WINNING !

2015 Pan Am Trials - Pre Finals Talk

We CAN W1N.
CAN= Canada & its also the idea of Yes We Can.
​W1N= Not a 4-letter word - WIN shouldn't be looked down upon or watered down.  WINning is good as long as its done the right way.

Getting to Gold; its both literal & figurative.

FIRST, let me state that I am a WIN - AT - ALL - BENEFIT person who believes that WIN is not a 4-letter word.  Winning at all benefit means to win fairly squarely and by the rules.  Its about realizing the champion while celebrating those who competed.  

I never understood the mind-set of "you are all winners" and "winning doesn't matter." 
Life to me is a competition, in all the fun, exciting ways.  If you consider, there are only so many really good paying, rewarding careers, only the best students get those opportunities.  Those opportunities usually come from the test scores from College or University.  College & University are getting harder and harder to get into, especially in Canada where we just celebrated our largest immigration ever. 

I admire the majority of immigrants as they often work far harder and are more disciplined than a lot of people because they value education as a way to a better life.  Many times they have left a country that doesn't offer what our great country offers; they appreciate what we have. (*Thanks Veterans!)

Here is another viewpoint on why Winning matters...How would you like to have the Dr. that scored 72% on there exams treating you; the ones that just want to kind of do well... Sorry but I want the best; I want the sharpest, hardest working, most dedicated Dr. working on me.  Trust me, when you have gone through a challenging health situation and had a GREAT Dr. you will appreciate why it is important to value WINNING.  Think about it, does your Dr. constantly stay updated on the latest research, the newest techniques and treatments?  Are they willing to always stay informed?  Do that extra reading?  You want to hardest workers, the most diligent people who are willing to do the work.  Parents, that's why we coach the kids from the basics forward.  We get them to think that way, we demand that they take the Hard Road In vs. the Easy Way Out.  Employers, do you want the person willing to be early & stay late because they are those type of people?  Or do you settle for the clock-punchers who show up last minute, leave the second their shift is over etc.  Isn't it very clear?  Those are the things we are trying to get the kids to do so that by the time they graduate, every school in North America wants them.

In my occupation, I travel a lot & you see the huge differences in the service industry.  I have shown up with my team when the restaurant is just about to close & have experienced both sides of the coin.  The "doers" who say, "Come On In!"  and the laziest clock-punchers out there..."Sorry our kitchen just closed"  Obviously these were not the owners LOL.  Another case - in - point.

I think its when winning becomes everything and the process is forgotten about, that's when we get into trouble.  Its when the focus is on win-at-all-cost
Obviously it's competitive swimming, keyword COMPETITIVE, but the real Gold comes from the life lessons kids learn only by going through the rigors of training, goal setting, time management etc.

These are the tools everyone needs to WIN, to get to GOLD. The process of developing great age group swimmers is really teaching life lessons.  What makes this hard is that in today's society, everyone wants it now.  The credit card society; I want it now & I'll charge it now.

I recall my Dad being very proud that he was able to save up money so that he never had a car loan.  It may have taken 9-10 years, but he did it.  Phelps went years without a best time in his signature event, the 200 Fly.  But he eventually learnt from his mistakes and came back to break through again. Delayed gratification.

It seems to me, that during Covid-19, we can all invest in a little delayed gratification while we work around/through/under/over the current challenges and end up WINnig! 

Coach Sean