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My experience with TI was so positive, I went to Cathy to offer a testimonial. First, I will say that prior to taking TI, I was a ROCK. I had been doing triathlons for about 14 years. Prior to taking the TI class, I had suffered through sprint and olympic distance swims (1/2 - 1 mile in length). Put me in the water and I would sink to the bottom. And, if I ever really got going, I was out of breath after 25 yards. Swimming was BY FAR my weakness. As a triathlete, with the hopes of one day doing an Ironman, I knew this had to change. And that was my stated intention when I first sat with my TI group, and gave our introductions. What once was my weakness, is NOW MY STRENGTH. I will never set the world record for the fastest swim in a triathlon, sprint distance or Ironman. But what I now have is the confidence that I can swim any distance in any race. When I exited the water in my Ironman, I was completely "fresh", not breathing hard, and fully relaxed. My 2.4 mile swim (1:26:41) was effortless. AND, I can now state that swimming is my strength in Triathlon. While I might not be setting any records, I know that I can swim for a long time. In fact, I am certain that I can swim for hours (provided I have food and drink). I am not considering a Channel crossing anytime soon, but...never say never. When I swam with a friend the other day, I saw the old me. He is new to swimming (at 40 years old), and splashed and flailed his way through the pool. He is now signed up for TI. To sum up TI in two words...IT WORKS! Swim on. And thanks Cathy, your training made all the difference! Jeff N, West Hartford, CT, Ironman finisher When I started lessons, I had been away from swimming for years. I am learning to improve my technique with Cathy's detailed stroke analysis. The lessons are tailored towards my specific fitness goals. My stroke has benefitted from the drills. The visual aids have shown me that I am becoming more efficent and am extending less effort while swimming. Marilyn H, Pittsfield, MA I served in the military for several years and it took a toll on my knees and back, not to mention recently having my hand reconstructed. I needed to change my workout. I grew up swimming on a lake and I always considered myself to be a strong swimmer, until I met Cathy. Cathy showed me that strong doesn’t necessarily mean efficient or good. It has been six months since I started training once a month with her and I can not believe the difference. Through her instruction, I learned that there was more to swimming than kicking and splashing. Nothing can substitute good quality instruction and training. Cathy is an excellent teacher, coach and friend. She has increased my confidence and motivation. I look forward to my next lesson with Cathy and the open water season. John O, Waltham, MA After being a runner for many years and being persuaded to give triathlons a go, I quickly realized I would have to do something about my non-existent freestyle stroke! I had a few lessons at the local pool but still couldn't do more than 1 lap without feeling like I was in serious danger of drowning when someone suggested I contact Cathy Adams, a TI coach. In less than a year in the pool and around 12 lessons with Cathy, I was able to improve my triathlon swim place from 379/418 to 283/491, good enough to place me 67th overall out of a field of almost 500. Yesterday whilst swimming my 100 laps (yes, consecutively!) I was thinking about how did Cathy make such a difference possible. Apart from the fact that I now have a recognizable stroke driven from my hips and core rather than my shoulders and a breathing pattern that I can sustain almost indefinitely, I realized that the biggest difference is that that Cathy helped me become aware of all the different aspects of my freestyle stroke and now I can almost instantly recognize and analyze problems as they arise and so take steps to correct them. This is huge and means that although the improvements now are smaller, they are still happening and hopefully I will continue to improve even further. Cathy's sessions are fun whilst still giving you tons to think about - 90 minutes used to whizz past! In addition to explaining concepts to you, Cathy also uses video footage of your stroke which I found especially useful. I will never trouble Dara Torres in the water but I am getting to a point where my swimming is good enough not to hold me back in the triathlons and allows me to get to my stronger events cycling and running in a much better position and significantly less fatigued, ready to "kick some butt" in those elements! And, just in case you're thinking you've missed the opportunity, I was 42 and not able to freestyle when I went to Cathy, providing you're prepared to put in the practice doing the (at times) slightly strange drills, it's never too late - my advice, give yourself a new year's present and book those lessons with her, worth every cent." Kathryn P, Cheshire, CT "My 10 year old daughter has worked with Cathy for one year and I couldn't be more impressed with the progress she has made in swimming. Cathy has helped her learn to think about how she swims, how her body feels, and also how to develop an efficient stroke. After a few months of working with Cathy and essentially re-learning all four strokes, my age-group swimmer started achieving multiple best times at almost every meet. It is very satisfying to feel that she is now swimming and improving at her potential and not just going through the motions of swimming laps at practice after practice." Susan V, Northampton, MA "As someone who swam for exercise for 20+ years, I had an inefficient stroke. Once I got into competitive swimming I took a TI course. It was an immense help in streamlining my body and making me more efficient. It now takes less strokes and effort to go the same distance. Also, I can do distance swims much faster. I continue to train with Cathy, one of the coaches' at the TI workshop, to keep it an ongoing process. One needs to continually work on stroke and technique to improve swimming race times." Michael D, Windsor, CT I began swimming competitively at age 8 and never experienced any physical injuries until my freshman year of high school. I went to a physical therapist who recommended I see Cathy to look at how my stroke could be contributing to my pain. So, I began working with Cathy. Over the next year, I re-learned all four strokes and the pain in my shoulders and lower back stopped. In addition, I saw significant improvement in all my strokes and my times. While teammates reached plateaus during my junior year, I excelled and continued to go best times. I continued to work with Cathy through high school and am now a sophomore in college and still enjoy swimming competitively. I still revisit Cathy for stroke check-ups during breaks. Following my high school freshmen swim season, I thought very seriously about retiring from the sport of swimming due to injury and freshmen year plateau. However after working with Cathy, I contribute my success and happiness as a swimmer to Cathy and the Total Immersion Program." Chelsea H, Bolton, CT
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