From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Tue Oct 11 11:07:27 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2022 11:07:27 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Reservations for the ISCA Spring Meets are now being accepted Message-ID: Hi, We are smoothing out the reservation process on the web now. The artwork / designs for the meets are not there, yet. The forms need some additional testing too. But, if you are a team that attends the ISCA Meets, come on down and make your meet reservations. https://SwimISCA.org Some points worthy of discussion. The ISCA International Senior Cup happens in both formats, short course and long course. A reservation fee of $45 per athlete is accepted now. Then the spots are saved. Travel plans can be made. Names are not necessary. Then if additional athletes want to come later, just bring them and the fees for events and reservations are collected at the start of the meet. Lots of opportunities are given to make finals. The greater majority of your team can come as there are no cuts for the shorter races. Already, we've got teams coming from Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Kansas, Arkansas. -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org 412 298 3432 = cell From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Wed Oct 12 14:06:48 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:06:48 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Miss-info shared. Woops. Here is a code snip for some eye-candy Message-ID: Hi, Yesterday's news in my email to you wasn't 100% accurate. There ARE cuts for the ISCA meets again this year. Sorry. All the info on the ISCA meets are going online in the official PDFs. Today we uploaded the ISCA WEST COAST Elite Showcase Meet. Plus, the Senior Cup meet logo is here: If you can, put this code on your team's website.

More insights at the blog. https://blog.swimisca.org/put-this-code-on-your-website-and-run-with-the-cool-kids/ -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org 412 298 3432 = cell From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Fri Oct 14 20:08:30 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2022 20:08:30 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] West Coast Elite Showcase Classic Message-ID: Hi, New file files online at https://SwimISCA.org for the East and West Age Group Meets. No teams have signed up for the West meet to be held at NOVA, yet. That just went live. The meet artwork is yet to come. Then they all will be promoted. + + In other news, a dozen or so new lessons have been added to the Global Library for ISCA Members at https://Read.SwimISCA.org. These articles were legacy items that are being migrated to the LMS, so there isn't too much to brag about. The first, overarching aim is a re-tooling of the main web site so it is FASTER. The belt-tightening has begun with cutting down of the back-end digital dust. Have a good weekend. -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Sat Oct 15 11:25:48 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2022 11:25:48 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Lots going on in the sports world - Message-ID: Hi, Swimming meets are starting in earnest -- but this post is about some of the other current events in sports and gives you one HUGE suggestion for the weekend, a free must watch film. Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ are streaming more sports, and the sky didn?t fall. Most viewers adjusted. The NBA season and NHL is starting, but the next billion-dollar media rights deal looms large for basketball among ESPN, TNT vs Amazon and Apple Lots of baseball today, Saturday, as the teams strive for the World Series. Lots of college and pro football too. But here is my #1 tip: Check out the new film, Warning: It is heavy and super-charged with an ocean of culture's hot buttons. Dave Zirin is a thinker and communicator about sports, politics, society an history. His latest video is out for free viewing now, for a limited time. https://go.mediaed.org/behind-the-shield Watch. And, get back to me. We can draw connections to coaching, swimming, and aquatics later. -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org Executive Director of SKWIM USA, a 501(c)(3), SKWIM.us The Pittsburgh Project - swim coach and head lifeguard Coach at The Ellis School for Swimming, T&F and Triathlon Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team & Renegades (Masters) CLOH.org & Rauterkus.com & 4Rs.org 412 298 3432 = cell From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Tue Oct 18 11:41:00 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:41:00 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Confidence and motivation from Hobie Message-ID: Hi, Part 1 of lesson in Read.SwimISCA.org's Global Library for ISCA Members follows. -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org https://read.swimisca.org/courses/global-library-for-isca-members/lessons/building-confidence/topic/confidence-building-through-motivation/ from Hobie Billingsley, legendary diving coach, Indiana UniversityBorn: December 2, 1926, Erie, PA. Died: July 16, 2022, Bloomington, IN Confidence is that trait that defines believing and trusting in oneself. Confidence stimulates and breeds hope and faith in achieving goals which lead to accomplishment and success. One thing for sure, confidence is one characteristic all coaches would like to see in their athletes. When asked to speak to you on confidence building, it sort of confused me a little for confidence appears to me to be like a person who has money in the bank. If you have enough of it, you can buy and do nearly anything you want. Q: So, in reference to athletics, if confidence is one of the ultimate