On a bright summer morning, many young swimmers gather at a local swimming pool in the state of Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. They are members of a competitive summer swim team. As they practice their strokes and cut seconds off of their times, they are getting lots of physical exercise and vitamin D from the sun. However, the benefits of belonging to a sports team are not just health related. Team sports also help to build many life skills. The coach of the swim team is Paul Waas. He explains how swim team teaches the team members skills like discipline and focus. I think the discipline comes into play when you're talking about focusing on the details that your coaches are saying as it makes you faster rather than just going up and down the pool the same way you have every time. So, when you can focus on what you're doing right and what you can do better, then you’ll see the improvement. I think they see that from their peers and then it challenges them to do better themselves.