Swim School Bob

Summer Swim Tips for Home

2009-06-16T11:28:00.003-07:00

We work hard with the young swimmers AND THEIR PARENTS all year long at our swim school. Often at this time of year, we see the kids coming back into the pool with some bad habits. MMMM, we wonder, where did they learn that? SO in an effort to keep those swimming skills up when the weather is warm and to give our parents some hints on what to do at home, we are offering up our Top Ten Tips for Home!

Headed for the backyard pool? Give the kids time to warm up and have fun and then work on their swimming skills. Ten minutes of “teaching” is enough – you’ll be surprised what a big difference that will make.
Incorporate the 1, 2, 3's of counting to invite the swimmers into your pool. DO NOT let them run and jump without an invitation. They have to understand they need permission to enter the pool or leave the wall or the steps.
Let the children play on the steps. Be nearby BUT if their heads goes under or if they step off and are not able to swim .... calmly guide them back to the steps or to the wall. Do not be dramatic with your assistance. If they are capable, give them a few seconds to work out their problem for themselves. This is a chance for them to learn to trust their buoyancy and receive the reward of getting to the surface and back to the steps or wall.
Encourage underwater exploration. Research tells us that the more comfortable a child is under water, the more relaxed a swimmer they become. So when your swimmer pushes off the wall or steps to you ... Let them swim for 0ne one-thousand, two one-thousand and pick them up or roll them over at three one-thousand. Play underwater games. Let them retrieve rings from the top step, then a lower step then the bottom of the pool.
Do not put your swimmer in floaties. They will ruin our goals of teaching your child to swim with their head down and their bottoms up! Floaties allow them to paddle about, head above water and destroy any sense of balance and trust for the water that we have been working so hard to achieve. If you are boating on a lake – yes they need life jackets! If you are swimming in a pool – they need supervision, not floaties!
More than one non-swimmer in the pool with you? Try keeping the one that you are not working with holding onto your back. That way you know where he/she is at all times.
Resist the temptation to have your swimmer jump off the wall to you and you catching them above the water. When they jump in, let them go under the water. There must be a consequence for stepping off a step or the edge. They have to learn to turn and grab a wall, swim back to the steps, or roll over and float. Those are their 3 choices to be safe – not being rescued by mom or dad! This takes time, repetition and patience! It is fine to invite them in and let them go under and surface on their own, then pick them up. When they jump into the pool and you catch them above the water you are creating a false sense of security and over-confidence.
When trying to work with them to roll over and float, give them a brief chance to initiate the roll over. Let the child swim for a few seconds off the wall or step then Yell “roll over” first (you might be surprised on that day when they really do it without your help), then help them roll over and THEN pick them up. Be consistent – they will eventually roll over by themselves and you will have a safe swimmer. Let the water do the work – just guide them as you roll them over! You are not just teaching your children, you are training them! Through repetition! If you wait a few seconds after them come off the wall to initiate the rollover, they will appreciate the breath they receive when the roll over.
Some students will swim safely for their teacher and then “forget” when they get home. We focus on giving the students confidence. Give them time to warm-up. We practice streamlines and unders and bobs on the wall or even kicking on a kickboard before we ask the child to swim any type of distance. When you are swimming with them at home – if they are a jellyfish or higher - don’t rescue them too quickly. If they can swim and roll over here they can do it at home. Try yelling “roll over” before you rescue them and you might be pleasantly surprised when they do!
Finally have a great summer in your home or community pool and always practice the Safer 3's of:

Safer Water Lock your gates and secure your pools
Safer Kids Keep working on their learn to swim skills
Safer Response Always have a designated water watcher and phone on your pool deck

The Value of Working With Your Hands

2009-05-27T14:04:00.003-07:00

Kathy and I often chuckle about how we have learned to handle being identified as "swim lesson teachers". When asked at a party or in a meeting by someone that we have never met before, they get a strange look on their face, that seems to say "ohhh you make a living and support your family teaching swimming?" One of my favorite questions is, "and what else do you do?" I will sometimes go off with a long winded explanation about how our small business is much more complicated than it seems. We have to train and recruit staff, work daily on our teaching techniques, interact with not only the children who swim in our programs or play in our sports camps but also their parents, schedule our pool use and yada, yada, yada. With a little internal smile I will share our story and move on through the day.

In these tumultuous economic times, I have had the opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are that we own our own business. The skills and services we provide to the families in our swim schools and sports camps cannot be outsourced. The economy of Phoenix has certainly effected our business but I am thankful that the great job our staff does in the water and on the sports camp fields is helping to keep our swimmers and campers enrolling. It is an endorsement from the parents of the kids in our programs that we provide a service of value.

This winter, we were short a Little Snapper teacher on Wednesday nights. I jumped in the water to teach one night a week to get us through until we could train another staff member to take these classes. As we looked at our summer schedule, I was asked by my supervisor who also happens to be my spouse, if I wanted to transfer my classes to a new teacher and get out of the water.

I will admit that teaching eight classes of six children and their parents back to back is hard. You have 96 different children and their various parents in the water over that time period. A high level of concentration is required, believe it or not. Trying to remember each child and parent's strengths and personality is important. But, I gotta tell you, my immediate reaction was: Me, get out of the water now? No Way! I have come to realize again, that I really enjoy it. I get as much energy and joy out of the experience of teaching as I possibly could imagine. It also makes me much more appreciative of the hard work and dedication of our many swim teachers, who are in the water far more hours than I.

So how did we get to this topic. Matthew Crawford has a Ph.D in political philosophy from the esteemed University of Chicago. He has written a very insightful article in a recent issue of The New York Times Magazine talking about how he bagged his prestigious job at a Washington, D.C. think tank to open a motorcycle repair shop. It is a great read!

He also has a new book coming out entitled Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into The Value Of Work. Heading to my local bookstore to pickup a copy tonight. So, the message today is that when your kid talks about being a craftsman, do not force them into only intellectual work. The world needs not only the work done by tradesmen and women but their intellectual skills as well. And if you are not happy in your cubicle, try to figure out how to do what you love, you may be surprised by the economic opportunity your energy brings to a business. And to summarize, how do I handle being a swim lesson teacher? With a big smile, a pair of shorts and flip flops and a baseball cap always handy for when i get out to our sports camps! We are in one of the most positive businesses on earth - kids learn quickly and they love to learn! Success brings big smiles and happy faces - we are blessed.

Do You Have Fun At Work ? I do!

2009-05-11T11:09:00.004-07:00

Today as we move into a bit of the hectic days of late spring and early summer, I am looking forward with excitement to the opening of our Mesa swim school this week, the opening of our four summer sports camps in two weeks, the summer recreational swim teams and the summer energy that blows in the front doors at the indoor swim schools. As much as I am proud of our curriculum and the quality of our teaching and coaching methods, I have come to the conclusion that I have fun at work not just because of what we do but who I do it with each day.

We are surrounded by an awesome team of swim teachers, camp counselors, managers, and office personnel. It is fun to walk into the swim school or sports camp location and see people having fun at work. Seems kind of rare in today's world, so I have resolved to use this blog to say thanks to our team members for bringing their best everyday. Oftentimes people think about the work we do and do not understand the complexity or intensity of being up for every encounter with a parent and a child. Our goals are to make every visit to Hubbard a scrapbook memory for the children, parents and all of our visitors.

To the parents of our swimmers and campers, I want to say we want you to set your expectations high for your experiences at Hubbard. We may occasionally fall down or miss the target but we do want you to push us to the next level.

