Take a look at this resume:

• 183 Team Victories
• .799 Winning Percentage
• 15 Ivy League Championships
• 9 Ivy League Titles in the last 9 years
• 47 Straight wins from 2000 – 2004 (Princeton record)
• 30 Straight current winning streak

Princeton Women’s Head Coach Susan Teeter has truly accomplished quite a bit in her tenure with the Tigers, but let’s see what she has to say about coaching and how next year is play out.

As a coach, I love to really dive into the nitty-gritty of another coach’s philosophy, and taper time is one of those topics that will always be a hot button in the swimming world.  My initial thought before asking about the difference between Alicia Aemisegger’s and Meredith Monroe’s taper was that they would be two completely different training programs primarily because Alicia was in the 500 free, 400 IM and 1650 free, and Meredith was in the 200 and 100 back.  However, the fact is that their taper wasn’t all too different.  Coach Teeter mentioned that Alicia “rested her legs a little more than Meredith”, but they would “plan the practice for Alicia and tailor that routine for Meredith” to maximize efficiency.

The other area of interest that I have when I hear that coaches are tapering only a few swimmers is the motivation level of the swimmers and momentum/tone of practices.  Coach Teeter reassured me that by mixing up sets and “running something different everyday” motivation was not a heavy area of concern.

As the taper conversation went on, we talked a little about a coach’s relationship with their swimmers, and this is where I truly started to have a new (higher) level of respect for Coach Teeter.

She mentioned that one of the most important aspects of her job is to “work outside the pool on life skills”.

All of you coaches out there….take note because this part is awesome:

• Behavioral charts on everyone which teach the swimmers how to respect each other
• Assessments that allow swimmers to see exactly what kind of support they need from their teammates or coaches at meets

By doing these two quick things (though I’m sure much more is involved) in the beginning of the year, Coach Teeter and crew are able to read and react to individual swimmer behavior throughout the year and truly understand why their swimmers are acting a certain way.  She actually has done one herself to help the swimmers understand her behaviors and actions.  For what it’s worth…I cannot think of another coach out there (and speak up if you do) that takes the time to do this sort of thing!

We wrapped up our conversation by talking about next year’s outlook, and according to Coach Teeter there is a lot to look forward to in the 2010 and 2011 season.  Even though the Princeton Tigers are losing one of their strongest swimmers in school history (Alicia Aemisegger), look for Meredith Monroe, Sarah Furgatch, Jillian Altenburger, and Carter Stephens to step into some key roles.

So, if we take a look at the fantastic resume that Coach Susan Teeter has established we can all undoubtedly say that those are absolutely impressive accomplishments.  However, Coach Teeter has so much more going for her than just her winning resume; she is one of the most down-to-earth and personable coaches in the swimming community and one that can relate to her swimmers.  It is those relationships with her swimmers that I, personally, think is her biggest achievement at Princeton.