The Supportive Parent

Swimming is one of the few sports that require a lot of support from parents.  This support can be shown in various ways from being your swimmers biggest cheerleader to being an official standing on the side of the pool for hours during a meet so your swimmer can compete. 

I know each parent sacrifices a lot of time between commuting and getting your child to and from practice, meets and other team activities.  I know several weekends a month are spent on a pool deck when you need/want to be doing other things.  And the truth is this is the sport your child has chosen and it is difficult.  However, there are a few things you can do to make the time you are spending more enjoyable.  Get involved!  How you may ask?  Every team is different, but several have the same needs.  Does your team have a booster club?  Do you wish to understand the sport more? Become an official.  Every team I have ever coached for is always in need of officials.  These two areas can help you get involved in ways that help the team, support your child, get to understand the sport of swimming, and allow you can meet other parents. 

This is your child’s sport. 

The most important thing to remember is…This is your child’s sport.  The focus should be on your child and not anyone else’s child. And truthfully the focus should also not be on yourself and how you feel. 

With that said there are some parents who take getting “involved” too far. And this is not in ways that I just mentioned above. Too many parents sit in the stands dwelling on a bad swim or a bad meet with their child, which does not help the swimmer.  Your swimmer is going to have bad races, bad days, or bad meets.  It is normal and it is natural.  I have so many swimmers every meet walk up to me saying my mom/dad are upset because I got beat by so and so, or they are upset because I did not drop any time.  Honestly this is one of the few times parents you can be the good guys.  I ask my parents no matter what to tell your swimmer they did good job and ask “what did your coach say?” Let me be the bad guy if necessary.

Now sometimes you may not understand why a coach is doing what they are doing.  And if this is the case, the best way to find out is to communicate directly with the coach.  There are several appropriate times to do this, but during practice is not one of them because the coach needs to have his full attention on practice/swimmers.  If you can catch the coach prior to practice, after practice, via e-mail or by phone those are the ideal times to talk to the coach.  You can also set up a meeting with the coach.  As a coach I appreciate those parents who want to understand what I am doing, my method and my goals; however, there is always a place and time for this communication to happen. 

Ultimately, your child(ren) need to be swimming for themselves not being in fear of their parents and what they are going to say.  That is why I say get involved with the sport and/or the team.  This way you are not dwelling on the bad swim or bad day.  You are involved in your own way and your swimmer sees that you are involved in something they are passionate about.  Let the coach do their job and be there to help guide your swimmer through the rough patches.

 

By being a supportive parent you are helping create an environment where the coach can be successful, the swimmer can be successful and ultimately the team can be successful. 

Disclaimer:  These are my opinions and are not to be a reflection on anyone other than myself.