To our Hubbard team members, I want to say you rock. Your commitment to each other and the energy and enthusiasm you share with the children and parents in our programs is inspiring. People often ask me where we find our great teachers and counselors. I think quality attracts quality. When people interview for positions here at Hubbard, we run them through a series of interviews with myself, some of our managers and mainly our front line teachers and counselors. You would be surprised by how many people during training elect not to continue with the interview process because they see how hard people work and how much energy and commitment they bring to work each day. They realize that they may not have what it takes to deliver the Hubbard experience to our families, so they self-select themselves out.

So I want to say thank you to all of our staff members. Our goal is that your time here will be the best time of your life. My hope is that every job you hold later on in life, you will hold up against this one. You have my commitment and Kathy's and the rest of our leadership team, Amer, Pat and Otto that we are here to help in anyway we can. Thank you !!!!

Ohhh, I do have to say it is fun to go to work with your spouse everyday. No, seriously, it is!

Relax, it is not that big a deal

2009-04-19T18:28:00.002-07:00

What's not a big deal? Well anything really. Just got out of the water teaching today. The thought running through my mind is that parents of little ones today seem to place a lot of emphasis on success in everything their child does or attempts. And if the swim lesson or tumble gym class does not go well, the parent puts too much blame on themselves. They seem to think they are failing somehow or that their child is somehow acting developmentally inappropriately.

Let's look at a swim lesson. One day does not a season or lifetime make. Yet parents occasionally feel that if their child is not compliant during a swim class that they need to make sure the child gets focused or with the program. They may have had six or seven good classes in a row. Then one day the child is just off. Not quite as comfortable as they were the week before. Maybe they are squirming a bit more. Or maybe they, the child, has decided that today is not a swimming day. They may have had a rough day in the sandbox at preschool or may have watched too much Spongebob and are a bit over stimulated.

Now, I am not suggesting that when these occasions arise we abandon all parenting responsibilities and let our children act on their primeval independent instincts. I am suggesting that maybe we, as parents, need to change our expectations and focus and chill out. Rather than get into a physical or mental wrestling match with the child, this maybe the time to step back, relax and assess where your child is at the moment both emotionally, physically and intellectually. If he is tired, maybe we need to ask him to swim not quite as far as the rest of the class. If he is learning something new and is not picking it up as fast as the other children, maybe we need to back up and review some fundamentals. Or let him practice some things that are easier for him to help boost his confidence.

Occasionally, we'll have a child who is a comfortable swimmer just decide that she is just gonna be difficult today. My impression is that the parent then gets more anxious because..... "everyone is looking at my child act out". My view is that if mom or dad, rather than getting anxious would actually respond in a neutral manner or laugh or gently smile at their child's behavior, pretty soon he is gonna realize that he is not getting this huge reaction he anticipated and will eventually calm down. Any reaction, even a negative one is a reaction. And a positive, affirmative, supportive or humorous reaction is far better than ..." we're in swim class and you are gonna swim and pay attention NOW".

I remember years ago when my wife would talk about traveling alone with 5 kids under 8. The airline attendants would avoid her like the plague and then at the end of the flight they often approached her and made comments about how amazing it was that the kids behaved. At that point she had traveled enough with the older ones that she thought of airline travel as a way to get from point A to point B. In other words, she didn't spend weeks preparing and anticipating a 6 hour day of travel and the kids took it in stride, no big deal.

So my thought of the day is a question. Are you one hundred percent effective everyday in everything you do? Do you hit a home run at work everyday. Is everyday at home a blissful one? I would think not. So why do we as parents expect every day's swim lesson or soccer practice or school day or softball game to be the best or even better than the day or week before. Learning happens in many ways. Sometimes, you have to actually go two steps backward before you go one step forward.

So relax, whatever it is, is not that big a deal.

From the Mouths of Babes

2009-03-22T15:35:00.004-07:00

Here at the swim school we have advocated for years that swim lessons are a major layer of protection in preventing drowning. We work very hard to teach a child that there will be a consequence for stepping off the edge of the pool. They will go under water! Now I personally have two, yes two, major resources that support this theory. In a recent blog, we reported on the results of the brand new, just released, National Institute of Health study that confirmed the fact that swim lessons play a role in drowning prevention.

The study concludes: Participating in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88% reduction in the risk of drowning in children between the ages of 1 to 4.
(Arch Pediatric Med. 2009; 163(3):203-210)

Now on top of that great research, I have had the personal experience of confirming the value of swim lessons in effecting a two year old's behavior around a swimming pool. Yup, I ran my own research study.

Last week I was walking a house in our neighborhood that is for sale with my daughter, son-in-law and just turned two year old grandson, Frank. Frank has been in swim lessons since he was an infant and is an excellent swimmer. He could comfortably get himself across a 30 foot pool by swimming on his belly, rolling over and then rolling back on to his stomach. While mom and dad were talking to the Realtor, I wandered into the backyard with Frank to check it out. There was an unfenced pool sitting right outside the back door.

Now as we approached the edge of the pool, Frank looked at me and said:
"Grandpa we can't go in the pool without someone watching us."

I wanted to jump up and yell Hallelujah!!!! This is where the battle against childhood drowning will be won. The kids have to learn and understand the fun and the risks of being around a pool. If we look at other childhood safety issues such as seat belts and bike helmets, it is the kids who remind us not to start the car until they are buckled and the kids who go and get their bike helmets before we leave on a neighborhood ride. In swim lessons we teach you as parents to let the child go under water when they walk off the side of the pool. We teach the children, and often times the adults, how to go under water without panicking and how to think about what to do when they are in the pool (roll over and float or turn around and go back to the side).

So encourage your friends and neighbors to get their kids in the water. You now have two major sources of research to support you --- The National Institute of Health and Frank!!! Both high quality research studies.

Swimming Lessons Do Not Increase Drowning Risk in Young Children - National Institutes of Health

2009-03-03T11:29:00.006-07:00

FINALLY, we are beginning to have some research that supports what many of us in the Learn to Swim world have believed for years. Swim Lessons do impact a child's behavior and are a factor in the fight against children drowning. The National Institutes of Health have released a study that states:

"Providing very young children with swimming lessons appears to have a protective effect against drowning and does not increase childrens' risk of drowning"

Click here to read the full press release.

Not only does this National Institutes of Health study ratify what we have been saying but it proves how right all the families in our swim schools are that have been making their choice to enroll their child in swim lessons. We have said for years that exposing children of this age to pools and other aquatic environments teaches them about the risks and also teaches appropriate behavior around pools and other bodies of water.

Now, I have a job for you. This is not about getting more swimmers in our swim schools. This is about saving lives.

Click here to view the original press release, pass the information along to your friends and say:

"If you want to take the next step in making your child safer around your pool or any body of water ---- get them swimming."

This reports states that of the one (1) to four (4) years olds who drowned in the states involved in the study, only three (3) percent had had swim lessons. These numbers and any family's pain relating to the death of a child is hard to comprehend. But we must be forthright and take our message to the streets. I am tired of battling the Oprah Show that every so often shares the American Academy of Pediatrics position on this issue that swim lessons make parents less vigilant. The average child that drowns is a two and one half year old boy. It makes no sense to me to keep those kids away from the water. We now have research that confirms our belief that sharing and developing an awareness and love of the water with our children CAN make them SAFER.

