EFFORT

 So most of you know that I have been a Dallas Cowboy fan for a very long time and now your probably wondering what this has to do with swimming.  You need to keep an open mind as I work through the background and try to tie it all into both your swimming and really anything you do in the future.

What you may not have know is that Coach Courtney is a big New York

Giant fan and in fact a few years ago her kids gave me a Giant Christmas  ornament (and yes Courtney I still have it).  I made the statement to her daughter Naomi at practice to let her mom know that yes the Giants won but they still aren’t going to the playoffs and better yet the Cowboys get the better pick in the draft.  Coach Courtney asked at practice today if I thought the Eagle coach threw the game with Washington.  And this is where we try and bring it back to swimming and life.

I let her know that maybe I am a little naive but I don’t believe that any athlete or coach especially at the professional level throws in the towel and just quits.  As an athlete when you go out and just don’t try, you are letting your teammates, your coaches and anyone who believes in you down.  As an athlete when you are not putting your best effort forward you are disrespecting that sport.  Are there times in swimming and life when performance is on a sub-par level?  Of course there is, it’s human nature, but you have a responsibility to put your best effort forward at all times. Sometimes that may not be enough and as a coach I can accept that as long as the effort is there.

Each of you if you didn’t already know it now better understand my feelings on lack of effort.  I want your effort there always regardless of the results so that at the end of the day you can smile back at that person in the mirror and tell them, “I did my best.”