Whether you are Olympic bound, swimming in the NCAA or just enjoying high school or summer swim, the most important ideal that you must embrace is: Be a Person of Character.
We read a lot on SwimSwam about the team bonding, lifelong friendships, and joys of teammates connecting over the 4 a.m. practice. These are all true about the sport of swimming and issues I have written about for more than a decade.
No one likes to talk about the fact that in some instances, teams, swimmers and coaches do not embrace these ideals. Life gets in the way, and they stray from the actions that truly define character in this sport.
I have been lucky to raise a swimmer with fantastic coaches from a young age who is the very mirror of what character looks like both in and out of the pool.