Parents also need to be involved and educated about the risks and rewards of swim lessons. It is incumbent on us as swim teachers and parents of children already in swim lessons to not only educate the child but also their parents about the benefits and safety measures relating to keeping their child safer. Swim lessons are one part of the levels of protection that start with Safer Water (gates that lock) and then move on to Safer Kids (learn to swim) and Safer Response (learn CPR).

The study highlights the need to maintain your safety standards and vigilance even for teenagers and older swimmers. One of our staff members had the best job in the world in college. She was the lifeguard for the morning practices of the University of Arizona swim team. If the national swimming champions need a lifeguard during swim workout, so does anyone in your pool, no matter their age.

So share the good news!!!! Keep your kids swimming and learning these skills to last a lifetime!

Ohhh and I am available if Oprah is looking for someone to articulate our position.

Kids Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa

2009-02-17T10:14:00.004-07:00

I spent some time last week with a pretty impressive 7th grader named Max. I got to know Max when he and his sister first started at our swim school several years ago. Max is in a new middle school this year but as a sixth grader he was president of the student body for his grade school. Remember, I said president of the entire school not just his class. Max and some of his friends and parents have been training and working out here in Phoenix for the last eight months in preparation for a climb of Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa this coming June.

Mt. Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania, Africa rises to a height of 19,330 feet! For those of us who have hiked in Arizona or even climbed some of the "Fourteeners" (mountains of 14,000 feet in height) in Colorado, 19,000++ feet is pretty high. You have to work over a period of days to get acclimated to the limited air at that elevation.

Why am I sharing Max's story here? There is a constant barrage of communication in the media about how we are raising a generation of kids who are glued to their TV, Game boy or Computer Screen. Here in Phoenix we are blessed with many local hiking trails and amazing parks. "Get off of the couch" as our sports camp director recommends. So my encouragement to parents is to find ways to get involved with your kids in activities outside of the house. Foster free play and don't worry if and when they fall or scape their knee. And if someone pushes someone else over, there is no need to rush in to protect them. Kids have a way of working it out among themselves.

OK, back to Max and his friends. I have to tell you the Rest of the Story as Paul Harvey says. Max is part of a team organized by the folks at the Foundation for Blind Children, who have put together a team of blind students and partnered them with sighted volunteers to climb Mt Kilimanjaro together. Here is their web site http://www.seekiliourway.org/. I am also including a link to the letter from Pam and Jim Stelzer outlining their family's reasons for being part of the "see kili our way" climb. Click here to read their letter. If you have trouble with the link, copy and paste the following link into a new browser window:
http://www.hubbardswim.com/ConstantContact/SeeKiliOurWay_StelzerLetter.pdf

This is not a fund raising letter (although if you elect to help these kids that would be great). It is an invitation to get up, get off the couch --- parents and kids --- and chase some kind of dream. Most people would look at Max and his friends and be thankful that you have your eyesight. I think Max is gonna look back over his life and feel sorry for people who were limited because they were sighted. I am gonna bet that Max is gonna come back from Africa will all kinds of impressions of life in Africa that we would miss. From the smells and sounds of the cities, the smell of the bush, to the feel of the winds, to the rhythm of language, and to the joy of trying to do something that is a really tough challenge.

If you want to help with their mission, check out their web site. If you want to learn from these kids, just get up and take a walk.

Maybe Pig-Pen Had It Right!

2009-02-02T19:10:00.003-07:00

(apologies to Charles M. Schulz)

Are you a "five second rule" parent? Are you a "scan the area, wipe it off and feed it to your child" parent? Or are you a "it touched the floor and it will never touch your mouth" parent!

I grew up in a hectic, 7 kids within 10 years of each other, loving household in Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's. My mom and dad were a nurse and a surgeon, respectively. They were definitely health conscious but I never remember them being freaked out over cleanliness. Some kids today wash their hands more times a day than my father did on a surgery day! My daughter just spent a week in Mexico on a beach with her 6 month old and dedicated a day to get her little one use to the feel of sand on her hands and her feet. She was determined to make sure Elizabeth got used to the feel of "stuff" squishing between her toes! Yes, it is a lot more work to clean our kids up when they've jumped in the puddle in the parking lot or as one of my other grand kids did - using his body board to surf in the neighbor's irrigation.

Now I know there is a level of hygiene that is sometimes missing especially around washrooms or food. I certainly agree that hands and faces need to be washed but there is some research out there that some strains of disease and infection are becoming more resilient because of an over abundance of cleanliness, antibiotic prescriptions and anti-bacterial soaps.

In the New York Times on January 27 they ran an article in the Personal Health column by Jane Brody titled: Babies Know: A Little Dirt IS Good For You. She summarizes a number of studies to say: "researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body spur the development of a healthy immune system".

Dr. Joel Weinstock, director of gastroenterology and hepatolgy at Tufts Medical Center in Boston is quoted as saying: "Children raised in an ultra-clean environment are not being exposed to many organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits".

Not trying to run a medical seminar here but Ms. Brody quotes physician after physician who encourage parents to relax and not be soooo vigilant about dirt!!!

As I watch parents progress in their parenting skills I see some funny things evolve. I watched this happen in our own family as our family grew ...and grew. The new mom or dad travels with a huge diaper bag with a full pharmacy included in it, four changes of clothes, diapers for a 7 day trip, wipes, hand sanitizers, etc. When the second child arrives, the diaper bag gets smaller, the kids share drinks, and they fight over whatever food is floating in the bag. And then we have those families with three or four children. Something about a "less is more" approach to life takes over. They have a diaper in their back pocket, a small bag of sanitizing wipes in their purse, one change of clothes in the trunk of the car (a tee shirt and elastic shorts that will fit any of the kids), and enough crumbs and unidentified objects under each car seat to supply a full meal if they ever get stuck in a snow storm.

So maybe those five second parents are really helping their kids be healthier. Ahhhh, you don't know what a five second parent is? They are the parents who when their child drops some food on the floor says "as long as it wasn't on the floor longer than five seconds, you can pick it up wipe it off and eat it". Come on, relax and join the club.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have A Dream Speech

2009-01-19T12:45:00.013-07:00

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. Tomorrow, fifty-one years after Dr. King's famous I Have A Dream speech, we will inaugurate our first president of color. I am going to steal from an email I received from one of Kathy's cousins, who today generated a message that does an excellent job in placing Martin Luther King's speech in the historical context, plus he included a copy of the speech. I do have one recommendation to the readers of this blog. Pick up a copy of Taylor Branch's Pulitzer prizing winning novel Parting The Waters: America in the King Years. It is fantastic. Now thanks to cousin Bill:

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But Conscience asks the question - is it right?

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

To Do Today: Remember - your life begins to end the day you become silent about things that matter." --Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In recognition of Martin Luther King Day, below is the background behind the I Have a Dream Speech and the speech itself.

The I Have a Dream Speech
In 1950's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color - blacks, Hispanics, Asians - were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950's were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education; and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality in the 1950's and the 1960's. In 1963, King and his staff focused on Birmingham, Alabama. They marched and protested non-violently, raising the ire of local officials who sicced water cannon and police dogs on the marchers, whose ranks included teenagers and children. The bad publicity and break-down of business forced the white leaders of Birmingham to concede to some anti-segregation demands.

Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, where he was arrested and jailed, King helped organize a massive march on Washington, DC, on August 28, 1963. His partners in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom included other religious leaders, labor leaders, and black organizers. The assembled masses marched down the Washington Mall from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, heard songs from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and heard speeches by actor Charlton Heston, NAACP president Roy Wilkins, and future U.S. Representative from Georgia John Lewis.

