[Another Q&A provided by Coach Alain.... /Doug]
Why is my child participating in only 6 events, when the maximum number of events is 9? Why not the maximum number of events? Will this not reduce their chances of winning the high point trophy, etc.?
This can be a complex question to answer. It touches upon many facets relating to sport and child development. I will do my best to get my point across.
As coaches of youth and age group swimmers we are dedicated to your child’s physical and psychological well-being. As such, we follow the long term athlete development (LTAD) guidelines put forth by Swimming Canada, emphasizing multi-stroke development, exposure to multiple competitive situations and environments, etc. (www.LTAD.ca). From a competitive standpoint, the focus is on race execution (technique, breathing patterns, stroke rate, race strategy, etc.) predetermined between coach and athlete and not on the final results which are the time (best time) and placing (gold medal, high point trophy, winning the meet). The former are things in which the athlete has control over and upon success results in intrinsic* rewards and motivation. The definitions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are defined below. Intrinsic rewards render more long term fulfillment, confidence, self-pride and commitment. The latter are extrinsic* rewards. These include factors that may be out of the athlete’s control. The athlete may have executed the perfect race, doing everything that was expected, but failed to finish first or achieve a personal best time. It is impossible to predict the outcome of another’s performance. Focusing primarily on extrinsic rewards may lead to athlete frustrations and in the long term the eventual abandonment from the sport.
Winning is the end result of the process put in place which has been followed by coach and athlete. Athletes committed to learning to swim technically sound, executing races as planned and training to the best of their abilities will render success. It must be remembered that success comes in many forms and that winning is not the only form of success. Only a small handful of swimmers ever make it to the Olympics, even a smaller percentage win a medal. Coaches want athletes reach their maximal potential, whatever that may be. Following the guidelines from the LTAD outline, the Training to Win stage begins at approximately 19 years old for males and 18 years of age for females. I strongly insist you encourage your child to perform to the best of their abilities in training and competition and to remove any pressures associated with performing best times and winning!
Going back to the initial questions that prompted this reflection of what events and how many events are chosen for your child to compete in, they are chosen by their coach by what is deemed appropriate at that give time according to their fitness and skill level.
Below are definitions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. These definitions were taken from various sources and can be found at the following websites:
* Definition: Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from inside an individual rather than from any external or outside rewards, such as money or grades.
The motivation comes from the pleasure one gets from the task itself or from the sense of satisfaction in completing or even working on a task.
An intrinsically motivated person will work on a math equation, for example, because it is enjoyable. Or an intrinsically motivated person will work on a solution to a problem because the challenge of finding a solution is provides a sense of pleasure. In neither case does the person work on the task because there is some reward involved, such as a prize, a payment, or in the case of students, a grade.
Intrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that a person will not seek rewards. It just means that such external rewards are not enough to keep a person motivated. An intrinsically motivated student, for example, may want to get a good grade on an assignment, but if the assignment does not interest that student, the possibility of a good grade is not enough to maintain that student's motivation to put any effort into the project.
** Definition: Extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual. The motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. These rewards provide satisfaction and pleasure that the task itself may not provide.
An extrinsically motivated person will work on a task even when they have little interest in it because of the anticipated satisfaction they will get from some reward. The rewards can be something as minor as a smiley face to something major like fame or fortune. For example, an extrinsically motivated person who dislikes math may work hard on a math equation because want the reward for completing it. In the case of a student, the reward would be a good grade on an assignment or in the class.
Extrinsic motivation does not mean, however, that a person will not get any pleasure from working on or completing a task. It just means that the pleasure they anticipate from some external reward will continue to be a motivator even when the task to be done holds little or no interest. An extrinsically motivated student, for example, may dislike an assignment, may find it boring, or may have no interest in the subject, but the possibility of a good grade will be enough to keep the student motivated in order for him or her to put forth the effort to do well on a task.
/Coach Alain
