Hurricane Locker Room Etiquette

Hello Hurricane Families,

It's time to take a pause for a reminder of how Hurricanes honor the opportunity to swim at Wulf by being respectful the facility and its guests.

There have been some slip-ups of late. Please take a few minutes to consider the following:

• Horseplay in the locker room is never allowed. Put yourself in the shoes of the other rec center guests. After practice adrenaline is pumping and energy is high. Behavior that seems like innocent fun with friends to you can seem unnerving and disruptive to others. Be aware of your surroundings. Loud and chaotic behavior is disrepectful and not representative of Hurricane's conduct. Soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and your swimming gear are not toys in the locker room. 
• Leaving bags and other gear laying about in the locker during practice is also not allowed. You may use a locker or bring your bag to the pool deck during practice, but always keep the locker room at least as orderly as you found it.

Furthermore, it's important that every athlete understands that the bar for each Hurricane is much higher than "not being a nuisance". Rather, we should all strive to be a positive influence in every new place we go. Some ways to do this over the regular course of swimming business are:

• Take personal responsibility to look for ways to leave our spaces cleaner than we found them. These include the pool deck, gym space, locker rooms, and team areas at meets. 
• Take personal responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people who make your activities possible. These include the rec center staff, lifeguards, judges and timers at meets, your teammates, your competitors, your parents, your coaches. You should thank at least a few of these people every day.
• Always pay attention to the other patrons ar Wulf. We aren't the only ones using the building, and we should always be respectful of others. Holding doors, being gracious in the waiting room and hallways, noting and addressing any circumstances where Hurricanes may be disrupting the general flow of activity in the building (even if wholly innocently, because of the sheer size of our group).

The skills and practices required to become a better swimmer are often uncomfortable and unnatural. What we do every day is acknowledge a skill to improve, then repeat the new skill over and over again, however uncomfortable, until it becomes a habit. Only then is the skill more comfortable and natural, and you are a better athlete.

Likewise habits of courtesy, gratitude, respect, and thoughtfulness can seem tedious and embarrassing at first. However uncomfortable, practice them until they are habits. You will become naturally courteous, gratius, respectful, and thoughtful, all the while making sure the Hurricanes are a positive force everywhere we go.

A few weeks ago two adults approached me separately on the same day. Each took the time to recount their own (also separate) experience with one of our athletes. Each was delighted and impressed with the respect and thoughtfulness of the young person they had just met, and the experience made their day. Neither knew the name of the athlete, but they gave me enough context to know that in both instances the athlete was Tyler Guyton. This is how to be a Hurricane!

Thanks and go Hurricanes!

Coach Brian