Published by Mark Seguin
Minnesota Swim and Vibe creator talks about the value of a swimming community and how Minnesota Swim and Vibe is aiming to enhance it in the state of Minnesota
Listen on Apple Podcasts12 min
Before bringing the series home, Mark gets honest about what could stop this. In episode eight of The Long Course: four real barriers between the sport we have and the one we want — that change is hard even when we agree with it, that a calm pool hides a drifting sport, that good coaches clam up on things they're unsure of, and that nobody actually owns the health of the sport. None of them are villains. All of them are really the same thing: heads down. And not one is fatal — unless we let it be. Keep your heads up.
6 min
Parents get handed exactly one tool: the scoreboard. So of course they fixate on it — it's the only window they've got. In episode seven of The Long Course, Mark opens the third and final room: the family's. It's built on a counterintuitive bet — that giving parents a genuinely good window into their kid's swimming actually lowers the urge to pry, because most prying is just a parent grabbing for any signal when they feel out of the loop. So the Fan Zone gives families a real way to follow the team — the schedule, the results, the recaps, the season's story — without the firehose of data that only feeds the fixation. And following your own kid? That's gated on purpose: they get the code, they approve it. Even a parent comes in by invitation. Three rooms, one idea: you at the center, the world on your terms, your space protected. Keep your heads up.
9 min
Coaches got into this to develop people — then drowned in paperwork. In episode six of The Long Course, Mark opens the coach's room: built to take the admin grind off your plate AND make it easy to recognize the stuff that never shows up on a results sheet. It's also the pipe that finally lets a coach's best work escape their own pool and count. Not more work — less of what you hate, plus a way to be a steward of the sport, not just a coach of your team. Keep your heads up.
12 min
The always-on scoreboard doesn't just hurt the slow kids — the ones at the top are often the most anxious of all. In episode five of The Long Course, Mark opens the first of MSV's three “rooms,” the athlete's Locker: a private, personal space where a kid gets to be more than a time. The results aren't information — they're a verdict. This is about giving kids the other side of the sport, on equal footing. Keep your heads up.
12 min
For three episodes we built the problem and found who could fix it. Now the real question: how does “everyone does a little” actually work? In episode four of The Long Course, Mark gets concrete — and a little fired up. The wisdom that could fix this sport already exists, scattered in every pool in the state: the right thing to say after a bad swim, the idea that made a meet fun, the recognition that landed. The catch is it’s trapped, because we’ve never asked anyone to look up from their own team and share it. This is the case for taking one small step — changing the routine by a hair — and a look at the home being built for the other side of the sport, so the little bit you do finally adds up with everyone else’s. Give a little, take a little. Keep your heads up.
8 min
If swimming has drifted, who's supposed to fix it? Not the governing bodies — they make rules, not culture. Not the families — their focus is their own kid, rightly so. In episode three of The Long Course, Mark lands on the group that's actually left: the people whose stake is the long-term health of the sport. The milers, not the sprinters. Then the hard part — why they haven't, and the one path that might actually work. Keep your heads up.
13 min
If you only saw the promo for episode one, you probably think this series is about parents ruining swimming. It isn't. In episode two of The Long Course, Mark goes looking for who's to blame for the sport's drift — and finds there's no villain at all. Parents still love their kids. Coaches still care. Programs still want to thrive. What changed is the technology we use to share the sport: it made results instant, constant, and easy, while the deeper stuff — growth, belonging, the daily experience — got left behind. The result is an always-on leaderboard that quietly became the only measure of success. Nobody chose it. And that's exactly what makes it so hard to fix. Keep your heads up.
12 min
The Long Course - Episode 1 : Heads Up No coach will ever tell a swimmer to lift their head up — head down is how you go fast. In the first episode of The Long Course, Mark does the opposite: he asks you to look up at the sport and tell him if it's the best we can do. After a full swimming career and a twenty-year break, he came back as a parent and a coach — and barely recognized what he found on the pool deck. This is what he saw, and why he thinks the sport has quietly drifted. Keep your heads up.
31 min
It's always refreshing to hear about a school or a community adding a pool, but it's not easy and it's not a short term investment of time. Wayzata Boys Head Coach David Plummer shares the work that went into getting it from an idea and hope to an approved facility
44 min
MSV continues to grow and evolve to best support the athletes in the state. Former Gopher Josh Johnston is jumping on board to help build out a set of tools and resources to help our athletes along the that journey. Josh gives us a look at what we can expect.
28 min
Grace Benin, the coach of Hopkins girls and Maple Grove boys join the Vibecast to share some insights on her first couple of seasons coaching. what she's learned along the way, how she leverages her swimming experience to be a more effective coach, and what advice she has for those youngsters considering making the jump into coaching
36 min
Another up and coming coach in the high school ranks. Mitchell Reynold of CDH join to talk about the program building he's been investing in and all the things he's learned along the way....not to mention the nod to the fact the good coaches never stop learning
27 min
I love nothing more than talking coaching. It's a skill, it's an art, and there are so many different hats you wear. Eden Prairie head coach Eva Potvin join us to talk just that and let me tell ya, this coach has a bright future in the sport!
21 min
Anna joins the Vibe to chat about her first year of college swimming at St. Ben's. She ran the full spectrum of dealing with injury and hitting milestone swims. Anna also chats about the DIII swimming life and of course Coach Mandy!
37 min
Legends of the sport! Everyone thinks of the western burbs as the swimming hot spot, but the city was where it was at back in the day and these two have stories to tell!
32 min
Swimmers tend to be resilient people. It's part of the sport, but Graycin Andreen had to go through something I didn't even think was possible. What would you do if someone anonymously sent over one hundred letters to colleges saying that you're a horrible person? It happened. Hear the impact it had on Graycin and what she did with it.
20 min
We sit down with the captains of the newly minted St. Cloud Crush (St. Cloud Apollo, St. Cloud Cathedral, St. Cloud tech and Rocori) to talk about the co-op, season goals, and the work they've been putting in to have a successful season
38 min
In this conversation, coaches Todd Walsh and Charley Nelson share their insights on competitive swimming, focusing on strategies for meet lineups, the importance of mentorship, and building a supportive team culture. They discuss the nuances of dual meets, relay strategies, and the significance of every swimmer's contribution to the team's success. The dialogue emphasizes the need for effective communication, trust, and advocacy within the swimming community, particularly for new coaches navigating their roles.
11 min
Representing the Cougars of Lakeville South and South Metro Storm, Ana Clemon joins the Vibecast! Great to check in on her current season, her learnings from the past, and what swimming has in store for her in the future!
13 min
Minnesota Swim and Vibe gets a chance to chat with St. Cloud Apollo/St. Johns Prep's Izzy Westling! Hear about her swim life journey, what' next and as always, her advice for those younger swimmers out there