A few years ago I went to the memorial service for my favorite swim coach Ross Yancher. Ross was a character. He liked to make up fun events for our morning adults swim like “eggnog relays” during the holidays where we would unwisely take eggnog shots in the pool between laps. In my mid 30s he taught me to swim butterfly, dive off a block and swim way faster than I ever thought possible. I clearly remember saying to him one day “It’s 5am Ross. I am swimming just for exercise. I don’t want to dive off this block” and him laughing in retort “It’s weird how you think you have a choice in the matter”. Spoiler alert: I got on the block and did the sprint. Why? Because Ross had the chops to back up his bossiness. Every single week he gave me at least one constructive way to work on improving my stroke. He also had his own way of being generous and supportive, he would come to my sketch comedy shows and talk them up to everybody in the pool “Do you know what Emily is up to this weekend. It’s WEIRD! You gotta go see it.”
Simply put Ross was an unforgettable person but despite all his quirks what I was most struck by at his memorial was his legacy of perseverance. Ross taught me (and hundreds of others!) how to show up and improve little by little. He himself did this little by little over the course of his life, coaching an hour or two every day at different places. I was a beginning swimmer when I started practicing at Ross’ pool, but after two years I could swim a mile straight without stopping, butterfly ( a previously impossible dream) and dive off a block like a pro. He never spoke to me unkindly but consistently heckled me into always going a little farther than I thought I could. He did this for hundreds or maybe thousands of people over the years. His memorial was filled with swimmers recalling everything he taught them. In music and creativity I think we often overestimate the importance of “talent” and underestimate the importance of perseverance and small improvements over time. Ross made swimming fun even when it was hard by keeping things lighthearted and likewise we can enjoy the process of exploring our voices and growing our musical skills. Be like Ross: Make it a game, do a little every day to improve your skills and you can go so much farther than you dreamed possible.