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Hi,
This is an AWESOME
article.
Have fun.
Coach Mavi
News For
SWIM
PARENTS
Published by
The American Swimming Coaches Association
5101 NW 21
Ave., Suite 200
Fort
Lauderdale FL 33309
___________________________________________________________________
Swim Meet Basics For
Parents.
Ideas to help you and your child
be better prepared and “happier” at Swim
Meets
By John Leonard, ASCA
Director
1. Be on
time. On time means 15 minutes before
warmup begins.
2. Know the seating
arrangements. Bring folding chairs to most
outdoor pools. Bring drinks and snacks as
appropriate. Sit with your child if
that’s the team
“thing.” Sit in the stands if
that’s the way the team does it. Let
the swimmers be with the swimmers. They
don’t want to be with you in most
cases. They want to be with their
friends.
3. Encourage your child
to get immediately to the coach for
warmup. (See following article about
warmup.)
4. Be a
parent. Help them keep track of heats,
events, etc. But remember that the main
idea is to teach them to handle the environment of a swim meet
themselves. This helps them “grow
up.” It’s never too
early....
5. Cheer
for other people’s children on the team. Don’t
embarrass your own by standing behind their blocks screaming. Let
other parents scream for your child.
6. Let
the coach coach. Unless you’re the
coach. Then let someone else coach your
child. So you can parent.
7. Sometimes
a child will “miss an event”. This happens, it’s
a learning experience. Don’t freak
out. Don’t handhold them to the next
event. Expect
responsibility. If they can’t handle
it, maybe they are too young to be
there. Let them rely on teammates for
help.
8. Sometimes
a swimmer will false start and DQ a relay. Similarly, it’s a
learning experience. Don’t freak
out. The appropriate response by the
swimmer to their
teammates? “Sorry
guys.” Everyone does
it. Everyone needs to
forgive. See, “Everyone Does
It.” Reread
that. Twice.
9. Sometimes
a swimmer DQ’s for swimming an event
incorrectly. Do not address the
official. Ask the coach what they did
wrong. Make sure the swimmer understands
how to do it correctly. End of
story. It IS NOT a big deal. Learn from
it.
10. The child should have
a goal for every swim. Sometimes a time,
sometimes a technique. Ask what their goal
is. Don’t help set
it. That’s for the coach and
swimmer.
11. The
coach will likely speak to your child before and after the
event. The “before” is to
remind them of their goals and needs, and the “after”
is to review the successes and weak spots of the swim. Great
feedback is great coaching.
12. Make
sure they drink in hot weather. Drink in
all weather. Water, Gatorade,
etc. NO SUGAR. NO
CANDY. NO SUGAR, NO
CANDY.
13. If
you have questions, ask the Coach. Try to
do it when the Coach is not doing 12 other
things. Get real
answers. Asking another parent may not get
you the right answer.
14. When
the meet is over, the meet is over. Forget it on the way
home. Help the swimmer remember the lessons
for the next time, but don’t dwell on the meet. Meet
over....move on...next!
15. Most
coaches will say “it’s not about winning, it’s
about improvement.” Know what is
being improved, and measure it and help your child focus on the
process and not “just” the
result. What does it take to go
faster?
16. Keep it
light. Have a sense of
humor. An age group swim meet, taken at
face value, is a pretty silly thing.....don’t overplay the
“importance” of it ...it’s just an opportunity to
test what you’ve been learning in practice. We
repeat experiences that are enjoyable and avoid experiences that
are not.
There are thousands of other
ideas to add to this list. This is “just the basics”.
Add to your own list.
And now, to the concept
of WARMUP.
What is
Warmup?
Warmup is what happens before a
competition. Its purpose is several:
PHYSICAL:
1. Literally
warm and lubricate the muscles for
“action”.
2. Increase
the heart rate in preparation for race action.
3. Getting
in touch with your feel for the water and ability to swim the
strokes correctly.
And MENTAL:
1. Get
into focus. We’re at a swim meet to compete.
2. Get
rid of distractions.
3. Focus
on process and good technical swimming.
4. Prepare
to Race.
Most warmups at most meets are
crowded and appear chaotic.
Typically the coach will put all
swimmers in one or two lanes, together.
The swimmers will do an easy
swim. (“easy 500 free”)
Then some gentle kicking.
(“10 x 25 free kick on 30 seconds”)
Then some drills....(“200
IM Drill”)
Then a “start your
heart” set...(“8 x 50 free, descend 1-4,
5-8”)
Then some pace work relating to
the specific event....
And a little more easy
swimming.
Warmups can vary from Senior
Swimmers who take an hour or more, to eight and unders, who can
warmup in 20 minutes in some cases. In
every case, it’s important to be ON TIME. Typically an hour
before the meet. This allows time for the
physical and the mental work to be
done. The coach will commonly hold a short
meeting to make sure all swimmers are accounted for, organized,
know their events, and get last minute reminders.
Being LATE to warmup
means your child
will be inadequately prepared for their
competition. Not a good
thing. You ask them and the coach asks
them, to work hard to learn in practice every
day. Then the day of the meet, you
do things incorrectly. What does that teach
the child?
Be On Time, Do Things
Correctly. Have a Great Meet!
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