Training Group Spotlight: Senior 2
The Senior 2 group has had an incredible season, better than I had hoped for this year. This group of young men and women have confidently held onto and worked the season plan. We have stuck to our guns and trained hard, all while reaching great heights. Individuals within the group has accomplished a lot of firsts. We have had some reach finals for the first time in a prelim/final meet. Quite a few have qualified for state or have achieved some open state cuts as 13–14-year-olds. And the cherry on top… we have had three swimmers qualify for the Senior Sectional meet!
One of my proudest moments as a coach happened this week. We have finished up with morning practices for the short course season (that’s not what makes me proud, haha). What makes this a proud moment is that most of the swimmers, rather than simply being accepting of being done with mornings, they were inquisitive as to why we were ending them for the season. The simple answer to their questions is that there isn’t anything else we need to accomplish by doing mornings. At this point in the season sleep, specifically, getting enough sleep on a consistent schedule will be far more beneficial for their rest and recovery between training sessions. I have never had a group of swimmers want to understand the “why” rather than just celebrate that its over. This group just gets it, and that’s a special thing.
The Senior 2 group surprises me almost every day. The way they handle adversity is amazing. In the moment if having to deal with adverse situations, I know that there are the feelings of frustration and being disheartened. But, because of how they have prepared ahead of those moments, they seem to understand that they will be okay if they just get back to work when they get back.
It is easy to get ready to come to practice every day when you have a group of athletes driven to succeed the way this group wants to. Their desire to do the training that they sometimes don’t really want to do because of its difficulty is awesome because deep down they know that that work will help them become stronger and more confident the next time they step up on the blocks. They are so much fun to coach.
We are just a few weeks away from wrapping up the season. We are now focused on polishing the rough edges and preparing to compete. The training intensity is high, yet the atmosphere is loose and relaxed during practice. I am really looking forward to seeing how everything plays out over the next several weeks. Keep up the great work!