Swimming and learning in independent schools

Swimming World and Junior Swimmer, Oct 1999 by Hayden, Tom

Independent schools enhance the values that are so essential to the sport of swimming-hard work, respect for the individual, teamwork and the importance of community.

Independent schools, prep schools, private schools-call them by any of these names-have long occupied a prominent place in the world of swimming. There are many reasons for this, but the major one is that independent schools resonate to the values that swimming teaches.

The first of these values is that of hard work in pursuit of goals.

Independent schools stress this value in the academic as well as the athletic arena. The goals that are set for students in both areas are high, and at times, students think them unreachable, if not unreasonable. But swimmers instinctively know the value of hard work and self-discipline in pursuit of goals.

"We actively talk to the kids about how academic goals and athletic goals go hand in hand," says Jimmy Ellis, coach of the nationally recognized Philadelphia Department of Recreation team. Lenny Krayzelburg, world record holder in the 50-100-200 meter backstrokes, agrees. Recently, he said, "My goals help me to define and set my priorities."

Swimming also streses teamwork--understanding the strengths and weaknesses of every person on the team with each person working to integrate his strengths into the overall effort.

Effective teamwork leads to successful meets, and it lies at the core of successful classes in independent schools. A visitor to a recent class at Phillips Andover (a prep school in Andover, Mass.) was amazed to see how the students responded to a question asked by their teacher.

They took the question, explored all sides of it, spoke directly and respectfully to one another, referred consistently to the reading and to previous discussions, and successfully set out all the implications of the assignment.

"Are all classes this way?" the visitor asked a student afterward. "Yes," she replied. "We may have our differences, but we are all on a team, so to speak."

Respect for the individual is another value that ripples through the independent school experience.

Respect appears as an emphasis on tolerance and an appreciation of diversity on the one hand and an emphasis on individual potential on the other. Cultural, racial and economic diversity characterize most independent schools, and they constitute the opportunity for each individual student to come to know and appreciate students from diverse backgrounds.

The diversity of independent schools enhances both the classroom and the athletic experience for every student. It helps them to appreciate the variety and the vitality of the emerging global society, and it prepares them to take their own place in it in college and beyond.

Respect for others also results in a deeper understanding of students for one another as well as a "positive peer pressure." Kiski School's headmaster, John A. Pidgeon, an accomplished competitive swimmer and widely respected coach, remarks, "At Kiski, a boy is not defined by his clothes, his date or his car, but by the way he acts and what he does with his own talents."

Respect for the individual also defines the way in which faculty and coaches at independent schools look out for the welfare of each individual student. In the classroom, in the dormitory, in extracurricular activities, students are valued for who thev are and what potential lies inside them.

In individual conferences with teachers, in the faculty advising system, in coaching situations, and even informally, the student's special talent and self-esteem come first.

Independent schools and their faculty and coaches see themselves as preparing students for leadership roles in college and in life. They take very seriously the challenge of instilling academic skills and knowledge in each of their students in the classroom and helping them to achieve excellence in athletics as well.

The legendary coach, Dick Shoulberg of Germantown Academy (Pa.), approaches the unique talent of each of his swimmers by never using the same workout twice. He tailors each practice to the individual. "You could do that (repeating workouts), but that wouldn't be fair to the individual," he says. "You have to dovetail the practice to the talent."

Independent schools also stress the importance of community.

No team, no club, no individual exists just for themselves alone. Everyone has an allegiance to the school community and to its values.

In fact, "non sibi"-not for self alone-is the motto of one prominent prep school, Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire, coached by Roger Nekton. The term suggests that no matter how talented a person may be, he or she has a responsibility to the broader community-to share that talent, to be tolerant of those less gifted, and to give back to the community that has supported you.

In the swimming community, we see daily examples of this spirit of giving back and helping others on the U.S. Swimming web board (www2.usswim.org/webboard/$webb.exe/ forums): "I am short, so I am kind of slow, but I work out all the time and train hard. Someone please help me so I can be good," wrote one young man recently. Less than 30 minutes later, he received a reply from an experienced swimmer, advising him of three or four things he could do to improve speed: "Hopefully, you can take some of these hints to your advantage," the responder wrote. "Be sure and drop me an e-mail if you have any questions."