My team just got a new coach about four months ago. Now personally, I don't have any major problems with this coach. He gives a pretty good workout, he is quite knowledgeable about stroke techniques, and he is trying to build some team unity. Admittedly, we have had some issues with him about showing up for workouts a few minutes late and relying too much on the pool lifeguards to provide us with a workout when he sometimes doesn't show (a much bigger problem for the newer/less experienced swimmers).
The big conflict seems to be from the beginning/intermediate swimmers and the triathletes (I'm also a triathlete, but I have a pretty strong swimming background). Now, this may seem quite trivial, and even a little bit petty to those of us who swam in college and have an intense competitive drive and thrive on the thrill of a good swim, but many of our intermediate/beginners are complaining that they are not getting recognition for their efforts. Thinking back to my early age group days, I can remember when a coach simply saying "good job" to me meant everything. It's what kept me coming back for more painful workouts the next week. Now swimming Masters, I really don't care if a coach singles me out for accomplishing something. I'm happy with an occasional Top Ten or winning a medal at Nationals. But we are now losing a lot of swimmers because they feel they are working for nothing. They don't see why they should swim Masters vs. just lap swim.
What's brought this to a head is that this morning, after workout, my wife sent me a text expressing how disgusted she was with our coach. She didn't go into specifics, but she ended with the statement "I'm done!". I didn't see what brought this on, but I did notice that halfway through workout, she was just swimming laps by herself. Back and forth, no stopping. I glanced at our coach, and he gave me a confused look, saying "so-and-so just wants to swim". While I'm not trying to make excuses for anyone, coach is a pretty young guy, with most of our members being 20-30 years older than him, and I think he might be a bit nervous expressing himself to some of us.
So heck, now I'm stuck in the middle. What do I do? Do I try to talk to the coach? Do I stay out of it? Help!
Goodness, every coach that I've ever swum with (and granted, there were only a few), got a big thank you from the team. Always a thank's coach that was a great practice. I landed on a team with a coach who was not encouraging, although he purported to be when I first joined. He kicked me off the team after three practices. He made fun of my breaststroke. He didn't give, and I didn't ask for, any extra help. But it was obvious he was geared for competitors. Even when he told me he couldn't help me, I thanked him for the time he'd put in. Once I'm over the hurdle with my shoulder and I find a Masters coach who doesn't mind I swim like an anchor, I'll bake him/her as many birthday cakes, Christmas cookies, and scones as they can handle. To show how much I appreciate them. But I want to be respected and not told I'm not good enough for their elitist group.
I don't quite understand the hostility toward Julia. I've never read her posts as trying to promote a brand. So what is she's a coach for hire? If you're good at something, there's nothing wrong with making a living at it. Good coaches are hard to find. And the Masters group swim isn't the right environment for everyone. She charges what she charges. Nobody's forced to buy her product. Just sayin'.
Goodness, every coach that I've ever swum with (and granted, there were only a few), got a big thank you from the team. Always a thank's coach that was a great practice. I landed on a team with a coach who was not encouraging, although he purported to be when I first joined. He kicked me off the team after three practices. He made fun of my breaststroke. He didn't give, and I didn't ask for, any extra help. But it was obvious he was geared for competitors. Even when he told me he couldn't help me, I thanked him for the time he'd put in. Once I'm over the hurdle with my shoulder and I find a Masters coach who doesn't mind I swim like an anchor, I'll bake him/her as many birthday cakes, Christmas cookies, and scones as they can handle. To show how much I appreciate them. But I want to be respected and not told I'm not good enough for their elitist group.
I don't quite understand the hostility toward Julia. I've never read her posts as trying to promote a brand. So what is she's a coach for hire? If you're good at something, there's nothing wrong with making a living at it. Good coaches are hard to find. And the Masters group swim isn't the right environment for everyone. She charges what she charges. Nobody's forced to buy her product. Just sayin'.
