A Good Lesson

Local San Francisco politico and former Mayor Willie Brown writes a column in the Chronicle every Sunday. Last week he made a note of interest regarding Tiger Woods. Say what you will about Woods the fact remains that for several years he was untouchable on the golf course. Here is the content from Brown's column.

"Tiger Woods' return to the Masters reminded me of the advice he gave to kids when he was here (San Francisco) as part of the First Tee program.

He had the kids out on the fairway and lined up a row of balls. He hit each and every one about 250 yards, and they all landed within 5 feet of each other. "Don't hit the ball any further than you can control it," he said. "The goal in golf is to get close enough to the hole to then putt in. I could have hit every one of these balls another 125 yards, but I would have no way of knowing where it's going. So hit the ball only as far as you can control it."

Willie then wrote, "Not a bad lesson for any move you make - be it business or political." To which we add, for any workout or race you swim or coach.

Two Things

We have a short message today. We hope you will find food for thought. We wish all of you a wonderful Easter weekend and a Happy Passover.

It seems to us that progress is made when you have a breakthrough. It seems to us that progress is made when you have a breakdown. We are not sure which comes first but we believe the key part of the equation is the first syllable in each of those words - "BREAK". When you have either a breakthrough or a breakdown you are changing what has been for what can be. This applies to all three aspects of improvement; body, mind and spirit.

In fact we contend it is entirely possible that a single incident, race, workout, thought

or feeling can be simultaneously a breakdown and a breakthrough.

The second thing comes from a source unknown to us but we liked it enough to believe it is true. Abe Lincoln said that if he were given 8 hours to chop down a tree he would spend 6 hours sharpening his axe.

Robert M. Sapolsky

A really good friend, Lois, told me about an extraordinary lecture she attended last week in which the speaker, Robert Sapolsky, spoke of humans and a variety of our attributes including confidence. As coaches we are truly in the confidence business. So I did what anyone would do (!) I Googled him and the word confidence and what appears below jumped up. Isn't life grand?!

What If...

Posted by thegirlwiththewhiteboard@yahoo.com on Nov 7, 2011 in Momentos

I could not be more thrilled about the amount of circulation thegirlwiththewhiteboard has recorded since the site was publicized late last Tuesday night. The support and encouragement of my followers has been enormous, and seeing more and more unfamiliar names and faces following has been a greater joy. For me, December needs to arrive sooner because I can hardly contain how eager I am to start the project on December 2nd. Together, we can keep spreading this to become something truly powerful to many.

"What if...?" This interrogative phrase is used so frequently, but why? Humans are the only creatures that develop anxiety over what could be, unlike the other species on this planet. For class, I once read a book by Stanford University professor and primatologist Robert M. Sapolsky called Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: An Updated Guide To Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping. The chapters go on to discuss chemical reactions in the body and the dreaded increase of glucocorticoid levels- we need not go further into the physiology behind all of this- as a result of stress. Translation: stress kills, well, eventually. And what is one way that we accumulate stress? We worry not only about the here and now, but also what is to come. That is what separates us from, say, a zebra. If pursued by a predator, the zebra's stress levels are heightened until the chase is over and, hopefully, the zebra makes it through with his life. Afterwards, the zebra does whatever it is that zebras do. On the flipside, what would we do? We would then stress about when, where and how the next predator would attack us until it either happened or it didn't happen. See the difference? We stress about potential situations, along with what we are presently going through. Sapolsky knew what he was talking about.

Why do we stress about what isn't even certain? I will admit, that as someone who possesses qualities of a Type-A personality, I know exactly what it is like to stress about upcoming deadlines or situations. While it is good to have a healthy amount of planning and execution to arrive at your goals, you can't let it consume you. It is then when you lose sight of what is right in front of you and start overlooking the small wonders that you normally would appreciate. Trust in your abilities; appreciate what you do have, and stop worrying. Even if you are brought to a challenging situation, you will face it and get through it while learning about yourself and becoming more self-assured.

On occasion our "What if...?" could also be referencing a potentially good situation. For example, the day I thought of the idea for this project, my mind flew through many what ifs. But, I obviously chose to make it more than a "what if". It became a certainty. In this case, stop thinking about what could be. Instead, go out there and get it. Did I know if people would consider my idea to be foolish? No. Will I know how people will react to me on the street? No. Did I know how to make a website? No. Had I ever made a business card? No. But, did I care about any of it? No. I wanted something, so I went out and attained it. With passion, everything else will fall into place. With this attitude, I have been carried through achieving anything I was passionate to support. Was I ever disappointed? No, because every situation would have been more disappointing had I not taken a stand and pursued my intended outcome.

Be your own biggest fan. You may not always have someone there to encourage you every step of the way, but by having confidence you will be able to accomplish much without external motivation. What's that? You aren't confident? Solution: fake it 'til you make it. Believe you are confident, challenge yourself in situations, and talk to people. Eventually, you won't be faking anymore; you will have developed your confidence. Voila!

What are you waiting for? Go out and turn your "what if" into something real!

True Story

A couple of weeks ago at a mutual friend’s birthday party I reconnected with a former Masters swimmer from the 1970’s. Tom asked me what it was like coaching at this point in time vs. in the 60’s and 70’s. What had changed, if anything? I replied that some technique issues had been refined and racing strategies had been clarified to some extent. I said that belief systems still ruled the day when all was said and done. He asked me if the kids were any different. I said I thought there was less ability to connect the dots between responsibility and accountability. I also believe that parents are reluctant to allow their children to fail thereby robbing them of one of the great teaching experiences of all time.