King's appearance was the last of the event; the closing speech was carried live on major television networks. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King evoked the name of Lincoln in his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The following is the exact text of the spoken speech, transcribed from recordings. Watch the video of the speech from August 28,1963.

------------------------------

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check - a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Paralympic Champion Dies

2009-01-12T16:58:00.003-07:00

I had never heard about Nick Scandone until I read his obituary last week in the New York Times. His story represents so much of what we value in athletics. He was an elite athlete competing in sailing at the Olympic level when he was diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Wikipedia describes the disease as a disorder that causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body as both the upper and lower motor neurons degenerate, ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the muscles gradually weaken, develop fasciculations (twitches) because of denervation, and eventually atrophy because of that denervation. The patient may ultimately lose the ability to initiate and control all voluntary movement except for the eyes.

Can you imagine working so hard to reach the pinnacle of your skills in a sport and to be thrown the monkey wrench of a disease which so violently effects your muscles and coordination? I do realize people young and old battle invasive diseases courageously everyday. Mr. Scandone faced his diagnosis courageously and took it a step further when he decided to continue competing, just in a bit of a different arena. After learning he had ALS in 2002, he shifted his focus to training for the paralympics in the single-handed 2.4 meter class. As his disease progressed, rather than retiring, he shifted to sailing with a partner. As his condition worsened he kept his focus on sailing, competing and achieving.

Mr. Scandone won the paralympics trials in late 2007 and eventually competed in the Paralympics in Bejjing in September, 2008, winning gold with his sailing partner, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker. Additionally, he was chosen by his fellow members of the 2008 United States Paralympics Team for the honor of being the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

He died four months after winning his gold medal. Today we have many young athletes who face adversity and we hold them up as models for ourselves and our children. Here is a man, a husband, an athlete and a gold medal winning paralympian, who was able to keep his focus on his athletic and competitive goals even as his disease moved him closer to death. I can only speculate as to what the thrill of competition meant to him as he balanced his health with his competitive desire and love of his sport.

As you and your children search for what motivates them, do not be always be stuck in the traditional sports or activities. Baseball and basketball are fantastic sports but if your child doesn't love them - try something else! Explore skateboarding, volleyball, sailing or swimming. Open the door for them to be active and to challenge themselves. How about you? Try something new as you get older - I can't tell you how many former runners I've met who have switched to aquatic workouts because the knees just weren't what they use to be! I am finding my joy these days comes from riding a bike, a lot less stressful on the knees. I can only hope that in my waning days there will be some sport or activity that I will continue to love enough to keep me going out the door until the bitter end!

The focus on Mr. Scandone shifts toward him and his accomplishments, which were extraordinary. However, don't forget to look at the history and determination of his gold medal winning sailing partner, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker. Hers is an amazing story in its own telling.

Congratulations to all who as Dylan Thomas says:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Are You Too Busy To Help?

2008-12-31T08:15:00.003-07:00

As we enter the new year, many people sit down and reflect on the year passed and the days ahead. Often times these type of reflections take the perspective of what can I do to better myself personally this coming year. Exercise more. Watch less television. Be more diligent and not procrastinate. Get organized. Keep my closets more organized, and on and on and on.

Today, I would like to encourage you to look outside your own needs and even beyond the needs of your immediate family. I know many young couples who work with us or participate in our swim schools and summer sports camps. They are juggling infants and toddlers and various parental responsibilities as well as their jobs and other family relationships. You cannot imagine finding the time to do anymore.

Well, I'd like to tell you that you can! Many of the good things in our society run on the effort of volunteers. I do believe in the 80 - 20 rule. Eighty (80%) percent of the work seems to get done by twenty (20%) of the people. Look at your local school parent organization or playgroup or soccer team or baseball league or church. My bet is that you will find many of their better activities are being run and organized by people who already have a lot on their to-do lists. Those people can always find the time to coach a team, organize a fund raiser, visit a homeless shelter, sing in the choir and prepare a meal for a sick friend.

Today many people complain about things. Bad coaches of soccer or basketball teams. No organization at the back to school night. The fund raiser was not a success, so our school cannot afford the new computers. All of the homeless wandering our streets.

Have you ever heard a parent complain about bad referees during a kids soccer game. Where do they think the referees come from? Is there a referee store? Do they think the league organizers go down and order a referee for a game at 11 o'clock on a Saturday morning? Of course these referees and coaches come from the pool of parents whose children participate in these various sports programs. Often times I have known of a soccer referee who could not watch his own child play because he was refereeing a game for a different team.

So this year, I would encourage you to make a resolution to get involved. Whether it is in your church, your school, a charity whose work you believe in locally. It can be simple. We have a charity here in Phoenix called Maggie's Place. They operate homes for unwed mothers in Phoenix and Coeur D Alene, Idaho. The moms can live in the homes during their pregnancy and for up to six (6) months after the baby is born. They have volunteers who just come in and hold the new born babies for a few hours a week. Your commitment does not have to be too onerous. You do not have to be the chairperson for a major fundraiser in your community. But you can find the time to make some phone calls, or cut out decorations or even be part of the cleanup crew after the church carnival or softball tournament.

If you are the parent of an infant or toddler, you may be tempted to say, well I won't need those services for my children for at least three or four more years. Well, I am here to remind you that if you do not help today, the sports team or church project or community activity you hope to use in the future may not still be in existence!

So for your emotional well-being, look outside yourself this year! Resolve to Volunteer, it is a great feeling.

Christmas Memories

2008-12-22T17:40:00.004-07:00

Today I have copied a note from our son, Patrick. He has his version of an email blog/newsletter and I thought he hit a pretty good note. So, here are his thoughts on Christmas Memories:

'Tis The Season to be Crazy

So in the spirit of the holiday season and seeing that the last blog I wrote was about how much I adore Thanksgiving, I figure now is a good time to talk a little bit about my experience with the wild and crazy Christmas season. To me Christmas is about family – but not in the traditional sense of that phrase. What I mean is, Christmas is always wild. No matter what the circumstance is, something crazy always happens to my family during Christmas. If your family is anything like our family, something wildly hilarious will happen. For example, one Christmas years and years ago, my family decided to get everybody together and head up to New York, where my Dad grew up. Once up there, we had a house about a mile from the beach and somebody thought it would be a great idea to do a “Polar Bear” swim. A polar bear swim is a winter swim in the ocean. The next day, in the freezing cold 40 degree wind, I walked slowly with my family into the harshly cold weather down to the beach to face the cold cold water, for one reason and one reason alone, because if I didn’t, my siblings would never stop making fun of me.

At the beach all of us kids solemnly began taking off layers of jackets and sweaters, beginning to think that this might just be a terrible idea. We were almost down to our bathing suits, when we heard a hysterically laughing man running down the beach towards us. I looked up and I saw one of the happiest men I have ever seen. My dad, in all his glory, wearing a bright red pajama/long underwear suit, (you know the kind with the butt flap), literally skipping across the beach, past all of his hesitant kids and plunging himself into the freezing waves. With a quick glance across the line of siblings, we all began racing towards the water, laughing to the point of tears, without a hint of fear in our hearts.

This is the kind of family experiences I think Christmas is all about. No need for stating out loud what we are all thankful for but instead, acting on what we are all grateful for. To me Christmas is a time to laugh, to love, and to act on gratitude. To show the people you love how much you they mean to you, and to experience the magic of the season together.

Memories like this one I just shared with you all keep me going. No matter how bad my day is, the simple mental picture of my dad grinning ear to ear in that red jump suit can make any day one to be grateful for.

