|
Competitor Call to
Action
To all Competitor athletes and parents:
First, I apologize if the tone of this email and subsequent handout
to the athletes seems too strongly worded, but I am frustrated with
our swimmers practice attendance at this point in the season.
As head coach and team leader, I set goals and aspirations for
this team. One goal is to place 4th this February and July at the
NM State Championships. The Competitor group is not only integral,
but essential to achieving this goal. Currently we have 16 members
in the Competitor Group. 6 of these members have State Qualifying
times. Not nearly enough to place in the top 10, let alone 4th.
FCAT needs as many Competitor swimmers to attend State champs to
compete with LOBO, Duke and Charger Aquatics, the bigger teams in
NM. The Pre-National team will score points at State, however,
their focus is Sectionals and Junior Nationals. Therefore the
burden of scoring points for FCAT at State lies solely on the
Competitor Group, hence the name of the group: To be one of the
teams in NM that is competitive at the State level.
To remind you what the goals of the Competitor Group are:
· Race in every distance, every stroke available over
duration of season
· Achieve your age group top ten swim times in New Mexico
Swimming
· Improve fluidity in turns and push-offs
· Improve dive and backstroke entry into water
· Begin learning how to manage effort and intensity through
practice
· Learn and improve goal-setting skills
· Improve on controlling attitude and focus within workout
and understand that they affect teammates
· Create a core group of ’training friends’
· Sit with friends and teammates at swim meets
· Listen to coaches!
I highlight the point about achieving your top ten swim times in NM
Swimming because FCAT is not even close to doing this. We have to
qualify for the NM State Champs first.
In order to accomplish these goals swimmers need to attend
practices more often, even though there is no practice requirement
for this group. Last Saturday there was only ONE Competitor swimmer
in attendance. The average workout participation is 3 times a week.
The MAJORITY of swimmers in the Competitor Group should be
attending 5-6 practices per week, depending on age. This request is
not excessive. This is amount of practice time is vital for this
group. I have no doubt that the vast majority of Competitor
swimmers can and will qualify for the State champs if attendance is
increased.
Thousands of swimmers across the country, of this ability level,
are already attending these same practices and getting better than
average grades. Statistically, swimmers have the highest grade
point average of any athlete. Swimming teaches commitment, effort,
time management, teamwork and responsibility, to name a few.
There is no reason why FCAT can’t be doing the same. In
order to compete at the national level, we need to be doing the
same. It makes me very nervous that only a couple Competitor level
athletes are approaching the requirements to make it into the
Pre-National Group. FCAT has a history of mediocrity. I will not
let this happen under my tenure here. I know what it takes to be a
successful individual and team and how those two aspects go hand in
hand.
So, parents, please, GET YOUR CHILD TO PRACTICE, even when they
don’t want to go. These kids need to learn how commitment and
dedication relate to success and how we need to keep our eye on the
ball even when we don’t feel like playing catch. The values I
learned from swimming I use in my everyday life. Please help me to
teach your children these values as well.
Achieving is a process and I want to create environments that
support excellence. I can’t do this without you. I will be
demanding, I will have high expectations, I will regularly
challenge people to step outside their comfort zone, I will set an
uncompromising standard where excellence is EXPECTED. ENCOURAGED.
EMBRACED.
I request that all of you in the Competitor Group come with coach
Brandyn and I down this path to success.
Thank you,
Coach Trever
|