He proceeded to tell me the story of his daughter Sydney (not her real name). A handful of years ago when she was 14 years old in 8th grade she declared that she wanted to attend a local private school that is very exclusive. They only admit 85 students each year. Hundreds apply.

She decided that in addition to her outstanding grades, test scores and letters of recommendation from various folks that she would sweeten her chances by expanding her resume by competing in a speaking contest. She entered with the idea of being a finalist, maybe even winning and felt if she did this it would really help her chances of gaining a spot at this school.

She decided to reprise Doris Day’s role of Annie Oakley. She got her outfit together and practiced her lines for weeks. As the contest neared the excitement in the home began to build. Tom was extremely proud of her and she was growing more confident by the day.

The evening of the contest Tom and Sydney drove to Sonoma County where the contest was being held. She took the stage looking sharp; he stood in the wings, the proud parent. As she wowed the crowd and the judges he beamed.

Part way through, she stopped. She had momentarily forgotten her lines. She looked at him for help. He smiled encouragingly. Unable to remember she turned her back on the judges and audience, closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. For nearly a minute she stood there motionless, and then looked at him asking for help. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled willing her to remember, to go on.

She took another deep breath and turned back to the audience. She said “I am unable to continue. I have forgotten my lines. I thank all of you for this opportunity and while I am disappointed in myself I can tell you I practiced hard and have done my best. Unfortunately today I cannot go forward.” With her head held high she walked down through the crowd and out the front door with Tom following closely behind.

They got in the car and she burst into tears, sobbing mightily. He comforted her as best he could. He had mixed feelings of course;he felt badly for her and proud of her at the same time.

The next morning as they ate breakfast together they reread the contest rules. There in the fine print at the bottom it stated that “no contestant shall be penalized for being prompted.” He felt extremely disappointed in himself for not reading the rules more carefully. She said it didn’t matter all that much that she had prepared as well as she could and it simply didn’t work for her that night.

Tom told me that it has been 5 years since the incident and several times over those years his daughter has told him that she learned more about success, perseverance, dignity under pressure, handling disappointment and keeping things in perspective from that one incident than she ever would have had she been able to complete her speech that night.

She was accepted into the school anyway. She decided not to attend. She is a freshman in college today, doing well.

Simple Truths

We receive regular updates from Mac Anderson’s company Simple Truths. The reference to 212 degrees is that at 211 degrees water is very hot; add 1 degree and you get boiling water and steam can power a locomotive. We felt this excerpt was a powerful follow up to our discussion last week about taper time. The connection is in the very last sentence, which drives home the concept of trust.

An excerpt from 212° Leadership by Mac Anderson

Leaders lead by example, whether they intend to or not. What example did you set today? When you lead by example, you engage your people to follow your vision...not by words, but by action. While you are measuring your employees' performance, they are measuring how well you follow through on both your words and your deeds. Think leading by example is only for top management? Think again. Whatever your position in your organization, the way you do your job...and the attitude with which you do it...determines the impact that you have. I recently read a story by Mark Brown in the Chicago Sun-Times that really drives this point home. Mark wrote about a Chicago-area mailman, Mike Martinez, who passed away at the age of 50, but left a lasting impression by the example he set: "Mike was a heckuva nice guy who knew everyone on his route by name and always greeted them with a smile, a wave and some friendly chitchat. "He was the kind of mailman who would warn them if they'd forgotten to move their cars on street-sweeping day, search the post office on his weekend day off for their missing package or stop by their homes after work for a beer or a barbecue." The article goes on to describe other people that Mike touched as he delivered the mail, including Tom Lutz, who had suffered a stroke. Mike would call Tom and ask him to help deliver the mail to his neighbors as part of his rehab. "He would encourage me to try a little harder each day, as my bad leg would get better little by little," said Tom. "Martinez was such an unforgettable character, in fact, that some of those customers built a memorial garden in his honor. "I've never seen anything quite like 'Mike's Corner,' certainly not for a mailman. The garden consists of an exquisitely landscaped corner parkway plot with a small stone monument topped by an old-fashioned flag mailbox and a plaque designed to look like a letter. The letter to Mike T. Martinez Jr. carries a return address of 'Rest in Peace 1959-2010.' "You don't need to have a big-shot job to leave your mark in this world. All it takes is a warm smile, an upbeat attitude and a kind heart." There's no doubt about it. Mike left some big shoes to fill along his route...but that challenge to achieve the same connection with those he served is part of his legacy. "'It really makes you step up your game,' said mail carrier Tamme Price as she worked his old route." That's the power of a living example. It can make those around you "step up their game,"...sometimes long after you are gone. Jeff Gitomer, author of the Little Book of Leadership said it best, "Your people are a direct reflection of you. They watch you. They follow you. They measure you. They listen to you. If you want them to be dedicated to you, you have to be dedicated to them." Through your words, actions and deeds, you set the foundation for building an environment of trust and respect. Trust is the key to both managing people and building a high performance company. It is the foundation on which relationships are built. According to Tom Peters, "Technique and technology are important. But adding trust is the issue of the decade." Peters suggests that managers must take a "high-tech and high-trust" approach, putting the issue of trust at the top of the agenda and treating it like a "hard issue, not a soft issue." If employees feel you don't trust them to do their jobs correctly and well, they'll be reluctant to do much without your approval. On the other hand, when they feel trusted that you believe they'll do the right things well, they'll naturally want to do things to the best of their ability and be deserving of your trust. In On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis outlines the four ingredients for leaders to generate and sustain trust: 1. Constancy. Whatever surprises leaders themselves may face, they don't create any for the group. Leaders stay the course. 2. Congruity. Leaders walk their talk. In true leaders, there is no gap between the theories they espouse and the life they practice. 3. Reliability. Leaders are there when it counts; they are ready to support their co-workers in the moments that matter. 4. Integrity. Leaders honor their commitments and promises. While corporate scandals, terrorist threats, office politics, and broken relationships have created low trust on almost every front, I contend that the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust is not only vital to our personal and interpersonal well-being, it is the key leadership competency of the new global economy. I am also convinced in every situation, nothing is as fast as the speed of trust.

