Autumn 2011

Don't worry fine reader(s). We're still here! We're still standing!... And yes, we are still enduring the hardships that come with limited capital, limited swimmers, and yes, limited time. It's hard to balance this all when you have a full-time job for which still is expected to pay the bills.

Thankfully we are not short on heart, perseverance... and a good sense of humor. This is who we are. This IS what it means to be part of "Race Swami." Are you ready to come along for this wild ride?

One thing that has been taught to me, first by my dad, then by KP... you really just gotta stop worrying and go for it already. If you truly believe, and you're not so worried about the concept of "losing everything", then aren't you just doing whatever it is you were destined to do? Life cannot be sweeter than the day you wake up and you just can't wait to go after it... to make it potentially the greatest day of your life!

As RACE SWAMI, we may never win a long string of state championships, true—and that would be a condition of numbers, not because we wouldn't have the talent to actually do it—but is that really what we've set out to do when we started this thing? No. We want to change lives. We want to make a difference. We want to present opportunities to kids who previously did not have said opportunities. We want to do what we've been doing now for almost nine years— and that's helping kids make good decisions in life... providing them with a toolbox so they can fill it up with all the things they'll need to get through life!

This summer, when I was at the Santa Clara meet I overheard one coach ask another: "Are we here to pad our own stats?... or are we here to keep the real score—the score of life?" Though I have yet to have the pleasure and privilege of coaching a swimmer who has qualified for Nationals, Olympic Trials, World Championships or any national or international Olympic team, I can certainly take solace in the notion that I have helped kids attain some really cool stuff—a future astronaut, a prominent engineer, a talented New York City-based artist. A number of published writers. An entrepreneur whom you'll soon hear about all the time. A whole slew of what will surely be some great teachers... So though I have yet to produce an Olympian, I like to think that me an this team of supportive parents, amazing counselors, tireless teachers, and so on, played an integral roll in this young person's path through life.

We can only hope that as RACE SWAMI grows, so too does our hunger for opening doors for kids of all ethnic backgrounds. All a kid really needs is an environment where they are unequivocally loved. Not loved for their money, or their athletic prowess, or their cagey good looks—they are simply loved because of who they are and the fact that they want to grow.

In all my years of living, I always noted why the best were the best. It's because they embraced their environment with love. Be it my father, who founded one of the most notable and successful companies in the early Silicon Valley days before Silicon Valley was coined Silicon Valley; or Kevin Perry (one of the most innovative swim coaches in USA Swimming history), or Judge English teacher/dynamo Linda Simpson (who has former students as far back as 20 years ago still coming back to see her), it's really a treat and honor to see people share their love of what they do with the people they truly love. With love, you will get your kids doing whatever it is you think they can attain, whether they may be aware of it or not. With love, you can get a person through any rocky passage because that person knows you've got their back no matter how bad it gets... With love, you open doors!

I think one of the greatest up and coming coaches I see today is a guy named Jim Harbaugh. It is so clear when you watch him coach—practice, games, etc—win or lose—that guy never stops loving his players, under any circumstances. I mean real love, man!... not that media variety. I mean the back stage love that no one ever really takes witness to except for the few who take note because they see how special it all really is. Like my dad. Like KP. Like Linda Simpson. Like so many other great leaders and teachers. A stat I love to throw around is how at my dad's company, Finnigan, they never lost employees. Everyone was treated like kings. Like they were special. Like they had something amazing to offer that would provide the betterment of the whole company... some 500+ employees. That's when the connection happens—when a student, or athlete or musician or employee—knows that their mentor or their leader will never let them down... they'll just continue to help open doors in making them a more valuable person to society.

Love, man. LOVE.

We want this to be our central most environment at RACE SWAMI. We aspire to be more than just a swim team. We want to connect with our young people so that we open doors to the rest of their respective lives. That regardless of race, creed, color and/or economic standing, they can feel free to dream as high as they want to dream knowing the reality is there as long as they are ready to put forth the work and be willing to love in return. Anything is possible... with love.

Love—or the lack thereof—is really the key ingredient of any great feat. That is my parting sentence as we move into Fall 2011. Plenty more to come!