FYI - Really nice article in the SA Express News today about Al Marks. It's remarkable what he has accomplished in his career.
Spicewood - Thanks for all your input on swimming. I know very little about the sport . . . just enjoy keeping up with athletes who perform at the top of their sport. Thanks to you, I know A LOT more about swimming. You're the best.

As you know I am a huge swimming fan. But Look Out Below, H2oPoloAg, Apocolyptus, and a few others here are great fans too. Several of them are former A&M swimmers so they know a great deal about the actual program.

I live in the tu's backyard. So it is especially satisfying to see our women's program surpass Texas. I just wish we could turn the corner on the men's team....

I spent a couple years swimming in San Antonio and Coach Marks was one of a few institutions of SA Swimming for many years. From what I understand, he has a strict system of training that works very well for some swimmers and the numbers in the article support his success.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA020808_MarksNumbers.en.9e16f0ea.html

My younger brother swam for Marks in 1978. That was either Marks 1st or 2nd year. I think Marks then was like most Texas high school swimmming coaches - not particularly knowledgeable about the sport but a strong team manager. Their job is usually to blend the serious club swimmers with the kids who are decent but not committed to year round training. I think Marks, unlike most, stayed in one place and probably became a real coach.

Keep in mind that most of Churchill's elite swimmers also swam most of their yardage for an AAU (old days) or USA Swimming club team. Josh Davis was probably a AAAA ("quad A" swimmer and I know Feigen swims for "WAVE."

In Austin, traditional powers like Westlake and Bowie draw most of their talent from Longhorn Aquatics. Westlake's best swimmers don't go to high school practice at all. They train 9-11 times per week, all with the club team.

I'm not trying to diminish Marks at all. He has done a superb job. Some of these club swimmers are a-holes. And their coaches can be complete d*cks. A high school coach has to manage the mix of kids in a way that the non-elites don't resent the elites - the ones that score points at State and earn championships.