Keep livin’ the dream

Patrick

BE vs BECOME

2008-12-15T16:19:00.003-07:00

Do you want to just BE or are you ready to do the work to BECOME?

I was at a swim school conference a few weeks ago and one of the speakers, I believe it was John Chappelear, author of The Daily Six, who asked the above question. His point was that many people in our society today want to BE someone or something. They do necessarily want to do the work to BECOME that someone. If you google the phrase "10,000 hours of practice", you get an abundance of articles that highlight the theory that to become the best at something you need to practice that skill for 10,000 hours.

Occasionally I see a frustration in parents of young athletes that their child is not excelling or improving at the same rate as other children in the group. I wonder what their child does away from the practice fields or basketball courts or swimming pool. I am certainly not advocating for a one dimensional focus on athletics or academics. I grew up playing basketball, baseball and swimming. Multi-sport training is great for developing the well rounded athlete. But what I am suggesting is that athletic performance or even academic performance will be enhanced by more practice. And as parents, we need to occasionally tell our children that they are losing games or not getting picked for teams because they, the child, are competing against kids or teams that have worked harder than they have to get to where they wanted to go.

I have spent thousands of hours on soccer fields watching our daughters play that great sport. Two of them excelled to such a degree that they received scholarships to play at a Division One university. Our youngest daughter has battled through shoulder surgery and a recently cracked tibial plateau from playing soccer limiting her ability to practice or play. What is her choice of television when she has some free time? An international soccer channel on our local cable outlet! At dinner, I get updates on English soccer teams, such as Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal. We sat down one Sunday a few weeks ago and instead of the NFL, we watched the NCAA Womens' Collegiate Soccer Championship between Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina. She wants to learn and get better. She reaches beyond practice to see how great players play. Now, I am waiting for the day, I am at a soccer game, after the competition is over, the referees and coaches are gone, the parents are drifting to their cars off and the girls from both teams get together and say

..... Let's play again, NOW!

No coaches, no referees, no parents, just them, their soccer ball, playing a game they love for fun.

Finally a quote that hangs on the wall in our office:

The fight is won or lost,
far away from witnesses.
It is won behind the lines in the gym and out there on the road,
Long before I dance under those lights.
Muhammad Ali

CPR Update

2008-12-08T11:22:00.004-07:00

We promote water safety all of the time at our swim schools. Our primary focus has been sharing the message of the Safer 3 with our friends at the swim school and their families. One of components of the Safer 3 has been a Safer Response to learn CPR. Now amazing news from the Phoenix Fire Department.

Our local newspaper, The Arizona Republic is reporting that based upon a fire department study people are experiencing an almost 300% increase in lives saved by using the technique of continuous chest compressions.

The message is to "push hard, push fast and increase the chance of survival by circulating oxygenated blood to the victim's heart and brain." the article quotes Dr. Ben Bobrow, medical director of the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Emergency Medicine Services and Trauma System citing a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that reviewed 1,243 cases recorded by two of our valley's fire departments.

The Hands-only CPR encourages the average person to pump on the cardiac victim's chest 200 times every two minutes. Check out the American Heart Association web site that explains technique and also has a video demonstration.

According to the American Heart Association: Adults who suddenly collapse and are not responsive are likely to have sudden cardiac arrest and their chance of survival is nearly zero unless someone takes action immediately. You should call 911 and start giving hard and fast chest compressions in the center of the chest, with minimal interruptions. If sudden cardiac arrest is the cause of the collapse, Hands-Only CPR is an easy, effective way for any bystander to more than double the victim's chance for survival. If an adult has collapsed for reasons other than sudden cardiac arrest, Hands-Only CPR could still help by causing the person to respond (begin to move, breathe normally or speak). If that occurs, Hands-Only CPR can be stopped. Otherwise, chest compressions should continue until EMS providers arrive.

So if you are like some of my family members who freak out in trying to remember the old sequencing of chest compressions to breaths, this new recommendation is so simple. Just do the chest compressions and wait for the emergency responders.

The Gettysburg Address

2008-11-23T23:07:00.007-07:00

Why, you may ask is he thinking of Lincoln's Gettysburg address today. I was recently at the Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference and Bill Reichert of Garage Technology Ventures, one of the speakers, remarked that Wednesday, November 19th was the 145th anniversary of The Gettysburg Address. He went on to describe his experiences at The Lincoln Memorial In Washington, DC. Bill talked about standing in the Lincoln Memorial at midnight, looking out over the Washington Mall toward our nation's capital Building and reading Lincoln's Gettysburg address, which is inscribed on an interior wall there. This approximately two minute speech was delivered by President Lincoln as he consecrated the fields of the Battle of Gettysburg as the final resting place for more than seven thousand five hundred soldiers (7,500) killed in that momentous three day battle in the Civil War.

I cannot tell you the number of times I have been lucky enough to share a moment at the Lincoln Memorial with friends as we toured our nation's capital late at night. The only thing I can add to Bill's memory is the recommendation to leave the Lincoln Memorial and slowly walk along the Vietnam Memorial just a few yards away. These are very powerful memories of the prices thousands have paid for our country.

As our country prepares to celebrate the election of our first African American President and as our armed forces battle in lands far from home, this Thanksgiving I believe we should think about these words from President Lincoln! I will not pretend to explain them. I would hope that we as Americans can live up to not only the words but the deeds of those who have come before us. Not only in the fields of battle of war but on the battlegrounds for liberty and equality for all. Today, I can do no more than ask you to slowly read aloud these words:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

If you want something to share with the "video" generation here is a link to the clip from the film Remember The Titans, where Coach Boone (Denzel Washington), talks to the young men on his integrated football team about the meaning of Gettysburg.

As a sign of my hope for our country, we welcome our ninth grandchild Kevin Patrick, born at 5:15 pm, November 19, 2008 who joins his brother Frank! Congratulations, Amer and Pat.

Family Traditions -- Be Brave -- Establish Your Own

2008-11-17T13:03:00.004-07:00

One of the things I marvel at every holiday season is how conflicted and exhausted parents of young families often become over where and how to spend their holiday time. There are the families that spend Thanksgiving with one set of parents and Christmas with another. Or even the families that spend half a day with each family driving hours and hours with tired crabby kids in order to not offend parents or relatives.

We had a young family and were living in Denver, Colorado in the 1980's. My family was from Brooklyn, NY and Kathy's was living in Arizona. Well, sometime in early October the phone calls started, inquiring where WE were going to spend Christmas. Obviously with three young children and a fourth on the way, our respective parents, brothers and sisters were anxious to see us. Lots of pressure. Beginning in the early days of our marriage, Kathy and I had established Thanksgiving as a day at our home, even though we lived in the same town as her family. We hosted what we called a waif's dinner, for her family if they choose to come and for friends who did not have family and had no where else to go. It became a strong tradition and a great opportunity to be with friends, relatives and an occasional newcomer who was dragged along by a friend. Best of all we got to stay home with our little ones and just hang out.

But now - we had moved all the way to Colorado! Obviously, judging from the phone calls from our respective families, they felt Christmas was an important time for family to reconnect. So building up our courage we called everyone and said, "we love you and will miss you but we are staying in Colorado and sneaking away to a condo in Vail". We told everyone they were always welcome to come visit with us. It turned out to be a great decision and a tradition that we carried on through the 1980's. Our families came to accept that we viewed this time as a chance to establish our own family traditions. They of course were always welcome. In fact, one year my entire family of six brothers and sisters along with my mom and dad came from all over the US to spend the holidays in Colorado. It was one of the most memorable times ever for everyone of us as we had 24 inches of snow on Christmas Eve and no one could go anywhere. We spent Christmas day in our driveway climbing to the top of our suburban and diving into the snow banks on our lawn. The photos were wonderful!

