“Fast Swimming Isn’t a Lottery Ticket”

By Rick Whittlesey, Head Coach Cleure Stampede in San Antonio, Texas
This article is for that immense number of swimmers across our country who could be so much better! Unbelievable things can happen in the pool with a commitment to train hard and smart, year-round, while also making necessary technique changes.

If only 50 additional swimmers in each state of the U.S. would commit totally to our sport, USA swimming would again achieve true world dominance. We have such a massive pool of talent in our country! Our huge high school, club and collegiate swimming programs could produce even more world-class quality and depth.

As big meets loom on the horizon, many high school and collegiate swimmers are suddenly very serious about their sport. As some of these meets are now concluding, many tears are being shed and regrets being voiced about what could have been.

Many of you swimmers are now wishing you had worked harder this season, attended more workouts, made those technique changes, etc. Stop wishing and do something about it.

You have so much potential. You have so much room for development. You have so much talent that is itching to be used!

The responsibility to attend tough training sessions with consistent, 100-percent dedication and effort rests with you and you alone.

Top-flight swimming mandates an extreme measure of devotion. And it is very, very fair. Times are very objective. You get back what you put into it. Swimming is not like the lottery–you can't simply spend a few minutes buying a ticket and hope for a big payoff.

So if you want more and know that you've got it in you, and if you are tired of making excuses about what you could have done, then take some new steps, move in a smarter direction, formulate short and long-term plans and pursue them!

Train seriously with a program you have confidence in, on a year-round basis. Train hard through the spring and summer, which lays the base for the entire short course season. Training hard during the long course season will toughen you up. It will subject you to more difficult events, different pools and new competitors. It will take you out of your school-year comfort zone. It will build perspective. It will deepen experience. It will breed confidence in you. And it will get you much closer to making your Olympic Trial cuts, for which there are of course no short course qualifying times.

What do you want? What are you prepared to do to get it?

Are you going to just be ordinary, or do you have the fortitude to strive after something really tough, really meaningful? Do you want to be able to look back and know you did everything possible to be your very best? Do you want to courageously put it all on the line and distinguish yourself through your consistent sacrifices? I hope so, because that is where your character really gets developed, and that is where you test the limits of the human heart.

Take the road less traveled…and watch your team be greatly helped in numerous ways by your commitment to training seriously all year long. Have the courage and strength to go for it. You can do it…if you choose.

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