Swimmer Advice-Tips, Tricks, and Ideas

Why I swim

A little while ago, I was asked the question, by one of my non-swimmer friends, if, why I hate swimming so much, I keep doing it. @Debategeek16, here is your answer.

Swimming is not so much as a lifestyle as a cult. You get inducted into the cult of swimming at different points in your life. Maybe it's watching the olympics. Maybe it's at your first swim lesson. Maybe it's because a sibling swims. But whatever the reason, once you get in, it's very hard to leave.

For me, I entered the cult 8 years prior to my writing of this. I was watching the olympics, and I saw The Swim. Michael Phelps' 4x100m men's medley relay, Phelps, swimming fly. I remember watching Lezack win, and beat the WR. I saw Phelps after the swim, and he just looked so darn happy. I remember thinking "I want to do that someday." And so I began.

In the early years, swimming was incredibly easy. There were no intervals, and we rarely, if ever, did long, grueling swims. At the end of each 1 hour practice, we did starts for 15 minutes. Every day. Now I'm lucky if I get 15 minutes at the end of a 2.5 hour practice, even just once a week. The lifestyle has changed very much for me. Luckily, I no longer have to get up at 5:30 am for a weekend meet, and instead, get to sleep in. I actually own a kick board, fins, pullbouy, and I no longer have to use the team stuff for that (thank goodness, I always ended up with the bad stuff). Workouts are harder, but overall, I'm improving at a much faster rate, because of the increased difficulty.

So, why? Well, swimming has become a way of life. I have grown used to, and actually enjoy the smell of chlorine. I have gotten used to comparing sets with other swimmers (whenever I see a swimmer in class, I tell them about a really hard workout, and they tell me about a really hard workout). I have gotten used to the difficult sets, and come to love them. That doesn't mean that I enjoy getting kicked in the face, or hurting my shoulder, but I do enjoy the swimming part of it.

Swimming has become a place that is more about having something as an extracurricular. It is where I can relieve all my stress. Boys, grades, teachers, homework. It all flys into the water, and I splash my worries away. I kick at them, pull, and blow bubbles in their face. I relieve all tension, stress, anger. Sadness. It helps me forget. Cause sometimes, I just want to forget parts of my life. After my aunt died, swimming helped take my mind off it. I focused on getting into a rhythm. It helped. Swimming, it helps. For two blissful hours, I just forget about the rest of my life.

Your teammates become more than just teammates. They become family. You tell them your hopes, dreams, desires, and greatest fears. You spend time talking about members of the opposite/same gender. They motivate you. You cry on their shoulders. You pump each other up. You push through the hard sets. They know everything about you, your suit size, silicone or latex, your thoughts on breaststroke. They are literally the people closest to you, more so than your family.  You have no secrets. You know everything about them, and they know everything about you. They mean the world to you, and, to quote the great Bruno Mars 

"I'd catch a grenade for ya (yeah, yeah)

Throw my head on a blade for ya (yeah, yeah)

I'd jump in front of a train for ya (yeah, yeah)

You know I'd do anything for ya (yeah, yeah)"

This is true for swimmers. I would do anything for the girls on my swim team. Plus, I know that if any of us ever got hurt by a guy or a girl, well, they'd better watch out. You do not want 40 very strong girls chasing after you. And I know if I ever got hurt, they would do the same for me. We are best friends.

Everybody cares for each other. We know pasta preferences, Gatorade preferences, favorite energy drink, and suit size incase you ever forget yours. We are the tightest knit community you will ever find, and I am proud to say I am a part of it. 

Yes, swimmers are the laziest athletes ever, but once we get going? We're never gonna stop.

But most of all? I love how I feel like I can fly.