For the past 34 years I have been working with high school athletes and teaching them rowing. Over the years my focus has changed. When I began coaching all those years ago I was coaching to win, I needed to validate my job choice and needed immediate results. As I have matured and raised four of my own children I slowly realized that my approach was wrong. Now, I focus on the teaching. Everyone learns best when there is no pressure, but it is fun and interesting. As my philosophy changed the amount of success I had with my athletes was the same, but what changed the most was the enjoyment and fun the athletes had while training and competing. There are no secrets to success, there is hard work, there is learning and all of it should be fun and should allow the athletes to see the results of their hard work. I think less pressure on them to succeed in the end gives them more confidence and more ownership for them to want success for themselves.