USA Productions Training Clinics
2010 Triathlon and Open Water Swim Clinics
USA Productions and Team Sheeper are holding open water swim and triathlon clinics at the venues of the USA Productions races.
Are you an avid pool swimmer who is curious to experience open water swimming?
Are you nervous about swimming in a crowd where you cannot touch the bottom or see where you are going?
Are you an experienced open water competitor hoping to refine your open water skill set to shave off time?
Well, you are at the right website. The USA Productions and Team Sheeper clinic series provide a safe, non-competitive environment to learn about these sports from seasoned professional instructors/coaches.
**Registration is NOW OPEN**
Dates & Locations
UVAS Reservoir:
Triathlon Clinic: May 9, 2010
Triathlon Clinic: June 6, 2010
Swim Clinic: July 11, 2010
Swim Clinic: August 8, 2010
Provided with registration:
Lunch, goodie bags, hygration products, sponsors product discounts and giveaways.
About the Clinics
Registration Fees:
Triathlon Clinics: $50 for early registration / $60 for late registration
Swim Clinics: $40 for early registration / $50 for late registration
Open Water Swim Clnic:
The sport of Open Water swimming officially became an Olympic sport in 2008. As a result, many people are excited to get involved in open water swimming, either for a new adventure or to take advantage of these exciting expanding competitive opportunities. These clinics will give you the skills needed and the safety knowledge to become a successful and confident open water swimmer, whether you want to enter open water competitions, triathlons or simply want to take advantage of fitness swimming in lakes and oceans.
Open water swimming is completely different from pool swimming. It requires a different skill set and training. The USA Production/Team Sheeper open water clinics do not cover how to swim, but cover a new skill set, which is not commonly discussed in the average swimming pool community. USA Productions and Team Sheeper bring you experienced and competent instructors/coaches in these areas to give you either the confidence to take part in your first open water swim or triathlon, or the skills to be more competitive in your key races of the season.
Many swimmers who have taken part in Open Water Swimming and Triathlon Clinics have recorded faster times in their races and they have felt stronger and more confident during those races. In addition, with the clinics taking place on the USA Production race-courses you gain valuable course specific experience so you do not encounter surprises on race morning.
This is a great opportunity for those who may be new to the sport of open water swimming or triathlons to learn some of the needed skills, in a non-competitive and safe environment with seasoned coaches, to feel confident to take part.
For seasoned veterans, this is a great opportunity to refine and to advance your skills and to gain knowledge of the USA Production race-courses.
For youth athletes this is a great opportunity to learn about two of the newest sports added to the Olympic Games and to open up a whole new world for these swimmers.
Triathlon Clinic:
Like the Open Water clinics, the Triathlon Clinics provide the new or experienced athlete with the skills needed to successfully compete in triathlons of any distance.
Triathlons not only require the athlete to know how to swim, bike and run but also how to successfully string these three sports together in succession. There is an art to doing this, which cannot be learned through training alone. The goal of the clinics is not to teach the participants how to swim, bike and run but to teach them these triathlon specific skills. The veteran instructors/coaches teaching the participants, also provide a safe, non-competitive environment to practice the skills with immediate hands on feedback. In addition, with the clinics taking place on the USA Production race-courses you gain valuable course specific experience so you do not encounter surprises on race morning.
For the beginner and novice triathletes, what the athlete will learn:
|
- Pre event training-basics - Race day logistics |
- Race day event tactics (swim, bike, run) - Post race self evaluation |
Training Clinic Schedules
Open Water Clinic Schedule
9:00 – 9:15am Welcome/Registration, gathering of group - Wetsuit Rental will be available
9:15 – 9:45am Dry-land instructions, which will include, but will not be limited to:
- Safety
- Basic Race Procedures 
- Reading the course
- Equipment preparation
- Warm-Up and pre-race nutrition
9:45 – 11:00 am Split into groups based on experience levels
Novice Group In Water Skills
- Managing the Start & Crowds
- Confidence in the open water
- Sighting and navigation
- Pacing
Experienced Group In Water Skills
- Reading and adjusting for the conditions
- Managing the Start
- Sighting and Navigation
- Drafting, passing, mark rounding
- USA Production race specifics
11:00 – 11:30am Practice Race 1/2 mile
11:30 – 12:00pm Q&A and Food (Lunch will be provided for all participants)
Triathlon Clinic Schedule
9:00 – 9:15am Welcome/Registration, gathering of group
9:15 – 10:00am Open Water Swim Instruction & Practice
- Safety
- Race Procedures
- Reading the course
- Managing the start & crowds
- Confidence in the open water
- Sighting & Navigation
10:00 – 11:00am T1 and Cycling Instruction & Practice
- Setting up the transition area
- Successful swim to bike transition
- Safety & managing the bike course
- Pacing and fueling the ride
- USAT Drafting rules
11:00 – 11:45am T2 and Running Instruction & Practice
- Successful bike to run transition
- Safety & managing the bike course
- Pacing and fueling the run
- Finishing is style
11:45 – 12:30pm Q&A and Food
In addition, clinics will provide a warming hut if needed, take home information, goodie bags and the opportunity to learn about some of USA Production’s sponsors.
