Tortuous and the Hare

We all know the story of the tortuous and the hare, turtle vs. rabbit, and of course the turtle wins! Did the turtle win because it was a Terrapin? Possibly, but there is more to this story if we look a bit closer.

Take a minute and think, if you were in the story would you be the tortuous or the hare?
~ Hare (rabbit) – small, hairy, sleek, short bursts of speed
~ Tortuous (turtle) - small, round hard shell, reliable consistent speed

Reading this tale and applying it to swimming today we can get a unique perspective. At swim meets some athletes see themselves as the turtle, not as fast or as powerful. Then we have others who know they are the rabbit, blazing fast and able to win every time. Is this the same at practices?

Which of the two, rabbit or turtle, do you think a coach would rather have on their team? As a coach we love having those swimmers who can set and break records, who wouldn’t? When showing up to practice and stepping into the pool we can see a huge difference between the tortuous and the hare. Every day the tortuous is there 10 minutes before practice, stretching and preparing for the workout ahead, meanwhile the hare runs in tying his suit just as the warm-up is ending. The turtle, who may not be as fast as the hare (yet) works as hard as they can on every set, and does every yard in the set. The hare jumps in sprints a few laps then stops to take a water break, or go to the bathroom. The hare does just enough to keep the coach from yelling at them then get out and goes home.

When it comes time for the “big” swim meet who is now better prepared to swim?

Working with kids at various levels of swimming it can be difficult let those who see themselves as the tortuous that being seen as the hare is not always best. The tortuous with their hard work and dedication WILL one day be FASTER than the hare!

Again, which are you. . .the tortuous or the hare?