Great Swimmer Personalities

9 Different Types of Great Swimmers.  

This is proof that there are many different attitudes that can all be successful.

A couple of my swimmers asked me to write about them in my blog so I decided to find a fun way to do it.  All of these types of swimmers have been a pleasure to coach and are all so different in how they get there.  All of these swimmers know how to work hard and reach goals, and they all do it in different ways with both attitude and intensity.  See if you can find any of these qualities in yourself or in your swimmers.  I figured I would name them after some of the swimmers I have coached, as opposed to different qualities.  There are so many more I could have gone with too, but these seemed pretty awesome.  All of these types are ones that you take a lot of pride in coaching, and make it all worth it.

The Anna – A real coaches swimmer.  This swimmer likes to put on a social front until it’s game time.  They love practice, thrives on hard work, and loves to win.  When the interval gets tough, this type of swimmer gets tougher.  This is the type of swimmer that has never backed down from a challenge, and never disappointed their coach, whether it’s practice or meet situation.  This swimmer comes every day with a great attitude and the other swimmers like to follow their lead.  If you have this swimmer at practice, you will have a great group.  All of that hard work goes into the big meet also, as they somehow always get faster and impress, especially at Championships.  This swimmer makes it easy to go to practice and really makes you proud to be their coach.

The Ela – This is the troublemaker, the one who is always vocal, and they keep everyone on their toes.  They like to torment the coach, ask difficult questions, and act like they have a nonchalant attitude about swimming.  All of this couldn’t be further from the truth, as this swimmer cares just as much or more about how they do than anyone else.  They never miss practice, work their butt off, and really secretly loves the sport.  This swimmer will tell you how it is and tell you exactly what they think of everyone else.  This swimmer makes things fun though, and definitely keeps you on your toes.  This swimmer knows how to race and their sense of humor is great at practice.  This is the swimmer that always has friends at the end of her lane, because they know what it means to her to be great.  

The Lindsey – Coaches really love this type of swimmer.  They like working hard, love swimming fast, and quietly does everything the coach asks.  This swimmer also keeps who they are swimming with accountable, and takes it personally when others sit out, take breaks, or make excuses.  This swimmer will tell the coach after practice who sits out, and will move lanes to be with people who don’t annoy them.  They are awesome in meets and they are probably faster than they think.  This type of swimmer will continue to get faster as they get older, and their attitude will propel them to be great. 

The Bryan – This is the go, go, go swimmer.  They have one speed and that’s FAST.  This swimmer sometimes struggles to do different drills and have something against going slow.  Coaches don’t mind as much when they don’t do drills though, because their effort is second to none.  This swimmer will give you everything they have plus some and goes to a different level when others struggle.  They own dryland and makes it their personal goal to not allow others to keep up.  They know their competition when they get to the big meets, and they know exactly what it’ll take to break them. 

The Suzanne – The explosive swimmer with a killer finish.  This swimmer knows how to get to the wall better than any other.  This is the swimmer that will break a finger or two throughout their race career for trying to swim through the wall.  This is the type of swimmer that the other swimmers in the area know, and they all fear this one in a race.  This is the big meet swimmer, the one who always steps up when the lights go on, and performs when the pressure is on.

The Cassidy – The puzzle.  A lot of coaching is figuring out which buttons to push, and this swimmers buttons are not easily found.  When you start figuring this swimmer out, and push the right buttons, you get the right answers.  They are the swimmer you really really want to go fast, because they expect to be great every race.  They don’t take failure or adding times very well, which is what makes them great.  This swimmer can push it and can really go when it comes to meets.  The reward with this type of swimmer is great though, and the hard work of both the coach and swimmer pays off big.

The Brandon – This is the “I’m always cold and shivering” type of swimmer.  The cold all wears off of this swimmer once its go-time though, as this swimmer brings energy that is un-matched.  This swimmer is a beast in practice, always bringing intensity and being a technician with drills.   They love the game day atmosphere and thrive on adrenaline.  This swimmer will get after teammates and carry others to swim fast with their energy.  This swimmer works their butts off and helps the whole practice as a result. 

The McKenna – This swimmer gets after it when it’s time.  They have a lot of ability and they are extremely powerful, the trick is finding what makes them go.  This swimmer is technically great, focuses on the little things, and can make any interval you give them.  They are the type of swimmer that the other coaches are a little scared of, as they are very intense at times, but the more you coach them the more you love to coach them.  You like taking ownership of this swimmer as they are always fun to watch.  The sky is the limit for this type of swimmer, as they haven't yet realized everything they can do in practice.  They continue to get better in doing all things, and are always at practice.  

The Elise - This is the swimmer that has been with you forever.  The one that you've had since they were 8 and know everything about what makes them go.  You've seen them grow and figure out what it means to work hard.  This swimmer is the one with great ability, great size, and an awesome attitude.  They have worked hard when they were great, worked hard when they were growing, and stayed with it.  This swimmer has awesome skill sets and doesn't miss practice for anything.  They are the swimmer who is at every social event, every meet, and really puts everything they have into it.  This is the swimmer that you know will stick with it, because they really love it.

If you have all of these at practice you are a lucky coach, and probably mentally tired haha.  They all keep you at it, and the more they put into it the more you as a coach want them to do great.  It was fun coaching all of these types, and is great seeing the different types I have now and will have in the future.  What type are you?