I begin each varsity dive practice with a new motivational message for my team. At yesterday’s WTW practice, I talked to them about my wife’s goldfish. Yes, goldfish. The high school divers looked at me with clear expressions of, “What? Where is this going?”
My wife set up a fish tank for one of her daughters, years ago. She put 11 tiny goldfish in a small fish tank. The fish prospered under Wendy’s nurturing and loving care, but the fish remained the same size, tiny. Wendy grew attached to the fish and created for them a beautiful outdoor pond. Once she placed the fish into their larger environment, they all eventually grew to be nearly ten inches long.
At this point, I asked my divers, “Why is it that there are scores of high school dive teams throughout northern Virginia, but the WTW Boys Dive Team continues to stay on top?”
One of my intuitive divers replies, “Because their coaches don’t know how to take their divers out of that small fish tank.”
“THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT!,” I reply. I continued, “Every day I arrive at dive practice working to create a huge environment for you to grow, and spread your wings/gills. Like the fish, I want you to achieve your full genetic potential. Some of you have taken advantage of the huge environment that I have created for you. That’s why the boys have been undefeated for so many years. Others have chosen to swim in the same small fish tank, staying withing the self-imposed boundaries that you have created for yourselves. You’re not taking advantage of the huge environment/pond.”
The divers smiled as they saw the connection to Wendy’s goldfish and the dive team. We had an amazing practice yesterday. Many of the divers broke through the boundaries and confines of the small glass tank, and freeing themselves up to learn new and more difficult dives. The energy at practice was palpable.
I have worked to create a huge environment to help you experience your full genetic potential on the tennis courts. The energy of the RJ TENNIS BOOT CAMP® is too big for a small fish tank! It is bigger than the outdoor pond that my wife created for the tiny little goldfish. Now it’s up to you to spread your wings/gills and grow to be the tennis player I know you can be. Go out there and play BIG tennis!
Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Rob the tennis coach, springboard dive coach & life coachDirector of Adult Tennis@ The Four Seasons Tennis Club
