by Sam Engel
Both Sauk Rapids and Sartell high school swim teams have maintained their competitiveness after moving from Class A to Class AA in recent years. Each of those teams has a Top 10 State or True Team State finish, and several athletes with All State honors despite being some of the smallest schools in AA. They have demonstrated how moving up a class can be advantageous if a team has the right culture and mentality.
If you talk to enough people, you’ll hear various complaints about teams moving up or down in high school sports. From parents and coaches, there are complaints about the class selection process, how enrollment is measured, and how private schools have an inherent advantage. These complaints trickle down to the athletes and leave them believing that they can’t compete at a higher level. When faced with a challenge, so many of us focus our energy on removing it when we should be focused on rising up to overcome it.
When you really think about it, moving up a class only changes two things: who gets a medal and what teams you compete against at the section and state level. The times stay the same, the dimensions of the pool stay the same, the events and their order are the same, the trials and tribulations of swimming and diving stay the same, and your team is still the same team. Obviously winning meets and getting medals are both important to us, but they aren’t the only reason that we coach, swim, and dive. Culture built around growth and family have been two of the most important reasons that these two swim teams have been successful at each level of competition. They are committed to facing challenges head on and care about each other as much as the medals that they get.
When a culture is focused solely on winning or making State, it’s easy for athletes and coaches to convince themselves that they won’t be able to achieve their goals when they move up a class. It’s true that it will be harder to get a medal, and you will have to swim faster to earn it, but that just gives you an opportunity to push yourself to limits you didn’t think were possible. Even if you fall short of those goals, you’ll probably still swim faster than you would have before. The camaraderie and the lessons that we get to learn through athletics are the most important reasons to participate in high school athletics. This situation provides a valuable opportunity to experience a challenge with a team. If you want to be successful, spend your time working together to surpass a challenge rather than complaining or trying to reverse it.
Life has hurdles and challenges. The more you try to overcome them, the better you will become. Use this challenge to your advantage and apply the concept to other challenges you face in life. Whether you’re a coach, a swimmer, a parent, or an administrator, create a mentality where you believe that challenges can make you better and others will follow your lead.