Swim Coach?

It's weird being on the other side in regards to swimming but I enjoyed the perks this weekend, or should I say the hospitality room.

I'm figuring no one knows about my secret life as a swimming coach for Richmond Swim Club but now you do.

I have been coaching and instructing 7 to 12 year olds at Hibberd Pool throughout the week. They have come a long way and many of them had their first swim meet this weekend at New Castle. The meet itself was nothing to be proud of, if you're from New Castle, as I arrived at dark (7 a.m.) and left at dark (7:30 p.m.). The marathon, or rather epic, day was full of thrills and excitement and a few head bumps to the wall in backstroke.

The fun thing about coaching I realized this weekend is that I don't have to get in the pool and I am at liberty from the parents to do whatever I see fit to make the kids better. This weekend was no different as I set goal times for a number of them and most-of-which fulfilled or surpassed those times.

One young man in particular was in his first swim meet. Excited, nervous and a bit preoccupied with his new TY snake, led him to have a wonderful day that he didn't even know was coming. For him, who has improved more than any other swimmer I've had so-far, I told him to shoot for a 47 in the 50 free style, a modest time, I thought and one that should be within reach for him by the end of the year, I thought. At 9 years old, I never would have known what to do, if my coach told me to do the best I could just before coaxing me into freezing water to swim down and back. But, I didn't swim when I was 9 and never would have thought at 9 that I would ever be a coach of anything.

Anyhow, nervous for the start he threw himself into the pool with a very nice start and swam down and back in a whopping 46.99. What a coach I am, thinking he would only hit that mark by the end of the year. Good job buddy.

Throughout the day I helped swimmers get to their lanes, addressed parents, set up relays and dealt with one disregard able coach from New Castle, who should NOT be coaching young children.

The day was fulfilled by dinner time and along with Andi I headed home with my first experience on the other side and I felt fulfilled. The experience is more than I ever thought it could be and I look forward to coaching tonight and getting some reaction from the kids on how the meet went.