Coach’s Corner

The Life of a Swim Coach

I started my coaching ca船玩reer with the Gators about兵林 4 years ago. I swam competitively f些外or 12 years of my li光鄉fe, and when my swimmin腦業g career ended due to a shoul算在der surgery, I thought I 又飛had hung up my cap an器看d goggles for good. I neve短高r dreamed after 12 years away f南錯rom the sport, that I wou術服ld return in a capacity that has been 員個rewarding for both me謝友 and the swimmers I c還線oach. This team has become my family.微房

I’ve learned that th低我e role of a swim coach goe白要s way beyond coaching.西樂 Not only am I there to provid業那e technical and training skills,做議 but I’ve also become a mentor, mot物黃ivator, counselor, and frie好區nd to my swimmers. As a swim通商 coach, my goal is to assis人議t athletes in developing to their full 笑是potential. I am responsible for 校學both training the swimmers in and o鐵兵ut of the water by providing s為木kill based and social instruction. 一友I am there to congratula生場te them when they do well日謝, and to offer guidance and words of en司妹couragement when they don’t.

I realize I sometimes spend mo秒森re time after school with these 老懂kids than their parents do. I need to p理子rovide a safe, fun, and制舞 enjoyable environment for all my swim唱水mers, and I sure hope that’s somethi化雪ng they feel I have acco北校mplished! I need to create the 可司right conditions for le答票arning to occur, whil坐車e also finding new ways to motivate my 低房swimmers to be their 件姐best. Many swimmers are inh件生erently motivated and that motiva討吃tion in something from within them草站selves. Other swimmers are externally m頻坐otivated, and they need to be pushed th亮能rough positivity and rewards. It is 友林my job to help foster and 城但maintain that motivat請技ion for swimming, while also得麗 generating excitemen些訊t and enthusiasm that will c對通arry on. These are just some of t拍知he life skills learned on the pool 秒間deck!

Swimming can definitely be a monoton街我ous sport for training a能器nd practicing. The kid朋能s swim back and forth, 關玩up and down the pool, hundreds of t很海imes each day. Making it e舞機ngaging day after day can人生 be a challenge. The last thing I關答 want is for them to get bored來紅 or burnt out. I do my be友區st to always mix up 藍地the practices and tr員我aining routines of the groups I coac小線h. I like to keep my swimmers on their 個影toes. Just when they think they’作山ve figured me out and c著林an predict what I’m going to do—I mix 一分it up on them. I belie西為ve part of being a great coach is kno新得wing the different persona家電lities of your athletes and being 飛樹able to individually訊行 challenge them. Coaching i河就s both rewarding and challengi能志ng at the same time. I love w他劇hat I do, and I’m gratefu照國l to this team and all its swi森路mmers and families.