Successful Beach Workout

We had another successful beach workout on Wed. We saw about 30 plus kids ranging in age from 7-12 and we had something for all of them.

For our 7-8 year old swimmers, Coach Siga with some great parent help, took the 8 and unders in and out of the shallow waves multiple times. She stresses the importance of knowing where you are at all times and being aware of your surroundings. The current was really strong and kids were being pulled towards the pier. All the parent help along with some of our National team members were greatly appreciated and every child was safe and had a great time.

Our 12 and under athletes went out past the waves to Coach Mike on his board. They circled him and headed back into shore. Many of the kids forgot to run in to the finish area but were reminded to really race back in for the second round. After round 2, I headed out to Mike and waited for the kids to swim out to us. When they reached us, I headed south for about 100 yards, let the kids circle me, and then headed back in with the final few swimmers. They continued back to Mike and then back into shore where Coach Bill and Coach Kelly were waiting for them.

After the outs & ins, the swimming out and around, and the running to the pier, we finally let the kids just play. And that seems to be what they love the most. After a beach workout always comes a beach day. It was a ton of fun and if I didn't have to go back to the pool for some lessons I would have stayed there longer.

I think it is important for any team or group that plans on doing beach workouts to be as safe and prepared as possible. The Nadadores always contact the local Lifeguards before we show up. If conditions are not suitable, then we do not swim. We have 3 or 4 coaches in the water during the day as well as our National team members, all of whom are in the water and swimming with the kids for their safety. We feel these workouts are an opportunity to introduce our swimmers to the ocean and how to prepare for and ultimately accomplish a successful open water competition. Some kids will choose to avoid the beach practices and that is OK with us. You have to enjoy what you do and sometimes the water temperature, the sand, and the waves are too much for some people. We only recommend they give it a try.

Our beach workouts consist of approximately 5 or 6 coaches on hand and a couple parent volunteers. Not to mention all the parents just watching provide more eyes on the kids. This time around we also had about 10 National team members volunteering their time to help with the little ones. It was a great day.