JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================f" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?x '4)@ F8c4IIR i!Wԭt> 67ĄѲnP#qKc̵eQ'(n18r:Wya]]x2vY2cЯbF\ һ'Nc2 58vcÿyǺ8nV; q/i{4 yFN=:;&7}=*9)89)Xe2J\J(xfQH.c& ZO/;@Rtw?QlG^j}nJi=B$;cmO5Һ:hPՒxNՂ W6<6|#8]_h8cT@W3]brF&qrbEџ$>'MY71Z0bX֨x,pOMz5+{-'Uz~iw+E]\y]u̩ڥR'};t ;b`$~U::u4EӫC5Yƭ{)$ojb\;AːbNia$nܴGww64G ɸ"Zw~uy,P[R9w SZwGj0]ä\"m~S &\}Nݔ<'z/sys$/s7b:@޲+$9,@CWܨ'e&t,67%s׃ֲ&G.eKAH؇P2y:$8AJ5˽=Y;~4ZSrw,o$Ys1k Dk(3>ߚ%~9_5V0T9h5/Ȣ?FHOכ.fvG(!L9 2sڛ#Iq qǶ+13$G#:QXڥouAiXdZt5g\\δa N2yYwrw6{Wt%HNATh7^FH2I שb>b_1NyV!{ʭ'x"-L!'b]nצEy%${uCכYua3䛘qUߣt*>(¨g_/6KM-k [w|zgp;~Z-j27sz K22%pY5r;޾[iHŸ8kx4~H֭)ͧqEp\Se勱fcď2WqQN;3f&$n8jCv6*; ;bQWoj&bw0}6.n^=cjٴFx)ԃ*-0Z<_=զM~urq|@Ȓf12½,$\((㯥Fc7<"y wQV;4xUr9cҊ*&"Э~).y9gX6y4QOKi`!.#8+^yw"terfere with the athletes' ability to perform their best in competition. "It was not so much that we didn't recognize the value of weight training, but we were quite concerned about adding another component of training. We already had a program that worked, and whether this would work any better was like rolling the dice at the end of the season."<br>Reassurance about this second concern was harder to sell than the first, but after presenting evidence that the BFS program is sound and has a proven track record of success, Neil convinced Dale and Mark to throw the dice.<br><br><br>The Times, They Are A-Changin'<br><br>Convincing the coaches of the merits of the program was just the start. Now began the task of convincing the athletes.<br>Many of the swimmers in the high school program are also in the swim club, giving Dale and Mark more time and opportunities to experiment with their training plans. Dale and Mark looked at two major meets to test the effectiveness of the BFS program and perfect their peaking schedules, one in March and another in August. The fact that these meets were pending would give the coaches the much-needed benchmarks to prove the benefits of the BFS core lifts to the athletes and encourage them to continue using the program until the state high school championships in November.<br>"In the beginning they had a negative attitude," says Neil about those early attempts to convince the athletes about the BFS program. He said he had to explain how the lifting would develop explosive strength, such as is needed for getting off the blocks at the start. But there was more than just the concept of specificity of training--the female swimmers were put off by the lack of other women in the weight room. "I kept telling them not to let it bother them," recalls Neil, "but the psychological block about women and weight training definitely had to be addressed to get on with the program."<br>Bob Haeger, who has two daughters who swim for Dale and Mark, recalls the adjustment as gradual. "The girls wanted to do the program but were reluctant because they didn't know what it was like to lift weights. They were