Coach Dave

Whether it is swimming in open water, introducing innovative technique, or trying out new pacing sets, Dave Cameron practices what he preaches.

Dave settled on distance freestyle events in high school. As a competitor for Carleton College until his graduation in 1999, he learned to appreciate the importance of form over force in swimming. With experienced and technical coaching, Dave set three team records, won two individual conference titles, and was a 15-time All-Conference swimmer. Apparently, this wasn’t enough, as Dave continued competing as a Masters swimmer. After his triathletes involved him in open water swimming, Dave took this to the extreme with a successful swim crossing of the English Channel in 2004. In 2007, Dave undertook a journey that only 25 others worldwide have ever completed successfully. In attempting a double crossing of the English Channel, Dave took 33 minutes off his previous one-way time, but did not finish the over 24-hour swim.

As a coach, Dave strives to balance one-on-one feedback with effective workouts and group dynamics that help a team develop together. Each of Dave’s teams has made huge strides under his direction.

• Dave works directly with the YWCA Masters practices, which now see from 100-200 swimmers during twenty different weekday and weekend practice times. YW Masters have competed in local meets, completed the 5-mile Minnetonka swim, and even tried out the original Ironman swim race- the 2.4 mile Waikiki Roughwater in Hawaii!

• Nine years ago, the YWCA Otters were a one-season team with a few strong swimmers. Since then, the team has expanded its practice schedule, more than quadrupled its size, and made huge strides in YMCA league and USA Swimming competition. Each year, almost every team record is broken as swimmers develop their swimming with a strong technique and aerobic focus. Dave works mostly with the Senior group of swimmers now, but he does coach the younger swimmers three days a week. With the Seniors, a detailed technical approach at all speeds up to race pace sometimes means that the Seniors swim fewer yards than the rest of the team, but their dynamic strength and conditioning helps them improve the areas a swimmer needs to develop while preventing burnout from too much time in the water.

• In 2000, Dave started working with a masters group of trithletes in St Louis Park. With new practice times, technical expertise, and workouts that catered to the needs of triathletes, the program became Minnesota Tri Masters, at the time the only tri-specific Masters club in Minnesota. Tri Masters now run outdoor workouts at a 50 meter pool in Richfield from June to August each summer.

Teaching Professional
Dave studies swimming as a science. There is always new research to test, new workouts to try, and new techniques to analyze. He attends several coaching clinics each year, and often meets with other coaches to pick their brains or debate new methods and strategies.

Dave is an active member of PowerBar Team Elite and offers guidance on race and training nutrition before, during, and after practice and race sessions.

A fan of constructive criticism, Dave is aware of many ideas and possibilities in the swimming world, and is truly passionate when discussing swimming. Dave studied under Terry Laughlin and was certified as Minnesota’s first Total Immersion Teaching Professional. Because of the success of TI’s method, Dave has encouraged several other instructors to pursue this certification, and his swim teams use the drills throughout the season as a framework for successful technique.Dave is now an Area Leader with Total Immersion- any workshop you see in Minnesota, North or South Dakota, or Iowa likely has him directing.