In 2020, the sport is facing a major disruption around the world due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

As a part of our community service to swimming parents in Australia and around the world, we have provided a number of webinar sessions to guide parents through. Swim coaches are encouraged to watch these also as they provide many ideas that can be used in your own programs.

Parenting Competitive Swimmers Through the Current Environment - Week #1 - 2 April 2020

Parenting Competitive Swimmers Through the Current Environment - Week #2 - 9 April 2020

General Parent Information

During all our years as on deck swimming coaches we have spoken to countless parent groups and individually with thousands of parents of swimmers.

For parents to effectively support their children in their activities, in this case the sport of swimming, they rely on information from those more experienced and knowledgeable in the field.

The obvious sources are from you as the child’s swimming coach, as well as other experienced parents, former swimmers and others who have had a long term involvement in the sport.

Preparing for the sport of swimming is very demanding on swimmers, coaches and parents alike but it is the parent who is the least equipped to cope with such demands and who needs help and support to assist them in understanding what is going on around them.

Parenting by its nature can be on many occasions a thankless task and this is consistent for the supportive swimming parent.  It becomes easier to provide unconditional support when the parents in your program gain an understanding of what is required for committed involvement in the sport of swimming.

As part of Swim Coach Advantage, we can provide you with videos and information that will enable you to provide parent workshops, education sessions and help you with one-on-one discussions.

We recommend that parents seek information from knowledgeable and reputable people in the sport whenever they need support or assistance. This will primarily come from you as their coach.

One key resource that every parent should own is “Swimming for Parents”. This book fills a vacuum in information for parents which has needed addressing for many decades. Gary’s authority in writing this book is vindicated by his broad involvement in the sport as a – junior swimming champion, a champion age group swimmer, an elite senior athlete including two years as an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder, a teacher of swimming, a coach of Victoria’s once most successful junior program, a multi-medal winning Australian Age coach, a head coach of one of Victoria’s most successful clubs, an organizer of Australia’s major swimming events, currently CEO of one of Australia’s most successful swimming clubs. The information in this book is invaluable to parents and will provide insight which will assist in the understanding of their swimming child at virtually every stage of their development as a swimmer and a person.

It is a book which parents will keep in a prominent place for easy access for the remainder of their child’s swimming career.