The Old Book and Its Cover Thing

On most Saturdays I get a nice long walk before our 10:00 AM long course workout. I go an hour or so with some hills involved. This past weekend I didn’t have time to go to Phoenix Lake so I began by climbing the 139 steps in downtown Larkspur. What a glorious morning it turned out to be. I met Zvi and heard a bit of his story first hand. He was coming down and I was going up and he said, “Good morning young man!” He declared he was 86. I walked a little more on the streets at the top of the stairs ending up down below, and then started up again. When I saw him coming down from yet another round of climbing I asked him if he was still 86. He then told me,” I am going to brag to you.” And he did, telling me the story below (he didn’t mention the parade part).

Zvi Danenberg – The Lord of the Steps

July 7, 2010

Ki exercise, By Dov Michaeli

Every year on the fourth of July, my wife and fellow blogger, Pat Salber and I follow a routine that is, by now, one of our hallowed traditions. At 12 noon sharp, we walk down the hill from our house to the main street of our small Marin County town, Larkspur, California, to watch what must be at once the funkiest and most heart-warming parade in America.

The Larkspur mayor rides in a 1950’s white convertible, our representative in the California Assembly (what’s his name?) sits on the back seat of another fancy-dancy car, waving affably to a crowd as uncertain of who he is as we are. Next come vehicles bearing various local heroes (volunteer of the year, presidents of local chapters of national organizations, and local politicians holding offices we don’t remember voting for). Each of these local luminaries makes great contributions to our quality of life and we are happy to applaud them as they revel in their 15 minutes of fame.

There are also lots of vintage military vehicles (tanks, trucks, jeeps, etc.) courtesy of a local Military Vehicle museum. The liveliest parts of the parade take place when flat-bed trucks carrying high school bands and local wanna-be rockers stop and share their music. For some reason, not clear to me, there are also two bagpipe bands (loud applause ) -in kilts – enchanting the crowd with traditional Scottish music. A gay band with baton twirler, moms marching with their kids, the SPCA and a health care group advocating a single payer health care system, and, well you get the picture: a uniquely Northern California celebration.

This year, one parading vehicle caught my eye. It was a blue-grey convertible carrying an “older” guy sitting on the top of the back seat, hat tilted at a tantalizing angle, smiling and waving to everyone. What compelled me to lift my eyes from reading the news on my Kindle was the enthusiastic applause (as opposed to the politely tepid hand-clapping the local pillars of the community received) , the shout-outs from the people around us , and the throngs of folks running up to him to try shake his hand. A sign on the side of the car proclaimed “Zvi Dannenberg is 85. He has climbed 2 million stairs since 2009″. Clearly, we were in the presence of a local celebrity.

Once we got back home, I started to investigate “just who is Zvi Danenberg?” Here is what I learned. Zvi Danenberg is an 85 year old local (Marin County) legend. Since January 2009, he has climbed more than 2 million stairs, usually bounding two stairs at a time. Now, these are not just any run of the mill office building stairs, rather they are concrete stairs built into a steep Larkspur hillside to provide a “short cut” from the main street to the hillside homes. Everyone in Larkspur knows Zvi. He is a local work-out hero. A fellow stair-climber from the UK, in true British fashion, anointed him “The Lord of the Steps.” Even the City Council took time off from their weighty issues of sewers and planning commission variances to issue a proclamation in his honor.

So, I asked myself, just what compels Zvi to do what he does? I could not contain my curiosity, so I looked him up in the local phone book and gave him a call. I was expecting an amusing story; instead I was rewarded with an inspiration. Here is what he told me:

He started suffering from a nagging low back pain in his late 50’s. His doctor recommended he take up walking. Dutifully, he walked every street and trail in the area before becoming terribly bored with the whole thing. One day, when some young women jogged by, he decided to join them. He told me that he was utterly winded after 100 yards, but he was also totally sold on the sport.

Gradually Zvi increased his running distance to 8 miles, which he ran every morning, seven days a week. When “my boy Clinton”, as he put it, was elected in 1992, he celebrated by running an additional eight miles that afternoon. He continued to “celebrate” for next 15 years: 8 miles in the morning and 8 in most afternoons.

In April of 2007, one of his knees gave out and, on his doctor’s advice; he had knee replacement surgery and ended his running career. However, nothing can keep a good man down for too long. Soon after his surgery, Zvi took up stair climbing and the rest as they say is (local) history. BTW, did I mention that he also does 100 pushups and 100 sit ups every morning?

