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Winning the ISL Team Title – Lezak: I went after the best swimmer in the world

The International Swimming League has published its technical information, breaking down event schedules, scoring, lineups and more.

We’ll break down all the info as best we can below. You can see a PDF with all the technical information by clicking here. You can also see our breakdown of all this information here.

With the ISL season nearly upon us, and excitement starting to build for it’s inaugural season, SwimSwam asked each GM one simple question: How will they win the ISL?

Cali Condors’ GM Jason Lezak had one big emphasis. Caeleb Dressel. He explained that he built a team around Caeleb and tried to get bunches of swimmers that already train on the same team.

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iLikePsych
5 years ago

Reporting on Lezak’s ISL Interview – SwimSwam: We went with the headline that’d get the most comments

Hhh
5 years ago

.jjjj

Troyy
5 years ago

Nice to know all those others swimmers were recruited just to play second fiddle to Caeleb Dressel.

THEO
Reply to  Troyy
5 years ago

Yeah I mean like he’s not wrong that Caeleb will slay the ISL format but at the same time super inconsistent answer to say you’ll win because of one swimmer then go on to say it’ll be about making them a team. Pretty sloppy. But I’m sure he is proud of whatever recruiting play landed Dressel and that’s fair

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  THEO
5 years ago

He’d slay it if he’s ever rested for one of the meets. That’s not happening this year. Pretty vulnerable otherwise to guys who rest all the time (MA, Santos, etc.).

Michael Schwartz
Reply to  Troyy
5 years ago

Not sure what the issue here is…lots of other teams are known for bringing in some sort of super star and then filling out a team around that super star. The NBA has done it for generations (though that is starting to go through a transition). There is going to be a super star on every ISL team. The only question is, can you put all your eggs in the Caeleb Dressel basket? Is the price of him worth the 2-3 other swimmers who you otherwise could have gotten who might otherwise make up enough points to compensate the difference? At the end of the day, Dressel was going to swim for somebody. Ask yourself if you had the financial… Read more »

Spectatorn
5 years ago

off topic – too bad Beisel retired and won’t benefit from ISL..

now she has to resort to Survivor for big pay day:
https://www.teamusa.org/News/2019/September/09/Olympic-Swimmer-Elizabeth-Beisel-To-Compete-On-Season-39-Of-Survivor

Pvdh
Reply to  Spectatorn
5 years ago

Oh no. Beisel gets to participate in one of the most successful reality competitions of all time

Dallas
5 years ago

What surprised me about Cali Condors and ISL was bringing on Australian coach Dean Boxall as an assistant coach.Though realizing he has swimmers on Condors team, there’s a lot of issues surrounding him right now in light of the bullying and fat shaming claims made against his program, and the militarism of his coaching style. Hopefully Lezak will keep him on a short leash.

Kelsey
Reply to  Dallas
5 years ago

That’s rumour and innuendo and from reports sounds like it’s not supported by the coach, club or swimmers. Just some disgruntled person trying to get media attention. His coaching style is obviously working btw because he’s getting his swimmers where they want to be.

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  Kelsey
5 years ago

Somebody very very jealous of the quick rise of newcomer Mollie.

13 % Chinese person
Reply to  13 % Chinese person
5 years ago

Yep that’s it . You just outed yourself. . You should look to Minna Atherton who had 3 years in the wilderness from 15 welcomed the rise of Kayley into her former spot . . Now she is double world silver medallist .. Yo should try breastroke , there are plenty of openings .

Chaitha D.
Reply to  13 % Chinese person
5 years ago

What is up with 13% Chinese person? Almost every comment I see them make is nonsense.

Troyy
Reply to  Kelsey
5 years ago

Bill Sweetenham and Laurie Lawrence also gave ringing endorsement for his methods after that complaint was made.

m d e
Reply to  Troyy
5 years ago

Bill Sweetenham is a legend, but very old school. His support is more evidence of the ‘misbehaviour’ than not to be honest.

Delbeua
Reply to  Kelsey
5 years ago

It is not “rumour and innuendo”. The issues with Boxall and his club were investigated and published in The Sunday Telegraph by an award-winning reporter with 20 years of experience. ISL and Cali Condors need to be careful. Looking the other way on claims about coaches–both in swimming and other sports–has not been a winning strategy of late.

Kelsey
Reply to  Delbeua
5 years ago

The Daily Telegraph, I’m sorry what a joke. A trashy paper is a reputable source?

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Delbeua
5 years ago

Geraldo Rivera?

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Dallas
5 years ago

The coaches are going to do about zero work. Think coach of the NBA all-star game.

Crowell
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

But the optics are not good for the ISL, Lezak, and the Cali Condors. ISL is admirably priding itself on being free of PED swimmers, but then has on deck the coach of the recently suspended Shayna Jack who, under questionable circumstances, admittedly participated in keeping S. Jack’s suspension hidden well into the 2019 World Championship meet.

Kelsey
Reply to  Crowell
5 years ago

Failing the drug test is all on Shayna, not Boxhall. It also seems apparent Titmus batch tests any supplements and Shayna did not? That’s on the athlete not the coach. It’s about time athletes are held responsible for their own actions – they’re the ones being tested. You can lead a horse to water can’t make it drink.

WhatisWrongWithPeopleOnHere
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

If so, isn’t it yet more puzzling why they would spend their small, new reputational capital to allow a coach with all that baggage to enhance / rehabilitate his own image

People on here are defending this coach by saying, basically, “maybe true but his method works” – you’re saying that whether it works or not is immaterial in this situation, so why hire this person?

Spectatorn
5 years ago

but…he is in his own league…

Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Not to mention the women, like Ledecky for one, who hold multiple individual world records and Olympic golds.

Michael Schwartz
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

I feel like this comes down to how you interpret the qualifier “best”. Having somebody on your team with multiple world records like Ledecky is fantastic, but let’s look at the format of the meet and what events these swimmers actually race. The format is SCM, not LCM. And while Ledecky has proven to be a threat in the 200-1500 free and the 400IM, Dressel has shown to be able to swim the 100 free, fly, and breast SCY as well as the 200IM and 50 free. We don’t have nearly as large of a track record for Dressel in SCM other than Worlds in 2018 (which I think we can all agree was a very off year for Dressel),… Read more »

Kit
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

I would much rather have someone like Sjostrom or Hosszu on my team than Ledecky for the ISL format

Wondering
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

He’s faster than all of them….

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Wondering
5 years ago

You sure? Which events? Pretty sure Ledecky takes him in 1500, 800.

Chaitha D.
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

In the 1500 yes, but not in the 800

Jeff
5 years ago

I’ve just realised that this plan to have 32 athlete success on each roster won’t work. They need more really because a little while ago you did an article about the British being at an altitude camp during some of the meets. That means they will miss some of the meets meaning London Roar will be unable at some meets to have 12 swimmers and 2 alternates on both the men’s and women’s team because they will have 13 at most on each roster.

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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