How Can You Help? – Some Do’s
Ø Do get to know your son/daughter’s coach; after all they can play an important role in your son/daughters general development.
Ø Do respect the coach’s opinion; they should be more knowledgeable than you – both about swimming and the development of young swimmers.
Ø Do assess your son/daughter’s progress – don’t be afraid to ask the coach how your son/daughter in doing and what future they can see for them. Rather than first making a complaint, ask the coach ‘why’ so that you can understand.
Ø Do establish clear lines of communication – in case you need to speak to the coach regarding training or competitions, find out when it is convenient to contact them and the best way of doing so. Don’t address a criticism to or of your son/daughter or the coach in front of other parents or swimmers.
Ø Do encourage effort as well as result – don’t assess your son/daughter’s progress solely by how many medals they win. It is important to recognise and reward effort.
Ø be generous with your applause – It is important during an event that you applaud all the swimmers efforts, as this acts as encouragement for all the participants.