Carolyn Swords of the Las Vegas Aces waves as she is introduced before the Aces’ inaugural regular-season home opener against the Seattle Storm at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 27, 2018.Ethan Miller/Getty Images
SportTechie’s Athlete’s Voice series features the views and opinions of the athletes who use and are powered by technology. SportTechie caught up with WNBA star Carolyn Swords of the Las Vegas Aces on the technology she uses to train and to keep in touch while on the road.
Carolyn Swords’s career has spanned the world from Nevada to Australia. The 6’6”, 29-year-old basketball center has spent eight years with the WNBA, most recently signing a five-year contract with the Las Vegas Aces in February 2018. Like many of her peers, Swords has spent her offseasons overseas, playing with PF Umbertide in Italy, the Sydney Uni Flames in Australia, and others in Spain, Turkey, and Poland.
She played college ball at Boston College, earning multiple All-ACC honors through her four-year career, and becoming only the second Eagles player to score more than 2,000 points—she finished with 2,029. Swords’s pro career tipped off in 2011 with a No. 15 overall draft pick from the Chicago Sky. She played three years in Chicago before signing with the New York Liberty in 2015, and was traded to the Seattle Storm in 2017.
In 2018, Swords set career highs in both rebounds per game (4.7) and rebounds in a single game (12 against Chicago on Jul. 5). Her offensive rebound percentage (13.4) ranked second in the league, with her total rebound percentage (18.1) coming in fourth. She also notched up the first two double-doubles of her WNBA career, against the Minnesota Lynx on Jul. 13 and the Indiana Fever on Jul. 22.
This past off-season, instead of traveling to play internationally, Swords has been involved in local initiatives to promote girls’ sports. She took part in reading and health-focused events at elementary schools in the Las Vegas area, and has helped launch the Aces’“Lace Up” program in the Clark County (Nev.) school district. The mentorship program aims to help high school girls succeed both athletically and academically at college.
Training With Wearables
“I’ve started using the Whoop device. I got one at the end of my season last year, in August 2018, and I’ve been wearing it for six months at this point. This is the first time I’ve been using one of these wearable tech devices consistently, but I’ve found it really helpful, primarily with all the data that it comes up with and the metrics it uses to measure recovery. It’s very helpful when you’re in season because you see the toll playing a game or practice has on your body.”
“If we’re wearing the device, we’re learning to take care of ourselves. Getting data coming back to me and seeing how that’s related to how my heart is functioning on any given day has been helpful. I’ve done a better job of prioritizing sleep, and I have a better idea of how sleep benefits me in recovery, particularly after a tough game or workout. It’s about making sure you’re controlling all of the controllable in terms of being ready for the next day.”
“It’s also been helpful because it has helped me to gauge my workouts for that day. If I travel, it shows how that affects my recovery. If I’m sick, it shows that my recovery is poor. It’s interesting to see what I feel because at this point I have a pretty good routine for how to take care of myself, but the device gives me a little bit extra. Sometimes, pushing through isn’t the hardest thing [but] I’d get a better workout in if I just rested.”
Recovery Technology
“Ice baths and whirlpools are really great now in terms of recovery. I also own a pair of the recovery boots. They fill up with air in different compartments and help to pump out some of the lactic acid that builds up from a workout. It’s been especially great because I’ve had a couple of knee injuries. The boots were particularly helpful with making sure I could pump out any build-up in the post-operation process.”
“But then when we travel, when I land in a city, if I wear those I shake the rest of the airplane feeling out of my legs and I think it helps me feel a little bit more recovered for a game or practice the next day. All pro sports athletes travel a lot while they’re in season. Our last season this past summer was really condensed, a lot of back and forth travel, and having the recovery pump boosted my performance.”
(Photo credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Staying Connected on the Road
“An interesting dynamic for the women’s basketball players is that we, in our off-season from the WNBA, head overseas. Technology is how we stay in touch with our family and friends while we’re away—using Skype or WhatsApp or whatever means we can to make phone calls. When you’re on the road, FaceTime is great. And in the last 10 to 15 years, staying in touch has gotten much easier while playing abroad. Technology has become our lifeline when we’re playing.”
“It becomes much more important when you think about living so far from home, especially when you’re heading out as a rookie and going away from your family to very unfamiliar territory. It’s reassuring to know that you can still call home. The technology removes some of those barriers of feeling so far away. Additionally, friends I’ve made while playing abroad are now just a Facebook message away.”
Social Media Sharing
“I’m a pretty private person, but it’s been a nice way to share photos of my travels on the road and show fans a different side of who I am. Everyone knows I play basketball, but I’ve enjoyed being able to share where I get to go during my free time, and the fact that I’ve played in some of these really cool places.”
“Everyone needs to be careful of how they use social media, but I do think it’s been an interesting tool to get to know athletes off the court. I think fans have enjoyed the opportunity to follow some of their favorite players.”
The NFLPA and WNBPA’s REP Worldwide licenses and manages athlete brands. The NFLPA reviewed this content before publication.
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