As parents we all want the best for our children, this is normal and perfectly natural. At Crewe Flyers the wellbeing of all of our swimmers is important to us, we also want them to achieve their full potential but at the same time we also want them to be happy and to enjoy their time swimming with us.
Although we are a competitive club, for us swimming is about more than winning; it teaches discipline, team work, a healthy approach to competition, how to deal with disappointment and to develop resilience and it also promotes a healthy, active lifestyle. Parents are a key part of this and although every swimmer is individual and responds differently to everything that life presents to them we ask that our parents keep the following things in mind in order to best support their child whilst at Crewe Flyers.
1. Your unconditional support of and for your child is vital, no matter what, and that is regardless of whether your child has had a “good” or “bad” training session or gala swim. We are not competing in the Olympics, the world will not come to an end because your swimmer didn’t achieve what you hoped for. Accept that your child might have periods of time where they do not perform at their best. It happens, they are kids, and some swimmers don’t develop to achieve their full potential until they are in their mid or even late teenaged years. Your child is trying their best and that is what counts.
2. The club coaching team will have constructive and appropriate feedback for your swimmer after their race or training session (where appropriate) and it’s their role do this. Please do not be critical of your child’s performance or try to over analyse it. Be supportive, make sure that they are ok, offer hugs and encouragement if they are disappointed but reiterate that it’s ok. Shouting at, or being critical of, your child is counterproductive and it is not something that we want to see at Crewe Flyers
3. Remind your swimmer that it isn’t always about winning. Improving on a personal best time, refining a technical skill, managing a new distance, having a positive attitude, being a supportive team mate are all brilliant achievements that can be accomplished even when coming last in competition at a gala or being last in the lane during a training session.
4. We have a great team of coaches here at Crewe Flyers, please let them coach and don’t try to give your child different instructions to that of the coaches. The coaching plan is structured through the swimming year and different things will be focused on at different times. If you have any concerns about a particular aspect of your child’s swimming then please come and speak with the coaching team.
The Coaches and Committee