Welcome to the Comox Valley Aquatic Club

The Comox Valley Aquatic Club is the only year round competitive swim team in the Valley.

 Our motto is

“In the Pursuit of Personal Excellence”

which means that our coaching staff is dedicated to working on the individual needs of each swimmer and helping them achieve their goals.

We want to develop better people not just athletes.

Comox Valley Aquatic Club attended the Campbell River Eliminator Swim Meet last weekend, and the team’s success allowed them to place first overall, garnering over 500 points more than the 2^nd place host team.  Congratulations to Gabrielle Wolfe and Bernadette Moore who just qualified to join the roster of participants that will represent the Comox Valley at the 2010 Short Course Provincials in Victoria in March.   Contributing to the Sharks standings were:

Alan Bigelow (1^st in 200 & 400 free, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 IM; 2^nd in 100 free and 100 back; 3^rd in 50 free

Ben Neufeld (1^st in 50 & 100 freestyle, 50 & 100 backstroke, 50 & 100 breast stroke, 200 IM)

Bernadette Moore (1^st in 200 free, 100 & 200 breast; 2^nd in 400 free, 50 fly, 100 & 200 IM; 3^rd in 50 free)Brian Turnham (2^nd in 100 breast & 100 fly)

Brooke Lamoureaux (2^nd in 100 free; 3^rd in 100 back, 100 fly)Cheyenne Lindsay (3^rd in 200 back)Dylan O’Hara (2^nd 400 free; 3^rd in 200 breast)

Emilie Desnoyers (1^st in 200 & 400 free, 200 back; 2^nd in 50 free & 100 back, 200 breast, 200 IM)

Emma Neufeld (1^st in 100 free, 100 fly; 3^rd in 100 breast, 200 IM)

Gabrielle Matheson (2^nd in 100 free, 100 back, 100 fly; 3^rd in 200 IM)

Gabrielle Wolfe (3^rd in 400 free)

Jordyn Ryan (2^nd in 50 free, 50 back, 100 back; 3^rd in 50 breast, 100 breast, 50 fly, 200 IM)

Josiah Ney (2^nd in 50 back, 3^rd in 100 back)

Megan Rousseau (1^st in 50 free, 100 back, 200 IM; 2^nd in 200 back, 100 breast; 3^rd in 200 breast)

Tamsyn Steven (3^rd in 100 free)Yuriah Kaska (1^st in 100 back; 2^nd in 50, 100, 400 free, 200 IM)  

Congratulations also go out to Ben Neufeld, who currently holds this season’s  #1 ranking in all of Canada for the 50 freestyle for 10 and under boys (30.37 seconds) and 100 fly (1:17.89) and Brooke Lamoureaux who holds this season’s #1 ranking in British Columbia  for 10 and under girls for the 800 free (11:27.44).

Swimmers Jordyn Ryan (10) and Ben Neufeld (10) represented the Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks at the Vancouver Island Regional 10-and-under training camp last weekend in Duncan.

The highlight of the camp was having the opportunity to swim with and receive coaching from three-time Paralympian Stephanie Dixon. Dixon is the proud owner of five Paralympic gold medals, six silver and one bronze. She also holds the world record in the 50m and 100m backstroke, as well as numerous Canadian records.

Dixon stressed the importance of setting goals, striving to reach them one step (or “stroke”) at a time, and “keeping your head in your own lane,” in that your success isn’t necessarily dependent on others ... just continue to strive for personal best.

“Focus on your strengths, and use them to offset your difficulties,” encouraged Dixon, reminding the swimmers that all athletes have challenges to overcome or compensate for.  “Like in my situation,” she joked, “I’ve become great at streamlining!”

The Relationship Between Parent-Swimmer-Coach 

In my coaching career, lasting a few years now, I know of only a very few who have been able to coach their own children to reach their maximum potential.  I know of no parent who has and or had been successful.  The point I make, therefore, is while parenting and coaching is vital for the athlete to achieve maximum potential, they must remain completely separate but supportive of each other.

I know a number of athletes who have failed to optimize their potential due to the breakdown in this relationship…and through no fault of the athlete.

 Do you, as a parent, frequently ask yourself these questions?  

