We’ve all seen the swimmer gift lists gracing the pages of Swimming World Magazine and its website. We write down tech suits, parkas, and GoPros on our lists with care, in the hope that when we go to open gifts on Christmas morning they will be there. Unfortunately, most of this stuff costs a pretty penny. Instead, this list includes not only some lower-cost options but also some things you normally wouldn’t think to buy a swimmer. Ever consider a foam football? Neither did I.
It’s crazy how times have changed this year. Ten months ago, if you had gone somewhere in a mask you would probably be looked at as though you had grown an extra head or two. Nowadays, they’re all but required and after the pandemic will probably be recommended to wear if you have something such as a cold.
Those of us swimmers who have had to deal with them during practice and meets know how impractical they can be at times. No, we don’t swim with them on; that would probably be dangerous. But when you have to wear them up until you get in the pool, you’re forced to push your cap up over your ears so you can keep the mask on, and after a while just gets inconvenient. With a hooked mask, all you gotta do is slide that baby up over your head and throw it in the bag. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Yes, you heard me right. Gas station gift cards are the dude-in-front-of-you-at-the-drive-through-who-pays-for-you of gifts. They’re rare, but when you get one it’s greatly appreciated. They pay for gas when your account is running on life support and small monetary donations from the bank of Mom & Dad, and they’re great for when you get back to campus in the early hours of the morning from a meet and the only restaurant open is Taco Bell. Some, like Wawa, also allow you to open up a rewards account with the card, and the resulting free coffee every Tuesday is vital for those 8 a.m. classes after morning practice.
3. Snack box subscriptions
Swimmers snack. A lot. It seems like once we get back into training the amount of time between eating is shorter than Caeleb Dressel’s 50 free time. As I write this from home over Christmas break, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if my snacking rate had doubled. These are great because of the pure variety of them. The SnackSack has things such as cinnamon churro sweet potato puffs, while the Jerky of the Month Club (my personal favorite even though I’ve never tried it) contains, well, jerky. When you’re like me and you’re probably at least 30% carnivore, you like all the jerky you can get.
4. One month/year toward whatever music streaming service they happen to be using
The Apple Music vs Spotify debate can be intense, to the point where I once had a Tinder match stop responding after I told her I use Apple Music (just kidding). Let’s be real though. Swimmers listen to music CONSTANTLY. Whether at practice, doing homework, on the bus/plane/walk to and from a meet, or just in the car driving somewhere, music is a constant in our lives. Are both Apple and Spotify super cheap? Yes. But imagine what you could do if you saved that $60. That, depending on what kind of car you drive (my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the Suburban drivers out there), could get you an entire tank of gas or two, enough to get you to and from school depending on how far you are.
5. The Comfy ™️
Are swim parkas more practical in almost every single possible way? Yes-but in the words of TikToker Demetrius Fields, hear me out, dude. Swim parkas only have so much pocket space. Meanwhile, the pocket on a comfy can hold a phone, headphones, a cap, goggles, maybe even a smaller compact car. It’s literally a blanket with pockets, and at $40 it’s less than half the price of a swim parka.
Sure, they’re not the best idea right now in the age of the pandemic, but when you’re at one of those long-lasting club swim meets that seem to drag on all day, there’s no better way to bond as a team than with some card games. There are so many different games to play, it’s the perfect way to pass the time as long as you keep track of what event they’re on. I’ll personally never forget the time at my junior year state meet when I won a game of BS by repeatedly calling peanut butter because I had no idea what I was doing. Along with BS, you have games such as Go Fish, Texas Hold’em, and if you get creative, maybe even Poker.
7. Nair
Yes, you heard me right, again. When you’re a guy like me and haven’t shaved your legs since the previous championship meet a year ago, the ordeal of shaving your legs often requires an entire hour or two of the day set aside, along with your phone and a speaker just for some music to pass the time. It’s a marathon that begins with you looking like Chewbacca, and ends with you looking like Rufus the Naked Mole Rat.
Nair would solve all of those problems. Instead of spending $30 on a razor and shaving cream because you’re like me and have an unfortunate talent for losing these things, just pick up a bottle of the stuff for $5 at your local Target, follow the instructions on the back and you’re good to go in less than a quarter of the time it takes you to shave.
*Disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only, shaving before a meet is a rite of passage and there’s nothing like the feeling of getting into a newly cleaned hotel bed with freshly shaved legs.
Foam footballs are versatile and can be used in quite a few environments. When the team hits the beach on training trips, there are two types of people: those that want to enjoy the sun, and those that want to enjoy the water. When you inevitably get too bored from lying in the sand, foam football is perfect. You can throw it around in the sand(a safe distance away from the nappers) and since they float you can throw them around in the water as well. They’re also perfect for those lazy days when you’re the only people on campus, and you’ve run out of stuff to watch on Netflix. What better way to enjoy a beautiful day than throw around a football? I personally recommend the OG Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football.
9. Crocs
I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to put on socks after swim practice(especially those very popular Nike Elite socks), but it’s a pain in the butt with wet feet. Then there’s the fact that flip flops just aren’t very fun when it’s cold outside, especially when you hit the colder months and you have to walk to the dining hall in the cold dark. Enter crocs. Crocs, in my opinion, are the ultimate shoe. You can have the strap up for the more casual walk, or you can flip it into four-wheel drive when practice goes later than expected and you have to sprint across campus. You also have the furry crocs for when it’s cold and you don’t feel like wearing socks. They’re versatile, the pin things can tell you more about a person than the stickers they put on their laptop lid, and for these reasons and many more, I consider them to be among the finest things ever invented. They also do a great job of keeping your feet dry, and for half the cost of Bean Boots(high top Crocs? I’ll just sign the back of the check now).
In my opinion, the best Crocs are the Lightning McQueen ones. I’m not kidding either – look at how cool these things look. They’re currently only available for kids because life is cruel like that, but you can do your part and sign this petition if you want a pair.
10. Towel Pants
They say to save the best for last, right? We all know how uncomfortable it can be to have wet pants because of your bathing suit. I don’t know how well these actually work, but I figure they’re better than getting your favorites sweatpants wet and rendering them useless for anything other than swim practice for the rest of the week. That, and they have some pretty cool patterns, like this shark one. Imagine pulling up to a swim meet in these bad boys.
Merry Christmas and happy (gift) hunting!
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Does anyone know where to buy the towel sweat pants? Website suggestions?
They’re on Etsy-click where it says Towel Pants and it will take you right to the site.