From A letter to Parents

by Scott Armstrong, 

Johns Hopkins University alumnus and Swim Coach, and NBAC Coach

Posted February 4, 2006

I am writing to you to point out two fantastic experiences I have had in the past couple of weeks with Parents…

A parent of one of our younger senior performance swimmers contacted me about Nutrition.  They related how they wanted to support their swimmer as much as they could.  They wanted to be a part of the process and a part of their child's growing interest in swimming, but did not want to become a "pushy swim parent," by getting into the nuts and bolts of what happens at practice and in the pool.  They felt that they could best serve their child by making sure the right food was available and by seeing to it that they had a reliable ride to and from practice.  They had done some research on the USA Swimming web page and just wanted to make sure that NBAC felt it was a good source of information on nutrition.

I jumped out of my seat and did a dance for joy!!!  Why was I so excited?  This young swimmer, along with the help of their parents, is going to take ownership of their swimming.  They are going to learn how to be responsible for their success or failure.  (I have a strong belief it will be success).  Mom and Dad are going to make sure that the right food is there and that they can get to and from practice.  And they will leave the swimming up to the swimmer!!!  Taking the roll of support staff, they are going to be like the "roadie's" at a big concert, excited to prepare and support the show from behind the stage and in the crowd, while allowing the main act to shine in the spotlight.

A Parents goal is to see their children be successful and happy in life.  The problem some parents run into is in how they try to motivate their kids to be great.  Motivation is key, but the bottom line is that kids will only reach their full potential when they take personal ownership of their abilities, goals, and performance on a daily basis.  Parents are there to support and love their kids no matter what the outcome is.  The funny thing is, that's what is intended, when parents try to motivate their kids to swim faster.  They are trying to help them see the value in success, or the great experiences they could have.  But what does that child think is happening?  Very often, children will link their success to what their parents think of them, rather than knowing that their parents love is unconditional.

This is where the second great experience I had with parents comes in.

A parent and I were chatting the other day after practice about the roll of the coach, and they put it in exactly the right terms.  "The coaches are like subcontractors in the child's life!!!"  This is a parent that is getting the bigger picture, and it put a huge smile on my face.

If your swimmer is at NBAC {substitute CATY here!!}, you have hired us to take care of the swimming aspect of your child's life…  They will have the best swimming experience when every one plays their roll…  coaches as motivators and teachers of swimming knowledge, Parent as general contractors who guide the whole process, loving it, in its entirety.