Me-ism, Now-ism, Feel-ism

Me-ism, Now-ism and Feelism

Anyone who has spent time working to achieve a goal in swimming has learned very quickly that there is much more to a best time than just racing one race. There is hour upon hour, week upon week, month upon month, and yes in some cases, year upon year of relentless dedication to the achievement of a goal. This dedication requires an uncanny attention to detail in attendance, attitude, technique and training. There are three roadblocks that every BSC Teammate needs to be aware of as they continue to reach toward the highest level of swimming they can achieve. Those roadblocks are: Me-ism, Now-ism, and Feel-ism.

The roadblock of Me-Ism relates to a swimmer's thought that they are the only person on the team to the detriment of everyone else. The Me-ism swimmer's motto is “ask not what I can do for my team, but what my team can do for me”. This is to reverse John F. Kennedy's famous quote, “ ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. The focus of BSC Swimmers needs to be, just as much if not more, on helping the team achieve while working as hard as possible on achieving their own goals. When one is struggling lifting up a teammate is the easiest way to lift up yourself.

The roadblock of Now-ism describes the teammate who expects everything to come to fruition on a meet to meet basis. The best example of Now-ism is the athlete who regularly attends 30% of practices and 100% of practices two weeks before a championship meet. This swimmer can do a drill or a stroke perfectly during 25s, but when asked to do that drill during a warm-up or set swims incorrectly back and forth the entire time. Then this athlete is upset when they do not achieve their season goal. BSC Teammates need to realize that progress needs to be approached in a consistent, but long term manner. The more consistently one practices properly, the more likely the desired outcome is.

The roadblock of Feel-ism manifests itself when an athlete will base their; attendance, attitude, technique or effort in training based solely on whether or not they feel good or not. Another way this roadblock pops up is the swimmer who allows themselves to believe that everything should feel good or make them feel good. BSC Teammates need to understand that 20% of life is what happens and 80% is how we deal with what happens. We can choose how we feel. If we choose to model a positive attitude for our teammates, even on days when we don't necessarily feel good, we create an environment where everyone can learn to be consistent in attitude, effort, and attendance.

When BSC athletes are aware of these roadblocks, they can develop their skills, and gain a satisfying reward that lasts well beyond one's competitive swimming days.

Amat Victoria Curam

• • Translation: "Victory loves preparation"

PRACTICE LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY!!

RACE LIKE A CHAMPION AT SECTIONALS, JUNIOR OLYMPICS and NATIONALS!!