Thursday, February 08, 2007

So Worth It

Last night we had our first team swim. He had a huge turnout which was great. We’re lucky that we have a pool all to ourselves or else we’d never be able to handle the numbers. The lane lines were not up which made it a bit interesting as people tried to stay out of each other’s way. Overall they all did amazing for their first team swim. It didn’t matter their skill level, everyone participated and seemed to leave with a smile on their faces. Well that is until they went into the really cold locker rooms.

This morning I received an e-mail from one of the teammates who had sent it to the coaches and mentors. It was a great e-mail from a new swimmer who came out last night and gave it her all. She went on to say that this is her first experience in really learning how to do a real swim stroke and how excited she is about this experience. It was great to hear that someone enjoyed the team workout so much and who went the extra mile to send a little thank you e-mail. Hearing that people are coming out and challenging themselves is why I enjoy coaching so much. It’s what makes the time, energy, and effort that we put into the teams so worth it.

Here is a bit from the e-mail, it totally made my day and I’m sure the other coach and mentors feel the same way. So to the sender…Thank You!

Top 10 reasons why you all totally ROCK:

10. i hate (and there are VERY few things i would ever say i 'hate') cold water - and tonight i got in and didn't think twice about it.
9. whether you were there tonight or not, you're giving your time to be there to encourage, teach and support us.
8. you had smiles on your faces the entire night.
7. it was COLD in that pool, and you guys spent extra time in there to help us learn.
6. not only do you laugh at each other...you laugh with each other.
5. you must have gotten kicked 100 times, and you were still smiling at the end of the night! (maybe that was because you were finally able to get out of the pool?? ;)
4. we met new people - thank you, mike, for throwing the "who's one person you've met so far?" question out early in the evening. up until that point, i'm pretty positive we were all focusing more on the mechanicals of the downhill than on the people we were bumping into along the way.
3. my lats actually are kinda sore...
2. amidst dodging flying tennis balls, we learned how much of a team YOU all are.
1. i caught glimpses all night of people learning new things...and was giddy-excited at the thought of how we'll all share in those moments with each other over the next 6 months...making the celebration at the finish line that much sweeter.

One final note...For the few mentors who actually visit my site, thank you for all you help last night. The water was cold and you all stuck it out to help our beginners after your own workout and we really appreciate all your help. Mentors rock!

5 Comments:

Blogger Audrey said...

Feedback is always awesome. Nice work over there!!

10:08 AM  
Blogger Trisaratops said...

That rocks! Very cool.

1:39 PM  
Blogger MNFirefly said...

That thank you sounds AWESOME. The coaches are source of the encouragement and motivation.

5:30 PM  
Blogger Julie and Patrick said...

They summed it up so perfectly! Thanks to you, Mike, and Ingrid and the mentors! With each event I do with TNT I find more and more reasons to keep coming back. Thanks for making it enjoyable!

8:52 PM  
Blogger Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

Awesome swim!! I'm with you on the cold locker rooms...gosh, sometimes I stand there just trying to get up the courage to go inside..brrrr.

10:31 PM  

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