If you’re a competitive swimmer looking for a New Year’s resolution, you’ve come to the right place.
Since I’m a coach you may be expecting me to say (cue the voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher): Make more practices. Train harder. Increase dryland intensity. Eat smarter. Get more sleep.
All good ideas, but not the topic of today’s blog post.
Here’s what is:
“Coach Ann’s Top 10 Ways to Show Good Sportsmanship in Competitive Swimming.”
10. When a younger swimmer or an older first-timer has clearly struggled to finish a race, clap when they touch the wall. What they just did took guts.
9. Thank your parents and coaches and anyone else who has helped you to be the best swimmer you can be.
8. Cheer. And cheer loudly. Cheer for your teammates from the side of the pool. Encourage them from the end of the lane. If you’re in a relay, pump up your fellow relay swimmers.
7. Be humble. Don’t brag. Especially if you’re the fastest swimmer in your lane/age group/family. Don’t boast that you made State or National cuts - especially in front of a teammate who did not. Don’t crow that you were the only one who made that impossible interval at practice last night. Definitely feel good about it. Just don’t say it out loud or show it.
6. Stick around until the end of dual meets, to lend your voice to the team cheer, do the high-five receiving line with the opposing team, hear the score, and support the final relay swimmers.
5. If you swim a poor race, own it. It’s not a “slow pool.” Or because you forgot your lucky t-shirt. Don’t make excuses. Think about what you’ll do differently next time and move on.
4. If you get DQ’d, learn from it. Do not pout. Do not complain that the Official needs corrective eye surgery. Find out what you did wrong, and do it right in practice. Then practice it the right way over and over again, until it becomes automatic.
3. At the end of every race, shake hands with the swimmers in the lanes next to you. Say “nice race.”
2. When you win a close race, shake hands with the swimmer(s) you just beat. Say “good race” and mean it.
1. When you lose a close race, shake hands with the swimmer(s) who just crushed your soul. Say “good swim” and mean it. (Then practice so hard and smart that you beat them the next time.)
Well, that’s my Top 10. Did I forget something? Comments welcome – I promise to be a good sport.
Ann , you and your family have walked this walk. It was wonderful to watch Thomas, most recently, do all the recommendations you mentioned to be a good sport when we watched him swim with his college team at Dartmouth last year. Thanks for passing this advice on to the next generation who sometimes act as if showing up is trophy worthy.
Great Advice Ann!