Preparing for a new season
 This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from Jim Steen, head coach at Kenyon College. Steen, who has led Kenyon to a combined 49 men’s and women’s NCAA DIII national championship titles, offers advice to swimmers preparing for a new season. I tell my team, each and every year, to go back to the drawing board. Begin again. Start anew. Rebuild. I believe for a swimmer (or anyone for that matter) to be successful in life it is essential for that person to begin each new endeavor unencumbered by memories of the past and unencumbered by mere hopes for the future. As simple as this may sound, I’ve found starting over to be one of the most challenging and important tasks of each new year. At Kenyon College we begin each season by asking the team to honestly take stock of what they have gained, or failed to gain, in the past season. Whether a swimmer has experienced the pinnacle of success, or the pit of despair, we challenge our swimmers to learn from it and move on. We tell them the key is to use that knowledge, insight and perspective to help them move forward and to implement changes for the better. In order to do this, what is truly needed is deep and honest introspection. We all need to discover (or rediscover) our passion for the sport as we develop a capacity for living in the moment. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in this process. We cannot hide under the umbrella of what our coaches want, what our team wants or even what our parents want. In the end, the only person able to unlock our passion and release our performance is ourselves. Good luck this year. May success be yours!
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