One Way Things Get Done

There is definitely more than one “right” way to achieve a goal. We find it interesting to ask our swimmers how they achieve success to see what we learn from their various paths.

Last weekend Lucy captured her first NCSA Junior Nationals cut. She swam a 24.20 in her 50 free in the finals of a local senior circuit meet. We asked her about the pathway to that swim. To paraphrase her it went something like this:

Last summer at the Clovis meet (Western Zones) when I swam my 50 free long course and made my Sectional cut I thought that Orlando was a possibility. Then this weekend in prelims I felt that maybe I was getting close. During warmups for finals I knew I was going to swim my qualifying time of 24.39.

So an idea is born. Then work is done. Then the belief system enters, first a “maybe” and then finally a “yes I am” mentality.

Coaches and leaders of any group or community need to keep the targets in view. Then we show our swimmers “how” to get there while continuously encouraging them to provide the “why I want it”. This is a never ending conversation.

It is the crux of what we do. We show them possibilities and get them to step up. When they “own” the process they will get their reward. They must for that is how the universe works…pretty much all the time.