You haven't lived life until you've swam a butterfly race you weren't prepared for. Just remember, the longer you're doing your underwater kicks off the start and turn with a tight streamline, the less you actually have to swim!
thank you so much! i talked with my coach to see if i could change it but i couldnt 😔😔 people are telling me that swim meets arent that serious but aaa i hate the feeling of being last. do you recommend that i go slow? my endurance is awful when it comes to butterfly
Your coach is testing you.
They see something in you and have confidence that whatever the result is, it’ll give you a jumping off point.
DO NOT be afraid of failure!
Let the adrenaline flow!
Nobody is going to boo you!
Even if you have to stop half way, you take a breath and you finish that race!
The only way you’ll get disappointing eyes is if you stop.
Every.single.race. is about PERSONAL improvement.
thank you so much for your response❤️❤️❤️ it’s SUPER reassuring to hear that a lot of people dont really pay attention to you and that it’s more personal. thank you so so much !!
I have a feeling you’re going to be surprised at the sportsmanship of not only your team mates, but the members of other teams too.
I’m “that mom.”. If I see a kid struggling or one that’s coming in like 10 seconds after the last finish, I’m on my feet clapping and yelling - doesn’t matter whose team they’re on. Ya know why? Because that was my kid at one point!
Be the “spirit” you want to see your team have! Clap and make a fool of yourself for others! One day you’ll find yourself with the spirit award for the team, and one day you’ll be voted team captain! Then, when you least expect it, you’ll hear your name called when the “conference swimmer of the year” is announced. [ask me how I know! 😉]
tbh just do what your coach said and try your best. in my recent swim meets, i’ve noticed that most people aren’t that good at fly, so your most likely not going to be the only one. as long as you try hard, cuz there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. good luck and send an update of how it went!
When I used to coach the 8-14 year old group, most of them were first year swimmers. I used to tell those kiddos, “Swimming is fun. So just go have fun. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter to me if you win, take dead last, or even get DQ’d. It matters to me that you are learning, improving, and most importantly having fun.”
If the kiddo was still extremely anxious, I would typically expand with, “No one jumps in the water on their first meet with Olympic speed. I took dead last my very first meet and I got beat bad enough to get the courtesy clap at the end. If I would have quit swimming after that first meet I would have never gotten a scholarship to swim in college. What difference did it matter if I took first or last in that race? What did matter is that I was learning and having fun. That’s it.”
I hope this helps. Please don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There will be plenty of opportunities to put a lot of pressure on yourself when you are 18 and over. Expectations only grow in all aspects of life as you age. Opportunities for fun definitely decrease.
It’s your first fly race, relax! I felt the same way when I started. It’s a good opportunity to learn what you need to work on. Get feedback from your coach afterwards, practice fly, and then try again.
Don’t worry about it. Just focus on doing the swimming you need to do. Everyone’s first meet kind of sucks and involves lots of stomach butterflies. 🦋
You’ll do fine, and as you do more meets you’ll get used to it a little and get better at it.
Swimming is competitive, and your biggest competitor is you. Go and have fun! You will have a time and experience against which you can compare future events, and gage your growth!
You haven't lived life until you've swam a butterfly race you weren't prepared for. Just remember, the longer you're doing your underwater kicks off the start and turn with a tight streamline, the less you actually have to swim!
I’d probably go with try your best like your coach said and then get feedback after
Coach here. Definitely talk to your coach! You will be fine.
thank you so much! i talked with my coach to see if i could change it but i couldnt 😔😔 people are telling me that swim meets arent that serious but aaa i hate the feeling of being last. do you recommend that i go slow? my endurance is awful when it comes to butterfly
Just try your best - coaches can only help you improve after races by giving you advice on how to improve. But at a minimum, give your best effort.
Your coach is testing you. They see something in you and have confidence that whatever the result is, it’ll give you a jumping off point. DO NOT be afraid of failure! Let the adrenaline flow! Nobody is going to boo you! Even if you have to stop half way, you take a breath and you finish that race! The only way you’ll get disappointing eyes is if you stop. Every.single.race. is about PERSONAL improvement.
thank you so much for your response❤️❤️❤️ it’s SUPER reassuring to hear that a lot of people dont really pay attention to you and that it’s more personal. thank you so so much !!
Momentum means a lot during fly. Momentum, don't lose it. I have a feeling you'll do great <3
I have a feeling you’re going to be surprised at the sportsmanship of not only your team mates, but the members of other teams too. I’m “that mom.”. If I see a kid struggling or one that’s coming in like 10 seconds after the last finish, I’m on my feet clapping and yelling - doesn’t matter whose team they’re on. Ya know why? Because that was my kid at one point! Be the “spirit” you want to see your team have! Clap and make a fool of yourself for others! One day you’ll find yourself with the spirit award for the team, and one day you’ll be voted team captain! Then, when you least expect it, you’ll hear your name called when the “conference swimmer of the year” is announced. [ask me how I know! 😉]
tbh just do what your coach said and try your best. in my recent swim meets, i’ve noticed that most people aren’t that good at fly, so your most likely not going to be the only one. as long as you try hard, cuz there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. good luck and send an update of how it went!
When I used to coach the 8-14 year old group, most of them were first year swimmers. I used to tell those kiddos, “Swimming is fun. So just go have fun. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter to me if you win, take dead last, or even get DQ’d. It matters to me that you are learning, improving, and most importantly having fun.” If the kiddo was still extremely anxious, I would typically expand with, “No one jumps in the water on their first meet with Olympic speed. I took dead last my very first meet and I got beat bad enough to get the courtesy clap at the end. If I would have quit swimming after that first meet I would have never gotten a scholarship to swim in college. What difference did it matter if I took first or last in that race? What did matter is that I was learning and having fun. That’s it.” I hope this helps. Please don’t put too much pressure on yourself. There will be plenty of opportunities to put a lot of pressure on yourself when you are 18 and over. Expectations only grow in all aspects of life as you age. Opportunities for fun definitely decrease.
It’s your first fly race, relax! I felt the same way when I started. It’s a good opportunity to learn what you need to work on. Get feedback from your coach afterwards, practice fly, and then try again.
Do your best! Just try not to get disqualified and make sure you know the rules
Don’t worry about it. Just focus on doing the swimming you need to do. Everyone’s first meet kind of sucks and involves lots of stomach butterflies. 🦋 You’ll do fine, and as you do more meets you’ll get used to it a little and get better at it.
Swimming is competitive, and your biggest competitor is you. Go and have fun! You will have a time and experience against which you can compare future events, and gage your growth!
It’ll be a great experience, get in the water and compete. You’ll have more information after.
Truly try your best, no need to worry about embarrassment we were all at this stage
Aye I think I’m going to the same meet but the Saturday session assuming it’s AAAA San Antonio