The Problematic Minimalist Mindset
By Matthew Swanston
There’s
a lot less competition in that event. I’d be better off training for that.
I’ve been guilty of thinking this myself,
and I’m not the only one. It’s natural for swimmers. The endearing possibility
of qualifying for a travel team encourages us to compare ourselves to our
competitors in multiple events, to figure out what our best chances are. Based
on the selection criteria and the depth of competition, there will inevitably
be gaps, events where it might be a little easier to squeak onto the team. Some
swimmers have the attitude that they’re only good at one event, so the prospect
of branching out is null. But for those willing to perform in multiple strokes
and distances, it’s efficient to figure out which events are weakest.
This process happens at every level. Age
group swimmers gauge the easiest way to qualify for a training camp the same
way national team members evaluate their best shot at making the Olympics.
Maybe it’s swimming freestyle instead of butterfly because there are more relay
spots, or jumping up to the 200 instead of the 100 in a given stroke because
there’s less competition. For the individual, it makes total sense. We have
world-class swimmers in Canada; Ryan Cochrane makes it awfully hard for other
milers to qualify for national teams, so anyone training to swim the 1500 may
be encouraged to find a shorter event. Since there’s not too much depth in
Canadian Swimming, this is achievable. The mile is just an example, but in
general swimmers are intrigued by events that are easier to make teams in, even
if it’s not their best.
As I said earlier, I’ve been guilty of having
this outlook. Of course I gravitate towards the 200 backstroke, my best event,
but at times I wonder if I would do better in Canada in a different race. The
200 back and the 100 fly are next to each other in the national lineup. I can’t
do them both, but in the past I’ve considered swimming the 100 fly rather than
my best event because there’s arguably less competition in butterfly. I’ll
repeat that it makes logical sense for swimmers to consider their options in
this manner. One could also argue that it equalizes the depth over all events.
However, if I did give up the 200 back and qualified to swim the 100 fly
internationally, would I be doing any good for Canada?
I discussed the implications of this
attitude with my teammate Lindsay Seemann over coffee, and we came to realize
this minimalist mindset is hurting Canadian swimming. To give credit where it’s
due, it was Lindsay who pointed out that while it may benefit the individual to
find the easiest path to winning or making a travel team, the country suffers
as a result. In Canada, it’s possible for a swimmer to stop focusing on his or
her best event in exchange for a better shot at the podium, whereas this can’t
happen as much in swimming powerhouses like the United States. Even though
Phelps and Clary made it hard for Americans to qualify for the Olympics in the
200 fly, if the 200 fly was your best event you had to stick with it because
there’s a lot more depth across the board. Switching to a weaker event and
being more successful is unlikely in the US. This fosters a different attitude;
to qualify for teams, the only option for Americans at all levels is to train
hard to make it to the top of their event, rather than taking an easier path.
For them, there is no easier path.
When Canadians drop their best event to
focus on a weaker one, Canadian swimming falls short of its collective
potential. Let’s invent an example. Suppose the 200 breaststroke is your best
event but it is incredibly stacked in Canada. If the 100 breaststroke has less
competition, you may decide to focus on that event instead. It makes sense, but
this mindset is minimalistic and undermining. Minimalism is an attitude of
doing the least possible and getting away with it. Rather than figuring out how
to overcome the best 200 breaststrokers, you’d be figuring out how to achieve
success without putting in extra work. It’s this fundamental attitude that
distinguishes many Canadian swimmers from American swimmers. The difference is
the availability of an easier road.
Canadians need to remind themselves that
the best are still human. They can be beaten. If all Canadian male swimmers
stopped swimming the 1500 because Ryan Cochrane is too good, then he may be
less motivated on a day-to-day basis because there is less threat of getting beaten
at home. Swimmers at the top are not invulnerable; they keep an eye over their
shoulder. More competition in an event means more motivation, and this fuels
overall improvement in Canadian swimming. To raise the bar, it would be ideal
for everyone to work really hard at the events they’re best at. Even if certain
events become stacked and others are weak, Canadian swimming would still
perform better. Rather than wasting talent on filling weaker events, this
beat-the-best attitude would thrust Canadian swimming to greater success at the
international level. We know that there’s no easy road at the Olympics, so why
practice it within our own borders?
What we’re left with is an interesting
dilemma involving conflict of interest. If there’s a weak event in Canada,
there’s an incentive for swimmers to focus on that event rather than their best
event. All I can say is, the best can be beaten. Even if it seems your event is
too competitive, set your goals high, and fight for the top of the podium. One
day you may find yourself there, and Canada will thank you.
