Sportsmanship: SAIL has taught me many things over the years. In my opinion, the most important of these is
sportsmanship. At the top of the list of the lessons I learned from SAIL is to remain in the pool
after your race until everyone has finished. My coaches emphasized this very much through my
years in SAIL and I passed this lesson on to my track team. Nobody leaves the pool until
everyone has finished, and nobody steps off the track until all the competitors have finished
running. I consider this paying respect for the effort that every athlete has put in to finish the
race. And whether I win or lose, I always congratulate my competitors.
Every kid grows up hearing clichés like "don't be a sore loser," but what does that really mean?
The words lack meaning without examples to illustrate what it means to be a "sore loser". SAIL
has shown me what being a good sport is and in a few cases, the effects a sore loser has on
others. According to rankings for the 2010 Blue Divisionals meet, Michael Knots and I were
seeded top two in the 50m free. I wanted so much to win and fought hard through the entire
race. As we came in for the final stroke, I turned sideways for the final touch, and saw he had
me. But I was happy! He had beaten me, yes; but he had worked hard for every stroke just as I
had, and in that final second, we had earned each other's respect. After everyone had finished,
we shook hands and hopped out of the pool. I went over to my teammate who had swum on the
far end of the pool and congratulated him along with the two competitors he was talking to. So
what is sportsmanship? Anyone who has experienced SAIL knows the answer is obviously choice
D.) All of the above.
Leadership: Leadership starts at a young age with the people you literally look up to. When I was young, I
looked up to the older swimmers in the adjacent lanes (we stagger lanes by age group). They
were so strong and would answer any questions I had. If I needed help, they were there. I did
my first flip turn after a senior swimmer taught me step by step. I learned to dive from the
blocks with the instruction of my older neighbor, who also was a 15-18 member of the team.
Now, as I have grown up, I have done the same things for the younger members of the team. I
taught a young nine year old to dive from the blocks in two days after he came to me asking for
help. At the next meet he came over to me after his first event ecstatic and hugged me. He
didn't even care that he had gotten second, but only wanted to talk about how he had dove
from the blocks! He was so surprised that he had been able to conquer something that just a
week ago had absolutely terrified him! I saw so much of myself in him at that moment.
Last year, the team games planned for our "Fun-Friday" celebration become repetitive. Capture
the Flag and Water Polo were played every week and I saw the kids were growing tired of it.
Some of my friends started leaving after the ribbons were handed out and Fun-Friday wasn't
much fun. I had to do something. I started by talking to the coaches about what I had seen and
they were willing to try something different. The next week we planned ahead and were
prepared with a huge inflatable slide! I told everyone I could about it, but the turnout only
improved slightly. People still left after ribbons and donuts. So I went further. I convinced my
neighbor to cook hotdogs for a Fun-Friday lunch at midday. The idea was to keep the team at
the pool from breakfast at Fun-Friday until lunch. Each week I invented a different game that
could be played by all age groups. To help everyone feel like a winner, I switched teams to lead
the losing side. From squirt gun fights with colored dye and ultimate ball (ultimate frisbee with
a ball) to "Sharks and Minos" we did it. The coaches were inspired by my leadership and went
the extra step to plan out games in advance following my example. Attendance returned to
what I remember it was when I was young and everyone was once again having fun. Even the
oldest kids would come out Friday and stay at the pool for the day. This was really important to
me because if the older kids leave, the team falls apart from the top. I took it as my
responsibility to keep all the members of the team active, especially the senior members.
Mentoring: My first big experience with a mentor was my first year as a 9-10. A neighborhood parent
(Tommy Williams) had taken a personal interest in me and after our first home meet, came
over and recommended that I make the change to a jammer suit. I was still wearing trunks and
thought the idea of a jammer suit was insanely awkward but I trusted him and made the leap of
faith. With his encouragement I overcame my embarrassment and suited up in my new jammer
the very next week. At the end of the meet, I found Mr. Williams and shared my significantly
improved times. I look back now and realize how out of place those baggy trunks really were.
