What is BLUE WAVE About…?

My name is Michael Kraeuter, most just call me Coach Mike and I have proudly led the BLUE WAVE Swim Team as its head coach for the past eleven years. I was asked to write a bit about this great swim team you all have in Ashburn Village. Contemplating what to write, I asked myself what things would interest the community.
I could share stats, such as placings at competitions, times, meets we have attended, records broken, etc... Those are just the results of what we do on a daily basis (you can see all of that at our website, www.pvbluewave.com). That’s it! What we do daily…So, what do we do daily besides swim in the wonderful Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion?

• We teach kids how to preserver through the hard stuff in life by challenging them to become the best version of themselves...
• We offer a space for kids to develop life-long friendships.
• We have amazing coaches that teach the kids that swimming is not just about going fast but about life.
• We offer an environment where kids can and will learn to be disciplined.
• We offer a space where the kids learn to take care of their body, mind and spirit.
• We teach the kids to learn to work with others and to be a proud, supportive, kind and respectful team members.
• We offer a safe space for a child to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that time they hoped and worked for or handle an experience that didn’t go their way even though they practiced it a thousand times. They still get up, determined to do their BEST next time...
• We teach the how to embrace the process of life and make and accomplish goals.
• We teach the kids that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of conscious work, planning and practice to create a champion, and patience that success does not happen overnight.
• We offer them a wholesome alternative to being in front of a screen…

This can be summed up in our team’s values, symbolized here –

It is made up of three parts;

‘Ohana – extending beyond your core family. Being a part of this wonderful Ashburn Village Community comes with the responsibility to act with integrity, care for, relate to, lead, build relationships, plan, organize, teach, mentor or be a role model.

Kaizen – is all about change, the practice of continuous improvement. Embracing the process of becoming an improved version of ourselves. We are all a work in progress.

Tabano – is about unity of purpose, strength, confidence and hard work to reach a destination or goal. One cannot simply achieve greatness without sacrificing, working hard and staying strong. When joining BLUE WAVE, you share in the team’s mission of developing extraordinary people through the dedication of mastery in the sport of swimming. Dedication to this purpose gives us common ground to stand upon in our individual journeys. When we have purpose, it helps us navigate the choices we must make each day. From what to eat, when to go to bed, how we treat each other, etc…
I could go on but, to be short, we don’t just swim laps we create opportunities for children to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their lives and give them the opportunity to give back to the community and the lives of others. From what I have seen for many, many years, this is what makes not only this swim team great but the world we live in!
Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this great community!

BLUE WAVE ON 3…BLUE WAVE ON 3…1...2…3 -

GO BLUE WAVE! - www.pvbluewave.com