1. Thou shalt
not impose ambitions on thy child. Remember
that swimming is the child's activity. The child will progress at his own
speed. Nothing is worse than a parent forcing a child to do something he does
not want to do. This nice thing about swimming is each person can strive to do
his or her personal best. It doesn't matter whether they come in first or last,
they can all improve themselves.
2. Thou shalt
be supportive no matter what. There is
only one question to ask the child "Did you have fun"? If meets and
practices aren't fun, the child should not be forced to participate.
3. Thou shalt
not coach your child. You have taken
your child to a professional coach; do not undermine that coach by trying to
coach your child on the side. Your job is to support, 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. That is not your area. This will only serve
to confuse your child and prevent that swimmer/coach bond from forming.
4. Thou shalt
only have positive things to say at a swimming meet. If you are going to show up at swimming meet,
you should cheer and applaud, but never criticize your child or the coach.
5. Thou shalt
acknowledge thy child's fears. It is
totally appropriate for a child to be scared to death at his first swimming
meet, or her first 500 free, or 200 IM. Don't yell or belittle, just assure
your child that the coach would not have put her in that event if she did not
feel she were ready.
6. Thou shalt
not criticize the officials. If you do
not have the time or the desire to volunteer as an official, don't criticize
those who are doing the best they can.
7. 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.
8. Thou shalt
not jump from team to team. The water is
always bluer at the other team's pool. This is not necessarily true. Every team
has its own internal problems, even teams that build champions. Children who
switch from team to team are often ostracized by the teammates they leave
behind for a long, long time. Often times swimmers who
do switch teams never do better than they did before they sought the bluer
water.
9. Thou shalt have goals besides
winning. Encourage your child to do her
best. Giving an honest effort no matter what the outcome,
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. This does not make me a failure, in fact, I was very proud of
that swim".
10. Thou shalt not expect thy
child to become an Olympian. There are
225,000 athletes in United States Swimming. There are only 52 spots available
for the Olympic Team every four years. Your child's odds of becoming an
Olympian are 1 in about 4,300. Swimming is much more than just the Olympics.
Ask your coach why he coaches, chances are, he was not an Olympian, but still
got enough out of swimming that he wants to pass that love for the sport on to
others. Swimming teaches self-discipline and sportsmanship; it builds
self-esteem and fitness; it provides lifelong friendships and much more. Most
Olympians will tell you that these intangibles far outweigh any medal they may have
won. Swimming just builds good people and you should be happy your child wants
to participate.