Develope the routine of an Athlete -
Arrive early. Be early enough to get yourself organized and prepared to swim. Fill your water bottle, cap-up, and check your goggles.
Get your mind ready to work hard. Try to leave the day's stress at the door. Get excited and get positive. Fake it, if you have to! Your mindset heading into a practice goes a long way.
Interact with your teammates. You are swimming for a team; get to know who you are in the water with.
Try to get a little better everyday, and remind yourself of your goals. This will help you stay accountable and make challenges more manageable.
Team Expectations:
- Be on time. Whether is it for dryland or swimming, you need to be prepared to participate at the start of practice. Get that cap on and adjust your goggles early.
- Bring a positive attitude. Leave life and negative energy the door; this is the part of the day where you don't have to worry about school, family, or relationship stress. The attitude you bring to practice has a huge impact on performance and enjoyment in the water.
- Be ready to work hard, every day. There are two parts to hard work; effort and focus. It takes both to maximize improvement. Not every day will be perfect, but try to get excited for the opportunity in front of you.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Whether it is a set that pushes harder than what you are used to, or if you are signed up to swim an event that makes you nervous, you will continually be asked to step out of your comfort zone this season. Be brave enough to take on these challenges on.
- Try to get a little better with every opportunity. You are not expected to be perfect on day one, or improve overnight. It's a process. If you buy in and do your part, you can accomplish great things.
- Be a part of the team. Show up, be present at practice, meets, and functions. The team is greater than an one individual - let that push you to be better than you thought you could be, and help your teammates do the same.
- Support your teammates. No one athlete is more important than the other. Work just as hard as the swimmers around you and expect the same of them, and cheer on all your teammates at meets.
- Represent the team well. Respect yourself, teammates, coaches, your school, and your opponent enough to not take focus away from the whole group while placing it on yourself.
- Travel as a team. When provided, traveling with the team is required. This is part of the competition process. If the team is taking a bus to and from a meet, you will be expected to be on it. Missing the bus will result in being removed from the meet.
Train like the Athlete you want to become.