Home for the Holidays: It's the time to achieve GREATNESS at the end of your season!

As we approach the end of the semester there is a lot of excitement surrounding taking that last final, handing in the endless 15 page research paper that required an ‘all-nighter’ to complete, and realizing that you’ll never have to see another scantron for at least 6 weeks!

During finals week, training takes a back seat to academics, rightfully so, as you all are STUDENT-athletes. Training during finals week is more about reliving stress, aerobic maintenance, and clearing your head of academic jargon at least for a little while. Swimming during finals week, can be the life support to help sustain your energy and keep you mentally fresh throughout the week.

Once finals are over, that means some well deserved downtime to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, right? Yes, it is a time to spend with friends and family, as well as take a break from a difficult semester working towards that 4.0. But No, this is not the time to take a week long vacation period from the water.

The time between finals and prior to training trip is mentally one of the most difficult stretches to be 100% committed to training and the goals you’ve set forth at the beginning of the season. We as coaches get that, but to quote the great Winston Churchill “The price of GREATNESS is RESPONSIBILITY.” You have a responsibility to your teammates, coaches, and yourself to maintain your training at a high level during this period. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by and don't let your teammates down even though you're not physically training with them.

In some respects, the time leading up to your training trip could be one of the most pivotal points in your season. You’re trying to maintain the momentum you’ve built up during the first semester, but also attempting to prepare your body, both physically and mentally, to reach a new level of training threshold for your training trip. What you do with this time, could mean the difference of being in the Consolation Final or in the Championship Final , qualifying for NCAA’s or Olympic Trials, or helping your team win a MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM TITLE!

With all that said, I’ll leave you with 2 final quotes and a motivational video that hopefully will inspire you to train harder than you ever have during the holidays, stay committed to your teammates and your goals, and prepare yourself to have the best training trip of your life that will lead to greatness at the end of your season!

“Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking.” – J.C. Watts


“Champions are made when no one is watching!” - Anonymous


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBD6X6fU3wU&feature=related#watch-main-area