I spent my day in Guelph today at the GMAC LC meet. We had some very good results from almost everyone involved. I'd say almost %90pb rate today (not an actual stat, just my impression).
Meet was very well run (although long) and it is always worth the exchange of ideas with other coaches. I also may have found another long course meet to conclude the season of those not going to Provincials or Age Group Champs.
I was especially impressed by the passion and excitment about racing shown by many of the 12 and unders. 1 year ago we had only 2 provincial qualifiers in that age group (and about the same central region qualifiers). Now the provincial qualifier/central region qualifier (for 12 and under) seems to be the fastest growing category in our club. It really makes me happy to see the club's progress and the continuos growth of these athletes under Chris. Chris has been a very soild asset to our team and its development.
The seniors also did very well considering that they are all coming off of 3 weeks of very hard work and that some of them are sharing a cold/flu bug.
I began reading this book last week and STRONGLY suggest that every parent on the club and every athlete (that can understand the content) pick up a copy. It is called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success By Carol S. Dweck. The author basically says that there are 2 types of people: "Dweck proposes that everyone has either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is one in which you view your talents and abilities as... well, fixed. In other words, you are who you are, your intelligence and talents are fixed, and your fate is to go through life avoiding challenge and failure. A growth mindset, on the other hand, is one in which you see yourself as fluid, a work in progress. Your fate is one of growth and opportunity. Which mindset do you possess? Dweck provides a checklist to assess yourself and shows how a particular mindset can affect all areas of your life, from business to sports and love. The good news, says Dweck, is that mindsets are not set: at any time, you can learn to use a growth mindset to achieve success and happiness." ~ That is from the book summary, I didn't write that...
The book is quite well written and often find myself questioning which mindset I belong to and have been trying to apply it to various club situations. Very helpful, this book has influenced my sports phylosophy greatly. Anyone interested in checking it out can look it up can check out this free version on Google books... http://books.google.com/books?id=Pff9Xzpsj4oC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mindset&ei=W_QCTPnJPKqGyAT-kMWCDQ&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false . You cannot bookmark this version so I suggest that you pick it up or download the audiobook from Itunes. No, I am not getting paid for this endorsement.
Mike Thompson
Head Coach
HHBF
