Dear PEAK, I have a story to share with you. My son was at a swim competition and accidentally slipped outside, and lacerated his knee on both sides after falling. This was on a day he did not have events. We took him to the ER and he was cleared of broken bones and knee joint instability. I could not believe it when the ER physician looked at him and said “you probably will not be swimming tomorrow.” But the next day was his 50 Breast and his best shot at making finals. I looked at my son and told him to just relax, close his eyes, and see himself swimming tomorrow with a great knee. I told him to think positively that his knee would be better tomorrow. We iced all day once an hour, kept his knee elevated, and kept him on Motrin every 6 hours. He took 3.5 seconds off his 50 Breast! Coach Nick gave him an eagle shirt at the last PEAK camp and he has lived up to that shirt. It’s amazing what positive thinking, visualization, and team support can do. We definitely used the mental skills the kids have learned at camp.
