Caymanian swimmer Jordan Crooks continues to share his passion and expertise for the sport through a series of specialised clinics overseas.
Crooks, who concluded his collegiate career in March at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships, has embarked on a clinic tour across the USA, aiming to give back to the sport that has given him so much.
“Although I am not competing anymore, it is still important to me to be involved in the sport of swimming. Swimming provided me with many opportunities and taught me some valuable lessons,” Crooks said.
His next stop will be in Edmond, Oklahoma, on 20 Sept., where he will be leading a clinic with Drew Loy, the founder of SwimAcademy.
This upcoming clinic marks Crooks’ third in a series, following successful events in Austin and Dallas, Texas, this past month.
Clinic tour
“Drew Loy … reached out to me after I wrapped up my collegiate career and asked if I would be interested in joining the team as an online coach. After finding some enjoyment out of online coaching, we made the decision for me to start a clinic tour across the country, in as many states as we can,” Crooks shared.
The clinics are structured to provide swimmers with a detailed, segmented approach to the sport.
“During our clinics, we will be breaking down swimming into sections,” Crooks explained.
He elaborated that the next clinic in Oklahoma will be dedicated to starts and underwaters, with plans to return to the same location in six to eight weeks to cover the next topic, turns.
“The idea is to teach over a period of time and leave the swimmers with ‘homework’ and skills to practise until we see them again,” Crooks said.
Working with swimmers to develop skills
The clinics offer a unique opportunity for swimmers to receive a breakdown of various swimming topics, including starts, underwaters, turns, and the four strokes, in a way that is easily digestible, Crooks said.
“The goal is not to overload the swimmers with a ton of information at one time, but to work with them over time to develop skills that will translate to fast swimming over time,” he added.
Crooks expressed his desire to return to Cayman and conduct clinics locally.
“I would love to return home and work on setting up some clinics, as I know I would have loved to have something like SwimAcademy growing up. We have some amazing talent on our small island that simply needs to be pointed in the right direction,” he said.
