So we had an athletic department staff meeting last week. In it, our athletic director, Dr. Robert Bonn explained his own philosophies and expectations for us as coaches. In it, he called on coaches to ask ourselves, "If an expert in your sport were to watch a practice, what would they have to say?"
Today, the hypothetical became reality when we spotted a lone observer watching practice through the windows upstairs. "I thought he was a custodian who was really working up there," said one of our guys. He wasn't a custodian, but rather a coach with a long record of success including a handful of finalists at July's Olympic Trials. His words though, filled me, and should fill any Carthage swimming fan with pride.
"What a good group you've got, I mean really, what a great group of guys. They work hard, are really attentive, carry themselves well, and they're good." When I told him that we actually had a handful out due to sickness, class conflict, or football, he added, "Really? You're able to have that many guys come out and all work that hard? That's great."
I see it every day, always tell recruits that the best part of our program are the guys, but confess that its sometimes easy to overlook (especially when you're competitive and want to be better) how good we've got it, so when someone else - an expert in your field - acknowledges such, it feels good.
Today, the hypothetical became reality when we spotted a lone observer watching practice through the windows upstairs. "I thought he was a custodian who was really working up there," said one of our guys. He wasn't a custodian, but rather a coach with a long record of success including a handful of finalists at July's Olympic Trials. His words though, filled me, and should fill any Carthage swimming fan with pride.
"What a good group you've got, I mean really, what a great group of guys. They work hard, are really attentive, carry themselves well, and they're good." When I told him that we actually had a handful out due to sickness, class conflict, or football, he added, "Really? You're able to have that many guys come out and all work that hard? That's great."
I see it every day, always tell recruits that the best part of our program are the guys, but confess that its sometimes easy to overlook (especially when you're competitive and want to be better) how good we've got it, so when someone else - an expert in your field - acknowledges such, it feels good.