goals and necessities to winning or gaining success, then how is it achieved?Q: Are athletes born with it or is it something that has to be developed? We have heard the expression many times that so-and-so didn't succeed because he lacked self-confidence. Or, another person lost the game because he was overconfident. Whatever way we look at the picture, it appears that confidence plays a dominant role in our world of sports and our lives in terms of just what can or cannot be accomplished. Q: If confidence is what we are looking for, then how may we obtain it if we don't have it and how do we handle it if we already have it?It appears that we should observe those factors that motivate confidence. If we are to understand how certain factors motivate confidence, then we should have some basic concept of what is meant by *motivation*. - Though there are many definitions, motivation may be best expressed for our purposes as that source which stimulates and instills the desire for an athlete to perform his or her best. However, to obtain such a performance requires the athlete to be cognizant of the competitive level on which he or she can best perform. When the athlete is aware of his or her performance abilities, then the athlete can set certain short range and long range goals. For example, if a diver is aware of his abilities to compete in the high school state championships and succeeds in his performance, he definitely will develop confidence in himself to compete at that level. But, if he should attempt to compete at a higher level, such as the national championships, his experience and abilities may not be developed well enough for him to comparatively perform well which may result in his loss of self-confidence. Conversely, if he should perform well at this higher level of competition, then most certainly his confidence will increase. - Athletes quickly learns that in order to obtain high goals, they must undergo intensive training which includes proper physical conditioning, consistent and well planned workouts, ample competition, a positive environment, ideal supervision and coaching, etc. Occasionally, an athlete will come along who has the confidence and talent to succeed without following rigid training habits, but with the present keenness of competition at all levels, this brand of athlete is a rare exception. On the other hand, the less talented athletes who are highly motivated and pushes to the very limit may never reach intended goals. In many cases, when an athlete realizes he or she cannot reach the original goal, that person loses confidence and often changes to a goal less challenging or directs energies and interests in some other direction. Whatever the goal of an athlete, motivation offers a tremendous influence in the success or failure of the individual's performance. Q: So how does one become motivated to perform well? Unfortunately, coaches find very few self-motivated and self-disciplined athletes these days due mainly to technological advances which have encouraged more and more youngsters to watch T.V., do drugs, or drive around instead of knocking themselves out in some sport. With the apparent influence that motivation has on the performance of an athlete, it is important that we explore the three sources from which motivation is derived. 1. The individual, 2. environment, and 3. the coach. The individual Many athletes need little motivation from other sources to perform well for they have the innate ability to motivate themselves. These athletes usually like the challenge of competition . . . the head-on-head engagement . . . and usually perform better as the pressure of competition increases. These types of athletes normally have little fear or have control of their fear when competing. Others seem to *clutch* when things get tough and often perform worse as the pressure mounts. More often, these athletes lack self confidence and have great fears: fear of losing, fear to do one's best, letting down teammates or parents, etc. Why some athletes can be self-motivating while others cannot is clearly a mystery. Apparently, self-motivation has much to do with the way an athlete sees him or herself. In youth, emerging ideas about oneself are shaped by reference to other people and throughout life the person is motivated by the desire to behave in the manner consistent with the symbolic role he or she has accepted of "self". Clothing, mannerisms, tastes, and opinions all fit his or her notion of what kind of person he or she should be. These well etched outlines of self-image do not radically change over the years, but do evolve and take on specific ways of expressing themselves. In many cases the self-concept is really a social concept and other people are the standards against which the emerging "self" is measured and defined. So, in dealing with others, the athlete soon finds what activities the athlete can excel in and what kind that athlete cannot do well in. - Competence begets confidence and vice versa resulting in a chain reaction which leads, more or less, to a consistent level of self-assurance or timidity, which may last a life time. Competing has a lasting effect on the activities the athlete undertakes and the amount of determination the athlete will offer in performing. However, competence doesn't materialize easily without talent, so the level of assuredness is directly related to the athlete's talent. In addition to acquiring competence, an athlete also acquires a sense of being awarded for one's efforts. Thus, a highly capable person may not perform well for he or she cares little for the prize while another person with modest talents may successfully undertake the task with great effort, for he feels he deserves the awards. - Competence and self-worth are