So today as you look ahead to the coming holiday season, be brave and think about establishing YOUR OWN FAMILY TRADITIONS.

Now, I will share one more weird tradition that we have in our family. In 1969 Arlo Guthrie, the son of the famed folk singer Woody Guthrie, wrote and performed a classic song, Alice' Restaurant. It is 18+ minutes long and describes the adventures of a group of friends at Thanksgiving. We have played that song in our home every Thanksgiving as Kathy prepares dinner for the past 34 years (and for those few Thanksgivings spent on the road at soccer tournaments we just brought the music along)!!!! And there was a tear in my eye, a few years ago when our kids called from Cincinnati to tell me that as they prepared their Thanksging meal they were playing it as well . Check it out If you live in Phoenix, radio sattion KDKB plays it at 9am, 12pm, 3 pm and 6pm each Thanksgiving.

Let us know some of your more unique family holiday traditions.

Gratitude

2008-11-10T15:40:00.005-07:00

We are moving toward Thanksgiving, a time of year when we hopefully find some time to reflect on the many good things in our lives. It can be hard in times of emotional or financial turmoil to find the good in the world. I have been asked recently how I would suggest teaching gratitude to a young child.

Well. I have bad news for someone looking for a list of training exercises you can do with your child. I do not believe you can sit them down and point out things they should be thankful for in their lives. I can still hear my grandmother telling me about the starving children in India, Africa and our hometown, who would devour the meal I was refusing to eat. I can hear myself occasionally telling my 14 year son and daughter, how good they have it today with cell phones, ipods and cable television. The words just do not register. ACTIONS DO.

One of my favorite books is written by a monk named, David Steindl-Rast. In Gratefulness, The Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness he emphasizes the need each day to be grateful for all of the things in your life, the good and the bad. Check out his web site for some great references http://www.gratefulness.org. Today’s business books are full of the need to be thankful to our families and co-workers as we move through our business days.

Now back to the question at hand. How do we help our children and family members become more thankful or grateful? Here is the hard part. We have to model grateful behavior for them!!!! We cannot express frustration in the car in the ATM line or in any of the myriad lines we stand in when the person in front of you takes forever to organize themselves. In the book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, author Marshall Goldsmith, suggests taking a few days and writing down every comment or opinion you express. His research indicates a high number of those comments will be of a critical nature. Think about what your children hear from you, either about themselves, their friends or things in your daily life.

And when you say Thank You, look the person in the eye and mean it! How often have we experienced some type of service, we throw out a quick thank you, while we continue to text or talk on the phone or hustle the kids out the door. Slow down. Try this at the end of the day. Tell your kids and family members how grateful you are that they are in your lives. Too dramatic? Try saying thanks when they finish cleaning up after dinner and do not focus on the little things they forgot to do. Just be grateful they are there with you.

To our kids, Maureen and Katie, who were in visiting this past weekend from Ohio with their great husbands, Matt and Eric, we want to say thanks for coming and remember we love you and miss you all every day!

Plateaus Are Cool

2008-11-03T20:01:00.005-07:00

Enjoy the plateau

It is an important step in a long process

A Plateau is defined as: a period or state of little or no growth or decline, a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning, marked by an inability to increase speed, reduce number of errors, etc., and indicated by a horizontal stretch in a learning curve or graph.

As children progress though our swim lesson or sports camp programs or as I have watched our children play sports, there are times of no improvement in their skills. They simply are not getting any better in spite of the fact that they are putting in the effort. Many times parents express frustration with the program or coach, wondering why their child is suddenly not the leading scorer or is not involved or enthused on the playing field or in the pool.

I think plateaus are really times when our bodies or minds are asking for a little rest. It is a time to continue to work to perfect the skill or gain new strength and confidence without the pressure to perform at the highest level of competitiveness or competence. Why do I bring this up now? I find the fall/winter season to be one where a lot of plateauing (if that is a word) goes on in childrens' athletic and academic performance. Think about it. They have come out of the semi-lazy days of an all too short summer and are now engaged in schoolwork and routine. Up in the morning, early off to school or day-care, then to swim school lessons or music or dance or tumble bees or whatever and then homework, dark nights and even dark mornings. The kids are also on a bit of over-load with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all roaring down the road one after the other.

Our oldest son was an awesome gymnast. We remember one time when one of his grade school teammates was going through a growth spurt. This poor guy was crashing all over the place on high bar, parrallel bars and pommels as he got used to working with the dynamics of longer legs and arms. We spoke with the coach and expressed a curiosty about his, the coach's, perception of the athlete's issues. Coach Mike gave a great answer. He said Jason needed to keep working through this tough period and as time went on he would develop the muscles he needed to help maintain his balance. Coach Mike worked with him mentally so that he would relax, endure and even enjoy this time when he was not expected to perform at his highest level. Jason continued to work hard and went on to compete at the collegiate level.

What would have happened if Jason's parents or even his coach were to have driven him harder to excel at this difficult time. He certainly may have felt discouraged enough to quit a sport he loved while his body was adapting. Research indicates that many children quit sports not because they do not excel at them but rather because the expectations of others (parents, coaches and even teammates) have taken the fun out of the sport. So my adivce today is: if your child is on a plateau, be patient. If the program or team or coach is a good one, trust the teacher or coach. Encourage your child but do not belabor or over-review a bad performance or game or practice. Do not ask why they kept missing that corner kick in soccer practice or the free throws in basketball or the right key in piano practice. The coach's job is to teach skills, encourage and challenge, that is why you are paying them. So let them do their job. Your job is to encourage your child to find their place in this world, wherever that may be.

Here is a little poem from an Australian swim instructor to help you:

The Plateau

Yesterday I swam so good,
I've always done just what I should,
But now I ask you let me be,
To play MY way, to set me free.
I'm full right up to the very brim,
of pull, kick, pull and swim, swim, swim.
Of lessons and drills I've had enough,
right now it all just seems too tough.
So please just let me be myself and
leave the new skills on the shelf.
I want to play my way for a while, and
when I'm ready you'll see me smile.
Please Mum don't make me be on show,
For now I'm on a learning plateau.
I don't know how long it might last, but
I'll swim again when it has passed.

Brana Williams, City of Gosnells Leisure

After the Glory is Gone

2008-10-28T17:55:00.003-07:00

The Value of Teammates after the Glory is Gone

The New York Marathon is coming up soon. Running a marathon is a great experience. It tests your physical and emotional condition no matter your level of fitness. Having run three (3) marathons, I hold a great deal of respect for anyone who can complete the 26.2 miles, no matter how fast.

Over the years, I have heard all kinds of reasons for a child or young adult to participate in sports. The reasons range from physical fitness, learning to work as a team, the joy of competition, what you learn on the field of competition will stay with you forever, etc. One you rarely hear is that your teammates will quite often be your friends forever. I trained for my NY Marathon with two friends and to this day, 25+ years later we can still call each other and pick up conversations as if we had only seen each other a few weeks ago. During those hours on the road you break down communication barriers and often develop your own shorthand language.

