• Coaching requires patience and commitment--gifts can reflect appreciation and evoke laughter.Boy With Orange Swim Goggles and Swim Fins image by Wimbledon from Fotolia.com
  
  A coach has to invent ways to motivate her team to achieve success for both the team and each team member. A swim coach has to put in time and travel to reach the pool for practice and games--in all seasons and all weather--to build a solid and well-conditioned team. A gift that thanks the coach and also makes her smile or laugh will show her that the many hours she spent poolside did not go unappreciated or unnoticed.
  
  

Excuse Tee Shirts

• A coach is often bombarded with a barrage of excuses from team members. Commemorate some of the most creative or most frequent ones by printing them on a tee shirt. Have one main excuse as the centerpiece, have each player create a tee shirt with his personal favorite excuse or cover one tee shirt with a variety of excuses. Search for a tee shirt-printing company online, visit an airbrush store to get help making one, or create your own with fabric paints and markers.
  
  

Stopwatch

• As coaches are often timing laps and races, a new, quality stopwatch will be a useful and appreciated choice. For an elegant touch, choose a jewelry piece like a wristwatch or a pocket watch that the coach can use to keep time or wear to a classy event. If you choose the jewelry piece, include an inscription on the watch to thank your coach for her work and time. A simple "with thanks and love from your team" will be ideal for making the gift a treasured memento.
  
  

Pool Float

• For a touch of humor, purchase a fun and colorful pool float for the coach to lounge in as his swimmers take laps. This could range from a raft float the coach can lie on to a waist wrap-around, animal-design float. Either option should produce a laugh from the coach and the team. Throw in a pair of arm floats for an added touch of humor. The raft could also be used during practice as a reward for the best performer of the day, or the animal float as punishment for a team member who is late for practice.