commonly consistent with each other. Because of this, some athletes become habitual winners while others become habitual losers and others lose some and win some. The important point is that their expectations become fairly stable. From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Thu Oct 20 08:40:00 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2022 08:40:00 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] The second part of the lesson from Hobie on Confidence Building Through Motivation from https://Read.SwimISCA.org. Message-ID: Part 2, it continues! One of the big goals for the athlete is in winning. Being number one is the big thing, and yet, what is really gained by winning? Normally, the athlete who wins has satisfied that particular goal for the moment and tends to relax and/or become complacent over his or her accomplishment. Self-confidence is maintained but the only motivation derived from winning is the thought of trying to win again the next time around. Often, a person becomes more motivated in defeat -- for the challenge to win becomes more pressing and important to the individual. In defeat, the athlete may question his or her abilities, talent, training habits, attitude, etc. But, if the athlete contains his or her self-confidence, the desire to compete may be as strong, if not stronger than before. The feeling of power and dominance over others motivates some athletes. Beating others gives them a sense of being better than the opponent, which offers personal satisfaction. To induce better performance, the athlete may be motivated through a positive or negative reinforcement, and it is not possible to know which approach will offer the best performance at a given time. What may motivate an athlete to give a high quality performance at one moment, may not motivate the athlete under similar conditions another time. To be more specific, a coach may holler and scream (negative reinforcement) at an athlete during a contest and that person may respond with an outstanding performance. Whereas, the coach may again use the same negative approach on the same athlete under similar conditions at another time, and the athlete may perform very poorly. Another example of negative reinforcement is that of Indiana's basketball coach, Bobby Knight, who is well known to constantly badger and harass his athletes who have responded, more often than not, with a positive performance. These athletes know that if they can accept such negative abuse from their coach, their response could result in pro-basketball contracts, outstanding press and television coverage, peer identity, and other positive rewards. I would venture to guess that if similar coaching tactics were used in a less popular program such as diving, the coach would have no team. On the other hand, positive reinforcement does not always produce positive motivation in the athlete for such an approach may be artificial or be applied too often to have meaning. When a coach tries to psych up an athlete when it is obvious the coach doesn't really mean what he is saying or when he offers the same praises regardless of the performance of the athlete, then positive motivation has no value. The intensity of motivation often influences the quality of performance. When a competition is highly important, or a contest becomes extremely tense, the sources used to motivate the individual become more extreme. When the quality of competition is weak and top performance is not needed to win, the sources of motivation are normally mild. Therefore, it appears that the greater the demand for top performance, the greater the need for motivation. However, there has been some evidence that too much motivation can result in an athlete or team reaching a state of panic which can greatly impair performance or stop performance altogether. So instead of motivating the athlete, fear becomes so intense that performance becomes very complex. Such a situation happened to the University of Wisconsin's football team a couple of years ago. After a terrible lashing from an opponent, a psychologist was brought in to examine the entire team. This doctor publicly stated that the entire team had been motivated by the coaches and other media to a point beyond their ability to respond. This condition is sometimes termed as *psyched out*. It is also found that in training, constant motivating practices do not always breed the best performance from an athlete. Through trial experiences, offering a mixture of high pressure and low pressure workouts encourages greater performances than constant high intensive workouts. The reasoning for the change in the intensity of workouts appears that athletes must have time to relax while performing or away from practice because they can't be keyed up constantly for competition. EnvironmentThe environment that surrounds an athlete often has much to do with motivating the athlete toward a favorable or unfavorable performance. A crowd cheering or booing can do much to influence the performance of the athlete. If other similar types of environmental factors don't motivate the athlete, they can provide a positive or negative atmosphere. There is no doubt that a contest is a lot more exciting if the stands are full, a band plays, there is a stimulating announcer, and friends are cheering for you. Motivating gimmicks also might fire up an individual or team on one occasion. but may have little or no affect at another time. Whatever the gimmicks, posters, signs, slogans, decorating the locker room, playing music, etc., they all offer a positive atmosphere, but there is no guarantee that they will motivate anyone. Having good equipment and good teaching aids, such as video, all contribute to a positive atmosphere and most certainly make