Last updated on October 27th, 2021 at 03:06 pm
As meet director of USA Swimming‘s 2016 Western Zone Age Group Championships, the planning committee and myself tried some new things. One was an athlete Gratitude Campaign.
Contents for Swim Meet Athlete Gratitude Campaign
What is an Athlete Gratitude Campaign?
The campaign invited each athlete to give three “thank you’s” in each session of the eight-session meet. Athletes were welcome to give their thank you’s anytime during warm-ups, the session, or even afterward, if needed. We didn’t want this to negatively impact their swimming in any way.
What Did Athletes Do?
Who and how they thanked was up to each athlete. Some thanked lane timers before, or when getting out after a race. Others texted a parent. Each team was given several sticky note pads and pens so athletes could write and share notes. They stuck these thank you notes on the coach tables and on whiteboards behind the blocks and in the athlete village. One team even covered the end cap of a large lane line reel with the sticky note “thank you’s.” Some wrote thank you’s on regular paper. Notes thanking officials were posted in the Officials Briefing room. Additionally, notes thanking meet volunteers were posted where they checked in. A video of athletes holding these larger thank-you notes was also made and shown on the scoreboard before one session.
How was the Gratitude Campaign Promoted?
Adult Leadership
We introduced the Gratitude Campaign to coaches and team support people before the meet. Additionally, we talked about it in the pre-meet general meeting. We asked them to encourage athlete participation. Athletes first learned about the Gratitude Campaign during the meet Opening Ceremonies.
Athlete Leadership
The Gratitude Campaign really took off when the meet-athlete reps brought the sticky notes and pens to each team. They also encouraged participation throughout the meet and led the way by example.
TrueSport
TrueSport was also very supportive of the Gratitude Campaign. They not only attended the meet but also provided a fun gratitude scavenger hunt with lots of great prizes. If you don’t already know about this terrific organization, visit their website, TrueSport.org. They can’t attend all meets. However, they have excellent online resources online for parents, teachers, and coaches. The aim is to teach core values through sport. Founded on three cornerstones: Sportsmanship, Character Building, and Healthy Performance, TrueSport is a partner with USA Swimming.
Why was the athlete Gratitude Campaign developed?
More details on the Gratitude Campaign and why the meet host developed it are in the “3 Thanks Yous, 4 Questions” information sheet.
Results
Interpersonal Benefits
Many commented on what a fun meet this was and the great feeling that was there. I believe the Gratitude Campaign is one reason. We knew it would be great for the volunteer officials and meet workers to be thanked. One team provided stickers for their athletes to pass out when sharing their thanks. A volunteer meet marshal proudly displayed several he had been given on his souvenir meet credential. Although his wasn’t an easy job at the meet, his heart had been warmed by the athlete’s thanks. Additionally, the hearts of coaches, parents, team support personnel, and others were also warmed by athlete thanks.
Personal Benefits
The aim of most meet directors is to create an atmosphere where athletes can do well. Before the meet even began, we believed these young athletes, ages 8-14, would benefit from an “attitude of gratitude.” We hoped it might even help some, who might be anxious about this big meet, loosen up and have a better performance.
Overall, the Gratitude Campaign was a relatively simple and inexpensive thing to do. However, the benefits were far-reaching. It created a great feeling for both the givers and the receivers gathered at this meet.
Related Information
3 Thank Yous, 4 Questions (Gratitude Campaign information sheet) (Click to view PDF file)
Athlete Introduction to Gratitude Campaign (Click to view the PDF file of notes used to give the 5-minute intro at the meet Opening Ceremonies)
Pictures of some of the Thank Yous (Click to view PDF file) Pictures of a few of the thank you notes athletes created and shared at the meet. These are the ones rescued before the clean-up crew got them. Take the time to zoom in and read them. You’ll be glad you did.