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Swimming and School: Making it Cool
By Wayne Goldsmith | In Sport and Parenting
You know the drill.
Alarm goes off at 5 am. You get up. You eat. You go to the pool. You swim.
You got to school all day then…
You eat. You go to the pool. You swim.
You get home at 6 pm – tired, hungry and…you have homework to do!!!!
To quote Charlie Brown…..AAUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!
How do you it? How to work hard and get good grades and work hard and swim fast????
Here are some practical hints:
- You are in control of your study and training program. Regardless of what your school friends say or do, success in the end is your decision. Do the training and study that you need to do to get the results you want. If your friends think studying is not “cool”, get some new friends!
- Talk with your school advisers and ask them for help with designing a study plan. You are a high school and college student only once. The teachers and counselors have been through what you are going through many times and are invaluable in this regard.
- Talk with the teachers and counselors about your desire and commitment to continue swimming training during high school and college. They may be prepared to help you achieve your goals and be more flexible with class and study routines to help you.
- What might happen and what could happen is not as important as what is happening right now. Don’t worry about the exams at the end of the year. Focus on doing the little things right, every day, every class, and each assignment.
- 90% of stress comes from not doing things when you should have done them. The best time to start a study program is today.
- An extra hour study each day is an extra day study each week- You can control time! It’s never too late to be the person you wanted to be.
- Do a course of “How to Study Effectively” or read a book on the same topic. It’s the same principle as getting your swim technique right before starting hard training.
- Try to get out of bed early and study when you are fresh and rested. You can train when you are tired and still get improvements, but studying tired is a recipe for failure.
- Do extra work by yourself or with a group of friends in holidays and on breaks.
- Study in your “spares” – times during the day when you have no immediate and pressing commitments.
- Take care of the immediate and the ultimate will take care of itself – put first things first. Do your most difficult school study at the start of your study period when you are least fatigued.
- No matter what happens there is another way to look at it. Nothing is as bad as it first seems. Getting a C is not a bad thing IF it inspires you to work harder and strive for an A next time. Learn from your mistakes.
- What if something goes wrong? Have a plan, Have a second plan and have a backup plan to the second plan. Don’t plan to fail by failing to plan.
- Never, ever, Give up - there is always a way. Develop an “I can” strategy rather than saying “I can’t”.
- Success is never guaranteed, but you can choose to increase the likelihood of success by adopting a study program and swimming training schedule that will allow you the best opportunity to succeed.
- The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra. Try 30 minutes less T.V. per day and do 30 minutes extra on math equations. Try 30 minutes less video games per day and learn five extra new words to help with reading and comprehension. Those little extras add up to extra-ordinary results.
The smartest people don’t necessarily get the best high school grades or TEE. scores, just as the most talented swimmers don’t always win. It is more likely that the best grades (and gold medals) go to the students (and swimmers) who have prepared the best, who have committed themselves to a daily routine where excellence is the minimum acceptable standard and who manage their time and themselves most effectively.
Do the little extra it takes to succeed and you will have the choice at the end of the day. Take the short cut or rely on luck and your employer, the university admissions officer and your opposition control your choices.
- Success has little to do with luck.
- The harder you work, the luckier you will get.
- There are a lot of similarities between swimming well and passing exams.
Preparation is important. Planning is crucial. Confidence is vital. Time management – essential. For all swimmers however, none of these concepts are new. They are things you grow up with: things you utilise every day. In many ways your swimming career has prepared you for the opportunity to do well in high school, college and university.
All the attributes you need to be a great student you have already developed as a swimmer. You have a competitive edge. Make the most of it.
Wayne Goldsmith
December 20, 2007
Tags: Swimming
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One Response to “Swimming and School: Making it Cool”
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So true but so hard to instill when you are 14 years-old and socializing seems to be the thing to do. I am a great swimmer but lowsy in attending practice; I am a great learner but lowsy at math, and I am a great musician but lowsy at spending the type to lear how to read music; in other words I suck at the phrase ” No Pain / No Gain” I want to gain everything and be the best but unwilling to spending an extra hour or 30 minutes perfecting anything.
How do i change this?????