There have been three meets so far and each one has been better than the last. While Coach may wee me as someone who does the computer work on the side, I love watching them improve. Kyle has grown as a leader. At Camp Glen he said that he did not know if he had what it took, but as I watch, I see him leading the freshmen, not because he is a good swimmer, but because he is willing to work hard but also rally the team to support one another. Ygor’s speed has improved so much since the beginning of the season. He is probably one of the nicest guys I have ever met and just as hard of a worker. Logan, even though he is constantly drilled, has learned to swim big. Even though sometimes he looks like a pinwheel he is getting there. Even though he complains at times, he has so much heart and really wants to do well, but I think he just needs to boost his confidence for when he is racing. As a junior, Ty has led this group of mostly freshmen really well in and out of the pool. Matt is a character but he needs to start trying. He wants to be a sprinter but needs to accept that Coach is making him distance. He needs to start realizing that if he really wants to be a sprinter he needs to show it, but he is not doing that right now. Melinda is doing such a good job. Surrounded by the boys she knows how to kick some butt. She is probably one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. If the practice is supposed to be hard, she makes it hard and you know she puts her all into a practice when she can barely move or speak after. Lauren has come such a long way. She puts a huge effort into practice and sometimes I think it is so that Coach will watch and realize her improvement; however, when it comes to races, Lauren is just in her own head and psychs herself out. Rasheed is probably the biggest improvement I have ever seen. He started with no swim experience and the team helped him learn. He told me the other day that by the end of this semester he wants to have down free, back and either fly or breast; right now he does free and back and I have to say he looks much more comfortable. Kat has overcome back pain and two days ago finally completed her first full difficult practice. She was so down about not being able to swim for a really long time and now that she is back she came up and was so excited to tell me about finishing practice. I sincerely love this team! They are what I look forward to every practice. Watching them improve and seeing everything come together at meets makes every single part of my experience worth it!!
Whenever there are away meets, I come to practice with the swimmers who are either hurt or ineligible by the NCAA. We have our own “meet” where they warm-up then swim a few events while I take their times. This past weekend, there was a large conference meet and all of their friends would be gone Thursday through Saturday. I knew that it was going to be a difficult time for to focus on their in-house races, but most importantly thinking about how bad they want to be at this conference with their friends and swimming for their team. Coach told me “this weekend is not about you. They are going to be upset that they cannot come to Calvin so make them feel comfortable.” Even without Coach’s words I had asked them to all come with me to Christmas at the Ritz and 2/3 came. We also ended up going to breakfast together after AM practice and the track meet later that afternoon. My goal was to get them out of their rooms and have their own fun instead of remember that their friends were somewhere they wanted to be. The swimmers kept me updated on the team and everyone did a great job at Calvin; however, those three swimmers that had to stayed back dropped a ton of time! Trey got his personal best in both 100 Back and 200 Backs, Brenda dropped 15 seconds off of her 500 Free, and Kat, who has been making a comeback from a back problem, jumped off the blocks for the first time in 7 months. She became frustrated, but I know it is because she wants to do well. She needs to understand that things take time to get back into, but regardless they all did a great job and I had a great weekend bonding with all three of them!
Whenever there are away meets, I come to practice with the swimmers who are either hurt or ineligible by the NCAA. We have our own “meet” where they warm-up then swim a few events while I take their times. This past weekend, there was a large conference meet and all of their friends would be gone Thursday through Saturday. I knew that it was going to be a difficult time for to focus on their in-house races, but most importantly thinking about how bad they want to be at this conference with their friends and swimming for their team. Coach told me “this weekend is not about you. They are going to be upset that they cannot come to Calvin so make them feel comfortable.” Even without Coach’s words I had asked them to all come with me to Christmas at the Ritz and 2/3 came. We also ended up going to breakfast together after AM practice and the track meet later that afternoon. My goal was to get them out of their rooms and have their own fun instead of remember that their friends were somewhere they wanted to be. The swimmers kept me updated on the team and everyone did a great job at Calvin; however, those three swimmers that had to stayed back dropped a ton of time! Trey got his personal best in both 100 Back and 200 Backs, Brenda dropped 15 seconds off of her 500 Free, and Kat, who has been making a comeback from a back problem, jumped off the blocks for the first time in 7 months. She became frustrated, but I know it is because she wants to do well. She needs to understand that things take time to get back into, but regardless they all did a great job and I had a great weekend bonding with all three of them!