1.                  Is my child happy?

2.                  Is the coach pushing my child too hard?

3.                  Is the coach not challenging my child enough?

4.                  What else can I do to help my child reach their full potential?

5.                  Is my child getting enough attention from the coach?

6.                  Is it all worth it?

7.                  Why is my child not improving as much as others in the squad?

8.                  Is the coach too demanding?

9.                  Is the coach not demanding enough?

These are all reasonable and good questions to which there are rational answers.  The best advice I can give to parents who are asking these questions, is talk to your child frequently in an open and positive way.  Also, to discuss these issues with the coach, an appointment can be made as soon as any of these issues cause concern.

Examples of positive and negative communication with your child: 

Positive 

Your competition results have come to a plateau a little in the last meet.  However, I watched your training today and the coach tells me that you are really working hard but suggests a little improvement in… (Whatever it may be).  Has the coach spoken to you about that?  What do you think about the coach’s suggestions?  What is your plan?  What can we do to help you with this?  (Listen)  We realize that you are trying your best.  Next week we will watch your practice and talk to your coach.

Negative 

You had better improve on that competition result.  I cannot keep driving you to training and paying all those fees if you are not improving.  The coach told me that you are not giving your best effort.  Does he know what he is talking about or is he just making excuses?  If you do not improve at the next meet then you can take up something that does not take up as much time and money.  (No listening involved)

Positive Parenting 

This involves offering unconditional love for your child-regardless of the meet result.  No child wishes to perform below their best.  It’s all about ensuring that your child is well balanced and happy and supported through the tough times and offered higher challenges during the good times.  It’s ensuring that your child is performing to their potential-not the standard set by someone else.

The coach needs and relies on parents supporting his actions and decisions-whether right or wrong-to provide optimum stimulus for the athlete to flourish.  I have never witnessed a coach or parent make a mistake with an athlete on purpose.

The Parent-Coach Relationship 

The parent provides support for the coach-positive reinforcement for the athlete-quality nutrition-recreation for the athlete away from the pool-schooling and education-balanced lifestyle and life skills-club support-funding-etc,etc… In fact, everything except interference into swim coaching, meet and entries and decisions regarding competitions and training.  If this is not acceptable to the parent, then there are two more choices other than the above.  The athlete must change clubs to one that will have the confidence for the above to occur…or…accept that the child is not going to achieve maximum potential.  

Parental interference continues to be one of the single most contributing factors to limiting performances and the destruction of a well-balanced team is one of the most difficult problems confronting a coach.

The swimmer, obviously the most important is very reliant on the parent-coach relationship working.  The swimmer should grow from a parent-coach dependant situation to an independent but parent-coach supportive program.  The successful athlete will gradually assume responsibility and accountability as maturity develops.  The program and club must offer an environment where this is a rule, not the exception.

For the total athlete concept to work; the parent-swimmer-coach relationship and club must all integrate and work together and overcome any or all obstacles encountered.  Total self-interest, overbearing parents, coaches dishonest feedback, individual egos, poor communication, etc…will all provide great challenges and tolerances but quality people and programs overcome these hurdles and the results make it worthwhile.

As a parent I can do the following to help my child be the best he/she can be: 

      1.                  Ensure their athlete enjoys a very good nutritional lifestyle.       

2.                  Ensure that the swimmer is at practice sessions, competitions, warm ups early rather than just being on time or being late.

3.                  Ensure that the athlete takes responsibility for looking after their training equipment and that the equipment is cleaned, operational and spare on hand.

4.                  Ensure that the athlete has a 100% attendance record and maintains a contact with the coach if, for any reason, a workout cannot be attended.

5.                  Understand that while a good relationship between parent-swimmer-coach is paramount for success, it is not conducive for the pursuit of high performance results for the coach to interfere in the parent-swimmer relationship.  It is just as detrimental for the parent to interfere in the swimmer-coach relationship.  The coach must always be in charge of swimming and training related decisions.

6.                  Encourage the athlete to pursue higher goals and to take pride in their challenges.

7.                  Ensure that the athlete maintains focus on their short term and long term goals.

8.                  Offer unconditional love to the athlete and constant praise and support for the athlete’s dedication to attendance and their work ethic, especially when they don’t have a good performance at meets.

Thank you for all your support.

Sincerely,

Dale Doucette

Head Coach, CVAC