ISL TEAMS HEAD INTO BUDAPEST WITH LEWISVILLE LEARNINGS
Over 100 Olympians are represented by the ISL, including 41 Olympic gold medals from the 2016 Olympic Games.
Watching the first two International Swimming League matches from afar is one thing, but actually getting to compete and be in the thick of it is an entirely different experience.
That was the case for the four ISL clubs who competed in Lewisville, as they all made their league debut. From a general manager’s perspective, it took most of the first day for the athletes to get used to the flow of things before they really settled in, both due to a lack of familiarity with the format and a long layoff from racing in general.
“I thought the match went just as I and our coaching staff expected,” said LA Current GM Lenny Krayzelburg. “For most of our team this was the first time they were racing this year and it was obvious on the first day. We were better on Day 2 just as we expected.”
“Being the first event for all four teams there was guarded excitement about what would unfold during the competition,” said London Roar GM Rob Woodhouse, whose club won the match with 484.5 points. “But the feedback from swimmers and the fans who attended has been terrific.”
“We noticeably did better on Day 2,” added Iron GM Dorina Szekeres. “I think on Day 1 the team struggled a bit with jetlag, and they also needed that first day to get used to the pace of the match which is much faster than any other swimming competition.”
The London Roar were surprisingly dominant relative to expectations coming in, winning nearly half (18 of 37) of the events on the schedule to ultimately defeat the LA Current by 27.5 points.
Woodhouse was less concerned about the end result, and knew if his club could follow their set procedure things would come together as they’re supposed to.
"As a team we were obviously delighted with the result,” he said. “We didn't focus on securing the overall win, it was more a matter of getting the processes right both in and out of the pool and let the result take care of itself.”
“I was a bit surprised by how well (the) London Roar swam in this match,” said Krayzelburg. “But it was good because it got our team more excited to compete and race.”
Moving forward, process remains the buzz word for the Roar as they head to Budapest to try and lock up two match wins in a row.
“Nothing major,” said Woodhouse on what adjustments his squad will make for the next contest. “Just focusing again on the processes all the way through from our flight out of Dallas until we finish the match in Budapest next weekend.”
The Current are coming in with a similar mindset: concentrate on what’s within your control.
“We are not focused on London Roar at this time and how to bridge the gap, we are focused on ourselves and how we as a team continue to get better from match to match,” said Krayzelburg. “We have tremendous talent on this team and if we continue to get better we will peak at the most important time during this season.”
As for Iron, the Budapest match will be of particular importance as they’ll be racing in front of their home crowd. The club is Hungarian-based and has 11 local athletes on their roster.
After the strong showing her club had on the second day in Lewisville, Szekeres is confident they’ll be vastly improved this weekend. “Now that we are in a European time zone and know what to expect from the match, we are hoping for a much better performance from the whole team,” she said. “The home crowd will also add an extra boost."
“The Hungarian fans have shown over and over again that they love swimming and can create an amazing atmosphere in Duna Arena. We are looking forward to bringing (the) ISL to Budapest and I hope that not only Iron swimmers but all four teams will have the experience of a lifetime.”
About the ISL: The International Swimming League is a global professional swimming competition launching in 2019 with teams in both Europe (Italy-based Aqua Centurions, France-based Energy Standard, Hungary-based Iron, and London Roar) and the United States (Cali Condors, DC Trident, LA Current, NY Breakers). The inaugural season will include matches in Indianapolis IN, Naples ITA, Lewisville TX, Budapest HUN, College Park MD, London GBR, and the championship finale at the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. The ISL aims to create groundbreaking projects, in both form and content, exploring the full potential of competitive swimming while securing sustainable commercial growth in the sport.
Key Dates: 5-6 October 2019 – IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, USA 12-13 October 2019 – Aquatic Swimming Complex, Naples, Italy 19-20 October 2019 – The LISD Westside Aquatic Center, Lewisville, Texas, USA 26-27 October 2019 – Duna Area, Budapest, Hungary 16-17 November 2019 – Natatorium at the Eppley Recreation Center, Maryland, USA 23-24 November 2019 – London Aquatic Centre, Great Britain 20-21 December 2019 – Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, USA
ISL SOCIAL: Keep up with all the latest ISL news by following @iswimleague on Instagram and Twitter and @internationalswimmingleague on Facebook.
Visit https://isl.global
25 October 2019
