Community

Coach Leanne wrote a great piece on Community. I wanted to share it with you all.
 

The four pillars of SMAC are Legacy, Purpose, Belief in All, and Community.

Our SMAC community runs much deeper than the 4-letters represented on our swim cap.  While we share the commonality of chlorinated water, it is the relationships created on deck, in the pool, or in the stands that keeps us united.

It’s no secret that the beginning of this season kicked off very differently than it has in the past.  The pandemic not only changed how we live our day to day, but also changed how we interact with each other on the pool deck; creating that relationship with each other becomes more important then ever.  Coach to athlete, athlete to athlete, and group to group, creating that connection is what keeps us together and makes us stronger on and off the pool deck.

‘The best thing to spend on your relationship is time, conversation, understanding, and honesty.’

While we can’t control our current practice set up, we can control how much we choose to interact with our teammates and coaches.  The more we take the time to interact with each other, the stronger that relationship becomes and in turn our community grows stronger. Small interactions, simple ‘hello’s’, words of encouragement throughout practice, and the willingness to step out of your comfort zone to connect with our teammates and coaches is what builds our community.

We are all more willing to stand behind in support of each other when relationships are established, rather than sitting on the sideline looking in. Once those connections are established, we are more likely to look at each other’s accomplishments as our own. We learn that what we do in practice makes a difference to those around us, both positive and negative.  We take pride in all our group/team accomplishments when we realize what has gone into it, we become more invested.

Athletes, look around today and see who you interact with and who you don’t.  Ask yourself, what can you do to make an impact within your group, your community? Let’s not wait for it all to happen, let’s make it happen.

Off the pool deck, we have seen our SMAC Community really come together.  We have created a stronger Legacy for the future of our team.  Our Purpose has evolved from poolside goals to how we can help each other throughout this pandemic.  We truly Believe in the importance of how each individual, athlete, coach, and parent impact this team – we really couldn’t get through the last 11 months without everyone involved.  All of this helps create a Community that we can be proud to be a part of.