As I was listening to Zvi’s story, I asked myself, “Is that all”? (As if it wasn’t enough). But, no, I learned as we continued to talk, there is so much more. He is also a classical music aficionado; he owns a collection of 18,000 CDs and vinyl records of every conceivable classical work. And he is attends over 40 classical music concerts every year.

In the recent studies about the genetic study of extreme longevity, we made the point that even with the ideal genetic makeup; the wrong lifestyle can do you in before your longevity genes kick in. Genes are not destiny. Lifestyle makes significant contributions to your ability to live a long and healthy life. What better proof is there than Zvi Danenberg, the Lord of the Steps?

I love it when I meet people that push what most of us think are the limits of human accomplishment. They are role models for the rest of us. I salute you – and thank you – Zvi Danenberg. You are an inspiration for the rest of us.

Keep The Love-Light On

John Caughlin

C/o The Dorsey's

1210 Green Orchard Place

Encinitas, CA 92024

Every now and then we MUST look to a greater power for strength.

Today that power is John Caughlin.

On Saturday September 3^rd John participated in the Annual Maui Channel Swim. Instead of being a part of the numerous relays he decided this year he would give it a go solo. He made all the usual sacrifices to get himself ready. And was he ready! Many of his friends and fellow swimmers were going with him – spiritually. Some of you who read this blog are already open water compatriots of John’s – even though you perhaps have never met him. Some of you have swum the English Channel. Some of you have swum in the Sea of Cortez, or the Gulf of the Farallons.

Suffice it to say that all long distance open water swimmers share many bonds.

John was about 200 yards from shore and the finish when he made a defensive move to protect himself from a power boat, raising his arms to protect his head. As a result of the collision John suffered life changing injuries to both arms. His right arm was amputated above his elbow and he lost the thumb and forefinger on his left hand.

The lingering image from that tragedy is seen in his picture…what a smile of inspiration! Make certain that smile is indelibly etched in your memory forever. Next time you think you are having a tough day remember John’s smile. That’s all you need to keep moving forward. It is actually that simple.

John and his sister Jennifer (at his side in the picture) arrived in Southern California on Saturday the 17^th of September. John is spending some time with his family at the address above.

His words…”I had my swim and then I had an accident. I will come back sooner than later and finish the swim.” Awesome attitude doesn’t really capture the power of John Caughlin.

Before email, text and twitter there was snail mail. It still works today. Maybe send John a note, card, flowers, something…let him know you are with him…we are certain you will make a difference in his life just as he has in yours.

Be grateful when you go in the water this week…

Good Ideas from Two Different Venues

Last weekend we went to the Sausalito Art and Music Festival. There was an enormous amount of creativity on display and it was obvious talking with many of the artists that no matter their medium they all were engaged in some personal pursuit, using their art to express themselves.

Richard Starks who does Hand Crafted Metal Sculptures has this to say:

WISDOM is knowing what to do.

SKILL is knowing how to do it well.

VIRTUE is doing it well.

We will remember that the next time we walk onto the pool deck!

This weekend we attended the 42^nd Annual World Swimming Coaches Clinic sponsored by the American Swimming Coaches Association. Coaches from all over the world attended sharing ideas and information about this fabulous sport. One of the recurring themes was that this sport of ours is a vehicle for teaching life lessons…that we all seek the “Aha” moment both in the pool and in life.

John Casadia is an ASCA Level 5 (the highest level) coach and former teacher from Vineland School District in New Jersey. He had this to say:

“If you always do what you always did you will always get what you already got.”

We will remember this when we plan our next workout and then walk on the deck to deliver it to our athletes.

Have an awesome week!

Looking for the Elusive 1%

Ken was talking to the team (Ken DeMont, Head Coach, North Bay Aquatics) last week about our successes of the last season. It was a great way to begin the fall training block…how we can build off of our recent swims, that sort of thing. Then he led a particularly effect discussion. He asked the team “What if we swam just 1% faster, what would that have done for us?”

He used specific examples of many of our swimmers and some of their fastest swims, ending each example with the specific result of a 1% improvement. Numerous kids would have made finals at Sectionals or Jr. Nationals or gotten their Jr. National or Sr. National cuts or even Olympic Trial’s cuts.

It was a real eye opener for the team…and a stroke of coaching genius by Ken. We only trained 3 days last week, giving everyone the 4 day weekend. Next week will be a 4 day training week and then we get rolling into the normal flow of things.

Each day this week we have posed the 1% question to them, almost in passing sometimes. It is the kind of thing that the ones who have a passion will latch onto for sure. It is also very possible that it will reach some of the others who are deciding (maybe even subconsciously) whether to jump in with both feet and explore the possibilities.

Try this exercise with your team or for yourself…then let us know how it goes. Have a great week at the pool!

Lao Tzu

A stone sculpture of Laozi, located north of Quanzhou at the foot of Mount Qingyuan

As we begin our new season, the one leading up to the Olympic Trials in Omaha in 2012 where the Olympic Team for London will be chosen we consider this quote attributed to Lao Tzu,

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

Every time we begin anew, it is imperative to give ourselves a chance to really grow into what we can become. A certain part of that process requires that we let go of the past paradigms such that we can find new “truths” about what is “real” for us.

