COLUMBIA FALLS SWIM TEAM

My number one goal is to create an environment of fun and excitement, with positive competition. I want to keep things upbeat and be supportive, while taking opportunities to coach and mentor these young athletes. If they are excited to get up earlier than they got up for school, and are ready to come visit me, then I'm doing my job right.

You will hear me use words like be a (monster, warrior, champion, beast, winner, etc.) and my goal here is to get each individual to recognize their potential, and strive for greatness within their own lens. This concept will live far beyond just the swimming pool when the focus is “me VS me”.

I believe that “winning” has nothing to do with podium positions, and everything to do with owning one's self and reaching for your highest potential. I want to instill the winning mentality in our team because it is full of future nurses, doctors, teachers, business owners, lawyers, bankers, mothers, and fathers, as well as athletes. If they did their best, tried their hardest, and are willing to keep working to be better in the future, they are winning.

I aim to teach our kids to be okay with loss, disappointment, and hurt. Not ignore it, but rather embrace it and become more of a monster because of it. I will often let the kids know that they get 5 minutes to be mad, sad, or overall upset about a particular result or event in private. I will not tolerate bad sportsmanship in the pool or on the deck. But they are allowed to fold it up, pack it away, and bring it back out the next time they step on the blocks or into the practice pool.

The cool thing about race sports is that there are plenty of moments to practice aligning mindset with physical and emotional output, and then receiving instant feedback.

I know some of this is deep, and we are a simple summer program with a lot of youngsters, but I want everyone to understand where my mind is, and how I view developing athletes.

I expect our swimmers to compete hard, do their very best, and attempt to meet or exceed their personal goals. They will ALWAYS be a good sportsman/woman and show respect for all swimmers, coaches, stroke judges, and parents. I want to see high-fives at the end of a race, no matter the outcome. Our athletes should be supporting other swimmers and teammates, even if they are disappointed in their performance.

This is summer, and we love to run around and have fun- but one thing I will always stress is the importance of food, water, and shade between races. This should start as a loose concept that tightens as the season goes on, landing as an absolute must by the Divisionals and State Meets.

I may ask them to step out of their comfort zone and compete in events that are not what they traditionally swim. There are multiple reasons for this:

1. A given event might be overloaded with swimmers, and moving someone might increase that individual’s chances, and the team’s chances of scoring additional points.
2. To explore an athlete’s abilities and discover events that might be better suited for them.
3. If a swimmer has runaway success in the Western Division in their particular events, but will experience intense competition at the State level, moving events occasionally will give them an opportunity to "race"- and put them in those competitive moments that are crucial to winning big races when they matter.

Competing should be fun.

Competing is the result of hard, consistent work and if we view it as such, then there is no need to stress at the time of competition. It is okay to be nervous and restlessly ready to perform in the moment but confidence in our training and abilities keeps this from turning to full-fledged anxiety. I use to have a coach that would say the more you torture yourself in practice the less tortured you'll feel before the whistle blows.