It was a beautiful sunny wind-free Friday night. Naturally, I was at work with the kids at practice- and honestly, with those beautiful rays seeming to daunt us all- shining in on the water- I wasn't the only person not totally stoked to be out in it.
The kids are tapering for a meet next week, which will be their last one before we start into our summer LCM season- All their hard work and training through the fall- all those dry land sessions- double swim sessions over Christmas- and, well, all those beautiful Friday nights spent at the pool (knowing their friends are enjoying their obligation-free friday afternoons....) come down to this swim meet.
Taper is always an interesting time. I think the hardest part is the mental taper. You go through this magnitude of emotions from being an absolute stress case craving MORE training- to exhausted and wanting to "get it over with"- to being unbelievably excited and pumped to go tear it up (for obvious reasons my fav).
The kids had swum about 5k when I wrote the last set up on the board which read 6 rounds of: 1x 100 ez followed by 1 x 50 for time. Not a terrible set- but was just going to take awhile.
After the second round through, a group of boys started their bartering (I knew at some point it was coming).
"If we go really fast on this one, can we be done?!"
"If we go really fast on the next two, can we be done?!"
"If we go really fast on the next three, can we skip the last round?!"
Knowing these kids, I had a plan. I announced: "We will swim crazy, super, stellar fast the next three rounds, and I will make the 6th round an optional round. Everyone will swim it. The timed swim will be optional"
Well the kids blew it out of the park. I was just happy to see the energy in the pool switch from a "blah lets be done" to a "oh hell yeah we might get one 50 off!!!!"
And we get to round #6. I call for the optional swimmers to get in the water...and what do I know- a full heat. Another super fast 50 from all lanes. Next heat- another full wave of swimmers- and more great times. And last heat- and (well all but one hs boy haha) the last group busts out an amazing 50.
I'm so proud and privileged to work with these athletes. In the end, I don't believe they would have been happy cutting the practice short. This group of swimmers is not the group to take the "short cut"- as honestly they WERE the same athletes that have been so dedicated the last 6 months.
It is that exact mentality that our Olympic Trial competitor had displayed before making her first National cut years ago. That "itchy skin" feeling like you didn't quite finish what you started.
And that is why these kids will be great- in the pool- in school- in their work place- and as people in general. I cannot wait to watch them swim next weekend.
Love, Erin
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