{"id":379212,"date":"2019-07-08T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T19:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=379212"},"modified":"2019-07-08T14:25:32","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T21:25:32","slug":"dads-on-deck-with-regan-and-paul-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/dads-on-deck-with-regan-and-paul-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Swimming World Presents “Dads on Deck with Regan and Paul Smith”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dads on Deck
\nwith Regan and Paul Smith<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

By Shoshanna Rutemiller<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TRISWIM<\/a><\/p>\n

Regan Smith and swimming just fit. The national team member and American record holder has accomplished a remarkable amount in her 17 years.<\/p>\n

It is no wonder that her father, Paul Smith, a 10-year USA Swimming coach veteran and program director at Regan\u2019s club team, Riptide Aquatics, can hardly hide his pride at his daughter\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

With two daughters involved in the sport (Regan is the younger of the two), Paul feels lucky to have such an intimate connection to the sport as both a coach and a parent.<\/p>\n

Paul shared his wisdom with Swimming World, including when to trust the process, when to back down, and how to support a talented athlete with a passion for the sport.<\/p>\n

How has the sport of swimming shaped Regan\u2019s character?<\/span><\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s enforced the basic life-concept of \u201canything worth doing is worth doing right.\u201d Since she was 9 or 10 years old, she\u2019s loved this sport and has poured a lot of energy into doing it well. She attacks every practice with an uncommon intensity, but also takes pride in the detail work required to succeed at a high level. I believe this type of discipline will support her as she moves through the various stages of her life. She\u2019s not afraid of a challenge or of the hard work needed to overcome that challenge.<\/p>\n

What has swimming taught you about parenting?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve had two daughters in the sport. Both of them had natural talent and ability. One of them loved the process and wanted to push herself to be the very best she could be. The other had a very successful high school swimming career, never really enjoyed club swimming, and happily walked away without a care in the world and with no interest in taking her swimming to the college level.<\/p>\n

As a parent, I saw two people from the same gene pool have almost entirely different experiences and attitudes toward the sport. Yet both of them succeeded in their own way. It helps me daily to keep in mind that there\u2019s more than one way to skin a cat.<\/p>\n

To read more of Paul Smith’s interview about being a swim dad,
\ncheck out the full July 2019 issue of Swimming World Magazine<\/em>, available now!<\/p>\n

\"SW<\/a><\/p>\n

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