5 Reasons to Swim for Your School
Are you thinking about swimming for your high school team? Or contemplating swimming in college? While there are many factors to consider when making this decision, here are some of the benefits to recognize as we near the start of another school year. Of course, all team competition hinges on the COVID-19 pandemic allowing teams to race at both the high school and collegiate level.
Teammates
Your teammates on your high school or college team are instant friends from all different grades. They will not only stick by you during the hard practices and celebrate your great races, but can offer advice with classes or anything school-related. It can be a great asset to have older teammates who have gone through the same grade in the same school just years before you. It always helps to have more friendly faces around school, especially those who you may not have known without the team.
School Spirit
Photo Courtesy: Deb Schaffer
There is no way to feel more connected to your school than participating in athletics or other competitions. The school spirit involved in meets and rivalries between schools give high school and college swimming a different feel than club swimming. There is a certain pride in representing your school, knowing you are both a student and a contributing member on a sports team.
Leadership
Learning how to be a leader is an important life skill, and certainly one you can learn through being on your school’s team. As an upperclassman, it will be your job to give the advice you found helpful as a freshman – how to manage your busy schedule, which professors are the best, and how to find your classes. Not only will the younger swimmers on your team look up to you in swimming, but also in academics. It is a great joy to help lead and be a mentor to these younger swimmers as they get comfortable at a new school.
Team Mindset
High school and college dual meets have a different atmosphere than regular USA swim meets. It’s every swimmer for their team, rather than for themselves; everyone is more concerned with scoring points than their times. There is never a dull moment during meets, since the whole team is invested in every swim. This team mindset also gives practice a different feel, since everything you do is not only to better yourself, but also to better the team as a whole. Dual meets, especially ones that come down to the final relay, have unmatched energy. You can finally tell your friends, “yes, I won my swim meet!”
Apparel
The apparel is just the cherry on top of how rewarding it is to be a valued member of your school’s swim team. Who doesn’t love a comfy sweatshirt? And years later, when you find your old high school or college swimming sweatshirt in your closet, it will remind you of how worthwhile it was to be a member of your school’s swim team.
All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.