As a coach, I know when I am working with swimmer(s) I need to give my full undivided attention to them. I strongly believe in a powerful relationship between swimmer and coach. 

 

A coach needs to motivate their swimmer during the hard practices. A coach must respect their swimmer’s concerns about how they perform in races and learn how to give proper feedback. Without a healthy relationship with a swimmer, you cannot expect times to drop, a turn to be learned, improvement in stroke technique, and so much more. 

 

However, sometimes swimmers might not improve as quickly as they want which may lead to frustration. As a swimmer, I have gone through this as well by coming up short on an MCSL All Star two years in a row. In that situation, I would try to alleviate a swimmer’s stress and focus on good, and make sure they understand every second in the water isn’t being wasted but in reality they would be building more mental strength. 

 

For me, swimming may be a lot of practice, but the mindset of a swimmer should be full of drive to improve and understand the journey to get to greater heights will only happen if they put in the time and effort to themselves and learn from a coach. 

 

A lot of times I get asked why I never pursued more into swimming, and that I could have achieved a lot more. For me, I know where I stand as a swimmer; I have accomplished a great many things in the sport and now it is my time to give back to swimming. 

 

Being a swim coach is a tremendous honor to me, and I hope to not only work with swimmers to improve their racing in the pool, but also inspire new generations to become coaches just like me.