

Season 3, Episode 6: Social Media & Sports — with Dr. Valerie GruestOne spelling note first: the transcript reads "Valerie Gruest" consistently throughout, except one self-introduction moment where it's transcribed "Gruost" — almost certainly an ASR mishearing. I've used Gruest everywhere; worth a quick double-check against her own bio before this goes out.Dr. Gruest — a Northwestern alum, 2016 Olympic swimmer for Guatemala, and now an assistant professor of strategic communication at New Mexico State — joins Glenn and Wayne to talk about what social media is actually doing to young (and not-so-young) athletes.In this episode:The research: heavier social media use tracks with more anxiety, depression symptoms, and loneliness — and today's kids process something like 54x the daily information their grandparents didBody image predates the feed — swimming's "smaller, leaner" culture starts at age 4 or 5; social media just adds a second, harder-to-escape layer of comparisonThe number that stops the room: ~54% of elite aquatic athletes report an eating disorder or body-image issueA practical framework for parents and coaches to walk an athlete through a harmful post, instead of just telling them to get off their phoneWayne's coaching angle: "you can't out-influence the influencers" — the coach-athlete relationship is the one thing content can't replace (same argument he makes about AI in coaching)Not just kids — Glenn brings up the "Enhanced Games" and supplement marketing aimed at older ex-athletesWhy blanket phone bans don't work — and what to do instead on deck

Season 3, Episode 5: Creating a Successful Club (Part 1)Wayne Goldsmith and Glenn Mills lay out what actually goes into building a swim program that lasts — not the technique, the decisions underneath it.In this episode:Identity first — why "who are you, and what do you stand for" has to come before drills, technology, or drylandThe warm-up as an X-ray — how Wayne reads a club's culture in five minutes on deckBuilding a staff that completes you, not one that just agrees with youFacilities and equipment — why a better pool doesn't make a better coach (and a bucket of concrete can be a kettlebell)Money, committees, and the three people every coach needs on speed dialThe "crow's nest" approach to long-term planning, and the one thing every 8-year-old actually needsBuilding a local network — physical therapists, nutritionists, and sport psychologists who'll work for exposure to your team

Coaches can help reverse competitive swimming participation declines by making the sport more flexible, engaging, and sustainable for athletes, families, and coaches. Participation Trends•Glenn and Wayne discussed declining competitive swimming participation, especially among ages 11–12 and 15–16, while learn-to-swim, wellness, fitness, and masters participation are growing.•Contributing pressures include competing sports, screens and gaming, busy parents, traffic, limited pool space, coach shortages, demanding schedules, and lengthy competition formats.•The issues are global and also appear in hockey, rugby, soccer, and other sports; COVID-19 accelerated trends that were already underway.Coaching Priorities•Coaches should prioritize joy, relationships, belonging, and lifelong benefits alongside performance. Helping a swimmer overcome fear of water or experience a small breakthrough can be as meaningful as improving an elite athlete by three-tenths of a second.•Hard work and high standards remain important, but coaches can deliver them through encouragement, creativity, relevant communication, and engaging challenges rather than yelling or creating a negative environment.•Programs should acknowledge athletes as whole people with school, jobs, family responsibilities, friendships, and other interests. Flexible attendance and competition options may improve retention.Questions Ahead•How can clubs redesign practices with dryland, varied groupings, and more engaging activities?•How can competitions reduce waiting, simplify participation, and provide a better family experience?•What will coaches change this season to improve athlete and personal well-being while sustaining performance?•How should swimming respond to the influence of social media, gaming, and screens?A future episode will examine this with a guest who holds a PhD in social media and children.

OverviewThe meeting established a stage-based framework for measuring swimmers, emphasizing technique before maturation and integrated performance testing after maturation.Glenn and Wayne endorsed measuring the athlete’s developmental stage rather than chronological age.Pre-maturation focuses on building movement foundations with consistent body position, symmetry, breathing, balance, stroke mechanics, and comfort in the water.Post-maturation focuses on refining individual performance because growth and maturation create greater differences between athletes.Skipping foundational stages in pursuit of early speed can create technical problems later.Development Framework

Glenn Mills and Wayne Goldsmith discuss the importance of testing and data in swimming. They emphasize the acronym T.E.S.T.: Test, Evaluate, Swimmer, and Re-evaluate. Wayne shares his experience from running national testing programs, highlighting the need for consistent testing conditions and accurate data collection. Glenn adds that testing should be measurable and relevant, using examples like stroke count and speed. They stress the importance of allowing swimmers to take ownership of their data and solutions. They also discuss the significance of recording and storing data for future reference and the benefits of individual attention in coaching.