麻豆社区

Coach Stephanie Dixon's approach to the B.C. AAA Swim Championships this weekend doubles as a good life lesson.

"I'm a huge believer that if you're focusing on the outcome, your performance will suffer for it,鈥� Dixon told the Star yesterday afternoon.

"We make goals for the meet, and the goal is to go faster than they've ever gone before, but we focus on how to do that. If you go in hoping and praying 鈥� you're really throwing away a huge opportunity.

"My whole thing is to teach these kids life lessons through swimming, and that's to be responsible for their swims, not just to dive in and hope for the best.鈥�

Dixon said if a young swimmer has intention in every stroke they complete in a race, then win or lose, the lesson has been learned.

"That's my entire philosophy,鈥� she said. "At the end of the day, medals will come, they will go. But what you can take out of swimming that will last the rest of your life are the lessons that you've learned in how to deal with pressure and just to set goals for yourself.鈥�

While winning is the ultimate goal, Dixon said she urges her swimmers to focus on the process and not the result. The rest should simply fall into place.

Four young swimmers will compete in the AAA championships in Victoria, B.C. this weekend.

The event begins today and runs through to Sunday.

Adrian Robinson, Luke Bakica, and swim sisters Cassis and Rennes Lindsay will represent the Yukon at the championship.

Bakica achieved his AAA times at the AA championship held in Surrey, B.C., earlier this month.

Haley Braga and Dannica Nelson qualified for the provincial championship with personal times raced this season, but will not attend.

Swimmers will need to meet a national time standard in their respective races in order to move on to the national championship.

"It's a pretty big deal,鈥� said Dixon. "B.C.'s the most competitive swimming province in our country, so for us to go down there and be able to be competitive with them from a small town like Whitehorse is a really big deal for these kids.鈥�

Dixon said AAA swim times are difficult to achieve, but her swimmers worked very hard to meet the standard.

"They're going to do great,鈥� she said of her swim quartet.

"I have no doubt in my mind that they're going to go down there and put forth 110 per cent effort. I think they're going to be competitive. They're tough kids. The Yukon breeds tough kids.鈥�

Dixon has worked hard on the mental side of swimming, such as controlling one's nerves, because her swimmers don't often get a chance to perform at major meets.

"The environment makes such a big difference, because a lot of performance is in your head and your heart,鈥� she said. "It's not mechanical, and while swimming is a very technical sport, a lot of performance does come from your emotion. So to go down south is a huge benefit for us, in order to get our top performances.鈥�

Following the AAA championships, both Dixon and 16-year-old swimmer Haley Braga will travel to Orange County, California to take part in a high-performance training camp.

Just as performances are influenced by environment, so is training, said Dixon.

"If you can take a swimmers away from their normal schedule, their normal pressures of home life and school, and all their doing, literally is eating, sleeping and swimming in a beautiful environment, then you're going to get some training you can really carry on for the rest of the season,鈥� she explained.

Braga will spend her March Break training for the Canada Summer Games. Dixon will also use the training camp for her own professional development.

"It's a huge opportunity,鈥� she said. "I think this is as much for me as it is for Haley, to learn and to grow.鈥