ICECP::International Coaching Enrichment Certificate Program

The swimming coaches began their apprenticeship in Baltimore, Maryland and finished in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Arilson Silva, National Swimming coach for Brazil, described that at noon all three coaches had meetings with Coach Bowman and his staff to discuss practice. Practice started at 3:30 and finished around 7:30. He made it clear that the program was very organized and provided a professional environment for the swimmers.

Unlike Baltimore, practices in Germantown began early in the morning. The ICECP coaches would wake up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for the 6:00 a.m. practice. At 2:00 p.m. coach Shoulberg. And his staff would drive to an outdoor pool located fifteen minutes away (due to the high school’s practice). The practice sessions concluded at 6:00 p.m. Arilson stated that coach Shoulberg was a humble and knowledgeable about the sport. The day before the ICECP coaches arrived, one of coach Shoulberg’s athletes passed away during a swimming competition. Arilson noticed that the coach was distraught but it did not affect the tempo of the practice or his interaction with his swimmers.

The key point he retrieved from the apprenticeship was when coach Shoulberg stated, “All I need is water. Give me water and I will give you swimmers.” This was a very powerful statement for Arilson to hear. Coach Shoulberg did not complain about not having the best equipment or coaches. Infact he did the opposite by working that much harder. While at both apprenticeships the participants were constantly observing and interacting with the coaches.
Arilson stated, “It is hard to recommend anything towards both programs. American and Brazilian style of coaching swimmers is much different.” The amount of swimming that an American swimmer performs at practice is much greater. However, the amount of one on one interaction with the swimmers is much greater in Brazil. Overall both apprenticeship sites were fantastic for the ICECP coaches to be apart of.