UC San Francisco Fitness and Recreation recently re-launched their popular Masters Swim Team. Masters Swim is designed for advanced swimmers interested in improving fitness, endurance and stroke technique, with opportunities to compete in swim meets.
The program, formerly Bay Masters, is being refreshed with the new UCSF Masters Swim Head Coach, Sean Flynn, and new team members.
“I swam through college and then was done with swimming. Most swimmers who have put in a number of years, when they finish sort of walk away like they've broken up with someone. They're out, you know. But the thing about swimming is, it's kind of like the mafia. It pulls you back in. You are used to this very physical, very meditative sport, and you quit. You move on, you do other things. You ride your bike, you roller skate, you go to the gym, you lift weights, you Lifecycle, and what you find is that your body and your mind don't respond as well to that as they do to swimming. This works for me. My brain shuts up. I'm allowed to do a physical activity that is almost entirely muscle memory,” Flynn said.
But the thing about swimming is, it's kind of like the mafia. It pulls you back in.
Like many others on the team, fourth-year medical student Daniela Liera found her way back into swimming through Masters Swim.
“I’ve loved the people and environment! It’s a great way to meet people outside of my field and take a break from studying for Step 1. For many of us, it’s been a lovely way to revisit a sport that we’ve loved in a welcoming and low-pressure environment. On Thursdays, we've started going out for dinner after practice, which has been great for team bonding,” Liera said.
Coach Flynn sees his role as developing workouts that will challenge teammates while providing them with the accountability they need to train toward their full potential.
Masters Swim participants practice weekly at Bakar Fitness Center in Mission Bay
“If you focus on the detail and execute to a high standard, you're going to improve. Your muscle memory will grasp the change if you consistently try to do it the right way. What happens in swimming is that the mental discipline drops out as you get tired, and it gets harder and harder to focus on doing it the right way. What I'm there to do with my athletes is, remind them, that you're beginning to get sloppy focus now, because now is the moment when you're programming the muscle memory so that it's there for you in a week's time, in a month's time, in six months’ time, however long it takes to sort of reprogram the muscle memory of your brain and your body so that it will there be there for you in the future,” Flynn said.
Masters Swim provides members with a structure to train for competitions and a reprieve from the rigors of their day-to-day work at UCSF.
“My teammates and Coach Flynn keep me accountable for attending and in the midst of this dedicated study period, that’s been instrumental in keeping me sane. I’m excited to see how the team expands and evolves and maybe compete one day!” Liera said.
Community member, Kayne Burk heard about Masters Swim from an email that went out to Bakar Fitness members and began attending in January.
Masters Swim participants swim laps while training endurance and technique.
“My favorite parts of Masters Swim are the coaching and tips that Coach Flynn provides, as well as the positive and encouraging community of swimmers. Since I began swimming with Masters Swim, I've steadily improved in the water across all of my strokes, and I'm excited for continued progress,” Burk said.
Flynn credits his coaching philosophy to the mentors and students he worked with at the University of San Francisco (USF), where he coached youth swim classes during the pandemic.
“I'll always be very, very grateful to those assistant coaches who gave me an opportunity to continue working through the pandemic through their expertise and the youth swimmers that I worked with who helped carry me through that very difficult time. When children show up because they want to for an activity that you're participating in, that is incredibly rewarding and will give you purpose through some dark times,” Flynn said.
Flynn believes that the discipline swimmers gain through training applies to how they learn to respond to challenges outside the water.
“As a life application, it really is that when you're tired when you're run down, and you get a Friday afternoon email from your boss, and you just want to jot off the quick email that says, ‘Blah, I'm not into what you're saying.’ If you have the mental discipline at that moment to stick to what you would on a Monday morning and be like, ‘Got it. I understand the assignment. I'm going to look at this and review it. I will get back to you in a timely fashion.’ When you're tired, stick to a disciplined approach, and success will come."
To learn more about Masters Swim and inquire about joining, visit the Masters Swim webpage or email Sean Flynn at sean.flynn@ucsf.edu.