Particular Units: The Coaching of Rising 11-12 months-Outdated Standout Millie Conner
It’s early but. Nonetheless, that doesn’t cease 11-year-old Millie Conner from plotting her swimming profession. It’s mapped out within the 30-40 swimming journals she retains “stuffed with phrases, time and private targets, charts, graphs and ideas about every meet she swims,” says her father, Nick. One aspiration is to swim on the College of Virginia, one other is to be an Olympian.
Lofty pondering? Positive, however as of mid-December, she has the bona fides to entertain these concepts. Take into account: she is presently the quickest 11-year-old in the US within the SCY 50 fly (27.20). She ranks second within the 50 free (25.35) and the 50 again (28.63), fourth within the 100 again (1:02.26) and fifth within the 200 again (2:15.17), eighth within the 200 IM (2:19.53) and ninth within the 100 fly (1:02.56). Millie additionally possesses six different top-15 instances in addition to 15 Workforce Greenville information.
To high it off, she leads the nation for 11-year-olds in USA Swimming’s mixed IMX and IMR scores with 7,962 factors by its 10 designated occasions.
One thing Particular
Courtesy: Nick Conner
Millie is home-schooled and likewise falls on the autistic spectrum which, partially, accounts for her singular focus. “She sees that as her tremendous energy slightly than a stumbling block and is absolutely embracing the challenges that include that,” says her father. “Bodily she has a singular physique construct atypical for a woman her age and has very lengthy, bigger athletic arms and quick legs that allow her to be very explosive like an NFL linebacker. Her kicks are quick, twitchy and she will be able to maintain her breath extraordinarily properly,” he says.
“Millie is an distinctive athlete possessing energy, endurance and agility,” says Workforce Greenville head coach Karl Kozicki. “Her dedication to her expertise is pushed with inside ardour to be her greatest. As a competitor she thrives on racing the perfect and to push herself to the restrict in her efficiency. She has been part of Workforce Greenville for nearly six years starting with our developmental group stage. She now trains and competes properly in our excessive observe efficiency program. Our system is predicated upon correct stroke mechanics and age applicable cardio and anaerobic conditioning. Athletes are additionally taught character constructing expertise like dedication and resilience to deal with the pressures of competing,” he says.
Other than her inside drive, Millie has benefitted from her U-10 years with Workforce Greenville coach Danyelle Parker and an earlier affiliation along with her current coach Lorin Collins. “Millie operates on a distinct wavelength than everybody else,” says Collins. “She understands the complete image of what we’re asking whereas most youngsters are targeted on one factor. She additionally has an superior, intrinsic really feel for the water and is extra delicate to particulars and little tweaks to strokes. Millie has a comprehension regarding bodily suggestions that many don’t develop till their mid-teen years.
“She is simply a kind of children who actually enjoys swimming. It’s her peaceable a part of the day,” says Collins. “It’s ‘I put my face within the water, flip off my mind and noise and simply concentrate on swimming for 2 hours.’ Millie is simply obsessed with swimming, targeted on course of and having fun with what she is doing.”
The Additional Mile
Removed from simply logging laps Millie buttresses her pool time with dryland and several other developmental energy packages. This yr at Workforce Greenville her group has begun a concentrated dryland program with SwimStrong. “My coaching group has been targeted on growing core energy, coordination and studying primary foundational energy coaching. These parts embody: pushups, pullups, stability, leaping and bounding workout routines and varied core workout routines. Millie has responded properly to this to this point. Her type and energy have improved significantly and are translating properly into the pool,” says Collins.
“This season we’re specializing in perfecting the small race technique particulars, i.e.: when to breathe, head down for the end, optimum variety of kicks off the partitions for particular races and so forth. The thought is to construct these habits into her races so that they change into instinctive.
“Millie excels at speaking and making use of suggestions to her races. Her depth throughout troublesome units and in races is a giant purpose for her achievements,” says Collins. And that success is appreciable, together with successful seven of seven particular person (and two relay) races whereas successful 9 of 9 firsts in February’s South Carolina Age Group Championships.
