Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Chargers Aquatics Coach Utilizes Athlete Surveys to Gain Insights
During the spring of 2022, John Butcher, Director of Competitive Swimming for Chargers Aquatics, attended an American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) Clinic in Austin, Texas. At the clinic, Carol Capitani and Mitch Dalton , head coach and associate head coach of the University of Texas women’s swimming team, respectively, discussed working on their athletes’ self-confidence at the University of Texas.
“It was a big lightbulb moment for me that we needed to be more proactive with our athletes,” Butcher said. “I want to see our athletes use swimming as a conduit for personal growth beyond just their performances in the pool, though those are obviously of high importance to our club, as well.”
Butcher started sending out surveys to his athletes to better understand the swimmers as whole people – how their bodies felt each week, how much sleep they were getting and where they were from a mental and emotional perspective.
He read sports psychology journals to learn more about the effects of self-confidence on the whole athlete and developed a survey based on his research. Butcher provides the athletes individual scorecards, showing where they gain confidence, and then creates a group scorecard, showing trends within the team.
Additionally, he sends out a self-assessment survey, which consists of quick questions for the athletes to answer. This questionnaire gives him a sense of their physical, mental and emotional states. It is meant to take a few minutes to complete, and the questions are answered based on a sliding scale or through comment boxes.
Leland Brown III, USA Swimming’s Program Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), leads webinars each month on topics related to DEI. Butcher attended a session where Brown asked him to discuss the self-confidence survey and the self-assessments he sends out to his team.
USA Swimming’s DEI team began implementing his surveys into its DEI 101 webinar for other members to use for their teams.
“Surveys are important as they allow coaches and team leaders to connect with athletes, parents, staff and volunteers efficiently in order to accept their needs and provide for them,” Brown said.
“Coach Butcher went the extra mile in connecting and executing in real-time,” Brown added. “He’s the ideal example of activating and utilizing DEI as a coach. His athlete surveys give him deeper insights on who and where his athletes are daily.”
“Overall, it helps me learn a lot more about my athletes” Butcher said. “These surveys help me have a deeper understanding of how our athletes think. It also allows me to keep tabs on kids who might be struggling with the mental side of things or stress and be able to more quickly intervene.”
“It was a big lightbulb moment for me that we needed to be more proactive with our athletes,” Butcher said. “I want to see our athletes use swimming as a conduit for personal growth beyond just their performances in the pool, though those are obviously of high importance to our club, as well.”
Butcher started sending out surveys to his athletes to better understand the swimmers as whole people – how their bodies felt each week, how much sleep they were getting and where they were from a mental and emotional perspective. He read sports psychology journals to learn more about the effects of self-confidence on the whole athlete and developed a survey based on his research. Butcher provides the athletes individual scorecards, showing where they gain confidence, and then creates a group scorecard, showing trends within the team.
Additionally, he sends out a self-assessment survey, which consists of quick questions for the athletes to answer. This questionnaire gives him a sense of their physical, mental and emotional states. It is meant to take a few minutes to complete, and the questions are answered based on a sliding scale or through comment boxes.
Leland Brown III, USA Swimming’s Program Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), leads webinars each month on topics related to DEI. Butcher attended a session where Brown asked him to discuss the self-confidence survey and the self-assessments he sends out to his team.
USA Swimming’s DEI team began implementing his surveys into its DEI 101 webinar for other members to use for their teams.
“Surveys are important as they allow coaches and team leaders to connect with athletes, parents, staff and volunteers efficiently in order to accept their needs and provide for them,” Brown said.
“Coach Butcher went the extra mile in connecting and executing in real-time,” Brown added. “He’s the ideal example of activating and utilizing DEI as a coach. His athlete surveys give him deeper insights on who and where his athletes are daily.”
“Overall, it helps me learn a lot more about my athletes” Butcher said. “These surveys help me have a deeper understanding of how our athletes think. It also allows me to keep tabs on kids who might be struggling with the mental side of things or stress and be able to more quickly intervene.”