REVISED VERSION 1428 Darbee
Drive
Baton Rouge, LA
70804
November 23, 1994
Dear Mr.
Tuttle,
As you know, this summer I
coached the Gonzales Swim Team, and through the course of the season, we
ran into many problems. The main problem was the large number of
beginning swimmers. I was glad that so many children were interested in
competitive swimming, but unfortunately most of these swimmers had never
swum before. This situation caused numerous problems that affected the
more advanced swimmers, but it also affected me, the coach. I had to
constantly devote my time to “teaching” the new swimmers the strokes and
spent little time improving the others’ strokes. In addition, since
there were so many novices in the water, I could not supervise the
entire group as effectively for safety.
Katherine McCanless, our meet director, and I discussed
the new swimmer problem and decided that the main cause was a
misunderstanding by the parents. In the pamphlet on the YMCA
Aquatics Program, parents read that for two weeks of lessons, the price
was twenty-two dollars, and for seven weeks of the swim team, the price
was thirty-five dollars. Which is the better bargain? Of
course the thirty-five dollar swim team is cheaper per week.
Consequently, many parents of new swimmers registered their children for
the swim team, thinking that it would be the same as swim lessons.
They missed the fact that the swim team pamphlet states, “Learn
competitive swimming skills and compete” while the swimming lessons
pamphlet says, “learn basic swimming skills.” As you know, there
is a big difference between competitive and basic swimming. Most
parents know this too, but I think they probably didn’t read the
pamphlets as carefully as they should have and were drawn to the swim
team program by its bargain price.
Having to teach the new swimmers all four strokes at
practice was frustrating for them, me, and the advanced swimmers.
Because of the number of beginners, I could not devote enough attention
to them individually. Many of them became frustrated because they could
not keep their heads out of the water, nor could they understand the
concept of the strokes. I was frustrated because I was prepared to
coach--to help improve swimmers strokes and techniques--not teach--show
kids how to swim from scratch. During practices, they could only swim
about twelve laps because they had to swim one lap at a time. After
each lap, the regular swimmers had to sit on the wall and wait for the
beginners to finish or for me to complete demonstrations of how the
strokes are swum. Also, because the new swimmers fell so far behind,
the swim meets lasted much longer than scheduled.
If this mistaken addition of new swimmers continues
next year, we may lose many old members due to the disturbance caused by
the new ones. Even the new swimmers will drop out from frustration in
trying to learn the strokes. At meets, there were more
disqualifications on the new swimmers because of their uncertainty in
swimming all the strokes. These consequences could hurt the kids and
cause them to lose interest in continuing the sport. Not only do these
consequences hurt the swimmers, but also the YMCA. We won’t fulfill our
mission of educating children and will also have to decrease the budget
for the aquatics program.
One simple solution that we tried at mid-season last
year was hiring more coaches. We thought that by hiring extra help each
coach could take a certain number of swimmers and devote individual
attention to help improve their performance. This solution was
partially effective, but having four coaches also created some
difficulties because the kids became confused by all the different
coaching styles. We also didn’t have a clear chain of command which led
to some personal conflicts. We could try to organize this system better
for next year, but I think the cost of having so many coaches is too
great for the YMCA (ten dollars an hour per coach), and I don’t want us
to raise fees even higher because that might exclude some qualified kids
who don’t have a lot of money. However, I do have a solution that is
cheaper and will ultimately be more effective.
I recommend that we require first-year swimmers who are
interested in joining the swim team to take the two-week progressive
program swim lessons that are listed in the “YMCA Aquatics Pamphlet.”
Depending on the child’s age and level of skill, the parents may choose
which of the seven sessions their child belongs in. Additionally, each
swimmer who has not swum for more than two years on the team will have
to take a mandatory swim tryout called a “performance test.” All
swimmers will have to swim three of the four strokes (back, breast, fly,
and free) the whole length of the pool (forty yards) in a certain time
(we will determine this later). If a swimmer passes, he/she may join
the team. However, swimmers who fail will be asked to take swim lessons
and not be allowed on the team that summer.
Many parents may find this solution unfair, judgmental,
and almost cruel, yet it will benefit both the team and the new
swimmers. The practices will be more productive, with the kids swimming
more yardage and improving strokes, therefore benefiting the team. The
coaches will be able to spend more time with each swimmer, helping their
skills and techniques without the worry of teaching a new swimmer the
basics. Studies show that the most successful teams have to plenty of
time to practice productively.
The new swimmers will benefit from swim lessons because
they will get more hands-on teaching, learning the very basics of
swimming and then move on to understanding each stroke. Furthermore,
they will ultimately feel more confident about swimming when they join
the team than if they had joined with no previous knowledge of the
strokes. Since I also teach some introductory courses, I know how well
kids respond to success. I was working individually with one swimmer
this morning, a swimmer who used to be on the swim team, and I was able
to help her a lot. She had been having trouble with breathing
correctly, and since I had the time to go through the process of
breathing correctly repeatedly without interuptions, she was able to
master the concept. You should have seen the confident look on her face
now that she knows how to breathe properly. Now that she is getting the
basics down, I think next year she’ll be ready to swim competitively.
Along with individual swimmers and the team, this plan
also benefits the YMCA because it will reduce the probability of
drowning incidents or other swimming-related accidents. Swimmers will
be properly trained and tested in their swimming skills which will
enhance the YMCA’s safety reputation. If I were a parent, and I had a
choice between sending my child to recreation center with a well-known
record of safety, and a center where safety was not highly valued, I
would definitely send my child to the safe place. This is only common
sense.
The first step in implementing my solution would be to
produce two separate pamphlets of information; one for the swim lessons
and one for the swim team. Since our office already has a Xerox machine
and computer, this step will be inexpensive. I’ve already mentioned the
idea to Ms. Strate, the secretary, and she said she would be glad to
make new pamphlets. In the pamphlet for the swim team, parents would
find information discussing the goal of the team, which is for the child
to have fun, but also to learn competitive swimming. There will be
information on the job of the coach, and on the new performance test
policy. I will also include a detailed explanation of why we’re
instituting the performance test with a list of the benefits to the
swimmers. I think it would also be a good idea to offer discounts on
joining the swim team if a child successfully passes the basic swimming
course and passes the performance test. This approach might get more
families involved and would be a way to ease families who already
participate into the new policy.
I believe that if this solution is carried out,
swimmers will be placed in the learning environment which will best suit
them. Beginners will truly learn the basics and be prepared to begin
competitive swimming. Also, the swim team’s practices will run more
smoothly and without interruptions so that advanced swimmers will get
improve dramatically. Furthermore, the YMCA will probably have more
interested swimmers join, and therefore, our budget will increase. Also
this solution will lead to a safer swimming environment at the YMCA
because more swimmers will be properly trained and tested in their
swimming skills.
I am very excited about the possibilities of this plan
and look forward to hearing your input. I know you’re as interested as I
am in improving our aquatics program.
Sincerely,
Jackie Doe
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