Started off my morning at the pool, first class of the season. Left way too early because I was so excited, I just couldn't wait. :) Was supposed to be on deck, but since one of my coaches was a no-show, I got to work with one of the kids (which is what I'd rather be doing anyway).
He hadn't swum with us in about six months, and I remember that the last time I coached him, it was an incredibly frustrating experience. I couldn't figure out what was wrong, I couldn't seem to fix the many problems with his strokes, and when I did manage to get one under control, another one (or two, or three) seemed to pop up in its place.
Today was a totally different experience. The problems were still there, but now I immediately recognized what they were - balance and body position issues. I knew how to fix them, how to break them down into baby steps so that he could be successful. I had the progressions down pat, had the language, knew how to demonstrate. I was having fun. He was having fun. We both felt successful.
Something about being in the exact same place with the exact same student drove it home: I'm better than I was, I'm growing, I'm getting it. There are so many times where I feel like "everybody is smarter than me" and (often!) "I'll never get this down the way I need to." And there's some truth to that. But sometimes you get those moments where life offers you a "yet" and its glorious promise: "someday." Not smart enough "yet." Not there "yet." But - "someday."
:)
(Also - lest I give you the impression that I've got it together - we hired a coach named Lacey this year, and I went to respond to her email only to discover that my phone autocorrects "Lacey" to "lackey," which is NOT the leadership impression I wanted to give off. #facepalm)
No comments:
Post a Comment