Parent Potpourri

Parent Potpourri

As BSC Teammates begin competing there are several common issue that come to my attention on a regular basis. Here are the Top 3 FAQs for BSC Parents.

What does Attendance have to do with Going to the Moon?

To ensure the spacecraft doesn’t land on the edge of a crater on the Moon, or burn up or skip off into space upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s critical that the pilots are able to know their spacecraft with great precision. A navigation error of less than 1 degree and one could end up missing the moon by over 1,000 miles. What does this statement have to do with attendance? A lot! Simon Swimmoor misses practices on Wednesday for Co-ed accordian lessons, and Saturday for his competitive cup stacking league. Over a 7 month short course season Simon will miss 56 practices. Put another way at that rate Simon will attend 168 training opportunities of the 224 available practices, or just under 70%. Think about it if this was a school test Simon would come home with a D. That is without including: being sick, missing practice the day after a meet, school functions, missed practice due to high school meets, or religious education. Parents should understand the direct relationship between attendance and performance. If Simon's “moon shot” goal is to score at a Championship meet, but is going to put in a D effort in attending training--it all adds up—the more other stuff there is the further off course Simon will be. That doesn't mean Simon should play accordian or do cup stacking, but Simon's parents need to be aware of how other activities will effect potential performance at the end of a season.

Event Rotation---Swim Away!

I get asked all the time.” Why isn't my son Barney Butterfly swimming the fly at the next meet? It is his best event?” The answer comes from the movie Finding Nemo—Swim Away—from back to back swims. Developing swimmers need opportunities to swim every event. It takes between 6-8 weeks of targeted training to improve just one thing in a race. Not swimming the same event every meet allows teammates to train to get better and give coaches a better idea of how the targeted training needs to be adapted to get the desired result at Championship Time. It is important for Parents to understand that everything Coaches and Athletes do focuses on performance on whatever meet your athlete will swim at the culmination of their season. Swimming the same event over and over will not equal progress by default. More often it leads to stagnation both physically and mentally. When Barney gets a little older his “best” event may end up being what his worst event was as a 12 and Under. Event Rotation gives Barney a chance to develop skills in areas that may end up being his niche later on.

Parenting the Developmental Athlete---Trouble With the Curve.

A common comment from parents is. “Irene Imswimmer comes to practice more and works harder than Sally Saveup, why is Sally always faster?” The answer is that kids develop at different rates over time and especially in 14 and Under swimming! Faster usually Means: bigger, stronger, or more talented. Parents should take a moment to look at the difference between kids winning events at the championship level and the rest of their heats you'll notice the giants. There are three things to understand here. First, is what type of swimmer is Irene? Some swimmers need to do 100% of everything at 110% effort for a 1% improvement. As a parent pay more attention to what your swimmer needs to do to be successful for themselves. Secondly, there will most likely come a time where Irene surpasses Sally as they mature into their high school years. Hard work and consistent discipline will overcome raw talent coupled with lethargic work habits 99% of the time. Thirdly, Parents should remember that swimming has the longest progression curve of any sport. Simply put, swimmers take more time and consistent effort to reach their peak than any other athlete. The average age of Females on the US Olympic Team in 2012 was 20 years old, for men it was 22. When you look at your 12 and Under remember there is stall a long way to go ENJOY THE RIDE

Goals are Only Dreams with Deadlines—BSC Rio—2016