Mission and Core Values
 

What makes the YMCA unique is that we are driven by our cause.  Many organizations offer swimming and diving programs, but ours does more than teach participants the rules and mechanics of the sport.  Our cause is to strengthen communities through three areas of focus:

• Yuth Development: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen
• Healthy Living: Improving the health and well-being of those in our program
• Social Responsibility: Giving back and providing support to our neighbors

At the YMCA, our cause shows up in all of our programs.  The Breakers Swim Team is one of these programs. We also emphasize our own core values:

Integrity

We do what we say we are going to do.  We operate on a basis of mutual trust and respect.  The coaching and aquatic staff will interact with athletes and each other who act with honesty and integrity.  Parents trust the coaching staff to act in the best interest of the team and its athletes. Athletes will place honesty above all else when interacting with coaches, teammates, and parents.

Family

We are a family that comes together around the sport of swimming.  We support each other in both success and failure.  Every individual has an important role to play.  We respect teammates, opponents, parents, coaches, and officials.  We represent IVY in all that we do and act accordingly as a responsible members of the swimming community.

Attitude

We are passionate about the sport of swimming. We are intensely focused on excellence through repetition, hard work, discipline, and positive attitude. A positive attitude is the only acceptable one.    We encourage and embrace risk-taking and as a result learn to handle both success and failure with confidence and grace. We realize that through commitment to a common purpose anything is possible. We honor our teammates with our effort.

Ambition

We set extremely high goals and work hard to achieve them.  Our athletes understand that ambition without resilience and perseverance is only wishing.   We strive for the highest level of personal achievement and recognize those athletes who attain high standards.  We do ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Competition

IVY engages in a multi-level, progressive/developmental competition program within YMCA and USA Swimming. Like the training program, the competition program provides challenging, process-driven competitive situations for swimmers of all ages and abilities. The following is an overview:

1. IVY emphasizes competition with oneself. Winning awards is not the main goal. Individual improvement, while enjoying the sport, is the primary objective
2. Sportsmanlike behavior, acting as ladies and gentlemen, is of equal importance to improved performance. Respect for officials, congratulations to opponents and teammates, determined effort, and a mature attitude are examples of behaviors praised and rewarded by the IVY coaching staff.
3. It is the coach’s job to praise achievement, offer constructive critique, and give feedback/acknowledge the technical aspects of a swimmer’s performance. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide unconditional love, support, and encouragement, which bolster the swimmer’s confidence. Mutually-supportive and well-defined roles for both coach and parent help send the most positive and consistent message to swimmers.
4. Swimmers are taught to set realistic, yet challenging goals for meets and to relate those goals to practice efforts and skills.
5. Swimmers are prepared to compete in all swimming events, distances, and strokes. This preparation promotes versatility and encourages swimmers to explore their potential in the wide range of events offered in competitive swimming. Additionally, training and competing in all of the strokes and distances has been scientifically proven as the single best means to increase the likelihood of success/career opportunities in the sport of swimming