3 Things Soon-To-Be Swammers Will Be Thinking

By Lillian Nelson, Swimming World College Intern

In the coming months, seniors across the country will begin to count down their final days being defined as college swimmers, and transitioning into the post-swimming chapters of their lives.

For many, it will be a bittersweet moment finishing their last race – at least in college competition. Seniors have been through all the ups and downs that swimming has thrown at them, and come out on the other side as not only better athletes, but also as intelligent, respectful, tough-as-nails human beings.

I have both observed and experienced a full spectrum of emotions coming from my team’s senior class, as well as any other seniors out there.

There were fist pumps, tears, smiles, and plenty of hugs as everyone left every ounce of what they had in that pool. And when it was all over, the last race was swum, and the final awards were given out, many of our fellow swimmers turned into swammers.

Amid the rush of emotion, uncertainty, and pride running through their heads, the following are three things swammers will think about.

1. Woah.

Photo Courtesy: Allen Rich

Didn’t I just have my first swim lesson like a week ago?

Swimming has a way of dragging on, yet at the same time, years and years can go by in the blink of an eye. Especially with college swimming, athletes do not realize just how fast time can fly by until their final year. So soak it all in while you can.

Make every practice count, never take your teammates for granted, and always remember to appreciate every single opportunity swimming has opened up for you.

2. Now what…?

I get to sleep in beyond 5:15 a.m. like…every day. Am I supposed to start dressing like a normal person now? No more sweatpants to class?

Your days of being a swimmer at first glance may be fading away, but this sport is not one that is easy to leave behind. It is a lifelong sport, which instills itself as a lifestyle. No matter where your post-swimming life may lead you, swimming will always find a way to sneak its way in there somehow.

Though we love to hate it, diving into a cold pool every morning is a strange addiction that will be missed dearly. Which is why many post-collegiate swimmers end up returning back to the sport in some way or another. Whether it may be coaching, masters swimming, or volunteering within the swimming community– once a swimmer, always a swimmer.

3. Thank you, swimming.

Being a member of such a tight-knit, challenging, and inspiring community fosters an environment which allows us to push our limits, support others, and pave the way for new experiences.

This sport teaches us more than we ever could have expected. We learn to be a working part of something bigger than ourselves and encourages qualities in us that we will carry far beyond the pool deck. Hard work is far from a foreign concept to us, and we appreciate the little things (i.e. dropping .02 off your best time).

So to all the swammers out there (or soon-to-be swammers), thank you. Thank you for setting the bar for us to attempt to reset next year. Thank you for sticking with it, and with us. Thank you for changing our sport for the better, and thus changing our lives for the better.

As your teammates, we cannot wait to see how you transfer your passion for swimming into passion for anything and everything life throws your way. Your days of training next to us every single day may be over, but you will always remain close to our hearts, a piece of who we are, and a part of our swimming family.

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