Relay groups contain many different perspectives, especially in the medley relay, where everyone has a different job. The Medley is a special race that combines all four strokes, each by a different person. Each person swims what is known as a ‘splash and dash’ which is a 50 yard portion. This makes it hard for the group to bond, build, and race.
The relay group’s bond can be hard to find when everybody is doing something different than the one before them. It’s hard to trust somebody when you don’t know how to do what they do, especially when each swimmer only swims 1 or 2 strokes which limits the top picks for the relay.
The way they are bonded can greatly affect how well they race. Sophomore Zach Bain says, “One way our relay group bonds together is we can really hype each other up before each race.” He said they usually get a good group going because it’s their first event. An early bond in the relay group is essential to race; the energy needs to be flowing. When you feel good about a race, you are more likely to do well.
Coach Liz also has the difficult job of choosing who is swimming in the relay and which stroke they are doing. Liz herself swam at Hamilton in high school and understands the pressure of swimming in the relay, as well as creating one. Swimmers often underestimate the pressure they will be under at the beginning of the season. When you are chosen to swim the relay, you are held to a high standard, which can place you under pressure.
Coach Liz puts a lot of thought into who is swimming the medley relay. It’s hard to choose who is swimming a stroke when there are multiple people who swim one. When coach Liz was asked how she created the relay group, she said, “The relay is based on our four fastest guys, so if you have the fastest time in that stroke, you will likely be swimming that stroke.” This also affects team dynamics, as you may have to fight for your spot in the relay.
This is where trust in your team comes in, you need to trust that even if you didn’t get into the relay, your teammate will do their job and hopefully win the race.
Trust in your teammates is extremely important. You need to trust your teammates in the way that they will do well, and they need to trust you in the same way. This can be very difficult when you all do something different and have different jobs.
The group needs to trust that you will do your part, and you need to trust that they will do theirs. Brett Vandenberg says, “I trust that they are doing their part in practice and practicing their own strokes in practice and putting in their own respectable work.” This explains one way that can create trust with your team is working hard outside of meets
Pressure, trust, and hard work are what create the medley relay. All three of these aspects are what make this relay different from other races in many ways. It is done with a group of swimmers, not a single one, and it is done with all strokes, not just one. Also an important factor is that you have to know your teammates well and be able to deal with more pressure than an individual race This unique group of four quickly becomes one after they are built, bonded, and raced.
Zach Bain getting ready to dive in.
Cillian Slater finishing hard.
The medley relay group in order