Directions
From San Francisco and the Peninsula: Take 280 or 101 South towards San Jose. Take Highway 85 South towards Gilroy. Take the Bernal Road exit and make a Right hand turn. Proceed straight on Bernal. Left on Santa Teresa. Right on Bailey. At the top of Bailey, make a Left on McKean Road. Follow McKean Road for 10 miles. McKean Road turns into Uvas Road. Do not turn, proceed straight. Parking will be on a private lot 1/8 of a mile before transition area. From San Francisco allow 2.3 hours travel time.
From the East Bay: Take 680 towards San Jose, then get on 101 South towards Los Angeles. Take the Bernal Road exit. Turn Right on Bernal Road. Left on Santa Teresa. Right on Bailey. At the top of Bailey, make a Left on McKean Road. Turn Left on McKean Road. Follow McKean Road for 10 miles. McKean Road turns into Uvas Road. Do not turn, proceed straight. Parking will be on a private lot 1/8 of a mile before transition area. From East Bay allow 1.5 hours travel time.
From the South (Hwy. 101): Take Highway 101 North to San Martin. Exit on San Martin. Proceed West to Business 101 North turn Right and proceed North about 2.5 miles to Watsonville Road. Turn Left on Watsonville Road. Proceed about 5 miles and turn Right on Uvas Road. Proceed about 2 miles to Uvas Reservoir. Parking will be on a private lot 1/8 of a mile after transition area.
From the South (I5): Take I 5 North to 152. Exit West and proceed to Highway 101 in Gilroy. Enter 101 North and proceed North about 2.5 miles to Watsonville Road. Turn Left on Watsonville Road. Proceed about 5 miles and turn Right on Uvas Road. Proceed about 2 miles to Uvas Reservoir. Parking will be on a private lot 1/8 of a mile after transition area.
What to Bring
To Bring – Open water swim clinic – Warm clothes for before and after, swim cap and goggles, wetsuit recommended but not required, swimsuit, towel, sandals for entry and exit of water, sunscreen. Food, Hydration floods, gel, and water provided.
To Bring – Triathlon clinic – comfortable and warm clothing for before and after, swim gear (wetsuit is recommended, swimsuit/triathlon suit, goggles, swim cap), transition gear (towel, race belt), cycling gear (bike, helmet (no helmet no clinic), cycling shoes, sunglasses, nutrition and hydration needs), running gear (running shoes, hat). Food, Hydration floods, gel, and water provided.
Coaches
Bruce Smith (Open Water Swim Clinics)
A career coach, the breadth and depth of Bruce’s coaching resume have given him a wealth of knowledge in the sports of swimming and triathlon. Bruce brings to the clinic series 15 years of swim coaching experience, currently as a Site Head Coach for Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics, a Gold Level USA Swimming team of over 1000 athletes which won the 2009 Women’s National Senior Short Course Championships; 17 years of triathlon coaching experience – both as a personal coach of multiple USAT National Team members and as the former head coach and founder of the Alpine Hills Triathlon team which won the 2003 USAT Small Club Nationals; and 24 years of personal triathlon and open water swimming experience, including the 2001 Ultraman. What led Bruce to become a professional coach were two of his passions - experiencing life through the challenges that sports present to the body and mind; and helping others learn, experience and achieve. Bruce’s soft-spoken confidence, calming demeanor and ‘have fun’ approach make Bruce an approachable and accessible leader. His empathy and passion to help others has helped Bruce become a versatile and successful teacher. And his ability to connect, inspire and communicate with athletes of all different abilities and ages make Bruce the coach he is today.
Hani Juha (Triathlon Clinics)
Hani specializes in coaching intermediate cyclists. He has a passion that's infectious, plus empathy and confidence that transfers easily to athletes in any sport. Hani has been a competitive cyclist and triathlete for most of his life, he brings expertise and experience to all levels. Hani is also an accomplished adventure racer. In 2004, he joined a local adventure racing team to find a new challenge in the outdoors. Hani started with 8 hour races, progressing to 24 hour races and on to the Baja Travesia five day race where he managed a top five finish with his team in 2007. Hani continues adventure racing and works to increase the visibility of the sport, encouraging participation among adventurers of all types. Hani has recently published a cycling book, “Start Spinning Your Wheels”. This is a unique guide to help people who are buying their first bike and getting started in the sport. Find the book and more about Hani at his website.
Contact USA Productions:
www.usaproductions.org/contact
Signed Up But Can't participate: www.usaproductions.org/policies
