Tsunami Team Culture

Team culture is made up of the values, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes shared by a team. It is how people work together towards a common goal and how they treat each other along the way. Team culture is supported by its individuals. The goal of the Sussex Family YMCA Tsunami Swim Team is to provide positive and productive programming for our young, developing athletes as they progress along their swimming journey. Swimmers are encouraged to transition from program participants to leaders within the SFY community. 

Below you find some of the components that we believe will help the SFY Tsunami solidify our team culture and allow us to achieve our goal.  These ideas will be reinforced at practice.  We ask that parents review the topics below as well.

In order to embed a cultural change in an organization, you must have regular evaluation and introspection, thus we will periodically take stock of how we are doing as an organization.

Practice Attendance:

  • Coaches will take attendance at practice. 
  • We understand that our swimmers and families may have other obligations, however, there is no substitute for time in the pool. 
  • Time in the pool is more important to your swimmer’s development and success than any other element. 
  • As a rule of thumb, for every day of scheduled practice that your swimmer misses, they lose roughly half of what they gained from the previous practice. 
  • We ask that all swimmers establish good attendance habits. Ideally, each swimmer would have perfect attendance. Swimmers should strive to miss no more than one to two days of practice per month. 

Be On Time:

  • Start times listed on the practice schedule are “in water” times. 
  • Please make every effort to ensure that your swimmer arrives at the pool ten minutes prior to the start of practice. 
  • Late arriving swimmers will miss valuable warmup time and can be disruptive to the group.  
  • Swimmers who arrive late to the facility should move through the locker room as quickly as possible.
  • Coaches understand that congested roadways in the SFY area may lead to swimmers arriving late, but please make every effort to have your swimmer to the facility on time.

Stay In The Pool

  • In water pool time is the most valuable part of a swimmer’s development.  We must limit the amount of practice time missed during practice. 
  • Swimmers should come to practice with a full water bottle or fill their water bottle prior to the start of practice. 
  • Swimmers should use the bathroom before and after practice, NOT during practice. 
  • In an emergency, the coaches will allow swimmers to use the restroom. 
  • Swimmers will not be permitted to use the bathroom during the main training set of practice. 
  • Coaches ask that swimmers limit the amount of time they spend stretching, sitting out, or other distractions. 
  • Cell phone use on the pool deck will not be allowed during practice. 

Become an Expert of Your Own Technique 

  • SFY Coaches will empower swimmers to take an interest in improving their technique. 
  • Coaches expect that swimmers will learn the names of specific stroke drills. 
  • Swimmers are encouraged to ask coaches for feedback on their stroke technique.   

Kickouts and Streamlines are NOT Optional

  • Coaches will reinforce streamline and kickouts at each practice. 
  • The expectation is that all swimmers will work on these skills each time they leave the wall.

Be Ok with Doing Difficult Things 

  • Is every practice going to be a “full effort” event?  No.  That would lead to burn out and injuries. 
  • The coaches have fine-tuned and planned specific practices, and sets within practices, where they will ask the swimmers to take a step out of their comfort zone.  If your swimmer stays in their comfort zone and approaches practice with the same effort and intensity day in and day out, it’s going to be tough to move the needle on their times.  There have to be moments dotted throughout the week, when your swimmer pushes past their comfort zone and closes in on their best times/efforts.  It should not be a surprise that swimmers that are making regular improvement in their times, are also the ones that feel a little discomfort at practice.

Have Fun!!! 

  • Fun is the most important part of youth sports. 
  • Fun comes in different shapes and sizes for each swimmer. 
  • The coaches will try to make each practice an energetic and upbeat environment. 
  • While the swimmers won’t be playing games at each practice, we trust that our philosophy will allow for swimmers to have fun in a learning/training situation.