This applies to coaches as well as swimmers and includes parents. We encourage each of you to carefully assess what is “true” about your role in the process of helping others attain their goals, fulfill their dreams.

There are swimmers today that no one is considering who will make the 2012 Olympic Team. It happens every four years. Likewise, there are swimmers and coaches and parents who will leap ahead in their respective roles this year making a tremendous difference in the lives they touch.

Be one of them.

Jerry West

Those who follow basketball and those who are casual sports fans know the name Jerry West. He is a Hall of Fame player who also has coached in the NBA and has been an extremely successful, competent executive in the NBA.

We live here in the San Francisco Bay Area, home of the Golden State Warriors NBA franchise. This franchise has been woeful for so many years we cannot even remember. The team won the NBA title in the mid 1970’s when Rick Barry and others led the team. Since then it has been mostly a team of promise, playing pretty much poor basketball compared to the rest of the league.

There has been an ownership change and one of the moves the new group made has been to hire Jerry West as an advisor. In a recent interview he gave some very compelling answers that reconfirmed what we know generally to be true about high level performers.

Q: Gotta ask you, as a former head coach in the NBA, how much of that job is X’s and O’s…and how much of it is player psychology?

A: First of all, I think you have to motivate players…I said it once and I’ll say it till I die: Hard work is a skill, and a coach can bring a game plan to the room, he can have every X and O down to a science…but the bottom line is…you’ve got to have players that go out and compete every night.

Q: You chose to join the Warriors as an advisor, and you know you could have done any number of things with your life. There must have been something about the owners and their pitch to you that said, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to spend my time with the Warriors.”

A: One of the most important things in life is to be around people that have great energy and great enthusiasm. I don’t want to be around anyone at this point in my life that’s an energy drainer, because they’re not a lot of fun to be around, and pretty soon you are at…their level. But these are two incredibly enthusiastic men. They are unbelievably bright. They want to do something very, very positive up here…The goal is to get this team to a greater height…and the way to do that is to have a very, very tough and strong ownership that has fiber to it, that’s not afraid to make decisions. And sometimes they’re not always popular, but that’s exactly what you are going to see up here.

Pretty clear to us…how about you?

Fred Shero

Fred Shero
Shero during his playing days with the New York Rangers
Born	October 23, 1925(1925-10-23) Winnipeg, MB, CAN
Died	November 24, 1990(1990-11-24) (aged 65) Camden, NJ, USA
Height	5 ft. 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	185 lb. (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb.)
Position	Defense
Shot	Left
Played for	New York Rangers
Playing career	1947–1958

Frederick Alexander "The Fog" Shero (October 23, 1925 - November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spent most of his playing career in the minor leagues. Following his playing career, he went into coaching, spending 13 years coaching in the minor leagues before making it to the NHL. As an NHL head coach, Shero won the Stanley Cup twice with the Philadelphia Flyers (1974 and 1975) and reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times in Philadelphia (1974, 1975, and 1976). He also had four consecutive seasons of having a 0.700 or better winning percentage and remains the Flyers all-time leader in coaching victories. Shero controversially left the Flyers following the 1977-78 season to become the head coach of the New York Rangers, whom he led to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first season. He resigned from the Rangers after coaching for less than three seasons. Shero had a unique style of coaching that led to several innovations that are still used today. He was the first coach to hire a full-time assistant coach, employ systems, have his players use in season strength training, study film, and he was one of the first coaches to utilize a morning skate.

He was known for his enigmatic and introverted personality often times appearing or disappearing from a room unnoticed, or being completely lost in thought. He often left philosophical sayings on a chalkboard as a way of provoking thought or as a motivational tool.

Prior to game six of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals, Shero wrote his now famous quote "Win today and we walk together forever" - a statement that continues to be quoted to this day.

Another quote worth remembering from Shero is “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion; you must first set yourself on fire.”

We will use both of these quotes in our team meetings this week. You just never know when someone else’s words will strike a nerve in one of your athletes. As coaches, that is one of our major job requirements – striking nerves, compelling athletes into action. Have a great week in the pool!!

Proverbs

In his book “The Soul Would Have No Rainbow If The Eyes Had No Tears” Guy A. Zona writes that, “Proverbs often serve as a means of instruction in the rules of conduct and ethical behavior expected by all members of a society; what makes them an effective tool is that they are based on a keen observation of human nature and behavior rather than an idealized and unrealistic standard.”

While on a recent long weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we stopped in the rather ordinary “Visitor’s Center Bookshop” only to discover this – in our opinion – rather extraordinary collection of Native American Proverbs. Several hit a particular resonance with us. Happy Sunday to you on Mother’s Day 2011.

Talk to your children while they are eating; what you say will stay even after you are gone – (Nez Perce)

The more you ask how far you have to go, the longer your journey seems – (Seneca)

Everything the Power does, it does in a circle – (Lakota)

Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot in the boat are going to fall into the river – (Tuscarora)

Even when we lay down, we lay down on our own path of life – (Pawnee)

It is less of a problem to be poor than to be dishonest – (Anishinabe)

A rocky vineyard does not need a prayer but a pickax – (Navajo)

You already possess everything necessary to become great – (Crow)

Goal Setting – What’s the Big Deal?

