With no names or other swim clubs mentioned in this passage, there are rumors circulating abroad that we hold a grudge towards another club who shall remain nameless. In all honesty, I'm not sure what's the deal there other than to say we do not hold any grudges towards other teams—we just wish to be extended the same respect we hold for them. If anything, we remain quite fond of the team's accomplishments as they continue to grow and flourish and reach new heights.
Here are the facts: Race Swami is a small club of some 25 swimmers, varying in ages 7 to 17. Our growth and prosperity will come from our immediate community surrounding Rose Park. This is our foremost mission, which has been clearly stated in our business plan. The way we will achieve this is by offering programs from the bottom up (i.e. kids who will learn to swim), and to serve our immediate community. Aside from a few Judge Memorial kids who chose to follow us here, we never counted on, nor expected, attracting kids east of the I-15. The outlook on that front has never wavered.
Truth be told, I have utmost respect for all the clubs in Salt Lake City and enjoy watching them flourish. The bottom line should always be that we all do this for the kids... And it's never a bad thing when said kids are swimming FAST, regardless of what club they represent. I just wish we'd all remind ourselves of this and call it good.
What's best for Utah Swimming is that there should always be open lines (or in swimming terms: lanes) of communication. And maybe a heavy dose of good will. I have quite enjoyed getting to know some great coaches whom I previously had not known, or maybe only heard about.
My own swim coach, the late Kevin Perry, use to profess that the only way to continue inner growth was by "learning to learn." And to listen. And to engage. Whether that's related to swimming or to life, KP always ensured his swimmers learned and listened. We may have rolled our eyes at the time when he constantly nagged us between sets, but thankfully we listened... KP would say that by becoming a better person it must be demanded of us that we always strive for nothing but our best—regardless of outcome and regardless of our story—because that was really the only way we'd be able to "hit the slider life will surely fire at us in our many moments of uncertainty," (KP was a starting pitcher at San Jose State once upon a time, so he use to use a lot of baseball terminology with us growing up).
Obviously, KP knew what he was talking about because the slider life threw at me back on May 18th, 2004, when the neurologist at Stanford told me that my daughter had a rare disease known as a mitochrondrial disease; that moment could have had devastating effects. Instead, I've chosen to be a force for Lily and though we surely tread on rough times more than not, we are prepared to go the distance with a smile and a lot of faith.
There really is no other way. People are not out to get you simply because you open up to them. They only respect you more in terms of how you carry yourself through the good and bad.
At the end of the day, it's not how many fast swimmers you produce... it's really not. KP had plenty of those (Tyler Clary for one) but it's not what made him special. What people remember most about KP was what he gave to the sport, especially in Northern and Southern California, where he spent most of his years coaching. The lives he touched along his storied 30+ year coaching journey, the programs he started—including a learn to swim program in Fullerton CA for low-income children—those are the memories people recall most fondly of him.
I don't wish to preach or point fingers... I know we all strive to mean well. It's just a matter of extending respect. I guess we'll just have to earn ours over time.
Our objectives at Race Swami are not to supplant others, but rather, to bring more kids to this great sport, and perhaps make a difference in their lives. With or without the blessings of others, that is what we plan to do... and we'll continue to cheer for all our fellow teams as they continue to reach their own goals and objectives. That's what makes it all so fun for all of us.
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