it much easier for the competitors. The CoachThe coach should first realize that whether the coach likes it or not, the coach is going to create an image with the athletes. The type of image will differ somewhat with each team member and will depend upon the association and communication between the two. So it is important that the coach projects the best of him or herself to the team. The type of image will depend much upon the coach's personal make-up such as personality, sense of humor, manner of dress, moral standards, leadership ability, etc. Personal habits also are important, for it is difficult to expect the athletes to not drink, smoke or use foul language if the coach is standing there with a cigarette in hand, booze on the breath, and cussing up a storm. There are so many ways that a coach influences and motivates an athlete. Some specific traits: 1. If a coach hopes to motivate an athlete, then the coach must also be motivated. A positive attitude from the coach can affect and inspire the athlete. This may be particularly true when the athlete has lost a contest or has appeared to have lost. 2. Get to know the athlete well enough to know what it takes to motivate that person. Some athletes respond better when yelled at, where others withdraw with the same negative input. A coach who is flexible in the approach to motivating the athletes gains more success from them than the coach who treats all of the team the same way. 3. There is no sure way of knowing when, how, or where a particular motivating technique is going to work. The coach usually learns this from experience. 4. Perhaps one of the most difficult traits for a coach to learn is self-control. If the coach has difficulty in self-control, then don't expect controlled performances from the squad. If the coach cusses, tears down the opposition constantly, or uses physical violence (like throwing chairs), that coach can expect similar behavior patterns from the team's kids. Pressure situations normally do not bring out the best in people and coaches are no exception. However, the coach who does make an abusive mistake with his or her athletes, and then apologizes, the coach can gain respect from everyone. 5. Most coaches take for granted that the athlete is as much up for a contest as the coach is. This is not so, for some athletes. Some just don't get with it unless someone pushes them. The coach has to be aware of this. 6. Being organized is a form of motivation, for this induces guidance, leadership, and concern for the program by the coach. 7. Playing favorites or being inconsistent in relationships with the athletes has prevented many coaches from being good motivators. If the coach cannot be consistent in administering rules or be up front with the team, then the coach cannot expect an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. 8. The coach should avoid forming hasty or permanent negative opinions of the athletes. Some people have difficulty relating to others and don't express themselves well. If the coach doesn't offer the athlete time to really express oneself, the coach could lead the youngster in a direction that the coach may live to regret later. The coach also should not express any negative opinions of the team members to others, for such back-stabbing has a habit of getting back to people involved, which usually causes a very poor atmosphere. 9. If the coach wishes to motivate with results, then start early in the season and be consistent throughout the year. 10. The smart coach seeks out those athletes that are easy to motivate and try to draw the rest of the team into that fold. Often when a coach becomes so intense on winning, and when the coach tries too hard to motivate the athletes, the fun is taken out of the sport. - Remember, all of this is nothing but a game. But then, that is what life is all about. From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Tue Oct 11 11:07:27 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2022 11:07:27 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Reservations for the ISCA Spring Meets are now being accepted Message-ID: Hi, We are smoothing out the reservation process on the web now. The artwork / designs for the meets are not there, yet. The forms need some additional testing too. But, if you are a team that attends the ISCA Meets, come on down and make your meet reservations. https://SwimISCA.org Some points worthy of discussion. The ISCA International Senior Cup happens in both formats, short course and long course. A reservation fee of $45 per athlete is accepted now. Then the spots are saved. Travel plans can be made. Names are not necessary. Then if additional athletes want to come later, just bring them and the fees for events and reservations are collected at the start of the meet. Lots of opportunities are given to make finals. The greater majority of your team can come as there are no cuts for the shorter races. Already, we've got teams coming from Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Kansas, Arkansas. -- Ta. Mark Rauterkus Mark at Rauterkus.com Webmaster, International Swim Coaches Association, SwimISCA.org 412 298 3432 = cell From mark.rauterkus at gmail.com Wed Oct 12 14:06:48 2022 From: mark.rauterkus at gmail.com (Mark Rauterkus) Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:06:48 -0400 Subject: [CLOH-News] Miss-info shared. Woops. Here is a code snip for some eye-candy Message-ID: Hi, Yesterday's news in my email to you wasn't 100% accurate. There ARE cuts for the ISCA meets again this year. Sorry. All the info on the ISCA meets are going online in the official PDFs. Today we uploaded the ISCA WEST COAST Elite Showcase Meet. Plus, the Senior Cup meet logo is here: If you can, put this code on your team's website.