MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

 As we approach our first meet this weekend it might be a good time to talk about expectations.  What are yours?  What are mine?  Are they similar, probably not so let’s dive into them.

When you go into a meet is it "beneficial to expect for you to achieve a specific outcome or to let go of expectations altogether."  Quite a dilemma young athletes are faced with especially swimmers because we all look at that stopwatch to measure our success or failure.  Don't get me wrong either, a personal best is important and it's an awesome feeling when you see that time posted.

Are your expectations a personal record, win your heat, win the event or maybe just survive the event.  Whatever it is I know it's important to you but I am going to dispense some of my advice from my meandering experiences from coaching.  The important question to ask and worth trying to figure out is how to manage expectations and handle the results positive or negative because that will ultimately impact how you swim in the present and allow you to move forward in workout and prepare for that next race.

When you start thinking about the expectations that you set there are some things to consider such as;

•  type of meet (is it  a training meet or championship meet
• time of year (are we just getting back into swimming shape/ is this meet in the middle of a heavy training cycle)
• your training. (have you made all of your workouts/. are you doing things RIGHT in workouts.
• events you've entered

You cannot have expectations without considering all of the above.  As a athlete you definitely should expect to do well, the more confident you are in yourself and your abilities the better you can perform in your races.  However I also believe that if you make the moment bigger than it is you now enter into a "DO or DIE" moment t and this is not where you want to be when you race.  Regardless of the outcome when you don't meet your expectations you walk away with this, "I have failed". I had a conversation about this with a swimmer in the Prep group this weekend.  We talked about this swimmer and the race in Divisionals where she had a "melt down" when she did not meet her expectations or didn't get what she deserved.   She was so blinded by that expectation that she couldn't see that she actually had a great swim, that last swim at a championship meet where she had a personal best.

Everyone has a bad day now and then.  Even the very best swimmers can have an off day if they get caught up in negative thoughts and anxiety 😟.  Every once in a while it will even happen too me and it's not because of you all it's just I need a break.  Sit down ask your parents if it has ever happen to them, they may call it a "Mental Health Day".  Swimming like all sports is 90% mental and assuming you've done the work 10% physical.  Learn to master your mind, it could mean the difference between success and failure.  It's all part of life.

Maybe you'll have a great start, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have a great turn, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have a personal best and maybe you won't.  Before any of these good things happen, YOU need  to visualize yourself accomplishing them.  Take 5 minutes every few days and use those journals you have and write a few thoughts or emotions.  It just might surprise you to see things written down where you can visit them once in a while.

Now what's really important to "YOU".  Should I have expectations or not coach?  The simple answer is yes.  Here is a quote that I have come to embrace as a coach, " Having an expectation for a result is meaningless.  It can only work against you."  We have always talked about controlling the things that you can control, guess what you can't control that stop watch, but you can only control YOUR effort.  You can't do any more than YOUR best effort, expecting anything greater or less is pointless.  You should aim for a specific result every time out , YOUR BEST EFFORT.   I expect your BEST EFFORT every time out regardless of the results, that's all I am asking.  That's all you can ask of YOURSELF!

Have a great week at school.  Stay on top of your assignments and don't put off that homework.  

See you at workouts.