Parents and Swimmers

Coaches know that this swimming business is all about us (and if you are even a casual reader of this blog you know our collective tongue is firmly in our cheek). What is actually going on is a continual collective effort between and among swimmers and parents to figure out how competitive swimming works – for them…meaning both the swimmer and the parents. Why is this so? Simple…coaches are around forever (if they are fortunate) but swimmers and parents of swimmers have a short (compared to coaches) life span. And this is exactly why it is so critical that parents and swimmers figure out how to interact.

Swimmers; be honest.

Parents; listen with compassion and speak less rather than more.

The following real conversation was shared with us yesterday via email, at the conclusion of our Northern California High School Championships. Thank you, Eric and Miki, for allowing us to share this with our readers. This is a perfect example of how we believe a solid swimmer/parent relationship works. Any comments out there?

I love the long rides home from a meet, good and bad. And I know you know what I am talking about...super quality time.

Miki is pissed...mad…and disappointed. And I love it.

Her (and my) expectations were much higher for today …
I told her, “Oh well, it didn't happen, try to figure out why"...

I can't wait to see how she responds.

Miki's positive spin on today/her highlights…

"Olivia's cut time in fly made me super happy…"

“And I am really excited about long course.”

I love your process.