Bonus Blog from Coach Derrick

In the haste of trying to get my last blog on the website as quickly as I could, of course I forgot a few things and/or overlooked a few others, but that also gives me a chance to make an important point about coaching swimming. I mentioned in my last blog how many great swims we had from individual swimmers yesterday. I also mentioned a few swimmers in particular for their individual accomplishments. Coaches always take a chance forgetting someone or something when talking about their athletes- whatever sport. You never want to forget someones accomplishment or fail to acknowledge an athlete's individual success- but, it happens.


So let me first assure all swimmers at WSY- the coaches know who you are and we notice when you have good swims- even if they don't say anything. Coaches also notice when swimmers have bad swims- even if they don't say anything . . . right away. Most of the time, you can count on some kind of immediate feedback- negative or positive IF you come to see the coaches after your race. Sometimes you may not get direct feedback until the next day in practice- suddenly your coach remembers and says "Hey- I wanted to talk to you about your freestyle yesterday."


The point is that as your coaches, we are always watching- even in practice- We do talk to each other and communicate on and off the pool deck about swimmers on all levels . We are always assessing each groups progress as well as individual swimmers progress in practice and in meets, and we try to give constructive feedback to individuals as well as the group(s).


Yesterday was especially difficult for the coaches because we had so many swimmers- many times we had 4-5 WSY swimmers in the same heat- it was great seeing all those yellow caps everywhere! Unfortunately, even with all the coaches, sometimes it's hard to keep track of all those swimmers on deck and what they are doing in the water- watching races, writing down times, getting kids to their events, giving swimmers feedback, etc., etc., etc., all gives the coaches very little time for anything else. So, please, swimmers- make a point to come and see us after your race(s), but don't be too disappointed or take it personally if by some chance your coach missed part of or all your race- it happens.


So having said all that, I forgot in my earlier blog to mention Mr. Jarod Anderson for his runner up trophy as the third highest scoring 8 year old with a win in the breaststroke and two thirds in the IM and 25 Free- he also placed fifth in the 50 Free- Sorry Jarod Great Job! Alexis was a close fourth keeping up pretty well with her brother in the point category. And again, sorry if I didn't mention you by name- it doesn't mean I wasn't watching your swims- we had lots of GREAT swims yesterday and everyone swam well- hopefully we can take some of that momentum into this weekend for our meet with Hershey.


One final note- I also forgot to mention the NYAC swimmers for their great success yesterday. I'm sure Coach Scott was excited to see the results- many NYAC swimmers had personal bests times and a few won trophies for high point awards. Coach Anna and Coach Chrissy were there to cheer them on and congratulate them on their success- Great Job NYAC- see you all soon!


Well, Coach Guy said my first blog was tooooooooo long- he's gonna love this one!


See you on the pool deck!


Coach Derrick