I have been asked a lot of questions about choosing Your JO events, and that is awesome that some of you are thinking about them. First off JO’s is where our plan and all your hard work come together, and the time of the year you should be at your best both physically and mentally. Use the next feel weeks to fine tune all the small details in your events, catch up and get ahead in your school work, get the proper rest and nutrition and above all stay healthy, so you place yourself in the best possible situation to swim fast. For our 14 year olds this will b e your last JO’meet so enjoy it!
CHOOSING YOUR EVENTS
This is a 4 day trials and finals meet. The first step is break the meet into 4 days and write ALL the events for the day in your age group on a piece of paper in the order they fell including relays. Step two place an asterisk next to all there events that you have qualified for. Step three place a second asterisk next to your very best events. We would really like to get this list down to two events a day. Take into consideration where events fall in the meet and what heat you may be in. For the 10 and under session it is a very quick turn around so PLEASE remember that. Take into account that there are also relays that we will enter into the meet and you Will be expected to swim if asked. We WILL NOT do the 800 free relay on Friday so cross that off your list. There are no relays for 10 and under’s on Friday. Understand that relays are at the beginning and at the end of the meet. I have already had several requests for lead off spots and will consider all of them but the final decision will be the coaches and will be made at the meet. NO promises will be made by ANYONE before as things can and will change leading up to the meet and as we work our way through the weekend.
After you have done all of the above and your comfortable with it, I will be more than happy to sit down and go over your plan with you.
“TAKING OWNERSHIP OF YOUR SWIMMING"
All athletes need to understand that whatever sports they participate whether you succeed or fail ultimately comes down to the person staring back at you in the mirror. Your parents, friends, teammates are there to offer support in the good times as well as there bad times. The coaches are also there to offer not only their support but also to help guide you and to put you into a position to succeed.
At some point all athletes/swimmers will face failure and disappointment with results. Get use to it because it is called life, just ask your parents. Swimmers struggle with these disappointments all through their careers, as do all athletes from the PEE WEE leagues through high school into college and yes, even at the professional level. Ask the Patriots and KEVIN (Had to put that in). They will spend all this wasted energy struggling with all kinds of excuses to justify or reason with the results. I’ve heard them all through the years, although the best one was years ago when a swimmer had forgotten their googles. The excuse was my mother used therm last night in the kitchen when she was peeling onions. For the first time I had no come back for that one!
These excuses cover the gambit from “I’m so tired”, “water too cold”, coach didn’t prepare me, practices were not hard enough, not enough rest between events. Why do we make excuses? They help us deal with and justify the result in our minds at race time.
Years ago I observed two different ways some of our swimmers handled adversity. The first took place 7 or 8 years ago Heather’s daughter LOGAN and Peter’s daughter RACHEL. I feel so bless to always be coaching kids from other coaches, anyway both girls made finals so we stopped for lunch and knowing the two of them I in formed them to be careful of what they ate. My first mistake was I did not follow them around. Anyway we are back at the pool for finals and I told them to warm up and get ready, I still do not know if they got in. However I notice the two of them sitting behind the blocks propped up against the wall and Rachel is just sobbing on Logans shoulder in her practice suit. Her race is minutes away and she is a mess. Her biggest worry her dad was going to see her on TV in a practice suit at finals (which he did and I heard about minutes later by text, oh and that is why I no longer carry my phone at meets) and that she was going to get sick. I still don’t know how Rachel and I did it but she gained her composure and swam her event and yes in the practice suit. I asked Logan what was the problem and she took me back to lunch where they had gone next door and had this great big piece of “cheese cake”. All she could say was “It was so good….”. Wonderful I hope you both get sick
Point was they knew it was wrong but they took ownership of what happened and performed well anyway.
The next example happened about 3 or 4 years ago again in Florida at finals, but involved LEXI. I got her to the pool late for her first event one evening. The way I understood that it went down was that as I was parking the van Lexi walked through the doors and over to the block (I think she ran). You have to understand that her heat was just getting into the pool (backstroke event) as she arrived to the block. Lexi dropped her bag, removed her warm ups and hopped in the pool with her practice suit. She went her best time as she won the event. Again an example of no excuse just get to work and whatever happens, happens.
A lot of times we will make all kinds of excuses, because we only want to take OWNERSHIP of our success, but on the other hand blame the world for our failures. I see it all the time where swimmers dive into the pool thinking they are owed a best time. It is so much easier to sit back and expect success and not have to work for it, or take ownership of the process. When you don’t take ownership of the process bad things tend to happen and then you may find yourself on that slippery slope that will result in more failures than success. We become less detail oriented which creates an environment where mediocrity grows like a weed and it’s ugly.
“If it’s success you want in the pool or life then you need to wrap your head around the fact that it’s completely on YOU."
It’s not your coach, friends, or parents, It’s YOU. They are your support group. Take ownership and be honest when you talk to the person in the mirror!
Next week How to take ownership! Mike
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