By Todd Huffman “She’s so advanced!” beams the proud parent. “He’s just so smart!” boasts the doting grandmother. So goes another day in the Lake Wobegon land of a pediatric office, where all the children are above average. Not to disparage anyone, for who would contest the prerogative of kin to exult their beloved child? …
Category Archive: Parent Newsletter
A Chance to Be A Hero Everyday – March 26, 2012
By John Leonard “Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.” “Everything we do for our children that they can do for themselves, makes them weaker.” (Lynn Offerdahl, great swimming parent in Fort Lauderdale, FL.) One of the really sad trends in American society is parental “concern” that removes adventure and …
Put Your Hands Down – March 19, 2012
By Guy Edson Inevitably, when I am explaining then next swim set to age group swimmers the hands start going up before I have finished giving the instruction! I think to myself, “What is this? I haven’t even given you the whole story yet?” Since I am an old guy, I can tell you I …
Key Words – March 12, 2012
By Guy Edson In the process of teaching swimming skills coaches often use “key words.” Key words are a way to sum up a whole bunch of paragraphs into two, three, or four words that are easy for the swimmer to remember. Coaches ask swimmers to recall the key words as they do a skill. …
Short Term Failure is Part of the Path to Long Term Success – March 5, 2012
By Don Swartz A couple of weeks ago at a mutual friend’s birthday party I reconnected with a former Masters swimmer from the 1970’s. Tom asked me what it was like coaching at this point in time vs. in the 60’s and 70’s. What had changed, if anything? I replied that some technique issues had …
The Team Culture Aspect of “Success” – February 27, 2012
By John Leonard Think ahead to our end of season meets I would like to address both swimmers and parents about the team culture aspect of “success”. First, please understand that the coaches will be excited for the swimmers when they do well. Also understand that the “more excited” parents and coaches get about a …
What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent And What Makes A Great One – February 20, 2012
Written by Steve Henson Hundreds of college athletes were asked to think back: “What is your worst memory from playing youth and high school sports?” Their overwhelming response: “The ride home from games with my parents.” The informal survey lasted three decades, initiated by two former longtime coaches who over time became staunch advocates for …
13 Steps to Being a Winning Parent, Part 2 – February 13, 2012
Dr. Alan Goldberg STEP SEVEN: YOUR CHILD IS NOT HIS PERFORMANCE-LOVE HIM UNCONDITIONALLY. Do not equate your child’s self-worth and lovability with his performance. The most tragic and damaging mistake I see parents continually make is punishing a child for a bad performance by withdrawing emotionally from him. A child loses a race, strikes out …
Why Swim, If You Can’t Win? – January 30, 2012
By Noah Whiteman, Age 11 If I was told I would never win a race again, then I would still swim. Winning a race depends on who shows up, but one thing that will be there every time is the clock. Beating your times and dropping time is a great feeling. Winning feels nice and …
13 Steps to Being a Winning Parent, Part 1 – February 6, 2012
Dr. Alan Goldberg INTRODUCTION: If you want your child to come out of his youth sports experience a winner (feeling good about himself and having a healthy attitude towards sports), then he needs your help! You are a vital and important part of the coach-athlete-parent team. If you do your job correctly and play your …