To all the CVST swimmers we coach, and their parents

Jim Kelly
To all the CVST swimmers we coach, and their parents,
 
We turn on ESPN only to see replays or heated discussions of the NFL draft. NBCSN playing replays of ghosts of Olympics’ past. News stations haven’t strayed from the virus for a single minute, leaving us wondering what is going right in the world, let alone when we’ll be able to return fully to the pool.
 
Throughout this time, coaches have been utilizing every creative outlet we have, burning at both ends. From old Olympic race videos to writing goals and cleaning out swim bags, we have exhausted every possible avenue to keep our athletes engaged and feeling like they are part of a team. To coach swimming without a pool, without any body of water, is without a doubt the hardest thing we’ve had to do and not the job we signed up for.
 
As returning fully to the pool becomes more and more realistic, we have concerns over not only our own family’s health, but also for the safety of our athletes, our second family. We’ve planned out everything from entry and exit points to facilities, lane assignments, all the way down to breathing patterns to reduce exposure of our athletes to this unseen terror that wreaked havoc on what was sure to be a promising season and Olympic Year.
 
So why are we working so hard to keep your kids involved with their teammates and thinking about swimming in any and every way possible? Let me spell it out for you.
 
  1. Swimming is more than swimming. The memories your child has of this time will either be of them trapped at home or that there was a bridge about as long as the social distancing gap created by their swim team. When they look back at their time as young athletes, the practices they missed won’t be what they recall, it’ll be the moments they spent with their team, overcoming the barriers that COVID has thrown our way.
  2. When we do return to the pool, we can create a new perspective of our sport. Watching past Olympic successes, analyzing the strokes of the best in our sport, and discussing with their peers may trigger some changes athletes can make in their own practice routines or strokes. There will be new skills to try or another gear found that drives athletes to push each other and themselves to be better through going through some historical moments in swimming. 
  3. Nutrition and strength can become cornerstones of training. Encouraging athletes to get into the kitchen and experiment with healthy meals and snacks to improve their performance once we do return to the pool can make a drastic improvement. A lot of the younger athletes may not have dryland training opportunities as often as the more senior athletes, so this is a great chance to learn how to workout safely and effectively while transferring their strength gains to pool specific movements.
  4. This time can be used to make team bonds even stronger. Yes, we’re all in this together, but it’ll make this time pass much more quickly if teammates remain positive and moving in the direction of a better tomorrow. We can use this time to make posters to improve team spirit and morale. We can encourage a glimpse into the past by looking through old team photos to remember what life was like when all there was to worry about was swimming fast at a swim meet with all your friends closer than 6 feet.
  5. Because we CARE. I will hop on a zoom meeting with a practice group for 20 minutes to an hour to see the athletes I normally work with day to day because I want to see their faces and know they’re okay. No, more than ok… I want to make sure they are thriving and making the best of their time away from the pool! Try some new activities, get outside and get some fresh air, or maybe learn a new skill and share it with us. I want to make this time seem like just a bump in the season, what will be no more than a blip on what we hope will be a long and positive career in the sport, so they can look back and say,  “wow, my swim team really made a difference in helping me get through what should’ve been a really tough time for not only our nation, but the whole world.”
 
Most of us chose this career because it provided us something invaluable besides an athletic outlet. We strive to build experiences for our athletes that they covet as much as we do our own. We build character and lifelong skills so that we can be proud of our athletes 10 years later as they begin their adult lives. Just because the world was thrown a huge curve ball doesn’t mean our goals for our athletes stop. We have to find creative ways to get to the same results, with tools we’ve never used and with obstacles we never thought we would face.
 
Patience is a virtue many coaches have not been awarded. It’s right there cast aside with gratitude and appreciation while we navigate these unchartered waters, trying to do what’s best for our athletes. Everything we’ve provided during this time has served a larger purpose to keep athletes connected, and hopefully soon we will be able to make a splash.
 
Sincerely,
 
Coach Maria Zambito PT DPT
Carrollwood Village Swim Team