There are certain "ceremonial rites of passage" in swimming that every swimmer achieves as
they progress. Completing one whole lap, diving from the block, first flip turn, and mastering all
four strokes legally are the prime examples. I struggled with the flip turn the most but through
the help of the older swimmers, overcame that obstacle and have been grateful ever since. For
every swimmer, that obstacle is something different. But in most cases it involves fear or
confidence at some point. Last year I had a group of 9-10's who were afraid of the wall on their
backstroke finish. I helped them get their count, padded the wall, and swam in beside them.
But still, their fear was there. I believe it was my speech about how courage is having the
strength to overcome fear, and that nobody can be courageous with being fearful at first, that
made the difference. One by one, they committed to it, and it was right on the money. One,
two, three, four… eight, wall: every time. Not one of them has had a problem with backstroke
since, and after that Thursday meet I got more hugs and three very happy kids. I'm looking
forward to teaching them the backstroke flip turn this year.
One of the moving aspects of being a senior swimmer is seeing the younger kids struggle with
internal battles. The ones that I've personally experienced are the most touching because I
know how it feels and the difficulty with pointing blame at yourself. The first thing to come to
mind is the dreaded DQ. It's really bad when the clever "oh you got DQ'd? That means Dairy
Queen!" won't work. When a kid isn't cheered up by ice cream there is a heavy weight bearing
down. I know because it happened to me my third year at Divisionals. I was leading the first leg
of our 9-10 Medley Relay and found out after being pulled out that I had DQ'd our relay: for
flinching… It was demoralizing. I didn't even know the meaning of this word at the time, but
looking back, that's exactly how I felt. We won our heat and everyone was so happy afterwards
… until that stroke and turn official beckoned me over. I was sunk. I felt as if I had let not just
the relay down but the entire team. And there was no fixing it, no re-do, and not even a
recorded time. This same situation replayed itself two years ago at a home meet. Our 9-10 boys
medley relay was swimming for the pool record. The second leg had an early take-off and both
the first and second swimmers blamed themselves for the DQ. I once again, saw myself in them
and rushed to help. I told them my story, and even though they were still down, they didn't
beat themselves up over it like I did. After some relay take-off coaching and practice, they
qualified for Classics and couldn't have been more thrilled. The DQ was now a distant memory.
Team spirit: Team spirit is a driving reason I keep coming back every year. It inspires me to swim faster and
to cheer on my teammates. Every event is a chance to help my team. Especially in relays, there
is an aura that captivates all four of us. It makes my heart beat faster, it makes me jump, it puts
me into the race of every single member.
During each swim meet I look for personal records and the next day, when we celebrate the
meet, I congratulate the other members of my team. I know I appreciated when someone
congratulated me for a specific thing I did at the meet like an improved time or placing; nothing
made me happier than to know I had a fan, so I figured the best thing I could do was to be a fan
for everybody. When I talk to the team on Friday mornings I do exactly that. After having seen
so many races I could tell when an incorrect ribbon had been given to a swimmer. The only
thing better than free donuts and games is knowing your team realizes and values your
achievements. I try to pass this on each week.
I noticed that as some kids advance into the upper age groups, they lose the spirit that once
burned bright. It's obvious if you look at attendance records or who's cheering. I think as kids
grow up, they see themselves as too cool for it all. To be honest, I had a year where I too
thought this. But I realized what it does to the team. The little kids can sense it and they also
stop showing up to practice, stop cheering, and team spirit drops. Not until an 11-12 boy came
to me one meet and asked why I wasn't cheering did I fully come to the conclusion that I was
partially responsible for this. I didn't know what to tell him. And quite frankly, I didn't know
what to tell myself… Ever since then I've made it my mission to keep both the older and
younger kids involved in the team. Whether it is team ping pong in my garage or passing the
ball to everyone in water polo, I make it happen.
Our team cheer always and forever echoes in my head:
F-F-F to the O, O-O-O to the X, F to the O, O to the X, go FOX go!
Conclusion: The true meaning of SAIL for me is giving back to my team more than it has given me. As I grew up each summer alongside swimming, I took in so much knowledge and memories. I remember what has influenced me and at every opportunity pass that on. It is this legacy that is truly special. Each generation passes on the principles of sportsmanship, leadership, mentorship, and spirit to the next. I first saw this in the older kids, I then felt it in myself, and I now see it in the younger kids. When the generations connect, it is amazing. I see myself in so many of the younger kids on my team. This is the essence of SAIL.