Sink or Swim

09/12/22

As a former collegiate swimmer, I’m pretty certain no one was ever worried about whether or not I would drown or sink during practice or a swim meet. It sounds silly to even think about a swimmer drowning when they are trained to not only stay afloat but to swim against the current right?

Further, I can imagine if a lifeguard worked at a pool with competitive swimmers they wouldn’t be quite as vigilant when it comes to monitoring if the athletes are going to drown, because they know they can swim…and do it well.

I wonder if we make similar assumptions when we assess whether an athlete is “swimming” or “sinking” in their life, because we know our athletes are trained to be tough, resilient, and “swim” even in rough waters?

While swimming against the current as a swimmer is how you learn to excel in the pool, maybe that type of conditioning is not so beneficial in real life. Swimming against the current is something I think many athletes can relate to in regards to pushing through struggles they are experiencing. Once you become strong enough to learn how to swim against the current, it can become harder to recognize when it’s overtaking you.

Too often I encounter athletes who express to me how it might appear they are “swimming” or excelling on the field, but outside of their sport feel like they are drowning in their everyday life.

I think we have to be careful we aren’t being negligent of checking in on our athletes because we know they are tough and can handle hard things. It makes me think of how parents can be  less inclined to check-in on the “good kid” in the family who is generally self-sufficient, keeps out of trouble, relatively quiet, and takes care of themselves. However, just because they have LEARNED how to take care of themselves, doesn’t mean they still don’t need to be taken care of and helped by others.

I think we can have a similar mentality towards our athletes when they are struggling. We assume they are “good” and will figure it out even if the current gets strong. After all, they know how to swim…

Just because our athletes have learned how to swim against the current and tread water, doesn’t make them less susceptible to sinking.

It’s our job to make sure we don’t adopt a laissez faire lifeguard approach when monitoring and checking-in on our athletes. Don’t make the assumption that just because they are floating in the water that they aren’t sinking on the inside.

We have to make sure we are aware and ready to throw our athletes a life preserver not IF, but WHEN they need it at some point in their athletic career.