Along with dryland at Workforce Greenville, Millie works 4 days every week with Tanner Pittman at 11.11 Elite Athlete Coaching. There, the emphasis is on energy, explosive motion growth and damage prevention. She additionally visits Greenville Backbone for different particular core work.
One other Conner hallmark is her embrace of laborious work. “Swimming and racing is what she loves and would do something requested of her to proceed on her upward path,” says Collins. “We frequently joke that Millie does so properly as a result of she is Millie. The best way she is as an individual, is the explanation why she finds success. Swimming is a grueling sport to like and infrequently unforgiving. It takes a particular athlete to rise to at least one’s coach expectations, have the consistency and focus/effort requested for at apply.”
Choose Millie Conner Units
Saturday, October 12
Warmup
12 x 75 scull/drill/construct @ 1:30. IMO 3x
16 x 50 fins; 8 kicks every wall. Good break. Odd – free; even alternate fly/again
Major set
1 x 75 – 50 swim off block; 25 all out kick with board
25 straightforward kick
100 straightforward
4 x 50 fly easy on :60
3 x 100: 25 fly blast 75 again easy on 2:00
2 x 150 again: construct kick on 2:45
3 x 100: 50 again/50 breast on 2:00
2 x 150 breast: construct tempo on 3:00
2 x 175 – 50 breast/75 free construct/ 50 breast on 3:00
1:00 relaxation fins and paddles
6 x 25 free blast @ :30
100 straightforward
6x 50 DD/DA again on 1:10
Wednesday, October 16
8 x 100 on 1:45 with snorkel
Proper fin, left paddle
Left fin, proper paddle
Each
None
8 x 75 drill/construct/kick on 1:30 – 2 of every
Kick pyramid
AB
50 :50 1:00
100 1:45 2:00
150 2:35 3:00
200 3:30 4:00
100 Simple
4 x 200 on 3:00/3:15 (IM) b; carried out 150 at 80%; 50 blast — held 2:35
4 x 150 on 2:30 (free); carried out 150 at 80%; 50 blast — held 1:45
4 x 100 on 1:00; 1:50 if IM;50 carried out 90%; 50 blast — held 1:10
4 x 50 on 1:10, all blast P1 Butterfly — held :32
Saturday, October 26
Warmup
12 x 50 fins/paddles on 1:00; carried out 25 scull/25 swim all selection flutter kick breast
8 x 100 on 1:50; carried out 25 kick/25 swim/25 drill/25 swim; 2 of every
Major set
16 x 50 kick
4 on :60; 4 on :55; 4 on :50; 4 on :45
100 straightforward
4 x 200 free on 3:15 preserve 1 and a couple of; descend 3 and 4
1 x 50 all out kick on :60
4 x 200; preserve 75 free/construct 50 IMO/preserve 75 free on 3:15
1 50 all out kick on :60
4 x 200 IM on 3:15 destructive cut up concentrating on partitions and underwaters
1 x 50 all out kick on :60
100 relaxation
200 IM all out off the block in heats
200 warmdown
Monday, November 11
Warmup
300 combine
16 x 50 drill/swim on :60 (4 0f every)
Flip work
Major set
12 x 75 on 1:30 carried out 50 construct swim/25 blast kick; odd free, even selection
100 straightforward
3 x 200 on 3:00/3:15/3:30 held 2:20
2 x 300 on 4:30/4:50/5:20 held 3:30
1 x 500 on 7:30/8:05/8:45 held 5:59
500 relaxation/recuperate
1000 for time — went 12:06
Warmdown – swim by really feel
“I’m happy with Millie as a result of she has proven the power to beat challenges and adversity to achieve her present stage. Her potential is vivid. We can be affected person, as we’re with others, and progress her by our system maximizing growth inside every stage,” says Kozicki. “Millie enjoys her teammates and understands that encouraging them makes her higher as properly.. Her dad and mom have been supportive of the method, and perceive that the teaching workers has her greatest curiosity in thoughts. This triangle of athlete, coach, and father or mother has produced a stage headed fierce competitor,” he says.