Well, we are going out on a limb here…all of us already know what the big deal is about goal setting. If you don’t know where you are going two things will happen for certain: 1) you will not get there, 2) you will not get lost. Our team is approaching the high school championship meet in a few weeks and they all have written down goals. It is helping them focus. Practices have become livelier. Stroke technique is being worked on. And we are encouraging them to push into unfamiliar territory – to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, in terms of physical discomfort caused by their exertion.

USA Swimming puts out a weekly newsletter for all members and the article below was in a recent one. We thought it hit the nail on the head in several ways. We hope you will enjoy it!

Seven Reasons People Don’t Set Goals and How to Overcome Each of Them

by Kevin Eikenberry, Chief Potential Officer, The Kevin Eikenberry Group

Talk to ten people and nine of them will tell you they believe in goal-setting. These nine people will tell you that goals are important, that they can help you be happier and healthier, and that they are the best and fastest way to achieve more in life.

I would agree with those nine people. Unfortunately eight of the nine, when pressed, will tell you they don’t set many (or any) goals; that they really want to, but….
Actually, I’m being a bit optimistic here. I’ve read several times (through I can’t corroborate it with specific research right now) that only about 3% of people ever set and write down any goals. If most everyone thinks goals are important, and most everyone would like to be happier, healthier, achieve more, etc., etc., etc., why don’t they set goals?

There are seven reasons that I have observed.
1. People don’t know how to set goals.
2. People are searching for the perfect way to set goals.
3. People are afraid to set goals.
4. People are afraid to succeed.
5. People are afraid they won’t succeed.
6. People don’t want to set the goal too high.
7. People don’t want to set the goal too low.

After looking at and thinking more about this list, I believe they really are excuses for not setting goals, not reasons. Let’s look at each excuse, and then explore how to solve the problem and erase the excuse.

As you read the list this time, read them all with a whine in your voice, and look for which on the list is your personal excuse (there may be none—good for you; there may be more than one—good for you for being honest—now you have the opportunity to change your habit).

EXCUSE #1 “BUT I DON’’T KNOW HOW…..”
This makes sense in a way. How can we do anything if we don’t know how to do it? Maybe you really don’t know how, but to be honest the resources to help you learn are plentiful, and we aren’t talking rocket science here. There are thousands of books about goal-setting and hundreds of free resources on the internet. (Actually an Amazon.com search on goal setting nets more than 30,000 results, and a Google search on the same phrase yields more than 23 million results. Solution #1—Find a resource, read it and get started.

EXCUSE #2 “BUT I WANT TO SET THEM THE RIGHT WAY….”
This excuse is the opposite of Excuse #1. There are some people that collect goal-setting books, tools and techniques like others collect baseball cards. Yes, there are many approaches; and yes, some may be better than others or work better for you. But none of them will work until you do. Solution #2—Enough collecting! Pick an approach and get started.

EXCUSE #3 “BUT I’M AFRAID….”
Afraid of what? The unknown? There is nothing to be afraid of, except the unknown of trying. Recognizing your fear is a great first step, but setting goals isn’t like the unknown climbing Mt. Everest or swimming with sharks. There really is nothing to be afraid of (although there are two more excuses related to fear.) Solution #3—The best way to conquer a fear is to do the thing you fear. Set a goal. Start with a small, short-term one if you must, but just try it!

EXCUSE #4 “BUT I’M AFRAID I’LL SUCCEED….”
Actually, this excuse falls into a special category because people typically won’t really say it and might not even think it. But in reality, it may be the biggest and most powerful excuse of all. If you set a goal, you might achieve it, and in a paradoxical way, some people are afraid of the change that might come with that achievement. Or, in some other cases they don’t feel worthy of achieving it. Solution #4—Start with a small goal, one that will help you build your confidence and show you some success that you can manage. (If you have significant self-esteem issues that are preventing you from feeling worthy, I encourage you to get help.)

EXCUSE #5 “BUT I’M AFRAID I’LL FAIL…”
OK, so you may fail. If you set a goal to lose 20 pounds and you only lose 10 is that so bad? How many pounds would you have lost if you hadn’t set a goal at all? Repeat after me: “There is nothing wrong with failing. Failing is just a chance to make corrections before trying again.” Solution #5—Let go of your fear; just a little bit, just this once. Just set a goal.

EXCUSE #6 “BUT IF I SET THE GOAL TOO HIGH, I MIGHT NOT REACH IT…”
You hopefully can see that this is a combo-pack of Excuses 3 and 5 (and maybe a bit of #2 as well). If the goal is motivating to you, you will make progress. Maybe the goal is massive, and maybe you won’t reach it; but if you set it you will move in the right direction. Plus, imagine the big satisfaction of meeting-or even exceeding-that big goal. Solution #6—Set a big goal, and go for it!

EXCUSE #7 “BUT IF I SET THE GOAL TOO LOW, IT MIGHT NOT BE WORTH THE EFFORT.”
How can this be? If you set a goal and reach it, great! Then you can set another one, big or small. Just like anything else, with practice comes greater skill. Some of your goals may be easy to reach, and that is OK. Over time you will learn to calibrate the goals you set to be just right for you. Solution #7—Set a small goal and get started.
Have you noticed a theme in these solutions? Since you know goals can make your life better, set some. Set one or set fifty, but just get started. The best way to get to where you want to go is to decide what that destination is. The best way to start setting goals is to set one. (Yes, it is just that simple.)