Kathy and I were lucky that four of our children participated in athletics from their grade school years through high school and then through college (a swimmer, two soccer players and a gymnast). Today many of their steadfast friends are former teammates. They periodically come together from all parts of the globe. It is fun to sit and watch as they reconnect quickly. Talking to my kids, they often report that they have spoken to a former teammate who is having a baby or having some difficulty in life. Their networking is amazing. It is great that they have a group of trusted friends to rely upon.

The New York Times this weekend carried a story about the former teammates of Ryan Shay . You may recall that Ryan was competing in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon in New York City last November when at the five (5) mile mark he suddenly fell to the pavement. He died shortly thereafter of a heart issue. He was young, age 28 and in great racing shape. His death shocked the running world, not only because of his talent but because of his great competitive spirit. Many people counted him as a friend and competitor.

At this year's marathon, nineteen of his Notre Dame University teammates will be running the marathon wearing the Notre Dame racing singlets. Additionally, fifteen of his wife Alicia's family and friends will be running in Ryan's honor. For Alicia's family, the NY Times reports, many are not elite athletes but have taken up the challenge in Ryan's memory.

So if you get the chance to watch the marathon or read about it, pause for a second and consider how quickly life can flee. Ryan's family and friends searched for him at checkpoints along the road in that Olympic Trials race. All to no avail. Today they run in his memory. If you have children competing in sports, no matter the level, pay attention to the names of their teammates because they will be in their lives long after the glory and competitions have faded!

Can You Learn to Relax as a Parent?

2008-10-20T21:15:00.004-07:00

Something might happen!!

Today's parents of infants and toddlers seem obsessed with safety. We see kids in our lobbies and at the malls wrapped so tightly in their strollers with neck rollers and five point harnesses, that they would be safe in a NASCAR car crash. Is the average parent afraid they are going to lose their child's stroller going over a 100 foot cliff?

I have picked up in our lobby a child's safety catalogue that sells visors to keep the soap out of a child's face while washing their hair! No wonder we see children afraid to be splashed as they sit on the step waiting for their swim lesson!

The debate rages about the merits, good or bad, of constantly washing the kids hands with anti-bacterial soap. Does that give rise to a cleaner child or a child more susceptible to getting an infection or illness? I grew up in a house where the five second rule applied. Ohhh, come on, tell me you have never eaten a roll or a piece of licorice or fruit that fell on the floor.

During our training classes for our instructors, we prepare them for teaching new students who come to our programs after their infant/toddler stage. Many of these children, that are late three or four year olds, have not had any swimming experience. If they have, it is often in a life jacket and floaties, as the parents in good faith have done their best to "protect" them from anything happening to them in a pool or aquatic environment. Often these children do very well, but the first few classes can be a stress filled time as the floaties and life jackets give them a sense of need for those items in an aquatic environment.

What are the two things a parent of a toddler tries to ingrain in their child as they begin to toddle around or be inquisitive? My research, very unofficial of course, is that the parent warns the child to: #1 Stay Away from the Pool and #2 Stranger Danger. We live in a world full of these warnings. Now, welcome to our world as swim instructors where the parents bring a non-swimming child to swim lessons and does what? They give the child to a stranger, who then takes them in the water.....without their floaties! WOW, that can present a challenge to the teacher and the child.

"Contemporary parents feel it's harder and harder to raise children, and the world is more and more dangerous," David Anderegg, author of "Worried All the Time" and a family therapist in Lenox, Mass. says. "But that is objectively not true," at least for middle-class and upper-middle-class children. "Although many parents are very anxious about their first child, with later children they understand how robust children are." Bringing Up Baby in a Bubble

During our training session with the team from New Directions Institute, they spoke to us about how a young child will mirror the facial inflections or expectations of a parent or teacher. If the parent has a worried look on their face or their hands are tense as they hold them, the child will transfer this nervousness to their own behavior or perception. We work with our instructors so that their facial expressions and words are warm and positive. In our parent and child classes we remind the parent who is teaching their child of the same things. Often times, these parents are unaware of their own facial expressions and what they may convey to their child.

So the next time your child falls down, try not to run over and check on them. Let them get up, check themselves out. If they are not interrupted by a parental inquisition about the state of their health, my bet is that they will go on about their business. When we first take a child underwater in swim lessons, we work on providing positive feedback both verbally and by our facial expressions when the child surfaces. Often times this little bit of encouragement can be enough to give the child confidence to move forward.

So the next time your little one falls over or has a bit of a playground conflict with another child, let them work it out. Relax. 99.99999% of the time, they will be fine. If you are sitting at swim lessons, soccer practice, gymnastic tumble bees, at the playground or wherever, do not dissect the entire practice or perceived bit of rough play by another child. Remind you child of the fun they did have and move on. Let your child believe that not every day or activity is a test. You do not need improvement in everything everyday. While we want to be aware of safe practices with pools, strollers, bikes and car seats, you cannot raise a child in a bubble. If you do, at sometime it is gonna burst. So relax and in doing so you will give your child the skills they will need when they are out of your shadow. Relax and enjoy your little ones. They are truly a gift from God.

Relax You Will "Get There" Faster

2008-10-10T12:46:00.013-07:00

How often do we pause in the middle of our busy days, check our watch and calculate the time til all our chores are done? Hurry up, Move it, I'm Late, Let's Go, I've Got A Lot To Do! What would happen if we perfectly planned our day, nothing happened to throw us off and we relaxed and enjoyed the moment as we pursued our activities? Studies show us that it would be an amazingly excellent day!

If your muscles are tense and working hard do you go faster? Here at the swim school we occasionally have to speak with parents who are concerned that their child has spent a significant portion of their class floating or practicing submersions. We believe in teaching comfort under water, floating and breath control before we add in propulsion. There is no point in swimming across the pool if a student gets there exhausted because they were holding their breath and just struggling to survive. They are working too hard. Tense muscles do not make them go faster!

These issues apply to life as well. When you are having a discussion that escalates to an argument do you notice that voices rise in volume, gestures get exaggerated and faces get red. People are so wound up, they stop breathing and cannot focus on the issue at hand. Wanna drive someone crazy in an argument (maybe your kids) work hard to keep your breathing calm, your voice soft and minimize your gestures and just focus on listening. Respond calmly and you will take control.

What does all of this have to do with swimming or athletics in general? The New York Times just recently quoted one of our favorite coaches, Rick DeMont, assistant head coach of the University of Arizona Men's 2008 NCAA Swimming Championship Team in a great article on the role of relaxation in life and sports. He is quoted as saying "It is a paradox of athletics. Tension is slow, tension is inefficient. You need to be relaxed". In an analysis of Michael Phelps phenomenal performance in Beijing, Rick notes that when Michael Phelps raced, his stroke count on each lap (i.e. the number of times his arms rotated through the water) remained the same. Faster turnover does not lead to faster swimming or running.

So the message of the day is to relax and enjoy the ride. You WILL "get there" faster and probably enjoy it a whole lot more.

Get that Baby in the Water

2008-09-29T06:00:00.015-07:00

Elizabeth, age 1 month; age 2 months

Last Saturday, we had a great experience at our swim school. We hosted a four hour presentation from New Directions Institute on Infant Brain Development. It was awesome and challenging at the same time. Awesome because it ratified many of the things we believe infant swimming provides to a child. Challenging because it highlighted how quickly an infant's brain develops the internal connections that they will use for their lifetime. Do you realize that a child's brain grows 25% in their first year to 75% by their second year and 90% by age three? Think about that. Ninety percent (90%) of the inner workings of a child's brain are in place by age three! The New Directions presenters and material do support the theory that it is "never too late" to work with a child.....but their research also validates that the road is a lot bumpier.

