Those of you who read the thread (How to Handle a Situation--or something similar) I started a week or two back know how frustrated and disappointed my family has been with the high school swim team/coach my granddaughter (freshman) is swimming with.
Well, the coach suddenly decided he had to cut some swimmers from the team and create a varsity squad. Why at this late date is unknown. His criteria--1) grades. In Georgia it is "No pass no play"; 2) Your booster club fees have been paid. DGD is a Beta Club member and dues have been paid, so yea she is a varsity swimmer. The two criteria cut 3/4 of the team!!!
The varsity squad had two meets this weekend. One Friday night and one Saturday morning.
Friday night she swam the backstroke leg of the 400 medley relay in 1:02:47. That is well under the 1:06:00 need to meet state QT. (Ga's high school swimming, not USA Swimming). She also swam 2 other relays and the 100 fly. After the meet was over DGD's mother talked to the coach and told him DGD's goal was to make state in the 100 Back. The coach said that was an unreasonable goal because even if she got state cut times she didn't stand a chance at state! Saturday morning the coach put her in the three relays and the 100 back. This was a SMALL meet (three HSs)--all three relays were before the 100 back. The medley relay where she swam fly was event 16 and 100 back was event 18 (with one heat of boys 100 back between her swims) DGD's mother asked coach to put another girl in the medley relay. The coach said he couldn't because DGD was the only swimmer he had who could swim fly at race pace and not get DQed. So in an effort to be a team player and a leader DGD swam the events her coach put her in. Needless to say, she didn't get a QT in the 100 back. She was sooo disappointed. She did place first though and was 22.9 seconds faster than second place time. So that and all the impressive drops in her times since August is what we have been getting her to focus on.
I get that the coach wants to win meets and relays are the way to go, but I just think it would be possible to have both--a team that wins meets and individual swimmers who achieve their personal goals--if he just managed the events he entered swimmers in better. Any advice that would help her stay motivated? I am encouraged by something I heard her say on the way home. She critiqued her own swim and pointed out two things she wants to work on.
Thanks in advanced. Lainey
Parents
Former Member
She probably will not swim for her HS next year which is sad. She set the backstroke goal herself. The booster club tried to address these issues with the coach to no avail. My daughter did have a private conversation with the coach and later at multiple meets because after the first conference he never returned calls or emails. Pretty much fell on deaf ears with a few exceptions. He did put her in the 100 back a couple of times. If my daughter wanted to be pushy she could certainly go to administration with valid complaints about these issues and complaints about how he bends the truth, not just to the swimmers but to parents as well (Example: "I don't have anyone else who can swim fly at race pace without getting DQed." Not true, there are three senior girls who can swim fly without getting DQed. He is the HS football coach and gets a 300.00 stipence for being the swim coach. There is one more sanctioned event that DGD could swim in I think, but she would have to be accompanied by someone from her HS. When the coach cancelled the Athens meet my daughter tried to get someone from the school to accompany DGD to the meet. The coach said he would go if the booster club paid his way. Then he said the booster club turned him down (we don't know if he actually asked or not and my daughter is not going to pursue it). Daughter offered to pay coach a per diem that would cover all of his expenses. Then all of a suddend he had other plans.
Last time I will post about this. It is just a very sad situation for all the swimmers involved.
She probably will not swim for her HS next year which is sad. She set the backstroke goal herself. The booster club tried to address these issues with the coach to no avail. My daughter did have a private conversation with the coach and later at multiple meets because after the first conference he never returned calls or emails. Pretty much fell on deaf ears with a few exceptions. He did put her in the 100 back a couple of times. If my daughter wanted to be pushy she could certainly go to administration with valid complaints about these issues and complaints about how he bends the truth, not just to the swimmers but to parents as well (Example: "I don't have anyone else who can swim fly at race pace without getting DQed." Not true, there are three senior girls who can swim fly without getting DQed. He is the HS football coach and gets a 300.00 stipence for being the swim coach. There is one more sanctioned event that DGD could swim in I think, but she would have to be accompanied by someone from her HS. When the coach cancelled the Athens meet my daughter tried to get someone from the school to accompany DGD to the meet. The coach said he would go if the booster club paid his way. Then he said the booster club turned him down (we don't know if he actually asked or not and my daughter is not going to pursue it). Daughter offered to pay coach a per diem that would cover all of his expenses. Then all of a suddend he had other plans.
Last time I will post about this. It is just a very sad situation for all the swimmers involved.
