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by Rose Snyder, Managing
Director Coaching Division, USOC
Former Director of Club Services, USA Swimming
(adapted from Ed Clendaniel’s 10 Commandments for Little
League Parents)
I. Thou shalt not
impose thy ambitions on thy child.
Remember that swimming is your
child’s activity. Improvements and progress occur at
different rates for each individual. Don’t judge your
child’s progress based on the performance of other athletes
and don’t push them based on what you think they should be
doing. The nice thing about swimming is every person can strive to
do their personal best and benefit from the process of
competitive swimming.
II.
Thou shalt be supportive no
matter what.
There is only one question to
ask your child after a practice or a competition - "Did you have
fun?" If meets and practices are not fun, your child should not be
forced to participate.
III.
Thou shalt not coach thy
child.
You are involved in one of the
few youth sports programs that offer professional coaching, do not
undermine the professional coach by trying to coach your child on
the side. Your job is to provide love and support and a safe place
to return at the end of the day. Love and hug your child no matter
what. The coach is responsible for the technical part of the job.
You should not offer advice on technique or race strategy or any
other area that is not yours. And above all, never pay your child
for a performance. This will only serve to confuse your child
concerning the reasons to strive for excellence and weaken the
swimmer/coach bond.
IV.
Thou shalt only have
positive things to say at a swimming meet.
If you are going to show up at
a swimming meet, you should be encouraging, but never criticize
your child or the coach. Both of them know when mistakes have been
made. And remember “yelling atý is not the same as
“cheering forý.
V.
Thou shalt acknowledge thy
child’s fears.
A first swimming meet, 500 free
or 200 IM can be a stressful situation. It is totally appropriate
for your child to be scared. Don’t yell or belittle, just
assure your child that the coach would not have suggested the event
if your child was not ready to compete in it. Remember your job is
to love and support your child through all of the swimming
experience.
VI.
Thou shalt not criticize the
officials.
If you do not care to devote
the time or do not have the desire to train to become an official,
don’t criticize those who are doing the best they
can.
VII.
Honor thy child’s
coach.
The bond between coach and
swimmer is a special one, and one that contributes to your
child’s success as well as fun. Do not criticize the coach in
the presence of your child, it will only serve to hurt your
child’s swimming.
VIII.
Thou shalt be loyal and
supportive of thy team
It is not wise for parents to
take their swimmers and to jump from team to team. The water
isn’t necessarily bluer in another team’s pool. Every
team has its own internal problems, even teams that build
champions. Children who switch from team to team are often
ostracized for a long, long time by the teammates they leave behind
and are slowly received by new team mates. Often times swimmers who
do switch teams never do better than they did before they sought
the bluer water.
IX.
Thy child shalt have goals
besides winning.
Most successful swimmers are
those who have learned to focus on the process and not the outcome.
Giving an honest effort regardless of what the outcome is, is much
more important than winning. One Olympian said, "My goal was to set
a world record. Well, I did that, but someone else did it too, just
a little faster than I did. I achieved my goal and I lost. Does
this make me a failure? No, in fact I am very proud of that swim."
What a tremendous outlook to carry on through life.
X.
Thou shalt not expect thy
child to become an Olympian.
There are 250,000 athletes in
USA Swimming and we keep a record of the Top 100 all time swimming
performance by age group. Only 2% of the swimmers listed in the
all-time Top 100 10 & Under age group make it to the Top 100 in
the 17-18 age group and of those only a small percentage will
become elite level, world class athletes. There are only 52 spots
available for the Olympic Team every four years. Your child’s
odds of becoming an Olympian is about .0002%.
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