JC,
The problems you've been facing are typical of the problems you're going to have to face as a swimmer throughout your life, so you should think of what you're going through as practice.
Competitive swimming is time consuming. If you put in the time, it pays you back by keeping you fitter and healthier. You're likely to miss less time from school or (when you get older) from work because of illness. But it does take a lot of time, and you need to learn how to manage your time effectively so that you can swim and still do the other things you need to do.
My father used to claim that, in the business world, if you have something that really needs to get done and you have two people who can do it, one of whom is busy and one of whom isn't, you always give the task to the busy person because the other one doesn't have time. What he meant was that the busy person has learned to manage their time well enough that it isn't a major problem to fit in one more task, whereas the other person is so sloppy at time management that they can't handle taking on anything else. So if you can learn to manage your time well enough to be a competitive swimmer and keep up your grades at the same time, you will have learned something that will be help you for the rest of your life.
You also shouldn't be shy about asking your teachers for help. Many students are afraid to ask questions because they think it will make them look stupid, but the truly stupid thing is to have questions but not ask them. Actually, the "dumber" a question is, the more important it is that you ask it, because the teacher isn't likely to go over something they think everytone already knows. My mother once confessed that the only reason she made it through one of her college math classes was because one of the other students was willing to ask the "dumb" questions she wouldn't ask.
Some teachers will even respond well if you go to them and say, "I've let myself get behind in this class. Can you help me get caught up?"
Keep in mind that teachers like to think of themselves as experts on teaching, so they really don't want to let a student fail if they know the student is trying to succeed. Also, if you go in for special help, the teacher is going to get to know you better, and it really makes a teacher feel lousy to give a bad grade to a student they've gotten to know!
The best cure for tendonitis is to give the joint a rest. Also, when you start to use it again, don't overwork it in a rush to get back to where you were before.
Bob
JC,
The problems you've been facing are typical of the problems you're going to have to face as a swimmer throughout your life, so you should think of what you're going through as practice.
Competitive swimming is time consuming. If you put in the time, it pays you back by keeping you fitter and healthier. You're likely to miss less time from school or (when you get older) from work because of illness. But it does take a lot of time, and you need to learn how to manage your time effectively so that you can swim and still do the other things you need to do.
My father used to claim that, in the business world, if you have something that really needs to get done and you have two people who can do it, one of whom is busy and one of whom isn't, you always give the task to the busy person because the other one doesn't have time. What he meant was that the busy person has learned to manage their time well enough that it isn't a major problem to fit in one more task, whereas the other person is so sloppy at time management that they can't handle taking on anything else. So if you can learn to manage your time well enough to be a competitive swimmer and keep up your grades at the same time, you will have learned something that will be help you for the rest of your life.
You also shouldn't be shy about asking your teachers for help. Many students are afraid to ask questions because they think it will make them look stupid, but the truly stupid thing is to have questions but not ask them. Actually, the "dumber" a question is, the more important it is that you ask it, because the teacher isn't likely to go over something they think everytone already knows. My mother once confessed that the only reason she made it through one of her college math classes was because one of the other students was willing to ask the "dumb" questions she wouldn't ask.
Some teachers will even respond well if you go to them and say, "I've let myself get behind in this class. Can you help me get caught up?"
Keep in mind that teachers like to think of themselves as experts on teaching, so they really don't want to let a student fail if they know the student is trying to succeed. Also, if you go in for special help, the teacher is going to get to know you better, and it really makes a teacher feel lousy to give a bad grade to a student they've gotten to know!
The best cure for tendonitis is to give the joint a rest. Also, when you start to use it again, don't overwork it in a rush to get back to where you were before.
Bob
