Millions of children in the United States are involved in organized sports. The benefits of sports are well documented. We want our children to be physically fit, to learn how to be part of a team, to learn dedication and commitment, to set goals and work hard to achieve them, and to have fun in the process. Parents influence their children's choice in sports and activities for many reasons, including how much time we can put into our children's activities; what we can afford; and the children's success in their sports.
Sports are a huge part of our lives. Everyday there is a major sporting event happening somewhere in the United States. We are inundated with sports, especially the "winning" part. So, what do we really want our children to gain by being in sports? What is the right approach to take as an organization or as a parent? To what measures are we willing to put our children through to succeed in a sport?
Before choosing a sport for our children, it is important to understand what we are getting into and what the sport or organization has to offer. Questions to ask the coaches and organization are:
- What is considered important on this team?
- Will my children be given attention if they are a "star"?
- What are the coaches like? How will my children feel about their coaches?
- Will the coaches take the time to get to know my children?
- How is progress measured? Is there a clearly defined manner of movement from level to level?
- Are my ideas of the importance of sports the same as the team's? Is the team too competitive or not competitive enough?
To understand the philosophy of a youth sports team is to understand how your children will be taught, how they will be treated, and the thinking and experience behind decisions being made that will impact the children.
CSST has a well developed philosophy and approach regarding what we want for our children and what we have to offer. Listed below are the guiding principles, experience, common sense, ideas and wisdom that our philosophy is built on:
We strive to provide the opportunity for all children to succeed to their fullest potential. We provide an environment that is healthy in regards to each child's physical, emotion, and social development. Success in swimming is measured in short term and long term goals and is a process that is always in motion. Every swimmer is different in terms of physical and emotional development. Your children will be coached based on those traits. Each individual swimmer has different goals and levels of commitment. Each swimmer is encouraged to do better every time he or she gets into the water. Let the coaching staff coach and, as parents, learn the difference between encouragement and pushing.
For the most part, CSST's approach to swimming is based on two major components: physical and emotional development. Your child may be in a race with kids that are three inches taller, have been in the sport three years longer, and are much surer of themselves on the blocks before the race. Or your child might be a 'star" because he or she is bigger and stronger than everyone else or because he or she has a more 'natural feel' in the water and has found the perfect sport for his or her body type, etc. How we approach the sport of swimming, in general, and to your child specifically, are based on the physical and emotional examples mentioned above. That is to say, where is your swimmer on the physical and emotional spectrum? As your swimmer matures physically and emotionally, we will systematically provide more challenging workouts and expect more in terms of commitment.
The nice thing about swimming is that it is easy to measure improvement: the times the swimmer achieves indicate progress or lack of progress. Swimmers at every level have one thing in common: they are always striving to improve their times. They want to see self-improvement. You will see your ten-year-old smile with pride because he/she got a best time while not worrying about how he/she placed. You can also listen to Olympians being interviewed after their race and saying they are thrilled they achieved a best time in such an incredibly pressured race situation while they are holding the gold medal they just won. Or, in the same interview, you may find out that the gold medal winning swimmer did not swim year round until she was fourteen years old and placed 8th in her first state meet. That is the beauty of swimming; minds and bodies mature in different ways at different times. Being aware of these two factors; mind and body, is what the philosophy of CSST is built around.
CSST also does not allow young swimmers to participate in serious training such as is experience by the senior swimmers. Our coaches also encourage swimmers to focus on other sports from time to time. As Coach Doane said, he had never known a 12 year old Top 16 swimmer to develop into an Olympic swimmer. Instead they, almost without exception, burn out before they reach that level.
CSST wants our swimmers to:
- always be excited about their sport and be happy with themselves regarding what they are getting back from swimming.
- feel the unconditional support of their coaches and parents regardless of their level of swimming or the outcome of an event or situation.
- have 'fun' but to realize that success is a long process (years) that will require hard work.
- accept their triumphs and struggles equally and learn from both.
- feel they are part of a team and to experience the support of their teammates.
- allow themselves 'to find their way' in this sport with our guidance.