VALUES OF VALLEJO



OUR PURPOSE :
Vallejo Aquatics Club believes in establishing the fundamentals and B.A.S.I.C.S. of this sport, as well as in life. The club’s goal is to develop great student - athletes into becoming great people through the sport of swimming.

 

“There is the RIGHT way! There is the WRONG way! Then, there is the VJO way!”

  • Doing things to the best of YOUR ability. Making sure that all of the small “easy” things are done well, as those are the foundations of bigger things to come. Each individual will have their own successes, so focusing on your own progress will only help the team’s progress. Making sure that each day is used as a forward step, not to stay the same.
     
  • Going above and beyond to help out others in need. Being a teammate and a person that others can trust and rely on. Having a positive influence on those you surround, and to do to others as you wish to be done for yourself.


THE B.A.S.I.C.S. :

  • Balance : Having a sense of balance in life is a factor that is important to who we are. Finding balance is the understanding that things will coexist with each other life the yin and yang. There is a a misconception that everything needs even time for balance but balance will be found with contrast, not equality. Because the old thought of balance does not protect you, it limits you. 
     
  • Attitude : Your attitude is the key towards unlocking your potential. Training your brain's mindset and perspective to see the positive in all outlooks and outcomes is a skill that requires daily practice. A lot of how we think and the decisions we act on are a direct result of our attitude. If we can shape our thoughts with confidence and understand that positive leads to productive actions and negative leads to neglective actions. Our attitude. Our actions. Our life."
     
  • Sacrifices : It is the hardest part of having priorities. When it comes time to achieving goals, the needs have to take precedent over the wants. We must learn to sacrifice something for what we want, rather than making something we want... our sacrifices. Sometimes the biggest sacrifices can lead to becoming the best decisions in our life because that sacrifice of our comfort helps us grow ourselves.
     
  • Intelligence : Our daily actions are the real measures of our intelligence. Making decisions with critical and logical thinking over emotional thinking tends to have better results and outcomes. Intelligence comes with the want to of learning and then learning how to apply in the day to day. Being intelligent doesn't always mean just getting good test scores and grades, but rather the understanding of how to handle the task at hand.
     
  • Compete : The challenge to better ourselves every day should be the first goal. Challenging yourself and others to progress will only raise the standards of everyone involved and around. There is a never ending evolution for improvement if we go out and compete for it. Being comfortable in the uncomfortable is where the competition happens daily because every day is a challege to better yourself from the person you were yesterday. Learn to take the L's from Losing Lows and turn them into the L's of Learned Lessons.
     
  • Simplicity : Keep things simple. There is no need to complicate things when the basic foundations work. Trying to take on too much or do too much usually leads to unwarranted stress and anxiety. It is usually when things become too complex that there is a loss in sight of what the foundations are. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication because it isn't about its bareness but rather the achievement of maximum effects with minimum means. There is exellence in simplicity.

 

“Champions are brilliant at the B.A.S.I.C.S.!” - John Wooden

“Most of us forget the B.A.S.I.C.S. and wonder why the specifics don’t work.” - Garrison Wynn
 

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THE VALUES OF VALLEJO! :

Vallejo Aquatics Club is high on character development. Our character is fundamentally important to our success as it’s what truly makes us authentic. It makes us, US! It is the backbone of our personalities that help us achieve goals, get along and work well with other people, as well as being able to accept others from different societies and worlds. Character needs to be learned, developed, and practiced in order to be what we want it to be. Our character is built off of daily habits which will determine our successes or failures. VJO believes if the team builds itself off of going above and beyond the right way of doing things for ourselves - and the team  - that it will help positively promote and gain a higher level for our program and community.

 

  1. Team/Community > Individuals : The success of our team will not come from individuals who only care about their own success. The success of our team/community will come from the group of individuals (Coaches, Parents, and Athletes) who come together to do their part in order to help pick each other up and use their strengths for the betterment of the team.
    “The strength of a team is each individual member, however the strength of each individual member is the team.”
    - Phil Jackson.
     
  2. Execution over Times : VJO is not a team that chases times, but rather the execution of the task at hand. If things are executed to the highest level, the time drops will be there. “But Coach, isn’t swimming a sport that’s about time?” Yes! However, if our only concern is dropping time at every race - then the majority of the swimmer’s careers could be “failures”. The execution of fundamentals and basics are going to be priority at practices as well as at meets for our club.
    “Greatness is when an idea and the execution of that idea are simultaneous.”
    - Albert Einstein.
     
  3. Leading the Little Things : VJO wants to teach how to, and be examples of leaders. No matter the age or experience, leadership qualities will be taught and expected to be upheld. Having leaders - role models - on the team at all levels will only raise our standards as a club program. Every young student - athlete must see leaders and role models leading by example to understand what being a leader of the little things means. Little things such as, work ethic, being a representative of this team in public, helping others who are struggling, giving advice when it’s needed, being timely and disciplined, and so forth.
    “Leadership isn’t about titles or positions…It’s about one life influencing another.”
    - John Maxwell