Awardee: Lisl Prater-Lee
Semester of Award: Spring 2017
Materials Awarded: An AquaCam Underwater Communication System that includes: a coach’s microphone, headset, and receiver; 5 individual headset receivers; two Finis tempo trainers
Project Description:
The technology has been an important addition to the Vassar varsity swimmers’ training. Coaches can speak with 5 swimmers at a time or individually with particular swimmers, offering corrective feedback and encouragement during group training as well as during individual sessions. Another vital aspect of having this equipment is the fact that we have been able to have someone who cannot be in the water with teammates actually help teammates. Whether due to injury or illness, I have handed a teammate the equipment, provided them with some cues as to what to look for, and then requested their assistance in making another teammate better. (We have done this previously with the teammate standing on deck and waiting for the swimmer to return but now the out-of-water swimmer knows that the in-water swimmer is waiting for cues as they swim. Everyone is more engaged and for the person out-of-water it is a bit more immediate in terms of being present and engaged.) A by-product of this additional interaction is that the person out-of-water has a better idea of what we coaches are seeing, the degree to which we are seeing it, and the fact that although we are seeing it and communicating the changes do not always last. So, I think using the technology has pulled the whole group closer together with the idea that we have another tool to help make us better, another tool that we all are expected to use, want to use, and another means we can all have a way to help make us all better.