I’m having a hard time believing that in three weeks I’ll be on my way home, with no fixed plans to come back. Though I’m definitely not ready to turn around and come back to Bolivia, and coaching is one of the hardest jobs I know (not that I know very many), I’ve been asked so many times in the past few weeks: “When are you coming back?” “What would we have to pay you to get you to come back?” “Can’t you find work here?” “How about October? January?” Daily. Not only from just the swimmers themselves, but their parents, other coaches and swimmers from nearby cities who I coached at the clinic, people who work at the sports office, the presidents of the two different sports associations. I can see how Lisa ended up coming back all of the times she did. At least I know that the sport is really rolling, and with me or without, it should continue to grow. Hopefully in a year or two I’ll find time to travel to Argentina, which leaves me just about 5 hours from Tarija. A good excuse to come back for a visit, maybe coach for a bit. Regardless of my plans, it will be tough to say goodbye.
The duet just gets stronger and stronger the more time we have to concentrate on it and nothing else. I think the hard part is imagining how these girls are going to react at the competition and how to simulate that experience beforehand. Mini competitions with no other competitors and spectators that know nothing about the sport are hard to make feel like the real thing. Strange to think it took me 8 years of competitions before I attended an international competition, and these girls first experience will be up against Canada’s best, the United States, Brazil… etc. Not to mention the fact that because of Aracely’s birthdate in late December, they will be competiting against 18 year olds. I try not to remind the girls of the overwhelming aspects of all of this too much, they’re nervous and excited enough.
We’re pushing the team hard with choreography, so as to finish the routines before I go. We’re finally picking up counts a little quicker, and I think they understand now the concentration it takes to learn new moves, and swim them on time. Two weeks ago I thought I finally had a good comitment from everyone, and a good understanding of why we need everyone in the pool in order to work on team. Previously the water being cold, or my throat kind of hurts, or I had a lot of homework was apparently an excuse. So I have everyone attending at 7am briefly, and then this past few days I’ve only had half my swimmers show up. Apparently it’s still a work in progress.
Hopefully a competition will get them in gear. The latest plan is to send them to a competition in November against Argentina. They will have to swim exhibition because of a mix of age categories, but hopefully when the girls start their new school year, we will be able to rehaul the organization, and put a real club together, where the same age and ability groups swim together. Wouldn’t that be nice. That will certainly be what I hope to see next time I make it to Bolivia.
