Sportsmanship: Good Sportsmanship is a learned behavior. I'm fortunate to have developed it as a direct result of my fifteen years swimming with my neighborhood SAIL team. At the age of three, I became a guppy and the foundation of good sportsmanship was laid. As part of every practice my coaches taught me proper swim etiquette during a race, a meet and even way before I entered the water. I learned to stay in the water when I finished my race and wait until all other swimmers were finished. As I became part of the big team, I witnessed my fellow team mates being cordial to swimmers from the opposing team. It became second nature for me to visit with those I shared a bench with in the clerk of course area. Year after year of swimming resulted in friendships with swimmers from various teams all over the city. It was very common for me to greet them with a hug during the summer. Only in SAIL could you experience that. It was common place to compliment my opponents with a "good swim" or "congratulations" after a race, regardless of how well I had done. In fact, swimming for SAIL was my first ever experience of losing at a sport. Losing taught me to be sympathetic to those that did not swim well. As a teen swimmer, I learned that good sportsmanship made swimming more fun. Being part of the Red Division can make for some very long meets. Sure there was some rivalry, but it was always good clean fun and knowing that the competition was tough. In the end, I have become a humble winner and a happy loser and that will forever be a part of me.
Leadership: My participation in SAIL had a direct impact on the development of my leadership skills. There is no other organization that combines so many ages on one team, and this contributes to the development of leadership by example. As a young swimmer I looked up to the older swimmers and my coaches. Not just because they were the best swimmers. I just couldn't wait to act like them, or to assist the coaches with the lane lines or anything else they might need help with. I attended practice after practice, because I wanted to be good at swimming, little did I know that I was setting a good leadership example for other swimmers, when it would have been easier to sleep in. My neighborhood swim team uses teen swimmers for many things like delivering the signs that go into the yards, delivering the "surprises" that swimmers get the night before divisionals and partnering older swimmers with a younger swim "buddy" for encouragement and tutelage. I quickly understood that many of younger swimmers were looking to me for leadership and I stepped up to the challenge. This year I became a guppy coach. It's only fitting that I have gone full circle beginning as a guppy and now coaching the guppies. I have the swim techniques and the leadership as a direct result of my fifteen years of SAIL swimming.
Mentoring: I am blessed to have been able to participate in SAIL swimming and have gained such a lasting skill. It is only right that I use this skill to mentor those less fortunate than I. For the past three summers I volunteered with the American Red Cross and local YMCA's joint effort program to teach swimming and water safety to underprivileged children in my community. "Every Child's a Swimmer" is a two week completely volunteer program that meets early each morning. I worked with these children on basic swim strokes as well as role playing to teach the importance of water safety. The ripple effect of my mentoring these children who otherwise may never get a chance to learn to swim is vast. Each child I teach to swim will not only be able to save themselves, but others as well. I have also worked as a life guard for the past three summers. Often when the pool is not busy I have been known to get out of my chair and help swimmers perfect their stroke. It is evident how badly they want to learn to swim and I feel compelled to help. In addition, I have mentored my younger niece. She was having difficulty with her butterfly and because that is one of my strongest strokes, I was able to help her perfect her technique and she earned a 4th place finish in her State Meet. SAIL is a completely volunteer organization and I learned that volunteering through my mentoring is my way of giving back to all those that made it possible for me to participate. What I gain from this mentoring opportunity is confidence in myself as a swimmer and leader as well as patience, compassion and most of all respect for a skill I was privileged to have been taught.
Team spirit: The spirit aspect of SAIL can rival that of a college or even professional sports team. It has been the highlight of my fifteen years of participation. I will never forget the releasing of balloons at the beginning of the season in memory of two of our beloved coaches that have passed away. Also the "good luck" ritual performed at the beginning of the meet to ensure our team wins. The chants, painted bodies, special t-shirts, and just good clean fun. I recall early years of swimming and the ribbon and donuts being given out the day after a meet. I was so excited to get a purple ribbon, because purple was my favorite color. At the ribbon ceremony everyone cheers and claps regardless of what place you earn. Divisional week is another highlight. We have so many fun activities from the pasta pump-up dinner to shaving cream fights on the lawn and most importantly the surprise you get the night before. I loved waking up to chalked words of encouragement all over my driveway and the parade of cars honking along the route to the meet. Everyone cheers for the relays, no matter what age group is swimming. I never understood the point system, as a younger swimmer, but it didn't matter, I thought the team that cheered the loudest won. Red and Purple Division are the largest divisions with the most participants, but I know that spirit of the smaller division teams are just as intense because the nature of the SAIL program embodies spirit. My fifteen years of participation in SAIL has resulted in my development of good sportsmanship, strong leadership, and the ability to mentor and a fondness of good clean spirit and I thank my neighborhood, my community, all the parents and the members of the SAIL board for making it all possible.