What role does infant swimming play in infant brain development? The seminar ratified our belief that getting a baby in the water early allows them to further develop those internal brain connections that are stimulated by floating in the water or by having water run over their faces which stimulates nerve endings as well as their breath holding reflexes. There are many things you can do with your infant and water at home, including showering with them, letting your infant float on their back in the tub or simply pouring water over your child's head and shoulders.  

Additionally, the bonding and skin to skin contact that comes when you bathe with your child or take them to a parent and me learn to swim class is fantastic. Here at the swim school many of our evening and Saturday classes are predominately dads and babies. What a great chance for dad to get some real quality time with their baby! We view the parent as the student so they are getting the skills to work with their baby at home in the tub or pool. Many times in my parenting days I found it hard to get that toddler to sit still on my lap but when we got in the water, it was a great time to learn together, and to communicate verbally and non-verbally. In the water they certainly paid attention to who was holding on to them!

From the New Directions website: New Directions Institutes suggest that you become mindful of each of the ABC's of Early Learning in order to interact more effectively with your child. ATTENTION. BONDING. COMMUNICATION. Of these three the most basic and influential effects are due to BONDING.

So whether you swim with your child or not - get in the tub or shower with them if a pool is not available. As they grow and become more comfortable you can get out of the tub and organize games for them that they can perfect in the tub on their own. For some on what to do at home ideas, check out this article written by my wife, Kathy. Other may find inspiration from marine wildlife. Recently, I was visiting one of my daughters and her three little girls and had the pleasure of watching them re-enact a seal show from Sea World that they had all seen. I got to experience three little girls sliding into their bathtub on their bellies over the edge, "swimming" across the bottom of the tub with their faces in the water, and climbing out and do it again. Yes, you get a very wet floor but what a great show!

Take a Different Perspective

2008-09-22T12:42:00.007-07:00

Often times, especially as we raise our children, we fall back on old reasons for activities we have the children do. They ask "Why do I have to do that?" and parents answer, "because I told you so." In our swim school world, when a parent asks, "Why start swim lessons at such a young age?" we could list safety statistics about childhood drownings or breached barriers until the parents' eyes glaze over. And while all this information is pertinent and important, I choose another route.

When I get asked that question, I start talking about infant brain development and synaptic pathways in the child's brain that are stimulated and encouraged to grow by the child's exposure to the water and the decisions they have to make there. Learning to hold their breath and float, bilateral use of their arms and exposure to a fluid environment (that's not all that different from the womb) all benefit the infant and child. I want to let these parents know that by exposing their child to the water and a world that is fluid rather than hard like a floor, chair or a car seat carrier, they are giving them new sensations that help the child develop their brain's capacity for learning and decision making.

Why is this in my mind today?This weekend our team of teachers is participating in an awesome workshop on Infant Brain Development taught by the team at New Directions Institute. I am so excited to share their knowledge with our excellent staff of teachers. It is our hope to offer this material at a future seminar for our students' parents in the coming months.

Also, I have a friend in Australia who often shares jokes and motivational stories with me. I received the following parable from Ross and it got me thinking about making sure we take a different perspective on the world each day.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: 'I am blind, please help.' There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, 'Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?'

The man said, 'I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.' What he had written was: 'Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.'

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative... Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Great men say, 'Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness.... In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.'

Haley Scott Demaria - "What Though the Odds"

2008-09-15T14:36:00.008-07:00

When Dick Rosenthal retired as athletic director in 1995 after a lifetime of service to the University of Notre Dame, he was asked about the most memorable story of his tenure. Without hesitation, the chief of sports at America's most storied university replied, "Haley Scott."

Haley was an excellent swimmer from the Phoenix area who had gone on from Xavier College Prep to swim for the Fighting Irish. When the Notre Dame women's swim team suffered a fatal bus crash, the lives of those on the bus, their families, and the community were changed forever. Paralyzed after the accident, Haley was told she would never walk again. That was unacceptable to her. With the help of those who cared most about her - her family, her school and her teammates - she chose a different fate and promised not only to walk, but to swim again for the Fighting Irish, which she amazingly accomplished.

Over the years and when she returned to Phoenix to work at Xavier Prep, I had an opportunity to get to know Haley. Over time, I came to understand that the determination, strength and resilience of this woman were just a few of the reasons a collegiate swimmer from Arizona left such a lasting impression on the athletic director of one the most prestigious academic and athletic universities in the nation.

The bus crash of the Notre Dame women's swim team that left two young athletes dead and many injured has drifted from many people's memories. Sixteen years after her injury, Haley has written a book to tell her story and perhaps, just perhaps, motivate some young athlete to persevere and overcome some hardships.

Haley will be returning to her high school alma mater, Xavier College Prep, this week from her home in Annapolis for a book signing, as a mother of two and a voice for hope. Her book can be found on amazon.com through at major bookstores. If you want an autographed copy check with Xavier Prep for information on her appearance on Wednesday September 17th at their campus.

Go here for a review of What Though the Odds and story from Bill Dwyre of the LA Times.

Note: I'm not turning this blog into a continual book review, but I thought Haley's story is timely as the paralympics end quietly in Beijing and our injured soldiers return from their battles overseas. We need to be aware of the effort that Haley and many other fine men and women fight in the halls of hospitals, therapy rooms and in the loneliness of their minds in their pursuit of athletic achievement and recovery.

Play Should be Fun - Are you Parenting or Coaching?

2008-09-08T06:41:00.004-07:00

image courtesy of amazon.com

One of my favorite books is Once A Runner by John L. Parker. It is the fictional story of a collegiate runner, Quentin Cassidy, a senior at a mythical Southeastern University. It follows the evolution of his running as he moves from the slightly under achieving collegiate miler to someone who becomes engrossed in his pursuit of running a sub four (4) minute mile. It is just a great story, in my opinion. One that should be read by every high school athlete. The book is out of print and as a symbol of it's popularity you can find a paperback version on E-Bay for somewhere between eighty ($80) and two hundred ($200) dollars - yup, 200 bucks!

There is a passage in the book where Quentin and his girlfriend return to the house he shares with most of the members of the university track team. They are assembled in the backyard and one of the athletes is jumping over a Volkswagen and landing on a mattress while his friends cheer and scream. Now this is relatively easy for the high jumper so he is goofing around and just plain having fun with it. Quentin's girlfriend does not get the humor of the scene. Quentin remarks to her that often times elite athletes forget that they originally got engrossed in their sport because it was FUN. Surprise! They did not start running or high jumping or playing soccer or swimming because they saw it as way to earn a college scholarship or to make the Olympic team and earn billion of dollars. They did it because it was fun.

As a father of four collegiate athletes and one aspiring high school athlete, I have had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for thousands of hours of practice for swimming, gymnastics and soccer. Often times I am dismayed by the pressure I see parents placing on their children as they dissect each practice or game. A lot of research indicates that many children stop playing sports as they enter their teenage years because they are burned out in high school or before high school by the pressure of training and competition and PARENTAL expectations. So as you parent from the sidelines, I want to encourage you to leave the coaching and teaching to the kids' coaches and teachers, after making sure that their coach or their teacher has the athlete's welfare and long term future in mind - not short-term glory for the team. You should encourage and support your children, not coach them, and emphasize the fun aspects of what they are doing.

Now for the good news. Amazon lists Once A Runner as being reissued in April 2009. So you can try and get it on Ebay or have patience and wait until April. I have a copy but I am not telling you where it is kept!