Posted by CatTales
on 8/2/2009, 1:49 am
24.210.46.244
Principle Eleven: A Letter to Parents of Swimmers
Floridian Mike Dunford writes a blog called The Questionable Authority where he muses about “science, learning, and life.” He also works as a deck official at swim meets. Below are some of his suggestions to swimmers’ parents, which could apply to any sports parent.
- A personal best is always a victory.
If doesn’t matter if they finish first or dead last. If they swam the event faster than ever before, it’s a victory.
- Cheer for your children.
Do not yell at them. Do not tell them they’re swimming poorly. Never, ever ask them what the hell they thought they were doing, particularly in the first ten seconds after they get out of the water.
- Cheer for other people’s children.
Your kid is on a team. Support the team. If you’ve got a pair of lungs that can rupture eardrums at 50 feet, why is it I only hear you during a few heats? If you don’t know anyone in a heat, cheer for everyone.
- Be a role model for sportsmanship.
Swim meets are like cereal box contests: many will enter, few will win. Your kids are going to get a lot of practice at not winning. Teach them to show as much grace and class when they don’t win that they do when they do win.
- Not winning is not the same as losing. There are only two ways to lose in swimming. You can fail to show up or you can give up in the middle. Nobody who tries hard and makes it through the event is a loser. This is particularly true of little kids who take three minutes to finish a 25-yard freestyle.
- Respect the officials.
Officials are not there to get rich. Or, for that matter, paid. The majority of officials are parents of swimmers. You can complain about the quality of the officiating, but we will be thinking, “If you think you can do it better, why aren’t you sweating your tail off on this deck?” This is particularly true if you’re complaining about why your kid got dinged while swimmer X did not when there’s only one stroke and turn judge for each end of the pool.
Principle Eleven of the Arizona Sports Summit Accord states that “Everyone involved in competition – including parents – has a duty to honor the traditions of the sport and treat other participants with respect.”
[scienceblogs.com/authority, 5/16/09]
Nearly 50 influential leaders in sports issued the Arizona Sports Summit Accord in 1999 to encourage greater emphasis on the ethical and character-building aspects of athletic competition.
What we allow, we encourage.
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