Get started. Set a goal, even if it isn’t perfect. Set a goal, even if it’s too big or too small. Set a goal, and I’m guessing you already will have achieved one of your biggest goals

—”You know, I really ought to set some goals this year….”

http://www.kevineikenberry.com/

The Great Powers in Life

We went to an early season long course senior development meet this weekend. You know the kind of meet; everyone is in the midst of training, no one is placing much importance on the results of this meet - except they look at the scoreboard for their time! - And then evaluate their swim based largely upon that time. Swimmers are both blessed and cursed by the stopwatch; if the time is fast then it is a "good" swim; if it is not so fast then it is a "bad" swim. What is our collective and individual obsession about the stopwatch? Where did we "learn" that fast = good and slow = bad?

We keep talking with our team about attitude. We believe our greatest power in life is our power to choose. And with this power comes responsibility. We are actually responsible and accountable for who we are. We can choose - as a swimmer - to be fast or slow; enthused about training or not; eager to improve our kick power or not; the list is endless. We can choose - as a person - to be successful or not; to be energetic or lazy; to be well educated or not; the list is endless.

Special "thanks and a shout out" to fellow coach Craig who inspired this week's blog. You are doing a great job; keep it up!! The quote we talked about is below...

Attitude

by Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.

If You Want To Be Successful…

We tell our athletes that if they want to be successful then they should hang around successful people, choose their friends wisely. We would definitely go to a clinic to hear what Pat Summitt has to say. Enjoy!

Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt (born on June 14, 1952) is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history, men or women, in any division. She has been coaching since 1974, all with the Lady Vols, winning eight NCAA national championships, which is second only to the record 10 titles won by UCLA men's coach John Wooden. Summitt is the only coach in NCAA history, and one of three college coaches overall, with 1,000 victories (Gene Bess of Three Rivers Community College and Harry Statham of McKendree University being the other two). She was named the Naismith Basketball Coach of the Century in April 2000. In 2009, the Sporting News placed her number 11 on its list of the 50 Greatest Coaches of All Time (in all sports); she was the only woman on the list. In 36 years as a coach, she has never had a losing season.


Quote of the week:
"Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense
of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have."

Coach Pat Summitt

To Do Today: Follow the Tennessee Lady Vols 12 Principles:


1. Respect yourself and others.

2. Take full responsibility.

3. Develop and demonstrate loyalty.

4. Learn to be a great communicator.

5. Discipline yourself so no one else has to.

6. Make hard work your passion.

7. Don't just work hard, work smart.

8. Put the team before yourself.

9. Make winning an attitude.

10. Be a competitor.

11. Change is a must.

12. Handle success like you handle failure.

Random Quotes

We read everything we can that is related to sports and high level performance since we know that the information we see stimulates us to think about how we might apply it to what we are doing, be it in the pool, the weight room or on the coaching deck.

Here is a sampling of this week’s encounters. Thanks to Al Saracevic, Christopher McDougall and Michael J. Stott respectively for their writing.

Bay Area sports psychologist John Ellsworth was asked what he thought were the mental keys to success in the upcoming NCAA Men’s March Madness Basketball Tournament. "1) Trust what you know to be true – teamwork, preparation, leadership and mental toughness. 2) Focus on the process, which means staying connected to the present, in the moment and totally connected to the immediate task at hand. 3) Mental flexibility. Don’t complicate things by overthinking about a play, situation or mistake. Distractions only create mental congestion, and mental congestion restricts mental flexibility.”

This is from Herb Elliott, Olympic champion and world-record holder in the mile who trained in bare feet, wrote poetry, and retired undefeated.

“Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude – they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.”

And from Tony Batis, head coach, Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics we get the following message.

“Anything in life lends itself to burnout if delivered the same way day-in and day-out. While there are stable components to all programs, I believe the pattern in which it is presented and how it is delivered greatly impacts the outcome.”

If you have any favorite gems please let us know and we will share…it does have a positive impact on our collective swimming community. Have a great week!

Born To Run

We are part way into author Christopher McDougall’s book about the Tarahumara runners. “Born To Run” – subtitled “A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” is a wonderful story with lots of interesting characters and insights into the world of ultra-running. At the same time it is a look at human performance that is spell binding. We are pretty safe when we say that there is something in this book for everyone, athletes and non-athletes alike.

On page 111, “Don’t fight the trail,” Caballo called back over his shoulder. “Take what it gives you. If you have a choice between one step or two between rocks, take three.”

Then this mesmerizing paragraph:
“Lesson two,” Caballo called. “Think Easy, Light, Smooth and Fast. You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go. When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget you’re practicing, you work on making it smooooooth. You won’t have to worry about the last one – you get those three, and you’ll be fast.”

Enough said for today .

Have You Ever Wondered?

We pretty much do all the time...wonder that is.

We are thinking all the time about how to get our swimmers to swim faster; how to get them to realize the relationship between effort put in and results obtained; how what they do away from the pool has bearing on what they do in the pool; how the dry land component can add or actually subtract from what they are doing; how their emotions can help or hinder their progress; how to understand that what a high school coach wants may not be in the best interests of what they want personally from the sport and how to resolve that conflict; how they can actually get really good grades and stay very fit in the pool; how they can manage their time so that homework gets done and morning practice can be a regular thing for them...the list is endless. All the things we think about apply to our Masters swimmers as well with the obvious change in emphasis as their lives go through various stages of time commitments and focus.

