DQ party
Dear Swim Team Families,
On behalf of the entire coaching staff, we are so happy to have such a great team this year. With two meets behind us, we're off to a great start. However, we want to make sure that the last four meets are even better by trying to reduce the likelihood of making the same mistake twice.
This year we would like to try something new with our swimmers disqualified (DQed) in an event for one reason or another. Often swimmers will be DQed during a meet and won't know why.
This year we want to make sure everyone understands these four things:
- It's completely okay to be DQed.
- Why they were DQed.
- What to do differently to prevent it from happening again.
- Most importantly, that being DQed doesn't make them "bad at swimming".
To communicate and accomplish these things, the coaching staff would like to invite everyone who has been DQed in the last two meets to a "DQ Party" at Dairy Queen where swimmers are more than welcome to get ice cream (on the parents) to "celebrate" their disqualification with the entire coaching staff who will be there to make sure every swimmer understands the four things stated above in the email. The coaching staff will be at the Dairy Queen (11210 Patterson Ave) from 6-7 pm on Monday, June 26th. We'd love to see you there!!
Just a quick background about why we are doing this:
I first joined a swim team in Roanoke, Virginia when I was five years old. At my first swim meet ever, I swam the 25 free, 25 back and 25 breast. I remember finishing my 25 breaststroke and a man in a nice white shirt came over to me and told me I had been disqualified for touching the wall with one hand. Upset, I looked at the official and told him that my coach had never told me I had to touch with two hands (which, reflecting upon it over 13 years later as a swim coach, I wonder if it was more me neglecting to listen during practice than my coach neglecting to inform me). Regardless, my team had a tradition where all the swimmers who were disqualified in a meet could go to Dairy Queen for ice cream and talk to the coaches about being DQed. I learned then that you have to touch with two hands in breaststroke, but more importantly, that being disqualified was okay and didn't mean I was "bad at swimming". Today, dozens of DQs later, I'm going to swim in college because I learned not to let a DQ keep me from enjoying swimming and now as a coach, I'd like to teach all of my swimmers the same.
With that said the officials have provided us with the attached guest list for our DQ party at Dairy Queen. The coaches would like to extend it to all swimmers as well any siblings that would like to come.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask a coach!!
Very respectfully,
Jack McSorley