By Grace Hoffmann, Swimming World College Intern
It had only been two weeks into college swimming and I missed the practices. I missed the yelling. I even missed the devious smile at 5 a.m. I missed my go-to therapist. I missed my motivator.
“Dear Club Coach,
Hey, it’s me Grace. Maybe you could come to college and coach me again….?”
Like it or not, coaches have a huge impact on our lives. Crazy to consider at some points, but there is life outside of swimming and the team. If you’ve had a coach like mine, they want to know about it all. School, family, and relationships cover just a few of the countless conversations I’ve had with my club coach. From eighth grade to senior year for four hours a day and six days a week, I had the same man standing over my lane getting my splits and encouraging me to push myself harder each day. I had the same man asking about my schoolwork, grades, and friends. Coach became more than a coach, he became family.
Whether your coach left your team, or you are new to a team like myself, transitioning coaches is challenging. A new coach means new practices and new philosophies. Different coaching tactics and forms of motivation. To me, a new coach meant losing the person who understood my way of thinking and my goals and aspirations.
What no one realizes or reminds you of is that the relationship with a coach did not just happen on its own. In eighth grade, when my coach arrived from Mississippi, we did not click right away. In fact, we did not have a conversation until about week two of his new job as head coach on my club team. Looking back, it took effort and time for me to feel like we were both on the same page.
The time before and after practice I spent talking to him made me trust in him and his coaching. Learning more about his family and his life made me realize that he does truly care and coaches because he has a passion for it. The respect I had for him grew, and I believe that is why I considered the coach-athlete duo we had to be a success.
Photo Courtesy: Donna Nelson
The relationship you had with your old coach can happen with your new coach too. Do not consider it a fail that you do not feel the same way about your new coach as you did your old coach just yet. It takes time. Stop worrying yourself about the differences. In the long run, there may be differences but you can make the experience with your new coach just as great or even better.
Remember…
1. To Make an Effort
Don’t be afraid to schedule a meeting with your new coach. Or stop in your coach’s office after practice. They will talk to you. Your coach wants to talk to you. Get to know him or her. Ask about their family. Tell them about how practice and school are going for you. Be open.
2. To Trust
Even if you miss your old coach. This new coach is YOUR COACH. He or she is spending time and effort on making you a better swimmer and person. Believe in their plan and trust that they know exactly what they are doing.
3. To Lean On Your Teammates
New or old, these people are your swim family. You’re going to be spending the majority of your time with them.
Talk about it with each other. Come together as a team and organize team activities out of the pool. The more interaction and bonding the less challenging a transition will be.
4. To Stop Overthinking
I have the most trouble with this one. It’s challenging to keep focused on the positive when you feel uncertainty. Let things be and just swim. It is perfectly acceptable to miss your old coach. Don’t let missing him or her keep you from forming a great new relationship with your new coach. The “click” with the new coach WILL happen. Just give it time and be open to new ideas.
Instead of the first message I had contemplated sending on week two, I know now what I would send.
“Dear Club Coach,
Hey it’s me Grace. I just wanted to say thank you for the past five years of coaching. It took a little getting used to, but I’m doing well. You set a great precedent for what I look for in a coach. Luckily, I found the right one. As crazy as it sounds, I see a lot of you in him. He may love the sport even more than you do, if that’s possible. Thanks again for helping me pick the right team to spend the next four years with. I know they’re going to be great.”
Felicity Do
Is that the Centerville Elks swim team at WTRC? Mark Davis?
Yes it is. You probably coached Grace Hoffmann at Woodhaven. She is one of our Freshmen.
Yes.. Picture is from a Centerville meet at the Rec! John Mullen