SPRING BREAK

Our journey for the 2018-2019 short course season concluded as the last relays touched the wall this past weekend in Saint Petersburg Florida at the TYR Elite Classic.  As you head out for spring break for a much needed break from school and swimming it is also a good time to reflect on both your success and your shortcomings as I will also be doing from a coaches perspective.

It’s a time where you close the book on the past season, all the characters have been identified and the storyline has been revealed.  Maybe the story ended up with a happy ending and maybe not.  Either way another book will be written alas with a new storeline, or are you going to allow the storyline to be the same.  If there is a particular way you want the story to end then you need to become the author and take ownership of your own story.  We, the coaches are like editors who provide the criticism, and yes this can be both positive and negative but either way it should be viewed as
constructive criticism.

Coincidentally the short course season and spring arrive at the same time.  Spring is a time where everything comes out of hibernation and is rejuvenated with life.  Why not take this same approach to your swimming and be totally honest in your self evaluation of this past year.  All swimmers want to
perform well when racing, but the effort must mirror the expectations.  Below are some areas that you
 may want to look at during your evaluation;

• How many times a week did you swim?  Did you make those workouts? How focused were you during those workouts? You know missing a workout is not a deal buster, but missing a few or lack of consistency is a whole other subject.  It is hard to make up a missed workout because your group is on its on cycle and plan.
• Were you taking care of yourself during the season?  How much were you really sleeping?  How well were you fueling yourself? Was it with pizza, soda, chips, and candy?  Were they healthy choices ?
• How well do you hydrate yourself? 
• How well did you handle the meets? Were the warmups and warm downs approached with a 
• purpose?  Was the effort there or did you allow distractions to dictate the results?  Did you 
• make excuses or blame anyone or anything for your lack of success?
• Are you keeping a journal of practices and meets?  Writing down what works and doesn’t work?  Your strong areas? Your weak areas?
• Were lines of communication open with the coaches?
• Do you stay up with your schoolwork or do you let it pile up creating unnecessary stress? Does this lead you to miss workouts?
• Do you create unnecessary conflicts that lead you to miss workouts?
• Do you create mind games even when you go a best time? For instance you had a soda right before you raced and now you believe coach is wrong.  Just maybe you finally nailed that turn, or your streamlines and breakouts were great or maybe you didn’t breathe into the finish, or just maybe you swam smarter and it was your time.
• Do you ride that roller coaster with your races? Really high after a god one, really low after a bad one? It takes a lot more of your energy to ride this roller coasters? Stay in the moment?

I know it’s a lot but these are areas that you need to think about and you need to be honest with yourself as you search for answers.

In closing wherever spring break finds you over the next week we hope you enjoy time away from school and swimming and most importantly enjoy time with family.