REVISED VERSION                                                                                                  1428 Darbee Drive

                                                                                                                                    Baton Rouge, LA 70804

                                                                                                                                    November 23, 1994

Floyd Tuttle

W.C. Folsom, Jr. YMCA

15550 Old Hammond Highway

Baton Rouge, LA 70816

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