But what we really do is wonder...if all the information that is available to all the swimmers, coaches and parents is, well available, how come much of it is ignored? That's what stumps us a lot of the time. In this day and age of information availability how can so many people either not be aware or not know how to apply it or simply not "get it"? It mystifies us.

Take something as simple as head position in freestyle. When you watch the fastest swimmers in the world and see their heads down and their hips up how can you as a swimmer or coach allow yourself or those you coach to swim with their heads up, water at the hair line and hips riding low in the water? Or since you know the importance of the kick in all strokes why don't you spend real practice time getting faster and stronger at that segment of your swimming? Perhaps if you kick 10x100 on the 2 mins and you could swim them on the 1:30 you are giving up 5 minutes of practice time and therefore total yardage but at the expense of the kick power...we wonder about that kind of stuff.

And if everyone knows that the cells produce ATP from oxygen and lactic acid why don't they train both systems? And if they do, why don't they allow enough recovery so that the swimmers can actually swim at or at the very least, near race pace in practice to know what it feels like?

It seems to us, that if you like doing something and it gives you a real sense of satisfaction then why not do it as well as you are able? Hmmm...maybe that is the answer...we think not but who are we to be all knowing...

Thanks So Much For Sharing

Karen swims in our Masters group darn near every day she is in town. Links to her and her wisdom are at the bottom of this blog. She contributes greatly to the humanity of mankind.

Just Show Up

by Karen Drucker

The Four Rules of Life:
1. Show Up
2. Pay Attention
3. Tell the Truth 4. Don't be upset at the results.
Joan Borysenko

These last few months have been a doozie. Stress on top of stress. So much so that I threw my back out, caught a cold, walked into a wall and wound up with a big gash on my nose, and then I had to speak, sing and do a concert all with laryngitis! Wouldn't you think that maybe I could listen to my own songs that talk about breathing, letting go, and surrendering? Yet maybe that's why I write those songs - to remind myself when I forget. I must say, though, that what sustained me through this stressful time is my new favorite expression: "Just show up."

It's really a motto that I live my life by: Just show up. What that means to me is that when I would much rather hide under the covers, be in denial, run away from a problem, eat a pound of chocolate and chase it with some Ben and Jerry's - the bigger idea is to just show up and face it, whatever "it" is. It might mean pushing through my fears of going for it, or just staying in the room when I am having a disagreement with someone, or making the commitment to sticking my butt in that exercise class I signed up for in January when I committed to lose those 10 pounds. Or it might mean showing up for myself - making that scary phone call for a job, putting myself out in a social situation that might be uncomfortable, or telling the truth to myself about a situation. It's just bringing myself to the party and seeing what happens.

Easier said than done of course. There have been times when I was just too scared to do something or felt that the time was not right. I wrote a song called "Gentle With Myself" where I sing about being gentle and kind to myself and only going as fast as the slowest part of me feels safe to go. I believe there are times to sit back and wait until the time is right, and then there are times when I know I have waited long enough and it is time to just go for it.

The way that this shows up with regularity is around my swimming practice. I have been a competitive swimmer since I was six years old. I quit after high school vowing to never get near water again--I was done and finished. No more chlorine smelling skin, green streaky hair and no social life. But at some point, after a break up with a boyfriend and having daily pity parties, I started back slowly on an adult "masters" swim team just for fun. Since I had swum for so many years it all came back to me in an instant, and it was the one place in my life that I could experience ease and effortlessness.

Fast-forward about 20 years. I have been swimming regularly, even got into long distance open water swimming, and I am now in a very steady routine. But that was the word: routine. I had been swimming at the same club for years and feeling like "just showing up" was enough - I wasn't working very hard, I wasn't motivated, and I wasn't pushing myself, I was just swimming along about 2-3 times a week. Normally that would be fine but then I would justify that I could eat a huge cheeseburger and fries cause I "had just worked out" - well not really!

The switch came when someone told me about another club that was having master's workouts in my area with two fabulous coaches - one of whom I knew from years ago. I showed up one day and was hooked. New people, new routines, new sights to look at and a whole new commitment to swimming that I had not felt in years. Don, one of my coaches, even gave me some stroke technique that I had heard before but I guess was finally willing to try. Seems that I had been swimming for 40 odd years with two hammers in my hands - slapping the water like I was purging all my emotions from my pores into the water. He would encourage me to try swimming with "soft hands." Soft hands? He said for me to just imagine I was gently putting my hands in the water and pulling the water through with ease and gentleness. Could this be a life metaphor for me? Going through my life with ease and effortlessness as opposed to thinking I had to try hard, work with intensity, and pound my way through life? Could I actually allow it to be soft and gentle?

I keep showing up and practicing swimming with soft hands...and lo and behold I seem to be swimming faster and easier than I have in years. Given this stressful time that I mentioned in my personal life, I found that the only constant in my life was showing up for swim practice. Even though my life was spiraling all around me with a lot of drama, I would show up, every day, practice my soft hands and notice that life was working out somehow.

So now before I go out on stage, or begin a business trip, or start my day, my daily payer is to treat life with "soft hands" and just keep showing up.

Thank you Karen! To find out more please follow the links below. And while we are at it, what about you? How has swimming helped you find out how life works more smoothly? See you at the pool soon!!

www.themetaarts.com/pages/karendrucker.html
www.karendrucker.com