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by Rose Snyder, Managing
Director Coaching Division, USOC,Former
Director of Club Services, USA Swimming
(adapted from Ed Clendaniel's 10
Commandments for Little League Parents)
I. Thou
shalt not impose thy ambitions on thy child.
Remember that swimming is your child's
activity. Improvements and progress occur
at different rates for each individual.
Don't judge your child's progress based on
the performance of other athletes and don't
push him based on what you think he should
be doing. The nice thing about swimming is
every person can strive to do his personal
best and benefit from the process of
competitive swimming.
II.
Thou shalt be supportive no matter what.
There is only one question to ask your child
after a practice or a competition - "Did you
have fun?" If meets and practices are not
fun, your child should not be forced to
participate.
III.
Thou shalt not coach thy child.
You are involved in one of the few youth
sports programs that offers professional
coaching. Do not undermine the professional
coach by trying to coach your child on the
side. Your job is to provide love and
support. The coach is responsible for the
technical part of the job. You should not
offer advice on technique or race
strategy. Never pay your child for a
performance. This will only serve to confuse
your child concerning the reasons to strive
for excellence and weaken the swimmer/coach
bond.
IV.
Thou shalt only have positive things to say
at a swimming meet.
You should be encouraging and never
criticize your child or the coach. Both of
them know when mistakes have been made.
Remember “yelling at” is not the same as
“cheering for”.
V.
Thou shalt acknowledge thy child's fears.
New experiences can be stressful situations.
It is totally appropriate for your child to
be scared. Don't yell or belittle, just
assure your child that the coach would not
have suggested the event or meet if your
child was not ready. Remember your job is to
love and support your child through all of
the swimming experience.
VI.
Thou shalt not criticize the officials.
Please don't criticize those who are doing
the best they can in purely voluntary
positions.
VII.
Honor thy child's coach.
The bond between coach and swimmer is
special. It contributes to your child's
success as well as fun. Do not criticize the
coach in the presence of your child.
VIII.
Thou shalt be loyal and supportive of thy
team.
It is not wise for parents to take swimmers
and to jump from team to team. The water
isn't necessarily bluer in another team's
pool. Every team has its own internal
problems, even teams that build champions.
Children who switch from team to team find
that it can be a difficult emotional
experience. Often swimmers who do switch
teams don't do better than they did before
they sought the bluer water.
IX.
Thy child shalt have goals besides winning.
Most successful swimmers have learned to
focus on the process and not the outcome.
Giving an honest effort regardless of what
the outcome is, 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. Does this make me a failure? No, in
fact I am very proud of that swim." What a
tremendous outlook to carry on through life.
X.
Thou shalt not expect thy child to become an
Olympian.
There are 250,000 athletes in USA Swimming.
There are only 52 spots available for the
Olympic Team every four years. Your child's
odds of becoming an Olympian are about
.0002%. |
